Sep 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Jack Dreyer (86) delivers during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers Young Pitcher Named Best Reliever to Debut in 2025

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Aaron Coloma | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 12:30 PM ET

MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince named Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Jack Dreyer as the best reliever to make his debut in the 2025 season.

Dreyer made the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, and immediately began seeing games from the Dodgers' bullpen. A benefactor of the Dodgers' early season pitching crisis, Dreyer saw plenty of games and had a 2.97 ERA through May.

"Really, an impossible choice, because there are always young relievers with sick stuff who come up and dazzle from their debuts onward," wrote Castrovince. "This season has no shortage. If we put in a limit of at least 40 innings pitched, then the Cardinals’ Matt Svanson, White Sox’s Mike Vasil, Blue Jays’ Braydon Fisher, Padres’ David Morgan, Marlins’ Cade Gibson, Rays’ Ian Seymour and Rockies’ Juan Mejia all have strong cases, with adjusted ERA+ marks well above the league average.

"The 26-year-old Dreyer, though, is worthy of this particular brand of love because of the large workload (72 1/3 innings) and reliable relief work (1.05 WHIP, 2.86 ERA) he’s provided for a first-place Dodgers team that has a behemoth roster but has often been scrambling in the bullpen. Dreyer has a calmness that belies his inexperience."

The young left-hander has even been a bright spot during the Dodgers' recent struggles in the bullpen, as he has a 2.25 ERA in September.

The Dodgers signed Dreyer to a minor league contract after he went undrafted, and he shot up the Dodgers' organization. He moved straight to High-A in 2023 after 12 games in the Arizona Complex league in 2022, and moved up to Triple-A from Double-A after just nine games with Tulsa, during which he didn't allow an earned run in 14.2 innings.

With Triple-A Oklahoma City last season, he posted a 2.95 ERA through 42.2 innings.

The Dodgers are well on their way to a fourth consecutive NL West title, and will look to defend their World Series title come October. Dreyer will definitely be a part of the Dodgers' plans for the future, and will inevitably play a big role once the postseason begins.

Before the postseason, however, the Dodgers will look to gain some momentum for the Wild Card round, as they have two series to play before the end of the regular season. Their penultimate series of the season comes against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road starting Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. PT.