Dodgers: 5 Surprising Position Players

Chris Taylor

Taylor came into camp this year as one of the main competitors for the utility role that was occupied by Kike Hernandez the past couple of seasons.  The one leg up Kike had on Chris Taylor was that he could play center field during games in which Joc Pederson sat out. That advantage seems to have disappeared with Taylor getting 14 innings in center field this spring. He’s only had two putouts but he has shown that he can at least play some center field.

Taylor’s main strength throughout his career has been his solid defensive play as an infielder along with the versatility he provides. He can play shortstop, second base, and third base. However, this spring he also showed the ability to swing the bat a little and get on-base.

The knock on Taylor has always been that he has a weak bat with little to no power. Thus far, however, he has hit .433 with a ridiculous on-base percentage of .575 and an OPS over 1.000.  Taylor has gotten thirty at-bats as well, so it’s not like his stats are skewed by only having a handful of at-bats.  Like Kike Hernandez, Chris Taylor does have options remaining, so the Dodgers could option him to AAA if they do not pick him for the super utility role.

It remains to be determined if Taylor can overtake fan favorite Kike Hernandez for the utility and backup shortstop role on the bench. If anything, his play has shown that Dave Roberts will have a tough decision to make at the end of spring training.