San Francisco Giants Manager Didn’t Expect Young Star to Be an All-Star
Despite another disappointing one-run loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, there were plenty of smiles for the San Francisco Giants.
Logan Webb and Heliot Ramos were both named to the All-Star team for the first time in their careers. Webb earning his first nod comes as a surprise due to his dominance over the past few seasons, but nonetheless, it's a well-deserved honor for one of the top pitchers in baseball.
Manager Bob Melvin was proud of the two, acknowledging how big of a deal it is. He had the following to say, according to Henry Palattella of MLB.com.
“It’s a cool day,” Melvin said. “It’s always one of those special days that’s very well-received in the clubhouse.”
Guys around the clubhouse shared their emotions with their teammates, too, all expressing how proud they were.
Webb wasn't focused on making the All-Star Game, but did say that it's an honor.
“It’s an honor to be able to say that I’m an All-Star,” Webb said. “I wasn’t expecting anything. I was going into it saying, ‘Whatever happens, happens.’”
If he doesn't pitch, he'd have about 10 days off. He's hoping that isn't the case.
“If I don’t pitch, it’s going to be like nine or 10 days off,” he said. “I don’t know who makes that decision, but I’d love to throw in it.”
Not to take anything away from Webb, but he was expected to be an All-Star. That doesn't mean it's not an incredible honor, but the right-hander could win the Cy Young Award this year.
Ramos, however, came out of nowhere, and Melvin even said that no one could've predicted he'd be this type of player.
“I don’t know how anyone could have predicted this,” Melvin said.
Even Ramos wasn't expecting it.
“I still can’t believe it,” Ramos said. “I’m here and I’m very grateful. I wasn’t planning on being here so it’s a blessing that it happened. I play my heart out every day; not to be an All-Star but just because I want to help the team win.”
Despite no one thinking this was something that could happen before the season started, it's beyond deserved. Ramos is slashing .300/.372/.522 with 12 home runs and 10 doubles in 207 at-bats.
The 24-year-old has been one of the best young players in baseball and is a big reason the Giants are in their current position despite all of the injuries they've dealt with.