McGee’s fastball has new life, and his career does too

Every time he spoke with reporters over a videoconference this season, Jake McGee struck a grateful, optimistic tone.

He was thankful the Dodgers signed him in late July, days after he was released by the Colorado Rockies following four pedestrian seasons that made his early success with the Tampa Bay Rays feel like a distant dream.

He gained confidence from renewed effectiveness with his four- seam fastball, which fooled hitters with increased velocity and movement that he hadn’t generated in years.

He felt valuable too, becoming one of the key lefthanders in the Dodgers’ bullpen, with a 2.66 earnedrun average — his lowest since 2015 — and a careerbest 14.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

“There was a lot of upside to come over here,” he said during the season. “Just really comfortable and throwing my fastball a lot.”

He’s 34 and entering free agency, so it’s likely that McGee’s Dodgers tenure will end after just the one pandemic- shortened season. However, his career looks far from over. And when he arrived in Los Angeles in July, there was no guarantee that would be the case.

Having signed a lucrative three- year extension with the Rockies after the 2017 season, McGee posted a 5.54 ERA in 106 appearances the next two years. He had given up more hits than strikeouts. His ERA+ was 89 ( 100 is considered average). Still owing the majority of his prorated $ 3.5- million salary for 2020, the Rockies decided to release him anyway, a week before opening day.

However, the Dodgers still saw potential in the 6foot- 4 fastball specialist. After signing McGee to a lowrisk, one- year deal, the team helped him revamp his delivery to maximize the natural movement and speed on his four- seamer. The results were impressive.

Despite relying almost exclusively on the one pitch — of his 332 pitches, 320 were fastballs — McGee recorded a career- best 34.4% swingand- miss rate and matched Kenley Jansen for most strikeouts by a Dodgers reliever in the regular season, 33. He walked three batters and gave up just two home runs. His 94.9- mph average velocity was his highest since 2017.

In the playoffs, McGee didn’t pitch until the National League Championship Series, giving up a home run in the ninth inning of the team’s series- opening loss to the Atlanta Braves. McGee appeared three more times after that — all with the Dodgers trailing late in games — and posted two scoreless innings.

The Dodgers paid a 60game prorated portion of the major league minimum of $ 563,500 for McGee last season, with the Rockies on the hook for the rest. McGee would cost more than that next year, but they could resign him to help compensate for the loss of left- hander Caleb Ferguson, who underwent reconstructive elbow surgery in September and probably will miss most, if not all, of next season. However, rookie Victor González became the Dodgers’ preferred left- hander out of the bullpen in the postseason, and sidearm left- hander Adam Kolarek also will be back after posting a 0.95 ERA.

The class of free- agent relief pitchers runs deep, so McGee and the team could go either way. But if this is the end, it was a mutually beneficial partnership: The Dodgers got productive innings on the cheap. McGee rebuilt his reputation.

And everyone walked away with rings.