'It's an honor': Webb, Ramos earn first-time nods for '24 All-Star Game
Henry Palattella
@hellapalattellaCLEVELAND -- All season, it seems like Logan Webb and Heliot Ramos have stepped up whenever they¡¯ve been called upon for the San Francisco Giants.
On Sunday, the duo received a fitting honor for their actions when they were named as representatives for the National League in the 2024 All-Star Game. Both players made the team as MLB choices, meaning they were picked via fan and player elections.
2024 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard
? Gameday
? AL tops NL, 5-3, in 94th All-Star Game
? Duran named All-Star Game MVP
? Best moments from the All-Star Game
? Ohtani hits Dodgers' 1st ASG homer since 1996
? Skenes passes All-Star test with scoreless 1st for NL
? Complete coverage
Normally, Giants manager Bob Melvin tells his All-Stars they¡¯ve made the team by talking to them individually, but he decided to do things differently this year by doing it in front of the team. He announced Webb¡¯s berth first before saying the team had a second All-Star, but not saying who it was. As the suspense grew, he announced that Ramos had made it, which set off a wild celebration in the Giants¡¯ clubhouse.
¡°It¡¯s a cool day,¡± Melvin said. ¡°It¡¯s always one of those special days that¡¯s very well-received in the clubhouse.¡±
While Webb was the NL Cy Young runner-up last year and received down-ballot MVP votes, this is his first career All-Star nod.
The Giants¡¯ undisputed staff ace, Webb has a 3.09 ERA over a National League-high 119 1/3 innings. He has completed at least seven innings 11 times this year, the most in the Majors, and uses his sinker-changeup combination to induce plenty of ground balls and soft contact.
¡°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.¡¯¡±
The 27-year-old right-hander was a borderline All-Star last year, but he was lined up to start the Giants¡¯ first-half finale, which likely factored into the league¡¯s decision to snub him in favor of teammates Camilo Doval and Alex Cobb. With Blake Snell on track to rejoin the rotation on Tuesday, Webb is expected to make only one more start before the break, and would be able to pitch on regular rest for the All-Star Game.
¡°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.¡±
As for Ramos, the All-Star nod concludes a two-month stretch where he hit seemingly everything in sight. He didn¡¯t make his season debut until May 8, but he¡¯s emerged as one of the best hitters in baseball over the last two months, batting .299 with a .887 OPS and 12 home runs, tied with Matt Chapman for the team lead. In the time since his recall, he leads the NL in RBIs (41).
¡°I don¡¯t know how anyone could have predicted this,¡± Melvin said.
He¡¯s also been a Statcast darling, ranking in the 90th percentile or better in xwOBA, xSLG, exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit rate.
¡°I think what he¡¯s been doing is unbelievable,¡± Chapman said Thursday. ¡°He¡¯s been huge for us. He¡¯s a huge reason why we¡¯re at where we¡¯re at right now. It¡¯s fun to watch him play. I really enjoy watching him play and go about his business every day.¡±
A 2017 first-round Draft pick out of Puerto Rico, Ramos debuted with the Giants in 2022, but he didn¡¯t get much of an opportunity to establish himself in the Majors until injuries opened the door for him to get an extended look this year. Initially viewed more as a corner outfielder, Ramos has shown he can be a confident and capable defender in center field, filling the massive hole that was left by the season-ending injury to Jung Hoo Lee.
Not bad for a guy who didn¡¯t expect to be with the Giants¡¯ big league club at all this season.
¡°I still can¡¯t believe it,¡± Ramos said postgame after the Giants¡¯ 5-4 loss to the Guardians on Sunday. ¡°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.¡±
Ramos and Webb first met each other in 2017 when they were working their way through the Giants Minor League system. Now, they¡¯ll get to make the trip to Arlington together to play on baseball¡¯s biggest stage.
¡°We¡¯re boys, and I know that he deserves this,¡± Ramos said. ¡°He¡¯s a great pitcher, and worthy of being an All-Star.¡±