Hayden Birdsong #60

Attended Eastern Illinois and led the team in ERA (3.35) in 2022 while going 5-4 with 66 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. He was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference pick in ‘22. Selected by SF in the sixth round of the 2022 draft, the ninth Panther to be taken by SF all-time. Before Birdsong it was current Giants Farm Director Kyle Haines in 2004. Played baseball at Mattoon (IL) HS and was selected to the All Apollo Conference First Team. He helped Mattoon HS win the 2019 Conference Championship. Hayden’s father, Stacey, coached him through several levels of baseball, including summer baseball with Mattoon Post 88. Majored in Exercise Science at EIU.

2023

Split the season between three levels and combined to go 2-5 with a 3.31 ERA (37er, 100.2ip) with 149 strikeouts overall. His 3.31 season ERA was best among SF Minor Leaguers (min 100.0ip) Started the season with Low-A San Jose and posted a 2.16 ERA over 12 games (10 starts)…struck out 70 batters in 41.2 innings of work (15.12 SO/9.0)…he held CAL league hitters to a .218 average. Had his best performance on the Fourth of July as he threw five no-hit innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters en route to a combined no-hitter for the Emeralds. Was the fourth player from the 2022 Giants draft class to reached the upper minors, joining second-rounder Carson Whisenhunt, eighth-rounder Wade Meckler and 10th-rounder John Michael Bertrand.