5 Reasons Dan Haren Will Dominate With Los Angeles Dodgers
Dan Haren: 5 Reasons He Will Dominate With Los Angeles Dodgers
A ton of big moves are going down already in the MLB offseason, with playoff teams like the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals dealing for key players left and right. The Los Angeles Dodgers are truly keeping up with that trend. With the pickup of Dan Heron, they look to boost their pitching staff that already brings some fire power with Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw. With Dan Haren, they’ll get a nice combination of veteran experience and a passion for winning.
When a baseball player, especially a pitcher, goes to a new team, there a lot of factors that play into their potential success. Sometimes a player can have success in one city and fail in the other for seemingly unknown reasons. In other cases, a player can perform much better after making a move just because it’s a better fit. There are mental and physical aspects that create the foundation for predicting a player’s performance.
For a pitcher like Haren, if he plays up to his potential, he could really boost the Dodgers’ chances of making a solid run at the World Series. The fan base in Dodger Nation has been full of hope lately, with young stars, award winning athletes, and a winning attitude. Haren could potentially be one of the missing pieces to their success in 2014. Based on these factors, I think Haren and the Dodgers are going to be a great fit, and we should see them in the postseason again in the Fall of 2014.
5. The City of Los Angeles
He knows the area well after going to Pepperdine and playing for the nearby Angels. There should be little to no time spent getting used to his surroundings, and playing in front of rowdy fans ready for a solid team in 2014 would help juice up – naturally – any new player.
4. A Winning Team
Moving to a team that has all the pieces to win should help take some pressure off Haren and allow him to do his job.
3. Solid Defense
The Dodgers have the potential to play some solid defense in the field, with young and capable guys like Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig out there making plays.
2. Run Support
Haren’s earned run average has been a little high, recording a 4.67 ERA in 2013. Playing for the Dodgers, he should get ample run support in case that trend continues.
1. Clayton Kershaw
Having someone as consistent as Kershaw leading the rotation will help Haren for two reasons: they can exchange notes and help each other, and Haren will likely not face the opposing team’s best pitcher.
