Dodgers: Going through and grading the pitching staff

The Starters

I took a liberal definition of starters here by naming Ross Stripling and Kenta Maeda starters, but really they are only bullpen arms in the postseason. 

Walker Buehler– Especially after this postseason’s great pair of starts, his stuff looks as good as ever and he’s obviously got the stamina to last 200 innings… look for him to take the final step into ace hood in 2020. A-

Clayton Kershaw– He certainly declined this season, with another sub-optimal postseason performance and with a season ERA of 3.03, which is basically double his peak. Home runs and walks have started to give him problems, but his stuff still can get the majority of hitters out. He just is no longer the ace, plain and simple. B+

Hyun-Jin Ryu– If he’d been able to maintain the gains he made in the first half all the way through the season, he’d have earned an A+, but he simply was not the same pitcher in the second half, especially in September and in his postseason start even. He was an All-Star though, and this was a career year in a contract year,  so we’ll see if he stays in LA. A

Kenta Maeda– Like Ryu, he could have benefitted from a stronger second half as a starter, but unlike Ryu, he sought refuge in the bullpen, and dominated from within the confines of that role once again, as he became the man out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in the NLDS, pitching well in Games One, Three, Four and Five. A-

Ross Stripling– For most pitchers, 90+ innings of a 3.45 ERA would be great, but Stripling’s ceiling is much higher than this. Injuries dragged him down this season, but he should be ready to go as a full-time starter next season, whether for the Dodgers or elsewhere… B-

Tony Gonsolin– A rookie starter took the team by storm this season. It wasn’t Dustin May though, it was the “Catman.” His best stretch helped the Dodgers spread their innings out to avoid taxing the bullpen and lessened the blow of losing Stripling and Hill for most of the season. He deserves a chance to start, but like Stripling that may not come with the Dodgers. B+

Rich Hill– He really did not pitch enough to garner a grade that would accurately reflect either my love for him or his skill or most importantly his determination to be back on the mound for the postseason, even if he was nowhere near 100%. Hopefully, he can stay healthy next year, but the odds certainly are against him. B-