TODAY: Webb is indeed taking the ball tomorrow, skipper Bruce Bochy tells reporters including MLB.com’s Maria Guardado (via Twitter).
YESTERDAY: The Giants haven’t named a starter for Saturday’s game in Arizona, but president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi “strongly hinted” in a radio appearance on KNBR the job will go to right-hander Logan Webb, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Webb is already on the Giants’ 40-man roster, so calling him up from the minors wouldn’t require a corresponding move in that regard.
Now 22, Webb joined the Giants as a fourth-round pick in 2014. He underwent Tommy John surgery two years later, which limited him to 70 innings from 2016-17, but has come back to thrive since then. The hard-throwing Webb’s currently one of San Francisco’s highest-regarded farmhands, ranking among the team’s top 10 prospects at MLB.com (No. 5), Baseball America (No. 8) and FanGraphs (No. 9).
The majority of Webb’s work this year has come in Double-A ball, where he put up a 2.18 ERA with 10.23 K/9, 2.61 BB/9 and a 65.5 percent groundball rate in 41 1/3 innings en route to his first Triple-A promotion. Webb made his inaugural Triple-A start Monday and fired seven innings of one-run, seven-hit ball, notching seven strikeouts and no walks along the way.
While Webb has been stellar on the mound this season, his year hasn’t been free of issues. Webb received an 80-game suspension May 1 after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. But it doesn’t appear that ban will prevent Webb from debuting this year for the starter-needy Giants, who are continuing to hang around the .500 mark and the National League wild-card picture.
barrybonds1994
Dope
RedKing22
Yes, he did dope lmao
todd76
The Giants loved the PED user Bonds so this guy should fit right in.
Gmen777
Dodgers fans sure loved Manny Ramirez, Eric Gagne and Yasmani Grandal…you know guys who were actually suspended for PED use
BasesLoaded
Classy Giants Fan went straight for the jugular.
Dodgethis
Fact remains there is no physical evidence bonds doped. Unlike the many, many players who have been caught. Not saying bonds didn’t use steroids because, well come on, but let’s not pretend the giants are somehow the food loving team. I mean Oakland was pumping guys full of roids and selling them to other teams. Either way, steroids don’t help you make contact. Bonds is still the greatest hitter ever.
Dodgethis
Food loving team… damn auto correct. Roid loving team!
retire21
What about his admission of using “the cream and the clear”? Oh yeah, he didn’t know what they were. Sure Barry. Sure.
coachbrad
Sure, if you ignore the positive test and all the witnesses and the actual stuff he used and the written documents from BALCO. He might be the greatest hitter ever but let’s not rewrite history for him either.
ctyank7
A cheat who posted career stats few outside the Bay Area respect, and pales as a man when compared to the classy gentleman Hank Aaron.
ABStract
1.Bonds never tested positive and that’s what separates him from the Arods and Giambi’s that actually did.
2.Every team has benefited from players that used steroids, dodgethis wasn’t rewriting history, he was just pointing out that it’s BS that the Giants are often singled out for it.
3.And as much as everyone loves to gush about the older players being clean, that’s BS as well. Greenies were amphetamines that were handed out to players like candy pre-1990’s. They increased a players ability to make contact, move quickly, have energy, etc. they were also far more commonly used than steroids ever were, but you give Aaron the benefit of the doubt, why?
Can’t we just admit that every generation has its way of trying to get an edge that skirts the limits of fairness?
4.to be clear, I never liked Bonds, but it’s ridiculous that he’s somehow the face of PED use. I think it has just as much to do with his relationship with the media as his being the HR king, they were constantly vilifying him long before that issue came into the picture
chicagofan1978
Don’t forget the rampant cocaine use in those days
coachbrad
Tested positive November 2000.
Amphetamines weren’t illegal until the 70s. Meaning that prior to then everyone was able to use it. So it wasn’t an unfair advantage. Taking steroids and going to ridiculous lengths to hide it is. Bonds wasn’t the only one who cheated but he earned his status as the poster boy.
antibelt
Bonds failed 2 drug tests. One for steroids during what was suppose to be anonymous testing, and one for amphetamines. The government tried to pin him in whether he knew it was steroids. As far as this kid, cut him some slack. Name all the dumb things you did when you were 22.if you never did anything dumb at 22, then you’re a pretty lame person.
FrozenRope
Dude…I’m a life long Giants fan however there is plenty physical evidence that Bonds doped. Read Game of Shadows…read the court cases. He didn’t get in trouble for doping because it wasn’t against the rules of baseball. He got in trouble for lying to a grand jury about doping in the Balco case. His girlfriend admitted it. He admitted to it…just didn’t admit to “knowingly” doing it because he thought it was “flax seed oil”…which is laughable. Anderson grabbing the pine in jail for an extended stay is what ultimately saved Bonds as his case was just eventually thrown out by a federal court of appeals, which ruled 10-1 that his meandering answer before a grand jury in 2003 was not material to the government’s investigation into illegal steroids distribution.
retire21
Cocaine does not add 15-20 feet to every fly ball that you hit and greenies do not add “25 lbs of muscle”
Wink wink.
Strike Four
“Greenies” sounds so much nicer than “amphetamines”
SFGiants74
The guy had 7 gold gloves and over 500 stolen bases. You don’t respect that?
DTD
Nope, don’t respect his numbers.
SFGiants74
What makes you think he needed to add 15 – 20 feet every flyball.
retire21
Obviously he did.
ctyank7
Even if he helps over the final quarter of the regular season, Webb will not be eligible for the playoffs, due to that PED violation.
pustule bosey
if the giants somehow manage to get in the post season which is possible but not probable with the the teams they have to leapfrog, you only need a 3 man rotation which if cueto comes around well you have with bum and smardizija who has been pitching well as of late. better to give webb a look in the majors and see if he can help down the stretch.
talking baseball
Todd 76, Take a hike !!
ekrog
He’s not wrong
Strike Four
All fans love all PED users, whats your point.
ekrog
Wrong! Real fans love legitimacy.
davemlaw
No retreat No surrender. Giants will call up whoever makes them better.
Buzz Saw
That makes two druggies they have on their pitching staff. So much for zero tolerance after The Milkman tested positive years ago
Gmen777
Basically every team has had a PED user on their team the past several years. Nelson Cruz, Dee Gordon, Yasmani Grandal and Robinson Cano all off the top of my head have used PEDs and are on rosters. I’m not saying using PEDs is good but an organization shouldn’t cripple itself for some righteous belief.
coachbrad
He got caught and was punished. Nothing to see here.
ABStract
If a team were to eliminate players that have been caught for steroids a third of the league would be off limits
What a ridiculous comment
DarkSide830
compromise; life suspension for second offenses
Strike Four
better compromise: force all players to take PEDs
DarkSide830
even better compromise: make the balls take PEDs…oh wait.
upandcomerballplayer1087
Ya he learned his lesson. Hopefully…
JayRyder
Menez. Beede. Anderson not working out.
Cueto. D Rod did great tonight. And Webb. Probably Better…
I like that they’re thinking of the rotation now. The same way they were working the offense earlier in the season..
Still making changes. This team is good… Or Way!!!!! Better than they were for the past 2 1/2… Keep Winning.
aussiegiants53
Menez needs more time, Beede with the stuff but can’t harness it and Anderson is what he is, 5th starter type, just hoping for more out of him
Gobbysteiner
Yeah Anderson was never gonna be an ace, always pegged as a solid back end guy and that’s probably what he’ll be. Menez has major strikeout potential, reminds me a bit of Robbie ray. I think he’ll be good with just a little bit more seasoning in the minors
bigeasye
dehydrochlormethyltestosterone
22jclark
Used a prohibited substance. Got caught. Took the punishment. It’s over. We all make mistakes, time to move forward.
biffpocoroba
22jclark, you are correct. But we had to know that the Bonds and even Giants-haters would take Connor’s piece on Webb and turn it into another attack on Bonds and the team. Since there are players from multiple organizations still getting busted even today for these violations, this is a bigger issue than just one team.
Bonds does not need defenders and he can be accountable for what he did, and didn’t do. He had skills and talent before any PED assistance.
As others have said, I’m just glad the Giants are now looking at the present and the future simultaneously, which is a welcome development from the championship years.
22jclark
I’ll drink to that! Nicely said.
EasternLeagueVeteran
So many mentions story after story about Tommy John. Hard throwers blow out their elbow ligaments. Nobody teaches pitching anymore. Up, down, in, out, 75 mph changeup with a 90 mph “heater”, or God-forgive, a knuckleball good enough for a 20 win Cy Young season. I find it fun when you find a pitcher who can make batters look foolish while winning 44 games in three years (Big Bartolo Colon with the Mets) because he knows how to make his ball “move”.
CardsFan77
For the record, Bonds is not the greatest hitter ever…. If PED use was acceptable in MLB then yes maybe he is… But its not and guys like Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Clemens, Canseco etc. Should have records stripped and all stats removed from the game of baseball…. They are an embarrassment to the game. If PED usage doesnt help and has zero effect on their game or reaching milestones then why did they take them?? They ABSOLUTELY Help! Stamina, endurance, strength…. Just my thoughts…
biffpocoroba
Your thoughts are valid, CardsFan77. I would say that PED’s didn’t give Bonds his hand-eye coordination and his hitting mechanics, but did affect the tangibles you mention. Bonds has said in several venues that he saw what McGuire and Sosa accomplished that one season, and he somehow knew they were juicing, so he focused on going them one better. We can all envision for ourselves what he meant by that.
For my money, the best overall hitter of all time was Willie Mays, but that’s just my view.
talking baseball
Willie Mays is the best all around player I’ve ever seen, but Willie McCovey is my all time favorite.
SFGiants74
And you know, Bonds played with Mays and McCovey from the time he was in diapers. He has probably forgotten more about baseball then than anybody knows.
retire21
Please stop.
Gobbysteiner
He’s not wrong
retire21
So, of all the people that have played, coached, managed, scouted, worked in the front office or otherwise been associated with the great game of baseball, Bonds is the smartest.
Yeah I don’t think so.
I get hyperbole in the moment but to double-down and defend it, not so much.
FrozenRope
CardsFan77…there were way more than that. You would have to eliminate the stat book completely for several years. Mark McGwire. Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez and Jason Giambi were all outed in Canseco’s book…two of which later admitted it and one tested positive. Lots of guys were obviously on something…Luis Gonzalez, B Santiago and probably 100 other lesser known players including Jason Grimsley who’s home was raided by federal agents. I just don’t think you can eliminate records. History is history. We all know about the steroid era and can worship our heroes accordingly.
DarkSide830
that’s what the asteric symbol is for
DarkSide830
i know when these guys started and when the rules came into place is valid, but it could then be an ethics issue. personally, im not sure what to think about said players. also not sure if you could say “Bonds would still have made the hall without PEDs,” which is probably true, but allowing him for that reason is a slipperly slope. then again though, plenty of guys already in have questions, so its ultimately a mess that i dont know im qualified to sort though.
Strike Four
Bonds was the greatest hitter ever, bar none. Anyone else you want to bring up played in an easier era with worse pitching.
If you want to argue Trout is better than Bonds I will allow it.
coachbrad
You can only go by stats relative to your time. Babe still the greatest.
SFGiants74
Bonds was a gym rat. As he grew older, his recovery time slowed down. So, he needed something to recover quicker.
Nevrfolow
I approve of steroids for this reason only
FrozenRope
Oh…and ARod of course.
trekker
OK Logan made a mistake and paid for it
Now let’s give him a chance to prove he learned and can move forward or are we always going spend our lives pointing fingers while ignoring our own failures ?
DarkSide830
kinda gullible to believe most of these guys stop when most play just as well after they are suspended. I know he shouldn’t be suspended due to my opinion alone, but that’s a monkey he’s not getting off his back either. same as Mondesi, Chavis, Ortiz, A-Rod…the list goes on. ill think what i want about each – they all cheated and probably always did.
DarkSide830
those numbers show he really did stop juicing after the suspension…wait
Nevrfolow
Big bonds fan here and I remember when Bonds stopped juicing so many of his would be homers were only warning track shots.
Nevrfolow
May I recommend Screwball. Watch it if you haven’t. It’s on Netflix or even prime video
5TUNT1N
Webb threw a great game! Welcome to the big leagues Logan!
MasterShake
Maybe he can help them climb out of that 7 game hole lmao. Stupid org.