Rick Monday catches up with Dodgers pitching coach, Rick Honeycutt, to discuss Walker Buehler getting his first start in the majors. The Dodgers only got to see flashes of Buehler last season and the beginning of spring training this year. However, Honeycutt weighed in on the Dodgers drafting Buehler back in 2015.
"Again, somebody that we drafted coming through a system I think that's the big key you know. To see someone with the potential that he has from his college days and of course he had the surgery, we signed him still in the first round even though knowing that he was going to have elbow surgery. We had to buy that time. He had to wait that time. Last year he started really getting his work in moved up from double A to triple A and up to the big league to get a little taste. Really protecting his innings more than anything but also giving him a chance for him to come up and see of the big leagues."
Ahead of Buehler's debut, Honeycutt said that he is confident that 23-year-old will have a solid start.
"The main thing for him like anybody else is pitching ahead in the count and if we get an off speed pitch over when your behind in the count. To me he has all the pitches. I think the one thing that we didn't get to see last year was all of his pitches. We came up pretty much it was just fast ball, slider and a few curve balls. Now this guy has got, he can two seem it, he can throw changeups, he's got good curve balls, he's got a good slider, of course the fast ball could be electric. For me its just him taking a breath and trusting and attacking the zone."
Listen to the full interview below.
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