The curious case of Walker Buehler took more than a few unusual turns last year.
Buehler entered this past season coming off his second Tommy John surgery. The first came right after being drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
After establishing himself as arguably a top arm in the sport, Buehler effectively started from scratching — having to build up his stamina and velocity. Things got rough during the regular season. Buehler went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA. A lengthy stint in AAA occurred to help Buehler find himself. When LA made the playoffs, he was cautiously inserted as the team’s No. 3 starter.
During the NLDS versus San Diego, something clicked in Game 3 of that series. He allowed six runs in that game. Having said that, Buehler’s outing wasn’t as bad as the numbers would indicate. The Dodgers didn’t help him out with multiple fielding errors. Knowing Game 4 was a bullpen game, Buehler ate up innings and pitched through the fifth inning. A fiery Buehler demonstrated some real emotion in the dugout upon finishing his outing. Once this happened, both the team and the two-time All-Star turned a real corner.
Buehler’s next outing resulted in four scoreless innings where he struck out six New York Mets with dominant stuff. In Game 3 of the World Series, Buehler was equally as impressive. On the road in Yankee Stadium, he pitched five more scoreless innings — striking out five and allowing only two hits.
To finish off the stellar postseason, Buehler came back two days later — closing out Game 5 to clinch the World Series win by tossing a scoreless ninth. The legend of “Buetane” has only continued to grow.
Before the postseason run, Buehler was hoping the Dodgers would even offer him a minuscule contract. Now, there’s real interest across the league.
Buehler reinvented himself somewhat. Before the second TJ injury, he blew hitters away with a power fastball that touched 100 miles per hour. While his fastball can still get up to 95-96 miles per hour, he pitches more like a ‘pitcher’ rather than a thrower of the baseball. In postseason play, Buehler was masterful in keeping hitters off balance with a knuckle-curve/sweeper combo. When throwing in an above-average fastball, a biting cutter, and elite competitiveness on the mound, you’re left with a very good starter.
It’ll be interesting to see what this market truly looks like. The Dodgers would love to bring him back. He was the first player Andrew Friedman drafted when taking over the front office in 2015.
Buehler has spent his entire career in LA, is beloved by the fan base and his teammates, and the team does need starting pitching. Buehler’s effectiveness in the World Series — where he’s thrown 19.0 career innings with 24 strikeouts, seven hits allowed, 0 HRs allowed, and a microscopic 0.47 ERA — speaks for itself.
Other contenders will surely see this as well. At only 30 years of age, you can bet there’s still plenty of life left in his arm despite the injury history. Re-upping on a shorter-term deal with the Dodgers seems like the best for both parties. It wouldn’t be surprising to see another team offer a lengthier deal with more money. It’ll likely come down to whether Buehler wants to stay with this core or go elsewhere for a more handsome payday.
