The Los Angeles Dodgers opened up Cactus League play with a win Friday afternoon, as their offensive outburst led to a 13-5 rout of the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch.
Wilmer Font, reigning Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year, got the start on the mound for Los Angeles, and he looked sharp as he completed two perfect innings, striking out two while
needing only 18 pitches to get through his day of work.
Font is among the multiple pitchers battling for a spot on the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster. After his first outing of the spring, the right-hander said he believes he has a good shot at joining the team out of camp, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“I’m happy. I feel really good. Everything is going good in Spring Training and I have a pretty good chance. I have bullpen experience.”
If the Dodgers want to keep Font then they may have to put him on the 25-man roster as he is out of Minor League options. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently said that the plan is to carry 13 pitchers on their active roster, which bodes well for Font.
In 134.1 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City last season, Font went 10-8 with a 3.42 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 178 strikeouts to just 35 walks. He did not fare as well in the big leagues after being called up in September, allowing seven hits and seven runs in just 3.2 innings.
Barring injury, the Dodgers rotation will most likely consist of Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Alex Wood, Kenta Maeda and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Brock Stewart, Walker Buehler and Ross Stripling figure to serve as primary depth in the rotation.
So if Font is to crack the roster, it may have to be as a long reliever, which he has some experience doing. All eight of his career Major League appearances and 98 of his 203 career Minor League appearances have come out of the bullpen.
