Webb looks deserving of spot in SF’s rotation
GOODYEAR, ARIZ. >> The Giants’ front office will have some challenging decisions to make when building an Opening Day roster, but Logan Webb has given them an easy one.
The 24-year-old right-hander belongs in the starting rotation.
With five dominant innings of one-hit ball in a 7-0 win against the Indians on Tuesday, Webb continued a sensational spring that’s opened eyes and given the club every reason to believe he can be a major contributor in 2021.
“My main goal coming into the season and everything was just to show that I am better than what I showed the last two years and trying to stay on that,” Webb said. “I feel like I’ve had glimpses of being what I’m capable of and now it just comes down to being consistent.”
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler often warn about reading too much into spring training results, but Webb’s numbers can’t be ignored.
In five Cactus League starts, the Rocklin native has thrown 11 scoreless innings, allowed just three hits and racked up 17 strikeouts, including seven in a nearly flawless performance against Cleveland at Goodyear Ballpark.
“I try really hard to not really care about those sort of stat lines, but just going out there and competing and staying con
fident in all of my pitches,” Webb said. “When I do that, the numbers show up. But for me, it’s not looking at that sort of thing, it’s just staying confident.”
On a day when several Giants batter took advantage of strong wind that was blowing out toward rightcenter field, the only hit Webb allowed came when Cleveland first baseman Jake Bauers led off the bottom of the fourth with a line drive single to left field.
Webb’s ability to pitch around the hit and two Giants errors on Tuesday was perhaps the biggest sign of his development in the last year as he often struggled in 2020 when the defense
melted down behind him. Despite miscues from third baseman Tommy La Stella and shortstop Brandon Crawford, Webb never appeared fazed and seems poised to secure a coveted
spot in the Giants’ rotation.
After the Giants added veterans Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Aaron Sanchez to a starting staff that returned Johnny Cueto and Kevin Gausman, Webb seemed to be a dark horse candidate to lock down a rotation spot and a better fit to open the season in a long relief role or at the Giants’ alternate site.
By increasing the usage of a changeup that’s missed bats all spring and demonstrating better command of his fastball, Webb has not only pitched his way into the mix for an Opening Day roster spot, but made a compelling case that he should be starting every fifth day.
How the Giants create that spot remains to be seen, but Wood is a candidate to open the season on the injured list due to recent back trouble while Sanchez may not be stretched out to throw upward of 70 to 80 pitches by Opening Day.