Logan Webb raised the bar in so many respects this past season. The San Francisco Giants’ right-handed ace was already respected as one of the game’s elite pitchers and its ultimate workhorse. Then he led the National League in strikeouts for the first time. He addressed a weakness while clamping down on opposing baserunners. He’s a heavy favorite to take home his first career Gold Glove when winners are announced Monday.
But ask Webb where he sees room for improvement in 2026 and his mind doesn’t flash to an individual goal.
“I just want to get back to the playoffs,” Webb said from his home in Arizona on a teleconference call with reporters on Friday. “I’m not enjoying sitting here right now. I wish we were playing into this month, and I feel like the direction is going the right way. So I think that’s the most important goal.”
The Giants telegraphed that direction on Thursday when they held a news conference to introduce manager Tony Vitello, whom they hired following a wildly successful eight-year run as head coach at the University of Tennessee. Webb said that he wasn’t an active participant in the search and that Giants president Buster Posey did not consult with him before taking the nearly unprecedented step of hiring a manager with no professional playing or coaching experience.
Logan Webb has heard positive reviews from some of Tony Vitello’s former players.D. Ross Cameron / Imagn Images
But Webb said he doesn’t feel slighted one bit. He endorsed Vitello and said he’s fully on board.
“He seems like he has a ton of energy,” Webb said. “He’s very smart. He brings a ton of passion. You talk to some guys that have played for him before, (Boston Red Sox pitcher) Garrett Crochet said great things about him. I’ve heard Drew Gilbert say great things about him. Even guys going to my gym that were recruited by him have the best things to say about him.
“So I’m super excited. I know the guys are super excited. I think it’s going to be a healthy energy boost to our team and our clubhouse. And I think he’s very smart, too. You don’t know what’s going to happen until you get to spring training and you see it live. But as of right now, I think we’re all super excited.”
Webb said he saw parts of Thursday’s news conference, which was held eight days after the Giants confirmed the hiring. In the interim, Webb didn’t wait for Vitello to get in touch with him. He sent the first text because he wanted to get the conversations started.
“I’m sure he was getting bombarded with texts and calls and everything, so I figured I’d just reach out and try to make it a little easier for him,” Webb said. “I said, ‘I’m excited to learn from you and work with you,’ and I’m pretty sure I said, ‘Let’s win the damn thing a couple times while we’re here.’ And automatically, you could see the passion.”
“He sent me a long text. He was energetic, he was ready to go. This guy’s moving from the East Coast to the West Coast, going from college to now in the big leagues. And I’m sure there’s a lot that goes into it. We’ve got a long, long ways to go to get the spring. So give him his time, and hopefully at some point we can catch up. … I’m sure we’ll have plenty of good talks before we get to spring training.”
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