2024 has been a good year for Randy Dobnak. He had a second consecutive season of being fully healthy, a long-anticipated return to the big leagues over 1,000 days after his most recent appearance, and the first season he pitched with his daughter, River, watching him in the stands for each outing on the mound.
While he had a lot to smile about, perhaps it was no bigger when he exited the Saints clubhouse after every night he pitched. He wore a button-up shirt and sported his ‘Support Your Local Girl Dad’ hat as he met with his wife, Aerial, and River. He said Aerial and River always brought him joy, no matter the results on the mound.
“Dobnak’s been great,” said Saints manager Toby Gardenhire on his 2024 season. “I thought he threw the ball well this year as he had these last couple years, and he got up to the big leagues again, which he totally deserved. He had a tough outing today, but it happens.”
“I think it’s just a nice moment this season,” said Saints pitching coach Pete Larson on Dobnak’s return to the majors. “I’m happy for him, and I truly look at it like someone’s first time because it’s been so long and everything he worked through to get back.”
Dobnak will look back on his final outing in St. Paul on Sept. 21 when deciding what he wants to work on this off-season. In the first inning, Dobnak walked two of the first three batters. He allowed three consecutive hits, including a three-run to Jake Lamb, which put the Saints behind 5-0 before they came to bat.
“I fell behind guys,” Dobnak said after his last start with the Saints. “I don’t know if that was actually a home run, the wind was blowing out a little bit, but it was all part of it. That was about it, really.”
By his admission, falling behind hitters has been Dobnak’s biggest weakness on the mound this season. While his strikeout totals jumped from a season ago, having 115 Ks in 126 ⅓ innings in 2023 compared to 141 Ks in 143 innings between the Saints and Minnesota Twins this season, as his strikeouts went up, so did his walks.
Dobnak had 61 walks last season in St. Paul, but 2024 saw his walks increase to 68. However, with the increase in walks came a decrease in hits, which helped bring his WHIP at Triple-A down from 1.65 in 2023 to 1.44 in 2024. Things went in the right direction in that Dobnak allowed fewer hits and got more swings-and-misses on his pitches. Still, his priority for improvement this off-season will be with his command.
“I think I get a lot more swing and miss now,” Dobnak said. “That’s a good thing to work on going into next year. If I can get an increase in velo while keeping the swing and miss pitches, getting more control of the pitches I change week in and week out. Just throwing more strikes earlier, having better command overall will improve a lot of things.”
Fortunately for Dobnak, that outing with the Saints, in which he threw only four innings and allowed six hits, four walks, and seven earned runs, wouldn’t be his last of the season. The Twins gave him one last call-up for the year for their final game of the season on September 28.
The Twins brought Dobnak out of the bullpen to finish off the last two innings of the game. He allowed another home run to Heston Kjerstad in the eighth. However, Kjerstad was the only one of two base runners to reach against him, giving him a much better last outing to end the year on.
As Dobnak enters the off-season, a focus on improving his command and getting an uptick in velocity, he’ll still find time to unwind at the family’s home in Falling Waters, W.V. He’s most looking forward to spending more time with his daughter and seeing her grow.
“It’s going to be crazy because when we left for Spring Training, she was still a blob, and now she’s crawling and wants to walk a lot, so I’m going to be chasing her around the house pretty much all the time,” said Dobnak. “She should be walking by [next] Spring Training. It’ll be a little more chaotic, but we’re looking forward to the off-season so we can settle down for a few weeks, maybe a month, then get right back into it.”
