Dodgers: Unheralded Trio Help Anchor the Bullpen

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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 15: Josh Fields /

The Dodgers boasted one of the best bullpens in the major leagues for the 2017 season. While losing Brandon Morrow was a blow, there is an unheralded trio that will help keep the bullpen strong in 2018.

The Dodgers will enter the 2018 season with a bit of uncertainty in their bullpen. While Kenley Jansen is the leader of the bullpen, the Dodgers will need contributions from every one in order to remain one of the best bullpens in the majors. Scott Alexander and Tom Koehler are the newest additions that should help replace some of the dominant innings lost to Brandon Morrow’s departure.

After the new arrivals, the Dodgers will return the familiar faces in Tony Cingrani, Pedro Baez, Josh Fields, Ross Stripling, and Yimi Garcia. While the Dodgers will look to duplicate their bullpen success from a season ago, they will also look for some rebound seasons from relievers like Yimi Garcia and Pedro Baez. The bullpen is held together by three relievers who take their fair share of beating from the fans, but without them, the Dodgers bullpen would not be as strong as it is.

Josh Fields

Josh Fields was one of the worst relievers for the Dodgers in the World Series. He was knocked around in game two of the World Series and finished with an 18.00 ERA for the series. Still, that doesn’t take away from the very solid season that Fields had for the Dodgers. He posted a 2.84 ERA for the regular season and a stellar 0.96 WHIP. While wins are not a very good statistic to judge relievers off of, there is something to be said about a reliever that wins six games and loses zero.

Fields is a very tough reliever on opposing right-handed batters as he only allowed a .169 average against last season. He even posted a respectable .232 average allowed to left-handed hitters. Fields will enter the 2018 season as one of the middle relief pitchers for Dave Roberts’ bullpen. With Yimi Garcia coming off two lost seasons and Tom Koehler being a reclamation project, Josh Fields could end up being a vital part of the 2018 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.

Ross Stripling

Just like Baez, Ross Stripling is another Dodger reliever who often hears the displeasures of Dodger fans. Due to his swingman role, Stripling often enters games in extra innings and is responsible for the outcome of the game. Given that the innings are high leverage innings, it looks even worse if Stripling gives up a run or two.

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The role Ross Stripling plays is a very important role. Most relievers and even pitchers, in general, are creatures of habit. For Stripling, he just has to be ready as soon as a Dodger starting pitcher gets into trouble. Chicken Strip could get called in early to eat innings, or he could be brought in to pitch in the late stages of the game. Stripling has to rid himself of all his routines and just make sure he is ready to warm up in a hurry if needed.

In 2017, Stripling finished with a 3.75 ERA for the Dodgers and even started two games. The fact that the Dodgers can start Stripling on a moment’s notice is a very good luxury to have as a manager. Stripling essentially saves a roster spot by having a spot starter and reliever in one as the long reliever on the Dodgers. While Stripling certainly has the stuff to start, he has more importance to the team coming out of the bullpen.

The addition of Tom Koehler could push Stripling into a more crucial setup man role but there is no guarantee that this will be the case. Stripling could end up getting his time as a starting pitcher one day, but for now, the Dodgers are more than happy to keep him on his toes in the Dodger bullpen.

Next: How much Joc pop will there be in 2018?

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