SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There aren’t many pitchers like Logan Webb around MLB these days. The San Francisco Giants right-hander is a true throwback with his ability to not only lead a rotation but also do it as a workhorse at a time in baseball when that’s not expected anymore.
“I got through 204 innings last year, and if you go back 15 years, I’d probably finish 30th in the league in innings pitched. It’s crazy to look at,” Webb told Yahoo Sports with a smile. “I want to pitch. I got to 216 two years ago. I’d like to get to 220, at some point. Hopefully pitch in the playoffs some more, too.”
He’s not wrong. Back in 2010, Webb’s 204 2/3 innings would have been good enough to tie for 33rd place in innings pitched with former Tampa Bay Rays starter Matt Garza.
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Don’t be fooled, Webb isn’t just your average innings eater. In fact, he’s been extremely productive since he arrived in San Francisco in 2019. He’s coming off a year where he went 13-10 with a 3.47 ERA in while leading the NL in innings, his second straight season leading the category. But it’s been the durability combined with his pitching prowess that has become his calling card throughout the game.
“And he wants to up that [total],” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “So, you know, with five-man rotations now, I mean, 200 innings is a lot [today]. I remember Jim Palmer telling me he threw eight consecutive years of 300 innings. Things are a little different now, but Webby is a little bit different than everybody else.”
What Webb has shown on the mound is something that hasn’t just caught the attention of onlookers who appreciate what he brings to the table, but also his peers. For starting pitchers who want to return to the days where durability and innings matter, Webb is their guiding light.
“Logan Webb, he’s unbelievable. He throws 200 innings every year,” Athletics right-hander Luis Severino told Yahoo Sports. “Seeing someone like that who is so finesse, going out there trying to win games. I know wins don’t matter anymore, but I think for us pitchers, they do matter. And if he can go out there and throw nine innings, that is huge for the team, and also for the bullpen.”
Webb leads MLB in innings pitched since 2022 and is one of just two starters (Gerrit Cole) since 2019 to have back-to-back seasons of 200+ innings. If he reaches the threshold again this season, he would be the first starter to accomplish that feat three straight years since his new teammate Justin Verlander did it from 2017-2019 with the Houston Astros.
“It’s an honor for guys to even say that. … It’s cool to have other guys see that,” Webb said. “I don’t just want quantity. I want to be quality.”
But being baseball’s annual leader in innings isn’t something that just happened by accident for Webb. It was something that the 2024 All-Star understood would make him a better pitcher long term. He also had good examples of what it looked like.
During Webb’s upbringing in the organization, they were a stable for workhorses like Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy, Tim Hudson, Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto. Every one had experience throwing over 200 innings in a season on top of postseason success. And as a young and impressionable 18-year-old, Webb knew what he’d need to do to get to that level.
But the onus wasn’t just on him. The organization played a big role in allowing starters to grow into that mindset.
“The one thing I learned from those guys — Johnny, Bum and Shark is that outs are outs,” Webb said. There used to be a big emphasis on it in the minor leagues. You would chart other guys’ starts in the minors and one of the big stats was, “three pitches or less in an at-bat.” And I took that to heart when I was in the minor leagues. I tried to do that as much as I could. And I think that’s something that carried over to this day.”
But how does he do it consistently? In a day and age where velocity and spin rate rule the day, Webb, who has good stuff, but not Paul Skenes level stuff, is looking for quick outs and doesn’t mind not getting swing-and-miss. The Giants’ ace has been top 10 in fewest pitches per at-bat over the last two seasons.
“It’s early-count contact. It’s lower pitch counts. It’s one of the reasons he can stay in the game,” Melvin said. “He’s not chasing a strikeout all the time, which starters tend to do a little bit more so, and that’s one of the reasons they come out of the games early. They’re just throwing more pitches, and Webby is like, ‘here, hit the first pitch. Hit the second pitch, and that allows them to stay in the game.’”
“I don’t think there will ever be an emphasis on less stuff in baseball,” Webb said. “I’m not going to get a ton of swing-and-miss. I’ve played with a lot of guys that are some of the best swing and miss guys in baseball. And I would say, like, the difference between me and them is they get some more foul balls [against them]. When they get to two strikes, I get more balls in play. Fewer pitches.”
The biggest Venn diagram that baseball has hoped to return to over the last 20 years has been the combination of keeping pitchers healthy and also allowing them to pitch more often. Unfortunately, it’s something no organization, or even the league itself, has been able to find the answer to.
“That’s a great question. I really don’t know the true answer. I mean I had Tommy John [surgery] my second year in pro ball … I will say, I think getting hurt early was honestly a bit of a blessing in disguise,” Webb said. “Because I was able to realize real early that you can’t just show up and do a couple arms swings to be ready. You have to get a stretch, whether it’s heat packs, some guys spend 45 minutes in the weight room getting ready just to play catch. You know, there’s things that you find that help a lot to just stay healthier and feel better.
If there’s one thing that Webb’s time in the big leagues has shown, it’s that the thing that teams have constantly searched for is still possible. Right now, he’s one of one. But as the game continues to evolve, he’s a case study in the link between the past and the future.
“It’s guys wanting to throw longer, and then also organizations trusting guys,” he said. “If they’re getting through five [innings] in 80 pitches, like, let them go out for the sixth, yeah? Same for the sixth and seventh. I think it’s a mix of both.
“It’s kind of the way the game’s gone a little bit. But I do think last year was like a step in the right direction. Just watching baseball, it seemed like there were more guys throwing more innings. I guess the key now is just kind of being able to do that every fifth day instead of, you know, once a month.”
