It’s been a year since the Boston Red Sox made the jaw dropping move to ship out their homegrown star. Even after he helped Los Angeles win the World Series in 2020, it’s still hard to imagine that Mookie Betts is a Dodger. While that will surely haunt them for years to come, rejecting the acquisition of Brusdar Graterol is looking like it might add salt to the wound.
After the trade to send him from Minnesota to Boston fell through, the Dodgers were able to restructure the three-team deal and acquire Graterol instead. That proved to be a smart move as the Venezuelan showed promising potential in a solid season. In 23 games, he pitched to a 3.09 ERA with 13 strikeouts to only 3 walks. One area that Graterol could improve this next season is to add more strikeouts to his game. He has the ability to touch triple digits with ease, yet he wasn’t able to translate that into more punch outs.
Brusdar Graterol makes 100 MPH look so effortless 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/U9871QQ11I
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 13, 2020
Maybe adding to his arsenal could help with that. According to Graterol himself, he told reporters that Walker Buehler has been helping him learn a new pitch.
Related: Trevor Bauer and Walker Buehler Should Compete for NL CY Young
Brusdar Graterol (@BrusdarGraterol) dice que Walker Buehler le está enseñando un lanzamiento nuevo 👀⚾️🔥 #Dodgers @MLBVenezuela pic.twitter.com/2rgBquDyDj
— Jesus Quiñonez (@JesusQuinonezTV) February 26, 2021
For those fans that don’t speak Spanish, no need to worry as we’ve translated his response below.
“We’ve been working on a pitch that Buehler is showing me, his slider. Lately it’s been showing good results and I like it a lot.”
Brusdar already throws a slider, so it’s interesting to see him working on a possible variation of it. Maybe it’s actually a cutter. Whatever it turns out to be, just the thought of him adding another weapon to the mix should terrify the rest of the league.The 22-year old already has a bazooka for an arm, so adding anything to compliment his fastball would make him a dangerous pitcher to face.
With Kenley Jansen’s contract up at the end of the season, the door to the closer role could become wide open for him to grab. Of course, it won’t be easy as the Dodgers will still have Blake Treinen who was previously an All-Star closer and the team could also bring in outside help. Look to this season as a tryout for him as he tries to build on a solid rookie season.
