Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto recently returned from injury for the team, and he figures to be a vital part of the postseason roster in a few weeks. Former MLB catcher Erik Kratz believes Yamamoto will show out on the big stage in the postseason for the Dodgers due to his breaking pitches, comparing him to another Japanese pitcher in Masahiro Tanaka, who put up great postseason numbers in his time with the New York Yankees.
“Is he gonna be good? Yes,” Erik Kratz said on Foul Territory. “I think he's gonna be good because off-speed plays in the postseason. It's off-speed galore. He's gonna do that. Look at what Masa (Masahiro Tanaka) did in postseason. Masahiro Tanaka was filthy in the playoffs, he was like, you go back and look at his postseason numbers, you're gonna be like, ‘uhh.' And to me, I think giving him $300 million, if his ceiling is Masahiro Tanaka, maybe they overpaid. But if he gives them what Masa gave them in the playoffs? He's gonna be nasty.”
The Dodgers have dealt with numerous injuries to their rotation this year, and Yamamoto's lengthy absence was a significant one. As Los Angeles struggled at times in the summer months, the pitching staff hurt the team in a lot of games.
Dodgers looking to close season strong and figure out postseason roster
The Dodgers have opened up their lead in the National League West as of late, currently sitting five games up on the Arizona Diamondbacks and 5.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres. In all likelihood, Los Angeles will come away with the division title, and possibly the top seed in the National League. The Phillies currently are a game ahead of the Dodgers in that race.
Despite still battling it out with the Phillies for the top seed, the main priority for the Dodgers will be to figure out answers that are relevant to the postseason. In all likelihood, Jack Flaherty and Yamamoto will be in the rotation for the playoffs, barring injury. Jack Flaherty has performed well since being traded by the Detroit Tigers. Yamamoto will not be kept out of the rotation given his contract. After those two, there are a lot of question marks, as Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller and Landon Knack are currently in the five-man rotation.
The Dodgers could try to go with a bullpen game at times in the playoffs as well. These questions will be answered in the next few weeks.
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