For a sportswriter only performing a walk-by check-in with right-handed pitcher Michael Grove, the conversation is quick.
“Not sure yet.” … “Hope so.” … “Good. Real good.”
The questions?
Starter or bullpen? Big leagues? Your arm?
That’s where our guy is as of today, his first Saturday in March in Glendale, Arizona where #78 is beginning his sixth professional spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. The Wheeling Park High graduate has appeared in 25 games during the past two major-league seasons for the Dodgers, and now, at the age of 27, he won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2026.
That makes this spring, and the 2024 season, pivotal in the young man’s career, and he’s scheduled to pitch against Colorado on Sunday afternoon at the Dodgers spring facility.
“That’s why I’ve been out here for about a month now getting in the best shape I’ve been in a long time,” the former Mountaineer explained. “And right now, I’m not 100 percent sure what this season is going to look like. We have a couple of guys who are behind right now, so I’ve been building up to throw five strong innings in case we need a fifth starter or a middle reliever.
“We may need a long guy of the pen, too, so it really depends on what role they need me to fill,” he said. “So, I’m just trying to make the team even though I don’t know how they could look right now, but we leave for Korea in about two weeks so we’re getting close to when those decisions are going to be made.”
That means his scheduled outing against the Rockies tomorrow afternoon is important to his status following his 2023 campaign when he appeared in 18 games, including 12 starts, and finished the year at 2-3 with a 6.13 ERA and a pair of stints on the IL (injured list).
“I spent the whole offseason in Florida getting ready for this, and I feel great. Physically, I’m in a great spot,” Grove said this week from spring training. “I’ve spent a lot of time perfecting my slider because that was a big pitch for me last year. I’ve also been working on a cutter so I can make that pitch a real weapon for me this season.
“My arm feels great,” he said. “My fastball has been working great for me this spring, too, but fastballs in the big leagues aren’t what they are in high school and college, that’s for sure. “
When Grove was graduated from Wheeling Park in 2015, his 90-plus fastball was all he needed to lead the Patriots to state tournament appearances his junior and senior years, and his velocity returned following “Tommy John” while at West Virginia. He was drafted by Los Angeles in the second round of the 2018 amateur draft, and he’s been climbing the game’s proverbial ladder ever since.
“These guys up here in the big leagues go to batting practice and turn up the machine to 98 (mph), so no one on this level is scared of velocity, that’s for sure. That’s why a guy like me better have other pitches, and that’s why my off-speed pitches have to be my bread and butter,” he explained. “I’m throwing mainly my four-seam fastball, but I use the two-seamer, too, when I want to get some weak contact for a ground ball.
“It’s all about who’s at the plate,” Grove admitted. “It’s about what beats them.”
Eyes Wide Open
“Kersh.”
Another one-word answer. But it’s the best possible answer any fan could hope to hear after the Dodgers registered 100-62 regular season record and qualified for the postseason for an eleventh constructive year. The Dodgers scored more than 900 runs for only the sixth time in franchise history, but were swept by Arizona in the first round of MLB’s postseason.
All the while, a 6-4 southpaw named Clayton Kershaw was 13-5 with a 2.64 ERA after struggling with a left shoulder injury that led him to offseason surgery in November. At 36, he’s back in camp hoping to hurl a 17th year.
“When I have questions, I go to ‘Kersh’ a lot since he’s been through it all in his career and he’s always been great even when not 100 percent,” Grove explained. “Uh, I mean, I go to Kershaw a lot. And he’s awesome and willing to talk about whatever. I mean, we don’t get too much into the weeds, but if I need advice on a direction, I talk to him and he’s always there.
“’Kersh’ has that rack record, ya know, and he helps in other ways, too,” he said. “There are times when you have that extra day off between starts and you might just want to take it easy. Maybe play catch and call it a day, ya know? But then you walk by the weight room and there’s Clayton Kershaw in a full sweat and putting in a full day. That let’s ya know how you get to where he is, that’s for sure.”
Grove has learned a litany of lessons as a pro, many of which have involved information he had no idea even existed in the game. He’s just always known in his mind and deep in his heart that he wanted to pitch in big leagues.
“Back in high school and college, all I knew was that I threw hard and had a pretty good slider. That was it. I knew the strike zone and how to hit it,” he said. “So, yeah, I’ve learned a lot about pitching; about why certain pitches are good and some aren’t in certain situations, and things like that.
“Being around guys like ‘Kersh’ and the others in this clubhouse, plus the coaches, you can’t help but learn from them,” Grove insisted. “It’s been eye-opening to me. It’s been pretty cool.”
A Surrounding Circus
One more one word.
Ohtani.
As in $700 million over 20 years. As in three-time MVP. As in No. 1 starter and No. 1 home run hitter.
As in baseball’s astonishing anomaly.
Although the 6-4, 210-pound right-hander won’t pitch this year following offseason elbow reconstruction, Japan’s Shohei Ohtani landed the largest contract in professional sports history in December. With the majority of the guaranteed compensation is deferred, too, so that allows for Dodgers ownership to employ a “win now” mindset.
“He’s the best I’ve seen, especially as a hitter, and that says a lot,” Grove said. “His presence makes spring training pretty crazy because of the amount of media that everywhere you look. You know if he’s getting close to you.
“There are TV cameras everywhere, too. There’s like 15 of them in the bullpen alone, and that’s not something I’ve ever seen,” he smirked. “He makes the media crazy for sure.”
But that’s OK. He’ll take crazy. Grove will take all of everything involved with the 162-game schedule against the greatest ball players in the world if it means he’s performing in The Show.
“I do think I am living my dream come true now,” Grove insisted. “I mean, you know, I’ve gotten to this point, and I think I can be really happy with that because most kids dream of being in the big leagues and here I am. Sure, contracts are the icing on top of that, but just to be in the position I’m at with a chance to make a team is exactly where I need to be.
“I have the chance to keep playing at a high level, (and) I think that’s pretty cool.”
