Dodgers: Outfield Grades for the Month of May

In May the Dodgers saw a whole lot of changes in the outfield, due to injuries. Outside of Yasiel Puig, the outfield starters this month were not as expected. Let us grade the outfield for this month.

Freak injuries have caused the Dodgers to make some on-field adjustments. From Andrew Toles tearing his ACL running down a ball to Joc Pederson running into Yasiel Puig and the outfield wall causing him to have a concussion. Now they may be in danger of losing Franklin Gutierrez to the same illness that kept him out for all of 2014.

Although May caused a lot of turmoil regarding injury, it also saw the emergence of many players. These young players stepped up to help the Dodgers finish the month with a 19-9 record. The Dodgers may have lost key players, but that didn’t keep them from winning games. The outfield was one of the main driving forces behind this phenomenal month of May for the team.

The stud Rookie made his debut in late April but made his presence felt during the month of May, mashing nine home runs in 28 games. Cody was not supposed to be up this long, but his hitting kept him up, and injuries made him a mainstay in the lineup.

Bellinger came up to platoon in the outfield and give veteran Adrian Gonzalez some days off at first base. Adrian Gonzalez went to the DL which thrust Cody into the starting spot at first base.

All was going well until Andrew Toles tore his ACL, giving manager Dave Roberts a big decision to make. Roberts decided to give the rookie the everyday role out in left field.

Bellinger proved why he got the nod. Not only did he put up monster power numbers, but he also played great defense in left field. As Anthony Perez wrote, “we may have back-to-back Rookie of the Years in Los Angeles.” That is how well Bellinger has played this month. Although he has cooled down, he is still an exceptional talent in this league.

Here we have a player who is playing a position he usually does not play. But with his incredible production swinging the bat, the skipper had to find a way to work him into the lineup. This process of teaching him how to play outfield had to be sped up when Joc Pederson obtained a concussion in an ugly collision with Yasiel Puig.

Couple that with Toles, Gutierrez, and struggling bats like Thompson and Van Slyke, the Dodgers have something they haven’t had in years, a shortage of outfielders. This is why Taylor became an option in the outfield.

Taylor, much like Bellinger, forced Roberts to keep him with the big league squad with his bat. In fact, Taylor tied with Yasmani Grandal for the team lead in hits with 29 in the month of May. His offense is great, and in the infield, he plays a tremendous shortstop and second base.

In the outfield, he is still learning, and it is visible that his instincts are not quite there yet. His athleticism helps him make spectacular diving plays, but he isn’t good at reading the ball off the bat. His throws also tail-off when he throws from center. Yes, he still needs some work, but he has been a nice fill-in for the team.

Enrique Hernandez:

The Puerto Rican utility man is a swiss-army knife. He can play any position he is asked and played a lot of his reps in the outfield last month. He is a great defender and has a very strong arm which allows him to play every outfield spot. He was an extra-base machine last month. Of his 16 hits in May, 11 went for extra bases. Hernandez does not get cheated when he swings, but his

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long swing can lead to weak pop flies and lots of swings and misses.

Brett Eibner:

Eibner was brought in for depth this offseason. Eibner saw limited time, even with many injuries, but he still managed to show his power. He had just four hits in May, but two of those were bombs. He has a nice power swing and is yet another player on this roster who can play all three outfield positions.

Franklin Gutierrez:

The veteran right-hander was brought in to platoon in left field. In May he played in just 16 games, but when he did play, he showed a nice presence at the plate. He put together nice at-bats time in and time out, shown by his .385 on-base percentage. But ultimately his injuries and sickness cost him playing in more games last month.

Injured Players:

Andrew Toles:

Unfortunately for both Toles and the Dodgers, the left fielder tore his ACL in the month of May. What makes this injury worse is how hot Toles started the month. He was hitting .360 in May before tearing his ACL.

Next: Starting Pitcher Grades

Joc Pederson:

The starting center fielder ran into Yasiel Puig and the outfield wall, so essentially he ran into two walls which caused his concussion. Joc was struggling at the plate, hitting just .182 in May, but as always he was playing a great center field.

This brief stint on the DL might be a blessing in disguise as it gives Joc some rest and has displayed the versatility of other players. This versatility may help lift some of the weight off of Joc’s shoulders against left-handed pitching and ultimately be good for him.