It’s early, but thus far the reviews on ‘Brother Gatorade’ Brusdar Graterol are rave reviews.
For instance, listen to what Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has to say about the newly acquired reliever on SportsNet Los Angeles about the 21-year old reliever.
Dave Roberts discusses two World Series champions joining an already talented #Dodgers team and what fans can expect to see from 21-year-old Brusdar Graterol. pic.twitter.com/oOwwWM4oUi
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) February 13, 2020
In fact, Roberts seems so excited, he’s just talking about all the tools that his new toy brings to the bullpen. Dave even uses ‘bowling ball’ to describe the heaviness of one of Graterol’s pitches. Think about it: would you want to hit a bowling ball with a bat? Doesn’t sound like much fun to me.
“It’s going to be fun and he’s from Venezuela, and he’s actually really well-spoken. He makes his home in Florida, but he’s on his way out to Arizona right now. He’s got a big arm and it’s a 100 MPH bowling ball sinker. He’s a big man and he wants to do whatever it takes to help us win a championship. To get him in the pen will make sense for us.”
Without question, it’s easy to gloss over the addition of Graterol because of the excitement about Mookie Betts and David Price. Still, Graterol could serve as a high-octane arm that makes all the difference in shortening ballgames and taking pressure off both the starting rotation and his bullpen mates in 2020.
When I watch some highlight clips of Graterol on the mound, he is an imposing figure. Indeed, I am more excited to get Mookie Betts. However, I think as time goes on, the ironic twist and the way that the Dodgers acquired Graterol is going to serve as a silver lining for them. Just a gut feeling I have.
NEXT: Brusdar Graterol Pitching Profile
