Giant’s progress aided by A’s of old
Webb learning from players he cheered as a kid
Giants pitcher Logan Webb grew up an A’s fan, so he thinks it’s nifty that his pitching coach is former A’s closer Andrew Bailey.
Not to mention his throwing partner in the offseason was Sean Doolittle.
“I know Bailey was texting him all offseason checking in on me and asking how I’m doing ... instead of texting me,” Webb said with a chuckle.
A native of Rocklin (Placer County) and graduate of Rocklin High School, Webb attended Giants and A’s games as a kid and preferred the East Bay team. So he appreciated hanging out with Doolittle, who morphed from an A’s hitting prospect into a twotime AllStar closer and World Series champion with the 2019 Nationals.
Webb met with Doolittle, now a Cincinnati Red, at Push Performance, a scienceoriented conditioning facility in Tempe, Ariz., and tried to absorb all the information the veteran lefty provided.
In a phone interview, Doolittle laughed when asked about their early conversations:
“At the end of the first week, he was like, ‘Man, it’s really cool getting a chance to talk to you. I grew up an A’s fan, and when I was in high school, I used to go to the Coliseum and watch A’s games, and I remember watching you pitch; you guys were so much fun to watch as a team.’
“And I was like, ‘Hang on,
man. How old are you?’ He said, ‘I’m 23.’
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ ” Doolittle is 34. He did the math and figured, yes, it adds up.
“Just watching the way he was going about his business and from the conversations we had, he seemed to be much older,” Doolittle said. “That’s where the surprise came in.”
Webb is far removed from A’s fanhood and knows his next professional step is pitching well enough to win a job in the Giants’ rotation. He’ll need more consistency with his slider and especially his changeup to reach the level expected of him.
“It was cool,” Webb said of his chats with Doolittle, which included the mental game such as managing his energy on the mound and tempo of an inning — especially in rough moments.
“Not only being part of the A’s but watching him pitch in the postseason and everything. I got to pick his brain and talk to him a lot. It was fun to talk to him about his experiences and World Series championships. He’s an awesome guy, and I’m excited to see him pitch this year.”
Webb’s 5.47 ERA and 24
walks in 541⁄3 innings last year didn’t earn him an automatic roster spot, and the Giants will have five veteran starters once the deal is complete with Aaron Sanchez, a contract The Chronicle reported is expected to be $4 million, which makes it no easier for Webb.
“I’m pretty hard on myself,” Webb said. “I was pretty frustrated with how that season went. I know there were bright starts and appearances, but it’s my job and goal to be consistent with that, come out every fifth or sixth day, be able to succeed.”
That the rotation is full of veterans — Kevin Gausman, Johnny Cueto, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Sanchez — doesn’t seem to deter Webb, a part of the Giants’ future who wants to make an impact in the present.
“I’m excited to pitch with those guys,” said Webb, noting he never felt in competition with other starters last year and was more interested in learning
from them. “I’m becoming friends and teammates with these guys. It’s not like I’m looking at them like my enemy. I want these guys to succeed as much as I want to succeed.”
A primary motive would be aggressively attacking the zone with all his pitches, which he didn’t necessarily do last year. While Webb had wonderful moments, too many innings were too long, too many outings too short.
Doolittle said the more Webb pitches in the majors, the more he’ll figure it out.
“His natural talent is so apparent,” Doolittle said. “The way his body moves and his delivery are impressive. With his work ethic, he’s got a very bright future in front of him. I’ll definitely be keeping tabs on him.”