When a pitcher makes a big jump in his development — a sight Dodgers fans have become familiar with over the years — it’s almost always because of a new pitch, a retooled pitch, or a change in pitch usage (or some combination of the three). When Los Angeles drafted Gavin Stone in the fifth round of the 2020 draft, they obviously believed in him, but the jump he made in 2022 was enormous.
After posting a respectable 3.76 ERA across Low-A and High-A in his pro debut in 2021, Stone took things to a new level in 2022, posting a 1.