Los Angeles Dodgers: Why David Price would be a good addition

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 14: David Price #24 of the Boston Red Sox pitches at the top of the second inning of the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on April 14, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 14: David Price #24 of the Boston Red Sox pitches at the top of the second inning of the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on April 14, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers /

2. Price’s is still a productive pitcher

If you look at David Price’s 2019 numbers on the surface then you wouldn’t think that he was that good of a pitcher last season. Price threw only 107 and one-third innings and posted a career-hihg 4.28 ERA.

I even dove into statcast to look into Price’s spin rate, which was around average or slightly below average for both his fastball and curveball. Again, that could be concerning, but price has never been a big spin rate guy, at least since it started being tracked.

The one stat that is telling that Price was a better pitcher than the numbers indicated is his Field Independent Pitching (FIP). FIP is a tool that practically strips things that are outside of his control, such as luck, ballpark factors and the defense behind him.

FIP then averages those things out to league-average, giving each player what their ERA would have been if they experienced the “average” outside conditions of an MLB pitcher in that given season. Price’s FIP was 3.62, which is not only much lower than 4.28 but was the 26th-best in the MLB.

Price was unlucky last season and was not helped by the wonky dimensions of Fenway Park. Meanwhile, if he came to Dodger Stadium, where the ball does not fly as far and in a league where the pitcher has to hit, his numbers are undoubtedly going to be better.

Even if he is only a 3.50 ERA guy, that is a great thing to have as the team’s third-best starter.