Donnie Webb 2011 Scouting Report

Here is the scouting report written around this time last year in advance of the 2011 season for outfielder Donnie Webb. The Indians lost him today to the Miami Marlins in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft. This report has only been available in my 2011 Prospect Book and not available on-line until now. (Note: the video included below is new and would have been for his 2012 scouting report.)

Donnie Webb – Outfielder
Born: 04/30/1986 – Height: 5’11” – Weight: 190 – Bats: Switch – Throws: Right

Photo: Lianna Holub

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. He was limited to just 85 games last year because of intermittent hamstring issues all season.

Strengths: At the plate Webb shows surprising average power, though is an inconsistent hitter. He has very good speed and has shown an ability to pound the gaps and pile up extra base hits. If he can stay healthy, with his speed he has the potential to swipe over 40 bases in the higher levels of the minors and possibly the big leagues. He is short, compact and powerful, and is a hardnosed player who is the consummate gamer that never finishes a game with a clean uniform. He has a motor that never stops and is hustling on every play looking for a double or triple out of the box every time. He is a very well rounded and versatile outfielder and shows good range, quickness and instincts to track down balls. He shows good accuracy on his throws from the outfield, but his arm strength is only fringe average at best.

Opportunities: Webb battled injuries from the word go last year as he injured his hamstring in the middle of spring training and missed a few weeks. He carried those health issues into the season where he missed chunks of the season and his play was affected because he kept reinjuring his hamstring. Strikeouts are the biggest concern with him, especially for a table-setter at the top of the lineup, which is a byproduct of him trying to do too much and being over aggressive at the plate. The Indians will continue to work on cutting down his over aggressive swing and try to develop his plate discipline in order to cut down on the strikeouts, make more consistent contact, and draw more walks. His swing path can be inconsistent because he drops his back shoulder, so he needs more work leveling it out.

Outlook: When Webb squares up the ball and puts it in play there arguably is not a more exciting player in the Indians system to watch make things happen on the bases. To be an everyday player he will need to stay in center field because of his lack of size and production at the corners, though he profiles best as a fourth outfielder down the road because of his versatility and speed. He will likely open the 2011 season with Double-A Akron.



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