TEMPE, Ariz. — When the Dodgers went into the offseason, they knew they wanted to enhance a beginning rotation that simply didn’t come by means of within the Nationwide League Division Sequence towards the D-backs.
As president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and normal supervisor Brandon Gomes started formulating their offseason plans, all of them began with touchdown Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However exterior 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 had been possible going to commerce him on condition that he was set to be a free agent after the 2024 season.
As soon as the Dodgers started to dig on Glasnow, they rapidly fell in love together 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 return.
In Saturday’s 7-7 tie with the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium, the membership lastly acquired its first have a look at the tall right-hander carrying Dodger Blue. Glasnow wasn’t at his greatest, nevertheless, permitting one run on 4 hits in 1 2/3 innings of labor.
“Not, I suppose, the best by way of execution,” Glasnow mentioned. “However by way of well being and the way in which the stuff was popping out, it was good. Simply labored on some stuff early and moving into the sport, and it was not the perfect consequence, however I’m proud of it.”
This spring gained’t be about outcomes for Glasnow. He has already confirmed that he could be a frontline starter within the Majors. Final season, Glasnow completed within the 96th percentile in whiff share 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 select 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 possibility within the postseason, beginning Sport 1 of the American League Wild Card Sequence 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 all the way 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 mentioned he believes numerous 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 mentioned 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 unbelievable. Type of opening up the curtain, the hood on him. It makes this strategy of studying one another work faster. In order that’s been good.”
By three weeks of spring, Glasnow and the Dodgers have had a contented marriage. Glasnow sees numerous similarities between Tampa Bay and Los Angeles by way of 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 feel the following step [for Glasnow] is quantity,” Roberts mentioned. “I feel that he’s additionally being conscious of being a bit of bit higher at managing the working sport. And out of doors of that, for me, he’s a No. 1 [starter] for any group in baseball.”
