The Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation underwent somewhat over a makeover during the offseason as they lost Zack Greinke, one of their two aces, to the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency.
Although Greinke is no longer with the Dodgers, there is more depth in the rotation as Brett Anderson accepted the one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer to remain with the team, and free agents Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda were signed.
In addition, Hyun-Jin Ryu will return from last May’s shoulder surgery, perhaps by Opening Day, and Brandon McCarthy is hoping to make a couple of starts prior to the 2016 All-Star Game.
The Dodgers are closely monitoring Ryu’s health during Spring Training, with an eye on the long haul as opposed to Cactus League play. On Friday, Ryu threw change-ups during a bullpen session for the first time this spring.
In the event the southpaw isn’t ready for the start of the 2016 season, the Dodgers can very easily plug another lefty — Alex Wood — into the rotation.
Of the six pitchers competing to be part of the rotation come Opening Day — Anderson, Kazmir, Clayton Kershaw, Maeda, Ryu and Wood — five are left-handed. However, Anderson points to the differences between all the lefties as reason not be concerned, according to ESPN’s Doug Padilla:
“If you’re good, you’re good, so that takes care of itself,” Anderson said. “But we’re not the same guy, we’re not a bunch of robots out there. Each guy brings something different. Clayton is obviously the best in baseball, Kazmir is big-time changeup and power fastball, me getting ground balls. We all bring something different to the table. It’s fun to be a part of.”
Kazmir in particular, who also said a predominantly left-handed rotation shouldn’t be viewed as a negative, pitches better against right-handed batters.
Last season, they hit .225/.301/.344 over 577 plate appearances. While left-handed batters hit .272/.312/.462 over 186 plate appearances. Kershaw led baseball with 301 strikeouts in 2015, and Anderson ranked second in the Majors with 396 ground ball outs.
