Logan Webb is primed to be the Giants ace for years to come. Following his start in Monday’s Cactus League contest against the Milwaukee Brewers, Webb was named the Opening Day starter by Gabe Kapler.
The news was expected with the way the 25-year-old wrapped up last season. Webb posted a 2.71 ERA after the All-Star break and the Giants went 14-2 in his 16 starts in that span, before he started in Game 162 of the regular season, and Game 1 and Game 5 of the NLDS. Now he’ll get the start on April 8 against the Miami Marlins, as the Giants will open the season at home for the first time since 2009.
Webb, 2014 fourth-round pick, gets to join recent Giants legends like Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain as San Francisco draftees who eventually made their way to the mound for an Opening Day start.
“This franchise, there’s been a lot of pretty special guys to start on Opening Day, and it’s an honor to say I’m one of them,” Webb said, via Evan Webeck of the Bay Area News Group.
Despite the franchise’s efforts to stockpile the starting rotation with veterans this offseason, Webb had remained the odds-on favorite to get the Opening Day nod. San Francisco brought back Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood while signing veterans Carlos Rodón and Alex Cobb. Matthew Boyd is set to return midseason and the team has some insurance options in Carlos Martinez and Jakob Junis.
“I think we have the possibility to be the best rotation in baseball,” Webb said. “I wholeheartedly believe that.”
Webb posted a 3.03 ERA in 27 games (26 starts) last season, with a 2.72 FIP, 1.11 WHIP and 158/36 K/BB ratio in 148.1 innings of work. He relies on a combination of sinker/slider/changeup that’s hard to get a read on, along with pinpoint control. According to Baseball Savant, Webb ranks among the league’s 91st percentile of pitchers when it comes to causing opposing hitters to chase pitches, while his walk rate is among the 83rd percentile.
