Auburn Baseball’s Where are They Now? Grant Dayton, Los Angeles Dodgers

Here we take a look at the path of former Auburn baseball player Grant Dayton, and the path he has taken following his time on the Plains.

With the retirement of David Ross from the Chicago Cubs after winning the 2016 World Series, Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Grant Dayton is the only major leaguer who played for Auburn baseball aside All-Star Josh Donaldson.

A left-handed pitcher, Dayton played at Auburn from 2008 to 2010, and he graduated in 2011 with an industrial and systems engineering degree. In his last season at Auburn, Dayton went 8-3 with 4.36 ERA. He was 7-2 as a freshman with a 3.89 ERA and was the ace of the staff, recording 12 strikeouts against Mississippi State in one game.

Dayton was drafted in the 11th round by the Miami Marlins in 2010, and he spent five years in their organization, rising to AAA with the New Orleans Zephyrs before the Dodgers acquired him in 2015.

He converted to relieving in the minors, starting in just six games out of 265 minor league appearances. But he consistently threw strikes, with 504 strikeouts in 394 minor league innings and an overall minor league ERA of 2.79. These numbers make you question why it took a major league team almost six full minor league seasons to recognize his talent. Left-handed relievers, after all, are a prized commodity on every roster.

Dayton, a Huntsville native, made his major league debut on July 22, 2016, with the Dodgers, and he remained a key middle reliever for the team for the rest of the season, recording 39 strikeouts in 26.1 innings and an ERA of 2.05. He also pitched for the Dodgers in the National League playoffs.

This year, Dayton is being touted as a breakthrough middle reliever. The Steamer projection system sees him as a reliever worth 1.5 WAR in 2017, making him one of only 10 relievers projected to reach that mark.

With a fastball that averages 92 MPH and tops out at 95 MPH, Dayton allowed major league batters to hit just .196 on balls in play, and only three pitchers who threw at least 20 innings last year had a lower batting average on balls in play.

Kenley Jansen is ensconced in the closer role for the Dodgers, but Dayton’s strong rookie season has him now projected to set up Jansen with strong performances in the seventh and eighth innings. He’s expected to be called on to get key outs against right-handed batters.

Next: All-Time Auburn Baseball Rotation

Dayton is unlikely to keep up his phenomenal 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings that he recorded in his first year. But as long as he keeps getting outs, his major league career should last.