Brandon Webb

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #5 prospect in 2003
  Webb set the Kentucky single-season strikeout record (since broken by Athletics first-rounder Joe Blanton) in 2000, the year Arizona drafted him in the eighth round. After being shut down with a tired arm in his first pro summer, he has been solid ever since. He ranked fourth in the Texas League in both ERA and strikeouts last year. Webb's fastball tops out at 94-95 mph but is best at 92, where it really sinks. He also has a heavy slider, and his stuff reminds scouts of Bob Wickman's. His two-seam fastball can be so dominant that he could rely on it almost exclusively. With 40 hit batters and 23 wild pitches over the last two seasons, it's obvious Webb still has work to do to master his command. His pitches have such live, late movement that he can be difficult to catch. He just began to incorporate a changeup into his repertoire last year. Like his former El Paso teammate Mike Gosling, Webb has an outside chance to make the Diamondbacks roster in 2003. He could be used as either a starter or a long reliever. Whatever the case, he should be a major league mainstay in the near future.
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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #26 prospect in 2002
  Lancaster's Municipal Stadium is a tough place to pitch, though Webb posted an admirable 4.32 ERA there in 2001. He showed his true colors on the road, however, where he had a 3.57 ERA and held hitters to a .247 average. The highlight of his season was a 14- strikeout two-hitter at Modesto. It showed how much the Diamondbacks think of Webb that they sent him to high Class A after he pitched just 18 innings in his pro debut in 2000, when he was shut down with a sore arm. He established the single-season strikeout record in his final season at Kentucky and continues to prove himself as a strikeout artist. Webb has one of the best arms in the system, and projects to add more velocity to his 90-92 mph fastball. He has good command, works down in the zone and also offers an above-average curveball and a changeup. He relishes pitching inside and led the California League with 27 hit batters. Webb eventually could wind up in the bullpen and benefit from shorter outings, but he likely will join the Double-A rotation this season.
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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #27 prospect in 2001
  The Diamondbacks aren't going to get carried away and rave about their college pitchers in the 2001 draft in the same manner they boasted of their high school troika of Nick Bierbrodt, John Patterson and Brad Penny in 1996. But they do think they acquired more depth this time around, thanks to the quick development of pitchers like Webb. More than one Southeastern Conference coach said last spring that Webb had the best stuff in the conference, and his 123 strikeouts set a Kentucky season record. He has a long, lean pitcher's body. His best pitch is his curveball, and he consistently throws his fastball in the low 90s. He throws both a two-seam and four-seam fastball. Webb projects as a late-inning reliever. After a successful debut at South Bend last summer, he'll move up to Lancaster in 2001.