Welcome to the Blue, Joe Wieland!

Along with Yasmani Grandal (I'll have a fantasy card for him up soon) the Dodgers received starting pitching prospect Joe Wieland in the trade for Matt Kemp.  Per a Dodger Press Release:

Wieland, 24, has gone 35-22 with a 3.27 ERA in 95 games (86 starts) in seven minor league seasons in the Rangers and Padres organizations from 2008-14. As a minor leaguer, he posted a 5.16 strikeout-to-walk ratio and averaged nearly a strikeout per inning, with 444 Ks and only 86 walks in 476.2 innings. He made his Major League debut at Dodger Stadium as a member of the Padres on April 14, 2012 and has gone 1-4 with a 5.31 ERA in nine big league games (seven starts) in 2012 and 2014. He missed the second half of the 2012 season and all of the 2013 campaign due to Tommy John surgery.

Wieland, pronounced WEE-lend, was acquired by San Diego along with Robbie Erlin in exchange for Mike Adams at the trade deadline in 2011, his best professional season. He was selected as a Single-A Carolina League mid-season All-Star and a Double-A Texas League post-season All-Star that year after going a combined 13-4 with a 1.97 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) with Double-A Frisco, Double-A San Antonio and Single-A Myrtle Beach. The Reno, NV, native was originally selected by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.

Known as a pitcher with fantastic control, he throws from a three quarters angle and an easily repeatable delivery.  Wieland has a two seam and four seam fastball, a curveball and a changeup. His heater is clocked in the low 90's. 

Weiland made his Major League debut in 2012 against the Dodgers on April 14th.  Unfortunately for him, he got hit hard.  Ironically, the man he was traded for, Matt Kemp, hit two home runs off him.  Andre Either hit one, as well.  Over five innings pitched he gave up six earned runs on six hits.

Then, after his fifth start that season he experienced arm problems that soon lead to Tommy John surgery, and it's been a hard road ever since.  After missing the entire 2013 season, Wieland had arthroscopic surgery on his pitching elbow in early 2014, and finally made a return to the mound in San Diego later that year. 

Like many of the pitchers the Dodgers have recently added to their roster, Joe Wieland is a risk, but based on recent reports, he might be a risk worth taking.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA:

Three years ago, Wieland was rated the Padres' No. 7 prospect by Baseball America, who also said he had the best control of any pitcher in the system.

Wieland has walked a miniscule 4.4 percent of hitters in his minor league career, and in his brief time in the majors has walked 8.1 percent of hitters (7.0 percent without counting intentional walks), roughly matching the National League average of 7.8 percent from 2012-2014.

It is likely that he begins 2015 in AAA, and depending on how he performs starting out, will probably be the first call-up when a starter is needed.

In celebration of Wieland's arrival to the Dodgers I made the above fantasy card for him.  I used a photograph grabbed from a photo from Zimbio (Rich Pilling/Getty Images North America) and the 1959 Topps Baseball card design.

Below are the career stats for Joe Wieland, via Baseball-Reference:

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *