The designated hitter is likely coming to the National League in 2020. And while many lifelong NL fans will have strong feelings against the change, Dodgers fans may be most amenable to the switch, knowing how strongly their club is positioned to take advantage of the rule change.
Among the 18 non-pitchers who took at least 50 plate appearances with the Dodgers last season, a whopping 13 of them were better than the league average in terms of wRC+. That doesn’t even include projected second baseman Gavin Lux, who is widely regarded as the game’s No. 2 overall prospect due largely to his upside at the plate (.392/.478/.719 in 232 Triple-A plate appearances last year). It seems safe to expect him to join that group of above-average bats.
It’s true that the Dodgers lost three of those above-average hitters — David Freese retired, Alex Verdugo and Kyle Garlick were traded — but L.A. also added one of the best hitters on the planet in Mookie Betts. He’ll pair with Cody Bellinger and some type of platoon between Joc Pederson, A.J. Pollock and Chris Taylor in the outfield.
That’s only part of the Dodgers’ outfield depth, of course, and the infield is similarly stacked with talent and much better-than-average bench pieces. The arrival of Lux at second base likely pushes Max Muncy to first base, leaving Corey Seager and Justin Turner to continue suiting up on the left side of the diamond. Will Smith has the makings of a very good hitter behind the plate, as well.
That’s an extremely deep starting lineup as is, but the Dodgers could field nearly an entire second starting infield with their bench options. Taylor, already mentioned, hasn’t quite replicated his huge debut season in L.A., but his .257/.332/.451 slash over the past two seasons is strong. First baseman/left fielder Matt Beaty was a roughly league-average hitter in 268 PAs last year, and fellow corner option Edwin Rios would be in the mix to start at third base for some clubs after posting a 112 wRC+ in Triple-A last year and hitting .277/.393/.617 in 56 big league plate appearances. Enrique Hernandez had a down season but is only a year removed from hitting .256/.336/.470.
Beaty and Rios give manager Dave Roberts a pair of lefty-swinging bats to work into the mix at first base (either player), third base (Rios) and in left field (Beaty). Hernandez and Taylor can both play shortstop, second base or any outfield slot. No matter who needs a breather at DH on a given day or what hand the opposing starter throws with, Roberts has versatile option with quality offensive track records. The Dodgers also got a nice showing from outfielder DJ Peters in Triple-A last year and reacquired first baseman/outfielder Luke Raley from the Twins this winter on the heels of a 122 wRC+ in Triple-A. Don’t worry — platoon options abound there as well; Peters hits right-handed to Raley’s left-handed bat.
As it already stood, the Dodgers could’ve rolled out a lineup featuring Betts, Bellinger, Pederson/Pollock, Turner, Seager, Lux, Muncy and Smith on any given day. Now, it seems they’ll be able to rotate any of those regulars through the DH position while replacing him in the field with a versatile piece in a favorable platoon matchup. And on days when that projected lineup is out there, virtually any bench bat at Roberts’ disposal should be equipped to deliver well above-average offense — particularly given the ability to tweak based on matchups.
The Dodgers led the NL with a 111 wRC+ last year, and with a deep stable of balanced bats who have versatile gloves, they should excel in 2020 without even needing to think about another addition for the new DH spot.
I feel like giving most of the DH ABs to Pollock n Turner would be best
I like it, keep them fresh
Actually, Pollock SHOULD be given The Door, but that would be more crow than Friedman could swallow without choking. Come on Andrew, hold a midseason fire sale on only one player: Pollack…..uh….and Kelley. They came a set of white elephant bookends, they should go the same way.
Shows how much you know, he posted an 850+ OPS in every month after he got healthy last year
But let me guess, you want to base it on 11 postseason at bats?!
Not a bad thing to go off, Dodgers season doesn’t start till October.
Apparently you didn’t follow the Dodgers very closely last year. Since after he recovered from his surgery he lead the team on almost every offensive category. Yup you should definitely get rid of your team’s 2nd half MVP. Makes perfect sense.
In this time of slow news, you guys should do a write up on teams and players that most and least benefit from the DH. ex: Dominic Smith, Avi Garcia, Ryan Zimmerman, Hunter Pence and Wil Myers gain a lot of AB. Pirates and Rockies least equipped for the DH.
Pirates would DH Josh Bell, one of the game’s exciting young hitters who can’t field a lick. They would put Ke’Bryan Hayes, a Top 50 prospect at 3b and move Colin Moran over to first base, improving the overall infield defense!
Far from being ‘ill equipped’.
That being said, I hate DH baseball. I can only watch NL games. My baseball watching may be over?
So you only want to watch games where NL pitchers go up to the plate and embarrass themselves 2+ times per game? A DH sounds a lot more exciting to me (from an NL fan).
Yes, I do like watching a pitcher try to hit. It makes his success that much more exciting. Why people get so passionate about other people’s dislike for the DH is mindboggling. How dare somebody love baseball the way it’s supposed to be played? How can you not fall in love with the manipulation of putting more people in the seats because offense sells and pitching flails? How can you not see the beauty of a big bulking man who does nothing but try to hit homers sitting in the middle of a lineup with nothing else to do all game long?
I’m fine with people liking no-DH baseball better, but to the extreme that they “can only watch NL games” because of no DH? That’s just ignorant and dumb.
Wouldn’t you prefer little league games over MLB games then if you enjoy less talented people succeeding?
Way baseball is suppose to be played….
Baseball was originally only played by white men. Black people had to start their own league.
Catchers originally never wore gloves or gear. Nobody wore batting helmets.
Nobody used analytics or computers or stats. Defensive shifts? Never a thing until recently due to analytics.
So by your logic we should
only let white people play
strip catchers of gear and glove
ban defensive shifts
undo shrinking the strike zone
we started with 9 balls to be a walk
Fouls and foul bunts aren’t strikes
Pitchers can use the spitball again
Players can slide and take out other players again
Get rid of the mound. Pitcher box
Batters can ask for high or low pitches again
Cause that’s how baseball was meant to be played.
Woah that escalated quickly. Just because someone likes a traditional rule doesn’t mean they like every single rule. I’m not sure if you know that?
Baseball changes, Rules change.
AL adopted the DH in 1970. NL teams began implementing the DH back in 1997 when inter-league play was introduced.
So adopting the NL DH changes how the game was meant to be played, but inter-league play where NL teams use a DH when visiting AL ballparks doesn’t change the way the game was meant to be played?
People who object to the NL DH don’t really have an argument since NL and AL teams regularly play each other now a days. It’s already changed how baseball was meant to be played.
Sure they do….they like it better.. thats the argument…its pretty cut and dry
Bigger question is- Why would someone tell them they dont have an argument to begin with?
Are you going to tell me next what Ice cream I have to buy next time Im at the store too?
Why do people get so passionate about other people’s dislike watching pitchers continue to strike out is mindboggling? How can you not see the beauty of a player at bat being totally mismatched at the plate doing something that is not his job on the team? How can you not see the beauty in watching a starting pitcher pitching a masterpiece get pulled in the 6th inning because the game is zero zero?
Those questions go both ways, marijuasher.
So they’ll watch inter league games where their team uses a DH and be ok with it.
But their team using a DH all the time that changes how the game is suppose to be and they won’t watch?
Uh huh. That’s very hypocritical and has no logical basis. Either you want a DH or you don’t want a DH. Not, well only DH sometimes….
If any point you watched your NL team using a DH during interleague play and we’re fine with it you have no argument plain and simple.
Huh? Little Leaguers can’t field. Which makes it up your alley.
I appreciate baseball. You’re the one who insists that I can’t possibly do that. Despite the 100 years of the sport.
And now I’m a racist. Sweet site!
“Those questions go both ways, marijuasher.”
No, they don’t go both ways.
Since you’re a hockey man, you obviously don’t know that the DH was invented in the ’70s. It was to attract losers like you who don’t like the sport the way it was devised.
The beauty of baseball is that a player plays both sides of the field. Too much?
Do I care if baseball bores you? No. But you seem to care that other people find the DH as a cheap gimmick. Why so attached, guy?
I simply stated the DH sucks to me and others. Not to all. And you don’t have to necessarily agree. But questions written in snarky fashion pointing out the weaknesses of your argument should not be an Earth shattering experience.
The responses here speak quite honestly about the Internet and the losers it creates. Mazrel tov, guys. Best of luck getting through life when you need to.
The DH will always be a manipulative tool to keep your short attention spans snappy. At least in the AL.
Marijuasher, I have been a baseball fan since 1965. Yes, those questions go both ways. I am a loser since I do not agree with you.. Who died and made you God? I posed my “snarky” questions to match you condescending question in your first post. There are two sides to every issue. Just because I don’t agree with you does not make me less of a baseball fan than you. Stooping to name calling shows that you have growing up to do. Perhaps you will mature soon and be able to respond properly to those who do not agree with you rather than respond like a middle school child. Have a good day.
Hayes already got cut in spring training so Pitt probably doesn’t view him as an option yet. If Erik Gonzalez or JT Riddle is inserted into the lineup (Bell going to DH, Moran to 1B) that categorizes as one of the worst NL upgrades for this season.
He was sent down before they knew there would be an easy way to get him everyday ABs. He could very well be called up now.
Seriously doubt it with at least a couple rounds of cuts left before things shut down. He was an early camp cut.
my guess os Osuna DHs. if they want to bring up Hayes though i can see your idea working
Or call-up Will Craig. Craig might not bee that great of a batter, but he’s a better fielder than Moran and could probably match Moran’s offensive output, although that’s not saying much.
Pirates and Rockies are loaded with negative defenders.
Here is an idea for the Cardinals as a DH. Matt Carpenter. It will help the Cardinals 2 ways. Get Edman abats and get Carpenter off the field and place Edman on the field, because Edman is a gold glove, compare to Carpenter.
The subject of the post is the Dodgers. It must be changed!
Cool your jets man. The article is about two subjects
The DH coming to the NL.
The dodgers
People discussing DH duties for other teams isn’t going to kill you.
This is literally the first sentence of the article:
The designated hitter is likely coming to the National League in 2020.
Jets already cool, man. I was responding to the comment that seemed to be saying that this article should not be about the Dodgers, even though it is.
What? Pirates and Rockies aren’t the least equipped.
Rockies would send Charlie Blackmon and his bat to DH and start Sam Hilliard in RF.
NL teams actually have quite a few options for DH duties. I don’t think any of the NL teams are least prepared.
The Marlins might qualify if only cause if they move Dickerson to DH they don’t really have much OF depth.
We will be breaking the single season home run record even with only half a season worth of games!
Because of 20 extra good ABs a night?
It was only 56 PAs, but I wasn’t aware that Rios’ triple slash was that impressive. With Turner’s somewhat declining defense, it seems likely that Beatty/Rios will DH when not giving Turner a day off in the field.
Turner at his age is still better than Rios defensively. Rios’s power is phenomenal, but he can barely play 1st let alone see any significant reps at 3rd at the ML level.
Rios is far far off from being a MLB hitter- Beaty would be a much better use of ABs
If given 600 abs Rios would have a Chris Davis slash line right now and it would be tough to watch overall ,or in other words it would be like watching Chris Davis all over
I was thinking more of Turner getting DH games, Muncy sliding to third, abd either Beatty or Rios at 1st. I was lind of vague on that. Neither Beatty or Rios rate well defensively at any position. Beatty had a great answer for what his favorite position is to play when asked by Alanna Rizzo…..the batter’s box.
When I heard about the DH my first thought was if David Freese might consider coming back for one more short season where he never has to play the field (assuming he felt comfortable safety wise). Hearing various interviews with current Dodgers, he seems like the most popular guy in the clubhouse and he showed he can still deliver in the clutch situations. I know the Dodgers dont necessarily need him, but I would be stoked to see him give it another go.
I’d love to have Freese back as a dodger fan
Still not going to win the World Series!
Mwahahaha!
Given that both of the teams to beat LA in the WS cheated, not sure why you’re still on your high horse. Speaks to how damn good they were….
Nothing on Blake Snell saying it isn’t worth it to come back and play for less than half the salary they were originally signed for? Wonder how many players feel that way.
Well Blake Snell can sit out the season then. He needs to remember that well over 30% of the league make the league minimum (or close to that) and there are quite a few players who just made it to the bigs and had been ‘living’ on minor league wages for years. Many players need to play in order to pay their bills, even if it’s at 1/2 salary, it will go a long way for them. The millionaires can all choose to sit out the season if need be. It would actually be fun to watch more young, hungry kids get a chance in MLB in this abnormal season should veterans decide to sit this one out. I just don’t want to see these guys sit out the regular season and then try to come back if their team is contending for the playoffs. That would be awful.
Maybe the problem isnt that Blake Snell is bad for not wanting to play, and its that the owners actively try to deflate player salaries
It’s a business. Owners clearly own mlb teams to make a profit. Not run a charity.
Imagine going to your boss and saying look I expect to be paid the same and work half the time. They’d laugh at you while you walk to the unemployment line.
Players aren’t playing 162 games this year. That’s a given. They should be given a salary proportional to what they were going to earn based on number of games they do play.
Life is good, now what about a championship… maybe?
LAD has become the organizational Crown Jewel of MLB. As a Giants fan it pains me to say that. But as a baseball fan, it is absolutely true. My fellow Giants fans and KNBR talking heads Buffoons will scream “They haven’t won anything….And we won 3 in 5 ” but that is just noise rooted in some silly belief in institutional success ( or failure ) . Institutional success has become a Farce in MLB.. Every year is different. Every roster is different. Past organizational success or failure means nothing with regards to current play on the field.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m very proud of what the Giants did. But it happened 6-10 years ago. Currently, the Giants are about to embark on their 4th consecutive losing , below .500 season. If we are going to wave the institutional flag , then the Giants, Institutionally have become a losing culture. Not a winning culture.
I watched Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans run a hugely successful franchise into the ground and bury it for the next 3-5 years because of a lack of foresight and or intelligence with player development / farm system, Antiquated Data/ RD / analytics and asinine contract extensions to mediocre players.
It got so bad, Giants Ownership had to put their tail between their legs and go to LA and get a Dodger executive to clean up their mess!
With ‘ postionless’ baseball Friedman has changed the game we watch on the field and Organizationally, Friedman has transformed how a MLB franchise is ran. A plethora of organizational depth and one of the lowest projected payroll commitments over the next 3 years. LAD is not only really good, They’re gonna be really good for a long time.
Zaidi is doing good work here. But it’s a slow build and he has a fan base that is stuck in a time warp of nostalgia of past glories with very little understanding of current baseball economics or what it takes to build a competitive financially sustainable franchise
Amazing to see a fan of the Giants post this-
I wouldnt say you guys Institutionally have become a losing cultur,. not a winning culture. You had to do a normal thing of paying the guys that helped you win those rings- More often times than not that leads to a little lag in-between runs…….
I think the Giants will be fine after next year when the books are wiped almost entirely clean- And yes Z is doing a great job so far
Too add I think you guys will go hard at Mookie….I think in the end it will be LAD and SF as the last 2 bidders
I have this weird feeling SF wins the bidding when all is said and done
The only way I see Mookie signing with the Giants is if they blow the Dodgers out of the water with money and years, like with what Philly did with Harper. The Giants are far off from competing for a WS championship, farther away than Philly. Their starting rotation is below average and there wouldn’t be anyone to protect Mookie in the line up. He’d be signing away his ability to play in the post season for the next several Falls and wouldn’t play in many meaningful games come August.
Given that he has played competitively for the majority of his career in Boston and will have a taste of talent & success again (eventually) in Dodger blue, I can’t see him being okay with playing in mediocrity for the first time. But who knows? It’s not my time or money.
In theory I agree but heres a guy who even said “Its all about the money” and he never made an effort to resign with Boston where he had Huge success –
I think its just about the money….and hell Sf is awesome if you have the money….. lot nicer place to live than LA and I live in LA
Sf has the need and long term money avail– They have usually been a top 10 payroll and I dont see that changing- I bet they go Big with Betts and at worst case push up the price for us significantly
I’d expect a virtual platoon of Pederson and Hernandez. Both of them have big issues hitting same-sided pitching. And when Hernandez is playing a position, Beaty.
So your normal starting outfield would be Bellinger Pollock and Betts? Muncy at 1B?
Probably, if we play the game this year. Hernandez can play virtually anywhere on any given day and do it well, but he has a big problem hitting RHP. The more I think about this the more it seems Beaty would be the better RH choice to platoon with Pederson at DH.
Its just going to be a shuffle, I expect Turner to get 25-33% as the Dh and the rest a shuffle- Probably even get Will Smith in there vs a lefty and get Barnes some extra starts as well
I think Beaty nets the most “new” abs total with the DH though playing all over the field
Kike is one of their best defenders, seems like him at DH is not utilizing his skills when there are bat-first players on the team.
I feel like that was for Lf, not dh
Cardinals are in the same boat. Look at their roster and they have O’Neill, Edman and Thomas that could full in the role. Or they can place Edman at 3rd and have Carpenter as a DH. All that will do is to increase their defense by not having Carpenter on the field. Also, with up and coming players like Sosa and later down the line, Gorman and Mendoza, they are in a very good spot. I guess it is because it is Cardinals that they will not say a word about their depth.
Wrong! Dodgers having ridiculous depth is more LA Dodger hype lol. Dodgers are a solid team, yes! but we all need to slow down about how that all translates into being the best team, LMAO people! They have won six straight division titles running and after each year their were other team or teams leaft standing and Dodgers went bye bye. Every one of those seasons started with claim’s how they are stacked and will do this, do that but still have not won the world series which means they have not been the best team in baseball the last six years and counting. And cuddy! Never this year, compare the Dodgers to the Cardinals cuz you’re talking apples and oranges. Cardinals will be lucky to be five games over 500 this year
I disagree with that. You think the Cardinals be a .500 team is laughable. Most of what the Cardinals did is more pitching reliable. Look what their starting 5 against the NL Central, compare of the Dodger’s line-up against the NL West. Also, look at the starting line-up of the Cardinals against the lackluster pitching of the NL Central. Reds is a tough team to fight against, but both the Cubs and Brewers took steps back this year. The Pirates are still a joke. In the NL West. The Diamondbacks always been a tough team. The Padres are up and coming and should be better this year and you do not sleep on the Giants. They might not been good lately, but they still have potent batters on the team that can knock a pitcher around.
face it the Cards have guys on that are at the end of their careers (Wainwright, Molina, Carpenter, Goldschmidt, Martinez, Mikolas) and combined with unproven new rookies. Recipe for disaster my friend, just wait and see.
And countless times over this run they have filled injuries to major stars that would have derailed any other team. You can grip all over them not winning the World Series like a weirdo. Their roster has been loaded for years and you act like there were not times where they lost to teams that had even more hype. Cubs were everyone’s team of destiny in 2016. Mets rotation was supposed to be the greatest of all time. Stuff happens.
The screen name “iknowlessbaseball” was already taken.
LMAO that is funny blueSkies. Okay!
7 straight!
Holy smokes humanraindesaster! Thanks for the correction. Seven…. WOW!!
You clearly didn’t read the article. They had 13 guys Post above average offensive seasons… out of 18 hitters
That’s a lineup and a half of hitters better than league average. Oh and they added the 2nd best player in the AL from the last 5 years.
And BOTH World Series opponents, we now know, cheated to beat them.
Oh- and it’s 7 straight Division titles, do your homework before looking like an idiot on basic facts
Haters gonna hate
Little hurt huh? Little baby is crying lol commonsenseslopp you 7 straight west tittles and going on ……… What? #32 year no RING hahahaha
Pollack makes a ton of sense to DH given his injury history
Rios/Pollack platoon at DH… allows Peters to get a chance to play the outfield. I think he’ll be their third best outfielder this season besides Betts and Bellinger.
Rios and Peters will see minimal if any abs this season-
Beaty Kiki Taylor are the major beneficiaries here for “new” abs
Peters has had two good months above A ball in the last two years and has generally flopped after pitchers made adjustments. Which then his best month you have to question the ball and competition level. His contact rate is cringeworthy. He’s basically in the Kyle Russell category. Peters is tools ed up yes. But he’s not getting those ABs, and probably never will with the Dodgers. If there’s an OF that could come out of nowhere due to injury it’d be Reks
It’s been 30 years and counting since the Dodgers won a championship. I don’t care if they start Babe Ruth. They don’t have the grit or class to win a championship. I liked the Gibson team. This team is a bunch of entitled premadonas that play with the same horrible attitude that most of the country hates coming out of Hollywood.
Clearly you live on the East Coast.
Yawn. They lacked the desire to cheat, not grit. In 2017 they played in a game to win the World Series and lost because their starter imploded not ”lack of grit”. Funny how both teams they lost a title to were sanctioned too. Grit really LMAO.
It’s highly highly likely each of their “starter implosions” was the Astros cheating, btw….
BS. The Astros did not swing and miss at one Kershaw curveball in game 5. There was a dog whistle going off at every offsepeed pitch. In game 1 and 7 they couldn’t tocuh him. They absolutely cheated in game 5.
This is a team that home-grows its talent like no other and prides itself on finding players who are drowning and hoisting them up to levels they couldnt even imagine…Taylor Muncy Kiki Turner Ryu Stripling Joc Gonsolin and on and on…
Entitled ? Horrible attitude? Try again
I may have to agree with homer but not as intense. Homer does have a point, so many teams have built their roster with studs and can’t win, can people understand that there’s more than just big hype names and Superstars. You have to have the chemistry and the Dodgers simply don’t have it as the seven straight years of winning the west but no world series is the perfect example. They don’t have chemistry to go all the way.
“Grit” and “chemistry” = “I have zero clue what im talking about”. The only chemistry in baseball was the Astros and the center field camera man.
Your opinion seems far to driven by emotion. I mean, did Bellinger personally break into your house and kick your dog or something?
No salarycapmyth. My emotions are dripping buy Dodger fans that believe in the tooth fairy. It gets annoying after a while and I have to let them know what I think about what they think.
Lmao. The only teams to beat LA in the last 3 years were the champs, and 2 of them cheated
They’ve been to the World Series twice in 3 years. And they added Mookie without losing any stars. Your hate is pathetic
I feel like it highlights their ridiculous payroll.
This comment highlights your lack of baseball knowledge. Friedman has built their depth using anything but payroll.
He does have a point, look at what they pay the entire team and you’ll understand. Compared to other teams.
We could start a team in “all arb” years and it would be better than 1/3 of the league if not 1/2
Dig deeper…..heres some help to start spotrac.com
Wow, I agree. Smart analogy raindisaster
Like the Phillies DH options better in Jay Bruce/Niel Walker from left side and Alec Bohm/Logan Forsythe from the right
Hoskins can DH also allowing Bohm and Walker to split 1B duties.
The Phillies, in my opinion, have advantaged from the delay more than any team outside of the Yankees. Cutch & Bruce had time to heal, as well as Seranthony, DRob & Tommy Hunter. Plus Bohm and Spencer Howard can start the season with the big club. While most teams are using an opener, the Phillies can save their bullpen and add Howard as a 6th starter with less, if any service time implications.
I’m feeling more optimistic with the shortened season and potentially expanded playoff format. The Phillies have a pretty solid roster overall.
Yup, shaving any inns off your bullpen is a major help-
Shortened season/Howard should give a nice boost for that and an 80 game season seems like it was taylor made for VV…………
Could really see him having a funky shortened season and going all APE-sh@t (Sub 3 ERA)…..ofc before giving up 7 Er by the 3rd inn in his first playoff start b/c he’s VV
Phillies are another team that are trying to win a championship by paying the players. Let’s go buy a championship theory. It is worth mentioning though for Dodger fans to know, I won’t be surprised if the Dodgers win the world series cuz they do have a good team and I simply just stating that don’t hold your breath though. Also someone remind me, which team went deep into the playoffs with a roster of players earning peanuts?
Kansas City Royals? =)
C Smith
1B Muncy
2B Lux
3B Turner
SS Seager
RF Bellinger
CF Pollock
LF Betts
DH: Peterson, Hernandez, Beaty, Taylor
Beaty
Home .858 Away .693
Right .853 Left .333
Peterson
Home 1.011 Away .753
Right .920 Left .505
Hernandez
Home .739 Away .694
Right .688 Left .758
Righty Preference 2018
Lefty Preference 2017
Taylor
Home .874 Away .712
Right .859 Left .753
Lefty preference (small) 2018
Righty preference 2017
Small sample size DH options
Rios
Garlick
Would like a knowledgeable Dodger fan to check me on this. To me, it seems pretty easy to pick out the starting line up but then I’m not sure if Pollock and Seager are healthy yet or maybe someone else is on the IL that I am not aware of.
When I look at these numbers I see Pederson and Hernandez or maybe Taylor taking the lions share of AB’s at the DH spot, assuming a healthy starting roster. Garlick and Rios might have some promise but those are pretty small sample sizes.
One of the few things the Dodgers need is someone who is a little more potent against left handed pitching so if any of these potential DH’s, including Garlick and Rios, can set themselves apart against that, it could mean more time in the DH spot.
This is how I would construct the roster anyway.
Those home splits are super suspicious… especially for a notorious pitcher’s park
I used MLB.com for the splits. You can check it out yourself. I didn’t fabricate anything.
I think what those splits demonstrate is that we are overemphasizing home/road splits. Most players develop a preference for their home park because they play their a lot more than other places. Guess we pick on Colorado a little to much.
Once upon a time Dodger Stadium was an extreme pitcher’s park, but no longer. Now it’s about average in most respects.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/stats/parkfactor/_/year/2019
ESPN still thinks Dodger stadium is one of the most pitcher friendly parks in the game. I think the better answer is, players get more comfortable at home.
Those stats aren’t very stable. If you check a bunch of years you’ll see it’s generally pitcher friendly, but no longer the extreme pitcher’s park it was before the foul territories were drastically downsized.
Those stats for 2019 seem to support the idea that Dodgers stadium was a very pitcher friendly ballpark and still is. You are trying to say then that it’s slightly less so and that slight difference explains why home/away splits are what they are?
Would you mind posting stats that support your viewpoint? Right now the stats I am looking at don’t seem to support what you are saying. I know Dodger stadium has a Rick history of preferring pitchers and it seems like that hasn’t changed.
Again, I am saying it’s somewhat pitcher friendly, but not nearly as much as it once was. What I am disputing is that is an extreme pitcher’s park. Also, I am saying that these park factors are far from stable. For example, in 2019 Yankee Stadium was the second-most pitcher friendly park in baseball in terms of runs scored. The year before it was the 6th most hitter-friendly. You have to look at many years to get any sort of read, and even then.
I’m not commenting on home/road splits. A different subject, it seems to me.
@ Blue. Okay, I get what you are contending against. Nothing to do with splits.
But allow me to state differently what you have said.
A. I think Dodger stadium is only moderately favorable to pitchers as opposed to hitters.
B. I think Dodger stadium was more pitcher friendly in the past.
C. ESPN stadium statistics are just an anomaly (even though they would have been right a few years ago?)
It just seems more reasonable to go with the statistics. You are correct that the Yankees are an anomaly but that isn’t much support to the argument that the Dodgers are also. Especially when you look back on these stats in previous years and they AREN’T all that different.
Not sure what you mean by an anomaly. The stats are what they are, but any stat is only useful for drawing conclusions and making predictions if it is better than random. The park factors we’re used to seeing are pretty random probably because the methodology for computing them is not up to the task. Creating a useful statistical model is a lot more demanding than simply coming up with a number.
It hasn’t played as “a notorious pitchers park” for almost a decade… but let the conspiracy theories go!
Garlick is in Philly
My bad. Thx for the correction, Phillies2020.
Dodgers will use that slot to rotate guys through, most ABs coming from Turner. I don’t honestly see anyone or a platoon pair just planted in the slot unless necessitated. It seems somewhat reasonable to see Bellinger in CF, Betts RF, Seager SS, and Muncy (1st/2nd/3rd/DH) being guys they run out basically every day, assuming health. Turner will probably still be taken off his feet to keep him healthy. But everyone else will rotate through the DH slot and be given days off, Lux and Smith included. The loss of athleticism and terrible defense displayed by Pollock last year seems to lead way to him being deployed a significant portion of time in a corner.
As for Beaty and Rios they still are somewhat redundant, in the fact that they are bat 1st LF and the latter a 1B who can’t really play anywhere else for an extended time and you have to question their viability in seeing a majority of their ABs in a DH slot. It’s a great problem to have, from a team perspective, because they are complimentary pieces in which you have better options to start in front of. It’s a long way of saying the Dodgers will rotate through, play match ups in that DH spot which makes it good they have options.
The Dodgers have competed for championships the last several seasons and appear to be more than capable of competing for championships in the foreseeable future.
If polled anonymously, I suspect most GMs would take the Dodgers 40 man roster over their own. I further suspect most owners would take Andrew Friedman over their own President of Baseball Ops/GM if given the choice.
The Dodgers are arguably the best run franchise in MLB… and I’m an Angels fan.
At this time, I would say you are correct. I wouldn’t trade Anthopoulos for Friedman but then, Anthopoulos came out of the LA organization most previously so it’s really difficult not to praise the Dodgers for what they built. In addition, I would say that under Anthopoulos, the Braves are starting to look more like the Dodgers.
Chris Taylor should ONLY be used as a defensive replacement because Taylor has played 453 games in a Dodger uniform & he has struck out 448 & for his career Taylor has played in 539 games & has struck out 520 times, Taylor might be able to hit the ball 350 feet but he kills more rallies than he keeps going because he is a strikeout king & I can guarantee you folks his strikeout total for his Dodger career would be even closer to the amount of games he’s played in a Dodger Uniform but he was out of action for a significant amount of time in 2019
Was Taylor injured last year? I started into his stats because that really is a very high strike rate but I also figured his speed would keep his double play totals low but that wasn’t the case at all. He hit into 6 DP’s which is the most he has hit into during his Dodger career despite having less AB’s than any other year.
He still has excellent sprint speed according to;
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/chris-taylor-621035?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb
But man that Hard Hit and exit velocity is really bad. If it’s not injury related then it looks to me like Taylor is heading for some steep regression.
Yup, left forearm fracture in July…I dont think he was ever right after that
Baseball insiders say that Chris Taylor’s biggest asset is his speed but he doesn’t know how to use that speed on the base paths & I look more at a players SO more so than his hitting into DP’S
I am with you on this hot take. Mike Trout has 1118 K’s in 1199 games. Better stick to reading the weather. Ronald Acuna has 311 in 267 games – someone get that guy a bus ticket back to Venezuela. Nelson Cruz had 131 in 120 games last year, will gramps retire and go lay down in his coffin already? JD Martinez has 1070 in 1068 games, will someone teach that guy something about hitting already? Trevor Story is really going to piss us off with his 663 K’s in 544 games, we don’t even have a spot for that chump in AA at that rate.