Dodgers: Watch LA Reliever Get the Strangest Swinging Strike You'll Ever See
The Dodgers have a history of adding arms to their bullpen that seem to outperform expectations. That's certainly the case with a number of pitchers during the Andrew Friedman regime. If the Dodgers team president has proven antyhing, it's that he has the ability to build a top-shelf bullpen out of castoffs.
When the Dodgers signed former Rockies reliever Yency Almonte in March as a free agent, most didn't even notice. After all, Almonte posted a 7.55 ERA in 48 appearances last year with Colorado. Part of that was a control issue. The righty was walking four batters per nine innings.
Getting into the Dodgers organization was just what Almonte needed.
The team has significantly reduced his fastball usage and have him throwing his slider more than ever. Based on his matchup with Phillies outfielder Odúbel Herrera, the slider-heavy approach is working.
Almonte threw a filthy back-foot slider that had Herrera absolutely bamboozled. The Phillies outfielder is far from his 2016 All-Star season form, but he does own an above league-average .826 OPS. The Dodgers reliever was called up to the big club last week and has allowed just one hit in three innings pitched so far.
If Almonte can limit his walks and continue to keep his slider humming, he could certainly be part of the question for the Dodgers bullpen moving forward.
Now that Blake Treinen has been moved to the 60-day IL, the Dodgers need to ensure they have right-handed relievers that can perform in high pressure situations.
