During this offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers made significant acquisitions, notably from Japan, including former MVP Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. While Ohtani has maintained his impressive performance in spring training, Yamamoto’s performance has been lackluster, with an alarming 8.38 ERA, raising concerns among some experts.
Despite criticism from pitching experts, the Dodgers remain optimistic about Yamamoto’s abilities, as reported by the New York Post. They attribute his inflated ERA to an unusually high BABIP, indicating that he has been unlucky rather than fundamentally flawed. BABIP, which measures the frequency of opposing batters getting hits when Yamamoto is pitching, stands at an abnormally high .517 compared to the league average of around .300.
However, the Dodgers acknowledge that a high BABIP doesn’t absolve Yamamoto entirely, recognizing the possibility that his pitching style might be putting his fielders in challenging positions. Nonetheless, they maintain confidence in his potential to improve before the start of the season.
