Dodgers: J.T Chargois Looks to Become a Reliable Bullpen Option

Since the beginning of June, the Dodgers’ bullpen has looked a lot more reliable.  J.T Chargois is the latest entry into LA’s bullpen turnaround.

The first two months of the season, the Dodgers’ bullpen gave many fans heartburn and became the obvious Achilles heel of the team.  Since the beginning of June, the bullpen has collectively gotten better and while it still isn’t a top tier pen, it has done its job for the most part.  One of those relievers who has pitched better lately is J.T. Chargois.

For Chargois, the problem has never been “stuff”, his issue has been injuries.  The 28-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2012 by the Minnesota Twins, which shows how highly he was thought of.  Shaggy as his teammates call him, features a fastball in the mid to upper 90’s along with changeup and a sharp biting slider.  Even Chargois’ fastball has movement and rarely looks straight.

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Early on in the season, J.T. Chargois was left out of the bullpen mix due in large part to the surplus of starting pitchers that find themselves in the Dodger bullpen.  J.T. pitched two games in April but spent the rest of his early season in Oklahoma City until the Dodgers recalled him and he made his first appearance since April on June 20th.

On June 20th, Chargois pitched two innings against the San Francisco Giants allowing one earned run.  That one run stands as the lone run given up by Chargois since he was recalled in June.  Across the last six innings since his call-up, J.T. has allowed just one run and two walks while striking out a whopping thirteen batters.

If Chargois can continue pitching as well as he has since his call-up, he would give Dave Roberts another reliable right-hander out of the pen to go along with Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen.  When it comes to pure stuff, Chargois is among the best relievers on the team.  Joe Kelly could soon be a part of those reliable righties as he has pitched much better lately as well.

With the calendar turning to July in the last few days, the countdown to the single trade deadline this season is on.  Relievers on the Dodgers such as J.T. Chargois are looking to force Andrew Friedman into the difficult decision of doing nothing at the trade deadline.  While the Dodgers could still use a left-handed reliever, their right-handed relievers are looking stronger by the game.