There R Giants' 2024 Top 50: #7 Hayden Birdsong
Mr. Breakout takes a leap!
Photo Credit: K.A. Fulmore | Richmond Flying Squirrels
So far in the Top 50:
#50-46 (Lisbel Diaz, Hayden Wynja, Alix Hernandez, Carson Ragsdale, Ben Madison)
#45-41 (Jose Cruz, Tyler Myrick, Eric Silva, Nick Zwack, Josh Bostick)
#40-36 (William Kempner, R.J. Dabovich, Scott Bandura, Cole Foster, Nick Avila)
#35-31 (Jairo Pomares, Manuel Mercedes, Ryan Murphy, Erik Miller, Spencer Miles)
#30-26 (Kai-Wei Teng, Cole Waites, Randy Rodriguez, Maui Ahuna, Liam Simon)
#25-21 (Gerelmi Maldonado, Carson Seymour, Adrian Sugastey, Onil Perez, Diego Velasquez)
#20-16 (Heliot Ramos, Trevor McDonald, Landen Roupp, Victor Bericoto, Wade Meckler)
#15-12 (Tyler Fitzgerald, Joe Whitman, Vaun Brown, Reggie Crawford)
I remember distinctly, late in the season, watching Hayden Birdsong in Richmond — not even when he was pitching, but just when he was taking part in PFPs and bullpens, picking the brains of older teammates, enjoying his circumstances — and being reminded of the story of Joe Boyd, hero of Broadway’s Damn Yankees! Not that I imagined Birdsong engaging in any illicit bargains with the devil, of course.
But speaking with him in the early spring, watching his progress through the year, and finally getting to meet up with him again in the late summer, I did get the sense that here was a player who was almost taken by surprise by his newfound ability — as if he had simply opened his eyes one day and awoken to a new reality about himself. A boy who had dreamed of touching greatness suddenly — and somewhat shockingly — discovered that greatness indeed lay within his grasp.
(And, parenthetically, let us just emphasize here that anyone who ever pitches in a big league uniform will eternally have a much firmer grasp on great achievement than you or I will ever know).
How that awakening took place, and what young Master Birdsong did with it, was, I think, one of the coolest stories that took place on the Giants’ farm over the past year. And, if you could see me just now, you’d see someone writing with a big goofy grin on their face, just retracing those steps in my mind. The pop-=up player posts are always the most fun to write — they feel light and airy to me somehow. At least for the dazzling moment, the brilliance of potential outweighs the burden of the coming challenge, though that burden will rear its head soon enough. So let’s see how that brilliance burst forth this year and then try to tackle some of the weight that is coming…
….hang on, how’d that get in there. That’s not the right jump highlight…
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