Why Giants Ace Logan Webb Playing for Team USA in WBC Isn’t So Risky

With Logan Webb joining Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, the San Francisco Giants likely won’t have to monitor his workload.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb (62) throws against the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning at Oracle Park. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Logan Webb was announced as a member of the pitching staff for the World Baseball Classic on Thursday, the first San Francisco Giants pitcher to be named to the team.

He may end up being the only Giants pitcher named to Team USA, but other Giants are being considered for other international teams. Webb’s interest in joining the team has been reported for a few weeks. In these situations, Team USA and the franchise must work together to ensure that a pitcher’s workload won’t be out of line with a spring training ramp-up.

A look at Team USA’s pitching usage from the 2023 Tournament — which the US reached the finals against Japan — reveals that San Francisco likely has little to worry about in terms of Webb being overworked during the event.

Team USA 2023 Pitching Usage

Logan Webb ➡️ 2026 #WorldBaseballClassic

Team USA adds more muscle to its pitching staff! pic.twitter.com/R7aolrDfQ4

— MLB (@MLB) December 18, 2025

Webb is used to being a workhorse. He’s pitched at least 200 innings in each of the last three seasons, with 192.1 innings in 2022. This past season he led the Majors with 207 innings pitched with a record of 15-11 with a 3.22 ERA. He finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting and was in the Top 6 in Cy Young voting for the third straight year.

He won’t have to work nearly as hard in the WBC, even if the US reaches the championship game again.

The hardest-working US pitcher in the 2023 WBC was Lance Lynn, a veteran who was also used to being a workhorse in his career. He went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA but he only pitched nine innings in two games. He started two of Team USA’s seven games. After him was Adam Wainwright, who pitched eight innings in two starts and went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA.

The other starters were Merrill Kelly, who started two games but only pitched 4.1 innings, and Nick Martinez, who started one game and only pitched 2.2 innings.

The only pitchers who threw more than two games were relievers like Jason Adam, David Bednar and Devin Williams, who all pitched in four games but worked a combined 11.1 innings.

The point is the workload will be well-distributed. Mark DeRosa was the WBC manager in 2023 and will be again in 2026 and he’ll likely deploy the pitching staff similarly — or else the Giants wouldn’t green-light Webb’s participation.

The Team USA roster continues to take shape and could change up until first pitch of the tournament. Team USA plays its first game of the 2026 WBC against Brazil in Pool B on March 6 at 8 p.m. ET at Houston's Daikin Park.

Along with Webb, the pitching staff includes Tarik Skubal, Mason Miller, David Bednar, Paul Skenes, Clay Holmes, Nolan McLean and Joe Ryan. Position players include Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Schwarber, Brice Turang.