Dodgers Don’t Want to Utilize Six-Man Rotation in 2024
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ projected starting rotation has its share of issues.
Tyler Glasnow has thrown as many as 100 major league innings twice in eight seasons. James Paxton hasn’t thrown 100 innings since 2019, and had his contract restructured after his physical due to concerns about his knee. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has never thrown a pitch in Major League Baseball and is used to pitching once a week. Walker Buehler is coming off his second Tommy John surgery and Bobby Miller pitched more innings last season than any year of his life.
This is what the anticipated starting rotation looks like.
The Dodgers have depth with younger arms like Emmet Sheehan, Michael Grove and Gavin Stone. They are also hoping to get Clayton Kershaw back after the All-Star Break. Why not deploy a six-man rotation?
“Because then you have a seven-man ’pen. It’s gonna be a little bit of a shell game. But we feel really good with the depth and quality of arms that we have. And there will be periods where having more length in the ’pen serves us when we’re playing a lot of games in a row, and others where we have a lot of days off and can go a lot shorter. There are gonna be a lot of conversations that we have to put ourselves in the best position to win baseball games.”
— Andrew Friedman via Southern California News Group
Manager Dave Roberts told Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group another downside.
“I think the downside is just kind of when you do that, with off days, there are other guys that don’t need all that extra time. So you’re just kind of … trying to be as sensitive to everyone and that middle – to get guys ample time in between starts but also not giving certain guys too much time. So there’s a little middle that you’re trying to deal with.”
— Dave Roberts via Southern California News Group
For the past nine seasons, the Dodgers have used a six-man rotation when their starters required extra rest. More often, though, Roberts has taken advantage of days off in the schedule and used spot starters as needed. The upshot: for Dodgers starters, extra rest is normal rest.
Last season the Dodgers’ rotation imploded due to injuries and Julio Urias being placed on administrative leave. By the end of the season, Roberts was effectively starting whoever was healthy.
That’s not the case heading into this season. Nor are the Dodgers the only team with championship aspirations with rotation question marks. The manager is excited about the arms on this year’s squad.
“It’s certainly – not to take anything away from past years – but you look at the talent, it’s certainly an upgrade across the board. You win with talent, and for us as coaches, it’s our job to continue to realize that talent and potential.
“Just making sure Tyler stays healthy, takes the baseball, continues to get better. With Yoshi coming over here and making him as comfortable as possible as soon as possible and letting his talent play. That’s part of our job. The other guys that we have – the talent is high and it makes it exciting. It really is.”
— Dave Roberts via O.C. Register
Ultimately, the goal is to keep the rotation as healthy as possible through October and avoid the obstacles that dissolved the rotation last season.
Photo Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
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