Los Angeles Dodgers Starting Pitcher Showing Improved Velocity

This is certainly intriguing news.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that starter Noah Syndergaard is showing an uptick in velocity in his bullpen sessions compared to a year ago.

Dave Roberts said Noah Syndergaard has already shown an uptick in velocity in bullpens compared to one’s he threw a year ago.

“There’s going to be a marked increase in velocity (this year), in our opinion,” Roberts said.

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) February 17, 2023

Syndergaard saw his strikeouts decline last year, averaging just 93.8 MPH on his fastball while striking out just 95 batters over 134.2 innings of work.

However, the Dodgers are optimistic that they can get him close to where he was prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery, when he was one of the game's fiercest throwers.

"There's going to be a marked increase in velocity (this year), in our opinion," Roberts said.

Even if the thirty-year-old can't reach the velocity he once had, any sort of increase can only benefit him.

Last season, split between the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies, Syndergaard recorded a 3.94 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, with 95 strikeouts across 134.2 innings and 24 starts.

Syndergaard missed the entire 2020 and 2021 seasons following Tommy John surgery and other related issues.

Prior to the surgery, he had compiled a 3.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 775 strikeouts over his first 716 innings and five seasons in the majors with the New York Mets. 

He averaged 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings in that stretch. Since his return, he's averaged just 6.4 strikeouts per nine innings, a significant decrease. 
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