Steve Webb
DENVER — When Mookie Betts squeezed the routine fly ball off the bat of the Rockies’ Colton Welker on Tuesday night, it signaled the end of a hard-fought extra inning victory for the Dodgers. But not only that, it marked the first career big-league save for lefthander Alex Vesia. Vesia is not normally in a position to pick up a save. After all, any bullpen that has names like Kelly, Knebel, Treinen, and Jansen is going to have limited save opportunities for the new guys. However, for the Dodgers’ rookie reliever, his entire season has been a case of making the most of his opportunities. And on Tuesday, Vesia did just that.
Vesia’s rocky start
It is remarkable how quickly the 25-year-old Vesia has moved up the Dodgers’ depth chart this season. Acquired in an off-season deal that sent reliever Dylan Floro to the Marlins, Vesia was barely a blip on the radar in most preseason expectations for the Dodgers’ pitching staff. With trusted arms from the left side like Scott Alexander and Victor Gonzalez having played such a vital part of the 2020 season, it didn’t seem like there would be much call for Vesia’s services. And indeed, when Dave Roberts announced that another lefty, David Price, would be starting the season in the bullpen, it was easy to see how Vesia would be the odd man out.
Vesia started the season at the alternate site, but finally got a call up at the end of April, making his first appearance in a game on May 1st, during that horrible 5-15 stretch that the Dodgers were suffering through earlier this season. And to be honest, Vesia was kind of part of the problem at that time. Having pitched only a handful of innings with the Marlins in 2020, Vesia struggled out of the pen in May, giving up way too many walks and getting roughed up considerably in his outings. For the month of May, he had a 6.52 ERA over 9.2 innings and had a much too high WHIP of 1.55. It clearly wasn’t going well. So it wasn’t that surprising that Vesia was sent down to OKC on June 3.
Vesia comes back strong
Whatever voodoo they did with Vesia down in Oklahoma City, it worked wonders. When he was recalled in July, he was a different pitcher. And little by little by little, he was working his way into high leverage situations for the Dodgers. With the injury to Alexander, combined with Gonzalez’s inexplicable lack of command, Roberts turned more and more to Vesia as his key left-handed piece out of the pen. In July, Vesia gave up only one earned run the entire month, posting a 0.90 ERA over nine appearances.
August and September have seen similar lights-out performances from Vesia. In fact, since the All-Star break Vesia has a microscopic 1.13 ERA in 26 appearances. And even better, his WHIP has been a fantastic 0.71. Only Max Scherzer has a better WHIP among the Dodgers pitchers in that time.
Local boy makes good
Vesia was raised just outside of San Diego in the town of Alpine. As a youth, he had two passions: dirt bikes and baseball, and if Vesia were completely honest, he probably liked dirt bikes a little more than baseball at the time. However, his parents impressed upon him the importance of dedicating himself to the sport, and soon his dirt bike days were in the past as he pressed on with his development as a pitcher.
After high school, there were not a lot of scholarship offers for the undersized Vesia, so the only place he could play was Cal State East Bay. Not exactly a powerhouse of baseball talent. However, once he got to the school’s Hayward campus, Vesia’s success was almost instant. He quickly earned a spot in the starting rotation as a freshman and after an impressive first season, Bob Ralston, the Pioneers’ coach at the time, called Vesia into his office.
“He told me, ‘You can be a professional baseball player,’” Vesia recalled in a recent interview with the East Bay Today. “I was like ‘Nah, no way’ and he said, ‘If you keep working hard like you do, things can go your way.’ I took that and I ran with it.”
After being drafted by the Marlins and making his big league debut with Miami last year, Vesia’s career took a big left turn when he was traded back to the West Coast. “I was speechless,” he said in the same East Bay Today interview. “I thought I was a secondary piece to a trade, I didn’t know I was the big piece until I saw it on Twitter. I was super happy because I know how great the Dodgers organization is and I knew it would bring my game to the next level.”
Roberts likes what he sees…
Once he finally got back with the club after his early experience in May, Vesia hasn’t looked back. His growth has been something to see, as Vesia got into the regular plans of manager Dave Roberts. And his improvement over the course of the year is no surprise to the Dodgers’ skipper. “I think he’s found his confidence, his swagger, and certainly, the performance has been very consistent,” Roberts told the LA Times in August. “It’s been a huge add for us.”
So it was fitting that the kid from San Diego county got the ball in a key situation in Tuesday’s game. He simply has been one of the most reliable arms that has come out of the bullpen this year. Plus, he’s been one of the most enjoyable pitchers to watch all year. On a staff of cool customers, Vesia plays with his heart on his sleeve. His passionate reaction to every big strike is part of what makes him such a unique part of the bullpen. You’ll see him hop up and down, circle the mound, pump his fist, and scream in celebration of the big outs.
And hopefully, as the Dodgers race toward the pennant, there will be many more big outs to come…
