Stone made his first start for the Dodgers since August 2024 on Tuesday, logging one inning and recording two strikeouts without allowing a baserunner. Seven of the fifteen pitches he threw were changeups, and he recorded all three outs on the pitch.
“It feels really good,” Stone said of his move. “I’d been here for a while, so I had a lot of time to work on it, and it was one of the pitches that didn’t really hurt during the rehab process. I had to work on it a lot. When you come back from surgery, you kind of worry about whether the pitch shapes are going to be the same, whether you’re going to get the same swings from hitters, so to see those swings today was really cool.”
His changeup was by far his most effective pitch, as it had a whiff rate of 37.2% – the highest of any of his pitches – and gave him the most strikeouts while allowing hits only 17.8% of the time.
Stone’s substitution looked just as effective on Tuesday, with a top speed of 80mph and a speed of over 85mph. If he continues to use this pitch effectively, he will certainly find a spot on the Dodgers’ opening day roster.
How did Gavin Stone perform in 2024?
Stone was one of the Dodgers’ top pitchers in the 2024 regular season, with a team-high 140.1 innings pitched through 25 starts.
He struckout 116 batters during that time and made a major contribution to the Dodgers, as they again finished first in the division. He was absent during the postseason and their eventual World Series victory due to injury, but is targeting a spot on the Opening Day roster next season.
The Dodgers have a pretty busy rotation right now, but if Stone can produce like he did in 2024, it will be difficult to keep him away from the team for long.
Do you think Gavin Stone can make the Dodgers’ rotation?
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