Dodgers Postseason Roster Clears Up

The Dodgers playoff roster now seems clear after Dave Roberts‘ press conference.

I had my playoff roster predictions ready to go for tomorrow. That’s useless now, as Roberts pretty much spelled out all the close roster choices during his press conference Tuesday evening.

Now, we can spell out the roster

Infield

The infield starters have essentially been the same all season. Yasmani Grandal, Adrian Gonzalez, Chase Utley, Corey Seager and Justin Turner were obviously going to be on the roster.

The only other lock was Carlos Ruiz, as obviously there was going to be a backup catcher. Charlie Culberson played his way on the roster with an excellent couple weeks, headlined by the division-clinching walk-off homer to end the final home game of the season.

The interesting name is Austin Barnes, who beat out Enrique Hernandez and Rob Segedin. Barnes can play a couple positions, but most notably catcher. This could be the main thing that got him on the roster. No team would take three catchers on their 25-man, but Barnes’ flexibility allows him to fill in around the diamond if needed. Grandal and Ruiz aren’t exactly fleet of foot, so if they need to play for a run late and one of them is on base, having a third catcher makes it easier to pinch run.

Hernandez is in no way as good as he played last season. I also don’t believe he’s as bad as he played this season. He had his moments, but turned into an automatic out and no amount of versatility can make up for that in the playoffs, especially on a team with a few versatile players.

Outfielders

Josh Reddick, Joc Pederson and Howie Kendrick were locks. It was announced a while ago that Andrew Toles, Yasiel Puig and Andre Ethier would make the roster.

Without Hernandez, the Dodgers don’t really have a backup center fielder. Toles can probably serve there, and in a major pinch Puig or Reddick could probably handle it too. It’ll likely be Joc out there for the whole series.

The inclusion of Ethier is the one that really confuses me. Sure, #VeteranPresence and all. But he wasn’t exactly stellar after returning from injury and isn’t good enough defensively to warrant a bench spot. He’s essentially Reddick, but older, worse and coming off an injury. I probably would have preferred another reliever or Hernandez in that spot, but Dre is there and hopefully he can captain clutch his way to a big hit.

Starters

Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda were obvious. We figured Julio Urias would be on the roster in some form, but it looks like he’s a possible game four starter.

The first three will definitely start the first three games of the series. The question mark comes in game four, and it sounds like it will depend on how the series is going. Urias finished the season with 122 innings in that precious left arm, so if his limit is around 130, he should be fine for a start. It’ll get dicier if the Dodgers move past the first round, but he’s an option. I expect Kershaw to come back on short rest if he’s healthy and if the Dodgers find themselves in a must-win game.

Relievers

We could also throw Urias here, but the bullpen is where a number of surprises are.

The locks were obvious. Kenley Jansen and Joe Blanton are the two finishers. It wasn’t confirmed, but Pedro Baez was pretty close to a lock.

Ross Stripling will be a long reliever, and likely be called on for key innings in game four. Whether that’s a game started by Kershaw or Urias, we shouldn’t expect seven innings out of the Dodgers’ starter. Stripling will probably be ready if Kershaw/Hill/Maeda falter in the first three games, but game four should be his time to shine.

Josh Fields looks to be the other righty. He was pretty good as a Dodger, as 18 of his 22 appearances were scoreless. He had a nightmare inning against the Pirates and allowed a run in back-to-back games against the Reds, but he showed enough to win a roster spot.

The lefties are interesting. Adam Liberatore was dynamic before his injury, but he didn’t return the same and will undergo elbow surgery. J.P. Howell is the veteran of the group, but had a rough season.

Grant Dayton emerged as the go-to lefty. Dayton allowed an earned run in five of his 25 outings and struck out at least one batter in 22 of his 25 appearances. He probably won’t (and shouldn’t) be a LOOGY as his splits are pretty similar.

The final spot went to Luis Avilan. I’m stunned Alex Wood isn’t on the roster as he was great off his injury, If Ethier “showed” Roberts enough to make the roster, I thought surely Wood did as well. Avilan was great down the stretch as he didn’t allow a run (inherited or earned) to score in 10 September outings. Avilan is also tough on righties, so neither of these lefties should be restricted to matchups.

Final Thoughts

This is the unofficial official squad for the NLDS.

IF: Grandal, Gonzalez, Utley, Seager, Turner, Culberson, Ruiz, Barnes (8)

OF: Reddick, Pederson, Kendrick, Toles, Puig, Ethier (6)

SP: Kershaw, Hill, Maeda, Urias (4)

RP: Jansen, Blanton, Baez, Stripling, Fields, Dayton, Avilan (7)

Not exactly what I would have done, but there’s a reason I’m not employed by the Dodgers. This is a good versatile squad, and while there is some iffiness in the bullpen, it should be fine. Interestingly enough, the Dodgers were named MLB’s bullpen of the year. The nerds clearly didn’t do anything to address the pen.

Next: This Year is Different

Rosters won’t have to be finalized until Friday morning, but this looks to be it. Changes could happen in the NLCS if the Dodgers make it that far (especially with more left handed pitching on the Cubs/Giants, not so much the Mets).