Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski has been a stud this season–but regression might be on its way.
Wrobleski, 25, has a stellar 2.71 ERA for the Dodgers this season. Additionally, he’s already racked up 2.0 Baseball Reference WAR, and holds a record of 9-2. When the kid pitches, the Dodgers win.
However, with the modernity of analytics, you can often forecast a storm on a ‘lucky’ pitcher. That seems to be the bin that Wrobleski falls into.
When you flip over to Wrobleski’s Baseball Savant page, it’s a bit of a jumpscare.
Although his fastball is one of MLB’s best and he excels at limiting ball four, this isn’t much else to dream on.
Wrobleski has an xERA of 4.31, demonstrating his luck this season. Consequently, the quality of contact he surrenders is poor. Hitters have pushed the young southpaw into the bottom half in barrel percentage and even lower in average exit velocity.
One thing is for sure, regardless of his continuity, Wrobleski has LA’s eye in the first half.
Social Media Reacts to Dodgers’ Surging Southpaw
Here’s what people are saying:
Dodgers Nation: “Dave Roberts believes that Justin Wrobleski deserves to be in the All-Star conversation this season. He compares Wrobo’s situation to how Tony Gonsolin was performing in 2022 and made the team.”
@Corbin_Young21: “Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski threw a quality start against the Twins (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, and 1 HR). Wrobleski had a 9.8% swinging-strike rate and a 30% ball rate on Tuesday against the Twins. The Twins stacked right-handed hitters against Wrobleski. That coincided with him throwing three primary pitches (over 10% of the time) harder by 1 mph or more. Wrobleski threw his four-seamer (+1.1 mph), slider (+1 mph), and sinker (+1.6 mph) on Tuesday. Wrobleski peppered his four-seamer in the zone 62% of the time, with hitters whiffing (13.3% swinging-strike rate), chasing (47%), and being a weapon for first-pitch strikes (75%). He has been commanding his heater well, with a 118 Location+ before Tuesday’s outing. Wrobleski has been a command (108 Location+) over stuff (99 Stuff+) pitcher, leading to most of his expected ERA metrics (4.38 xFIP, 4.19 xERA, and 4.53 SIERA) hinting at regression.”
Nicho Roessler: “Justin Wrobleski just keeps getting away with it. 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 9 whiffs, 28% CSW, 2.71 ERA, and 1.01 WHIP on the season with 53 Ks in 86.1 IP. ERA estimators still suggest regression, but I am done trying to suggest it’s coming.”
Pedro Martinez: “I was impressed with Justin Wrobleski. He was like a shark out there! After tonight, he’s now ‘the Shark.'”
Dodgers Right Now
The Dodgers are currently 52-29, and ahead of the second-place Padres by nine games in the NL West.
Starting DH and pitcher Shohei Ohtani was recently named the NL’s starting designated hitter for the All-Star Game.
The Dodgers led MLB with seven finalists after the conclusion of fan voting.
LA is looking to become the first team to three-peat world championships in what seems like forever, and they have the cast to do it.
The Dodgers will play the Padres tomorrow, June 26, in a big series that could derail the Friars’ season.
How Much Longer Can Justin Wrobleski Get Away With This for the Dodgers?