Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Knew James Paxton Would Be Great For LA Early On Following Special Interaction
When the Los Angeles Dodgers were putting together their roster for the season-opening series against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea, manager Dave Roberts approached James Paxton and informed him that he would not be going with the team worldwide.
Instead of making the talk difficult, Paxton accepted the news and acknowledged that the choice was reasonable. He declined the $70,000 bonus that Major League Baseball pays players for competing in international events and stayed at home to increase arm strength and stamina without having to travel across the Pacific.
The discussion between the two gave Roberts confidence that Paxton was fully committed as a first-year Dodger and would go to any length to help the squad.
“It gave somebody else an opportunity to go there and pitch and make 70,000 bucks,” Roberts told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. “But his entire point was, ‘Whatever it takes to get me ready.'” And that just there teaches me a lot.
Since then, Paxton has only won. Paxton, who begins Friday in Cincinnati, is 5-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his first eight starts of the season. His best start so far came two weeks ago in San Diego. Paxton quieted the boisterous Padres fans for six shutout innings in
“Every time he takes the mound,” Roberts stated, “he is just putting us in a position to win.”
Paxton led the league with 24 walks prior to his start in San Diego on May 11. He has now made two consecutive starts without giving up a free pass and completed six innings.
“Every player will say they compete, but this guy just wills himself to success,” Roberts said during Paxton’s final start against the Reds on Friday. “He recorded two ground-ball double plays, limiting his pitch count. Even when he isn’t at his best, he goes deep and protects our bullpen.”
The 10-year veteran has only allowed four runs once all season and has tossed at least six innings in each of his three outings in May. He continues to improve and has demonstrated that he should not be dismissed as a backend-of-the-rotation player simply because he has yet to lose.
