The Hidden Giant: Why Logan Webb is the Most Underrated Pitcher in Baseball

For one week in October of 2021, Logan Webb took the baseball world by storm. Pitching for San Francisco against the almighty Dodgers in the NLDS, Webb put together one of the best postseason pitching performances the storied franchise had ever seen. In 14.2 innings, Webb allowed only one run while striking out 17 against probably the best offense in all of baseball. For a 24-year-old pitcher coming off a great year (his first full season as a starter), this was seen by many as the beginning of an extremely promising career.

While the success of Webb’s first full season would carry into 2022, the headlines he received at the end of the 2021 season would not. Despite putting together a phenomenal season, spotting a 2.90 ERA across 196 innings of work, Webb was hardly more than an afterthought. While a year ago he had been an ascending star for baseball’s most surprising team, this time he was merely a rare bright spot for an otherwise difficult Giant’s season. Outside of a few down-ballot Cy Young Award votes (he finished 11th), Webb received basically no recognition for being one of the most valuable pitchers in the National League.

So far, 2023 has only been more of the same for Webb. Despite leading the National League with a 3.6 bWAR, Webb was not even named to the All-Star team. He hasn’t even separated himself from his teammates, as Alex Cobb was selected be an NL All-Star over him.

There should be no question that Webb, after two and a half years of pitching at a consistently high level. should be considered one of the very best pitchers in the National League. So what exactly leads him to fly so far under the radar?

A big reason is likely the way in which he contributes. Rather than throwing 100 MPH and striking out 12 per nine, Webb instead operates as more of an efficient out-getter. His k% is only in the 63rd percentile, but he ranks in the 94th in BB% and 83rd in Chase Rate. He doesn’t get the swings and misses that other pitchers do (only 26th percentile in Whiff%) but he induces so many swings that he never gives away free passes.

Another reason is likely his repertoire. He doesn’t have a fastball he can blow by hitters or a slider that makes the batter look stupid. Instead, he lives off of his changeup and sinker, inducing more ground balls than appearences on Pitching Ninja. While these pitches have become extremely effective (his changeup’s -17 run value on FanGraphs is the third best of any pitch in baseball) they won’t do a lot to make up a phenomenal highlight package.

Mostly, though, I think it’s just Webb’s unwavering consistency that keeps him out of the spotlight. He doesn’t trade spectacular starts with average ones like most pitchers, instead consistently pitching 6 or 7 innings of 1-3 run ball. While this makes him extremely valuable to his team, it also means he’s never having the standout individual performances that sports media love to promote.

Hopefully, the longer Webb continues to pitch at this level the more people will begin to recognize his efforts. He’s one of the most likely candidates to be worthy of the National League Cy Young award in the second half of the season, so perhaps a strong finish will get him the respect he deserves.