The Los Angeles Dodgers just pulled off a trade for right-handed reliever Seth Halvorsen last week, and if you haven’t been paying attention, you need to start right now. In just two appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City, the guy is already turning heads and throwing absolute gas after joining the organization on July 21.
Triple-A Flame Thrower Is Showing Up Big Time
Halvorsen wasted no time proving his worth, hitting the mound for the Comets just two days after the trade. His first outing was pure efficiency, getting three quick outs on just 11 pitches in what had to be a nail-biter of a game. Then on Sunday, he was back out there, entering the fray with a three-run lead and absolutely dominating, snagging four outs including his first strikeout for the team. Look, Oklahoma City might have dropped that game, but you can’t look past the sheer positives pouring out of Halvorsen’s performance.
The dude is dealing in a major way. He’s mixing his four-seamer, slider, and splitter like a pro, and every single one of those pitches showed a serious, undeniable jump in velocity. His four-seamer was screaming, averaging a blistering 100.2 mph! And get this: both his slider and splitter were clocking in more than two mph faster than his *yearly* average. This isn’t some fluke. Halvorsen has been an absolute beast in the Pacific Coast League all season long, rocking a ridiculous 1.80 ERA across 18 Triple-A appearances. That’s just plain impressive, especially when you consider how brutal those PCL pitching conditions can be for arms.
From Rockies Struggles To Dodgers Hope
What truly makes this sudden turnaround wild is how Halvorsen’s big league career started earlier this year. Before that trade to Los Angeles, he tossed in 21 games for the Colorado Rockies. And let’s be brutally honest, those major league outings didn’t exactly scream ‘future shutdown reliever.’ He was stuck with a pretty rough 4.74 ERA through 19 innings, and he clearly struggled with command. We’re talking a whopping 15 walks and a painful 15.6% walk rate, which honestly put him among the worst in the entire league for control. You just can’t get away with that.
But here’s the kicker: the Dodgers might have actually found the magic fix, or at least they’re seeing a completely different pitcher. In his 37 pitches across those two outings with Oklahoma City, he’s only thrown 12 balls and, unbelievably, walked just one batter. That’s not just an improvement; that’s a total transformation in control. And let’s be crystal clear: the Dodgers’ big league bullpen desperately needs this kind of help. On Sunday, their relievers coughed up seven unanswered runs, leading to a brutal, gut-punch loss in the series finale against the New York Mets. It was a complete meltdown, and it highlights just how much a guy like a *fixed* Halvorsen could mean for them.
So, if Seth Halvorsen keeps this absolute fire going, keeps showcasing that triple-digit heat and this incredible newfound command, you gotta be wondering how long it will actually be before he’s making the jump and rocking that iconic Dodger blue in the big leagues. With their bullpen looking like *that* on Sunday, a guy who suddenly fixed his biggest issue and throws 100 MPH could be exactly what they need to call up before this season even thinks about wrapping up. Keep an eye on this kid, seriously.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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