In terms of how much they spend on players, the Mets are the only team that’s even close to the Dodgers.
But as a World Series contender, they remain light years behind the back-to-back champions.
Just look at the pitchers the two teams started in their series opener on Monday night at Uniqlo Field. The Mets ran out the serviceable but unspectacular David Peterson. The Dodgers countered with a left-hander of their own in Justin Wrobleski.
Big checks buy superstars and both teams have done that, but one way a big spender can separate itself from another is by what it does on the margins, and the Dodgers rule the margins.
The latest example of that were the eight innings pitched by Wrobleski in their 4-0 victory over the Wannabe Dodgers from New York. Wrobleski gave up two hits and faced one batter more than the minimum. Pitching to contact, he struck out only two batters.
Wrobleski, a third-year left-hander, is the definition of depth. He started the season in the bullpen and was pulled into a starting role only because the Dodgers wanted to move to a six-man rotation.
Against a team with a $380-million payroll, Wrobleski almost certainly would have pitched a shutout if not for manager Dave Roberts’ concerns about his future.
Whether the performance was indicative of Wrobleski’s impending stardom or the Mets’ excessive aggression remains to be seen. But how many teams can reach down into the second level of their depth charts and grab a pitcher who is capable of delivering a start like this?
From Emmet Sheehan to Landon Knack, from Gavin Stone to River Ryan, how do the Dodgers continue finding these arms?
The Dodgers might have trouble keeping their up-and-coming pitchers healthy, but set that aside for a moment. They’re doing something right.
But Roberts didn’t want the organization’s history to detract from Wrobleski’s night.
“We have a lot of depth, a lot of talented pitchers, but that’s an individual thing for me,” Roberts said.
Roberts referenced a start Wrobleski made last April in Washington. Wrobleski was rocked by the Nationals for eight runs in five innings, after which he was sent to the minor leagues.
There, Wrobleski reinvented himself.
He made mechanical adjustments that increased his fastball velocity. He altered his pitch mix and became unafraid to attack the zone. He finished the season as an important member of the bullpen, pitching in four World Series games, including Game 7.
“I think he was at a crossroads and chose a hard path to go down there and self reflect and gain some confidence and bring it back here,” Roberts said.
How he responded to that early-season demotion last year was in line with who he’d been up to that point.
When he was a freshman at Clemson, he was hit by a car while riding a scooter. He missed the remainder of the fall practice.
He spent his sophomore year at a junior college in Florida, and broke his jaw at a team practice. His jaw was wired shut for five weeks.
As a junior at Oklahoma State, he blew out his elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers still drafted him in the 11th round of the 2021 draft.
“The road to get where I’m at has been a little bumpy, but that’s kind of what makes it great,” Wrobleski said.
Wrobleski doesn’t have the track record of a Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow or Blake Snell. He doesn’t have the golden-boy status of a Roki Sasaki.
Rather than view this as an obstacle to stay in the rotation, Wrobleski said he thinks of the situation as an opportunity.
“We have all these guys here that are really good pitchers, but at the end of the day, I’m blessed to be able to be around them and learn from them because I think they’ve made me so much better,” he said.
When asked about his heavy reliance on his fastball and slider, Wrobleski pointed to Clayton Kershaw.
“You can learn from the greats in that respect,” he said. “They keep it simple.”
Wrobleski also mentioned Yamamoto and Snell.
“They are not trying to trick people,” he said. “They’re just executing pitches with great stuff and letting the results happen.”
Wrobleski was understanding of Roberts to replace him in the ninth inning with Tanner Scott, even though his pitch count was still at 90. The most Wrobleski had ever pitched in a professional game was seven innings, and that was in the minors.
When Snell returns, Wrobleski said he would do whatever is asked of him.
“I love playing for this team,” he said. “I love winning. So whatever that job is, I think we’ll be fine.”
If continues pitching at anywhere near the level at which he was on Monday night, the Dodgers will be too.