Emmet Sheehan

The Dodgers definitely have something in Sheehan, it's just a matter of whether he has enough command and enough pitches to start. His mid-90s fastball can touch 99 mph and has a Joe Ryan-esque vertical approach angle (as close to flat as possible, which gives the pitch the illusion of rising). This pitch alone will allow Sheehan to have MLB success if he can locate it well enough - last year Ryan threw his 92-mph "rising" fastball 60% of the time and the pitch had an elite -21 run value, per Statcast. Sheehan, who turned 23 this offseason, missed time to start the year, but he was dominant from mid-June on, logging a 1.25 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 92:20 K:BB in 57.2 innings, primarily at High-A but with a couple short outings at Double-A to close the year. He also struck out 24 with a 3.54 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 20.1 innings in the Arizona Fall League. Sheehan's changeup is an excellent second pitch, and he could use another trusty pitch like a cutter, but essentially it's his command that needs to just be good enough. The Dodgers have a lot of pitching depth and Sheehan isn't on the 40-man roster, so while he could probably have success in the majors out of the bullpen this season, we likely won't see him until 2024. Read Past Outlooks