The Giants announced they inked Madison Bumgarner for 5 years — I loved using that verb inked.
This shows, yet again, the Giants are committed to their best pitchers, and good for them. And Bumgarner is very good and should last a long time with that fluid delivery. Here is the Giants press release:
GIANTS SIGN MADISON BUMGARNER TO FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION THROUGH 2017
DEAL INCLUDES PAIR OF CLUB OPTIONS THROUGH 2019
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The San Francisco Giants have signed left-handed pitcher Madison Bumgarner to a five-year extension through 2017 with a club/vesting option for 2018 and a club option for 2019, Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Sabean announced today. The five-year extension covers Bumgarner through his arbitration years and his first year of free agency.
“Preserving our core pitching for the long term remains a top priority for the Giants and today’s extension certainly helps further that goal,” said Sabean. “Madison has already proven that he is one of the best left handed pitchers in the game today and we are confident that he will continue to succeed for many years to come.”
Bumgarner, who is currently the second youngest player on the Giants’ 25-man roster at just 22 years old, has been a vital piece to the Giants’ starting rotation since being called up to the big leagues in 2009. Since then, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound left-hander has posted a 21-20 record with a 3.12 ERA (117er, 337.0ip) in 57 games (54 starts) over parts of four seasons in a Giants uniform.
Last season the North Carolina native finished 11th in the National League with a 3.21 ERA and he reached the 200.0 inning plateau for the first time in his professional career. His 8.40 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in 2011 was the third-best ratio among all NL left-handed pitchers behind Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw (9.57) and Philadelphia’s Cliff Lee (9.21).
Since 2010, Bumgarner has posted the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.71), third-lowest ERA (3.17), fifth-highest strikeouts per 9.0 innings ratio (7.76).
At 20 years and 38 days old, Bumgarner became the franchise’s youngest pitcher to start a game in his Major league debut since the Giants moved West in 1958. A year later he became the fifth-youngest pitcher to start a World Series game and fourth-youngest to win a World Series contest at just 21 years and 91 days old.
Drafted by the Giants in the first round (10th overall) of the 2007 First-Year Player draft, Bumgarner has gone 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA in his first two starts this season. He’s scheduled to pitch tomorrow night against Phillies’ right-handed pitcher Joe Blanton.
Today’s press conference will be streamed live on sfgiants.com
– GIANTS –
