Alex Wood has not only been one of the best pitchers for the Dodgers, he ranks up with the best the National League has to offer.
Finally. Alex Wood has been lighting up Chavez Ravine all season, putting together one of the best pitching performances we have ever seen. He is on track to easily win the Most Improved Player award and could potentially even flirt with the Cy Young Award alongside Dodgers teammate Clayton Kershaw. Yet, despite this, the southpaw was not included in the initial All-Star roster.
For the most part, it was mere misfortune for Wood. Only six starting pitchers were selected for the Summer Classic, with all six earning their selection. Plus, guys like Pat Neshek and Corey Knebel made the team to ensure that all 15 NL teams had someone in the game. Both guys have been great this year, however.
Add in the fact that Wood has not thrown many innings and it is evident how he was skipped over in the selection. While he has been great, at the time of writing this he has only thrown 80 2/3 innings. In comparison, Kershaw has thrown 123 1/3 innings.
However, it is Kershaw himself that will paint the path for Alex Wood to make the All-Star Game. Per All-Star Game rules, if a pitcher pitches the Sunday before the game they are no longer eligible to throw in the All-Star Game itself. Kershaw, who likely cares more about winning than the All-Star game, is set to start Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.
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This opened the door for Wood, who was selected as Kershaw’s replacement. This will be Wood’s first All-Star appearances in a young career full of promise.
Wood has done everything physically possible to earn his spot on this team. Starting in the bullpen, Wood made his way to the starting rotation to fill in for Rich Hill. At first, Wood had a very short leash, another reason why his pitch count is low.
He also missed a start, but besides that, Wood has been dominant. If he had been the number two starter from day one, being allowed to throw six or more innings every outing, there is no doubt he would be the front-runner for the Cy Young and quite frankly maybe even the MVP.
Wood has pitched to a 1.67 ERA, striking out 97 batters in just those 80 2/3 innings. He is 10-0, and if it weren’t for two blunders against the Giants and Diamondbacks (in which he allowed eight runs in 9 2/3 IP), his ERA would be an incredible 0.89.
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So, every Dodger fan should congratulate Wood on this much-deserved honor. And remember, before you bash the front office, Wood was acquired for essentially nothing by the Dodgers.