by Cary Osborne
Left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski’s Oklahoma State bio listed Clayton Kershaw as his favorite athlete. Now Wrobleski is sharing clubhouse space with the Dodger great.
Wrobleski’s contract was selected by the Dodgers from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, and he will make his Major League debut starting in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The 23-year-old pitcher, who turns 24 on July 14, has made 15 starts in the Minor Leagues this year between Double-A Tulsa (13 starts) and OKC (two starts). He carries a 3.23 ERA and 1.08 WHIP this season. His 4.9 strikeouts-to-walk ratio ranks second in the Dodger player development system among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched.
“The comp I got was he’s sort of Gavin Stone but throws with his left hand,” said manager Dave Roberts. “There’s a good competitor there. There’s command, and he moves the ball around. (He’s) not scared.”
Wrobleski, a 2021 11th-round pick out of Oklahoma State, has displayed impressive command in his short time in professional baseball, made more impressive by his wide mix of pitches.
“He’s one of the better athletes in our system,” said Will Rhymes, Dodgers vice president of player development. “He has a big mix. He can really manipulate the baseball. He has a four-seam, two-seam, cutter, slider, curveball and changeup. Real ability to manipulate the ball and get hitters out in different ways.”
The 6-foot-1-inch pitcher is ranked №14 in the Dodger farm system by MLB.com.
He is the 29th different pitcher the Dodgers have used this year. That’s the seventh-highest total in Dodger history. He is the 12th different pitcher to start a game.
The Dodgers made room for Wrobleski on the 40-man roster with the trade of left-handed reliever Matt Gage to the New York Mets for cash considerations. Gage, 31, had a 4.29 ERA in 20 games (21 innings) for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season. He was added to the 40-man roster this week when veteran right-handed reliever J.P. Feyereisen was outrighted from the 40-man roster. The Dodger optioned right-hander Gus Varland to make room for Wrobleski on the active roster.
Dodgers add Justin Wrobleski to make his Major League debut today was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.