Dodgers: Top Three Pitchers to Keep an Eye on This Weekend

My third and final player was a toss-up. On one hand, I could have easily gone with Dustin May, who pitches on Sunday, on the other, Brock Stewart, another Sunday arm, was an option.

I ultimately went with Stewart for a few reasons.

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First, May is a top prospect for the Dodgers. Whether he has a horrible spring or a great one, his status in the Dodgers system will go more or less unchanged because everyone and their grandmother know how good he is and how much potential he has. I don’t need to reiterate it for a one-game weekend series.

Second, May’s impact on the 2019 major league season figures to be minute if anything at all. He is not on the roster and the Dodgers don’t typically like to add guys to the 40-man before they are either a) ready to do that or b) the team is incredibly desperate.

Third, Brock Stewart finds himself in a rare and interesting situation. He has a fourth option year, something that few players come by and the reason is due entirely to service time. Over the last few seasons, Stewart has racked up the frequent flyer miles, practically spending the majority of his major league career on an airplane.

With a good spring, the Dodgers may be inclined to put Stewart on the opening day roster so they don’t have to burn that fourth and final option.

To do that, Stewart will need to impress in every outing and that starts this Sunday against the Angels.

Stewart is scheduled to follow Hyun-Jin Ryu in the contest and it will be his first chance to prove that he deserves a major league roster spot. With his potential, I’m sure he can do it but over the last few years, there has been a discrepancy between what Stewart can do versus what he has done. This spring, both will need to be positive.

The outlook for the Dodgers is bright. They are in a division that they should win soundly for the seventh straight season and their farm system is loaded with talented players. Some of them will make their 2019 debuts this weekend and, even without the stars playing, it is well worth keeping an eye on.