The 2017 baseball season has started and did so on Saturday, February 25 when Clayton Kershaw threw the first pitch of “our” season to the Chicago White Sox leadoff hitter Tim Anderson. The universe had once again righted itself after a seemingly endless off-season. Kershaw went on to pitch a scoreless inning and followed that up with two perfect innings in his next outing on Thursday, March 3 against the Cleveland Indians. However, for CK, that is pretty much standard fare.

As much as I appreciated Kershaw’s strong beginning, and numerous other highlights for the Dodgers to kick off the next marathon towards the World Series, my attention was even more glued to the minor league contingent getting to display their wares. We all know that spring training games don’t mean anything. Right? Well, don’t try to tell that to the kids out there playing with the big boys.

Among others, two young pitchers have captured my attention thus far in spring training. Let me first say that I am still basking in the glow of the Great Lakes Loons championship run in 2016 so these two young men are not unfamiliar to me. In fact, their performance during the Loons stretch run is still very much etched in my mind. Both are defying the odds a bit having come out of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft in an atypical way.

Right-hander Andrew Istler is one of those players of interest. He was born in Toledo Ohio and graduated from Wellington Community High School in Florida. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 23rd round of the 2015 draft out of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. In his senior year at Duke, he was used exclusively as a starter. Over 14 starts he posted a 3.23 ERA in 86.1 innings pitched while striking out 82 and walking 20.

In his two relief innings pitched thus far this spring, Istler has yet to allow a hit while striking out two.
(Photo credit – Jon Gardiner)

Istler stands 5′-11″ and weighs just 175 pounds so as pitchers go he might he described as diminutive. That is, Pedro Martinez diminutive. Yet in watching his games on MiLB.TV and listening on radio in 2016 it was evident his arm was not diminutive.

He had not achieved immediate success following the draft during the 2015 season and struggled through 29 innings with the Ogden Raptors of the rookie level Pioneer League giving up 49 hits.

During the 2016 season, a new and improved Andrew Istler appeared. On the season, after a strong start with the Ogden Raptors, he recorded a 0.96 ERA with the Great Lakes Loons over 11 appearances while striking out 21 in 18.2 innings and walking but two. In the playoffs, he pitched seven scoreless innings while striking out six and issuing no walks.

Something happened to Istler between the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He attributes his success to the Driveline program, of which he was a part along with several other young Dodgers. Driveline is a baseball-performance training system developed by Kyle Boddy which set up Istler, and others, on a ten-week journey like none that he nor they had ever previously experienced. While their teammates moved on to begin the regular season following spring training, this designated group of pitchers remained behind not participating in game situations for over two months.

Istler explained the routine: “They keep players back to play extended spring training, but for us, this was our extended spring training,” Istler said. “It was pretty intense. We did a lot of lifting, a lot of throwing, a lot of running. We weren’t playing, but we were throwing a progression of weighted balls every day, trying to throw harder than the others.”

“It built up my arm, built up my strength,” Istler said. “Before the program, my fastball was 89 (mph) to 91. Now it’s 92 to 95. That makes a big difference in getting batters out, furthering my career, moving up. It’s a career-changer.”

Andrew Istler has made two spring training appearances with the Dodgers. Over two innings he has given up to hits and struck out two.

The second young right-hander of note is Shea Spitzbarth He was born on Staten Island in New York and graduated from Moore Catholic High School.

Following his high school graduation, Spitzbarth enrolled in Molloy College, which is an independent, degree-granting college located in Rockville Centre, New York.

During his 2015 season with the Molloy College Lions his pitching stats were somewhat dazzling. He started in eight of his 10 appearances giving up only 41 hits in 61 innings pitched. He posted an ERA of 1.77 with 89 strikeouts while limiting the opposition to a .197 batting average against him.

The 6’-1”/195-pound right-hander also excelled in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League following his college season. With the Wareham Gateman, matching up against some of the top college hitters in the country, he posted a minuscule ERA of 0.71 over 12.2 innings while striking out 14.

Spitzbarth picked up the save in the Dodgers 10-8 win over the Brewers last Sunday.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNetLA)

The 2015 First-Year Player Draft came and went without Spitzbarth’s name being called. However, shortly after the draft, he received a call from the Dodgers and quickly signed as a non-drafted free agent.

Like his teammate Andrew Istler, his first season of professional baseball was not as successful as he might have wanted it to be as he posted a 4.76 ERA in seven appearances with the Ogden Raptors.

Following a brief stint with the Raptors in 2016, Spitzbarth joined the Class-A Great Lakes Loons and again, like Andrew Istler, he found success. He has gained a bit of a reputation as being fearless and pitched in a like manner. Over 17 appearances in 2016 with the Loons he posted a 1.91 ERA along with a 1.20 WHIP. He struck out 43 in 28.1 innings and walked but seven.

During the Loons playoff run, Spitzbarth made four appearances pitching 4.1 innings while allowing only two hits along with six strikeouts and no walks. He had three saves.

Shea Spitzbarth has gone from a non-drafted college player in 2015 to spring training appearances with the Dodgers in 2017. He has pitched two innings over two appearances in which he allowed one hit, struck out three and walked one. He tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn a save in his first appearance with the Dodgers. He needed only six pitches to close out the inning, including a slider on the called strike three. Did I mention he is fearless?

Keep an eye out for these young men during the 2017 season. Andrew Istler turned 24 last September so he may well be a candidate to pitch with the Tulsa Drillers this year. I would expect that 22-year-old Shea Spitzbarth will again be Istler’s teammate at some point during the season. Do not be surprised if it with the Dodgers Double-A affiliate Tulsa Drillers.