Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood had a breakout season in 2017, as he was named to the National League All-Star team after starting the year 11-0.The success was all the more impressive when considering Wood didn’t begin the season in the starting rotation.
While he said last spring that he believed he warranted a spot on the roster as a starter, Wood instead was placed in the bullpen. Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu rounded out the rotation behind Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda.
But once Wood cracked the rotation, he never gave up that spot. He finished the season 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA, 3.32 FIP and 1.06 WHIP. Wood struck out 151 and walked 38 in 152.1 innings over 27 games (25 starts).
This spring is a little different for Wood as for the first time he is not battling for his positioning within the pitching staff. He discussed how it feels to begin the season with a defined role as a starter, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“It’s definitely a little different but every year is different,” said Wood, one of seven Dodgers who got married this offseason. “Last year there were even more guys than there are this year with Brandon and Kaz and guys that were making some good money. It all goes into it.
“So this year I like to think I’ve solidified myself even more than I had in the past – because I’ve had some pretty good years, not just last year. So it’s good to come in and, for the most part, it’s my job.”
The spring hasn’t exactly gotten off to a great start for Wood, as he suffered a minor ankle injury on the first day of workouts and then gave up a couple runs in his first outing.
There isn’t cause for concern moving forward, though, as Wood is still working through some kinks in his delivery. Particularly since he’s exclusively pitching out of the stretch for the first time in his career.
After his second Cactus League start, Wood said he feels as though he’s making steady progress in finding his rhythm and tempo on the mound.
