September 1st, 2020 at 8:00 am 
by 0799291000348 No, this isn’t an obituary for 30-year old, now ex-Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling; he is very much alive. But he will no longer be wearing Dodger Blue.
Minutes before Monday’s August 31 MLB trade deadline, social media lit up with (confirmed) reports that the Bluebell, PA native and Dodgers fifth-round draft pick out of Texas A&M in 2012 had been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Nonetheless, for Dodgers fans who embraced the young former Aggie from his very first game (April 8, 2016) when he no-hit the hated San Francisco Giants for 7-innings, seeing ‘Chicken Strip’ leave the team is like seeing a dear friend relocate 2,500 miles across the country; or in this case, to another country
As fans may recall, the Dodgers attempted to trade Stripling, along with outfielder Joc Pederson, to the Anaheim Angels in early February 2020. The trade was on hold for a week when Angels owner Arte Moreno inexplicably backed out of the deal, leaving Stripling (and Pederson) in baseball purgatory.
Fans may also recall that during an airing of The Scribes of Summer Podcast, the hard-throwing right-hander pulled no punches when he told listeners exactly what he thought after the trade fell through and rotation spots were assigned:
“When it kind of fell through, Andrew [Friedman] and Mark [Walter], and Dave Roberts were kind of saying, ‘You are going to get a chance to be a starter.’
“And then when we announced Julio [Urias] as the number four before games even started and Alex Wood was basically clearly the number five and they announced that, that’s kind of when I reflected, and kind of was like, Crap, I don’t know if I really got a chance to earn that fifth spot this spring.”
As things worked out, Stripling was part of the teams starting rotation when the season finally commenced on July 23, starting – and winning – the second game of the season on July 24. Once again, he was pitching against the Giants, holding them to one run on four hits over seven innings pitched.
Thanks to the Dodgers phenomenal offense, Stripling won his first three starts. However, over his next 26.2 innings of work, his ERA ballooned to an ugly 6.75. With the emergence of rookie right-handers Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, and with Chicken Strip’s recent struggles, it looked as though he would once again return to the team’s bullpen, where he had performed well in previous seasons (3.01 ERA). Instead, he was once again traded – this time for real – and given a plane ticket to Toronto.*
Best wishes to you, Ross. You have been a class act for the Dodgers and the epitome of a ‘team player.’ Dodgers fans will continue to root for you!
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* Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions between the United States and Canada, the Toronto Blue Jays are currently playing their home games in Buffalo, NY – home of their Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons.
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Imagine something would happen to this deal and Stripling was sent back to the Dodgers.
I (once again) do not follow your logic on this one, Joe.
That would be one-for-the-books! Stripling goes to baseball purgatory twice in 7 months.
This is a VERY difficult one for me, as Ross was my closest friend in the Dodgers clubhouse. I’m not afraid to admit it, I actually wept over this one.
It would be much different if Strip were a position player with one (or more) guy(s) ahead of him on the roster. In that case, trading him would be a blessing, as it would probably guarantee him more playing time (see Kyle Farmer). But as a guy who was already in a major league starting rotation (and probably/hopefully will be with Toronto), he got as much playing time as is (was) possible for a starter (i.e., every fifth day).
Regardless, I wish nothing but the very best – always – for my dear friend Chicken Strip and his beautiful family.
I really like Stripling, but statistics are clear that his best role is in the bullpen. First two innings, under 50 pitches he is terrific, after that the wheels have fallen off. I have a theory that the Dodgers wanting their pitchers to throw high in the strike zone is not a good fit for Ross. His fastball, change of pace, and curve are much better when thrown to the bottom of the strike zone. We’ll see what impact the Blue Jays pitching coaches will have on Striplings performance.
If we be honest and take out Ross Striplings likeability, he was not a solid alternative as a SP. If Price comes back next yr, the Dodgers rotation is solid with Price CK Buehler May Urias and Gonsolin. Mitchell White coming to a theatre near you.
Agreed. His career stats do not lie, after 1 time through an opposing team’s lineup, or 50 pitches, he gets hit hard and regularly. My nonprofessional observations: he pitches up in the strike zone with an average (at best) fastball; his curveball is inconsistent, often a large, looping curve rather than one with a sharp break down in the zone; and, he seems to have a very good change-up, but seldom uses it. I remember Sandy Koufax told the Dodgers pitchers that their curve should break right onto the plate, but Stripling often leaves his curve end the middle of the plate. It will be interesting to see how the Blue Jays have him pitch to hitters.
I am with you, Ron, and will miss Ross Stripling, AKA Chicken Strip. Along with Ryu, Toronto now has two of my favorite pitchers. I wish him well and will cheer him on except when he pitches against my Dodgers.
Sorry to hear that Chicken Strip will now be getting dipped in Toronto’s own, Bastid’s Hot Sauce. The zip on his four-seamer will now be uniquely Canadian.
I think I’ll head to Raising Cane’s tomorrow in honor of the ‘Strip.
Oops! My bad… looks like the ‘Strip will be stopping by the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY, home of the original Buffalo Chicken Wings instead. Try not to soak up too much of that buttery pepper sauce!