Positives and Negatives of the 2015 Dodgers

October 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of playing field following the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 loss against New York Mets in game five of NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

So the Dodgers, for the 27th consecutive year, did not win the World Series. I turn 25 in December, so that’s been especially annoying because I don’t know the joy of a Dodgers championship parade. Having watched five Laker parades, I would sort of like to experience it. Also I wouldn’t, because Los Angeles might literally burn to the ground.

Surely in the last six months there were some positives, right? The season ended horribly but that’s the case for 29 teams. This is why sports/baseball are stupid. The chances of actually being happy at the end of the season are quite low. Yet we all spend six months watching this sport because we are all dumb.

So now that we’re all in a good mood, let’s take a look at some of the ups and downs of the 2015 season.

Next: Two Cy Young Candidates is Pretty Good

Jun 29, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (right) and Zack Greinke against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Up: 40 percent of the starting pitching

The pitching was Jerkyll and Hyde for a lot of the season, and it started quite horribly.  Hyun-jin Ryu threw exactly zero pitches this season and Brandon McCarthy threw 24 innings before Tommy John claimed him.

However, the Dodgers still had two pitchers that would be runaways for the Cy Young award any other year. Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke were each incredible in their own respective ways.

Kershaw finished the season with 301 strikeouts. Kershaw has been the best pitcher in baseball for roughly the last five years, and he surpassed his old career high in strikeouts by 53. By some measures, Kershaw actually regressed this season. Coming off an MVP and a 1.77 ERA/1.81 FIP last year, Kershaw “struggled”, posting a 2.13 ERA and a 1.99 FIP. Maybe this is the beginning of the end.

Before Kershaw’s 10th start of the season, his ERA was 4.32. Starting with that 10th start against the Braves, Kershaw posted a 1.39 ERA and a 1.61 FIP in his remaining 24 regular season starts and struck out 228 batters while issuing 26 walks.

Greinke was much less dominant, but his consistency this season was incredible. Watching pitchers turn hitters into blindfolded children hitting piñatas is my definition of domination, and Kershaw did that for most of the season. Greinke had 101 fewer strikeouts than Kershaw, but was dominant in his own way.

Greinke started 32 games this season. He gave up no runs in 12 games, one run in nine games, two runs in five games, three runs in four games and five runs in two games. Baseball Reference only tracks ERAs after a start is completed, and Greinke’s highest post-start ERA was 1.95. While Kershaw was making batters look like fools, Greinke was quietly going about his business and keeping runs off the board. I don’t think I recall ever seeing a pair of teammates dominate in completely different ways, but it sure was great to watch.

Next: The Rest of the Rotation, Not So Much

Apr 10, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu (99) looks on prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Down: The rest of the starting pitching

For as good as Kershaw and Greinke were, the rest of the pitching was very hit-and-miss (no pun intended). It started with the two season-ending injuries and the front office threw band-aids on it, most of which were mediocre at best.

Brett Anderson put together a fine season for the most part and started 31 games, which is about 30 more than I expected. He was okay for a third starter. If the rest of the pitching staff didn’t get hurt, Anderson would have remained the fifth starter and been one of the best fifth starters in the league. As a third, his numbers are far less impressive, but the impending free agent probably made himself some money this offseason, whether it be from the Dodgers or another team.

Mike Bolsinger started the fourth-most games for this team, which should indicate how badly injuries killed the rotation. Bolsinger was a pleasant surprise until being replaced by Mat Latos in the rotation. Latos was putrid, Bolsinger came back into the rotation and wasn’t the same. Don’t judge Bolsinger based on Kershaw and Greinke’s standards. For a 27-year-old pre-arb pitcher that the Dodgers got for NOTHING to put up a 2.83 ERA in 16 pre-trade deadline starts is phenomenal, and even though he was awful in September he was still productive overall this season

In all, 16 pitchers started a game for the Dodgers this season, which is four more than last year. When Ian Thomas and David Huff are starting, things might not be going well. Alex Wood, Bolsinger and Anderson weren’t absolutely terrible options, but it just felt off. Going into the playoffs, it felt like Kershaw and Greinke were dependable (obviously) and there was no reason to have faith in anyone else. It felt like Greinkshaw had to be perfect in the postseason for the Dodgers to go anywhere, and they weren’t.

Next: The Dodgers Were So Deep

July 8, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Enrique Hernandez (14) uses bananas on left fielder Scott Van Slyke (33) beard during the game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Up: Holy Depth

The Dodgers used 55 different players this season. While there were some clunkers among those 55, there were a ton of pleasant surprised.

Enrique Hernandez was absolutely stellar this season. He’s sort of the anti-Andre Ethier, as he can really only hit left-handed pitching. His versatility and personality is already making him a fan-favorite, and he just turned 24 in August. Hernandez is under team control until 2021, and if he can keep playing close to as well as he played this season, he’s going to be extremely valuable in the near future.

Justin Ruggiano came out of nowhere and had one of the wildest months I can remember. In 21 games for the Dodgers, Ruggiano had a .291/.350/.618 slashline and hit four homers. That may not be all that impressive, but considering he was rotting away in Seattle’s farm system and injuries and platoon splits made him a starter in game four of the NLDS, it’ll be fun to see if he sticks around.

As weird as it is to say, this was sort of a rebuilding year for the Dodgers. Lots of new faces and a lot of added youth made this season pretty fun. Watching Corey Seager make baseball look ridiculously easy in September and watching Jose Peraza, Scott Schebler and Austin Barnes take the field is exciting. Even though they struggled, all four of them still have their rookie statuses. Add in minor league pitching studs Julio Urias and Jose De Leon, and it’s becoming pretty clear why the Dodgers didn’t go all-in at the deadline. Acquiring a David Price or Cole Hamels may have changed their NLDS fate, but the postseason is so random and the Dodgers are in a good position to get there for the forseeable future.

Next: Injuries Killed the Dodgers

Apr 2, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers vice president of medical services Stan Conte (second from left)examines right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) as manager Don Mattingly (right) and second baseman Howie Kendrick (47) watch in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Down: Injuries

It’s an excuse, but injuries killed the Dodgers this season. McCarthy and Ryu forced the pitching to struggle. Yasiel Puig only played in 79 games and while Yasmani Grandal continued to play, he pretty obviously wasn’t right for the last couple months and according to the OC Register, is scheduled to have shoulder surgery on Wednesday.

According to ManGamesLost.com, the Dodgers lost a total of 1,196 games to the DL, which was the fifth most in baseball. This is a common theme with the Dodgers, as since 2010 they have had the second-most games lost to injury.

It’s hard to tell what this can be attributed to. Head Athletic Trainer Stan Conte resigned on Saturday, but it feels weird attributing a horrible stretch of health to the trainer. Maybe the players aren’t preparing their bodies right? Maybe they’re just signing/acquiring injury-prone players? McCarthy is quite prone to injury, but nothing he’s had before screamed “Tommy John candidate”. Maybe the baseball Gods just hate the Dodgers and are smiting them as best as they can?

Either way, watching players blow hamstrings and mess around on the bench rather than playing is less than ideal. The depth that the Dodgers were able to add helped them survive the blow, but it’s also annoying to wonder what could have been if Puig, Grandal, Ryu and McCarthy were healthy in the postseason.

Next: Overall, Not Too Shabby

October 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Howie Kendrick (47) reacts following the 3-2 loss against New York Mets in game five of NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne-Kamin Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Down: They still weren’t good enough

The Dodgers have sky-high expectations, as they should. The payroll narrative is also overrated, but they’re a large market team in a huge media market with a tremendously well-regarded front office, two of the best pitchers in baseball and a number of star-caliber players. Many teams would be content with a third-straight division win and a 92-win season.

The Dodgers can only succeed in one way, and that’s in winning a championship. That’s what their expectations are, and if there was any logic in baseball it probably would have happened more recently. There isn’t and the Dodgers haven’t succeeded in 27 years.

They weren’t good enough this year. Bullpen issues, an inconsistent offense and a crapshoot of a back-end of the rotation is not a great formula for a championship. As rough and harsh as it probably is, this season was a failure. The standards and expectations are unfair, but us Angelenos and LA sports fans are spoiled.

They were good enough to beat out the Giants, Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies over 162 games, but they couldn’t win three of five against the Mets and that ended up being all that mattered. And that’s why baseball is dumb. This team was quite good, but they weren’t good enough and no one will remember the good that came from the previous 162 games. They will look much different next year, but if there’s no parade through Elysian Park it will still be considered a failure.

Next: A Look at the Dodgers Offseason Needs