After an injury-plagued 2016, left-handed pitcher Alex Wood couldn’t find a place in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation entering 2017. Out of Spring Training, the plan was for him to come out of the bullpen and make the occasional spot start when needed due to the depth they already had in the rotation.
However, when Rich Hill missed a start with a blister, Wood not only filled in but established himself as one of the team’s best pitchers.
Success didn’t come right away, as Alex allowed four earned runs in two of his first four starts. But he was stellar after a bumpy start on May 2 and ended up being named National League Pitcher of the Month in May.
Near the end of May, he began experiencing inflammation in his SC joint, which would eventually land him on the disabled list. He’d miss a few starts and his performance began to dip over the rest of the season, but he ended up with very strong numbers overall.
Wood finished 19th in all of baseball with a 3.4 fWAR and struck out nearly a batter an inning. His 3.32 FIP was 11th in the league and his ERA of 2.72 was fifth. He did not lose his first game until July 29, starting 11-0, and finished with a 16-3 record.
Additionally, Wood was named to his first career All-Star team as he replaced teammate Clayton Kershaw on the National League roster.
Wood went into the postseason as the Dodgers fourth starter, so he was only required to make two starts and one relief appearance, and he was brilliant in two appearances against the Houston Astros in the World Series, giving up just one hit and one run in 7.2 innings of work.
2017 Highlight
After not pitching in the NL Division Series and making one start on three weeks rest in the NL Championship Series, Wood was asked to make a crucial Game 4 start in the World Series. The Dodgers were down two games to one, with two more games to play in Houston.
Wood was up to the challenge. While he allowed a solo home run in the sixth, that was the only run and hit he gave up in his start. The Dodgers would tie the game in the next inning and rally for five runs in the ninth to even the series at two.
2018 Outlook
If Wood can get past his SC joint issues and stay healthy, he should repeat his dominant 2017 campaign and help lead the Dodgers to the postseason once again.
After his 2017 campaign, Wood should head into Spring Training with a spot already locked up in the starting rotation, as opposed to last spring when he was battling for a starting spot and ultimately began the season in the bullpen.
