San Francisco Giants: Logan Webb set to make second MLB start

After an impressive MLB debut on August 17, San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb will make a homecoming of sorts in his second start.

Logan Webb is currently ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the San Francisco Giants organization and the team’s top pitching prospect, according to MLB.com. The 22-year-old was selected out of Rocklin High School in the fourth round of the 2014 draft.

There’s a reason why he became the youngest pitcher to make a start for the Giants since Madison Bumgarner back in 2009 when he made his MLB debut last week.

Since the start of the 2017 season, Webb has been nothing short of dominant. Over his last 54 minor league appearances, he posted a 2.30 ERA and racked up 200 strikeouts in 196 innings.

Despite starting the 2019 season at the Single-A level, Webb made his MLB debut last Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He faced 21 hitters in five innings of work, allowing five hits and two runs (one earned) while walking one and striking out seven, giving him a stellar 1.80 ERA.

One important trait that Webb seems to possess is an ability to handle adversity.

He has already undergone the dreaded Tommy John surgery early in the 2016 season and he returned strong the following year with a 2.89 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 28 innings out of the bullpen at the Low-A level.

The Giants turned him loose last year and he quickly emerged as one of the standout arms in the system with a 2.41 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 104.2 innings between High-A and Double-A.

Fast-forward to his MLB debut. Filled with nerves and emotions, he allowed two runs in the first inning to dig himself an early hole on the scoreboard. However, he righted the ship and surrendered just three hits and no runs to the next 16 batters he faced en route to his first career MLB win.

Despite only 32 percent of fourth-round picks making it to the major leagues, he has arrived, and he has the stuff to be around for years to come.

His most dominant pitch is a four-seam fastball that he threw 47.3 percent of the time with an average velocity of 93.7 mph. Pair that with a filthy 83 mph slider and it’s easy to see why he’s the top arm in a farm system on the rise.

A native of Rocklin, California, Webb grew up as an Oakland Athletics fan.

Now he’ll have a chance to face the A’s when he takes the hill on Sunday for his second big league start.

There will likely be a strong contingent of friends and family in the crowd, as the San Francisco Giants rookie tries to take another step toward establishing himself as a long-term piece of the starting rotation puzzle.