Back in May the Los Angeles Dodgers claimed Casey Fien off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. He arrived with a 7.90 ERA, 6.73 FIP, 1.76 WHIP and five home runs allowed in 13.2 innings pitched over 14 games with the Twins in 2016.
The right-hander was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City and appeared in one game prior to clearing waivers and being sent outright to the Minors, removing Fien from the Dodgers’ 40-man roster.
After pitching to a 5.87 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, with two walks and nine strikeouts in six games (7.2 innings) with Oklahoma City, Fien joined the Dodgers on May 28.
He made 21 appearances and had a strong showing early before falling susceptible to the long ball, which was also an issue while with the Twins. Fien posted a 4.09 ERA with five walks, 19 strikeouts and seven home runs allowed in 22 innings during that span.
The Dodgers placed Fien on the 15-day disabled list on July 19 with right-elbow tendinitis. He didn’t return until Aug. 16, and threw 1.2 scoreless innings over two appearances prior to being optioned to Oklahoma City.
Fien re-joined the Dodgers at the end of August, only to later be designated for assignment and sent outright to Oklahoma City in September for the Pacific Coast League Championship after again clearing waivers.
In 25 games with the Dodgers, Fien went 0-1 with a 4.21 ERA, 6.22 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 23 strikeouts and eight home runs allowed over 25.2 innings. He was 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA in eight regular-season games with Oklahoma City.
2016 Highlight
Fien held opponents to a .185/.214/.259 batting line in eight scoreless innings over his first eight appearances with the Dodgers. The early returns suggested Los Angeles had found a diamond in the rough, but reality (and injury) eventually set in.
2017 Outlook
Should Fien managed to recapture the form he showed after joining the Dodgers, he could give the club a useful right-handed reliever. Nonetheless, the 33-year-old appears set to begin the 2017 season with Oklahoma City.
