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Dodgers: Three Reasons to be Thankful for the 2018 Season

By Michael Wittman

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates at home plate with Cody Bellinger #35 and Manny Machado #8 after Puig hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning of Game Four of the 2018 World Series against pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez #57 of the Boston Red Sox (not in photo) at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates at home plate with Cody Bellinger #35 and Manny Machado #8 after Puig hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning of Game Four of the 2018 World Series against pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez #57 of the Boston Red Sox (not in photo) at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 23: Matt Kemp #27 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a second inning home run against the Boston Red Sox in Game One of the 2018 World Series at Fenway Park on October 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

The Surprises

The 2018 season was full of surprises and the biggest two were Max Muncy and the resurgence of Matt Kemp.  Kemp hit .310 in the first half of the season and was the unlikeliest of all-stars in 2018.  Not even the biggest Matt Kemp fan could have expected the type of season that Kemp had.  While his second-half fade took away from his overall numbers, Kemp did homer in the World Series which was another great thing to see in 2018.

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Then there was Max Muncy who literally came out of nowhere.  The Dodgers injuries to Justin Turner and Corey Seager made them dive into their depth and Muncy was one of the minor leaguers who had his name called.  Muncy had never been given a long look in the majors with the A’s and 2018 was his first extended action in the big leagues.

All Muncy did was turn into the Dodgers’ best power hitter before Manny Machado was acquired and hit 35 home runs while becoming a key part of the Dodger offense.  He also hit a walk-off home run in the 18th inning of game three of the World Series that finally ended the game that felt like it would never end.

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As a result of Kemp and Muncy’s surprise seasons, the Dodgers were able to claw themselves back from being ten games under 500 to making another World Series appearance in 2018.  While it remains to be seen if either is part of the 2019 Dodger club, they will always be remembered for another magical season in 2018.  While the Dodgers didn’t give every Dodger fan the ending they wanted, there was still plenty to be thankful for in 2018.

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