Dodgers: Yasmani Grandal’s Start is Reassuring but be Cautious

Heading into the season, no one really knew what to expect from Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal. Even with his scorching start, we must be wary.

Yasmani Grandal has been the Dodgers’ best hitter through the season’s first five games, which has been somewhat of a surprise. After last year’s playoffs, the consensus feeling was that Austin Barnes had won the starting job to begin 2018.

But whether it be injury concerns or whatnot, Yaz has been the primary catcher thus far. Heading into Tuesday’s game, he had started four of the first five and has absolutely raked in his 19 plate appearances. He is 7-16 with one home run, a double, three walks, and four strikeouts.

For those that like to see rate statistics, that is a .438/.526/.688 slash line. Although it is too early to start using a slash line, it puts into perspective how hot he has been. From afterthought and trade bait to the hottest hitter on the team.

As great as he has been, do not expect these numbers to continue. And as tempting as it is to be hopeful of a career year from the catcher, history tells us to be cautious of a strong regression or upcoming slump in a few weeks. He is as streaky as it gets.

Just last year we saw the good and the bad. In April he hit .225/.325/.408 in April, .337/.374/.523 in May, .220/.247/.427 in June, and .317/.337/.600 during July. Then he struggled for the rest of the year, ultimately losing his starting spot.

When he is hot, he can single-handedly carry an offense, as shown last year, but when he has lost it, he is a significant liability and black hole in the Dodger lineup. Last year, during his first 17 games of September, he went 4-49 with 23 strikeouts, before catching fire later on in the month.

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

The only thing that did not leave him was his power numbers. He hit 22 last year and 27 the season before.

He is unpredictable, but so far, he is showing some good habits that left him last year. 2017 saw him post a career-low walk rate of 8.3%, down from 14% in 2016 and 15.3% in 2015. He also set a career-high 27% strikeout percentage and 31.6% chase rate. He just lost his plate vision and became a wild swinger at times.

So far, through 19 plate appearances (yes a small sample size) his three walks equate to a 15.8% walk rate and his four strikeouts come out to a 21.2% strikeout rate. Small sample size but they are in line with his career averages and are more telling of the player he is than last year was.

He also has three hits in four at-bats as a right-handed hitter, along with two walks. That is another promising sign for a player that is known for being worse from the right side of the plate.

But again, we need to keep things in perspective and not be surprised when he inevitably slumps and starts to frustrate; enjoy it while it lasts. However, in his defense, he has dealt with on and off injuries since joining the Dodgers, which has limited his ability to some extent.

Next: Is Chris Archer the Dodgers end game?

We need to see more from him to believe in a bounce-back season. But if he does stay healthy, you can expect a productive season from him that could see him hit around .250/.350/.460 and reach the 30 home-run plateau.