Dodgers: Three Things to Look Forward to in 2019
A new year is upon us as the Dodgers and the rest of the world ring in the new year. While 2018 ended in disappointment, 2019 is a new year and a new beginning for the Dodgers.
The year 2018 was a very interesting year for the Dodgers. Unlike 2017 where the Dodgers coasted most of the season, the 2018 regular season began with a struggle for the Dodgers. At one point they were more than ten games under 500 and looked like a team that would miss the post-season. Injury riddled by the loss of Corey Seager and Justin Turner, the team looked like a shell of it’s 2017 form.
Then the Dodgers turned things up towards the end of the year, fueled by the addition of Manny Machado and the walk-off hits of Matt Kemp. After defeating the Rockies in a one game playoff for the NL West title, the Dodgers once again found themselves in the World Series against the Red Sox after knocking off the Braves and Brewers. Although it ended in a second straight WS defeat, 2019 offers new hope and here are three things to look forward to in 2019.
Roster Moves
The MLB hot stove season has gotten off to a slow start. As a result one thing to look forward to in 2019 is 2018’s free agency. The Dodgers traded away Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp which means more moves are coming. Will the Dodgers spend big and bring in the crown jewel of free agency Bryce Harper? It remains to be seen if the Dodgers will offer Harper the long term deal he is asking for but there is a chance they land a whale in free agency.
Should the Dodgers miss out on Harper, they will still pursue other free agents. AJ Pollock could find himself manning centerfield at Chavez Ravine in 2019 if the Dodgers wish to add more right-handed thump to their lineup. If LA seeks the trade route, they have been connected to Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, and Corey Kluber. Sometime soon the free agency period will pick up and the Dodgers will have plenty of big moves left to make at the start of 2019.
What will Walker Buehler do for an encore?
The biggest bright spot of the 2018 season was the emergence of Walker Buehler. While he is not yet the ace of the staff, he is going to be real soon. As a rookie, Buehler posted a 2.62 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP while making a run at the NL Rookie of the Year award. If it wasn’t for his fractured ribs that he got when hit by a comebacker, Buehler might have beat out Ronald Acuna for the award.
Buehler’s strong regular season didn’t stop in the postseason as he was very effective the playoffs after his initial rough debut against the Atlanta Braves. For the postseason he pitched to a 3.80 ERA and 0.85 WHIP while gaining valuable experience pitching in game seven of the NLCS and pitching a World Series game.
In his lone World Series start, Walker pitched seven shutout innings allowing just two hits to the eventual World Series champions. The start even produced an iconic moment when Sandy Koufax was seen applauding the young right hander as he walked off the mound for the last time. Kershaw may be the de facto ace, but Walker Buehler will be gunning to claim the ace title in 2019.
The return of Corey Seager
The Dodgers tried to fill the void left by Corey Seager’s lost season in 2018 by acquiring Manny Machado but Machado never really impressed in Dodger blue. He will forever be known for lack of hustle and causing drama with the Brewers in the NLCS at least for his Dodger days. Corey Seager will be ready for the 2019 season barring any setbacks which is good news for the Dodgers and their fans.
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Seager will help the Dodgers in many ways and one of those is their ability to hit left-handers. In his last full season of 2017, Seager hit .325 against southpaws and posted an OPS over .900. That would rank him among the best against left-handers of any Dodger even all of the right-handed bats like David Freese, Enrique Hernandez, and Justin Turner. There has been talk about the Dodgers being too left-handed but Seager can hit any pitcher.
Another area the Dodgers struggled was hitting with runners in scoring position and that is another situation where Seager excels. In 2017, Corey hit .361 with runners in scoring position and posted an OPS over 1.000. No Dodger fan will ever forget his 2017 home run off Justin Verlander in game two of the World Series. Seager is clutch and the Dodgers will need that in 2019 to overcome their struggles with runners in scoring position.
While Corey Seager may not be the fielder that Manny Machado is, he is a very solid shortstop that will make his fair share of web gems. It will be interesting to watch how his arm is in 2019 coming off of Tommy John surgery. It should be even stronger and help Seager make plays where he ranges to his right and throws across his body. The Dodgers watched Machado leave but they welcome their own star back in Corey Seager.