James Paxton Says ‘It Seems Like’ the Dodgers Will Use a 6-Man Rotation
The Dodgers’ front office made it a priority to build a strong starting rotation after the team struggled last year. Their starters’ 4.57 ERA ranked 20th out of the 30 major league teams in 2023.
The starters’ inconsistency made life tougher than it needed to be for the 2023 team, and ultimately caused issues in the postseason. The Dodgers allowed 19 runs in 26 innings in their three-game loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series. Starting pitchers allowed 13 of the 19 runs.
With the players they added this offseason, the Dodgers shouldn’t have the same issues. Bringing in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton gives the Dodgers some nice depth to work with. Walker Buehler didn’t pitch at all in 2023 but is expected back at some point in 2024. So is Clayton Kershaw, whose shoulder bothered him for much of last season, leading him to have surgery in October.
Alongside them are second-year starters Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan. The Dodgers have rich pitching depth, and Paxton believes the team could run with a six-man rotation throughout the year.
“The message that I’ve received is that they want to get the best out of me that they can. There’s been a lot of talk about just kind of managing the workload. I don’t know if we’re going to do a six-man (rotation) or something like that. It seems like it, from the way we’ve been running it.”
— James Paxton, via The Athletic
Throwing out a six-man rotation could help prevent injuries to the staff — a problem every starting rotation confronts at some point during the year. Especially given the injury history of some of its pitchers, Los Angeles might be better off preserving personnel by spacing out their starts throughout the season.
Glasnow, Paxton, Buehler and Kershaw have all dealt with long-term injuries over the last few seasons. Extra rest could be beneficial as they age out of their pitching primes. The organization has the bodies to take up the extra starts, giving them a unique advantage that not all teams have.
The Dodgers also have plenty of young talent in the minor leagues who can be called upon to help out as the year goes on. The Dodgers’ front office might take advantage of the willingness of its veterans, and the ability of Gavin Stone, Landon Knack, Kyle Hurt and other prospects, to give their starters more extra rest than any team in baseball.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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