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PHOENIX –– When Joe Ryan was withdrawn from Team USA’s lineup for the World Baseball Classic’s group stage last week, a Dodgers player cast a curious glance at Tyler Glasnow’s locker at Camelback Ranch and pondered aloud:
Why wasn’t the Dodgers’ All-Star right-hander chosen as a replacement?
The reason: Glasnow had other commitments this spring.
Late in the previous season, Glasnow achieved a level of comfort that had eluded him during his initial two years with the Dodgers, a period marred by injuries and erratic performances that hampered his adjustment to the team.
Primarily, he enjoyed good health, overcoming an early-season shoulder problem (in addition to the elbow injury that prematurely ended his 2024 season) to pitch smoothly through the latter half of the year without major interruptions.
But more importantly, he was convinced in his mechanics; embracing delivery tweaks that pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness suggested ahead of the postseason, en route to what became a dominant October performance.
In six playoff outings, Glasnow did it all for the Dodgers, posting a 1.69 ERA that (among teammates with more than five postseason innings) was bested only by Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
The team went 3-0 in his three starts, highlighted by his scoreless six-inning gem in their National League Division Series clincher against the Philadelphia Phillies. Three other times, he pitched in relief, including a first-career save in Game 6 of the World Series and 2 ⅓ crucial innings in Game 7 the following night.
By the end of the team’s title run, the 32-year-old was described by manager Dave Roberts as the player who “grew as much as anyone” over the course of the season.
And going into the winter, Glasnow felt he’d finally formed a stable foundation –– one he saw a chance to build upon entering 2026.
“I’ve been in such a good spot since last year,” he said this spring. “It feels natural to me now, to where I’m not thinking about it. I’m just pitching.”
Thus, as he told the California Post recently, Glasnow expressed to Team USA officials early in the WBC selection process that his preference this spring was to stay in Dodgers camp.
He wanted to build on the progress he made at the end of last year. And he wanted to lean into the trust he had built with the team.
“I have so much trust in them, to where I don’t feel like I have to do everything on my own,” Glasnow said. “Now, it’s just like, ‘What do you guys got?’ And then I go out and just do whatever they tell me. It’s not as much tinkering. I can rely on them.”
Tinkering, of course, has long been one of Glasnow’s biggest internal impediments.
The 10-year veteran is a notorious “overthinker” and self-described “perfectionist.” His lanky 6-foot-8 frame gives his delivery many moving pieces. And a long history of injuries has often forced him to seek health-conscious adjustments.
That meant, when Glasnow first arrived on his $136.5 million contract three offseasons ago, he and the Dodgers’ coaches needed time to acquaint themselves.
“I think it’s taken us a couple years to kind of understand the nuances of his delivery, and really matching his feel versus the output (of what he’s doing),” Prior said. “With a lot of guys, we’re trying to get things narrowed down to one or two things that we can really hit somebody between the eyes with. But I joke with him, like, ‘Hey man, you got 50.’”
That’s why, near the end of last year, Prior and McGuiness tried to hone in on a few specific tweaks. They adjusted the alignment of Glasnow’s feet and hips. They crafted a mental cue with how his glove arm leads his body through his throwing motion. They tried to simplify the sequence of his release to the plate.
Now, Glasnow said his throw feels more consistent than it has at any point in the previous four years.
“It has just allowed me to go out and pitch and be athletic,” he said. “It’s not like you’re thinking of something and trying to limit where my body’s going or this or that.”
It helps, Glasnow noted, that this is the first time he has pitched under a long-term contract, with his Dodgers deal still containing two years (plus a team option for another).
“Having a contract and knowing you’ll be somewhere for quite a while, maybe allows you to trust a bit more,” he said.
But mainly, his faith comes from recognizing that he is surrounded by “really good staff members.”
“I will run whatever they tell me through the gauntlet of a lot of questions,” he said. “And when you get to understand everyone is telling you something for a reason, and it’s really thought through and not just words, it really means something. It’s easier for me to decide, ‘Alright, I trust you.’”
Prior gave much of that credit back to Glasnow, noting how he has learned to give himself more grace as he goes through starts.
“Those guys don’t want to face him,” Prior said. “So he’s got room for error, where a lot of pitchers don’t, even when he’s not dialed in.”
This spring, however, Glasnow has looked dialed in more often than not.
His changes from last year have been further cemented. His confidence from the playoffs has given him a new edge. When things do feel off, he waits for a bullpen session, when Prior or McGuiness can identify a fix. And after a long acclimation period with the Dodgers, he seemed primed for maybe his best season yet.
“I think now, for the first time, I’m allowing everyone else to just be like, ‘What do you got?’” Glasnow said. “Everything is so buttoned up here. It’s nice to know a bunch of people have your back.”