Dodgers: Key Players That Need to Step Up in the NLCS

Justin Turner

The Red Dream has dreamlike facial hair and playoff statistics. It seems like he is always on base in October. He was the catalyst of the offense in the NLDS. The thing that makes him an absolute nightmare in the playoffs is not his bat. It is his plate discipline. Turner has pesky at-bats every time he steps into the box.

He refuses to swing at pitches out of the zone which is a lot more difficult than people realize. He also rarely swings and misses. He runs the opposing pitcher’s pitch count up and is just a tough out. I can’t imagine what it feels like having to go up against a player like Turner….

Oh wait, yes I can. I don’t even have to imagine it because I’ve lived through it. Daniel Murphy. JT is essentially the right-handed equivalent of Daniel Murphy. Dodger fans should know that feeling we had every time Murph stepped into the batter’s box the past two postseasons. That ire we had whenever our pitcher made the pitch of his life, but Murphy fouls it off until he gets a pitch to handle.

That is exactly what opposing fans should feel when Turner comes up to bat. He changes the game completely. Not just by driving in runs. He works counts and can be a pivotal contributor to the early exit of a starting pitcher. If other players are not performing, he can carry a massive load of the offense while fatiguing the pitcher into mistakes for other hitters. He will be a key player in the NLCS.

Yasiel Puig

Continuing on the theme of elite nicknames we have the Wild Horse. This is the player we expected to see over the past few season since his arrival. But hey, better late than never. Puig is just flat out fun to watch. His tongue wagging, bat licking, Turner Ward kissing antics are good for TV. He brings an energy to this team that was missing in previous post-season series’.

On a team where outside of the starting rotation little emotion is shown, it is good to have that one player who wears his emotion on his sleeve. With so many blue-collar guys around the field, Puig is a breath of fresh air. Some players are robots who never get too high or too low and remain level-headed (I’m looking at you, Corey).

He fits the perfect cliché mold of a spark plug. He brings an energy that is unmatched by anyone on the team. Sometimes that can be his demise, but if he is on like has been, It gets the players and fans going. He can spark rallies for this team. The team and all of Chavez Ravine feed off of his flare and energy both on and off the field.

Perhaps the fact that he wasn’t who he is now has hurt the Dodgers in the past. Every team needs a player like him. Even a team like the Royals who had a team filled with blue collar guys had a guy in Eric Hosmer who was the spark plug for the team and was one of the driving forces behind that World Series title. Puig’s antics help this team overall, and if he is on in this series, it can help spark the entire offense.

Middle Relievers

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I know I said three key players but this combination of guys have to be on whenever they are called upon. The players I am alluding to are the middle relievers. Everyone in the bullpen not named Kenley Jansen, Brandon Morrow or Kenta Maeda.

God forbid a starting pitcher has a bad outing. But if that happens these are the guys that are going to need to pick up the slack. These guys will be pitching in big moments in the game. This role has been up and down all year long. From Stripling to matchup guys like Cingrani and Watson, they need to be on. To the chagrin of fans, Roberts has been awfully quick to move from pitcher to pitcher.

At even the slightest hint of trouble, Roberts was quick with the hook. It has worked out for him thus far so he will probably continue with this tactic. Meaning we will see a lot of this middle relief core. He will do anything to bridge the gap to the big arms in the back. Using any combo available as long as they get the ball to Kenley in the ninth.

This middle relief group was solid in the NLDS. They were a big reason for the utter dominance. A bullpen can make or break a team. With the Dodgers being rock solid at the back end of the bullpen it is the middle relief that needs to step up their performance. They could be the difference in the NLCS, especially with the managerial style of Roberts we will be seeing a lot of them.

Next: Grandal's Future With the Dodgers

The Dodgers undoubtedly have the advantage with the better bullpen. Now it’s just about putting it all together and advancing past the NL. I expect this to be a back and forth series, but there’s no doubt the Dodgers should be the favorites to advance.