Dodgers: 5 Bold Predictions for the 2017 Season

Joc Pederson has a breakout year.

Since coming up to the team in 2014, Joc has been a key component to the Dodgers’ lineup.

His above average defense in center has been great, but his real value lies in his bat. 2017 will be the year when Joc puts it all together and shows his true value.

After struggling to make contact in his first year, Pederson bounced back last year and increased his batting average from .210 to .246 while also reducing his strikeouts from 170 to 130. This spring, Joc has been tampering with his swing a bit, in hopes of batting better against left-handed pitching. If Joc can prove himself to be a consistent hitter against southpaws, he could end up with 30+ home runs.

Expect big things from Joc this year, he’s getting more experienced with big league pitching and will be ready to contribute big numbers for the team. If he can improve his contact against lefties he is going to have a monster season. We already know his power upside so I’m expecting a big season in the power category and a moderate increase in his overall contribution.

Rich Hill ends up with a lower ERA than Clayton Kershaw.

We all know of the greatness of Clayton Kershaw, but Dodgers’ fans will soon know the greatness of Rich Hill.

Since 2015, the closest pitcher to Kershaw’s 1.96 ERA mark has been Rich Hill with a 2.00 ERA. Since coming over to the Dodgers from Oakland last year, Hill has proven to be a secondary ace behind Kershaw. In his short 34 innings stint with the Dodgers, Hill only gave up 7 runs to opponents and posted a 1.3 WAR. With Oakland, he posted a 2.8 WAR with a 2.25 ERA in 14 starts.

The issue with Hill is his ability to stay healthy. What good is a low ERA if he’s not contributing many innings to the team.

Rich Hill may be the most underappreciated #2 starter in the league. But by the end of this year, he will be in the conversation with the best pitchers in baseball.

The Team Acquires a Big Bat at the Deadline

Last year, the Dodgers were able to swing a deal to get Rich Hill and Josh Reddick. This year, the team may be looking for another bat to add to their already dangerous lineup.

As the season goes on, the team will start to figure out their weak spots in the lineup.

With the Dodgers “win at all cost” mentality, I expect Friedman will be inclined to pick up an impact piece to push the Dodgers over the top. Last season we saw the Dodgers get outslugged by the Cubs in the NLCS. It’s looking like they may meet again so the offense will need to be ready to compete with the league’s best.

Right now, left field looks like a hole the Dodgers could look to upgrade via trade. A trade is not essential, as the team has plenty of depth, but if the spot players don’t fill the task, Friedman could look to upgrade.

The Dodgers window to win a World Series is at its peak. So expect the team to be active during the trade deadline. Don’t get worked up in all the rumors come July 31^st, but also don’t rule out the fact that Ryan Braun or J.D Martinez could be wearing Dodger blue this year.

Hyun-Jin Ryu Regains his 2013 Form

Ryu is having a tremendous spring so far for the Dodgers. After missing the last two seasons due to injury, Ryu may finally be healthy enough to become a consistent arm in the Dodgers rotation.

If you don’t believe me, just see what Ryu had to say after throwing 4 shutout innings against the Brewers on Tuesday.

“I feel like I’m actually very close to my 2013 form. I feel I’m on a similar pace. If I can get up to six innings, I feel I’m ready.”

Last month, no one in their wildest dreams believed Ryu would be able to come back, but now it’s starting to look like reality. He has looked strong in spring, as he boasts a 1.00 ERA and 0.67 WHIP in his limited game action. He is still working on some things like bringing his velocity up (he sits at 87-89 at the moment) but he looks to be rehabbing well and will no doubt contribute to the club this year.

Asking a guy, who has pitched 4.2 innings in the past 2 years to become a top of the rotation pitcher, isn’t looking so far-fetched anymore. Ryu will continue to work and focus on getting healthy. By the looks of things early, the Dodgers may just get back their Korean star.

As long as his arm doesn’t completely fall off, Ryu will give the Dodgers 130+ innings this year and will be the best surprise for the team if he can find a shade of his 2013 self.

Dodgers win the World Series

In what is the boldest of my predictions, this is the year that LA finally becomes a city of champions once again. The Dodgers will end their 29 year World Series drought.

Going into last year, I felt it was the Cubs year. They were too talented and it seemed like destiny for them to win it all. This year I have that same feeling for the Dodgers.

Behind their depth and young core, this team is the strongest it’s been in recent years. Now the team is ready to breakout. The possible return of Ryu makes the rotation stronger than any other team as he would be the best 3^rd, 4^th or even 5^th starter in the league. The addition of Forsythe to the roster has their lineup just as strong as Chicago’s and Cleveland’s. So the Dodgers should put up runs with the best of them.

Barring any major injury, this team is poised to fight for the top spot in the league and will take home the title in 2017.

2017 is shaping up to be a great year for the Dodgers, as more and more pieces seem to fall in place this spring. I haven’t been this excited and optimistic for a team since the 2013 squad that had newly acquired Hanley and Gonzo.

Next: The Curious Case of Pedro Baez

After suffering a tough end to last season’s postseason run, this team is poised to make another run. Only this time reach their end goal, a World Series. It may not be so crazy to think the Dodgers will win the title. After all Sports Illustrated had the same prediction.