Logan Webb is fast becoming one of the best pitchers in the Giants’ West Coast history, but he knows he won’t be able to rub elbows with Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner unless he reaches the milestone of milestones.
Webb wants to feel how that terrific trifecta felt in 2010, 2012, and 2014. He wants to feel how the Dodgers felt Saturday night after winning Game 7 of the World Series. He wants to know what it’s like to win it all.
Before all that, he simply wants to get back to the playoffs after appearing in the postseason just once in his first seven big-league seasons, having gotten bounced in the first round in 2021.
“I’m not enjoying sitting here right now,” Webb said. “I wish we were playing into (October). I feel like the direction is going the right way. I think that’s the most important goal.”
Webb was convinced he needed to improve after a June 2024 game in St. Louis when the Cardinals ran at will. Even 245-pound backup catcher Pedro Pagés, never known for his speed, swiped a bag off Webb, which Webb called a “lowpoint.”
“I really felt like I got exposed,” he said.
Things changed in spring training. Webb credited Melvin and coaches Matt Williams, Mark Hallberg, J.P. Martinez, and Garvin Alston for helping him reach a higher standard. He also spoke with Mets running coach Antoan Richardson, a former Giants coach, when the team was in New York.
“I think BoMel gave me some crap about it a little bit,” Webb said. “I definitely didn’t want to put him or anybody on the team in a bad spot. … I just tried to pick as many brains as I can to see if I can get better at it and learn some new things.”
It wasn’t just holding runners. Webb, whose sinker generates constant groundballs including comebackers, posted a 7 defensive runs saved, trailing only the Yankees’ Max Fried among big-league pitchers, a considerable upgrade from his cumulative -4 DRS from 2019 through 2024.
Bailey’s second straight Gold Glove was no surprise. Suffice it to say he was at the top of most every defensive metric, and his framing numbers were especially elite. It’ll be a storyline next season whether his framing ability will maintain its high value as Major League Baseball adds the challenge system for balls and strikes.
“Not only does he want to be the best catcher in baseball,” Webb said, “he wants to be known as the best defender in baseball.”
The next step for Webb is bragging to buddies Brandon Crawford and Matt Chapman, who won a collective nine Gold Gloves. It’s the second for Bailey.
“I’m going to tell these guys if I can win it, anybody can win it,” quipped Webb. “But, no, to be able to say you’re one of the best defenders or the best defender at your position in your league is really cool.”
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