SF Giants: How does Logan Webb become an ace?

The SF Giants selected Logan Webb in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB Draft, and had his "welcome to the majors" moment in the 2021 playoffs, that left me to ponder: what does Webb have to do in 2022 to further himself on the path to becoming a true ace?

How did SF Giants righty Logan Webb become an ace?

If you asked around before the 2021 season, I would have to assume not a lot of non-SF Giant fans knew who Logan Webb was. He made his debut in 2019 and pitched only 39 innings with a ballooned ERA of 5.22, and in the shortened COVID-2020 season -- considered to be his first full season -- Webb struggled in 54 innings, accumulating an ERA of 5.47.

Once the calendar flipped to 2021, however, Webb began figuring it out. He lowered his walks per nine by almost two full walks while increasing his strikeouts per nine two full strikeouts, which helped him finish 11-3 and an ERA of 3.03. Webb missed qualifying for the ERA leaders by approximately 14 innings, but if he did qualify, he would've finished 10th across all of baseball (just behind Marcus Stroman, and just ahead of Max Fried), which had Giants fans excited for the future. Then came the 2021 postseason, where an entirely new legend was born against the arch-rival Dodgers.

In his postseason debut, against the defending World Series champions, Webb sliced through the Dodgers lineup striking out 10 over 7.2 innings, and most importantly: ZERO earned runs. What a way to make an opening.

A few days later in a win-or-go-home game five, Webb pitched seven more innings and gave up just one(!) run. As Giants fans know, however, is that this game ended in a way that overshadows Webb's gem. Now we are heading into Webb's third full season at the major league level and there is more hype surrounding him than there ever has been before.