Dodgers: Spring Training Week 1 Recap

The Dodgers have officially made it through the first week of Spring Training. So far there has been more good than bad coming out of Camelback Ranch.

We’ve seen some bright spots with our prospects and veterans. But we also had some minor setbacks that need to be addressed before Opening Day. The biggest news coming out of Camelback Ranch so far is Corey Seager being limited.

Seager has missed games due to a bruised right shin and is currently dealing with mild back discomfort. Seager opened up on his back injury in an article written by Ken Gurnick.

"“It might be a day or two,” Seager said. “It’s not serious, not outrageous. It’s March, it’s early. It will be a day-by-day kind of thing. We don’t want it to linger.”"

Luckily for Dodger fans, this doesn’t seem to be anything too serious. The Dodgers are taking precaution at this point and don’t want to risk any serious injuries. Seager is expected to play again this upcoming weekend.

Along with Seager, Adrian Gonzalez has been another Dodger that has been limited in the first week. Gonzalez is nursing a forearm injury that has prevented him from swinging the bat up until today.

Gonzalez made his Spring Training debut Tuesday afternoon and got a base hit in his third at-bat. Gonzalez will join team Mexico to participate in the WBC as their Pool games get underway this Thursday.

We also saw Scott Kazmir (Hip) and Pedro Baez (Hand) get shut down for the week because of injuries. None of the injuries sound too severe and they should be back in action soon.

Aside injuries the few injuries that have spoiled the first week of camp, the Dodgers have looked really good up until this point.

Clayton Kershaw, as usual, is starting his Spring Training out at the top of his game. Kershaw has pitched a total of six scoreless innings in three appearances. He has not allowed a hit so far this Spring. Kershaw already has seven strikeouts and continues to “wow” the team during his bullpen sessions. It’s safe to say Kershaw’s curveball is already looking in midseason form.

Sergio Romo made his Dodger debut this past week. In his first Spring Training appearance, Romo struck out the side. He had two swinging strikeouts and one looking. In his second appearance, he gave up one hit but still managed two strikeouts in his only inning of work. Romo seems to be on the right track to dominate as the 8th inning set-up man and looks excited to be wearing Dodger blue for the first time.

Cody Bellinger got his invite to big league camp and he’s showed us once again why he is the Dodgers top prospect. Bellinger is hitting .313 average through the first week including a massive home run. In his second game, he crushed a ball out of the stadium, “Wowing” all the MLB.

Bellinger has not failed to disappoint on defense because he’s shown great defense at first base. He is said to be the heir to first base once Adrian Gonzalez’s time is up. We may see him called up at some point this season just to get some at-bats in.

Rob Segedin made his major league debut last season with the Dodgers. He has made quite a name for himself during Spring. He hit a home run in his second game and has put up two doubles so far.

Segedin has a .462 average and has only struck out twice in 13 at-bats. He is a great bat to use against left-handed pitching and could be a key player later in the season. Segedin will likely be the first call-up if anyone on the roster is injured.

Yasiel Puig is a player many of Dodger fans want to see get it together. He has struggled this Spring but he is playing hard and seems to have his antics under control. Puig is still himself on the field, though. After absolutely demolishing a ball to left field he let off a huge bat flip.

https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/838510495866970112

Puig is showing better discipline at the plate so far, only striking out twice in 14 at-bats. The fans love to see this Puig in action as long as he can stay consistent and stay out of trouble off the field. If he can do these two things he has a chance to see a lot of playing time in right field.

Joc Pederson isn’t having the best Spring, at least on the field. But on March 4th, Pederson proposed to his girlfriend and is officially off the market. As for on the baseball field, he does have two home runs in the first week.

He’s still striking out almost every game with five strikeouts in 16 at-bats. But Pederson has improved his strikeout rate each season, so hopefully, this one will be the same. He’s capable of being an amazing everyday player and already has a lock on the starting center field position, so let’s hope he can continue to trend in the right direction.

Last year Andre Ethier missed 146 games after he fouled a ball off his shin in Spring Training. A year later, Ethier looks like he’s trying to regain his starting job again. Ethier is running out ground balls and giving every play and at-bat his full effort.

Ethier is having a great first week hitting .444 with four runs, six base on balls, and a home run so far. What’s most encouraging for Ethier is his ability to run the bases pain-free. He scored from first on a ball hit to the outfield, which shows his leg is doing just fine. To get a veteran outfielder back and healthy would be big in the Dodgers lineup.

Next: Predicting the 25-Man Opening Day Roster

The first week of Spring Training has been exciting to watch. We hope the injuries aren’t anything serious and the bats can shake off the rust. The Dodgers will continue to work on getting back to the fundamentals as well as getting their young players more playing time. Look out for some Dodger players participating in the WBC and keep an eye on Urias and Kershaw’s bullpen sessions. Those tend to be amusing.