Dodgers: Alex Verdugo Unlikely to Get his Chance in 2018

The Dodgers are once again loaded with too many good outfielders.  It’s a good problem to have unless you are Alex Verdugo.

Alex Verdugo currently ranks as the Dodgers second-best prospect and the Dodgers think very highly of Verdugo.  This is proven by the fact they refused to include Verdugo in potential trades last season for Yu Darvish and Brad Hand.  If the Dodgers had been willing to deal Verdugo then he most likely would have gone to the Padres since they were rumored to have interest in Verdugo.

Verdugo had a very solid season last year in Triple-A Oklahoma City as he posted a .314 average with an OPS over .800.  Alex also played very solid defense and struck out only fifty times in over four hundred at-bats.  Verdugo didn’t post eye-popping stats but he had a very solid season in the minors.  Despite a brief call-up in which he hit .174 the Dodgers are not going to lose hope in Verdugo over twenty plus at bats.

This spring Alex Verdugo was one of the many outfielders who is competing for the left field job.  This spring Verdugo has not hurt his chances as he has hit .348 with a couple home runs.  The problem for Verdugo is that Andrew Toles has been on fire lately as Toles is now batting .400 this spring with a couple of home runs and nine RBI’s.  Toles appears to be currently winning the left field competition although there are still two weeks left in spring training.

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Another roadblock for Verdugo is Matt Kemp.  With the kind of money that Kemp is making this season and next (over 20 million a season), the Dodgers are going to play Kemp as much as they can if he is playing well.  Currently, Kemp holds a .348 average with three home runs and has shown no signs of decline.  Whether the Dodgers intend to keep Kemp or not they want to run him out as often as possible in hopes that he will play well and entice another team to trade for him.

Toles and Kemp are not only outplaying Alex Verdugo this spring but they both are better shots to make the opening day roster.  Verdugo could play every day if he starts the season in Triple-A which is something the Dodgers want.  The good news for Verdugo is that he only turns twenty-two years old this May so he is still plenty young to play another season in Triple-A.  Unless injuries happen to Matt Kemp or Andrew Toles, it would be hard to envision Verdugo playing many games for the Dodgers this season.

The only other scenarios that could open the door for Alex Verdugo all involve injuries.  If Logan Forsythe or Corey Seager go down with an injury, Chris Tayor would most likely get the lions share of starts at second base or shortstop.  If this happened then center field would for Alex Verdugo to get playing time.  Even in that scenario, there is still a chance the Dodgers could give Joc Pederson more playing time in center field.

Next: Can the Dodgers top the new look Giants in 2018?

Regardless of who wins the left field battle, it most likely will be Andrew Toles or Matt Kemp.  Alex Verdugo is still a very talented prospect and he should get his first real chance in the big leagues in 2019, but for the 2018 season, it’s hard to see how he gets a real chance to play if everyone is healthy.