Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
When the Dodgers signed Tanner Scott, it was quite the luxury. Yes, we didn’t know Evan Phillips would, eventually, need Tommy John surgery, and we didn’t know Michael Kopech‘s season debut wouldn’t come until June, but to add an elite talent like Scott made all the sense in the world.
They had been poking around Devin Williams before he was traded to the Yankees and — despite Scott’s struggles this season — it could have be a lot worse for the Dodgers.
Scott got off to a bit of a rough start in four March appearances (6.75 ERA, 4.32 FIP) before settling down in April (0.82 ERA, 2.43 FIP). Then, May hit and he got hit. Well, he got hit three times. He had 12 outings in the month and nine of them were scoreless. The problem is, the other there were bad:
- May 20 vs. ARI: 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER
- May 23 vs. NYM: 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER
- May 28 @ CLE: 2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER
In June, he has allowed three runs (one earned) in eight innings of work. Scott may have put his early season struggles behind him thanks to rediscovering his elite 4-seam fastball.
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Scott may not throw the hardest, but his 4-seamer was one of the best among all relievers last year.
- .134 BA
- .184 xBA
- .217 wOBA
- .263 xwOBA
- 79.5 MPH EV
His fastball had the 8th-best whiff rate and his exit velocity against was the best. That’s what was missing from his profile earlier this season.
The velocity was there, but the results were not. He had a .380 xwOBA, 20.6 Whiff% and a 54.5 HardHit% on his 4-seamer through that disastrous outing in Cleveland on May 29. Since then, he has a .157 xwOBA, 37.3 Whiff% and a 42.9 HardHit%. He figured something out, and it might have something to do with his arm angle and, conversely, arm-side movement. Oh, and he’s throwing it a lot more.
| Date | Angle | Mvmnt | Usage | HRP | VRP |
| Thru 5/29 | 35.3 | 6.1 ARM | 50.0 | 2.46 | 5.29 |
| After 5/29 | 33.3 | 6.9 ARM | 63.5 | 2.40 | 5.23 |
Key: Angle = Arm Angle; Mvmnt = Arm/Glove-side movement; HRP = Horizontal release point in feet; VRP = Vertical release point in feet
So, he has lowered his arm angle, which has helped lead to a little more arm-side run on the pitch. That’s something that comes pretty naturally to lefties, but I don’t think anyone would classify Scott’s fastball as one with a ton of movement. He also adjusted his release points slightly, which has seemingly helped him improve. Here it is visualized:
It may not look like a big difference, but baseball isn’t called the game of inches for nothing.
Another thing he has done well this month is locating his fastball. He’s not throwing it the strike zone as much. Yes, that sounds counterintuitive, but it makes sense.
Not only is he not throwing it over the plate as much, he’s throwing it outside (more importantly, above) the zone and getting positive results — .000 batting average, 24.1 Whiff% in pitches above the zone since May 29.
The poor location is something Scott has acknowledged himself.
“Missed location, especially down in the zone to hitters that I’m supposed to be in different spots. Just not hitting my location, and it’s costing us,” Scott told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Scott after the June 3 game against the Mets.
The fact that he has acknowledged the problem, the Dodgers’ coaching staff has helped him with it and he’s, seemingly, fixed it, is promising for the rest of his season.
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It wouldn’t be at all surprising if he’s closer to the guy he was in 2024 for the remainder of this season. With Kopech and Kirby Yates back, maybe the Dodgers won’t need to find relief help at the trade deadline.
Scott is being paid the big bucks because he’s the best reliever in their bullpen — and one of the best in the game. He’s starting to pitch like it.
