2013 Dodgers review: Aaron Harang

Out of the 50 profiles of the 2013 Dodgers, Aaron Harang is the only one who didn't actually play for them during the regular season. But he was on the active roster in the first week of the season, this year's version of Mike Antonini. Here is a look back at Harang's brief time in blue in 2013.

What went right

For Harang, his best work in 2013 came with the Mets at the end of the season, three teams removed from the Dodgers. He put up a 3.52 ERA in four starts with New York, with 26 strikeouts in 23 innings.

For the Dodgers, what went right was saving roughly $2 million in trading one of their surplus arms. At the time of Harang's trade to the Rockies for Ramon Hernandez on April 6, the Dodgers had eight starting pitchers under contract.

Harang may not have thrown a regular season pitch for the Dodgers, but his switch of numbers heading into spring training provided one of my favorite stories of the year. Harang switched from 44 to 41, the same number worn by Joe Nuxhall in Cincinnati from 1962-1966:

Nuxhall moved to the broadcast booth in 1967 and called Reds games for 38 years, including Harang's first two seasons in Cincinnati, in 2003-2004. The two struck up a friendship that lasted until Nuxhall's death in 2007. Harang has donated to Nuxhall's charity foundation, the Miracle Fields in and around Cincinnati, and still keeps in touch with his son to this day.

"He was just a special guy in general," Harang said. "Everybody who came in contact with him thought the world of him."

In 2008, Harang won the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award from the Cincinnati chapter of the BBWAA, an award that has special to him.

"It was just cool that I can have something to tie to such a special person," Harang said. "He meant so much to Cincinnati in general, but baseball as well. It's an honor to be tied to someone like that."

What went wrong

Harang was generally pretty terrible on the mound in 2013. For the Mariners and Mets he was 5-12 with a 5.76 ERA in 26 starts. After allowing 14 home runs in 31 starts with the Dodgers in 2012, Harang allowed 26 home runs in 26 starts this season.

For the Dodgers, within days of dealing Harang they lost Chad Billingsley for the season and lost Zack Greinke for six weeks. Despite entering the season with eight starting pitchers under contract, they used a ninth pitcher by May 4, their 29th game.

2014 status

Harang finished up his season with the Mets, and is now a free agent.