:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67067539/103362798.jpg.0.jpg)
Chad Billingsley
Time with Dodgers: 2006-2013
Stats: 81-61, 3.65 ERA, 219 G, 190 GS, 1,175 1⁄3 IP, 1,037 SO, 110 ERA+, 3.67 FIP, 1.361 WHIP
Baseball Reference WAR: 17.3
FanGraphs WAR: 19.1
Combined WAR: 18.2
Chad Billingsley was drafted by the Dodgers with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2003 MLB Draft. He’d quickly shoot through the minors, making his debut during the 2006 campaign at the age of 21.
The right-hander had an impressive rookie campaign. He made 16 starts, going 7-4 with a 3.80 ERA. For the most part, his time was spent mainly as a starter, as he only came out of the bullpen twice. The following year in 2007 was when Billingsley had more bullpen work. He appeared in 43 games, making only 20 starts. Still, his production was very good.
In 2008, Billingsley transitioned back into a starter, and quickly cemented himself as the ace of the Dodgers’ starting rotation. He won 16 games and posted a 3.14 ERA. From 2007-2008, Billingsley went 28-15 while posting an earned run average of 3.21 in 78 games. In 347 innings, he struck out 342, while posting an ERA+ of 134 and a FIP of 3.63.
Though his 2008 season was fantastic, his postseason was not. Billingsley picked up the win in his lone start of the NLDS, but he struggled greatly in the NLCS against the Phillies. He lost both his starts, and only went a total of five innings. In those five innings, Billingsley allowed 11 runs to score. Opponents hit .462 off him.
He turned things around in 2009, having yet another solid season. Billingsley was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career. At the break, he was 9-4 with a 3.34 ERA. The second half wasn’t as kind to him, as he went 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA to close out the season.
Billingsley was still a very productive pitcher over the next three seasons. He slid behind in the rotation, as Clayton Kershaw quickly emerged as the ace. It didn’t matter, as Billingsley was a very solid middle-of-the-rotation type of guy. From 2010-2012 he won 33 games and owed a 3.79 ERA. He was able to give the Dodgers a lot of starts too, as he made 88 starts during that three-year stretch.
He’d make only two starts in 2013 before undergoing Tommy John Surgery, ending his career with the Dodgers.
Since the team moved to Los Angeles, Billingsley is in the top 20 of some pretty good pitching stats. Here’s where he ranks all-time in LA Dodgers history:
- 1,037 strikeouts (13th)
- 190 starts (14th)
- 81 wins (15th)
- 110 ERA+ (17th)
- 1,175 1⁄3 innings (18th)