There are 1,458 innings in a 162-game baseball schedule. Of course, games will inevitably go into extra innings, so let’s call a season 1,500 innings (give or take). I have stated before that I would not be surprised if no Dodger starter pitched more than 125 innings. For argument’s sake, let’s say that is true. Let’s see how that looks:
- Blake Snell – 125 Innings
- Tyler Glasnow – 125 Innings
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto – 125 Innings
- Roki Sasaki – 125 Innings
- Shohei Ohtani – 125 Innings
- Tony Gonsolin – 125 Innings
That’s just 750 Innings, half of what is needed in a season. The bullpen cannot be expected to pick up the rest. However, If the above starters are only going to pitch 125 innings, that means that they are only going to go five innings at a time… OR maybe they skip a start every three starts to keep them fresh and to relieve the strain on their arms.
Landon Knack and Clayton Kershaw could combine for 150 innings, and Bobby Miller and Dustin May could get the same. Emmet Sheehan will be back Mid-Season and eat some innings, and guys like Miller and Knack have options, so they could go back and forth to OKC a few times. I think it would be ideal if the starters could eat up 900 innings.
Last season, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitchers collectively logged approximately 679 innings. Here is a list of all the starters the Dodgers used last season (Note: their innings were not all as starters):
- Gavin Stone: 140.1 innings over 25 starts
- Tyler Glasnow: 134.0 innings over 22 starts
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 90.0 innings over 18 starts
- James Paxton: 89.1 innings over 18 starts
- Walker Buehler: 75.1 innings over 16 starts
- Landon Knack: 69.0 innings over 12 starts
- Bobby Miller: 56.0 innings over 13 starts
- Jack Flaherty: 55.1 innings over 10 starts
- Clayton Kershaw: 30.0 innings over 7 starts
- Justin Wrobleski: 36.1 innings over 6 starts
- River Ryan: 20.1 innings over 4 starts
- Ryan Brasier: 28.0 innings over 4 starts
- Michael Grove: 51.0 innings over 2 starts
- Anthony Banda: 49.2 innings over 2 starts
- Brent Honeywell: 34.1 innings over 1 start
- Michael Petersen: 14.0 innings over 0 starts
- Ben Casparius: 8.1 innings over 0 starts
- Nabil Crismatt: 7.0 innings over 0 starts
- Elieser Hernández: 9.2 innings over 1 start
- Kyle Hurt: 6.2 innings over 1 start
In the 2024 MLB regular season, the Seattle Mariners’ starting pitchers led the league with a total of approximately 942.2 innings pitched, averaging about 5.82 innings per start. Following the Mariners, the Kansas City Royals‘ starters accumulated around 911 innings, averaging 5.62 innings per start. The Atlanta Braves also had a strong showing, with their starting pitchers logging approximately 904.1 innings, averaging 5.58 innings per start.
As you can see, starting pitching is important, but the Dodgers got to the World Series and won it despite getting just 679 innings from their starters. There is obviously more than one way to skin a cat! It’s possible that some starters will get more than 125 innings, but I think that after the plethora of injuries last year, the Dodgers will be hypervigilant in limiting starting pitchers’ innings.
X-CITES
…In Case You Missed it
This is from the last post:
Andrew Vincent Forte:
Dodgers announced their non-roster invitees. Pitchers, Sam Carlson, Carlos Duran, Julian Fernandez, Jackson Ferris, Giovanni Gallegos, Jose Hernandez, Justin Jarvis, Jared Karros, Jack Little, Jose Rodriguez, Roki Sasaki, Matt Sauer. C: Griffing Lockwood-Powell, Dalton Rushing, Chris Okey. INF: David Bote, Alex Freeland, Austin Gauthier, Kody Hoese. OF: Josue De Paula, Justin Dean, Zyhir Hope, Ryan Ward.
Also:
From Baseball America’s Q & A as it relates to the Dodgers:
Q. Alex Freeland looks like a sneaky good prospect. What are his paths to playing time barring injury to a Dodgers middle infielder?
A. I don’t know if he’s a sneaky good prospect so much as he’s just a good prospect. In another question, JJ suggested there might be a path at third base, but a lot of rooms at the inn are obviously filled.
Q. Why is Dodger’s prospect Hope’s speed grade so low?
A. The run times he produced in the Fall League warrant that grade, though you might be higher if you go by sprint speed. It’s a tricky needle to thread between those two metrics.
Q. By my count 11 catchers made the BA Top 100. Curious which of those you’d consider most likely to move off the position at the major league level?
A. Rushing is likely to move if he remains a Dodger because he’s not pushing Will Smith off the spot. Similarly Basallo’s best hope is to be a part-time catcher/1B/OF/DH as long as he’s an Oriole with Adley Rutschman on the roster. Ballesteros’ frame and weight probably make him the other catcher who is most likely to move because his bat is ahead of his glove.
Q. Is there a big difference between Jesus Made and Emil Morales? Seems both are pretty good in DSL but Emil Morales is not mentioned while Made is top 20?
A. Morales was very good in the DSL, but Made was just a good bit better. He hits the ball significantly harder than Morales while making a lot more contact and making better swing decisions. He also has a better shot to stick at shortstop, although both should be capable infielders defensively.
Q. Do you feel better or worse than you did this time a year ago about Josue De Paula developing in-game power? When should the Dodgers start to worry?
A. Power is generally one of the last things to come in a player, and you’re still dealing with a very young man. I’m not worried about that in the slightest.
Q. Zyhir Hope is listed at #51. That seems a bit low given some of the helium he has had as a prospect. Where do you think he will be next year on the rankings?
A. We’ve been beating the drum on Hope since April. The evaluation hasn’t changed. The feedback throughout the industry is high, but there’s some holes in the swing that scouts believe he needs to close up. He’s got time to move up and yesterday we listed him as a potential No. 1 overall candidate for 2026.
Q. Could SS Alex Freeland become a key piece in LA or might he just become trade fodder?
A. Right now when it comes to Dodgers’ prospects if you take “trade fodder” you have a better shot of being right. There just aren’t many clear spots for prospects to step in. C: Smith/Barnes (which blocks Rushing) 1B: Freeman long-term. 2B: Kim/Betts SS: Betts 3B: OK, here’s a possibility (if the Dodgers don’t sign Munetaka Murakami next year). LF: Conforto (short-term)+Pages CF: Edman RF: Teoscar (plus Betts as option)
Q. Do y’all value ceiling over floor or the opposite with ranking. Thanks for the chat!
A. Both and neither. You factor it all into the blend that is needed to rank players. There are players who rank highly here because of their relatively safe paths to big league jobs–players who have produced in the upper levels of the minors and have well-rounded skillsets with no glaring flaws. And right beside them you may have a player who is all tooled up, but had yet to face top-tier pitching and may have glaring flaws to fix. We’re trying as best we can to synthesize the two. Alex Freeland and Luke Keaschall are right in the middle of the 100. Both have produced in the upper levels of the minors, have no career derailing flaws and are capable of playing in the infield. They rank right above Josue DePaula and Zyhir Hope. DePaula and Hope have the potential to be much better than Freeland and Keaschall if everything breaks right. But neither has upper level MiLB experience, and both are corner outfielders without a ton of defensive value. Floor and ceiling. Side-by-side.
Discussion (19)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I, for one, do not put a lot of stock into the Bregman rumors.
Bergman in Dodger blue makes me want to vomit. I understand and maybe forgive or forget the sign stealing but the arrogance and lack of retribution makes it impossible (for me anyway) to forgive that flipping asswipe. If they acquire him I guess that’s life but I for one will hope he strikes out every at bat and then traded to the White Sox’s to anguish in that train wreck the rest of his career.
in a different sport. Tom Brady may well be the greatest quarterback ever. But his voice on tv broadcast? finger nails on a chalkboard!!!
amen John! well said! he should always never be a part of a Los Angeles Dodger world series celebration , unless he’s watching from the other dugout! by the way, the same goes for for altuve, springer, and especially correa! nuff said!!
I am sorry, I know we are called upon to turn from judging our fellow man and to instead forgive and focus on our own flaws. But forgiveness does not preclude consequences. Mr. Bregman was very much part of stealing not just signs but the sanctity of something truly precious to millions of fans. It may be too precious and too important to me, but this game and the Dodgers have and will always be a big part of the joy of life for me. I am not alone on that. If I were Clayton I would indeed retire before I played with him. I hope the Dodgers are more sensitive than to ask not just Clayton but their fans to swallow such a decision.
Clayton retires? he finishes his career as a dodger. and as a clayton kershaw fan, the look on bregman’s face when he hit that homer off clayton. and clayton’s reaction to that”how did he hit that?”. i’m a true blue dodger guy for 60 plus years, no thanks to him. he should always be an aaaaassssstro! And Max is not a second baseman anymore. he will be ok at 3rd. i like the post saying Freeland could possibly slide into 3rd when max is done! Bowden now saying the DBacks are the second best team in the national league! he wrong a lot, but he maybe right on that!
Here is the final list of the Dodger’s 2025 International signings after signing Roki Sasaki, 4 catchers, 4 infielders, 6 pitchers and 2 outfielders:
01/19/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent SS Luis Luna to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent C Jhon GIl to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent C Moises Rangel to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent RHP Jose Villegas to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent C Ezequiel Aparicio to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent RHP Joseph Deng Thon to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent 3B Luis Tovar to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent OF Devlyn Bautista to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent SS Moises Acacio to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent RHP Derik Aquino to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent OF Degerson Diaz to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent RHP Ricardo Roman to a minor league contract.
01/18/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent SS Juan Macero to a minor league contract.
01/17/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent LHP Adrian Torres to a minor league contract.
01/17/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent C Jose Rivas to a minor league contract.
01/17/25 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent RHP Carlos Ramirez to a minor league contract.
I doubt that signing Bregman would alter CK’s desire to finish his career as a Dodger. In the game that they know for sure that the Astros were stealing signs, Bregman was not the hitter who did real damage. He is a solid player, and that was 8 years ago now. But I am not sure the Dodger brass would want to go long term with him. What do you then do with Muncy? You could trade the guy, or you could move him to second base. Bregman is better defensively, but he doesn’t have Muncy’s power. He is two years younger; he turns 31 in March. As for Kershaw, Gomes has said that once Kersh is through with his rehab, LA will look to re-signing him. Kersh has not yet thrown off of a mound.
so all you dodgers fans ok with Bregman? not me ! he would have a lot of ass kissing to do and a lot of “i cheated and i’m sorry “ . maybe Clayton changes his mind about playing if they sign that butt hole.
1. Ohtani DH
2. Betts SS
3. Freeman 1B
4. Hernandez LF
5. Muncy 3B
6. Bregman 2B
7. Conforto RF
8. Smith C
9. Edman CF
YIKES!
1. Tyler Cyr blames the Dodgers for having to retire.
2. The Alex Bregman rumors are getting more traction.
3. Jurickson Profar signs with the Braves because of “The Padres Ownership Situation.”
4. There are more rumors that Kershaw will not sign with the Dodgers.
Good stuff. With the proliferation of pitching injuries, I don’t see Prior and the boys increasing usage. My worthless opinion shows the Dodgers going with a 5.5 hybrid rotation. Openers, Bully games and Piggybacks will be utilized more frequently. Because of the max effort pitchers use, inning usage will have to be adjusted. That is why they stockpile arms. The FO is adjusting faster than any other team. Therefore I find it comical that all these losers…Bowden anyone?… say we’re bad for the game. The more the haters bash the Dodgers the happier I am.
Oh, and on another note. Once MLB pitchers find your kryptonite, you better adjust or you are toast. RIP Miguelito and James. To their credit they could sure hit MiLB pitching.
Book em
Hard to believe Paxton pitched the 4th most innings for us.
“Roki Sasaki was named the No. 1 overall prospect in MLB by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline this week. That means his $6.5 million sweetheart deal just got even better for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Because those two outlets opted to rank Sasaki as a legitimate prospect, the Dodgers can officially receive a significant draft pick should Sasaki make their Opening Day roster (or be promoted in the first two weeks of the season) and either win Rookie of the Year or place in the top 3 of MVP or Cy Young voting in any of the next three seasons.
Sasaki is currently BetMGM’s favorite to win the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year award at +200 odds.
This is all due to MLB’s Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI), the program instituted in the last collective bargaining agreement to disincentive teams from playing the service-time game with their top prospects. A player is eligible to earn his team a draft pick if he a) has rookie eligibility at the start of the season, b) accrues a near-full season’s worth of service time and c) appears in at least two of the Top 100 lists from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and ESPN”.
Opening Day Lineup:
1. Ohtani DH
2. Betts SS
3. Freeman 1B
4. Hernandez LF
5. Muncy 3B
6. Smith C
7. Conforto RF
8. Edman CF
9. Kim 2B
SP: Yamamoto
Baseball America must be a bunch of hacks.
They assume that 2nd base will be mostly Kim with some occasional Betts.
Anyone who thinks Kim will be the 2nd baseman is obviously delusional.
I do agree with Bluto, however, that this was a good article.
They could DFA Taylor, no team is going to pick up his contract, sign him as a minor league free agent with his same contract and send him to OKC. What a great insurance policy. The chances of the Dodgers going through the whole season without an injury to several positional players is illogical. Taylor, I’m sure wouldn’t like it but the Dodgers are rewarding Taylor for his long time contributions. Taylor gets his 15 million either with the Dodgers or some other team with the Dodgers paying all but the league minimum.
MLBTR was reporting that the Dodgers were among the teams who watched Max Scherzer work out. Could they possibly have a real interest in a guy who flamed out when they needed him the most? I find that highly unlikely. Still waiting to see who gets cut when they finalize Yates contract. Teo called for the Dodgers to re-sign Kike. But that is also unlikely unless they can trade Taylor.
Just a great post, Mark.
Thoughtful and informative.