While Mookie Betts proved to be a difference-maker in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the club did not reap the potential benefits David Price would have brought to the starting rotation.
After making a couple of starts in Spring Training, the left-hander opted out of the 2020 season due to coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. While his unexpected absence left a sizable void, Price was confident in the organization’s depth to carry the load.
Now as the 2021 season approaches, Price has made it clear that he plans on re-joining the Dodgers when Spring Training camp opens later this month. He enters the year as somewhat of an unknown, but a return to his previous form would give the club another top-of-the-line starter to go along with Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw.
During a recent appearance on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove,” Price explained he’s in strong position health-wise and believes taking the 2020 season off will pay dividends, via MLB.com:
“I feel really good right, I’ll tell you that. I feel a lot better than I did a year ago or six months ago. I definitely do. It was kind of like having a major arm surgery or knee surgery, and you have to take a year off. That’s what I was able to do. I worked on different things with my body and arm, and feel like I’m in a really good spot right now.”
In 2019 as a member of the Boston Red Sox, Price went 7-5 with 4.28 ERA, 3.62 FIP and 1.31 WHIP over 107.1 innings pitched. He struck out a career-high 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings but saw his campaign cut short due to a wrist injury.
Price underwent left wrist surgery the following offseason to correct the issue and felt confident in his ability to make upwards of 32 starts with the Dodgers had he played last year.
The 2021 season will mark Price’s first season pitching for a National League team. In 12 years, he owns a career 150-80 record with a 3.31 ERA, 3.35 FIP and 1.15 WHIP across 321 games (311 starts).
Price, Cody Bellinger join Players Alliance efforts
Price and Cody Bellinger became the latest Dodgers to join the Players Alliance efforts.
The group’s mission is “To create an inclusive culture within baseball and the community, where differences are leveraged to elevate racial equality and provide greater opportunities for the Black community, both in our game and the places we live in, play in, and care about most.”
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