Giants pitching prospect insists he’s innocent after testing positive for PED

SAN FRANCISCO — Giants pitching prospect Logan Webb has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Webb was off to a tremendous start to the season at Double-A Richmond, but will now miss half the year after Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone was found in his urine sample.

Webb, 22, released a statement Wednesday insisting his innocence and vowing that he did not knowingly take a performance-enhancing substance.

“I have done research, I have talked to people who know a lot more about it than I do, and I have sent in an endless amount of supplements and products for testing that I have used over the past couple years,” Webb said in a statement released by the Giants. “Unfortunately, none of those things have helped me find that answer, and the time for me to find the reason that this has happened has run out. I know in my heart that something someday will be put into the world to prove my innocence.”

Webb is considered the No. 5 prospect in the Giants’ farm system according to MLB.com and had posted a 2.00 ERA in his first five Double-A starts this year. The Giants also released a statement following the announcement of Webb’s positive drug test which expressed support for MLB’s testing program.

“The San Francisco Giants are disappointed that Logan Webb has violated the terms of Major League Baseball’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program resulting in his suspension,” the statement read. “The Giants organization fully supports the MLB program and its efforts to eliminate performance-enhancing substances from our game.”

Webb spent part of spring training in major league camp and impressed manager Bruce Bochy with his poise and command. Farm director Kyle Haines said this spring that Webb is undervalued as a prospect and called the right-hander an “easy guy to root for.”

“Three-plus pitches, he’s mid-90s as a starter, he’s athletic, he throws strikes, he’s got a great breaking ball, he’s got a swing-and-miss changeup, sometimes you start to wonder what does this guy have to do to get the recognition that he deserves?” Haines said in February.

Webb, a Rocklin, California native also included an apology to the San Francisco Giants organization and its fans in the statement the club released Wednesday.

“I would like to apologize to my family, friends, teammates & the San Francisco Giants organization for the negative attention this has brought to them. The platform you guys have created for me to pursue my dreams is special to me and I want you to know I would never do anything to ruin that. Over the next couple of months and the rest of my career I will continue to work on regaining the trust and respect I’ve earned over the past few years with my teammates and the Giants organization. I will be back and better than ever.”