Adrian Medina
Through his first 16 starts of the season, Tyler Glasnow leads NL pitchers in strikeouts (135), WHIP (0.87), K % (35.2), IP (100), AVG (.174) and is ranked fifth in ERA in all of baseball (2.88). A clear CY Young contender in the National League, but the clear ace of this Dodgers pitching staff. The Glasnow Plan has definitely shined and will be a crucial piece for a deep postseason run.
After the Dodgers acquired Glasnow via a four-team trade in mid-December, many fans were excited that LA’s front office had picked up a big arm piece that had yet to be fully tapped into and a potential ace that could lead the pitching rotation into October. Later in the offseason, Yoshinobu Yamamoto would sign the longest and most lucrative deal for any pitcher in history that almost shadowed Glasnow’s acquisition for a time, but fans would come to see a clear picture of what was to come from the right-hander soon enough.
From the jump, Glasnow has been electric, and his reliability to eat up innings, along with his high strikeout rate, has helped out this Dodgers bullpen tremendously. In Saturday night’s contest against the Angels, he hit the century mark in innings, a personal feat he had only ever achieved one year prior with 120 in, and he looks to be full steam ahead as the calendar turns to July.
“I think that’s the starting pitcher’s job, just go out, keep the pitch count low, and try to be as efficient as you can,” Glasnow said when he was asked how, in the context of the team, his contribution to pitch long outings has helped save the bullpen.
Skipper Dave Roberts had much to say about his ace, especially after his last outing. “He’s on a really good run. Strike with the curveballs, his two fastballs that he’s using, he was virtually unhittable.
Overall, Tyler Glasnow is everything the Dodgers could have hoped for in this rotation. With Yamamoto on the IL, all the pressure falls on Glasnow to perform at the one spot in the rotation, but Glasnow doesn’t seem to be fazed by the challenge and keeps providing quality starts. You can make a safe bet that come postseason time, Glasnow will be the guy to get the ball in the most crucial spots.
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