Some people that see the headline of this story will be instantly (and understandably) baffled. "Alex Wood? How could anyone expect a seemingly middling pitcher develop into one of the games best in the near future?" -- say the nonbelievers. The young gun is on the move out to Los Angeles, where he has the chance to become one of the Dodgers most valuable assets; here's how.
The Dodgers opened and closed their trading season with one, massive, convoluted move, where they gave up quite a bit to receive a package surrounding this man -- Alex Wood, the presumably "hidden ace" that the Dodgers were looking to strike gold with. Backed by a violent, Chris Sale-like pitching motion that has been thought to be destructive to his arm, there is plenty of risk surrounding the 24 year old lefty. However, his peripherals show that there is plenty of reward too.
Wood has shown a bit of drop off in 2015, however it could be because of various issues with a struggling braves squad and the fact that the year is not over yet. So, in order to get a correct view, we will look at his 2013 and 2014 stats which show a complete year. He posted a 3.15 and 2.78 ERA's in his first two years backed by 3.25 and 2.48 FIP's respectively. The small separation of these two statistics shows the consistency of his numbers over the past two years.
Attractive early look? We think so. In each of Alex's first two seasons he also boasted an impressive 8.9 strikeouts per 9 innings, as well as a 24.5% strikeout rate. Bolstered by the leagues best pitch framer in Yasmani Grandal, these numbers are almost sure to improve. These numbers also helped elevate his strand rate (rate at which runners are stranded on base) to an impressive 79.6%. This number is even comparable to Clayton Kershaw's 77.4% strand rate, which really aided him in winning the Cy Young and MVP awards in 2014.
Beyond the numbers lets delve into the situation Alex Wood was in, in Atlanta, and now, in Los Angeles.
While playing for the Braves, Wood had quite a unique situation in the rotation. The club had three very good starters in Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, and just recently Shelby Miller, all under the age of 25. The top end of the rotation featured these young arms, yet, had nobody to lead them. By growing up together in this system they learned a lot, but lacked an experienced ace to really show them the ropes.
Looking at the Dodgers rotation however, it will be a very different experience for the young lefty. Wood will have two of the top pitchers in the game (Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke) helping in his development. Because the mental game is such an important part of being a great pitcher, having guys like Kershaw will really help him along and learn to deal with all types of situations, making him even better.
Alex wood is now set in a rotation of stars with a history of phenomenal pitching, and with the skills he possesses, along with a little luck, he is poised to become one of the next great MLB pitchers. Wood is slotted to make his dodger debut tomorrow @ 4:10pm -- tune in and watch the beginning of what has the potential to be a historic career.