The second article in my “Building a 25-man roster” series will address at the construction of the Dodgers opening day bullpen. Here I will make my final preseason prediction as to whom the members will be and I will also talk about the people I am leaving off of the list and for what reason.

In my previous prediction article, I said the bullpen would consist of: Kenley Jansen, Sergio Romo, Pedro Baez, Ross Stripling, Brandon McCarthy, Grant Dayton, Luis Avilan, Chris Hatcher, and finally Josh Ravin. This article will change that in a large way.

First, though, the obvious. Kenley Jansen is the Kershaw of the Dodgers bullpen. Jansen, who was last year’s NL reliever of the year, will look to continue his success that he enjoyed last season as the staff closer. Jansen was just signed to a six-year deal, which will hopefully keep the 29-year-old, Curacao native, in his spot for a long time. Jansen has had a good spring showing the same stuff that he boasted towards the end of last year.

Jansen was flat out overpowering against the three batters he faced during a minor league tune-up game on the backfields of Camelback Ranch on Monday, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts looked on. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Next, lets examine the eighth inning role. In my last article, I had, and still have, Sergio Romo as the setup man. I think that Romo is the best fit for that spot besides maybe Grant Dayton. The only hiccup in that is Romo is experiencing a minor injury, which has kept him sidelined for quite a while already. But, to the delight of Dodger fans, Romo just pitched a perfect inning against the Rangers on Sunday the 26th and appeared to feel good doing it. So, with what looks like a healthy Sergio Romo, the Dodgers will open the season with him taking the work in the eighth.

Now lefties. The Dodgers are entering the 2017 season with a huge surplus in starting pitching. Because of that surplus, many big league level starters will either be pushed to a bullpen role or perhaps even a minor league spot should they have options left. In my last article, I controversially picked Ryu to win the fifth starter spot over Alex Wood. Because of this, I am pushing Wood into a bullpen role where he will work alongside Ross Stripling as a long man. The other lefty who requires little explanation is Grant Dayton. Dayton projects to be one of the best relievers in the league this year so it would be insane if he didn’t break camp as a member of the pen. Finally, the third lefty I am putting in the pen will be Luis Avilan. Avilan is out of options and could be used as a trade piece later in the season. But for now, Avilan will be in the Dodger pen.

Now comes the spot that will be heavily used this year in a system that uses the bullpen exhaustively, the long man. With Alex Wood already in the pen, I am going to add one more because he was so good at it last year. Ross Stripling will be that person. Stripling pitched his way to a 2.22 ERA last year out of the pen. In addition to last year’s success, Stripling has looked amazing this spring in a similar role. Recently, I spoke with Ross and he shared that if he spends the year in the pen his goal would be to,” simply to get outs when the ball is put in my hand. Whether it’s nine outs in long relief or just one hitter, I want to put myself in the best position to get guys out in any role.” So, with his flexibility and good attitude, Ross is the long man.

Ross Stripling played before a pretty special audience during a bullpen session earlier this spring. His 16 strikeouts are second to only Clayton Kershaw’s team-high 28 this spring.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Next, I’m going to make two easy cuts from my previous bullpen. I am going to remove Pedro Baez and Josh Ravin due to injuries. Baez is out with a lingering thumb injury he suffered in the first few days of camp and he will likely remain in Arizona on the new 10-day DL. The other injury belongs to Josh Ravin, who aggravated a groin injury and will ”…remain out for a few weeks,” per Dave Roberts.

For their replacements, I am going to keep Hatcher in the pen but not in his original spot. I think that Chris Hatcher has been unimpressive over the course of spring training and quite honestly, he does not look like he deserves a roster spot on such a talented team. I think that Hatcher will fill in for Baez until he is ready and then will be dealt with accordingly. On such a cheap contract I would not be surprised in the slightest to see him designated. In terms of a Josh Ravin replacement, there is none. Due to the addition of Alex Wood and my unwillingness to have an eight-man bullpen I will not be replacing Ravin on my roster. I think that seven is the way to go even though Brandon Morrow has had an amazing spring training.

In Summary, my bullpen picks are Kenley Jansen, Sergio Romo, Alex Wood, Grant Dayton, Luis Avilan, Ross Stripling, and Chris Hatcher. Stay tuned for an article on the outfield, as it is next in line on the roster prediction series.