In what was just his second full season off Tommy John surgery, Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler was again pitching under an innings limit in 2018.
Because of that, Buehler was not on the Opening Day roster. He dealt with broken ribs in the middle of the season that cost him some time, so the Dodgers did not need to take any further action like shutting him down late in the season.
Buehler threw 137.1 regular-season innings for the Dodgers, 23.2 innings in the postseason and 16 innings in the Minor Leagues, which amounts to a total of 177 for the year.
He came out of the season healthy, and Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Buehler will no longer have an innings restriction on him in 2019, via Pedro Moura of The Athletic:
Andrew Friedman said the Dodgers asked Walker Buehler to prepare to throw 200-plus innings in 2019. He threw 177 between this year’s regular season and playoffs.
“I think we were more conscious of getting rest where we could this year than we will be next year,” Friedman said.
— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) November 7, 2018
Buehler went into the 2018 season as the Dodgers’ top prospect, and he proved exactly why that was the case by going 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA, 3.04 FIP and 0.96 WHIP in 24 games (23 starts). He struck out 151 compared to only 37 walks.
Despite throwing by far a career-high in innings, Buehler’s arm did not seem to be wearing down as his last start of the season was perhaps his best. He tossed seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits in Game 3 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, and his average velocity was the highest it had been all season.
With Clayton Kershaw back in the fold after signing a three-year extension, him and Buehler could form the best 1-2 punch in the National League in 2019. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod on Opening Day.
