They’re bringing back most of their National League-best bullpen in 2023.
The Dodgers bullpen was as good as any in 2022 — then again, so was the rest of their team. Their bullpen ranked first in the National League and second in all of baseball with a 2.87 ERA, and first in all of baseball with a 1.05 WHIP.
They haven’t made any real additions to the bullpen this offseason outside of RHP Shelby Miller — but they haven’t had to. Most of their top contributors from last year will be back in 2023, which spells good news for the Dodgers.
Here’s how the bullpen stacks up right now, looking into who will for sure be there on Opening Day, and who could make contributions throughout the season.
The A-Listers
These are the guys who will 100% be on the Opening Day roster as top bullpen contributors, assuming they’re healthy:
Evan Phillips: Evan “Fireman” Phillips burst onto the scene in 2022 as the Dodgers’ best reliever. He excelled in his role as the high-leverage guy, finishing the season with a 1.14 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in 63 innings. He’s a lock for the roster, and could play a big role in the ninth inning.
Yency Almonte: Yency Almonte was my favorite Dodger reliever in 2022. He truly came out of nowhere, and was about as dominant as you can be. He had a 1.02 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in 35.1 innings, and should play a big role in 2023, potentially as the closer if the Dodgers want to keep Phillips in his high-leverage role.
Brusdar Graterol: Here’s another guy who could end up closing games in 2023. Graterol had a 3.26 ERA in 49.2 innings last season, but was much better in the second half. The Dodgers will hope he can get even more dominant in his fourth season in Los Angeles.
Daniel Hudson: I hope you’re sensing a theme here, because Daniel Hudson is a guy who’s probably the favorite to be the closer next season. Hudson had a fluke torn ACL in June that cost him the season, but he’ll be back and fully healthy by spring training. He should play a huge role as the Dodgers’ potential shutdown guy next year.
Alex Vesia: Alex Vesia has turned into somewhat of a fan favorite due to his high-energy style of play. Last year, he had a 2.15 ERA in 54.1 innings, and will enter next season, again, as the best lefty in this bullpen.
The Next Guys
These guys aren’t exactly the best of the best in the bullpen, but they still should contribute a lot next season.
Shelby Miller: The Dodgers signed the 32-year-old former All-Star to a one-year deal. The former starter has converted to a reliever, which is where the Dodgers are expected to use him. We’ll see what Mark Prior and the rest of the pitching staff can do with him, potentially getting him back to his All-Star dominance. I also expect a spot start or two out of him next season — or to at least be used as an opener.
Caleb Ferguson: Caleb Ferguson was as unhittable as it gets for the first part of last season. Then he became a little more hittable. He still finished the year with a 1.82 ERA in 34.2 innings, and he’ll likely play another big role as the second-best lefty in the pen.
The Third Tier:
Victor Gonzalez: Victor Gonzalez didn’t pitch last season due to an elbow injury. He was really good in 2020 (1.33 ERA) and pretty good in 2021 (3.57 ERA), and will look to get back to his old form. If he can, he could be a big help as another southpaw in the bullpen. If he can’t return to form, we probably won’t see very much of him.
Phil Bickford: Phil Bickford feels like an out-of-town uncle who has long overstayed his welcome at your house. Bickford keeps pitching well enough to keep him in the bullpen, and will surely contribute at some points throughout the season. But, like last year, he likely won’t make any postseason roster, and won’t be an everyday contributor if he doesn’t have to be.
Justin Bruihl: Justin Bruihl is also one of those guys who keeps finding his way onto the active roster. In 45 appearances over the last two seasons, he has a 3.40 ERA. He’ll find a way to contribute if the injuries start piling up.
The Somewhat Unknowns:
Here’s the rest of the guys in the bullpen, excluding the young guys (Ryan Pepiot, Michael Grove and Bobby Miller) because I envision the first two as starters, and Miller as someone who won’t contribute until later in the season.
J.P. Feyereisen: The Dodgers acquired J.P. Feyereisen a few weeks ago from the Rays. He’s not expected to be healthy early in the year, but there’s a chance he returns late in the season and contributes (kind of like Tommy Kahnle last year). He had a 0.00 ERA in 24.1 innings last season.
Andre Jackson: Andre Jackson hasn’t made a lot of appearances in the big leagues, but when he has, he’s actually been quite good. In 21.1 career innings over the last two seasons, the 26-year-old has a 2.11 ERA and two saves. He’ll definitely get his opportunities to contribute next season.
Jake Reed: If Phil Bickford is an uncle overstaying his welcome, we’ll call Jake Reed a mother-in-law. Reed somehow keeps finding his way back to Los Angeles, now entering his third stint with the club. He won’t contribute unless there’s an injury, but like last year, we’ll probably see him up at some point.
Opening Day Bullpen Predictions:
If I had to guess what the bullpen looks like come Opening Day, I would say it’s going to be all the A-Listers (Phillips, Almonte, Graterol, Hudson and Vesia) and then Miller, Ferguson and Jackson. That last spot could very well go to Gonzalez if he looks good, Bickford if he continues to overstay his welcome or potentially even another arm they bring in. It could also be Pepiot or Grove, but I see those guys coming up when the first starting pitcher heads to the injured list (and there are four injury-prone guys currently in the rotation), so we’ll see what the Dodgers decide to do.
