Los Angeles Dodgers’ LHP Clayton Kershaw has a ton of talent. There is no doubt about that. It’s that talent that made him the seventh overall pick in the 2006 Draft.
Kershaw is entering his third year now in the major leagues and if he wants to get to the next level in his career, he is going to have to learn how to throw strikes. I don’t care how much talent you have as a pitcher, if you can’t throw strikes on a consistent basis, your career won’t last long.
Now I am not saying Kershaw won’t have a long career in the majors. Baring injury, Kershaw should pitch for a very long time. However, he is not doing himself or the Dodgers any favors in his first two starts of the 2010 season.
In two starts, Kershaw has only pitched 10 innings. The reason for his short outings?
Command.
In 10 innings, Kershaw has walked 11 batters and has only thrown first pitch strikes to 25 out of the 50 batters (25 each game ironically) he has faced. That is Ricky Vaughn wild.
If there is one thing that every pitching coach teaches going back all the way to high school is throw strikes and get ahead of the batters. Kershaw has done neither this year.
What has to be frustrating watching Kershaw if you are the Dodgers organization or even a Dodger fan, is that Kershaw’s stuff is so good, he can get out of his own jams. You just wish he could throw strikes on a regular basis.
Kershaw can walk the bases loaded and then strike out the side. To go along with his 11 walks, he has 11 K’s on the season. When he throws the ball over the plate, batters usually either don’t hit it or hit it very weakly somewhere.
Batters are only hitting .211 against Kershaw in two games, but between walking everyone and striking out everyone, he is maximum a five inning pitcher right now.
Once Kershaw learns how to be a pitcher instead a thrower, which he is right now, then the Dodgers will have a great pitcher on their hands.
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