2011 Season in Review: Travis Webb

(Yes, the 2012 Prospect Guide is now available for purchase…. go buy one)

The 2011 season began on a sour note for Travis Webb in the month of April as he gave up 7 earned runs in 3.2 innings pitched in his first start of the year. The rest of the month didn’t go much better as he would finished the month with just 14 innings pitched, a 13.50 ERA to go along with 17 strikeouts (good) and 11 walks (bad).

When May rolled around, Webb had another rough start to begin the month, giving up 4 earned in 5 innings. After that start, he was sent to the bullpen to relieve and would only make one more start on the season. The transition seemed to go well for Webb, as he didn’t allow another earned run in the month. He finished the month of May with a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings. The lefty also struck out 29 hitters in the month, though his walk rate was still high with 11 free passes.

June was more of the same from the bullpen and even with a spot start mixed in as Webb posted his most dominant month of the season. In 16.2 innings pitched he posted a 1.62 ERA and struck out 21 batters and allowed just one walk. He finished up the month by not allowing a run in 6 straight appearances that spanned 10.2 innings.

July was a bit of a step backwards for Webb, though he still posted a strong month of work, but was limited with just 7 innings pitched due to a trip to the disabled list for 15 days. In his 7 innings of work he posted a 3.86 ERA with 10 strikeouts and 3 walks.

In August and September Webb once again posted a dominant ERA, but his peripherals were not nearly as strong as they were in previous months. In 13.2 innings pitched he posted a sparkling 1.98 ERA, but he struck out 12 hitters while walking 10. However of those 10 walks, three were intentional passes. He made one appearance for Louisville to finish out his season on September 3rd where he pitched a scoreless inning of work.

Overall Thoughts

The transition from rotation to bullpen was one that worked out amazingly for Webb. In 5 starts, his ERA was over 9.00. Coming out of the bullpen it was 2.41 ERA. The Reds sent him to the Arizona Fall League, likely to get one last look at him before making a decision on whether or not to add him to the 40 man roster and protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Webb performed well on a peripheral standpoint, striking out 24 hitters and walking 9 in 19.2 innings, but he did post an ERA of 5.03 and give up 3 home runs. The Reds wound up leaving him unprotected and the rest of the league decided to pass. My guess is that the transition to the bullpen will get him a chance in the Major Leagues at some point in the next two years, though he seems more like a middle tier option rather than a back end type of guy.

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