The Dodgers 2019 draft was perhaps an unusual one in that they targeted college relief pitchers. I don’t think the plan is to transform them into starters but more so to continue their present path. Relief pitching is the fastest way to MLB unless one is a budding superstar and relief pitchers most certainly are in demand. Why not develop your own and in due course have a stable of young relievers under team control?
I am really anxious for minor league rosters to be released and especially eager to watch the Loons relief corps this year. A number of 2019 draftees have had a good start to their professional careers. I have profiled several of them and today Nick Robertson who already is a three-year veteran coming out of the bullpen gets the call.
Robertson was selected by the Dodgers in the seventh round of 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of James Madison University In Harrisonburg, Virginia.
He was born in Callaway, Virginia and attended Franklin County High School in Rocky Mount which has a population of roughly 5,000. He was a three-sport standout in high school – golf, basketball, and baseball – and was a mainstay on the Eagles’ 2015 squad that finished 17-4.
Following high school, he decided to stay relatively close to home signing on with James Madison which is a drive of a bit over two hours away.
After missing the 2017 season with the commonplace TJ surgery, Robertson pitched strictly in relief making 38 appearances over the next two years with a 5-2 record and posting an ERA of 1.38. He racked up 87 strikeouts with 24 walks over his 58.2 innings pitched. He has also held opposing batters to a .153 batting average against in his entire collegiate campaign.
As a redshirt junior in 2019, the 21-year-old Robertson was the first Duke drafted when the Dodgers took him in the seventh round at 221st overall. During that junior year, he had a 1.01 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP in 23 appearances striking out 54 and walking 11.
The 6’6/ 265 lb. Robertson has an imposing presence on the mound. His downhill power and size contribute to his high strikeout ability which sits at 13.34 batters per nine innings since the onset of the 2018 campaign.
Robertson, who is noted for his fastball and a slider, was named to the 2019 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year watch list along with fellow Dodger draftees Braidyn Fink, Jack Little and Aaron Ochsenbein. Fink lost the 2019 season rehabbing from TJ surgery.
This from his college head coach, Marlin Ikenberry:
“Robertson probably has elevated his game more than anyone else on the roster this year and it’s for a few reasons. During the spring he compiled a 5-1 mark to go along with eight saves and a 1.01 ERA while striking out 54 batters over 35.2 innings.”
“I think a lot of it has to do with the analytic world as well. When you look at spin rate, off-speed stuff, opponents batting average and the fact he just kept going out and having really good outings, that’s what started the snowball effect of scouts wanting to see him more and more. Early in the year, he had five or six outings and one really wasn’t very good but his numbers started getting better and better and that’s what you want to see in a junior. You want to see him getting stronger and stronger as the year goes on and that’s what Nick did.”
Robertson said scouts from the Dodgers viewed him several times during the 2019 campaign, including relief performances against the University of Maryland and the University of Virginia. He was not surprised that the Dodgers chose him and that it became apparent to him that Los Angeles would take him late on the second day after a consultation with one of his advisers. There was also some speculation that the Nationals and Pirates were interested in selecting him.
He is thought to have the best fastball in the 2019 Dodger draft class sitting at 94-96 mph while his fastball gets on hitters quickly with his plus deception. Robertson hides the ball well behind his imposing frame preventing hitters from picking the ball up until it’s too late. One source describes him as an in-control relief arm that knows how to get outs using his size on the mound and solid pitch mix.
Billy Gasparino’s take on Robertson’s fastball: “If maybe there was one trend line in this draft, it’s we tried to pick good fastballs. He had one of the better ones, we thought. It’s strikes, it’s velocity, it’s command, it’s up to 95 and just enough secondary to keep hitters honest. We liked his combination of two pitches and think there’s a chance for a third pitch in there. Probably a reliever, but a good one.”
Nick Robertson made his professional debut with the Arizona League Dodgers (Lasorda) on July 1st against the Athletics Gold and moved on to the Ogden Raptors after five scoreless appearances in the AZL.
With the Raptors over 11 innings in 11 appearances, he posted a 2.45 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP while holding opponents to a .179 batting average. He struck out 16 and walked one. On the year he struck out 23 and walked one.
It is expected he will begin the 2020 season with the Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League. The Loons bullpen is going to be fun to watch.
Another player to watch this season.
Nice write-up DC, as usual. Another young man to follow and cheer for. My list is really getting longer. He sounds like a keeper and one who should do well. Will watch for him to advance. Thank you for the report.
I know he was probably over-matching at the rookie levels last year but you still have to get the ball in the strike zone. Looking back at this draft in even three years should we interesting with so many young arms drafted as relief pitchers, with probably at least three with high leverage situation potential.
Here is a link to a congressional group with a resolution to save minor league baseball.
https://woay.tv/save-minor-league-baseball-task-force-introduces-congressional-resolution/
Excellent write up D.C. I love what the Dodgers are doing with relief pitching. The bull pen has been a problem the past few years. The signing of free agents have not worked out. They now have made a decision to fix the problem by drafting relief pitchers. Pitchers who have been relief pitchers in college. I think it takes a certain mentality to be a relief pitchers. A relief pitcher has to come in with their good stuff and command right away. A starting pitcher has a couple of innings to adjust. A young relief pitcher that has three good pitches can later become a starter. I think it is a smart move by the Dodgers.
Cubs have won their case against Bryant. They have two years of control and will now be able to get on the with exercise of trading him. Theo wants to shake up the roster. AF wants to shake up our roster. Is their a match there?
He’s a decent defender at 3b. Nothing great. Not bad. That’s why he plays in LF a lot. He is a really good offensive player and power right handed bat which would fit well batting behind Belly. His playoff numbers are eh (welcome the the club I guess?). He does have superstar talent and personality. He’d fit in LA
Be interesting to see what we’d pay to get 2 years of Bryant vs what we’d pay to get 1 year of Betts. My preference is Betts, as he’s a much better player and won’t require shifting the entire infield around.
I think his defensive numbers at third base are pretty poor. If we do wind up with him I hope it’s mostly to use him in left field. Of course, we have two or three left fielders already so that would involve some other moves.
Perhaps Seager straight up for Bryant. Both have 2 years of control left. Would ease the financial burden for the Cubs. Seager has been mentioned in trade rumors probably due to his agent although Bryant has the same agent. We could use that right handed bat.
Or rather, Is THERE are match there. The English language is so difficult. 🙂
Thx DC for the nice write up. Because of this site I’ve become a fan not only of the Dodgers but also of all our minor league affiliates. It’s nice to know the stories behind all the names in the box scores. We’ve got a lot of quality young men in our system. Can’t wait to see them progress in their careers! Much thx to our Fab Five!
I read your link, DC, and found it very encouraging. Kudos to Trahan, McKinley, Rose and Simpson for their efforts and determination to keep minor league baseball intact without the changes Meanfred wants. I agree wholeheartedly, with all of their reasons why it would be detrimental to communities all over America if his plans to eliminate 42 teams comes to pass. Glad to hear about the support of Congress also.
Wanting Betts to come to the Dodgers would be like hiring someone who stole you, or someone who benefited from a robbery they made you.
How would the clubhouse receive Betts?
Vegas is placing Betts in the Dodgers dugout.
Interesting point. Of course we don’t yet have the details of what the Sox might or might not have done and if they did anything in the WS.
If they are found to have actually cheated during the 2018 series, that could present quite a problem.
Also, 2018 was Cora’s first year there and that was also Betts’ best year by far. Hmmmmmmm.
They would be doing back-flips to get him, IMHO.
Nice write up on Mr. Robertson, DC! Let’s hope he continues to mow them down as he climbs up the ladder.
A .179 batting average against in Ogden is very impressive.
I’ll be there tonight. This is going down:
Tom Niedenfuer?
You know it’s been a slow off season for the Dodgers when the Marlins have outspent us! Well money must be tight with all the stadium renovations and AF’s new contract!
I was looking at the Dodger’s 40 man roster with a large cup of hot green tea and I wondered if I could assemble two thirteen man pitching staffs. As I looked at the players on the 40 man, it became clear that I could assemble two groups. First would be a team of pitchers that are all 29 years of age plus, and second would be a team all 26 years of age or younger. I also found that I would need to dip into the AAA probables to fill gaps in both groups. My mind literally leapt at the challenge.
Team One, who I will call the Vets, consists of the following pitchers; Kershaw, Maeda, Stripling, Wood and Nelson as the starters and Jensen, Baez ,Kelly, Treinen, Kolarel, Alexander, Floro and Ramos in relief. Team Two, nicknamed the Kids, has Buehler, Urias, May ,Gonsolin and Gray as the starters with Santana, Gonzales, Ferguson, Sborz, Kasowski, Sheffield, de Gues and Grove in relief.
While the pitchers on the Vets have some performance and/or health issues to resolve, they all have multiple years of MLB experience and have demonstrated the abilities needed to be successful at this level. On the other hand, the Kids need more major league experience and in some cases even need more experience in the upper levels of MiLB but certainly don’t lack for potential,
If the Vets can perform at levels at or near their norms they would form an excellent foundation for the early part of the season and let the Kids have the luxury of being able to refine their stuff against minor leaguers rather than being forced into more pressure filled, largely self-created, situations in the majors. By June, the top Kids could move to the majors for Vets who still have options available while some of the other Vets/Kids transfers could be due to injuries of both an actual and contrived nature so that by the All=Star break they can identify needs, examine possibilities from other teams and try to fill the gaps by the 7/31 trade deadline. This still leaves two months for further refinement, either internally or externally before the end of the regular season.
I firmly believe that this team has the pieces necessary to create a WS champion in 2020. Sure, I’d like for Sandy Koufax of the early sixties or the Bulldog at his peak to reappear to be the ace for this team, but that is highly unlikely. But a 13 man staff consisting of Buehler, Kershaw, Urias, and May could cause issues for any other team
while a bullpen of Jansen, Maeda, Wood, Nelson, Stripling, Ferguson, Gonsolin, Treinen, and Kolarek/Alexander could be exceptional.
There are several things that this exercise showed me. The Dodger pitching staff has become both younger and potentially better this offseason. I’ll miss Ryu and Hill but I think by the end of this season, and for years to come. Kershaw is now the eldest starter at 32 and there is the possibility of the other four starters all being in their mid-twenties if the cream rises to the top but if not we still have capable pitchers available to man the roster. The Dodgers also have a functional bullpen presently, but have a depth of talent rising through the system to challenge for spots in the near future and beyond. Because of all this young talent, the Dodgers will be able to pay the price to retain it present stars with long term contracts either sooner or later while also being able to acquire a talent like Betts or trade for a 3rd basemen on, oh say, the Rockies or the Cubbles. In all, I now feel great about this team now and for years to come and I hope you all look at the facts available before attacking AF or Roberts.
Not sure Wood and Nelson signed with us to work out of the pen and we all know Maeda would rather start than relieve even though his stats say otherwise
There is a survey out from MLB Trade Rumors about Mookie Betts. Over 50% say we won’t getting him in a trade and I tend to agree. The only way I would consider trading for him is if he signed an extention(which aint happening) and even then it would depend upon who we have to give them.
I may be one of the few who would not mind having Price in the deal if it meant less prospects going to Boston.
Re: Cassidy’s comments – the Dodgers have spent $15.5 MM on free agents this off-season. The NL teams below them:
Cards – $15MM
Cubs – $2.5MM
Pads – unknown but 2 low end FAs
Bucs – unknown but 1 low end FA
Friedman recently said that the Dodgers are not done and are still trying to augment the roster before the beginning of Spring Training, but I sincerely doubt that anything more of import will happen until near the trade deadline.
St. Petersburg, FL, Jan. 29, 2020 — Minor League Baseball (MiLB) issued the following statement today regarding the state of the Professional Baseball Agreement (PBA) negotiations:
“Minor League Baseball was encouraged by the dialogue in a recent meeting between representatives of Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball and a commitment by both sides to engage further on February 20. However, Major League Baseball’s claims that Minor League Baseball is not participating in these negotiations in a constructive and productive manner is false. Minor League Baseball has provided Major League Baseball with numerous substantive proposals that would improve the working conditions for Minor League Baseball players by working with MLB to ensure adequate facilities and reasonable travel. Unfortunately, Major League Baseball continues to misrepresent our positions with misleading information in public statements that are not conducive to good faith negotiations.”
Part 1of a MiLB letter to Rob Manfred
January 23, 2020
Rob Manfred
Commissioner
Major League Baseball
1271 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Dear Commissioner Manfred,
There has been much public discussion regarding the ongoing negotiations between Major League Baseball (“MLB”) and Minor League Baseball (“MiLB”) with respect to a new Professional Baseball Agreement (“PBA”) that will set the terms for the continuation of affiliated minor league baseball in communities across the country. The MiLB Negotiating Committee is singularly focused on working with MLB to reach an agreement that will best ensure that baseball remains the National Pastime in communities large and small throughout our country. However, it recently has become apparent that the best way to advance negotiations is for us to set forth with clarity in a letter to you the position of MiLB on the key issues that we must resolve in these negotiations.
As a threshold matter, we believe that it is our obligation to represent in these negotiations not only the best interests of Minor League owners, but also the best interests of our 160 community partners. These community partners have made major commitments, financial and otherwise, to support both Major League and Major League-affiliated professional baseball teams at all levels. It is our sincere hope that we can reach agreement on a new PBA that not only is mutually beneficial for both MLB and MiLB, but also addresses our shared responsibility to these communities to preserve Major League-affiliated professional baseball to the greatest extent possible.
1. Full Season Minor League Baseball
(Triple-A, Double-A, and Single-A)
MiLB believes that all full season Minor League games must be played in adequate facilities that protect the health and well-being of players and that players not be subjected to unreasonable travel during the course of a season. We have advanced several ideas to address these objectives, to which your negotiating team has failed to respond. MiLB believes these important objectives can be achieved without preemptively contracting any of the 120 Minor League teams currently playing affiliated full season baseball.
MiLB’s negotiating position has been and continues to be that MLB and MiLB should work together to identify teams currently playing in stadiums deemed inadequate and the specific improvements required. These teams, and their communities, should be given an agreed upon amount of time to demonstrate that they have access to sufficient financial resources to make the required improvements and to complete the improvements. In the event that a team fails to meet this requirement, the Player Development Contract (“PDC”) for that team would be transferred to MiLB, which would have the responsibility to reassign the PDC to an ownership group demonstrating an ability to operate in a ballpark that meets agreed-upon facility requirements in a location that does not unacceptably increase player travel. MiLB believes that the PBA should provide for a mutually supported facilities improvement fund to assist teams and communities in meeting the necessary standards in order to minimize any need to relocate a team. MLB and MiLB have the ability to create better facilities, particularly for players and player development personnel, if we work together to express to communities the need for such upgraded facilities.
Very interesting DC. Thank you for sharing it.
There is more to come but too much for one post. Stay tuned.
No doubt Dennis there is a lot of pitching potential on our roster. But as it stands right now, beside Buehler I have no confidence in any other starter winning a 2-1 or 3-2 game against the Yankees in October. One day maybe Urias and May could but it would require a big leap to reach that level in 2020. And certainly none of the veterans could rise to that level including October Kersh. We need another co ace with Buehler to win a WS. More than we need Betts or Bryant in my opinion
RF, .
I think they’ll do whatever will allow them to prove themselves this season especially if they get a steady dose of starts in the pre-ASG part of the season and also get 1 or2 paid vacations due to a bad manicure or a scrapped knee, especially if going to the bullpen after the ASG means they would be on the playoff roster and had a chance to go to the series. I wish the Dodgers would modify Maeda’s contract to provide monetary incentive to him to become a bullpen regular versus being penalized
I could be wrong but I believe they attempted to this past offseason but the Maeda camp insists he’s a starter.
I knew he didn’t want to relieve all season due to the contract but never heard he rejected a contract change. Still think that he would do it short term late in the season rather than not pitching the last few weeks or into the postseason but this is just my opinion and we all know what those are like since we all have one.
Cassidy,
it doesn’t really matter if you or I or anyone on this or any other site has confidence in the team or a particular player except if all of those votes of no confidence has a negative impact on a player, multiple players or the team as a whole. Most of us were probably athletic in our high school years and I know how tough it was on my basketball playing classmates when after two great seasons, they got of to a rough start and started getting grief from others about their “failings” as players and as people. We all prefer praise and dislike disapproval so I just feel it better to temper my words so I don’t impact the “karma” of the franchise I’ve followed for 57 years.
What? Sorry Kersh. It’s all my fault!
my brother-in-law always said that people who decide which side to take only after something has occurred have too much need to sound right and not enough self-confidence to sometimes appear wrong. Have you always been so negative about Kershaw or is it only on those rare occasions when he is unsuccessful ?