Between the Los Angeles Dodgers top three of Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, and Clayton Kershaw, the San Diego Padres upside-laden rotation that features Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Mike Clevinger, and Joe Musgrove (not to mention the upside of MacKenzie Gore and Nick Martinez), the San Francisco Giants one-two punch of Carlos Rodon and Logan Webb, and the other strong arms scattered throughout, the National League West is going to rack up plenty of strikeouts and clean innings. All that means is that Doval and submariner Tyler Rogers, both of whom have closing experience, will be the setup guys and get the occasional chance to finish games. Anderson and David Price will provide length and be options to start if injuries hit the rotation, while Alex Vesia, Victor Gonzlez, and Evan Phillips showed they belonged down the stretch and in the postseason. The front office seems to be rolling the dice in that area. Pollock, RP Joe Kelly. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Will former Pittsburgh Pirates righty Chad Kuhl, who also piles up the Ks (more than eight per nine innings each of the last four seasons), be able to cut down the walks? With the big-spending Dodgers deciding to pinch pennies when it came to re-signing longtime closer Kenley Jansen ironically going to Freemans Braves shortly after he signed with L.A. it looked like the Dodgers might go with a committee approach to finishing games. Find out more. Considering the Dodgers have been to the World Series three of the past five years, winning in 2020, and the remarkable battle they had with the rival San Francisco Giants for the West Division title, there is only one goal for this franchise: another World Series title, especially after falling short of reaching the Fall Classic last year. As good as Julio Urias, Logan Webb, and Carlos Rodon were last year, Walker Buehler enjoys the top tier all to himself in the NL West. With a .175 xBA and .273 xSLG, it enjoyed a 21 run value that fell behind only Charlie Mortons hook across all of MLB. Manager Dave Roberts might tinker with the lineup to figure out what combos in which spots work best, with Freeman possibly hitting second behind Mookie Betts and ahead of speedster Trea Turner. And these guys know how to hit bad pitches.. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He finished with a 2.24 ERA. After posting the best bullpen ERA in MLB at 2.99 last year, the Giants are hoping for anything close to a repeat of that lockdown performance.
But hes still remarkably talented and can get into quite a groove when he moves away from his changeup and uses an elevated fastball and low breaking stuff to fool one batter after another. The bad news? But thats still a lot of significant ifs. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. In his first season in the bigs, Brendan Rodgers showed his dynamic potential in 2021, slashing .284/.328/.470 with 15 homers in 387 at-bats. All the Dodgers basically did was make one move, but it supercharged an already terrific offense. But with a history of shoulder injuries and an elbow issue that shut him down in October, how consistently will the southpaw be able to reach that level?
Please log in again. For a team that expects to contend, the back end is unsettled. The login page will open in a new tab. That could pave the way for youngsters Chris Paddack, Ryan Weathers, or even MacKenzie Gore to see action in April.
The future of the rotation should be bright, but also two or three years away with prospects Blake Walston, Ryne Nelson, Drey Jameson, and Bryce Jarvis. Adding Kimbrel gives the Dodgers a proven closer and allows Blake Treinen, who was expected to get a majority of the save opportunities, to move back to a setup role. Back from injury is Tommy La Stella, who missed the end of last season after injuring his Achilles but is still rounding into form. 2021 Stats: 128.2 IP, 27 GS, 7-6, 170 K, 69 BB, 4.20 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 2.1 WAR, 2022 Projected Stats: 158.0 IP, 28 GS, 10-9, 188 K, 76 BB, 4.21 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 2.6 WAR. Getting Varsho, Christian Walker, or Beer to be consistent producers would provide a foundation for the future. While Bryant came up as a third baseman with the Chicago Cubs, he is penciled in as the Opening Day left fielder and has experience at all three outfield spots. There are prospects who will help. Copyright 2000-2022 Sports Reference LLC. Four in the projected Opening Day lineup have less than two years of service time, so the hope is another year of seasoning for Daulton Varsho, Josh Rojas, and Pavin Smith plus the DH allowing Seth Beer to see consistent at-bats will allow the bats to produce a bit more. The biggest hole in the lineup should have been known about in December when star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. reportedly had a motorcycle accident. The good news is that the bulk of last years bullpen core returns. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. So long as at least one of his slider, changeup, and curveball are pounding the strike zone and missing some bats, optimism should return and then look justified and thats saying nothing of the elevated fastball velocity on display in his spring debut. As you can see from that 2.96 ERA, which was supported by a 3.13 FIP, the approach alteration worked. And that would be fair. Already, he has a knee-buckling curveball and a slider that quickly runs away from everyones bats, and his repertoire often changes on a start-by-start basis. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Dustin May isnt expected to return from Tommy John surgery until after the All-Star break and even then, it would likely be in a relief role. 0.1 decision/G for single-season leaderboards For the first time since 2013, neither Nolan Arenado nor Trevor Story will be a lineup regular for the Rockies. 0.2 SB att/Team Game (catchers), and
Kimbrel had 23 saves with the Chicago Cubs before being dealt to the White Sox. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Additions: SP Sean Manaea, RP Robert Suarez, SP Nick Martinez, RP Luis Garcia, 1B Luke Voit, 1B Matt Beaty, Subtractions: RP Mark Melancon, OF Tommy Pham, RP Daniel Hudson, SP Vince Velasquez, RP Ross Detwiler, OF Jake Marisnick, 2B Adam Frazier. Not only is he an offensive catalyst, but a dynamic defender. For LF, CF, RF fielding stats, we Additions: RP Mark Melancon, SP Zach Davies, RP Ian Kennedy, Subtractions: OF Kole Calhoun, RP Tyler Clippard. Follow him on Twitter @DrummerWrites. Lux and the very versatile Chris Taylor should split time at second base and left field, with both also able to slide over to shortstop to spell Turner. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. After those three, the Giants can throw an assortment of arms that come from different angles and speeds, which is one reason the bullpen was so effective last year. Being able to give Will Smith days off from catching by putting him at DH should boost his productivity. Another option could be Emilio Pagn, but he has been erratic, or Craig Stammen. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Austin Gomber, a left-hander acquired in the Arenado trade, brings plenty of strikeouts (8.82 per nine in 2021) and needs to take a step forward.
Mrquez had trouble with walks in 2021, allowing a career-worst 3.2 per nine innings to go along with his 3.86 FIP. However, other numbers showed encouragement with a career-best 1.04 walks per nine innings and just 0.64 homers per nine, a fantastic stat in homer-happy Coors Field. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. only have reliable data since 1901, so all leaders are since 1901. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". But after that, the rest of the rotation should be penciled in. Coming off a 24-homer season, McMahon signed a six-year, $70 million extension this spring. 2021 Stats: 121.2 IP, 22 GS, 10-8, 144 K, 21 BB, 3.55 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 3.4 WAR, 2022 Projected Stats: 130.0 IP, 22 GS, 11-6, 140 K, 32 BB, 3.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 2.6 WAR. That last part cant be emphasized enough. While his strikeouts dropped from 10.31 per nine innings in 2020 to 9.19 in 2021, his walks per nine also decreased from 2.70 to 2.25. Some this season including shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, who could start Opening Day due to injuries to Rojas and Nick Ahmed but dont expect them to improve much until the young pitchers are ready. Senzatela took a slight step back in 2022, posting a 4.42 ERA after a 3.44 in 2020. But the curveball, featuring a ridiculous amount of movement even as it lived in the zone, developed into one of the sports most valuable offerings. plate appearances for the BA, OBP, SLG or OPS title that year. Having the back end of the rotation come through will be crucial or it will force Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, to hit the trade market as there are not really any prospects ready to step in.
Depth comes in the form of Tyler Beede, Sean Hjelle, and, eventually, Matthew Boyd, who is recovering from flexor tendon surgery and should be available in June. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. In The offense is in excellent condition and would be bolstered if Cody Bellinger can regain even part of his MVP form from 2019 after two seasons of struggles. Rounding out the rotation is Alex Cobb, who is looking to build on his 8-3, 3.76 ERA showing with the Los Angeles Angels last year after three up-and-down seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. Some defensive statistics Copyright Baseball Info Solutions, 2010-2022. Steve Drumwright is a lifelong baseball fan who retired as a player before he had the chance to be cut from the freshman team in high school. The 25-year-old has a premier pitch, handled a difficult workload with aplomb, and basically refuses to walk batters. He still struck out 84 batters while walking 21, but a 6.65 ERA (5.05 FIP) and 1.31 WHIP werent particularly strong results as he compiled four wins and 10 losses.
The DH also provides more options to get the Dodgers depth, with Max Muncy likely getting a bulk of the action. His absence is two-fold. All stats, unless otherwise indicated, courtesy ofBaseball Reference,Fangraphs, andBaseball Savant. He was rewarded with a five-year, $76 million extension. In his first 21 major-league games, the right-hander posted a 5.36 ERA. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Copyright 2022 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Honorable Mentions: Alex Cobb, San Francisco Giants; Anthony DeSclafani, San Francisco Giants; MacKenzie Gore, San Diego Padres; Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Dodgers; Alex Wood, San Francisco Giants, 2021 Stats: 121.1 IP, 23 GS, 4-10, 139 K, 49 BB, 4.30 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 1.5 WAR, 2022 Projected Stats: 163.0 IP, 28 GS, 9-10, 160 K, 61 BB, 4.37 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 2.3 WAR. Additions: OF Kris Bryant, SS Jos Iglesias, OF Randal Grichuk, SP Chad Kuhl, Subtractions: SS Trevor Story, SP Jon Gray. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Eric Hosmer was almost traded at least once this spring due to his big contract and subpar offense.
These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Jayce Tingler seemed over his head, especially with bullpen management, in his first managerial job. A new big bat hits the thin air of Coors Field in Kris Bryant, who signed a seven-year, $128 million free-agent deal. Newcomer Andrew Heaney, a third lefty in the rotation, is a bit of a wild card, but the Dodgers are banking on a change of scenery to bring out his best. If the curveball quality can catch up to the efficacy of the fastball, slider, and cutter, which it absolutely could, the sky would be the limit. Talk about a loaded MLB division, especially when it comes to the starting pitching options. Signing free-agent first baseman Freddie Freeman to a six-year, $162 million contract adds another MVP to the middle of the lineup.
The only feasible knocks here are that Webbs slider was a huge part of his success and overperformed and that a scouting report on his new approach could help make the lack of track record and elite pedigree more obvious over a larger sample.
But what remains is enough to get the Dodgers back to the top of the NL West. Even though Zac Gallens secondary pitches fell off rather significantly in 2021, its easy to explain that away as a byproduct of limited availability. Luke Weaver would be next in line when injuries hit.
Jos Iglesias takes over for Story at shortstop and will provide slightly better defense, but far less pop.
The same can be said of Justin Turner, who can DH to keep his health up. Dodgers are loaded again, but will Giants be able to recapture magic? Is this the last ride for Kershaw? The long layoff may be causing him to fly below the radar now, but he posted a 2.96 ERA (3.39 FIP) over 489.1 innings from 2017-20 while compiling top-notch strikeout numbers, and hes still only 31 years old.
numbers may appear out of order. Center fielder Randal Grichuk was acquired during spring training from the Toronto Blue Jays and will help make up for Storys offense. The D-Backs lost an MLB-record 24 games in a row from May 4 to June 25. Gilbert shifts to a relief role once Gallen and Davies are at full strength and, along with Tyler Widener, can chew up innings. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Ranking Shohei Ohtani, Justin Verlander, Top 10 AL West Starting Pitchers for 2022 MLB Season. A late-spring trade of left fielder A.J. Bard and Stephenson, in their debut seasons with the Rockies, had good bounce-back years in 2021. 
nl west starting pitchers 2022
