Dodgers: Sending Verdugo Back to the Minors was the Wrong Move

On Wednesday evening the Dodgers send Alex Verdugo back to AAA Oklahoma City as a byproduct of Yasiel Puig returning from the DL.  The question is why didn’t they give Verdugo a longer look?

The Dodgers said they sent Verdugo down because they want him the play every day and while that is a good reason, in theory, they could have started him almost every day in centerfield.  As the outfield currently stands, Yasiel Puig is the man in right field, and the resurgent Matt Kemp has a stranglehold on the left field job.  When Kemp needs a breather, it is usually Joc Pederson that starts in left field.

With the Dodgers starting out slow and the offense still anemic, this would have been the perfect opportunity to see what Alex Verdugo can do at the major league level.  Verdugo could have started in centerfield against right-handed starting pitchers with Hernandez starting in center against southpaw starters.  Although Verdugo was in the midst of a rough 1-13 stretch over his last three games, that is typical for a rookie, and the Dodgers should have let Verdugo battle through it.  It’s not like they have much to lose offensively right now.

By sending Alex Verdugo down the Dodgers appear content with playing some combination of Joc Pederson, Tim Locastro, and Kiké Hernandez in center.  While Kiké is a solid starting option against left-handed starting pitchers, his results against right-handed pitching leave a lot of room for improvement.  This is where Alex Verdugo could have seen a majority of his starts.  Locastro is a career utility man, and Joc Pederson is a streaky and inconsistent hitter.

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While it’s not yet known how good Verdugo can be in centerfield defensively, it is a known fact that Joc Pederson is not a good defensive centerfielder.  Joc finished with a –12 DRS rating last season and this year his DRS is -3.  His UZR/150 rating last season was a -11.0 and this year is an abysmal -34.2.  Joc rates as an average fielder in left field, but he has no business starting in centerfield.

Offensively we also know exactly what Joc Pederson is.  When he’s going well, he will get on base at a nice clip, and he has power surges where he is capable of hitting a home run at any point.  So far this season Joc only has one home run, and while he is getting on base, he is not showing much power.   At this point it’s looking like Joc is better off as a backup infielder who can play all over the outfield and hit a home run here and there.

This is where Alex Verdugo comes back into play.  When Verdugo first came up and starting playing in centerfield, he looked like a potential spark to the Dodgers struggling offense.  He was hitting doubles to the gap and has the kind of speed that is sorely missed in the Dodgers lineup.  He also showed off an impressive arm as he almost gunned out Paul Goldschmidt at home on a sacrifice fly.  Had his throw been more towards the ground he would have gotten Goldschmidt out.

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If the Dodgers plan on making a splash in this winters mega free-agency, it’s likely going to block some of their minor leaguers like Alex Verdugo.  This would have been the perfect opportunity for the Dodgers to see what Verdugo can do over an extended sample size and potentially showcase him for a trade later on this season or year.  In the meantime, it looks like the Dodgers are content with Joc in centerfield.  Hopefully, the front office wakes up and sees this golden chance to see what Alex Verdugo is capable of doing.