Dylan Floro first became a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in August 2017 but it wasn’t until this season that he made an impact. Floro was claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs last year, only to be designated for assignment two weeks later.
That was a corresponding move to the Dodgers acquiring Curtis Granderson from the New York Mets, and Floro went on to sign a Minor League contract with the Cincinnati Reds. That’s who the Dodgers acquired him from this past July, along with Zach Neal and international signing bonus pool space, in exchange for Minor League pitchers James Marinan and Aneurys Zabala.
Floro appeared in six games for the Dodgers before he was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. He returned after making just one appearance for the affiliate and remained with the Dodgers for the remainder of the season.
Like other relief pitchers before him, the 27-year-old emerged as a diamond in the rough. Floro’s performance earned him the trust of manager Dave Roberts and opportunities to pitch in high-leverage situations.
Floro went 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA, 3.38 FIP and 1.40 WHIP in 25 games with the Reds. He improved on those marks with the Dodgers, going 3-1 with a 1.63 ERA, 2.69 FIP and 1.05 WHIP over 29 games.
Flor remained on the active roster for the National League Division Series, NL Championship Series and World Series. He faced just one batter in the NLDS, then threw 4.1 scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves.
However, Floro then had mixed results in two games against the Red Sox. He struck out three in 1.2 innings of a thrilling Game 3, then allowed three runs on two hits in the ninth inning of Game 4 and was tabbed with the loss.
2018 Highlight
From Aug. 1 through the end of the regular season, Floro went 3-1 with a 0.95 ERA, holding opponents to a .200/.300/.229 batting line, while collecting 21 strikeouts in 19 innings over 22 games.
2019 Outlook
Floro remains under team control and figures to be a candidate to again play a key role in the Dodgers bullpen next season.
