Dodgers: 5 Reasons the 2017 Dodgers are better than 2016

Left Field is stronger this season with Chris Taylor instead of Andrew Toles

Last year Andrew Toles came out of nowhere to take over left field and was a very solid player for the Dodgers.  As surprising and good as Toles was last year, Chris Taylor has been even better this year.  Here are the stat lines for Toles last year, and Taylor this year:

2016 Andrew Toles:  .314 AVG  3 HR .365 OBP  .870 OPS  1 SB

2017 Chris Taylor:  .307 AVG  17 HR .377 OBP  .927 OPS  13 SB

Although their average and on base percentage are close, Taylor has provided way more pop than Toles did last year by virtue of the seventeen home runs to the three Toles had in 2016.  Toles is also a speedy outfielder but only had one stolen base to show for it last season. Taylor has thirteen stolen bases so far this season and could close with twenty by the end of this year.

Despite not being an outfielder until this season, Chris Taylor has provided the same quality defense that Andrew Toles did last year.  Last year Toles had 5 DRS and this season Taylor has 5 DRS and should only get better as he becomes more familiar with the outfield.  Taylor has also one more outfield assist this season than Toles had all of last year so despite being an infielder for his entire career, the adjustment has not been bad for Taylor.

Despite being new to the outfield, Chris Taylor has provided the Dodgers with an upgrade in left field compared to last year’s team.

Bellinger gives the Dodgers a massive upgrade at first base

Adrian Gonzalez has been one of the best first basemen in the National League for most of his career, but he’s now on the downside of his career. Bellinger at first base gives the Dodgers a massive boost offensively. Gonzalez finished with 18 home runs in 2016 and Bellinger already has 34 despite coming up in late April, and there’s still a month and a half left this season.

This year Gonzalez only has one home run and it appears he has lost the thunder he once had in his bat due to neck and back ailments.  While there is still a chance the thunder could return once he’s off the disabled, there aren’t any promising signs suggesting it will for Gonzalez. Bellinger, on the other hand, is just tearing the cover off the ball and is going to set the Dodger record for most home runs by a rookie in the coming weeks.

Bellinger also brings another dimension that Adrian cannot which is speed. Bellinger has eight stolen bases so far and has only been caught stealing twice.  He is very fast for a first baseman which is the opposite of Gonzalez who appears to have weights tied to his legs with how slow he runs the bases. With Adrian on the downside of his career and Cody barely getting started, the Dodgers first base spot is much better this season.

The 2017 Dodger bullpen has more depth than the 2016 ‘pen

The Dodgers 2016 bullpen was solid, but it did not have much depth after Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen.  In the playoffs last year Jansen had to go more than one inning a few times, and as we all witnessed, Clayton Kershaw even had to come in to finish a game.  This year the Dodgers bullpen has added a dynamic weapon in Brandon Morrow.

Morrow has essentially replaced Pedro Baez as the primary setup man and even if he is used in the seventh inning, he provides the Dodgers with yet another bridge to ace reliever Kenley Jansen. Last year’s squad also had troubles in the playoffs getting left-handed hitters out, primarily Grant Dayton who struggled after being unhittable all season. This year the Dodgers are still sorting out who their primary left-handed relievers are but they have a few a handful of arms to choose from in Tony Watson, Tony Cingrani, Luis Avilan and Grant Dayton.

Even with last year’s ‘pen being good in the regular season once the playoffs came it pretty much was Baez and Jansen as the main trusted relievers to hold things down.  This season Fields, Morrow, Baez, and of course Jansen gives the team four trusted relievers who Dave Roberts won’t be hesitant to call upon. Avilan is also coming on strong lately and could emerge as the primary left-handed setup man.

Darvish gives the Dodgers a much better playoff rotation in 2017

In 2016 the Dodgers playoff rotation consisted of Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Julio Urias and Kenta Maeda.  Julio Urias was inexperienced in the playoffs, and Kenta Maeda struggled mightily and appeared to be worn down in October. Maeda had a 6.75 ERA in the playoffs last year and only went ten innings total in three playoff starts.

This year the Dodgers projected playoff rotation is so deep that Rich Hill is likely going to be the third or fourth playoff starter after being the second pitcher in the playoff rotation last year. One reason for this is the acquisition of Yu Darvish, and the other reason is the breakout season that Alex Wood is having. Darvish has struck out at least ten hitters in each of his first two starts as a Dodger and has as filthy of a repertoire as anyone on the Dodgers including Kershaw.

Speaking of Kershaw the biggest benefit of this year’s deeper projected playoff rotation is that Kershaw should not have to start on short rest in the first round. The past couple of seasons, Kershaw has had to go on short rest twice in the first round and this could be a possible reason for his playoff struggles. Last year he actually appeared in three games of the five game series in the NLDS.  By keeping Kershaw fresh, he should be able to give the Dodgers at least seven strong innings in each playoff start.

This years squad is never out of a game

More from Dodgers Way

• Giants laughably sign pitcher that Dodgers absolutely own
• Dave Roberts’ quote about Padres in NLDS should motivate Dodgers
• Dodgers might find their next Tyler Anderson with this free agent target
• Former Astro seemingly takes uncalled for shot at Cody Bellinger after Cubs deal
• Are Giants falling off and joining Dodgers at back of Carlos Correa chase?

In 2016 there were some games where you felt the game was over if the Dodgers trailed by more than three to four runs. This year the Dodgers seem to have some serious confidence in themselves as they lead Major League Baseball in comeback wins. They even hit three consecutive homers against the Phillies in the ninth inning of one game this year to tie the game and later won the game.

No matter what the score is, you can just feel the magic that the Dodgers are going to come back and win the game.  With their lineup strong from top to bottom, the offense is always capable of bringing the Dodgers back to win a game and they often have.  Last week was yet another example of this when the Dodgers came back to beat the Diamondbacks with Zack Greinke on the mound. The Dodgers 7th and 8th spot in the lineup provided the winning runs with Puig and Pederson knocking in a few runs.

Next: Three Storylines to Watch

This year’s team simply has a swagger that they are going to win every game which is something I have never seen from a team in baseball.  The short series of the NLDS can be dangerous but if the Dodgers get past that I don’t see another team beating the Dodgers four times in a seven game series.  As long as the confidence carries over to the postseason, the 2017 Dodgers never quit and are never out of a game.  This is something they lacked in 2016.