Tanner Scott is poised to be a key figure for the Dodgers down the stretch, a role that fits the four-year, $72 million commitment the club handed him this past offseason. Los Angeles has traditionally been cautious about signing relievers to long-term deals, but Scott was brought in with the intention of delivering a lockdown presence in the postseason.
This season hasn’t gone perfectly. Scott has battled inconsistency and injuries, posting a 3.97 ERA and a career-high seven blown saves. Those hiccups have tempered what many expected from a pitcher the Dodgers hoped would be a reset button in high-leverage moments.
A recent deep dive into the Dodgers’ current situation highlighted Scott as a notable example of the club’s ongoing adjustments. After returning from the injured list, Scott’s slider velocity has risen by about two miles per hour on average. While a slight uptick, it’s yielded meaningful results, helping him regain the bite and command that made him a feared left-handed option.
The team’s staff identified and addressed a mechanical pattern that had caused Scott to “open up” his hips too early, loading up on power in a way that didn’t translate cleanly to his pitches. That adjustment helps explain why his fastball has sat around 96.4 mph this season, slightly down from last year’s 97.0 mph, and why the slider’s effectiveness had slipped when his delivery wasn’t optimized. Scott himself acknowledged that fixing a seemingly minor delivery issue can have a big impact on how hard he can throw the slider and how it plays off his fastball.
“I’ve always had a slider that sits in the 88 to 91 range,” Scott explained. “With my delivery back in sync, it’s easier to throw it that hard again. It was something small that became bigger because of the timing.” The improvement has been visible on the mound, and Scott’s willingness to address the mechanical hiccup reflects the kind of self-correcting mindset the Dodgers value.
If the postseason began today, there’s little doubt Scott would be in the mix for high-leverage work, potentially facing some of the game’s toughest hitters. He’s positioned as the standout left-handed option among the Dodgers’ bullpen, with peers like Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer, and Anthony Banda rounding out the group. His stuff, when fully aligned, gives the Dodgers a legitimate trump card in late innings.
What to watch moving forward
– Consistency of the slider’s velocity and movement as the season closes, and whether the delivery remains repeatable under pressure.
– How the Dodgers manage Scott’s workload in the final weeks to keep him fresh for October.
– The longer-term impact of the mechanical adjustment on his fastball-slider interplay and how hitters respond to the revised timing.
Overall, the improving mechanics and bounce-back in velocity suggest Scott can return to, and perhaps exceed, the form the Dodgers believed they were signing for. If he sustains this progress, Los Angeles upgrades its late-inning depth and strengthens its postseason bullpen, giving the team a brighter path to playoff success.
Summary: Tanner Scott’s season has included challenges, but a midseason mechanical adjustment has helped restore slider velocity and effectiveness. With the Dodgers counting on him as a potential postseason closer of sorts, Scott’s continued progress could make him a pivotal piece in a bullpen built for late-inning doors that could swing October’s outcomes in Los Angeles’ favor. Positive signs abound, and the Dodgers remain hopeful he can deliver in the moments that matter most.