LOS ANGELES — The one factor faster than Edgardo Henriquez’s speedy rise to the main leagues is the 104 mph fastball that acquired him into the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen.
Henriquez referenced that quantity — 104 — a number of instances on Tuesday because the Dodgers formally referred to as up the hard-throwing pitching prospect. The determine was his ticket to the main leagues; it’s a threshold that simply 9 pitchers have crossed since pitch-tracking knowledge first turned out there in 2008. Henriquez’s common fastball this season is 99.7 mph, together with a pitch that was tracked at a reported 104 mph whereas with Double-A Tulsa in August.
Out for his second inning of labor, Edgardo Henriquez simply hit 104 mph pic.twitter.com/CVULSNOs8n https://t.co/hXoz8PnTRD
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) August 4, 2024
That was why the Dodgers fast-tracked the 22-year-old right-hander by 5 ranges of their system and added him to their roster within the closing week of the common season. In his first season after Tommy John surgical procedure, the Venezuelan flamethrower has logged a 2.72 ERA in 53 minor league innings spanning from A-ball to Triple-A Oklahoma Metropolis.
“I at all times had this risk on my thoughts,” Henriquez stated in Spanish. “Like I stated, I used to be staying sturdy to have the ability to obtain this.”
The speed is excessive — and tantalizing. Points with strike-throwing, significantly in his final cease with Oklahoma Metropolis, may make the thought of the Dodgers leaning closely on him dangerous. Nevertheless it’s an opportunity price taking. The Dodgers would have had so as to add Henriquez to their 40-man roster in December anyway or threat him being chosen within the Rule 5 draft this winter. Now, they’ll see if they will catch lightning in a bottle with an opportunity of Henriquez nonetheless being eligible for the postseason (since he was within the group by Aug. 31, the Dodgers can nonetheless add him by a waiver with the league workplace or as an harm alternative, each of which occur very often in these circumstances).
“That’s definitely excessive regard while you’re speaking about Frankie Rodríguez and what he did for the Angels,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts, alluding to Francisco Rodríguez’s dominant rookie run on his strategy to the 2002 World Sequence. “It’s a variance play. Get him in right here. Get him within the massive leagues. And see how he seems, how he responds and go from there. However he’s definitely a weapon. He’s secret within the sense that I don’t suppose anybody is aware of him exterior of our group, so far as the main leagues. Nevertheless it’s gonna be thrilling to observe him make his debut.”
Henriquez’s arrival comes at a important time. The Dodgers need to broaden their division lead and shut out the NL West with the second-place San Diego Padres on the town at Dodger Stadium.
“We’re attempting to place these guys to mattress, so I’m going to do all the pieces we are able to to win tonight,” Roberts stated.
Henriquez won’t be the one notable addition to a bullpen that is perhaps as near full energy because it has been at any level this season. Roberts stated Anthony Banda may return this week, simply two weeks after struggling a fracture in his pitching hand. Given the Dodgers’ beginning pitching questions this October, a dependable bullpen shall be as important as ever.
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(Picture courtesy of Eddie Kelly)
