In his third season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Adam Liberatore struggled to stay on the field with numerous injuries over the course of the year. He began his campaign with Triple A-Oklahoma City, where he allowed just one run over his first 5.1 innings pitched.
Liberatore was promoted to the Majors in mid-April and only appeared in one game before landing on the disabled list with a groin issue. He returned to Triple A-Oklahoma for two games before being summoned back to the Dodgers in early-May.
The Bellhorn, Calif. native would see action in three more Major League games during the month before suffering a lingering forearm injury that ultimately ended his season at the highest level. All-in-all, Liberatore posted a 2.70 ERA, 1.96 FIP and 1.50 WHIP in 3.1 innings with five strikeouts to two walks.
The 30-year-old attempted a comeback in late-August and appeared in four Minor League games across three levels, where he yielded four runs over two innings. Liberatore tossed a scoreless inning in his final appearance of the year on Sept. 1 with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
While there was speculation that Liberatore could rejoin the Dodgers as a September call-up, he never received the opportunity.
2017 Highlight
Though Liberatore appeared in only four games at the Major League level in 2017, his best outing came on May 28 against the Chicago Cubs, where he tossed 1.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts to one walk. He was credited with his only hold of the season, as the Dodgers went on to earn their 31st win of the year.
2018 Outlook
Liberatore is under contract and won’t be eligible for free agency until 2022. Assuming he’s healthy at the start of Spring Training, the southpaw will look to break camp as one of the club’s left-handed specialists on the Major League roster.
Liberatore logged 72.1 innings for the Dodgers from 2015-16, but will face serious competition from the likes of Luis Avilan, Tony Cingrani, Edward Paredes and any potential offseason acquisitions.
