When The Bulldog speaks, you tend to want to listen. On Wednesday, Dodgers legend Orel Hershiser joined the SportsNet LA crew to share some thoughts on the reported blockbuster deal that’s importing Mookie Betts and David Price to Los Angeles from Boston.
"You'd have to go back a decade to find a losing season for David Price. You move him to the NL West ballparks, it's going to be an upgrade." @OrelHershiser weighs in on the impact David Price could have with the #Dodgers should a trade come to fruition. pic.twitter.com/Yb3eNBDLtQ
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) February 5, 2020
In short, Bulldog thinks the Dodgers are adding a couple of good ones to the mix. He first focused in on Price.
You can’t just throw away David Price … to bring some depth back to the rotation after you lose [Hyun-Jin] Ryu and [Kenta] Maeda and Rich Hill. The youngsters coming up, it kind of protects them — and you know, the fact that David Price even only had 21-25 starts at a time over the last few years, that’s OK when you’re a Dodger because of the depth and the talent and the way they really protect people.
Of course, we’ve already had one MLB analyst loving the idea of Price pitching on the west coast against the NL West, and Hershiser shared the same sentiment
You’d have to go back a decade to find a losing season for David Price. Yes his ERA has escalated, but his strikeouts to innings is still at a high. His ability to throw strikes is at a high, so he will be able to live in the strike zone more … so if you’re talking about a guy that strikes out more than a batter an inning already with people that know him in a tougher division, in a tougher ballpark, and you move him to the National League West with the big ballparks, it’s gonna be an upgrade.
The narrative of the NL West has always been that teams have struggled to score runs, especially with the large fields like Chase Field, Dodger Stadium, and whatever they’re calling that place in San Fransisco these days.
Small sample size…
…but David Price lifetime at #Dodger Stadium 19.2IP, 1.83ERA including the World Series clincher in 2018.
— Steve Mason (@VeniceMase) February 5, 2020
In his career against National League opponents, Price has a 15-12 record with a fine 3.42 ERA over 244.2 innings. Lifetime at NL West ballparks, his ERA sits at 3.86 in 46.2 innings pitched. Still, a full season could improve his overall numbers — even at 34-years-old — and that’s exactly what Bulldog expects to see.
NEXT: Walker Buehler is Beyond Hyped to be Teammates With Price, Betts
