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Dodgers: Five Early Season Overreactions
The Dodgers will not be able to hit lefties all season
We and all the media continues to drill the narrative home that the Dodgers can not hit left-handed pitching. We’ll it’s true, and it may not be that big of an overreaction. Out of their seven losses, five of them have come against a left-handed starter.
Last season the team owned a league-worst 78 wRC+. The team hit .214/.291/.333 vs. lefties last season and their struggles against southpaws were a big reason why they were eliminated in the NLCS.
This season, it’s not looking any better. The team is hitting .218 with a .302 OBP and .345 Slugging percentage.
The Dodgers aren’t currently the worst team in the league against lefties, but they’re still at the bottom. The team ranks 21st in wRC+ against lefties and sits at 19th in batting average.
Compare that to when they face right-handers; the Dodgers are hitting .266/.367/.449, that translated to a 129 wRC+.
Now, to say why it may be an overreaction.
This offseason the team brought in a few players (Logan Forsythe and Franklin Gutierrez) to aid this issue. So far Forsythe is leading the Dodgers with a .429 batting average in 21 at-bats against left-handers. Gutierrez is hitting a mere .250 but is on the DL with a hamstring injury, so it’s too early to tell if he can help.
Another positive that shows some promise to the team’s struggles against lefties is that Justin Turner has been his usual self when facing lefties. Turner is hitting .348 with four extra bases hits in 23 at-bats against left-handers.
The Dodgers woes against left-handers are all but solved. Yet, they have improved a bit from last season. Their biggest issue is that their regular starters are predominantly left-handed. Between Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez, and Yasmani Grandal the trio is hitting a collective .193 against left-handers. That’s not acceptable.
A lefty that isn’t “struggling” against left-handers is Joc Pederson. Pederson is hitting .429 in limited at-bats against lefties early on. If the Dodgers want to break this narrative, they’re going to need more from Yasiel Puig and possibly start giving Pederson more opportunity to contribute against left-handers.