Under the category of: ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ the Dodgers will be going with the same 25-man roster that got them through the National League Championship Series and into the Fall Classic.

…with one exception.

Added to the Dodgers bullpen is left-handed sinkerball (and hopefully ground ball / double play) specialist Scott Alexander, who will replace rookie left-hander Caleb Ferguson.

Ferguson joined the team on June 6 as a starter but soon found himself in the bullpen as both a long reliever and one of many match-up specialists used by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts down the stretch. The 22-year-old Columbus, Ohio native and the Dodgers 38th round draft pick in 2014 out of West Jefferson High School in West Jefferson, Ohio, appeared in 29 games, three of which were starts. He finished the season with a 7-2 record and 3.49 ERA, having struck out 59 and walking 12 in his combined 49.0 innings pitched. Of the 43 total hits that he allowed, eight were home runs.

Dodgers rookie left-hander Caleb Ferguson appeared in 29 games with the Dodgers during the 2018 regular season, of which three were starts. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Alexander appeared in 73 games for the Dodgers, having been acquired from the Kansas City Royals on January 4, 2018 as part of a three-team trade between the Dodgers, Royals, and White Sox. Among those 73 games was one “opener,” in which a reliever actually begins the game before handing it off the an actual starter or other relievers. Alexander’s opener occurred on May 19 in Game-2 of a doubleheader, in which he allowed no runs or hits, while walking one and striking out four of the six batters he faced, needing only 23 pitches (13 strikes) to do so. The 29-year-old Santa Rosa, California native and Royals sixth-round draft pick in 2010 out of Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California finished the 2018 regular season with a 2-1 record 3.68 ERA, with 27 walks and 56 strikeouts over 66.0 innings pitched.

The Dodgers are hoping that Alexander’s four years of MLB experience and his ability to induce ground ball outs (and hopefully double plays) will help them against a very dangerous Red Sox team.
(Photo credit – Keith Birmingham)

Here is the complete Dodgers 2018 World Series roster:

(Image courtesy of LA Dodgers)

Play Ball!