Los Angeles Dodgers: Kenta Maeda is primed for a breakout year

The Los Angeles Dodgers called on Kenta Maeda to be a reliever during the 2017 MLB Postseason. After succeeding in said role, Maeda is primed for a 2018 breakout.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been so great for a good while for one reason: the dominant pitching staff.

Different lineups consisting of different stars and breakout players have been juggled the last few seasons. From Hanley Ramirez to Jimmy Rollins to Corey Seager; from Mark Ellis to Dee Gordon to Howie Kendrick to Logan Forsythe; Juan Uribe to Justin Turner, Matt Kemp to Joc Pederson to Chris Taylor.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineups have been anything but steady. And while they have been good, and have played a role in the team’s success, it has been the dominant pitching staff leading the way.

Led by the best pitcher on the planet, Clayton Kershaw. With Kershaw back to lead the way in a contract year, the Dodgers pitching staff looks to pick up where it left off. Most importantly, though, the team is going to look for improvement.

Nobody will see improvement more than Kenta Maeda.

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Kenta Maeda to an eight-year, $25 million contract that is loaded with incentives. In his first season alone, Maeda made $7.25 million in incentives alone. Maeda gets $250 thousand for every ten innings pitched from 90 innings to 200 innings and $1 million for making 15, 20, 25, 30 and 32 starts (Per Spotrac).

That first season was loaded with incentives for a reason. Maeda led the Dodgers in innings pitched (175.2) in route to a 16-11 record and 3.48 ERA. However, Maeda began to fatigue late in the year and flame out, showcased by his 6.75 ERA in the 2016 playoffs.

That carried over to 2018. Maeda started the season on a bad note. Through four starts Maeda’s ERA ballooned to 8.05. He was able to get it down under 4.00 by August, but it again rose and finished at 4.22.

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However, it was the postseason where Kenta Maeda re-invented himself. With no real need for a fifth starter, the Dodgers moved Maeda to the bullpen for the playoffs. The move was questionable (at least to me) at the time. However, Maeda killed it. Kenta Maeda had a 0.88 ERA in nine appearances in the postseason.

Now, Maeda looks to ride that success into the new season. Per Bill Plunket of The Orange County Register, the Dodgers are asking Maeda to take the same aggressive mindset out of the bullpen back into the starting rotation.

In particular, the Los Angeles Dodgers want Kenta Maeda to take the aggression at attacking the zone into starting. Instead of being a game-manager, trying to reserve his energy, the point of focus for Maeda is attacking the zone and trusting his stuff.

And that attitude is going to lead to a really good Kenta Maeda in 2018. Sure, he may not have the gas to go all out for seven-plus innings, that is fine. All the Dodgers consistently need out of Kenta Maeda is five to six solid innings.

From there, the elite bullpen can take over and clean up the rest. Five to six solid innings out of Maeda, that is all LA needs. Maeda can give that and more.

Next: 20 bold predictions for the 2018 Dodgers

Overall, I am excited about the prospects of Kenta Maeda in the 2018 season. A very promising rookie year turned over to a disappointing sophomore slump. Hopefully, a reinvention during the postseason can now turn over to an even better Kenta Maeda.