Kenta Maeda, starting pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers
Unlike the rest of these guys, Maeda’s MLB career is still young. But the Los Angeles right-hander finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2016 and entered 2017 with high expectations.
Thus far, Maeda has not met them. The second year pitcher has taken the hill twice and thrown only 10 innings, posting a 6.30 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Now, as we discussed with Hernandez, we normally like to reserve judgment on pitchers until they’ve made at least five or six starts. Given that one of Maeda’s outings came at Coors Field, he may deserve more benefit of the doubt than most.
Except there’s a lingering problem.
If not for an impossibly deep group of senior circuit starting pitchers, Maeda would have been an All-Star. The 18 starts he made over 2016’s first half were just that good. If we include the postseason, Maeda has made 19 starts since then. The difference has been night-and-day.
Who's the real Kenta Maeda? pic.twitter.com/jMOX6voL0I
— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) April 11, 2017
Maeda entered 2017 with a chance to show that 2016’s first half was the more realistic version of what we can expect. But now, he’s started more games since the 2016 All-Star Game than he did before. It’s hard to say that 18 games is a better indication than 19.
The Dodgers are a strong team and can absolutely win the World Series. But a deep playoff run will be challenging if Los Angeles does not have a solid No. 2 starter. Realistically, Maeda should be that guy. Through two outings (plus the 17 before them), he’s been anything but.
If he could hop in a time machine and go back to his first start of the season, Maeda wouldn’t even think twice.