Mired by shoulder trouble in Spring Training last year, Clayton Kershaw began the 2019 season on the injured list and was unable to extend his Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record of eight consecutive Opening Day starts.
The left-hander returned in April and managed to avoid another stint on the IL, but his velocity was noticeably down for most of the season. He averaged a career-worst 90.4 mph on his fastball and yielded a career-high 28 home runs in what was an otherwise solid campaign.
Not satisfied with the results, Kershaw took advantage of a longer-than-usual offseason by continuously playing catch.