Nikolas Araiza
Despite coming off Tommy John surgery last year Wyatt Crowell is showing he might be the next great Dodger southpaw. The organization selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 draft with the 127th overall pick. When the Dodgers picked Crowell it was known that he would not pitch until this season, due to receiving Tommy John surgery. That did not deter the organization from selecting a pitcher who posted a mind-boggling .87 ERA in 20.2 innings in 2023. If you expanded that to his ‘22 and ‘23 campaigns his ERA was 1.76 in 71.2 innings, his success has carried over to his first season in the minors. If he continues to produce at a high level it will not be long before he flies up prospect rankings and joins a legacy of all-time great lefties to play for the Dodgers.
Background
Crowell was born on Oct. 13, 2001, in Cumming, Georgia. As a kid, he enjoyed playing whatever sport he could in his front yard. When he was five, he stepped foot on a baseball diamond for the first time and has played ever since. Something that catches the eyes of many is his deceptive delivery, which he has fine-tuned over the years with age. If timing his windup was not hard enough, Crowell employs a five-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, sinker, changeup, and two slider variations. He uses his shorter slider to catch batters off-guard early into counts as most batters do not expect the off-speed pitch.
Before he was only a pitcher Crowell was classified as a two-way player. In high school, he batted .321 with a 2.10 ERA, leading him to choose between three colleges to attend. It came down to Alabama, Georgia, or Florida State, however, this decision was easy to make. Crowell grew up an FSU fan, even watching highlight videos before every football season.
“What made you want to go to FSU above those other two programs?”
“I just grew up a diehard FSU fan. I’d say in June, I would just start watching like hype videos and stuff for the football season, like getting so excited about it. I love the baseball team, all that stuff. I was just a diehard FSU fan.”
Former Two-Way Player
Even though he arrived at FSU as a two-way player and was one his freshman year, he knew he had to solely focus on pitching. Crowell’s decision stemmed from a realization, that hitting, was not for him. He understood that his pitching abilities had surpassed his hitting, most evident in a velocity jump he experienced that same year. In July 2019 his fastball sat around 90 mph, a little less than two years later his fastball sat in the mid-90s, topping out at 96. The success he had the following two seasons only reassured the southpaw that he made the right decision. But early into his 2023 season Crowell was told the very last thing any pitcher wants, he required Tommy John surgery. It did not just end his season but his collegiate career.
A Meteoric Rise
Going into last year’s draft, Wyatt Crowell knew that whatever team selected him he would sign with them. Because of the length of recovery from Tommy John, it did not make sense for him to return to FSU. With that mindset, when he was selected, he knew he’d be ready.
When the Dodgers selected him they knew, Crowell was likely unable to return until late spring/early summer 2024. The organization sent him to Camelback Ranch to complete his rehab assignment before being promoted to Rancho. In this time though his family was able to come visit him and see him pitch professionally for the first time. After his last rehab start on June 14, the organization knew he was ready for Rancho Cucamonga.
Ready he was, in his seven starts with the Quakes he has posted a 1.56 ERA with 26 K’s. His command has been impressive, besides one start against the Lake Elsinore Storm in which he allowed five walks. However, if he does allow runners on he only gets better. When the bases are empty, batters are hitting .130, which is not great, but better than 1-19 with runner(s) in scoring position.
Room for improvement
If Crowell wants to remain a starter like he has been this season, then he will need to increase his stamina. Currently, his longest outing was against Visalia, in which he threw 3.1 innings. In the first and second innings during his starts, he’s allowed just two runs to score. Compare that though to his third and fourth innings, he has allowed five runs in 3.1 innings. Building the stamina required to be a starter is hard, especially coming off Tommy John, only time will tell if he is more geared for the bullpen or the rotation.
Conclusion
Even after coming off of surgery, Wyatt Crowell has shown that he deserves more than No. 38 on the Dodgers’ top prospect list, according to Fangraphs. He will look to build upon a successful year with the Quakes in the offseason. Crowell plans to get back in the weight room with his hometown friend, hoping to increase his strength, It will be interesting to see if he can stay as a starter or convert back to relieving. For an MLB comparison, he resembles Randy Johnson and Madison Bumgarner with that deceiving arm angle.
If Crowell is unable to improve his stamina and not remain a starter it would not be the worst. When he was at FSU, during those two years where he had an ERA of 1.76, he only started one time in 33 appearances. If he were to come out of the bullpen, he could remind some fans of Josh Hader with their similar arm angle and pitch mix. Whether it is in the bullpen or as the ace of the staff, Wyatt Crowell looks poised to be the next great Dodgers southpaw.
