Dodgers News: Analyst Breaks Down Changes Noah Syndergaard Needs to Make to Positively Impact LA
When the Dodgers brought in Noah Syndergaard this offseason, it was seen as another pitcher reclamation project in a long line of recent success from the club. Los Angeles has been known for their ability to take a guy who either has dealt with injury concerns or someone who has been down on their luck of late and turn their career back around. Their ability to put players into places to succeed has been impressive and many, including Syndergaard, believed he would be next.
However, two months into the season, the opposite has happened. Syndergaard has looked like a complete shell of himself and has really struggled to find any form of consistency on the mound. His last start yielded such poor results that it ended in Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, wondering if he would pull Syndergaard from his next scheduled start. Ultimately, he has decided to give him another chance but the end could be near for the former ace.
The Dodgers aren’t giving up on Syndergaard just yet. He was brought in for a reason and they believed they could help him out. He just needs to get back to the basics and understand that the team doesn’t need him to be 2015 Syndergaard. There may be something there yet, even if it’s buried down way below. That's, at least, what ESPN's Doug Glanville told Doug McKain of DodgersNation.com in a recent interview.
"You don’t have to throw through a wall. You still can pitch, and use that data and that information to get people off balance. There are still plenty of pitchers that don’t necessarily throw the ball through a brick wall and still know how to pitch and get through a lineup," Glanville said. "Now you just have to put your team in a position to succeed, and as long as they believe he has the tools to do that, then they need to give him that belief, too, and make sure that he knows that it’s important to find it and stay focused on it because if he can do that, that’s another arm that they absolutely need."
He formerly was one of the more dominant pitchers in the game and the hope is that despite all the struggles, he will figure this thing out. He has to, otherwise his Dodger tenure and maybe his career could be in jeopardy.
