Quote:
Kershaw gives Dodgers a glimpse of his potential
VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Clayton Kershaw crossed the bridge at Dodgertown on Tuesday, walking from the minor league clubhouse into a world where he had trouble controlling the flow of his adrenaline and his mistakes were punished.
But when it was time for the Dodgers' top prospect to walk back over the creek dividing the camp that night, he did so with the certainty that he could strike out batters at baseball's highest level.
Fifteen days away from his 20th birthday, Kershaw pitched in his first major league spring training game, his youthful enthusiasm leaving a stronger impression on Manager Joe Torre than the pitches he misplaced in the Dodgers' 4-3 loss to the Washington Nationals.
The left-hander's third pitch off a big league mound was crushed over the center-field fence at Holman Stadium by Luis Jimenez, but Kershaw used a fastball that topped out at 97 mph and a vicious curveball to strike out three batters, two with the bases loaded.
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Full story.
Kershaw is only 19 and, from what I've seen thus far, may have the best pure stuff of any Dodgers pitcher in Spring Training. Ideally I would like to see him spend the bulk of the year at Double-A, possibly Triple-A - the Dodgers have a solid staff without him and he has only thrown 24.2 innings above Single-A. There's no need to rush him.
However, color me impressed.
Kershaw Impresses, Spring Training Updates
Kershaw Impresses, Spring Training Updates
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