Hayden Birdsong Prepares to Fly

Plus some final camp notes on the way out the door

Hayden Birdsong, the Giants’ 6th round pick last year, learned a valuable lesson in his first year in the pros on the benefits of good timing. After getting his feet wet pitching for the Giants’ last place rookie league Giants Orange team, he was one of two pitchers that were transferred to the Giants Black roster to bolster their run through the ACL playoffs.

“I threw two innings [for the team] and got myself a ring out of it!” Birdsong recalled with a laugh. “That plays for me.”

It was a fitting twist for a player whose baseball journey hasn’t always traveled the normal paths. In fact, much of Birdsong’s baseball life barely traveled off the front porch. Unlike so many of his contemporaries — the ones who would go on to D1 scholarships and top round picks — Birdsong’s teen years in Mattoon, Illinois weren’t all about travel ball and “pay for play” showcase events.

“Truthfully, through high school, I didn't think a bunch about playing college ball.” Instead of high profile travel ball, he spent his summers playing on his hometown American Legion team with his Dad as his coach. “That worked out for me. I loved every second of it. Just kinda hometown baseball.” When high school came along, he spent his falls playing wide receiver for the hometown team before converting to the mound in the spring. It wasn’t until his senior year that he realized he didn’t want his baseball career to end with graduation.