As we perhaps feared with the Dodgers going into the NLDS, there was concern that the bullpen might not be up to the job. It must have been a bit of a nightmare for manager Don Mattingly and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to even consider going to the pen. However, it appears Mattingly does play the game with match ups and unfortunately the match ups did not work as hoped for and even expected. There is major work to be done on the pen before the 2015 season begins.

During the 2014 season I frequently followed the games of the Great Lakes Loons, the Dodgers Class A affiliate in Midland, Michigan. The Loons struggled offensively throughout the season especially after catcher Kyle Farmer was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League, the Dodgers High A affiliate. Second baseman Jesmuel Valentin was traded by the Dodgers on August 7 along with a player to be named later for Roberto Hernandez, a starting pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies. That put another dent in the Loons lineup going in to the playoffs and as we later learned, ended up being a horrible trade.

The Loons lost a huge part of their offense when Kyle Farmer was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The Loons bullpen in 2014 was a delight to watch. Even with a subpar offense, on a number of occasions the relief corps held the Loons in games, picking up the starters, stranding inherited runners and holding on to slim leads. Manager Bill Haselman had a luxury that Dodgers manager Don Mattingly could only have dreamed of having.

The relief corps was so good that even third baseman Brandon Trinkwon, who was pressed into action in a blow out game, retired the only two batters he faced. In early August Ralston Cash was promoted directly to the Class AA Chattanooga Lookouts while later in the month Victor Araujo was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Albert Vanegas moved up to the Loons from the Rookie League Ogden Raptors to replace Araujo. Right on script Vanegas made five appearances with the Loons giving up only three hits and no runs while striking out seven and walking none.

Twenty-one-year-old Victor Araujo might be one of the first 2014 Loons relievers to make it into the Dodgers bullpen. (Photo credit – Neil Barris)

The group of relievers, and this does not include starters who made relief appearances, pitched 456 innings, gave up 323 hits and 142 walks while striking out 537. Their combined WHIP was just over one per inning at 1.02. They combined to win 25 of the Loons 66 victories.

Don Mattingly and Rick Honeycutt would kill for this bullpen.

Michael Johnson is the only left-hander in the group. Obviously match ups could not have been big on the “to do” list with the Loons. Pitching coach Bill Simas no doubt was instrumental in helping the bevy of right-handers get left-handed hitters out.

How many of these young men will ever play with the Dodgers is anybody’s guess. The road to Dodger Stadium is full of pot holes – arm injuries, trades to other teams, being backed up behind established players. However, it will be fun to watch them as they follow their dream.