The Dodgers have finalized their signing of left-handed pitcher James Paxton. How can they exploit their new starter? In keeping with MLB.com's David Adler, there are three keys.

First, Paxton wants to keep up his velocity. That factor of his pitching bounced again fairly properly after his latest restoration from Tommy John surgical procedure, shortly reaching his pre-surgery ranges. However he appeared to fade so quick on the finish of the 2023 season, so time will inform if his arm power is de facto the place it must be.

Then there's Paxton's new sinker and changeup combo. The southpaw started engaged on including a sinker to his repertoire final season to assist towards lefties, then relied on his changeup greater than earlier than towards righties. As a pitcher identified for his command of the vertical axis of the strike zone, leveraging his sinker and changeup on the horizontal may make him a real powerhouse.

And why not add a sweeper to the combo? He doesn’t have a breaking ball with horizontal motion, as Adler notes, and the Dodgers pioneered using the sweeper within the first place. It could possibly be simply the ticket for Paxton — and his new crew — to actually make a splash this season.

Hyperlinks

  • Chris Taylor sat down with MLB Network's Hot Stove crew on Monday to speak concerning the excessive expectations everybody appears to have for the Dodgers this season. “We perceive what comes with sporting Dodger blue,” he mentioned.



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