Daniel Webb Stats & Scouting Report

IP	110
ERA	4.5
WHIP	1.636
BB/9	5.645
SO/9	7.609

Full name Robert McDaniel Webb
Born 08/18/1989 in Paducah, KY
Died 10/14/2017 in Waverly, TN
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Northwest Florida State
Debut 09/04/2013
Drafted in the 18th round (550th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009 (signed for $450,000).

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Pitching is scarce in Florida in both the four-year colleges and prep ranks, but not at the junior college level. There's real depth, with the biggest name being righthander Daniel Webb. He performed well in showcases and entered 2008 as one of the nation's top prep arms, but he hasn't been able to build on that in the last two years. He hasn't shown he can consistently get hitters out, either at the Kentucky high school level or in Florida's juco ranks. He looked ordinary at Northwest Florida State JC (formerly Okaloosa-Walton) despite having a big-time arm. He doesn't repeat his delivery and doesn't throw enough strikes with his 88-92 mph fastball, which touches 94. The pitch shows less movement than it did on the showcase circuit in 2007. He improved the movement on his slurvy breaking ball and throws his changeup more often than he did in high school, so he has made some progress. He struggles with his command and rarely throws the breaker for strikes. An unsigned 12th-rounder last year, Webb may go in about the same range this year. No one expects him back at Northwest Florida State, but scouts didn't have a good read on his signability. If he doesn't sign, he's likely to look for a different junior college.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Barely more than five months after first acquiring Jason Frasor, the White Sox traded him back to Toronto, from whence he came, for minor league righthanders Miles Jaye and Webb. Webb had entered the 2008 draft as part of a loaded Kentucky prep pitching class that included future big leaguers Robbie Ross and Nick Maronde. Webb had a spotty spring and his signability proved difficult to gauge, and he fell to the 12th round. He spurned the Diamondbacks and went to Northwest Florida State JC, where he struggled and went to the 18th round in 2009, where the Jays signed him for $450,000. He struggled as a starter in the minors, as evidenced by his 8-21 overall record, but he took off as a reliever in 2013, finishing the season in the major leagues. Webb attacks hitters with three pitches, including an explosive fastball that has late hard sink at 93-94 mph while touching 96. He has focused on a slider to combat righthanded hitters, scraping 85 mph with depth and hard, late bite when it's on. He doesn't use his changeup often, but the White Sox consider it one of the system's best, a swing-and-miss pitch he sells with good arm speed. Consistency on and off the mound has been an issue with Webb for years, but Chicago pitching coaches have a history of getting the most out of power arms. He has a line on a role on the 2014 big league bullpen.
Webb was one of the top high school righthanders available in the 2008 draft, but he scared teams off with his asking price and fell to the Diamondbacks in the 12th round. Arizona couldn't sign him and Webb's commitment to Kentucky fell through when he didn't qualify academically, so he ended up at Northwest Florida State JC. He didn't have much success there and went in the 18th round in 2009. When the Jays couldn't reach agreements with several of their top picks, they took some of that money and signed him for $450,000 at the Aug. 17 deadline. Webb has a good pitcher's frame and a live arm. His fastball sits in the low 90s, touched 94 last spring and peaked at 96 after he turned pro. He has a good feel for a changeup that could be an average to plus pitch once he polishes it. His curveball isn't what it was in high school and needs to be tightened up. He also can be erratic with a slinging arm action. Webb could be an effective starter with his fastball/changeup combination and his ability to hold his velocity deep into games. But he'll have to move into a relief role if he can't improve his command and curve. He signed too late to make his pro debut in 2009 but got some work in during instructional league. He could head to low Class A if he has a good spring.

Minor League Top Prospects

Webb has shown premium arm strength since his high school days, but his lack of command, questionable secondary stuff and high price tag caused him to slip in the draft in both 2008 and 2009. The Blue Jays gambled and signed him for $450,000 as an 18th-round pick last year, and he again showed off huge arm strength in his uneven pro debut this summer. He pitches at 93-95 mph with sink on his fastball, which tops out at 97. He has the makings of a promising changeup and a power slider, but both are works in progress. Webb has a tendency to overthrow, causing him to drop his arm slot and open his front side. He's still trying to make the transition from thrower to pitcher, but he does have a clean arm action and a high ceiling if he can figure it all out.