Over the past three seasons the Los Angeles Dodgers were spoiled with a starting rotation that featured two bonafide aces wreaking havoc across Major League Baseball. Ultimately, after three dominant seasons in Dodger blue, Zack Greinke couldn’t resist the historic contract offer made by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
While the offseason hype has withered down now that pitchers and catchers report in just over two weeks, the revamped rosters in National League West looks as competitive as any other division entering the 2016 season.
The Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and San Francisco Giants all acquired two starting pitchers, which makes an already-strong pitching division that much more formidable.
For Dodgers hitters, the transition of Greinke from friend to foe will need to be quick as the clubs face each other for the first time on April 12 in the start of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.
Andre Ethier and other Dodgers players have acknowledged losing Greinke is significant, but to a man they’ve also maintained the club is capable of succeeding without the right-handed ace.
Ethier, now entering his 10th season with the franchise, certainly got an up-close look at Greinke’s dominance last season. When asked about facing his former teammate this season, Ethier said he hopes Greinke will not have a repeat performance of 2015, according to Andy McCullough of the LA Times:
“Statistically, if you look at some of the stuff he did, it was some of the best numbers in quite a few years,” Ethier said. “So I can say it now: I hope he doesn’t have the same performance. Because I don’t want to be facing that.”
Greinke finished 19-3 last season, with a 1.66 ERA, 2.76 FIP, 225 ERA+ and 0.84 WHIP. For his career, Ethier is a .125/.222/.125 lifetime hitter against Greinke with four strikeouts and one walk in nine plate appearances.
The two last faced each other in 2012. Ethier, who will turn 34 years old in April, enjoyed a bounce back season in 2015, batting .294/.366/.486 with 14 home runs and 54 RBIs. He was particularly effective against right-handers, hitting .306/.383/.517 with 14 home runs, seven triples, 14 doubles and 47 RBIs.
