Dodgers: New Year’s Resolutions for All of the Team

Pitchers

Clayton Kershaw: I resolve to keep my back in great shape, make 30 starts, pitch more than 200 innings, striking out 250 batters, leading the league in earned run average and lead the team back to the World Series. As the senior member of the team, I will continue to work harder than anyone and lead by example. I further resolve to not opt out of my contract next November.

Rich Hill: I resolve to keep throwing more curveballs than any human arm should be able to throw. I will not get any blisters in 2018. I will finish with an earned run average near 3.00. When called upon to pitch Game 2 of next year’s World Series, I will find a way to convince my manager to let me pitch more than four innings.

Alex Wood: I resolve to be no less than 75 percent as good as I was in 2017. I will follow Clayton’s work ethic. I, too, resolve to have an ERA near 3.00, and I will not make more than one trip to the disabled list.

Kenta Maeda: I resolve to start the season in the rotation, but I will not be disappointed when my manager moves me to the bullpen full time after the All-Star break.

Hyun-Jin Ryu: I resolve to start the season in the rotation, but I will not be disappointed when I go on the disabled list before Memorial Day. I also will not be disappointed when my team trades me to the Chicago White Sox as part of a package for outfielder Avisail Garcia in late July.

Julio Urias: I resolve to not rush back from surgery, knowing full well the team will be in first place when I make my season debut. When I do return, I resolve to stay patient and slowly work my way back, even if that means spending some time at AAA. When I am asked to start Game 4 of the World Series, I will channel my inner Fernando Valenzuela and pitch the Dodgers to a victory on the road.

Walker Buehler: I resolve to be willing to start the season in the Oklahoma City rotation. I will continue to strengthen my arm after Tommy John surgery two years ago, readying myself to be dropped into the fifth spot in the Los Angeles rotation when Hyun-Jin goes on the DL. I resolve to do so well that management cannot take me out of the rotation for the next decade.

Pedro Baez: I resolve to not be a human rain delay every time I take the mound. I resolve to pitch like I did for the first four months of the season and not the last month and a half, which kept me off the post-season roster. I resolve to pitch my way into being the 8^th inning setup man for Kenly Jansen, allowing management to seek other players at the trade deadline instead of my replacement.

Tony Cingrani: I resolve to become the left-handed specialist the Dodgers have been looking for. I resolve to pitch to my .194 batting average against and .497 OPS against in September and October, rather than my .342 BA against and 1.247 OPS against in July.

Luis Avilan: No, I resolve to become the left-handed specialist the Dodgers have been looking for. I resolve to pitch to my second half .177 batting average against and .534 OPS against, rather than my first half .304 BA against and .851 OPS against in 2017.

Tom Koehler: I resolve to be mentally ready to move full time to the bullpen, realizing that this could be the springboard to the second half of my career (and possibly make me the next Joe Blanton or Brandon Morrow).

Brock Stewart and Ross Stripling: We resolve to think that we’re permanent fixtures on the club, but quietly know that we’re trade bait. We resolve to be mentally ready to be part of the bullpen on Opening Day.

Kenley Jansen: Well, I guess I resolve to just keep doing what I’ve been doing.

Catchers

Yasmani Grandal: I resolve to be prepared to be traded, benched, platooned, etc., realizing I’m no longer the No. 1 catcher on this team.

Austin Barnes: I resolve to play like I did down the stretch. I resolve to work harder than I did last season, know that the team is going to be counting on me to be who I was down the stretch in 2017.

Kyle Farmer: I resolve to stay quiet and do whatever the team asks of me.

Infielders

Cody Bellinger: I resolve to stop swinging at the down-and-in curveball whenever I get two strikes on me. I resolve not to become obsessed with home runs, no matter how sexy they are.

Logan Forsythe: I resolve, in my contract year, to be the guy the Dodgers acquired for top pitching prospect Jose De Leon last winter (20 HR, 52 RBIs, .264/.333/.444 in 2016). I resolve to continue to play stellar defense and swing a hot bat versus lefties (.290/.418/.452 in 2017).

Corey Seager: I resolve to not get injured. OK, so I can’t really resolve that, but I do resolve to do whatever is necessary to keep me on the field as much as possible. If necessary, I resolve to get my elbow taken care of in April rather than September, knowing we’ll be in first place when I return.

Justin Turner: I resolve to continue to be the face of the team and keep on doing what I’ve been doing. I also resolve to whisper in Clayton’s ear about his contract just as I did with Kenley in the winter of 2016.

Outfielders

Yasiel Puig: I resolve to continue to lick my bat and hop around in the box, which is just me being me. But I also resolve to continue to mature as a Major League player, knowing full well this is the last year of my seven-year, $42 million contract.

Chris Taylor: I resolve to prove that 2017 was no fluke.

Joc Pederson: I resolve to prove that 2017 was a fluke.

Kike Hernandez: I resolve to come up huge in a key post-season game (wait, I already did that!).

Andrew Toles: I resolve to play exactly like I did before I tore my right anterior cruciate ligament trying to preserve Julio’s no-hitter in the seventh inning last May 9 (5 HRs, 15 RBIs, 17 runs scored .271/.314/.458 batting leadoff).

Alex Verdugo: I resolve to grab hold of the starting left field job on the first day of Spring Training and not let go. I resolve to force management into making a very difficult decision regarding my future, as well as the futures of Joc, Andrew, Kike, Trayce, and Matt.

Trayce Thompson: I resolve to be half the baseball player that my brother is a basketball player. I also resolve to get at least half the championships he has.

Matt Kemp: I resolve… I resolve to … I’m not really sure what I resolve to do. I can’t really hit, I can’t really play defense, I can’t really be traded. I guess I just resolve to do what I’m told, wherever that may be.

Manager

Dave Roberts: There are several things I resolve to do: not pull my No. 2 starter after four innings of an important World Series game; not push for the team to re-sign Chase Utley and, if they do, not to put him on any post-season roster; not over-manage, especially with the pitching staff; and to use a little more of my vast baseball knowledge over sabermetrics to improve on my in-game managerial decisions.

More from LA Dodgers News

• 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
• Recapping who Dodgers gained and lost in Rule 5 Draft

Front Office

Mark Walter: I resolve to encourage Andrew Friedman to pursue JUST ONE of next winter’s marquee free agents.

Andrew Friedman: I resolve to talk Mark Walter out of pursuing ANY of next winter’s marquee free agents. But I also resolve to continue to tirelessly work around the edges, creating more depth than any team should rightly have.

Farhan Zaidi: I resolve to continue to be the best “Yes Man” I can for Andrew, knowing full well that my position is pretty much in title only.

Fans

We resolve to continue to support the team by coming out by the millions, knowing that the front office is doing everything in their power to bring us a World Series title in 2018.

Next: The Dodgers top three moments of the 2017 season