Dodgers News: Clayton Kershaw Visited Driveline Baseball in Off-Season

More and more Dodgers seem to be going the modern baseball route. Following suit with Kenley Jansen and returning Dodger Alex Wood, add Clayton Kershaw to the list of LA pitchers that have tried out the Driveline Baseball experience.

Pedro Moura of The Athletic hits us with the details.

You’ve heard that the Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen and Alex Wood went to Driveline this offseason. Turns out Clayton Kershaw did too. https://t.co/GE2jKP4aMr

— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) February 25, 2020

Leading off, it seems that once again strength and conditioning coach Brandon McDaniel played a part in getting a Dodger to the facility in Seattle, as he did with Jansen.

For those who might not know much about Driveline Baseball, it’s essentially a baseball think tank that uses advanced technology to optimize a pitcher’s repertoire. Importantly, it has a reputation for its weighted baseballs designed for strength training. 

However, when talking about Driveline, he addressed that misconception.

It’s definitely a good tool. I think everybody thinks of Driveline, ‘Oh, you throw weighted balls,’ but it’s a lot more than that, which I learned. It’s cool.

While the veteran wouldn’t confirm his visit, he expanded on his appreciation for the program.

They’re smart in how the body works, and how to create the most efficiency with your body, and how to create the most power with your body. They have ways to apply that. I think you can glean different things from different usages of it. Some guys are going in there maybe because there’s more in there and they’re trying to figure it out. Some guys maybe lost it.

2019 wasn’t a bad year for Clayton Kershaw, at least as far as the regular season is concerned. He posted an ERA just north of 3.00 while leading the pitching staff in wins. Additionally, he was second of the staff in WAR behind Hyun-Jin Ryu.

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But still, the man is aiming to get better further into his thirties. And manager Dave Roberts is happy to see it.

For a player like Clayton, who can still look back at an All-Star season and to be open to, ‘how can I make myself five percent, 10 percent better along with keeping myself healthy?’ I just give him all the credit in the world.

The 8-time All-Star is likely heading toward his ninth opening day start this season. Moreover, the addition of veteran David Price, along with a new perspective his arsenal could lead to a resurgent Kershaw in the new decade.

NEXT: Alex Wood Thinks He Belongs in the Starting Rotation