Dodgers: Ranking the team’s most untouchable pieces

Clayton Kershaw

10 seasons, 1,182.2 innings pitched, 2.36 ERA (lowest of live-ball era), 1.003 WHIP (lowest of live-ball era), 1,980 strikeouts, three CY-Youngs, one MVP, a 300-strikeout season, four ERA titles, three strikeout titles, one pitching triple crown, 24 complete games, 15 shutouts, a no-hitter, and a 54.7 WAR, yet only 29-years-old?

That’s as off-limits as you can get. It’s to the point where if a team, hypothetically, were to inquire about the ace, the Dodger front office should be offended. I wrote about how Julio Urias has the potential to take over for Clayton Kershaw and become a generational pitcher. Well, Clayton Kershaw is a generational pitcher and arguably the best pitcher in franchise history (probably second best). You shouldn’t even even think about moving a franchise great.

He is the Mike Trout of pitchers, and then some. Mike Trout is undeniably the best position player in baseball, but for some reason you still have people writing about or bringing up debates whether players like Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant, or Nolan Arenado are the best. It is, unfair to Trout, but it’s the case.

Well, there is no debate on who the best pitcher is, and it’s been like that for years. His dominance started six years ago in 2011 and is still alive and well. He has been at the center of Dodgers’ fans hearts for awhile now, and whenever anyone thinks or talks about the Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw is undeniably the first person to pop into your mind. Like Mike Trout, though, there just isn’t a trade package any team can offer to even get their foot in the negotiating room with the Southern California franchises.

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Ever since 2013 it’s pretty much been “Kershaw or bust. for the Dodgers. They’ve always had a mediocre record in games Kershaw doesn’t start, and that’s including the Zack Greinke days. This season they are a respectable 18-16 in games he doesn’t start. That winning percentage over a full season would place them third in the NL West over the entire 2017 season.

He is the ultimate stopper, the guy who, when the Dodgers are on a losing streak or coming off a loss, stops the team’s losing ways. The night before his starts, he lets Dave Roberts aggressively use the bullpen because Doc knows he can trust Kershaw to give the pen rest.

Next: The Dodgers' New Elite Pitching Prospect

We all know how popular and vital Kobe Bryant was for the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles. Well, Kershaw brings that same pedigree for LA’s other legacy team. The Dodgers are the only team Kershaw has known since being drafted in 2006 and you can expect it to stay that way because he has become somewhat of Los Angeles’ adopted child.