How about that Pedro Baez?

Since being recalled on Aug 7th, Pedro Baez the failed 3rd base prospect turned relief pitcher has appeared in five games without allowing an earned run.  That run includes eight scoreless innings, twice going two innings. Those scoreless innings looks sweet but strangely enough the fireballing Baez has only struck out four batters in those eight innings. According to fangraphs, Baez features a fast ball at 96,  a slider around 87, and  a 88 MPH change up. So far this mix of stuff is doing sweet work for the Dodgers. With the Dodger rotation not going beyond six innings other than Clayton, the ability to pitch mulitple shutdown innings has been a huge boost to the Dodger bullpen.

I’ve been writing about Pedro Baez since 2008 in truebluela prospect reports, but it was not until January 11th, 2011 at a Dodger prospect workout that I saw him for the first time. At the time Baez was still a 3rd baseman, and he stood out above the other prospects with his athletic build. Even then the talk was about his arm but it took a few more years before the Dodgers moved him off of 3rd base to the mound. He was not the immediate success that Kenley Jansen was but so far in August, 2014 he is exactly what the doctor ordered.