Dodgers: Three options for a six-man rotation

Dustin May

The Dodgers’ top pitching prospect was set to make his way back to the majors at some point this season, just not right when the season started. Those plans might have to change given the current situation.

President Andrew Friedman will need to toe a tight line in filling the back of his rotation with his best starters, while paying close attention to how an unusual schedule could impact his most prized arms.

Dustin May is 22 years old, with only 34.2 innings of major league experience. The Dodgers, who are known for their excellent ability to develop young players, most certainly had a schedule set for how they wanted to see May progress through the minors to a more permanent role in the big leagues.

It could be risky to sacrifice May’s development path in order to fill a near-term need.

That said, May is clearly ready to contribute against the toughest level of competition. Last season, for Triple-A Oklahoma City, he started five games, won three, and struck out 24 batters, while pitching to a 2.30 ERA.

The tall, right-hander, who recently won MLB Network Radio’s best hair competition tournament, ranked as MLB’s 20th best prospect after the 2019 season by Baseball America. It is only a matter of time before he is mowing down opposing hitters from the mound at Chavez Ravine, perhaps his time will come sooner rather than later.

Tony Gonsolin

Making his Major League debut last June, Tony Gonsolin might not rank near the top of the prospect ranking lists like teammates Gavin Lux and Dustin May, but he is still a promising young player in the Dodger organization.

The right-hander appeared in 11 games for the Dodgers last season, going 4-2 with a 2.93 ERA, showing off a fastball spin rate that ranked near the top of the league.

At 25-years-old, having pitched four years in college baseball, Gonsolin is ready to make the leap to the majors, he just needs a spot in the rotation, an opportunity that now presents itself with the Dodgers in need of depth to start the 2020 season. Given his experience and age, he could be a better candidate to join the back of the rotation than May, who still requires some seasoning in the minors.

Gonsolin relies on a four-seam fastball and split-finger for the majority of his pitches, but also features a slider and curveball. He has had success putting batters away with all of his offspeed pitches. Having pitched exclusively as a reliever earlier in his minor league career, and also in a few occassions last season with the Dodgers, he has the stuff to transition to a bullpen role, when needed.

While Gonsolin still projects as a starter, it might be useful for manager Dave Roberts to have arms available who he can use in multiple roles, either as a spot starter or long-reliever. Gonsolin offers the versatility the team needs.

Jimmy Nelson

When the Dodgers signed Jimmy Nelson during the offseason, they knew about his health risk. That is why they structured his contract to pay him based on the number of days he spends on the active roster. And it didn’t take long for his health to become an issue when he was shutdown from Cactus League play due to back and groin soreness.

One positive from the delayed start to the 2020 season is it allows pitchers, like Nelson, extra time to rehab and perhaps start the season in a healthy condition.

After starting close to 30 games in three consecutive seasons, Nelson missed the entire 2018 season and was limited to 22 innings in 2019 due to elbow and shoulder issues. When healthy, he has the potential to be a high-strikeout starter who could easily play a role in the back of the Dodgers rotation.

The idea of expanding the number of starters in the rotation is to reduce the stress on fragile arms early in the schedule. For someone like Nelson, it would allow him ample recovery time between each start, and would also optimize his appearances, as he slowly rehabs from multiple ailments.

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Imagine we live in an alternate universe and the 2020 baseball season had started on time. What would have happened in the Dodgers season already?

The Dodgers are hoping he can return to his 2017 form when he went 12-6 with a 3.49 ERA in Milwaukee. He might have a great opportunity to shine as an added starter in 2020.