We all know about the star power of the Los Angeles Dodgers. But every great team can only go as far as its role players will take it.
Yes, the Dodgers shelled out over $1 billion this winter on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yes, they have perennial All-Stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman at the top of their order as well. But some of the key cogs in the Dodgers' machine are more understated.
Having been faced with a rash of pitching injuries this season, the Dodgers have been forced to turn to several rookies to fill huge roles in the starting rotation. Some have been up and down between the minors and majors, and some have joined the injury brigade.
However, one rookie pitcher has been as steady as can be for a Dodgers team that has sorely needed it. And on Monday, one insider recognized the value he has brought to L.A.
Grant Brisbee of The Athletic recognized rookie starting pitcher Gavin Stone as the player on the Dodgers' roster having a "sneaky good season" as part of the publication's weekly power rankings. The Dodgers ranked first in those power rankings, up from third the previous week.
"Without Stone and his modestly successful 22 starts... there would be a lot more panic surrounding the Dodgers," Brisbee said. "They probably weren’t expecting an NL West race this close, and they definitely weren’t expecting to need 17 different starting pitchers (and counting) this season."
Stone, 25, has been the rock-solid presence the Dodgers have needed in their rotation. In his team-leading 23 starts, he has an 11-5 record, 3.44 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
Monday night was one of Stone's best games yet, as he threw seven scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners while allowing just two hits. Best of all, Stone struck out a career-high 10 batters, a sign that one of his only weaknesses, a low strikeout rate, is on the way to improving.
If the Dodgers are going to make a deep postseason run, they'll still need their high-profile pitchers to show up. Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Jack Flaherty are all likely ahead of Stone in the pecking order for a playoff start.
However, the Dodgers wouldn't be in the position they are, still hanging around in first place in a hotly contested National League West, without Stone. And if they do turn the ball over to Stone in October, they can be confident he will show up when they need him.
More MLB: All-Star hurler details $700 million reason for Blue Jays 2024 failure
