Make no mistake about it, 31-year-old Dodgers right-hander Kenley Jansen is among the best closers in the game today. I mean, why else would the Dodgers have given him a 5-year / $80 million contract extension back on January 10, 2017 that will take him through the 2021 season (unless he exercises his opt-out clause at the conclusion of this season), right? Jansen is 2-0 with an impressive 3.07 ERA and already has 10 saves in the 14 games in which he has appeared thus far this season, which certainly makes that $80 million contract extension look like a bargain.

And then there’s 30-year-old right-hander Joe Kelly who… well… let’s just say hasn’t lived up to the expectations of Dodger fans; certainly not to the point of justifying the 3-year / $25 million free agent contract that he was given on December 21, 2018 that will take him through the 2021 season and includes a club option for 2022; this regardless of (and despite) the fact that he flat out owned the Dodgers during the 2018 World Series while with the Boston Red Sox. In the 12 games in which the Anaheim, California native has appeared in thus far with the Dodgers, Kelly is 1-2 with an unacceptable 8.31 ERA through 13.0 innings pitched in a Dodger uniform.

And how can you talk about the Dodgers bullpen without mentioning Pedro Baez, whose mere name strikes a wide spectrum of emotion among Dodger fans. The 31-year-old Bani, Dominican Republic native with a perpetual scowl on his face does little to spark confidence in even the most loyal Dodger fans. The kicker is that Baez has a six-year career record of 16-14 with a very good 3.06 ERA. The bad news is that he has the tendency to (or at least gives the perception of) crumbling in high-leverage situations. That being said, he had the game of his life on April 27 against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium, when he replaced left-hander Caleb Ferguson, who had loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the eighth inning. Baez induced two pop outs and recorded a strikeout to save Ferguson’s bacon in the eventual 3-1 Dodgers win.

But none of these guys – not Jansen, not Baez, and certainly not Kelly – have the (current) best arm in the Dodgers bullpen. That honor, and it is very much that, belongs to perhaps the quietest guy among the eight Dodger relievers – 28-year-old right-hander Dylan Floro.

Check this out:

In Friday night’s exciting 4-3 Dodgers win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, Floro entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning in relief of Clayton Kershaw with his team trailing by a score of 3-2. In his 1.2 innings of work, the Merced, California native and 13th-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Rays out of Cal State Fullerton allowed no runs or hits, issued his first walk of the season (we’re talking 13 games here), and struck out one. And even though Floro did not figure in the decision, he was – once again – clearly the Dodgers best reliever.

Obviously, at some point Floro is going to allow a run this season, especially if (when) Dodgers manager Dave Roberts uses him more and more. But until that happens, you can bet that Dodger fans will feel pretty confident when that bullpen gate swings open and Dylan Floro enters the game.

Play Ball!

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