As the Los Angeles Dodgers reported to Camelback Ranch for the start of Spring Training last year, the club made an interesting waiver claim in the form of JT Chargois. A once highly touted prospect for the Minnesota Twins organization, his presence brought some much-needed depth to a bullpen that had just lost setup man Brandon Morrow to the Chicago Cubs in free agency.
Chargois mostly struggled in his lone season with the Twins two years prior, but wound up playing a much bigger role for the Dodgers than anyone could have anticipated. He logged a career-high 39 appearances in 2018, pitching to a solid 3.34 ERA with 40 strikeouts across 32.1 innings of work.
The right-hander looked to improve on those results in his second season with the Dodgers. He was a late Spring Training cut but nevertheless found his way back to the Majors in early April.
Chargois recorded two outs without allowing a run in his season debut against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 9. He returned to the mound the following day, yielding two runs in one inning.
Chargois was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City after the contest and wouldn’t make another MLB appearance until the second half of June. He returned to the Dodgers that month in what marked the start of an extended stay with the club.
From June 20 through Aug. 15, Chargois appeared in 19 games for the Dodgers, going 1-0 with a 5.95 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 27 strikeouts over 19.2 innings pitched. He was again demoted to Oklahoma City, where he would make three more appearances to conclude his 2019 campaign.
In 27 games with the Dodgers’ top Minor League affiliate, Chargois compiled a 1-2 record with a 2.76 ERA and 1.32 WHIP across 32.2 innings. In 21 overall MLB appearances, he posted a 6.33 ERA, 4.01 FIP and 1.22 WHIP over 21.1 frames.
2019 highlight
Chargois enjoyed his best outing of the season against the Los Angeles Angels on July 23, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
2020 outlook
While Chargois hardly made an impact at the Major League level this season, he remains on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster heading into 2020. Depending on other potential moves the club makes in the coming weeks, the 29-year-old figures to have another opportunity to earn a spot in the bullpen come Spring Training.
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