The Los Angeles Dodgers traded for right-handed reliever Seth Halvorsen on Monday, and are aiming to transform him into a top-class pitcher.
Halvorsen, 26, has spent all three years of his big league career with the Colorado Rockies up to this point, though has struggled to perform at a high level over the past two seasons. His first season in the bigs came in 2024, where he posted a 1.46 ERA through 12 games.
Over the past two seasons, though, Halvorsen has struggled to keep runs off the board, sitting just below a 5.00 ERA in both seasons.
Despite his rough results, which one could certainly chalk up to playing half of his games in Coors Field, Halvorsen has the tools to become elite. His fastball ranks in the 98th percentile of velocity among qualified pitchers, and he has already proven he can go on an extended run of good form in MLB. This, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, is what the Dodgers are banking on.
“[The Dodgers] hope to find magic with [Halvorsen] in their player development system,” Ardaya wrote.
Why Did Halvorsen Struggle With the Rockies?
Halvorsen’s main issue this season stems entirely from his control and his recent inability to miss bats.
During his first year in the majors, Halvoresen boasted a 4.3% walk rate, which is well blow league average. Last year, though, that rate nearly tripled to 11.6%, and has reached 15.6% this year, which would rank as one of the worst clips in MLB if he were qualified.
If the Dodgers want to get some results out of the right-hander, they’ll need to get him to control the ball better.
Compared to years past, Halvorsen’s whiff rate is also way down. In 2024, he caused swings and misses 31.4% of the time, but that clip has plummeted to 23.4%. In turn, his strikeout percentage has suffered.
He is giving up hard-hit balls at a rate much better than his first year in MLB, but the overall quality of batted ball, as shown by his .312 xBA, is much higher than it has been previously. If Halvorsen can find a way to discover the swing and miss once again, he could be a key part of the Dodgers’ bullpen, especially in a more friendly pitching environment.
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