Thursday BP: Logan Webb wants 2023 Giants to “change the culture”

Good morning, baseball fans!

Today is the first workout for the pitchers and catchers of the San Francisco Giants down in Scottsdale, AZ. In attendance, of course, is their young ace, Logan Webb, who is growing into more of a leadership role with the team, entering his fifth season.

Webb has been outspoken about how he felt as though last season wasn’t his best, and how he felt as though the team might have gotten a bit complacent after their 107-win season in 2021. He doesn’t want to look back, but forward, towards the next era of Giants baseball.

In a profile by Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, he quotes Webb as saying:

“This is a big year for us to change the culture. There’s a lot of moving parts but a lot of parts that want to stay here for a long time and start their own culture change. You always look back to the ‘10, ‘12, ‘14 teams. We want to start our own map.”

He’s not wrong. As much fun as it is to wax nostalgic about those magical seasons, those players are all but gone now, with the exception of Brandon Crawford. With Webb having come up through the system, it makes sense to hope for a new era of homegrown talent for fans to get excited about. (Kyle Harrison will be starting the season at Triple-A Sacramento, just saying).

It’s clear from his messages throughout the piece that Webb views himself and the team as having something to prove, entering the 2023 season with a bit of a chip on their shoulders, but not in a bitter way. After all, they apparently also have a neon sign in the clubhouse that says “Good Vibes Only,” which is also Webb’s goal for the season.