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By Drew VonScio
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of baseball's strongest and deepest pitching groups. That was the case before they won back-to-back World Series titles, and it is certainly the case going into spring training.
Ahead of every season, the top 100 players are ranked by a series of writers and insiders. Fans know these lists are a sign that baseball is right around the corner and start to get excited. In the most recent edition, Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto jumped 50 spots from No. 63 last season up to No. 13 this year as a result of his strong postseason performances.
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"Yamamoto still would have improved significantly upon his 2025 rank without any postseason action last year," Brian Murphy wrote for MLB.com. "But what he accomplished in the playoffs put him on another level. Following a regular season that made him a Cy Young finalist, Yamamoto allowed just six earned runs over 37 1/3 postseason innings. He threw two complete games and secured World Series MVP honors -- as well as back-to-back championships for the Dodgers -- by recording 2 2/3 scoreless innings on zero days' rest in Game 7."
It's not very often you see a pitcher throw 96 pitchers one day and then go out and throw 2 2/3 innings the very next day to slam the door and help your team win a World Series. Yamamoto's performance replicated what many baseball fans saw in the 1980s and 1990s when pitchers didn't have the same rest schedules as they do in today's game.
The Dodgers are hopeful Yamamoto can continue to develop as one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. His 2.49 ERA last season was certainly a major sign of dominance, and those in the organization believe he can be even better than that as he gets into his prime.
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