Dodgers: Three Reasons the Dodgers Can Win the NL West
Talent
One of the main reasons that many experts predicted to the Dodgers to be one of the final teams left in the NL playoffs this season was due to their immense talent. Even with the loss of Corey Seager the Dodgers now have Manny Machado playing shortstop. Manny Machado and Brian Dozier were big acquisitions to an already explosive lineup.
The reason the Dodgers are losing at a bad rate is not that they don’t have enough talent to win. The 2018 Dodgers are just missing the clutch gene. Especially offensively, the Dodgers ranked 21st in baseball for batting average with runners in scoring position. With runners in scoring position and two outs, the Dodgers are the third worst team in baseball with a measly .201 average.
The Dodgers lineup has some of the best talent in baseball; they simply are not getting the job done when the stakes are the highest. If the team turns that around and starts delivering on more scoring opportunities the offense is capable of exploding for six to eight runs a game on average. The Dodgers have the talent to win the West; they just need to start playing like it.