Shawn Tolleson Continues Quiet Dominance For Dodgers
Posted Apr. 22, 2012 9:28 pm by Ben Badler
Filed under: Daily Dish
It's hard to get too excited about a minor league reliever, especially early in the season.
Relief prospects like Dodgers righthander Shawn Tolleson tend to march through the minor leagues without too much fanfare, but Tolleson has quietly continued to add to one of the most impressive performance records of anyone in the minors. Tolleson, 24, struck out five of the seven hitters he faced today for Double-A Chattanooga, including four swinging strikeouts. On the year, Tolleson has thrown 6 1/3 scoreless innings with three hits allowed. He hasn't walked anyone and he's struck out 13 of the 22 hitters he's faced.
The gaudy numbers are nothing new for Tolleson, who lowered his career ERA to 0.95 in 104 1/3 innings with 157 strikeouts (13.5 K/9) and 23 walks (2.0 BB/9). Tolleson comes at hitters with a deceptive delivery that makes it tough for hitters pick up his lively fastball, which parks in the low-90s and reaches a little higher, and he mixes in an effective cutter and slider to attack hitters.
Tolleson throws strikes, misses plenty of bats and has experience closing games at the minor league level. If the Dodgers need bullpen help this year, Tolleson could be a very valuable addition in Los Angeles.
Someone to look forward to in the near future. Hopefully gets rid of MacDougal.