2010 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #50 Donnie Webb

50. Donnie Webb - Outfielder
Born: 04/30/1986 - Height: 5'11" - Weight: 190 - Bats: Switch - Throws: Right

YEAR	Age	Team	LVL	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2008	22	Mahoning Vy	A-	51	174	24	38	1	3	1	17	21	42	6	3	.218	.305	.276	.581
2009	23	Lake County	A	122	471	69	136	17	12	7	57	40	110	35	9	.289	.351	.420	.771
2009	23	Columbus	AAA	7	30	3	11	4	0	0	6	2	7	1	0	.367	.394	.500	.894
		Total		180	675	96	185	22	15	8	80	63	159	42	12	.274	.340	.387	.727

History: Webb was selected by the Indians in the 10th round of the 2008 Draft out of Oklahoma State University.  As a redshirt junior he signed for $100,000.  After a horrendous start professionally in 2008 at short-season Mahoning Valley when he hit just .218 with 1 HR, 17 RBI and a .581 OPS in 51 games, Webb bounced back last year with a solid year at Single-A Lake County.  He received a late season token callup to Columbus to help fill a roster decimated with callups in the outfield and seized the opportunity and impressed hitting .367 (11-for-30) with an .894 OPS in seven games.  In the South Atlantic League, he finished 8th in hits (136), 1st in triples (12), 13th in total bases (198), and 6th in stolen bases (35).

Strengths & Opportunities:  Webb's very good speed combined with a solid two-strike approach and the ability to pound the ball into the gaps makes him an interesting leadoff prospect for the Indians.  The Indians feel he has the potential with his speed to steal 40+ bases at the big league level.  At 5'11" 190-pounds he is short and compact and is as hardnosed as they come.  Rarely at the end of a game will you ever see his jersey clean and he is the consummate gamer.  One of the more exciting aspects of his game is his ability to stuff a stat sheet.  While he has no plus tool offensively, he showed an ability to pile up extra base hits, steal bases, and score a lot of runs, much the result of his aggressive, nonstop hustle where he is always looking to take an extra base whenever possible.

Webb got off to a slow start offensively last year hitting just .244 with a .650 OPS in April, but followed that up with a very good May (.306/.835).  He struggled again in June (.247/.699) and July (.207/.574), but then got red hot in August (.420/1.048) and September (.367/.894).  He was over aggressive early on in the season and trying to do too much, but after some extensive work and instruction in the cages he worked on leveling out his swing and top down on the ball more since his back shoulder was dropping the barrel head.  Things started clicking from there, which resulted in his outstanding finish to the season.

On the defensive front, Webb has proven to be a very well rounded, versatile outfielder showing good range, quickness and instincts to track down balls.  His biggest weakness is his fringy arm that is average at best though has above average accuracy.  He mostly played center field in Lake County last year, though when Delvi Cid was called up in early June he mostly played left and right field the rest of the season.  Considering his lack of power and size, he needs to be able to stick in center field to continue to be an everyday player as he moves up the minor league ladder.

The biggest concern at the moment with Webb is his high strikeout rate, which is something that could present problems for him as he moves up the minor league level and faces more advanced pitching everyday.  He is an aggressive swinger so he doesn't draw a lot of walks nor make consistent contact.  There is no doubt that when he connects he makes things happen and is exciting to watch run when the ball hits a gap or goes down the line, but going forward developing and improving his plate discipline is a must.

Outlook:  While his numbers at Lake County were very good, you have to take into consideration he was old for the league at 23 years old so it is hard to get a good read on how impressive his performance really was.  In any case, it was a very solid first full season for him in 2009 and something that should help give him some momentum for this upcoming season where he will be tested a lot more in the pitching dominated Carolina League.  At this time he still only likely projects as a fourth outfielder at best in the big leagues because of his versatility and speed, but if he can build on his solid season last year and have an even better one this year he could find himself as a fringe everyday player.  He is expected to open the season in the starting outfield for advanced Single-A Kinston.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

Donnie Webb MinorLeagueBaseball.com page

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