Dodgers: The Top of the Lineup is Proving to be a Lethal Force

1. Chris Taylor

I don’t think anyone in all of baseball could have predicted that by August, Chris Taylor would be the every day lead off hitter for the best team in baseball. In fact, most may not have predicted him to be playing at the major league level consistently at all. But Taylor has done more than just play, and he has dominated in an area completely unfamiliar to him.

Taylor has had over 100 at bats a the lead off man for the Dodgers. Before the 2017 season, Taylor had essentially never hit more than five times at the lead off spot in a season. Taylor has also played 54 games in the outfield this year, due to the injuries of Andrew Toles, Andre Ethier and Adrian Gonzalez. Again, an area where Taylor has not been accustomed to at all.

And yet despite all of this, Taylor is absolutely dominating. Taylor is hitting .313 with 13 home runs and 51 runs batted in, all career highs for him. More importantly than that, though, is his stat line against left-handed pitching. The Dodgers are well-known from last season for their struggles against southpaws. But Taylor has been a big reason they’ve turned that around, as he is hitting .344 with a .402 on-base percentage. Just watching his hustle on the field is enough to see just how valuable he really is to the team.