Dodgers: Grading the outfield for the month of June

During the month of June, the Dodgers’ outfield was a pivotal part of the team’s success. Hitting for a combined .245 average and crushing 32 home runs, these six players came up big for the outfield.

The Dodgers had one heck of a June, winning 21 out of the 28 games they played. In that time, they managed to take a 3.5 game lead over Arizona for first place and a dominating six-game lead over the slumping Rockies. The offensive unit as a whole had been unstoppable, outscoring opponents by a mark of +65 runs last month. This coincided with an impressive ten-game winning streak

Part of that winning streak was because of the outfield, which early in June was anchored by young star Cody Bellinger. They also received contributions from Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor, Enrique Hernandez, Joc Pederson, and Franklin Gutierrez. On the year, those outfielders have combined for a .248/.335/.480 slash line with 65 home runs. So how do those players rank for the month? Let’s take a look at each player’s monthly assessment.

One of the biggest reasons the Dodgers have been able to take back first place in the West is their youth and Cody Bellinger is a prime example. The Kid can flat out hit, and the whole league is finding that out the hard way.

Before Adrian Gonzalez went back on the disabled list this month, Bellinger was providing the outfield with some major pop. In the month of June, Bellinger hit .286 with 13 home runs. His 13 home runs account for over a quarter of the team’s monthly totals.

Cody’s walk totals were also slightly up from last month, walking 13 times as opposed to 11 in May. While he’s not going to start the All-Star game this year, there should be no doubt by now that Bellinger is a front-runner for Rookie of the Year.

June Slash Line: .286/.361/.743

Gutierrez gets a D- mostly because giving a major league player any lower than that just feels wrong. The front office brought him over to combat their slump against left-handed pitching, but that hasn’t quite panned out.

In his 41 at-bats against left-handed pitching for the season, Gutierrez has managed just a .195 average. In June, Franklin got 21 at-bats and managed just four hits.

That accounts for barely a .190 average and four runs batted in, not exactly what they were hoping for when they signed him to a $2.6 million contract before the season. On top of that, he was placed on the 10-day DL on June 25th.

Hopefully, Gutierrez will be able to overcome some of his injuries and pains he’s been experiencing and salvage what is left of the season.

June Slash Line: .190/.261/.451

Kike Hernandez has been a consistent source of defense and offensive production this season. His surprising power numbers early on are just a bonus to his extreme versatility as a player.

On the year, Hernandez is batting .229 with eight home runs. Not huge numbers, but pretty decent for a bench, super-utility man. June was a bit of a step down for Kike, though, as he only managed to hit .186 through 59 at-bats.

The difference maker for the month, much like the whole season, has been his clutch power and defense. Hernandez hit four home runs during the month of June, and three of them came at pivotal points in the game.

The first big home run of the month came off of Andrew Miller during the top of the eighth inning, when the Dodgers were tied with the Cleveland Indians.

His second was off of the Mets’ Steven Matz, to get the scoring going on June 22nd. And the last one came against Colorado which started a four-run fourth inning that resulted in a 12-6 comeback win. So while the numbers may not be there, Hernandez is producing at all the right times.

June Slash Line: .188/.297/.422

Talk about having some sense knocked into you. Following his return from the disabled list after his collision with Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson has been absolutely crushing opposing pitchers.

Since his return on June 13th, Pederson hit .291 with six home runs in 17 games during the month. On the year, Pederson has raised his average up over .230 with eight home runs, so that should tell you just how good he has been since his return.

Pederson was seeing the ball better too, striking out only once every four-plus at-bats as opposed to his season average of once every three at-bats. His walk total had also increased dramatically, walking 11 times, when he walked a combined 13 times over the first two months.

He is starting to resemble the player we expected him to be, so hopefully, he can keep it up and not be a flash in the pan.

June Slash Line: .291/.426/.709

Sometimes you love him, and sometimes he frustrates you so much that you just want him traded already. But love him or not, Puig has been quite the spectacle throughout his career.

Historically, June is one of his more productive months, and that was true again this year. Puig pounded six home runs, hit over .300, and played some elite defense (per usual), en route to the best month Dodger fans could’ve imagined this year.

While his antics may have upset a team or two, Puig produced at the plate and on defense. This is the type of player that he can be on a consistent basis. Down the playoff stretch, the team will need him to perform much like he did last month for them to truly be a World Series contender.

June Slash Line: .300/.394/.588