San Francisco Giants: Prospect Logan Webb one step closer to MLB debut

The San Francisco Giants need some starting pitching help. Could the front office promote top pitching prospect Logan Webb to bolster the rotation?

If the San Francisco Giants are going to pull off an unlikely run to the postseason, they will need to get better production from their starting rotation.

The No. 5 spot on the staff has been a revolving door all year and now rookie Shaun Anderson is on the injured list with a blister problem.

Many fans are banking on the return of Johnny Cueto providing a spark, and while that’s certainly possible, there is another in-house option that could be a factor.

Right-hander Logan Webb is widely regarded as the top pitching prospect in the San Francisco Giants farm system, and following a recent promotion to Triple-A, he is now on the doorstep of the big leagues.

The 22-year-old was taken in the fourth round of the 2014 draft and signed to an above-slot $600,000 bonus. He made his Single-A debut in 2016, but suffered an arm injury that required Tommy John surgery, and it was not until last season that he was finally back to full strength.

With that return to health came a breakout performance. In 104.2 innings between High-A and Double-A, he posted a 2.41 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 100 strikeouts.

A strong start to the 2019 season was brought to a screeching halt when he was slapped with an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He was reinstated at the end of July and he has quickly picked up where he left off.

All told, Webb has posted a 1.92 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 62 strikeouts in 56.1 innings on the year.

Those stellar numbers earned him a promotion to Triple-A on Friday:

Now the question becomes whether Webb will make it to the big leagues before the end of the season.

ATF contributor Marc Delucchi predicted just that in his “5 Bold Predictions for the Rest of the Season” article published earlier this month, and the move to Triple-A is certainly a step in that direction.

Armed with a lively mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider, Webb already possesses two plus pitches. The development of his changeup will determine his ultimate ceiling, but he’s been plenty effective with just those two pitches against upper-level hitters this year.

So will we see Logan Webb in a San Francisco Giants uniform before the season is over? Time will tell, but it’s looking more and more likely following his promotion to Triple-A.