Who will save the day for each MLB team?

Los Angeles Dodgers: Rich Hill

Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the world right now, and that’s probably not going to change any time soon. He’ll continue to be a Cy Young-caliber ace for the Los Angeles Dodgers. But for repeated success in 2018, they’re going to need another good year from veteran left-hander Rich Hill.

After bouncing around the league and suffering from multiple injuries his entire career, Hill reinvented himself and had a resurgent 2016 season. The soft-tosser started that year with the Oakland Athletics, going 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA. He was then traded to the Dodgers in an effort to make a postseason run. With LA, he went 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts.

He didn’t slow down in 2017, either. The Dodgers got the most from the 38-year-old, as he went 12-8 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.091 WHIP over 135 2/3 innings pitched. For his 13-year career, 2017 was only the third time he eclipsed 100 innings in a season.

The Dodgers’ core hitters are among the best in the league, so they have no worries there. But after Clayton Kershaw, their rotation is a something of a wild card. Alex Wood had a fantastic season, but he still needs to prove he can repeat those numbers. Kenta Maeda has plenty of potential, but he’s been too inconsistent since he entered the league.

If LA gets another full, effective season from Rich, they could very well end up back in the World Series again this year.