Dodgers Have Found Their Game 3 Starter With Tony Gonsolin

The Dodgers rotation has been phenomenal this year, and one starter that deserves some serious recognition is the 26 year-old right-handed throwing Tony Gonsolin. After not making the Opening Day Roster, Gonsolin has proven just how valuable he’s been. Over 8 appearances, which includes 7 starts, Gonsolin is somehow just 1-2, but he has a 1.77 ERA with a career high 40.2 innings pitched and 40 strike outs. The cat man is coming off a career high 10 K’s in Coors Field. Gonsolin has only allowed 2 home runs and if you’re into FIP, it stands at 2.44 with a WHIP of 0.787. Right handed batters are hitting .169, while opposing lefties are batting .179. In short summary, Gonsolin is dominating both sides of the plate.

“I just want to stay as consistent as possible.” – Tony Gonsolin following his start on 9/20/2020

Originally thought of as a bullpen, spot starter guy by Dave Roberts, Gonsolin has anchored himself into the rotation, which essentially forced Andrew Friedman to trade Ross Stripling. Now a strong case can be made that Gonsolin should be the Dodgers number 3 guy in the postseason rotation since he’s essentially been their second best starter all season long. In terms of advanced metrics, Gonsolin has an excellent fastball spin rate by grading out at a 90/100. His xwOBA stands at a 73/100, Barrel % of 74/100. Opponents have been hitting Gonsolin’s stuff at an average rate according to the metrics, but the results have turned out far better as shown above. Gonsolin has good spin on his curveball at 68/100.

Overall he’s had excellent control of his stuff with a 4.5% walk rate. His average fastball sits at 95 MPH, but we’ve seen his ability to get it up to 97, 98 MPH. His splitter is his second most thrown pitch around 31% of the time. He’s thrown 36 curveballs this season and has yet to surrender a hit. Gonsolin’s slider has been effective as well with a .148 average against.  Many Dodgers fans were excited for Gonsolin’s debut in 2019 where he ended up impressing, and now that has carreied over into what has been his first full season in 2020 and has yet to disappoint.

Author: Kevin Klein
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