Major League Baseball announced the full 2024 MLB All-Star Game rosters, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have six players set to represent them in Texas.
Among the group is Tyler Glasnow, who was one of the Dodgers’ primary acquisitions this offseason as they attempted to rebuild a rotation that was lacking both talent and depth.
Glasnow joining the Dodgers represented a homecoming for the right-hander, who grew up as a Dodgers fan in Southern California, and he has performed as expected thus far.
That performance earned Glasnow his first All-Star game selection, which represented a career goal of his, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“It’s awesome,” said Glasnow, the lone first-time All-Star of the group. “It’s always been a goal of mine, to go to the All-Star game.”
Glasnow has always had the talent to be an All-Star, but his health has been an issue in the past. This season, he has been able to make all his starts thus far, and his results place him among the top pitchers in baseball:
“It’s just a big honor,” said Glasnow, whose 18 starts are most on the Dodgers and whose 109 innings are just 11 shy of his previous career-high. “[I’ve been] just trying to post up every start, and log innings and do well for your team. I’m just glad I was able to make every start and pitch well this season.”
The 30-year-old holds a 3.47 ERA and 2.77 FIP across his 109 innings, striking out 33.6% of hitters and walking just 6.8% while allowing a .182 batting average against and 0.93 WHIP.
Glasnow’s 143 strikeouts lead MLB and are the most strikeouts prior to the All-Star Game in Dodger history since Clayton Kershaw fanned 159 batters in 2017.
His 11.81 strikeout per nine innings is second-best in MLB behind Garret Crochet of the Chicago White Sox, and he is currently has the best strikeout per nine innings in franchise history, ahead of Kershaw’s all-time mark of 11.64, which he set in 2015.
Tyler Glasnow’s adjustments
This year, Glasnow has begun to throw a two-seam fastball in addition to a four-seam heater that he believes is keeping opposing batters off balance. “Yeah, I think it’s just like such a vertical approach. It’s basically just a heater, so it’s not like you have to learn a new pitch,” Glasnow explained.
“I think it gets me behind my four-seam too. So it keeps guys left-right, while also being up and down, but it kind of fixes all my other pitches as well.
“I’ve just been a lot more comfortable throwing it up and in to righties, and today to a lefty. I’m just trying to mix it in a little bit more to try and not be so predictable.”
In addition, Glasnow also made an adjustment with his curveball, which has been one of his best pitches during his career.
“I’ve been able to land it for strikes the last couple of starts,” Glasnow said. “I’ve made mechanical adjustments to try and keep it in the zone as opposed to always trying to strike guys out with it
