Editorials

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw is Having a Under the Radar Solid Year

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is in the midst of a great season thus far, yet, not enough people have been talking about him.

Some people have claimed that Clayton Kershaw has passed his prime and doesn’t look as sharp anymore. While that may hold true in some regards, let’s let the numbers speak as to how well he has performed this season.

Heading into play on Sunday, Kershaw has an 13-3 record with an ERA of 2.76 in 150 IP. His WHIP sits at 1.000, and he’s struck out 159 batters. Since the start of July, he’s gone 6-1 (4-1 in August alone) with a 2.02 ERA — this includes the rough outing against the Yankees. In that time frame, Clayton has recorded 77 strikeout and has 3 10+ K performances.

He is still dominating opponents and continues to look like a top pitcher in the league.

Moreover, the left-hander ranks top-15 in wins, and he ranks top-6 in ERA and top-3 in WHIP for qualifiers. He may not be the same pitcher he was 4-5 years ago, but he’s adapting and still having a great season..

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Kershaw’s performance last postseason may have driven fans to feel father time had caught up with the lefty, but he has adjusted… and those adjustments seem to be working. While his rotation-mates Hyun-Jin Ryu and Walker Buehler have “stolen” the spotlight from Kershaw in 2019, make no mistake about it, Clayton Kershaw is still an elite pitcher.

Kershaw may not be the best pitcher in all of baseball anymore, however, he is still top 5. The NL Cy Young race has been a 2 horse race for most of the season, but as Ryu has struggled and come back to the pack, Kershaw has shined. He won’t win it, but Clayton should at least be mentioned in the Cy Young conversation for the great campaign he’s put together.

He’s not 2017 Kershaw anymore — he’ll never be 2011 Kershaw again — but 2019 Kershaw is healthy and dominating in a whole new way.

Levon Satamian

My name is Levon Satamian. I am currently attending Cal State Northridge, and majoring in Broadcast Journalism.

One Comment

  1. Great article! I was thinking the same. Kershaw a “nightmare for opposing batters” . A great analogy. I wonder what Miami thinks about that after last night? Clayton has had a few super dominating stretches in his career; and don’t look now; but he is 3-0 in August. Sure like to see him get a Pitcher of the Month!

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