Last July the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a trade with the Cincinnati Reds to acquire Dylan Floro, Zach Neal and international signing bonus pool space in exchange for Minor League pitchers James Marinan and Aneurys Zabala.
It wasn’t the type of blockbuster deal that generates headlines. Most of the discussion centered around Floro returning to the Dodgers, who previously claimed him off waivers from the Chicago Cubs in August 2017. The right-hander went on to sign a Minor League contract with the Reds that winter.
But similar to their trade for Tony Cingrani in July 2017, Floro has emerged as a key member out of the bullpen for the Dodgers. He’s been particularly effective this season, with the only runs allowed both unearned.
Floro attributed his success to locking in his focus one pitch at a time, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I’m just executing pitches right now,” Floro said. “Getting ahead of guys for the most part. When I have a chance to put guys away, I’m putting them away, going to the fastball up. I think the key thing is the mentality – getting ahead of them, putting it more in my count and then putting them away with the right pitch.
“I’m going out there and I’m not thinking about pitches two and three. I’m thinking about that one hitter and that one pitch and that’s all. I’m focusing on that one pitch and that’s all that matters at that time.”
Floro entered the series opener with the Washington Nationals having thrown 16.1 scoreless innings over 15 appearances. He had 11 strikeouts against two walks and held opponents to a .172/.213/.207 slash line during that span.
The Dodgers’ defense let Floro down in the eighth inning on Thursday, beginning with a throwing error that allowed the leadoff man to reach safely. Anthony Rendon followed with a double, and the Nationals went on to extend their lead behind Howie Kendrick’s RBI single and Yan Gomes’ groundout.
Floro’s emergence has largely flown under the radar as the struggles of Joe Kelly and some of Kenley Jansen’s inconsistency have drawn the bulk of attention. But with an electric fastball and sharp sinker and slider, Floro has gained Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ trust in leverage.
