Dodgers Who Need to Start Fresh with the New Year

Andrew Toles, Yimi Garcia, Julio Urias

These are three names you probably forgot about in 2017, but they are vital pieces in the Dodgers’ future. Julio Urias is the young pitching phenom the Dodgers are expecting to be the organizations’ next ace for the next decade-plus. After an impressive rookie season in 2016, where, as a 19-year-old, had a 3.39 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 77 innings (18 games, 15 of them starts).

No matter who you are, if you put up those numbers as a teenager in the show and also start an NLCS game, expectations will be sky-high. But 2017 saw him disappoint, both with production and injury. In his 23.1 innings of work, he had a 5.40 ERA and 1.586 WHIP, in large part due to his horrendous control. He had 14 walks (5.4 BB/9) compared to 11 strikeouts.

Then to add insult to injury, he actually got injured in June and will be missing possibly the entire 2018 season depending on how the team handles him. If he somehow gets onto the field, he’ll have a chance to redeem his young career. And the fact that he only pitched 23.1 innings makes him less of a bust because he was limited in time.

Speaking of Urias, it was his no-hitter which Andrew Toles was trying to save that led to his torn ACL. Toles had started off slow but started to catch fire with the bat and remind us of his 2016 form, before his season came to too early of a stop. He doesn’t have to redeem himself, but 2018 will give him the chance to start off fresh, put the injury in the rearview mirror, and pick up where he left off in 2017.

And Yimi Garcia is a name most fans have forgotten. The 27-year-old missed all of 2017 due to Tommy John surgery. But from 2014-2016, he had a 3.12 ERA and 0.95 WHIP while striking out 81 in 75 innings. Like Toles, he has nothing to be disappointed about other than unfortunate injuries. He can come back from this in a big way if he can help stabilize the bullpen and become a late-inning, high-leverage guy. He definitely has the stuff.

Joc Pederson, Trayce Thompson

Now we come to the guys who truly disappointed in 2017 and need the calendar to change to 2018. Say what you want about Joc’s impressive World Series performance, but there is no denying that he was bad in 2017. He missed time due to injury but was disappointing when on the field. He hit .212/.331/.407 with 11 home runs in 323 plate appearances. He even accumulated a -0.4 WAR in his 102 games, according to Baseball Reference.

It got so bad that he was demoted to Triple-A in August (where he got even worse) and left off the NLDS roster. After being such a promising prospect for Los Angeles, and taking a step forward in 2016, he took three steps backward and has a lot of making up to do.

If you thought Joc was terrible, then you’d think he was an All-Star when you put him next to Trayce Thompson. Thompson battled injuries, but that wasn’t the main reason he only had 55 plate appearances for the big league club. The Dodgers’ depth doesn’t help, and neither does his .483 OPS. Yes, you read that correctly.

He accumulated a -0.3 WAR in his limited time and like Joc, struggled terribly in his minor league stints which spawned across 95 games (369 plate appearances). The Dodgers have such a glut of outfielders that another season like 2017 may officially signal the end of his career in blue. He probably wants to forget about 2017 the most from anyone on the team and take advantage of the fresh start.

Logan Forsythe and Pedro Baez

Both of these guys had their moments, but they will be the first to tell you that they should, and could, have done better. To be fair to Pedro Baez, he had one awful, and I mean awful month. He had a 2.95 ERA which would make you wonder why he needs to “bounce back,” but his below-average 1.328 WHIP and horrid September left more to be desired.

More from LA Dodgers News

• Kevin Kiermaier being ‘top target’ to replace Cody Bellinger is bad sign for Dodgers
• Giants laughably sign pitcher that Dodgers absolutely own
• Dave Roberts’ quote about Padres in NLDS should motivate Dodgers
• Former Astro seemingly takes uncalled for shot at Cody Bellinger after Cubs deal
• Dodgers’ 2023 lineup without Trea Turner isn’t as impressive as it should be

He was cruising through the first five months of the season with a 1.79 ERA, shutting up his numerous doubters from 2014-2016. He has always been the scapegoat for the bullpen’s struggles, but he gave no reason this time.

Then September came, and he gave up 14 hits, seven walks, and ten runs in just 8.2 innings. That’s not a typo. You can argue that he regressed to the mean, and if that’s true, that’s a splendid way (sarcasm) and extreme way to do it. This collapse took him from the Dodgers most trusted reliever outside of Kenley Jansen to not appearing in the playoffs. And an argument can be made that his one month of horror outweighs his five months of excellence. Boy, would he like a redo.

Dodger fans have a love-hate relationship with Logan Forsythe since he was supposed to hold down the fort at second. And while he was solid defensively, he was anything but with the bat. His regular season .678 OPS is below-average and nothing to write home about. He improved in the postseason to a .742 OPS but lacked any power, slugging just .333.

Next: Trade Destinations for Matt Kemp

He is due to make over $8 million since the Dodgers picked up his option. And remember, the Dodgers gave up their 3rd-ranked prospect (at the time) in Jose De Leon, and it’s time he makes the asset and financial costs worth it. He will be entering his walk-year in 2018, so it would be in his best interests as well to step up his game and become the player the fans and front office were excited for.