Take one look at the Dodgers’ pitching staff and you’ll see plenty of guys with postseason experience. Clayton Kershaw has more than 190 playoff innings under his belt. Blake Snell helped pitch a team to the World Series. Blake Treinen’s been in two World Series-winning bullpens. Heck, even Yoshinobu Yamamoto experienced 18 2/3 postseason innings last year on the Dodgers’ quest to win a World Series title.

But according to one former MLB general manager writing for The Athletic (subscription required), their X-factor this postseason could be Jack Dreyer, a relief pitcher who is in his first major league season.

Underrated bullpen stalwart Jack Dreyer tabbed as Dodgers’ postseason X-factor

While Dreyer’s in his rookie year, he’s emerged as a shutdown arm in a bullpen that’s had plenty of moving parts. The 26-year-old Dreyer has posted a sparkling 3.03 ERA in 62 1/3 innings this year while getting work as both a multi-inning longman and single-inning option.

He’s recorded nine holds and two saves, and ranks in the top percentiles in expected batting average and expected slugging. Those factors helped him earn a spot on Jim Bowden’s list of underrated players on a postseason contenders

“The Dodgers have had to withstand a slew of injuries in the bullpen and still have numerous relievers on the shelf, including Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, Brock Stewart, Michael Grove and Brusdar Graterol. (Scott and Yates should return soon.) Somehow, they are still in first place. Dreyer, 26, has been crucial for the makeshift pen as it has tried to weather the injuries. He has posted a 3.03 ERA over 52 games. He ranks in the 97th percentile in xERA and in 94th percentile in barrel rate. Batters are hitting .189 against his four-seamer and .214 against his slider,” Bowden wrote.

Last winter, the Dodgers made the decision to protect Dreyer in the Rule 5 Draft, which is a move that’s looking better and better by the day. While he may not have the prospect pedigree of some of the other arms in the Dodgers’ bullpen, he’s arguably been the best one, and would be the top option if Dave Roberts needed to go to a reliever in the middle innings of a postseason game.

Bowden also spoke to general manager Brandon Gomes, who said the following: “Dreyer has done everything, from being an opener to closing out games for us. He shows the professionalism of a longtime veteran in just his first year in the big leagues.”

If the Dodgers’ bullpen is at full strength, then chances are there will only be one spot for the swingman-type pitchers like Dreyer, Ben Casparius and Justin Wrobleski, and Dreyer has the inside track for that spot.

He’s worked in a variety of roles for the Dodgers this year and, up until his blow up outing against the Rockies on Thursday, hadn’t allowed multiple runs in an outing since the middle of June.

The Dodgers won a World Series last year thanks to an unconventional pitching strategy, and Dreyer could help contribute to that in 2025 due to his ability to pitch in a variety of roles and get batters out regardless of the situation.