Dodgers: Unheralded Trio Help Anchor the Bullpen

Pedro Baez

If you took a poll of all the Dodgers fans on which Dodger player they disliked most, I think it’s a pretty safe bet the answer would be Pedro Baez.  Baez is the main whipping boy of all Dodger fans.  Despite that, he had an alright season in 2017 despite a disastrous September.  He finished with a 2.95 ERA overall for the season despite his month of September in which he posted a 10.38 ERA.  Baez was left off the postseason roster due to his horrendous end to the season.

Despite the sour ending, Baez only allowed a .238 average to right-handed hitters and was even tougher on left-handed batters who hit .206 off of him.  The main culprit for Baez is himself.  He tends to take too long in between pitches and lulls his defense to sleep.  Baez also needs to learn to trust his stuff and attack hitters rather than pitching around them and walking them.

Baez could emerge as the go-to eighth-inning setup reliever just as he was before Brandon Morrow if he can bounce back.  There is no guarantee that Baez will come back strong but given that he throws 98 miles per hour and has a decent slider, it would not be surprising to see Baez reclaim the setup role.  Despite the hate he gets from Dodger fans, Baez is a very good reliever when he’s pitching with confidence and he might just end up reverting back to his dominant form in 2018.