Victor Gonzales will have the biggest surprise impact on the 2020 Dodgers. He’s currently only 24 and missed the entirety of 2017 due to Tommy John. But he’s about the same age as #bellinger #bieber #biggio #flaherty #gallen #osuna #moncada and plenty of other budding stars around the league. He’s currently our 21st overall in our farm and our #1 LHP. He has a mid to high 90’s FB, a mid 80’s back foot slider, and an average curve and change that could benefit from better control.
However he seems to have turned a corner. His control only got better throughout his stellar 2019 campaign. Especially after he made the move to the bullpen (as shown in his 2019 stats). Now we don’t have the stats to dive into why, but we assume that pitching in relief allowed him to rely on his two plus pitches. Which brings us to why he could be the next #Hader. Hader essentially throws two pitches. A mid 90s fastball and a back foot slider. He also throws a sinker and change (but only about 2% of the time). Beyond that Gonzales throws from a low enough release point that his fastball looks like it has a rising motion. Hader has the 4th lowest release point in the league. According the #Muncy that’s his secret weapon and how a pitcher that throws a 4-seam (with a very low spin rate) 88% of the time can be successful.
So look out for Gonzales whenever season starts. The Dodgers are lacking LHP in the pen and Gonzales will be the first call up for it. His fastball is electric and that slider will keep RHB honest. And with the new 3 batter rule, his value out of the pen just skyrocketed. He may be a starter in the future if he can improve his other offerings (and he very well may).
Dodger Dynasty 