An eighth-round pick out of UCLA in 2012, Griggs has had an up-and-down pro career, mostly due to his ability to simultaneously generate high K/9 and BB/9 rates.  They read: 12.7 and 8.3, respectively, in 2012; 14.6 and 6.5 in ’13; 13.1 and 5.0 in ’14; 13.1 and 5.0 in ’15; 6.8 and 1.4 so far in ’16.  So while there is no question about the stuff, the control has been an issue.  He is 25 years old, which is old for even Double-A (where he was just promoted on May 23rd), but factor in that he missed all of 2014 and half of 2013 due to labrum surgery, and the timetable makes a little more sense.

Griggs still has the makings of a legitimate late-inning reliever, and his gaudy walk numbers have been trending in the right direction, which was also the case pre-injury. Based on what I saw from him in the Cal League, look for Griggs’ arrow to point up as the summer rolls on, and don’t be surprised if he shows up in Dodger blue by the end of 2016.  Now you may wonder how is a kid whom most have never heard of, and who has a total of four innings pitched in Double-A under his belt, would have a shot to toe a big league rubber this season?  Well, when you look a little more closely at Griggs’ numbers, you’ll see that he has a WHIP of 0.49 in 16 innings this year and was at a respectable 1.30 last year, down from 1.46 and 1.71 in 2012 and ’13 (pre-surgery).  Factor in the impressive 2.07 career ground ball rate, and the fact that he has a plus fastball and plus slider, and the picture gets a little clearer.

Griggs was a college sign, and had some polish at the time he was drafted. So if he hadn’t missed a year and half with injury, he would likely have been on a Double-A or Triple-A track this year anyway.  It also needs to be mentioned that the Dodgers have had their own bullpen issues the last couple of seasons, and the team’s 4.61 bullpen ERA in the 2015 postseason, and 6.48 ERA in the 2014 postseason, played a role in their early exits both years.  So take all that into account, and it seems like less of a stretch that a power arm like Griggs would get a shot to debut this year.

Shoulders are always iffy, and a torn labrum has ended more than one career, so for Griggs to finally be healthy, and showing like he has so far this year (even though his Ks/9 are down) has to be an encouraging developmental sign for Los Angeles.