Dodgers: 3 Areas the Dodgers Offense Must Improve Next Season

Cut Down on the Strikeouts

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Striking out has become the norm for the players in baseball. This season set the single-season record for most strikeouts in the league with 40,104 strikeouts between all 30 teams. That translates to roughly about 8.25 strikeouts per game, up from 2016’s 8.03 mark. That isn’t a big surprise considering we’re transitioning from a pitching dominated league to a home run hitting-strikeout friendly league.

The Dodgers did their fair share of striking out last season. They set a franchise record for most strikeouts in a season with 1,380 and struck out more than the league average at 8.55 per game. They had four players with over 130 strikeouts. Headlined by none other than Cody Bellinger, who happen to set the record for most strikeouts in a series during the World Series.

The Dodgers ranked 7th in the league in strikeouts and were 3rd in the NL in striking out with runners in scoring position with 2-outs. Perhaps even worse than those numbers is that the Dodgers led the NL in strikeouts with the bases loaded (38). Countless missed opportunities last season.

Despite the fact that the Dodgers were one of the best offenses in the league, they still had the potential to be better. They missed on several opportunities last season because of what I believe to be a stubborn approach at the plate. Instead of focusing on a productive at-bat to move a runner over to help produce a run, they were focusing on hitting the ball out.

I don’t want to be hypocritical, so I’ll say the Dodgers were atop the league in home runs. But if you live by the long ball, you’ll die by the long ball. That proved to be right with their strikeout numbers.

It’s easier said than done to cut down on the strikeouts. Dave Roberts just needs to be sure to keep an eye on the situation. A run is a run whether it goes 400+ feet or is scored by a walk, sacrifice bunt, and a bloop single.

Next: FanSided Mock Off-Season Results

The Dodgers don’t have much room for improvement after a 104 win season and World Series appearance. The improvements may come internally opposed to on the free agency market. If Dave Roberts can correct these three aspects of Dodger baseball, they will without a doubt be World Champions.