Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Logan Webb is annoyed when he walks someone. Bothered when a hit finds a hole. Angry when he can’t pitch deep into games. Something more than angry when the Giants lose a game he starts.
“Competitive” doesn’t do it justice, but it’s a start. So as he looked back at a season in which he struggled to a 5.47 ERA in 54 1/3 innings, there were not cushioned statements or fingers pointed toward his 4.17 FIP.
“I’m pretty hard on myself, and I was pretty frustrated with how the season went,” the 24-year-old said after a shortened and strange rookie season. “I know there were some bright starts and appearances, but it’s my job and my goal to be consistent with that. Get those numbers down and be able to come out every fifth or sixth day and be able to succeed and do what I’m supposed to do instead of being a little inconsistent. … Just overall a little frustrating, but I can’t dwell on that. Gotta just get back to doing what I do.”
What he has been doing is focusing on landing his slider and changeup for strikes. His changeup, especially, has been a plus pitch for him, against which batters hit .230 last season. There has been talk about upping his changeup usage, after he threw it about 31 percent of the time last season.
Webb is open to it, and the more he can mix in his secondary pitches, the better he likely will be. Opponents batted .329 against his fastball last year.
His changeup is “a pitch that he can use very effectively,” Gabe Kapler said over Zoom. “This is more a general philosophy around secondary pitches: We feel like the more pitchers throw those pitches, the more control and command they gain on those pitches. … We feel strongly that if Logan is able to throw his changeup — all of his offspeed pitches, but specifically his changeup — for a strike consistently, he’s a major league-caliber starter that can help us win a lot of games.”
If the Giants stay at a five-man rotation — which isn’t a certainty — he no longer projects as a member of the group to start the season. Farhan Zaidi & Co. have pieced together an experienced five all with expiring deals — Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Johnny Cueto and Aaron Sanchez (whose signing has not been announced) — and Webb could be the odd man out and start in Sacramento.
The list goes deeper, though. Tyler Beede threw his first bullpen session of camp Friday, his fastball in the low-90s, Kapler said, and could be ready around June. Caleb Baragar is being stretched out as a starter. Kapler already has talked glowingly about righty Nick Tropeano, a veteran without a major league contract yet but with starting and relief experience.
Webb is in a competition, but he’s not seeing his teammates as opponents.
“Just show the work I’ve put in the offseason, show what I can do. Everything else is out of my control,” said the Rocklin native. “Other than that, just come in here and be prepared to compete with anybody.”
He has the brain of Gausman back to pick, having grown close with the veteran last season. He did some learning from Sean Doolittle this offseason, the longtime A’s reliever becoming his catch partner at Push Performance gym in Tempe, Ariz.
Webb grew up watching the now-Red and called him “awesome.” Giants pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who also played with Oakland, would text Doolittle to see how the protégé was looking.
Everyone wants to see more of Webb, himself included. But will he be seen starting games for the Giants once April begins?
“At the foundation of describing Logan Webb is just talent, right?” Kapler said. “It’s arm speed, it’s power, it’s a plus changeup and it’s a sinker and a cutter mix that leads to a lot of weak contact. I think our pitching coaches are excited about him.”