Dodgers Who Need to Start Fresh with the New Year

Andrew Toles, Yimi Garcia, Julio Urias

These are three names you probably forgot about in 2017, but they are vital pieces in the Dodgers’ future. Julio Urias is the young pitching phenom the Dodgers are expecting to be the organizations’ next ace for the next decade-plus. After an impressive rookie season in 2016, where, as a 19-year-old, had a 3.39 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 77 innings (18 games, 15 of them starts).

No matter who you are, if you put up those numbers as a teenager in the show and also start an NLCS game, expectations will be sky-high. But 2017 saw him disappoint, both with production and injury. In his 23.1 innings of work, he had a 5.40 ERA and 1.586 WHIP, in large part due to his horrendous control. He had 14 walks (5.4 BB/9) compared to 11 strikeouts.

Then to add insult to injury, he actually got injured in June and will be missing possibly the entire 2018 season depending on how the team handles him. If he somehow gets onto the field, he’ll have a chance to redeem his young career. And the fact that he only pitched 23.1 innings makes him less of a bust because he was limited in time.

Speaking of Urias, it was his no-hitter which Andrew Toles was trying to save that led to his torn ACL. Toles had started off slow but started to catch fire with the bat and remind us of his 2016 form, before his season came to too early of a stop. He doesn’t have to redeem himself, but 2018 will give him the chance to start off fresh, put the injury in the rearview mirror, and pick up where he left off in 2017.

And Yimi Garcia is a name most fans have forgotten. The 27-year-old missed all of 2017 due to Tommy John surgery. But from 2014-2016, he had a 3.12 ERA and 0.95 WHIP while striking out 81 in 75 innings. Like Toles, he has nothing to be disappointed about other than unfortunate injuries. He can come back from this in a big way if he can help stabilize the bullpen and become a late-inning, high-leverage guy. He definitely has the stuff.