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Dodgers Nats Position-by-Position Breakdown

By Alex Campos

September 22, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal (9) is greeted by shortstop Corey Seager (5), first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (23) and right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) after hitting a grand slam home run in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
September 22, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal (9) is greeted by shortstop Corey Seager (5), first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (23) and right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) after hitting a grand slam home run in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Trea Turner (7) runs to second against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Trea Turner (7) runs to second against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Center Field: Joc Pederson vs Trea Turner

Pederson had a quietly stellar season in center. After a putrid finish to his 2015, Joc found much more consistency this season and put together a really solid season in center. His 3.7 WAR was seventh among center fielders with 450 or more plate appearances and his 129 wRC+ was tied for fourth.

If we lower that to 300 plate appearances, Turner shows up. The rookie finished with 3.2 WAR in only 324 plate appearances and his 147 wRC+ was second only behind Mike Trout. His defense in center isn’t quite as good as Joc’s, but Turner can be a huge difference-maker in this series.

Turner hit a very respectable 13 homers in his limited playing time, but his real asset was his speed. He stole 33 of 39 bases in the majors after stealing 25 of 27 in the minors. That’s really good, and in a short series that often comes down to very close games, Turner’s speed is a huge asset.

This is probably the closest matchup and as much as I love Joc, if the Nationals win this series, Turner’s going to be the reason.

Advantage: Nationals, but barely

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