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| Webb went 87-62 with a 3.27 ERA in parts of seven big-league seasons. (US Presswire) |
Former Diamondbacks pitcher and NL Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb is retiring from baseball, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has confirmed. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick first reported the news. Agents Jonathan Maurer and Mike Montana at Millenium Sports confirmed the right-hander's decision.
Webb, 33, hadn't pitched in the big leagues since opening day 2009 due to continued shoulder trouble. He had surgery to repair an impingement and his labrum in August 2009, then required a follow-up procedure to his rotator cuff in August 2011. Webb attempted a comeback with the Rangers in 2011, appearing in four Double-A games. A number of teams, including the Mets, Phillies, Nationals, Marlins and Rockies showed interest in him this offseason.
During his heyday from 2006-08, Webb went 56-25 with a 3.13 ERA while topping 225 innings in each season. His trademark sinker produced the second-best ground ball rate (64.1 percent) during that time, right behind Derek Lowe (64.2 percent). He won the Cy Young Award in 2006 and finished second in the voting in both 2007 and 2008. Webb broke in with Arizona back in 2003, when he went 10-9 with a 2.84 ERA. That performance earned him a third place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting, behind Dontrelle Willis and Scott Podsednik.
Webb, who was drafted in the eighth round of the 2000 draft, is the greatest homegrown pitcher in the relatively brief history of the Diamondbacks. He ranks second on the franchise's all-time list in wins (87), innings (1,319 2/3), strikeouts (1,065), starts (198), shutouts (8), and WAR (31.5) behind only Randy Johnson. His 3.27 ERA ranks third behind Johnson and Curt Schilling.
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