LAD's 5th and 6th SP are not a Problem

The Dodgers have the only legit 6-man rotation in MLB.  Other teams try to add a 6th, but most often the 6th is a bullpen game. Quite often the 5th is also a bullpen game.  Roki Sasaki and Emmit Sheehan are exactly what they are for the Dodgers…5th and 6th SP.  Neither will be a playoff SP.  

Both pitchers have been inconsistent.  In 2025, Sheehan had a 2.82 ERA, 2.93 FIP, 0.968 WHIP.  This year? Why the difference? 

A quick review of the two statcast pages below shows that he is not at the same level as he was last year, but he is still very good at chase %, whiff %, and K %.  His BB % is better this year, and that could be a reason as well.  He is catching too much of the plate.  His command is off. 

Earlier in the season, there was a discussion from Orel who said that some of Sheehan’s inconsistency could be that his arm angle looked lower than in 2025.  Per Statcast, Sheehan’s arm angle was 35° in 2025 and 33° in 2026.  Orel seemed to think that was an issue.  One commenter that I appreciate with his pitching acumen is Phil Jones.  If Phil could comment on arm angle and how it may impact consistency, I would appreciate it.  If anyone else knows the answer, don't be shy.

Sheehan's fastball run value was not good last year, but it is abysmal this year.  His breaking ball run value is down a bit this year, but it has been good for both years.  But where Emmet has really fallen down is his offspeed run value.  Last year his change was good, this year it has not been good at all.  He went from 67th percentile to 16th in offspeed run value.  Could this be a result of lowering the arm angle?  I do not know the answer, but his “stuff” is good enough to get the chase and swing and miss stuff, so it must be his command.  What has changed?  

It is easy to dismiss him as many already have, but he is 26 and has been successful, even some this year.  Inconsistent to be sure, but aren’t all 5th and 6th SP in the rotation? 

Where I am disillusioned is not in a 5th or 6th starter, but in Doc’s comments towards Sheehan’s lack of consistency and that the only reason he is still in the rotation is because they have nobody else. 

"Certainly, he's getting a lot of opportunity. It's not the consistency that any of us like or want - Emmet included," Roberts said. "Until there's another alternative, we're going to keep running him out there."

In other words, as soon as Snell returns, Sheehan is out.

Doc has already commented on his conviction (read confidence).  Just how confident should he be when he is pulled after 1.2 innings against LAA when no other starter would have come out?  Or how about sending Mark Prior to pull him as Doc did 3 or 4 starts ago. 

IMO, it is Doc who is not consistent.  He keeps building up his struggling players but doesn’t seem to continue that with Sheehan.  We already know how he coddled Michael Conforto last year.  Just how consistent has he been with the struggling players this year?  

·      Teoscar Hernández since his return:  20 games, 78 PA, .186/.256/.271/.528, 3 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB, 23 K – And this improved over the last 2 games. 4 of his RBIs came on one swing.  He has RBIs in only 3 of the 20 games. 

·      Kyle Tucker since July 3: 17 games, 64 PA, .186/.234/.305/.539, 1 double, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 8K.  He has an RBI in 4 of the 17 games. 

These are corner OF who do not play defense very well.  They have to be hitting better than that.  Corner OF, both below Mendoza lines, combined for 4 doubles, 3 HR, and 12 RBI.  Neither of them have been told that until there is an alternative, they have keep sending them out. And BTW, that is also not aceptable. 

One of the most inconsistent hitters this year has been Mookie.  

·      His slash line through May was .194/.259/.408/.667.

·      His slash line for June was .290/.339/.477/.816 – Most thought that Mookie was finally back.

·      In 18 games, 73 PA, his slash line for July to date is .182/.260/.303/.563.  He has 2 doubles, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB, 8 K.  He has an RBI in four games. 

Will Klein since June:  16 games, 16.1 IP, 23 hits, 11 BB, 6.06 ERA, 5.50 FIP, 2.086 WHIP, 6 inherited runners, 4 scored.  I suspect Klein will be optioned once Díaz returns this week.  But Doc isn’t going to the media and telling them that Klein will be gone as soon as Díaz is back. 

What does it mean?  Nothing.  The Dodgers have the best record in MLB with all of the inconsistencies.  The last thing the Dodgers need to be concerned with is the 5th and 6th SP, when their replacements are close. 

AND I AM NOT ASKING FOR DOC TO BE FIRED. Not even suggesting it. Doc cannot please everyone, and not everyone can please him. Sheehan is undoubtedly in that category. It happens. Sheehan will either figure it out or he won't, and he will be moved.

As an unapologetic Sheehan fan, I know he has pitched poorly, but I am fine with leaving him in the rotation until Snell comes back.  It will be telling what happens with Sheehan once Snell is back.  If he goes to the bullpen, he will not be the first SP to move to the pen.  If he is optioned, and Klein or Charlie Barnes (Henriquez?) is still with the 26-man, the organization (mostly Roberts) will tell him exactly what they think of him.    Of course, they will say the appropriate things like he needed to go down to keep him stretched out in case he is needed later in the season.  If that happens, as a fan, I will be hoping for a trade of Sheehan.  He will reach his floor with the Dodgers, but has a good chance of reaching his ceiling with another organization. 

He should be scheduled to start on Sunday.  Will he???  

One more BTW…Many of the same people who are this year saying they are skeptical that Tyler Glasnow will make it back, said the same last year.   And Glasnow was brilliant in the playoffs. 

DSL Scores

DSL LAD Mega 19 – DSL Brewers Blue 9 

LAD Mega jumped out to a 7-0 and it was cut to 7-5 in the top of the 5th.  LAD Mega scored 6 in the bottom of the 5th for an 8 run lead.  The LAD Mega maintained that lead. 

RHSP Derek Aquino pitched 3.0 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit, 4 BB, and 3K.  RHRP Jose Leon pitched a scoreless inning, allowing 1 hit, 1 run, and registered 1 K. 

·      LF Rafy Peguero – 3-4, 2 BB, 3 runs, 5 K, double (2), HR (1)

·      CF Helvin Mendoza – 4-4, 2 BB, 2 runs, 5 RBI, HR (3)

·      1B Roberto Saucedo – 2-6, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR (4)

·      SS Luis Luna – 2-3, 1 BB, 3 runs, double (3)  

Box Score  

DSL Royals Ventura 9 – DSL LAD Bautista 1 - 7 innings 

DSL LAD Bautista had 3 singles and a double from RF Fran-Jean Haseth.  2B Angel Guzman singled Haseth home for the only run scored by Bautista.  

Box Score

 2026 LAD Draft Picks

This is chart for the 16 LAD draft picks, their bonus slot, and their reported bonuses agreed to.  There has to be a mistake somewhere as there is no way the Dodgers would have spent $9,985 over the allowed amount without penalty.  The actual signing bonuses are per MLB in their MLB Draft Tracker. They were also corroboarated by X posts and/or Instagram posts. I am going to keep monitoring and find out where the error is. There are a lot of numbers and they can be easily transposed, either by me or the reports. Even thought the picks after round 10 may be below $147,500 the savings do not figure into the 5% calculation.