Forget the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting rotation, as the Giants are just as stacked in the starting rotation heading into the 2012 season. Here is a look at how the rotation stands right now:

#1: Tim Lincecum: 27-year old righty Tim Lincecum is one of the best pitchers on the planet Earth. He finished 6th in the Cy Young Award voting last season as he pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Giants last year in which he was 13-14 with a 2.74 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Lincecum has now pitched in 156 games (155 starts) in his first five years with the Giants and he was 69-41 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Lincecum has already won 2 Cy Young Awards in his career, and there is no reason to think he can’t win another one if he gets improved run support.

#2: Matt Cain: 27-year old righty Matt Cain is really close to being a legit ace for the Giants. He finished #8 in the voting for the Cy Young Award last year. Cain pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 12-11 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Cain has now pitched in 204 games (203 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 69-73 with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Cain, like Lincecum, is going to be a finalist…if not the winner of the Cy Young Award in the N.L. in 2012. Remember, it was Matt Cain that led the Giants to winning the World Series with flawless pitching in the post-season a couple of years ago.

#3: Madison Bumgarner: 22-year old lefty Madison Bumgarner really pitched his butt off last year for the Giants. Bumgarner pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 13-13 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He has now pitched in 55 games (52 starts) in his first three years with the Giants and he was 20-19 with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. The sky is the limit for Bumgarner as he has outstanding stuff combined with pitching know how.

#4: Ryan Vogelsong: 34-year old righty Ryan Vogelsong came out of nowhere to pitch excellent for the Giants in 2011. He pitched in 30 games (28 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 13-7 with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Vogelsong has now pitched in 47 games (28 starts) in his first three years with the Giants and he is 13-10 with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He has now pitched in 150 games (61 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 23-29 with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. The Giants hope that 2011 wasn’t a mirage, but a sign of things to come for Vogelsong.

#5: Barry Zito: 33-year old lefty Barry Zito will have to win the #5 job in the starting rotation this spring. Zito pitched in 13 games (9 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 3-4 with a 5.87 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He has now pitched in 146 games (140 starts) in his first five years with the Giants and he is 43-61 with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Zito has now pitched in 368 games (362 starts) in his first 12 years in the majors and he is 145-124 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Zito will need to step up if he wants to be in the starting rotation in 2012.

Eric Surkamp: 24-year old lefty Eric Surkamp is a very serious threat to Barry Zito’s spot in the starting rotation this spring. Surkamp pitched in 6 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 2-2 with a 5.74 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. He also pitched in 24 games (23 starts) in A+AA-ball last year and he was 11-4 with a 1.94 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Surkamp has a very nice upside.

Clay Hensley: 32-year old righty Clay Hensley will also get a shot to win the #5 job in the Giants’ rotation this spring. Hensley pitched in 37 games (9 starts) for the Marlins last year and he was 6-7 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He has now pitched in 211 games (49 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 24-29 with 7 saves, a 3.94 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. If Hensley doesn’t win a job in the starting rotation this spring, he might pitch out of the pen for the Giants.

Brian Burres: 30-year old lefty Brian Burres is a huge longshot in the competition for the #5 job in the rotation. He pitched in 5 games (2 starts) for the Pirates last year and he was 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Burres has now pitched in 106 games (56 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 18-25 with a 5.75 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2012: A

The Giants have signed 32-year old righty swinging SS/2B Ryan Theriot to a 1-year deal. Theriot played in 132 games for the Cardinals last year and he was 120 for 442 (.271 avg, .662 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 1 homer, 47 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has now played in 795 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 816 for 2,894 (.282 avg, .697 OPS) with 401 runs scored, 17 homers, 229 RBIs and 108 stolen bases. Theriot will likely head into spring training as the favorite to start at shortstop over Brandon Crawford.

The Giants have signed 32-year old righty reliever/starter Clay Hensley to a 1-year deal. Hensley pitched in 37 games (9 starts) for the Marlins last year and he was 6-7 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He has now pitched in 211 games (49 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 24-29 with 7 saves, a 3.94 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Hensley could compete with Barry Zito for the #5 spot in the rotation, but he’s more likely to work out of the pen in 2012 for the Giants.

The Giants have signed 27-year old righty starter Yusmeiro Petit to a minor league deal. Petit pitched in 7 games (6 starts) in Mexico last year and he was 1-2 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors back in 2009 with the Diamondbacks. Petit has pitched in 71 games (36 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 10-20 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Petit will likely start the 2012 season in AAA-ball.

The Giants have signed 32-year old righty swinging shortstop Gil Velazquez to a minor league deal. He played in 4 games for the Angels last year and he was 4 for 6 (.500 avg, .929 OPS) with 1 RBI. Velazquez also played in 123 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 140 for 427 (.328 avg, .865 OPS) with 78 runs scored, 8 homers, 58 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He has now played in 13 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 4 for 16 (.250 avg, .528 OPS) with 2 RBIs. Velazquez will try to win a job on the Giants’ bench this spring.