Dodgers: Curtis Granderson WILL be a Key Contributor in October

Curtis Granderson. Everywhere he goes, he is adored by the fans. That was the case up until joining the Dodgers. The fans have turned quickly on him. But, he will win back the fans with his performance come October.

Entering Tuesday’s game against the Phillies, Granderson had a .120 AVG in his time with the Dodgers.  Compiling a total of 10 hits, 5 of which have gone over the fence. Although he has a bad batting average, he’s still had a fair amount of productive at-bats. He has a .323 OBP with Los Angeles as he has drawn 17 walks. In September he only trails Cody Bellinger in walks.He may not be getting hits, but he sure has been getting on base.

In October getting on base is important, it doesn’t matter if it’s a hit, walk, or hit by pitch. He has undoubtedly been struggling, but he has nowhere to go but up from here. He’s been a tough out even when he doesn’t get on base. Often fouling off plenty of pitches and working the pitcher.

His value has not been seen because the Dodgers have been playing so poorly as of late. He also has not been playing so hot either, but like I stated earlier he can only go up from here, and it looks like he is starting to turn the corner offensively. One reason Granderson’s bad beginning in LA is just plain old bad luck.

One stat that really points this out is BABIP. His batting average on the balls that he puts in play is .098. That is an unusually low number. Hitters who aren’t hitting the ball very well tend to get some breaks and a few ground balls that have “eyes” that squeak through the infield. But unfortunately for the Grandyman, those types of hits have not been coming for him.

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As baseball will have it, Granderson will eventually get those bleeders and bloop singles. From there he can build on that and improve on his time with the Dodgers. Once Curtis gets going, he is a dangerous man. He has 20 home runs and in what is considered a “down year.” Granderson’s bat added to the rest of this lineup is a match made in heaven.

Right now Granderson will be the man out in LF against right-handed pitching unless someone just blows him out of the water. And nobody has quite done that. Joc has been just as bad, if not worse than Granderson. Verdugo has not seen much of the field, and in his short time up he hasn’t looked impressive enough to give him a start in October.

The biggest threat to his starting spot is long time Dodger and fellow veteran Andre Ethier. Offensively Ethier has been great,  so that is not the issue. The problem lays on whether his body will be able to handle playing defense. Granderson is just a better defensive player at this stage in their careers. Another thing to look at is how Ethier thrived in his role off the bench last season. Roberts may not want to start him simply to have him as a weapon off the bench that can be a spark plug.

So for the time being it looks like Granderson will be the man in LF against RHP. This sets up the perfect time for him to become beloved in Los Angeles as he has been in New York and Detroit. Dodger fans should know how well Granderson performs in October.

Many of their rallies started by him having a pesky AB and getting on base. In the 2015 NLDS against the Dodgers, Granderson hit .389 with a .476 OBP and struck out just once in the five-game series. He will not need be as relied upon in LA as he did with the Mets but he could be just as productive. If all things went right for the Dodgers, he’d be the teams 6^th best hitter unlike with the Mets where he was the 2^nd or 3^rd best hitter.

Either way, I truly believe he will be just as productive. Come October, fans roaring, bright lights, stress at an all-time high, Granderson always steps up to the plate. He is not afraid to be in the spot light. Curtis WILL be a key contributor to this team. Whether it’d be with clutch hits, or just going out and being a tough out and working pitch counts he will be important to this team.

Next: Puig in Locks Down the 5 Spot

It may not seem like it now but this team is special, and with the addition of another special player in Curtis Granderson it made them even more special. His bat is explosive and he puts together some of the best AB’s on the team. He is the perfect fit for this team filled with youth. His playoff experience will show, and his contribution in October will be instrumental to winning that elusive World Series. Just wait and see.