Dodgers: Starting Pitcher of the Future Has One MLB Writer Excited

This may be the pitching unit the Dodgers roll with into the regular season after all

The Dodgers failed to sign any top free agent pitchers. Instead, they lost Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney but this doesn't mean all is lost for the unit. 

The team is awaiting returns on key injured pitchers Walker Buehler and Dustin May while also still holding onto Julio Urias and Clayton Kershaw for at-least one more season. The depth seems thin, but the Dodgers may turn to another name to rise up to the challenge and that man is Gavin Stone. 

Stone has yet to pitch in the major leagues but with more roster sports opening up he is due to be the next in line. One of the top prospects for the Dodgers has made his name in the minor leagues and has caught the attention MLB writers (via Juan Toribio, Dodger Nation). 

“But, if I had to pick a guy it would be Gavin Stone. I think Gavin Stone’s going to be a stud. I mean, I think he’s the guy of the prospects that they’re depending on probably more than anybody else. I think he, he shoved everywhere he pitched last year. I mean Triple-A, it was like, there was no match for him.

It's a huge step to take for a prospect, but if there's anything the Dodgers do well it's building one of the best farm systems in the MLB.

"They got to know him a little bit more during October and they’ve worked with him a little bit closer over the last year. But his rise has been unbelievable. And I think production speaks for itself. I mean he shoved in High-A, shoved in Double-A, shoved in Triple-A. If he does that again, he has a hot start in Triple-A, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pretty soon in the big leagues.”

While the team is not quite ready to commit to such an ask, it's still worth noting that the Dodgers may be able to strike gold with stone. The time is near as the pitching unit continues to shake up and the Dodgers may need to find an answer soon.