Emmet Sheehan was less than two years removed from hearing his name called in the 2021 draft when he was suddenly, surprisingly thrust into the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation.
The Dodgers almost certainly didn’t plan on bringing Sheehan directly from Double-A to the majors at midseason, but injuries forced their hand.
Overall, the 23-year-old right-hander acquitted himself well. He threw six no-hit innings in his major league debut last June 16 against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium, before running into a pitch-count limit.
Three starts in July sent his ERA soaring to 6.75, and ultimately he was optioned to the minors in August to make room for trade deadline acquisition Ryan Yarbrough. Sheehan returned in September and finished the season 4-1 with a 4.92 ERA in 13 appearances – all but two as a starter.
Now, in his first major league camp, Sheehan is ready to accept whatever role comes his way.
“I’m open to either (starting or relieving). I got good experience doing both coming out of the ’pen a little bit (in 2023). I came up as a starter. I relieved in college too. Either one, whatever they want me to do, I’m ready for it.”
– Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan
Sheehan could only watch as the Dodgers’ front office loaded up on starting pitching over the winter, signing right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, trading for right-hander Tyler Glasnow, then adding veteran left-hander James Paxton in free agency. When he’s healthy, future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw is waiting in the wings to join the group.
All of it was designed to avoid the same predicament the Dodgers were in a year ago, when they could construct an entire starting rotation out of their injured list before the All-Star break. For now, it also means Sheehan would begin the regular season in Triple-A or the bullpen if the season started today.
That’s OK by the 6-foot-5 right-hander, who probably wasn’t
“Whatever their plan is, I’m open to it. We have a lot of guys who could definitely start, so I’m cool with it.”
– Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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