Former Orioles reliever Jacob Webb, now with the Texas Rangers, will have another opportunity to face his former club this week.
The Orioles claimed Webb off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels in August 2023. Webb spent the rest of that year and all of the 2024 season in Baltimore. In his first full year with the Orioles, Webb appeared in a career-high 60 games, posting a 3.02 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 56.2 innings.
Then, the Orioles unexpectedly chose to part ways with Webb. He was the only one of the team’s 13 arbitration-eligible players not tendered a contract after the season.
“I didn’t really know that I was going to be moving on,” Webb said on Glenn Clark Radio June 24. “I was honestly hoping to re-sign back with Baltimore, but that’s just part of the business. … I very much enjoyed my time in Baltimore. In the offseason I became a free agent and I got a few calls from some teams, and Texas was definitely top of my list.”
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-hander expressed how important his tenure in Baltimore was. Even after winning a World Series in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves, Webb said he truly discovered himself as a pitcher with the Orioles.
“I think Baltimore just kind of let me be who I was. In previous years I kind of struggled to figure out who I was, and I think they shined a light on what I do well,” Webb said. “[They] helped me be a better pitcher in that way. … They let me go out there and compete and put me in a good situation, good opportunities to be successful.”
One of the most significant changes to Webb’s pitching was a shift in his pitching arsenal. At the team’s encouragement, Webb began to lean on his changeup as a prominent secondary pitch.
“[Baltimore] definitely wanted me to use [my changeup] more. … They’ve known that’s my better pitch,” Webb said. “I kind of just gained some confidence knowing that they wanted me to use it more often, and I think that’s what brought it back to life a little bit.”
That change has carried over during Webb’s time with Texas. In 2024, 27.7 percent of his pitches were changeups. In 2025, that figure is up to 35.8 percent.
Webb also spoke about learning to move on from rough outings during his time in Baltimore. The Orioles went 192-132 in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but went 0-5 in the playoffs during that span. That disappointment resonated with Webb, but he understands that leaving the struggles behind is necessary.
“I think the good players and the good coaches throughout the game, you gotta be able to have a short-term memory. It’s part of the game. It’s gonna happen, you’re not always gonna win, you’re not always gonna lose,” Webb said. “Just being able to adjust when things get tough, and being able to keep it plateaued when you’re [doing] well.”
Now 31 years old, Webb holds a 4.03 ERA in 33 appearances this season and pitched two perfect innings against the Orioles last week.
For more from Webb, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Gunnar Ward/Texas Rangers