Athlete Appreciation: Brandon Webb
The former Diamondbacks ace was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for a three-year stretch.
Back in January, I kicked off my “Athlete Appreciation” series by spotlighting former Cleveland Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore. I wanted to celebrate the talent and accomplishments of a widely beloved player, and a personal favorite of mine, who had Hall-of-Fame aspirations before injuries derailed his career.
As I explained in that piece, the “Athlete Appreciation” series was created to highlight what made certain players — past and present — so special and fascinating.
“The point is we all had those athletes that resonated with us during that golden era of being a sports fan. Maybe they were the star player on your favorite team. Maybe they dominated SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays. Maybe you pretended to be them while playing in your backyard. Maybe their impact transcended the sport they played. Maybe they left you wishing what it would have been like had they unlocked their full potential. Maybe they were just plain cool.”
You can read the full Grady Sizemore appreciation piece, and get more of an idea of what this “Athlete Appreciation” stuff is all about, below.
For the second installment of the “Athlete Appreciation” series, I chose to cover the pitcher version of Sizemore: former Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb. Same time period, similar career arcs, and identical fates.
As we did with Sizemore, we’ll start from the beginning.
Early Days
Webb graduated from Paul G. Blazer High School in Ashland, Kentucky in 1997. He went on to attend the University of Kentucky, where he set the school’s single-season strikeout record with 123 K’s. To this day, he holds the Wildcats records for career strikeouts (259) and games started (46).
In 2000, Webb was drafted in the eighth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Instant Impact
After three modest years in the minors, Webb made his MLB debut with a scoreless one-inning relief appearance against the Montreal Expos on April 22, 2003. That would wind up being the only relief outing of his big-league career.
His first start came five days later in Queens against the New York Mets. He outdueled Hall of Famer Tom Glavine with seven scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts.
Webb started 28 games for the D’backs as a 24-year-old rookie. The 6-foot-2, 228-pound right-hander posted a 10-9 record with a 2.84 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 8.6 K/9 to finish third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
The key to Webb’s success was his devastating sinker, which he developed early in his minor-league career and threw about 80 percent of the time. Hitters knew what was coming but it didn’t matter. The pitch turned Webb into the most dominant ground-ball pitcher in the sport. It just took a couple more years for it to all come together.
Road To Stardom
Webb’s next couple of seasons were a mixed bag. In 2004, as the No. 2 starter behind the great Randy Johnson, he struggled mightily with his command. He led the league in losses (16), walks (119), and wild pitches (17), though he finished the campaign with a solid 3.59 ERA.
There was a noticeable improvement in 2005. While Webb still had the tendency to get wild (14 wild pitches), he ended with a 14-12 record and a team-best 3.54 ERA in 229 innings pitched over 33 starts. Arizona invested in its up-and-coming star with a four-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $19.5 million.
Best Pitcher In Baseball?
Webb made the jump from solid young starter to certified ace in 2006.
He thanked the Diamondbacks for his new contract with a dominant season. Through 33 starts, the masterful sinkerballer went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He led the NL in ERA+ (152) and FIP (3.18).
Webb maintained his reputation as a workhorse with 235 innings pitched. All of those accomplishments led to him earning his first All-Star selection and the 2006 NL Cy Young award. He received 15 first-place votes (103 points) to edge out legendary Padres closer Trevor Hoffman (12 first-place votes, 77 points).
In 2007, Webb picked up where he left off with another spectacular campaign that led Arizona to an NL West title and into the postseason, where it eventually fell to the Colorado Rockies in the NLCS. He earned his second straight All-Star nod and finished with an 18-10 record, a career-best 3.01 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 3.24 FIP. He finished second in the Cy Young vote behind Padres hurler Jake Peavy.
Webb led the majors in shutouts (three), and ERA+ (158) while leading the National League in complete games (four), and innings pitched (236 1/3). He set a franchise record with 42 consecutive scoreless innings, including three straight shutouts. That’s the 12th-longest such streak in MLB history.
He started a new streak in 2008 as he began the season with wins in nine straight starts. For the third consecutive year, he was named an All-Star. Webb finished ‘08 with a career-high and NL-leading 22 wins, a 3.30 ERA, and a 1.20 WHIP across 226 2/3 innings. He again finished second in the Cy Young voting, this time to San Francisco Giants righty Tim Lincecum.
An Abrupt Ending
Fresh off his third All-Star season and third consecutive top-two Cy Young finish, Webb was ready to lead the D’backs rotation again in 2009.
He took the mound for Opening Day against the Rockies but pitched only four innings, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks. That turned out to be the final start of his MLB career.
On April 7, Webb was placed on the disabled list with right shoulder bursitis. He underwent season-ending surgery in August. Not yet knowing the full extent of the injury, the Diamondbacks picked up Webb’s $8.5 million option for the 2010 season. Unfortunately, the ace of the staff spent the season rehabbing and did not appear in a game.
Webb hit free agency that winter and signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers. He started on his road back to the big-league mound by pitching for Double-A Frisco, but it was a dead end. In August, he underwent a second rotator cuff surgery that would keep him out of commission until at least the start of the 2012 season.
Rather than attempting another comeback, Webb officially called it a career in Feb. 2013 at only 33 years old.
Hall-of-Fame Potential Lost
In the previous “Athlete Appreciation” piece, I mentioned that Grady Sizemore was headed for the Hall of Fame had it not been for injuries. The same argument could be made for Brandon Webb.
Webb was the true definition of a workhorse with 200+ innings pitched in each season except his rookie year. His 2006-08 stretch can go toe-to-toe with anyone. It didn’t matter that he never came close to leading the league in strikeouts. No one was better at inducing weak contact and ground ball outs. A few more seasons like that three-year span would have immortalized his career in Cooperstown.
Instead, Webb joins Sizemore as one of the biggest “what ifs” in MLB history.
Thanks for reading the second installment of the “Athlete Appreciation” series. If you enjoyed it and have yet to subscribe, you can do so below for free. You can also gift a subscription to that baseball fan in your life.
Have a recommendation for an athlete to feature in a future piece? Let me know in the comments!