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3 pitchers that can instantly fix the Dodgers' Alex Vesia problem
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been great at finding quality relievers in unexpected places over the last decade. One recent example of a hidden gem uncovered by Andrew Friedman's front office is Alex Vesia, who became a marquee member of the bullpen as a left-handed pitcher.
Vesia posted a 2.19 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and struck out 133 batters in 94.1 combined innings in the 2021 and 2022 seasons while being great in the postseason as well. That success has not yet translated to the 2023 season, where Vesia has a 12.60 ERA.
The southpaw has allowed a run in four of his seven appearances and is solely responsible for two of the team's losses. It's clear that Vesia might need some time down in AAA to figure it out and the team has options to replace him for the time being.
3 pitchers that can instantly fix the Dodgers' Alex Vesia problem
3. Justin Bruihl
Justin Bruihl is already on the big-league club as he was promoted ahead of Monday's game against the New York Mets. That game, in which Bruihl spun a scoreless frame and Vesia allowed three earned runs, might serve as a turning point for the team to rely on Bruihl in Vesia's typical spots.
Bruihl's one inning of work did produced a hard-hit double for Brandon Nimmo, but the southpaw was able to work around that without much else hard contact. With his strong start of the season in AAA also factored in, it's clear that Bruihl is pitching better right now than Vesia.
Bruihl's overall career numbers are not as impressive as Vesia's (3.32 ERA in 43.1 innings pitched) but one of the keys in bullpen management is riding the hot hand. Right now, Bruihl is probably more of a "hot hand" than Vesia.
2. Adam Kolarek
The Dodgers traded for Adam Kolarek during the 2019 season to be a southpaw specialist out of the bullpen. Kolarek was elite against left-handed hitters and posted one of the best groundball rates in the entire sport.
Then the three-batter minimum came into effect for the 2020 season and Kolarek's value went down. No longer could the Dodgers bring him in to face one or two left-handed hitters in the order. That did not seem to impact the left-handed specialist much, though.
Kolarek's funky delivery played very well for the Dodgers across his season and a half (one of which being a 60-game campaign). In 30.2 innings for the Dodgers, Kolarek sported a 0.88 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. He did not strike out a lot of batters, but he did not allow runs.
All that being said, Kolarek struggled immensely in the 2020 playoffs, allowing five runs in 2.2 innings of work in the NLDS and NLCS. He had just one appearance in the 2020 World Series, throwing 0.2 scoreless innings.
The Dodgers then traded Kolarek to the Oakland Athletics before the 2021 season and he struggled. He posted an 8.00 ERA in nine innings in 2021 and a 4.58 ERA in 17.2 innings in 2022. He has not pitched in the majors since May of last year.
However, Kolarek is enjoying a solid start to the 2023 season for the OKC Dodgers. It.s the best he has pitched at any level since leaving the Dodgers as he is sporting a 1.35 ERA in 6.2 innings of work this season.
Los Angeles re-signed Kolarek for a reason as the team obviously still saw something in him. Perhaps it's time to test that theory at the big-league level.
1. Victor Gonzalez
Victor Gonzalez walked so Alex Vesia could run. The southpaw reliever has a really good fastball and wipeout slider that plays very well against left-handed pitching. Like Vesia, Gonzalez also has a tendency to get absolutely fired up on the mound, which is something that this team might need a taste of after a rough start.
It looked like Gonzalez was going to be a staple of the Dodgers' bullpen for years to come after his strong rookie season in 2020. Gonzalez posted a 1.33 ERA in 20.1 innings out of the bullpen that season and was a key arm that Dave Roberts turned to in the World Series. Gonzalez made eight appearances during the 2020 postseason and posted a 2.70 ERA.
The 2021 season was up and down for Gonzalez. While he was mostly good, he did have a few bad games that really elevated his final numbers. Gonzalez sported a 3.57 ERA in 44 appearances for the Dodgers that year but was shut down in early August with right knee inflammation. That would start an injury journey that has carried into 2023.
He would not pitch in the big leagues again in 2021 and missed all of the 2022 season after undergoing elbow surgery. Gonzalez managed to return and pitch in the minors but he was not ready to pitch in the postseason last year.
With Gonzalez now fully healthy, he has returned to his old ways. Gonzalez is sporting a 1.50 ERA in five appearances thus far in AAA while allowing just two hits. He has struck out 10 batters and has walked three. Maybe time to bring him back up.