TEMPE, Ariz. — When the Dodgers went into the offseason, they knew they wanted to enhance a beginning rotation that simply didn’t come by within the Nationwide League Division Collection towards the D-backs.
As president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and common supervisor Brandon Gomes started formulating their offseason plans, all of them began with touchdown Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However outdoors of the 2 Japanese stars, the Dodgers had their eyes set on Tyler Glasnow.
Glasnow got here into the winter as one of the crucial sought-after pitchers on the commerce market. The Rays had made it clear that they have been seemingly going to commerce him provided that he was set to be a free agent after the 2024 season.
As soon as the Dodgers started to dig on Glasnow, they shortly fell in love along with his arsenal. Glasnow was on Los Angeles’ radar since he was a high prospect within the Pirates’ group. Shortly after finishing a commerce that despatched Ryan Pepiot and Jonny DeLuca to the Rays for Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot, the Dodgers gave Glasnow a five-year, $136.5 million extension, locking him as much as be an integral a part of their beginning rotation for years to come back.
In Saturday’s 7-7 tie with the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium, the membership lastly received its first take a look at the tall right-hander sporting Dodger Blue. Glasnow wasn’t at his greatest, nonetheless, permitting one run on 4 hits in 1 2/3 innings of labor.
“Not, I suppose, the best when it comes to execution,” Glasnow stated. “However when it comes to well being and the best way the stuff was popping out, it was good. Simply labored on some stuff early and stepping into the sport, and it was not one of the best end result, however I’m pleased with it.”
This spring received’t be about outcomes for Glasnow. He has already confirmed that he generally is a frontline starter within the Majors. Final season, Glasnow completed within the 96th percentile in whiff proportion and within the 97th percentile in strikeout price. His 6-foot-8 body additionally permits him to get elite extension, making his pitches that rather more troublesome to choose up from the batter’s field.
In Tampa Bay, he took over because the ace of the employees going into the ’21 season. He was additionally the Rays’ high choice within the postseason, beginning Sport 1 of the American League Wild Card Collection towards the Rangers. Over eight seasons, Glasnow has posted a 3.89 ERA whereas placing out 678 over 529 2/3 innings.
For Glasnow, all of it comes right down to well being. Due to numerous arm accidents and remoted indirect points, Glasnow hasn’t pitched in a full season in his profession. His profession excessive in innings is 120, which he set final season. Glasnow stated he believes lots of these points are behind him, particularly after present process Tommy John surgical procedure in August 2021.
“For me proper now, it’s his physique consciousness,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated when requested what has impressed him most about Glasnow. “His consciousness of his mechanics. And the factor that excites me is that the dialogue with him and [pitching coaches] Connor [McGuiness] and Mark [Prior] has been improbable. Form of opening up the curtain, the hood on him. It makes this means of studying one another work faster. In order that’s been good.”
Via three weeks of spring, Glasnow and the Dodgers have had a contented marriage. Glasnow sees lots of similarities between Tampa Bay and Los Angeles when it comes to how the groups current info to pitchers. Glasnow will get one or two extra Cactus League begins earlier than he will get the ball for one of many two video games in Seoul, South Korea, towards the Padres.
“I believe the following step [for Glasnow] is quantity,” Roberts stated. “I believe that he’s additionally being aware of being a bit bit higher at managing the operating recreation. And out of doors of that, for me, he’s a No. 1 [starter] for any group in baseball.”
