Cody Snavely
The Dodgers have had their issues with the injury bug in the starting rotation in 2023, which has led the team to promote both of their top pitching prospects in May, which is way earlier than most expected to happen. However, Stone, who many have talked about as the best Dodgers pitcher in their system, has struggled while Bobby Miller has excelled. Why is that? Well, there are two significant reasons why that is.
Pitch Selection
The biggest difference between Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone is their pitch selection and the lack of a 3rd or 4th pitch when it comes to Stone. Bobby Miller has a five-pitch mix with his Fastball, Sinker, Slider, Change, and Curve. In contrast, Stone is only a two-pitch pitcher with a Fastball and Change. While he has introduced a Slider, it is not nearly ready at the major league level to give him a proper put-away pitch.
This lack of a pitching arsenal has been the biggest reason for Stone’s struggles at the major league level, as hitters are sitting and waiting to pounce on that Fastball. Opponents are batting .588 off the Fastball, .364 on the Change, and .417 on his Slider, which is not getting the job done. Stone only ranked in the 55th percentile regarding fastball velocity, whereas Miller ranked in the 98th percentile.
Bobby Miller has the pitching selection to keep hitters guessing most of the game, as we saw the Yankees and Phillies taking multiple strikes down the middle of the plate in confusion. While Miller’s Fastball also has a .488 BA (Batting Average) against his slider has an elite .091 BA and has been a fantastic putaway pitch for him.
However, it is not time to give up on Gavin Stone Dodgers fans, as it was not long ago when a pitcher named Clayton Kershaw had a similar issue. When Kershaw made his debut way back in 2008, he was primarily a Fastball/Curve pitcher. It wasn’t until then Dodgers manager Joe Torre stated Kershaw needed to learn a third pitch to stay in the big leagues. Kershaw listened and started mastering the elite slider that he throws primarily today.
How they got here
Both Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone played college baseball for at least three seasons. Miller played for Louisville in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference), while Stone pitched for the Central Arkansas Bears in the SLC (Southland Conference). The biggest difference between these two conferences is their ranking where. The ACC is one of the more competitive and talented leagues in the NCAA, while the SLC is one of the lower-ranked. In his three years in the NCAA, Miller had an ERA of 3.28, while Stone had an ERA of 2.42.
When it comes to Minor League Baseball, they also had different paths. Miller has struggled at points in his minor league career, posting a 4.82 ERA in 2021 and a 4.25 ERA in 2022. Even before his call-up this year, Miller was off to a slow start having a 1-1 record with an ERA over 8. For Stone, it could not have been more impressive as he quickly climbed the rankings and, in 2022, went from A+ to AAA while maintaining an elite ERA of 1.48. Stone has not had much adversity in his career to this point and has been an elite pitcher with a plus change-up; however, two pitches, as mentioned before, do not cut it in the MLB.
Where do they go from here?
It looks like Bobby Miller will be staying in LA for the foreseeable future this season, as he has been pitching at an elite level while the Dodgers are also in need of Starting Pitching right now. While he is bound to regress slightly, as long as he and the Dodgers make adjustments, he will be fine.
As for Gavin Stone, it seems like he may need a few more weeks in the minors to work on his Slider to have a proper three-pitch mix. We will likely see him get called up once the Dodgers and Stone feel confident in that pitch. When will that happen? Well, it depends. It could be a few weeks, months, or next season; however, the Dodgers need the combination of Stone and Miller to solidify the pitching staff.
