2015 marked the third consecutive year in which the Los Angeles Dodgers made the postseason, but they’ve still been unable to reach the World Series since they won it all in 1988. Last October, the Dodgers lost to the New York Mets in the National League Divisional Series and it set the tone for some wholesale changes. After five years as the manager of the Dodgers, Don Mattingly was fired. Mattingly’s departure would give Dave Roberts the opportunity to become the Dodgers skipper as he is on the same page with the team’s president of baseball operations in Andrew Friedman, along with general manager Farhan Zaidi as far as sabremetrics go. Roberts has given the Dodgers a new voice in their clubhouse, but it is an old formula that is time tested for this organization which is why they are once again in playoff contention.
In Major League Baseball, the Dodgers have always been at the forefront as far as developing young talent. The Dodgers organization has been home to some of the greatest baseball players of all-time who have come through their system which includes the likes of Sandy Koufax and Duke Snider. In the 1990’s, the Dodgers had five players win the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award in consecutive years with one of those in Mike Piazza set for enshrinement into Baseball’s Hall of Fame this Sunday. Even around MLB, there are quality players that got their start with the Dodgers which includes Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre and Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin. The current Dodgers team has a good mixture of rookies and veterans that has them in first place for the N.L.’s Wild Card, and just 4.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants for the top spot in the N.L. West.
Corey Seager
In 2012, the Dodgers made shortstop Corey Seager the 18th overall pick of the Major League Baseball Draft. Seager spent nearly four years tearing it up in the minor leagues until he was called up by the Dodgers last September. In 27 games with the Dodgers last year, Seager hit .337 and he is showing that his brief stint wasn’t a fluke as he is batting .301 with 17 home runs and 43 runs batted in here in 2016. Seager was selected to the All-Star team earlier this month and he is the front runner to be the National League’s Rookie of the Year.
This time last year saw Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson as Major League Baseball’s flavor of the month. Pederson burst onto the scene in 2015 as a rookie which saw him make the All-Star team after he hit 20 home runs during the first three months of the season. Pederson hit 26 homers as a rookie, but he only batted .210 as word got around the league as far as his inability to lay off of breaking pitches in the dirt. This season Pederson is batting .231, but he has an on-base percentage of .321 with 13 homers as the future is still bright for him.
Trayce Thompson
This past off-season saw the Dodgers engage in a three-team trade with the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox which resulted in Los Angeles receiving outfielder Trayce Thompson. In 44 games last year with the White Sox, Thompson batted .295 with 5 home runs and 16 runs batted in. This year with the Dodgers, Thompson is batting .225 with 13 homers and 32 runs batted in as he has appeared in 80 games. Thompson has also provided the Dodgers with quality defense in the outfield as he has the ability to play all three outfield positions. But unfortunately for Thompson, he is currently on the disabled list as he is dealing with a back injury.
Overall this year the Dodgers have overachieved a bit, but they are right in the mix to make the postseason for a fourth consecutive year. Aside from the youngsters, the Dodgers are enjoying contributions from veteran players such as infielders Howie Kendrick, Chase Utley, Justin Turner, and Adrian Gonzalez. Catcher Yasmani Grandal has been solid in his ability to call games for the Dodgers pitching staff behind the plate, while Los Angeles still has the enigmatic one in Yasiel Puig roaming right field.
Joc Pederson
The Dodgers have been hit with the injury bug as there are currently 11 players on the disabled list with the most noticeable one being starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw. But the Dodgers have made it this far with their blend of vets and youngsters. And as far as the young Dodgers go, Seager has shown that he is a star in the making as he will one day put this lineup on his back, while Pederson and Thompson aren’t bad options to shoulder the load with him.
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