Dodgers: 5 LA Pitchers To Keep An Eye On Ahead Of Expanded Roles
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Not all losses hurt the same. The Dodgers are going to be without some of their most heavily used pitchers in 2022 with Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney finding new homes and Walker Buehler's status still up in the air.
To make matters harder, the Dodgers also missed out on top potential free agents that were linked to the team as Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander both found new homes. However, Dave Roberts remains comfortable with the pitching unit the team still has.
A high level of confidence is needed to roll with the unit the Dodgers currently hold, but Roberts gives some names of who he expects to step into an expanded role. Not only will they be called upon, but an expected level of play will be commanded (via Dodgers Nation).
"Ryan (Pepiot) did a lot of growth this year. I think that he did a nice job. I think Michael Grove, in the short samples, did a really nice job. He's going to be in play.I think Bobby Miller, as far as stuff, we've all heard about it. Love the compete. Love the body, the head. We're going to see him this year. We're going to see Bobby this year. How much? That's up to him."
The youth within the unit is something to be excited about, but they're going to have to step up in a big way.
"A guy that's really interesting that we're going to be talking a lot about going forward is Gavin Stone. Got a chance to see him a little bit before the postseason and talked to him, and he's a special young talent, makeup. And then you're talking about Andre Jackson who finished strong for us. So we've got some guys in the hopper that I know are going to be able to back fill on the pitching side."
With the leadership of Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias still expected to lead the way, the young talent will have to learn quick of what it takes to be in the forefront of excellence. Otherwise, this can be another long season for the team.
