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Dodgers: The Injury Plagued and Underachieving Outfield

By Anthony Perez

Apr 25, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Cody Bellinger (35), center fielder Andrew Toles (60) and right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) celebrate after the win against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 25, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Cody Bellinger (35), center fielder Andrew Toles (60) and right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) celebrate after the win against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 21, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Andrew Toles (60) hits an RBI single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 21, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Andrew Toles (60) hits an RBI single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Tolsey:

I was always the skeptical guy on Toles, and I was hoping that he would prove me wrong. To start the season, Toles has been… confusing. So far he has hit 3 homers and driven in 8 runs, pretty impressive right? Well as impressive as it may be, his .212/.268/.652 slash line has been frustrating, to say the least.

Coming into the season, it was uncertain if Toles would be able to return to his 2016 form. To be honest, it is way too early into the season to determine how his season will go. Based on the eye test, he has looked very “meh” to me.

What he has been good at is situational hitting, and it’s the whole reason he remains in the lineup. Toles has been batting .172 with the bases empty, compared to a robust .300 with RISP. It could be a good idea to take him out of the leadoff spot despite his speed, maybe he performs better at the bottom of the lineup in situations that allow him to drive in runs.

Toles proved himself last year as a valuable asset to the team, but this year we are seeing signs of why he was never able to secure a spot on a major league roster until last year. Despite his puzzling start, Toles is one of the top options for the Dodgers outfield at the moment and will have playing time out there for the time being. He’s still in a platoon situation but with all the injuries, Toles has some playing time confirmed for the time being.

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