Now in his second full season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Walker Buehler has started to emulate the dominant version of himself that placed third in National League Rookie of the Year voting last year.
With the exception of his most recent start against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in which he allowed seven runs on 13 hits over 5.2 innings, Buehler flashed ace-like potential over his previous three outings during the month of June.
He allowed a combined four runs over those three starts, highlighted by his complete-game, 16-strikeout effort against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium on June 21.
The excellent string of starts came to fruition after Buehler altered his pregame routine following a rough performance against the New York Mets to close out the month of May.
Ever since then, Buehler has taken a more hands-on approach in scouting meetings with Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and the starting catcher he was paired with.
Buehler took this step after understanding the necessity that is evolving as a Major League pitcher in order to achieve sustainable success, per Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
“Obviously, doing your own stuff and knowing it in your head gets you a little bit more convicted,” Buehler said, “and that’s never a bad thing. … In this game, you got to evolve. I think that’s where the next step for me is, taking more ownership of what I do out there.”
At the young age of 24 years old, it is impressive that Buehler has shown a willingness to make adjustments, whether it be because of a rough start or due to recent trends around the league.
This kind of mentality figures to go a long way for Buehler he continues progressing through his career. To no surprise following his recent successful stretch, the right-hander was one of four Dodgers selected to the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, joining Cody Bellinger, Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Buehler is honored to represent the organization in the 90th Midsummer Classic, revealing it had been a goal of his for a long time. The achievement figures to be even more rewarding considering his slow start out of Spring Training and early struggles during the month of April.
In 16 starts this season, Buehler has compiled an 8-1 record with a 3.43 ERA, 2.87 FIP and 0.97 WHIP across 97 innings pitched. More impressive has been his command, having struck out 104 batters while issuing just 14 walks.
