The Los Angeles Dodgers have a trotted out plethora of intriguing players during Spring Training, from proven Major League All-Stars to promising Minor League talent looking to make their presence felt.
One player who began to make a name for himself was journeyman pitcher Yordy Cabrera. He consistently garnered excellent results when called upon in his initial Cactus League appearances. Through his first three games, Cabrera had yet to allow a run, striking out five batters over 2.1 innings of work.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been impressed with Cabrera’s work on the mound and specifically praised the results he’s generated with his sinker, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“He is very interesting,” said manager Dave Roberts. “You just don’t see swing-and-miss stuff with a sinker like that very often, even for a Major League pitcher. There are a lot of good ingredients there.”
Cabrera, a second-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics in 2010, is an infielder turned pitcher that converted positions from the advice of the Miami Marlins after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2013.
He spent the 2018 season in independent ball, where he caught the attention of Dodgers scout Franco Frias after consistently flashing his triple-digit velocity fastball in games.
Los Angeles subsequently signed him to a contract and he has taken advantage of his initial Major League opportunities to date, standing out among established players while leaving good impressions on the coaching staff.
While he was effective early on, Cabrera had a rough showing against the Chicago White Sox on March 13 as he walked three and was removed before recording an out. He did bounce back three days later with a scoreless inning.
