Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: De León Could Be Fifth Starter

The Los Angeles Dodgers are searching for a fifth starter. Right now, it appears like that battle is going to come down to either Zach Lee, Mike Bolsinger, or Brandon Beachy. But there might be another name that should be thrown into the mix that would make some sense for the Dodgers.

That name? Jose De Leon. The talented right-handed pitching prospect is just 23 years old, but he has had success at a few levels in the minors recently. In 2015, he finished with a 2.99 ERA in 114.1 innings between High-A and Double-A, and he struck out 163 batters. He’s deceptive, and also good.



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From Zachary D. Rumer, MLB Lead Writer for Bleacher Report:

If the Dodgers want to play it safe while they wait for their starting rotation to take the shape they planned on, they can go with [Brandon] Beachy or [Mike] Bolsinger at the back end. Or, they could go for [Jose] De Leon and wait to capitalize on his upside. They’re going to do it sooner or later. It might as well be sooner.

This definitely is an interesting proposition. While you sort of know what you’re going to get out of Beachy and Bolsinger, De Leon is a huge question mark. But that might be what makes him so darn enticing to the Dodgers and their rotation going into the year. In a way, it’s similar to Zach Lee.

The unknown is sometimes more tantalizing than the known is. With De Leon, you know he’s highly talented and has great upside, but you don’t know what he can provide right away. Still, does that make him a better option than others? It really could.

De Leon hasn’t pitched great this spring, giving up 5 runs in 6 innings, as well as 9 hits, but you can see the talent on display quite often with him. While using him as the fifth starter early on in the season might seem crazy, it might also be a good option for the team.

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2 Comments

  1. For DeLeon, let him start in AAA and get into a rhythm.  He hasn’t been able to do so so far this spring.  Starting him in AAA as well will allow the Dodgers to better manage his innings if they plan on using him in the rotation at any point this year.  Use the effectiveness of Bolsinger, Lee and Beachy to cover the 5th spot in the mean time – they have shown to be more than capable of doing so (especially Bolsinger).

  2. Oh oh, bad moon on the horizon!  The Dodgers lack a viable starting pitching rotation.  DeLeon and Urias represent HOPE. Now they have both been cut.  Heck, Kazmir is the worst mistake since Andrew Jones…  One of the worst F.O. ever.

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