Los Angeles Dodgers: 3 Bold predictions for Clayton Kershaw in 2020
By Jason Reed
The 2020 season is bound to be an interesting one for the Los Angeles Dodgers, with one of the most compelling storylines being Clayton Kershaw’s performance.
For over a decade, Clayton Kershaw has been the ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the franchise cornerstone and one of just two players (alongside Kenley Jansen) to be present for all seven consecutive National League West titles.
Various other pitchers have come and gone. Zack Greinke dominated in Los Angeles and almost won a Cy Young, Hyun-Jin Ryu finished second in Cy Young voting last season, Josh Beckett served as a veteran who threw a no-hitter for the Dodgers.
There has always been one constant: Clayton Kershaw. He was the best pitcher of the decade, perhaps the best pitcher of our generation and will go down as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all-time, even if he hangs it up today.
The crazy part? Kershaw turns 32 on March 19. He is three months older than back-to-back Cy Young-winner, Jacob deGrom, and four months older than the pitcher who just signed the second-highest contract for a pitcher in MLB history, Stephen Strasburg.
Because Kershaw has already done so much and has dealt with various injuries, there is this perception that he is a grizzled veteran who will never produce at the level he once did. Heck, for the first time in his career, there is a legitimate discussion of who the ace on the team really is.
The fact of the matter is that Kershaw is not as old as fans think and if he can figure it out and have a second-half resurgence in his career like Randy Johnson, then he will undoubtedly be the greatest pitcher of all-time.
The 2020 season is going to be a telling one if that is possible. Kershaw was great last season, while not his old dominant self, he was an all-star and was a beacon of consistency for the Dodgers.
Here are our bold predictions for Kershaw in 2020.