Roger Arrieta
There’s no question about whether you want to be a pitcher or a batter in 2022. MLB has been tinkering with the ball and that, in combination with installing humidors in every park, has led to a deflated offensive environment. Pitchers have thrived, and while summer is here and offense appears to be bouncing back, it still seems like pitchers have the upper hand.
However, that might be about to change. Starting tomorrow, teams will have to make a change that MLB and the players association agreed to going into the delayed Spring Training. Managers have had the luxury of carrying 14 pitchers on their active roster up until now. An extra arm means bullpens have that much more rope to extend themselves. Giving players an extra day of rest offers longevity teams haven’t had in the past.
The Dodgers, in particular, have benefitted from the expanded roster. A team that has shown it isn’t afraid to play roster games even without an extra spot, the Dodgers rank in the top 2 in team ERA (2.89), top 11 in saves (17), top 8 in strikeouts (573), No. 1 in opponent batting average (.212), and top 2 in WHIP (1.07). The Dodgers have used 26 pitchers going into Saturday night.
But now the Dodgers need to make a decision. Their current roster needs to be trimmed by one. So who is going to stay in Chavez Ravine, and who is going to go the way of Reyes Moronta, who was optioned to the minors on Sunday after finishing off Saturday’s 7-1 win over the Guardians?
Let’s take a look at who’s safe, who might find themself on the bubble, and who is most likely to find themselves back in the minors on Monday.
Don’t Worry About a Thing:
If you’re a current starter for the Dodgers, you don’t need to worry about how safe your position is. Maybe there are some health concerns, Clayton Kershaw is sure to end up on the IL again, and Andrew Heaney, who returned Sunday, doesn’t have a sterling injury history himself. But Kershaw, Heaney, Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin, and Tyler Anderson have been somewhere between very, very good, and superb for most of the season. Gonsolin and Anderson haven’t lost a start this year.
It’s safe to assume Craig Kimbrel isn’t losing his roster spot, though he could pitch himself out of the closer’s role if he keeps up his poor performances. The man who came over in the A.J. Pollock deal does have 12 saves, but they’ve come with a bloated 4.05 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, though Kimbrel also has 31 Ks over 20 innings.
It’s unlikely Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, or Alex Vesia find themselves on the chopping block either. Dave Roberts has consistently gone to those four, and they are among the pitchers who have thrown the most this year.
Watch yourself:
While most of the staff has shined this year, a couple of pitchers have been… less than inspiring.
Caleb Ferguson has made six appearances and fired 5 innings. His underlying stats appear to be off the charts. He ranks in the 95th percentile or better in six categories and isn’t worse than 54th in any. But there really isn’t enough data there to know how much those underlying stats are worth. If Roberts has been hesitant to walk Ferguson out there to this point, he might just send him packing.
Yency Almonte has been a solid performer when Roberts has called on him. He hasn’t gotten the call very often, tossing just 15.1 innings in 11 games, but his 1.17 ERA, 17 Ks, and 0.91 WHIP should be enough to earn him some more playing time on the other side of a roster crunch.
In the Danger Zone:
And then there were two.
There’s a good chance that the once-dominant David Price has made his last appearance for the Dodgers. He was good on Saturday, but that was a rare performance. The 36-year-old never performed the way Dodger fans hoped he would since he joined the club in 2020. I don’t think anyone expected him to be the ace he once was, but we also expected more than he’s given us.
This year, Price has nothing going for him. His fastball is bad — 13th percentile in velocity and 3rd in spin rate. Statcast doesn’t even offer any other info for him. His 14.2 innings over 14 games, along with a 4.30 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and 18Ks really aren’t enough to offer much hope that he has anything left to offer a team with its eyes on another World Series run.
If there’s someone who can extend Price’s tenure in Los Angeles, it’s Phil Bickford. After a strong 2021, Bickford, who has a much shorter track record than Price, isn’t giving the Dodgers much in terms of hoping he’s the breakout pitcher they saw last year.
Roberts has gone to Bickford often enough that the 26-year-old has had plenty of opportunities to prove himself. The righty has appeared in 21 games, but he’s only struck out 14 batters in 19.2 innings. And though his 1.12 WHIP shows some promise, he has a gross 4.12 ERA, and that’s better than his 4.27 xERA.
It would be nice if we didn’t have to say goodbye to any of these players. But it’s a long season. We might see them again soon.
