A former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher, who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This under the radar signing may turn out to be great for both the player and the Dodgers. The soon to be 26 year old is one step away from making his MLB debut and Los Angeles may be the organization that helps him achieve this.

In 2023 the Milwaukee Brewers traded their former fifth round pick in exchange for Mark Canha

Right-handed starting pitcher Justin Jarvis was enjoying a terrific 2023 season, but was then traded by the Brewers to the New York Mets in exchange for Mark Canha.  He began that year in Double-A Biloxi and had earned a promotion to Triple-A after his first 14 starts of the year resulted in a 3.31 ERA and 91 strike outs across 75.2 innings pitched.

Justin Jarvis has struggled with the jump from Double-A to Triple-A in two different organizations

When promoted to Triple-A in 2023 with the Brewers, Justin Jarvis struggled to the tune of an 8.04 ERA across nine starts. In 2024 he similarly struggled with the same jump, but in the New York Mets farm system.

Last year he had a 2.90 ERA across 40.1 innings pitched in Double-A, but had a 5.98 ERA in 46.2 innings pitched in Triple-A. A season ago he operated both out of the bullpen and as a starting pitcher.

What problems do the Los Angeles Dodgers have to solve in order to help Justin Jarvis make a successful jump to Triple-A and eventually the big leagues? 

Each year that Justin Jarvis has pitched in Triple-A he has seen his walk rate significantly increase. In 2023 his walk rate rose from 13% in Double-A to 19% in Triple-A and last year it went from 4% to 10%.

His fastball has never been the issue as he spins it well and keeps it in the zone, but the ability to find and command a secondary pitch is where further development is needed. If the Dodgers can help him tune up one off-speed pitch that he can throw reliably for strikes his game may reach another level.