Ronan Kopp may not be a name known by many Los Angeles Dodgers fans.
He has a “dark horse” chance to make the Opening Day roster, though, writes MLB.com’s Sonja Chen.
The 6-foot-7 lefty with a great beard was added to the 40-man roster this offseason, pointing to him as someone the Dodgers view as a contributor sometime soon.
“While the Dodgers have the key pieces in their bullpen set, there should be some competition for the last few spots,” Chen writes. “Perhaps Kopp, who was added to the 40-man roster this past offseason, could make a good impression in his first big league camp and seize one of them. The southpaw struck out 91 batters in 57 2/3 innings between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City last year, but he also issued 42 walks. If Kopp can flash some improved command this spring, he could put himself right in the conversation.”
MORE: Yankees making history not done since 1889 Chicago White Stockings
Last season, the one main issue for the Dodgers en route to a repeat World Series title was the bullpen. That was part of the reason their starting pitchers kept coming on in relief during the postseason.
They had signed Tanner Scott to be the closer, but that didn’t work out, and things became a late-inning adventure. The Dodgers solved that in large part this offseason with the high-profile signing of Edwin Diaz from the Mets.
In modern baseball, though, a bullpen is much more than just one guy. The Dodgers need a whole host of impactful relievers.
Kopp may not be well known, but he could become important.
Especially as a relief arm who relies on performing in small sample sizes, Kopp needs to be sharp this spring. If he is, he could break camp with the back-to-back champs.
