Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospects – #50 Seth Webster Scouting Report
Atlanta Braves Right Hander Seth Webster
Who Is He?
Webster is a Louisiana boy who went to high school in Louisiana and then went to both Louisiana College and then Nicholls State University. He wasn’t drafted after college and ended up playing in the independent Frontier League for Schaumburg for 2013 and 2014. He posted a 2.40 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 11 starts and 75 innings in 2013 then a 3.36 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 19 starts and 118 innings in 2014. He made one start in 2015 for Schaumburg, going 7 innings without allowing a run, walking one and striking out six.
Next: Webster's scouting report
The Braves signed Webster from his indy league team in May. He made one start and then he was called up to Carolina to help as the Mudcats were desperate for help as they had their entire starting rotation out after the bus crash. Overall on the season, Webster made 21 appearances, 20 of them starts, accumulating 135 2/3 innings, with a 3.25 ERA and 1.09 WHIP along with a 10/103 BB/K ratio.
Seth Webster Scouting Report
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I wanted to get a good selection of Webster’s starts, so I took a couple from his first 5 starts, one from his next 5, and then his last 3. Over those six starts, he totaled 42 innings, racking up a 2.36 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with a 3/36 BB/K and 2-1 record.
Webster is listed at 6’5 and 200 pounds, and that looks accurate. His delivery is immediately noticeable as he is a rare sidearm starter. He tucks his left shoulder into his body until the last second before he throws the ball, which adds to his deception as well. Webster doesn’t pitch exclusively sidearm either, as he will dip just a touch below sidearm up to nearly 3/4 at times. This is not due to a lack of mechanics, as he is intentionally seeking a variety of arm angles to help him add different looks for a hitter. His legs and body don’t have any mechanical changes, which is the big part of the success he has because hitters never know which arm angle a pitch is coming from, let alone what pitch may be coming.
So, with the kind of ridiculous results that he has put up so far, Webster must have ridiculous stuff, right? Not so much. The highest radar gun reading I saw on Webster in any of the starts I watched was 85. Due to his multiple angles, it’s really difficult to get a read on what he throws as far as pitches, but that’s part of what makes him so effective. He sits mostly in the upper 60s and lower 70s in velocity, changing his arm angle frequently, and most effectively, he never seems to have a ball break the same way two pitches in a row.
With former Brave Victor Caratini at the plate in one sequence, Carolina catcher Joseph Odom placed himself in the same position four straight times with his glove on the outside corner about knee-high. Webster threw a pitch from just below sidearm that broke from the middle of the plate to right in Odom’s glove for a called strike. He followed with a sidearm pitch that had a 12-6 curve motion and once again nailed the glove in the same exact spot for a called strike two. Webster threw what appeared to be a slider from sidearm with just a touch of arm side break from the middle of the plate to the same exact spot again that Caratini fouled off. Then Webster came at roughly 3/4 with an 83 mph fastball with just a touch of sink that hit Odom’s glove just perfectly again, and Caratini swung past it helplessly.
Next: 2016 outlook
While you can tell the fastball when he brings it to 3/4 and top speed, he throws a number of fastballs from other arm angles that sit in the mid 70s. Based on the break, he utilizes a cut fastball grip on some pitches, he has a sink effect on a number of pitches along with a more distinct effect that looks more like a slider. He also has a 12-6 curve that he throws from his sidearm and below sidearm angles. The crazy part is the arm angle also assists the ball in breaking in a different spot in the zone. He throws a slider from all three arm angles he presents, and from the 3/4 angle, it has a late slider break lower in the zone. From his sidearm angle, he is able to get a slurve movement on the slider that breaks glove side. From his below sidearm angle, he gets an arm side late break and can be very effective up in the zone.
Seth Webster 2016 Outlook
Webster is going to be caught in the glut of pitchers at AA Mississippi this season. He could end up in the rotation simply in order to ensure innings eaten, or there are some rumors going around the Twitter-verse that the Braves have looked into the idea of doing what’s called tandem starting with one starting position in each rotation below Gwinnett, and Webster may be a perfect tandem partner with someone who’s more “risky” like Zachary Bird or Andrew Thurman in the final Mississippi rotation spot.
Next: Braves Top 100 Prospects Updated
Webster is going to have a tough time to really move past some of the “prospects” ahead of him, but like Ryan Weber simply kept plugging away and eventually made his way to the majors, Webster will certainly have a role as long as he keeps guys off the basepaths and is able to go deep into ball games when he starts. He has the type of delivery and easy motion that makes me think he could also be the type of guy to be a long reliever/swing man who can pitch extended innings multiple times weekly to help the staff, however with Webster turning 27 this season, he doesn’t have a lot of “prospect” shine left to him. He may never be a major league starter with his repertoire, but he could very well be an effective long reliever with his odd arm angles and rare velocity. Regardless of whether he may ever be a major leaguer, he’s a guy who can soak up a ton of innings and show a lot of the young pitchers the effect of various grips on movement to help them down the line. I did post a few of the more effective side arm and submarine pitchers in the game currently as pictures on this article, but I think you’ll notice that they’re all relievers, even though some of them are late-game setup guys and even closers.