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Luis Avilan provided the Dodgers with a solid southpaw option out of the bullpen all year, but he missed out on his postseason opportunity.
What went right
Avilan was a weapon against left-handed hitters all season, holding them to just .195/.290/.280 with a 30% strikeout rate.
He posted a 1.57 ERA in 24 games after the All-Star break, with 23 strikeouts in 23 innings.
What went wrong
Right-handed batters hit .292/.376/.449 against Avilan.
Avilan missed 15 games in May and June on the disabled list with left triceps soreness.
After a relatively healthy season, Avilan was unavailable for the NLDS against the Diamondbacks with shoulder inflammation.
Avilan was healthy by the NLCS, but the injury to Corey Seager torpedoed Avilan’s chances of making the roster. The plan was for Avilan to be added, giving the Dodgers a trio of left-handed relief pitchers against the Cubs, but with Chris Taylor needed to shift duties between shortstop and center field, the Dodgers needed to add another outfielder instead, which paved the way for Joc Pederson‘s October resurgence.
Even though he didn’t get to pitch in the postseason, Avilan made the most of being a part of the club’s run to the World Series.
“My chance was in the NLCS, but then Seager got hurt so we had to add two guys,” Avilan said. “Right now, I’m trying to enjoy it. You never know when it’s going to be your last time in the World Series.”
2017 particulars
Age: 27
Stats: 2.93 ERA, 2.96 FIP in 61 games, 52 K, 22 BB in 46 IP
Salary: $1.5 million
Game of the year
Avilan retired all five batters he faced against the Braves on July 23, including two strikeouts. It was tied for his second-longest outing of 2017.
Roster status
With four years, 146 days of service time, Avilan is eligible for salary arbitration this winter. MLB Trade Rumors projected he will make $2.3 million in 2018. Avilan is out of options.