Rehabbing Dodgers Pitcher Checks off Important Milestone
The Dodgers committed $1.2 billion this offseason bringing in baseball's free agents, but Walker Buehler might prove to be one of the team's biggest acquisitions this year.
Once considered the staff's ace, his legacy grew by performing best when the lights were brightest. Buehler, 29, last threw a major league pitch on June 10, 2022, against the San Francisco Giants. He would go on the injured list and have his second Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for the rest of 2022 and all of 2023.
Now, as he continues to rehab toward a return in 2024, all eyes are on him tracking his progress. Recently, Jack Harris of the L.A. Times reported that Buehler felt good during his last live bullpen session and his fastball was between 94 and 95 mph.
While velocity is not everything, just ask Clayton Kershaw, Buehler heavily relies on his four-seam fastball. His ability to throw it up in the zone past batters makes itself effective and sets up all of his other offspeed pitches.
From 2019-22, the right-hander threw his fastball nearly 50% of the time. He threw his cutter, Buehler's secondary pitch of choice, only 16% during that period.
Prior to his injury, it was evident that something was wrong with his fastball. Its spin rate plummeted to 2267 rpm — normally it was well north of 2400 — and the batting average against it skyrocketed to .365. Subsequently, Buehler dropped his usage to just 33.8% and increased his cutter usage to 24.8%.
Some will point to the sticky substance ban as the reason for his decline. However, after the ban's implementation on Jun. 1, 2021, Buehler would go on to have a 2.39 ERA, 2.95 FIP, and 150 strikeouts in 143.1 innings pitched in 2021.
As alluded to before, it's not just the velocity of his fastball that matters. The shape of the pitch and his ability to locate it as well that will determine its effectiveness. Still, hearing that it's between 94 and 95 mph is good news.
For his part, Buehler said he's making progress despite his overall body mechanics being somewhat out of sync.
Buehler still has plenty of time to tweak things and add velocity to get as close to the pitcher he once was. Buehler said he still needs to throw a few more live bullpen sessions before he gets into a game.
Wednesday, Buehler indicated he might pitch in a game until the Freeway Seriesagainst the Angels, March 24-26.
To preserve his innings, Buehler will get a late start to the season. It's unknown when he will make his MLB return this season, but the Dodgers have made it clear that his health comes first.
