Dodgers: Do the Boys in Blue Have Any Weakness?

With Spring Training currently at its earliest inception, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, told Alden Gonzalez of ESPN that the Dodgers’ current roster has “no weak spot.”

After watching the Boys in Blue fail to win the World Series in two consecutive seasons, the bitter fan in me couldn’t help but immediately scoff at the notion of the Dodgers’ roster having “no weak spots.”

Hey, we’re all human.

However, after contemplating the seemingly endless amount of virtues a team must possess to make not one, but two, consecutive trips to the World Series, and more practical considerations, such as offseason acquisitions, returning players, non-returning players, and coaches, I wanted to analyze just how close to flawless the Dodgers’ current roster actually is.

Let us assume that Friedman’s claim was to be taken literally.

If there are “no weak spots,” then the current Dodgers’ roster is considerably strong and therefore would not require any additional acquisitions (ahem, Bryce Harper).

Since there’s no point in speculating whether Bryce Harper will don the Dodger Blue, it only makes sense to preview the Dodgers’ present-day lineup as it stands.

After all, Major League Spring Training games were scheduled to start on February 21st.

With that said, let us begin…

A.J. Pollock:

Arguably the biggest acquisition made over the Dodgers offseason came via free-agency. In a move that may have surprised some, the Dodgers previous long-time foe, A.J. Pollock, was acquired from none-other than the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It’s a brilliant move by Friedman and the Dodgers front office. In one fell-swoop, L.A. acquired Pollock without having to trade anyone and they acquired a Gold-Glove centerfielder from a division rival.

Throughout the last few years, Arizona has persistently fought the Dodgers tooth-and-nail for N.L. West supremacy.

(This begs the question: why would they give up Paul Goldschmidt, Patrick Corbin, and A.J. Pollock, in one single offseason? But as fans, maybe we shouldn’t look a gift-horse in its mouth, especially while the Dodgers reside in the perennially competitive N.L. West.)

With that said, Pollock presents an immediate upgrade to the Dodgers’ outfield and to the entire team.

When healthy, Pollock has proven himself to be a premier leadoff man with elite defensive capabilities anywhere in the outfield, a leader in the clubhouse, and a mainstay amongst the elite outfielders in the National League.

At the “ripe old age” of 31, some may argue that Pollock is at the downslope of an oft-injured career. I argue that as a (free-agent) acquisition from a division rival, for only the cost of a contract (4 years at $55M), and considering the high ceiling of talent and production that Pollock can very possibly bring the Dodgers for the next few years is, Pollock is without a doubt a risk the Dodgers were rightful to take.

Acquisition Grade: “A”

Corey Seager:

Dodgers’ fans know that Corey Seager is not a new addition to the Dodgers organization.

However, he effectively serves as a new addition to the lineup in 2019 after missing nearly all of 2018 recovering from Tommy John surgery and hip surgery.

A stalwart at shortstop, the 2-hole, and the clubhouse, Seager’s reemergence into the everyday lives of the Dodgers and the Dodgers’ fans will be, without question, a welcomed sight for sore eyes.

Without the need to shuffle the lineup, find expensive free agents, and churn various super-utility men in and out of the shortstop position, Seager (along with Pollock) should instantly provide the Dodgers with the much needed stability that their everyday lineup certainly lacked throughout most of last regular season and into the postseason.

Reacquisition Grade: “A+” 

Joe Kelly:

With the two players who bookend Key Additions, the phrase “if you can’t beat em, join em” sarcastically comes to mind. With ex-Diamondback Pollock joining the Dodgers and the Dodgers joining ex-Red Sox Kelly, the phrase rings true nevertheless.

Regardless of who’s joining whom, Joe Kelly proved to all Dodgers fans throughout the entirety of last season’s World Series just how viciously true clichés can be.

Kelly carved through the Dodgers lineup last year with the precision of a butcher sectioning off fresh fish courtesy of the Atlantic Ocean.

Now, the butcher, thankfully, is on our side. All it cost the Dodgers was a mere $25M to incur the services of “The Ender of Worlds,” for three glorious years.

Hailing from Corona, CA, Kelly eventually played college ball for the University of California, Riverside (UCR).

There he converted from high school outfielder to UCR’s closer. Before being taken in the 3rd round of the MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, Kelly was named as an All-American.

Kelly has endured a tumultuous career of ups and downs, though what journeyman reliever-turned World Series hero hasn’t?

Initially used as a starter with St. Louis, Kelly went back-and-forth between starting pitcher and reliever too many times.

This type of mistreatment is a common theme amongst highly-touted arms (especially hard throwers) after being drafted.

However, his ability to bear down upon hitters while in the midst of the most extreme and pressure-filled situations could very likely be an attribute of his Major League “upbringing.” In other words, Kelly has earned his stripes.

This becomes utterly apparent to anyone who watches present-day Joe Kelly pitch.

When Kelly is on, he’s dominant in ways that few pitchers throughout baseball can equal.

His persona on the mound paired with his pure flame-throwing abilities send hitters in a spiral down toward the dugout with a certain feeling of hopelessness.

This type of effect is exactly what the Dodgers needed last year after it became apparent that they hadn’t possessed a legitimate, championship caliber setup-man since they let Brandon Morrow leave for the Northside of Chicago two years ago.

It’s ironic that Joe Kelly has been brought to Los Angeles to effectively fill the void left by Brandon Morrow’s departure because, like Kelly, Morrow was misused in the Mariners’ Organization to the point of almost leaving baseball forever.

It’s hard not to notice the similarities.

Acquisition Grade: “A”

The one glaringly obvious weakness the Dodgers had last year was, of course, their relief. More specifically, I’m referring to the complete and utter lack of any semblance of a setup man. Joe Kelly addresses that need, in spades.

Once a hole, like the gap in the setup spot, has been filled, the rest of the smaller gaps fill-in as well.

What Dodger pitcher wasn’t overworked last season? Bring in Joe Kelly and that additional weight carried last season by, for example, Scott Alexander, is immediately lifted.

Alexander can go back to the basics, without having to deal with the added stress of pretending to be a pitcher that he’s not. The same goes for pitchers like Pedro Baez, Kenta Maeda, and so on.

And, the starting pitchers don’t feel like they have to go longer in games. This was hard on both the young and the “old” last season.

Older pitchers felt fatigued by season’s end and the younger starters, like Walker Buehler, felt added pressure to go further in games.

The biggest problem about that was Buehler is a strikeout pitcher by nature. Strikeout pitchers usually don’t go as long (innings-wise) in today’s game.

Thus, toward the end of the season, one of the best young strikeout pitchers in baseball was relegated to trying to get ground ball outs in lieu of Ks.

This type of awkward adjustment is what hurts teams, pitchers, arms, and in summation, everyone.

Our biggest issue last season was undeniably our inability to hit with runners in scoring position. Part of the problem was that the Dodgers failed to find a leadoff hitter who could consistently get on base.

The second part of the problem, once runners did get on: the hitters (typically the 3, 4, 5, and 6 hitters) responsible for bringing them in, didn’t.

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Along with the weaknesses in pitching the issue with hitting with runners in scoring position also perpetuated itself, however in the lineup’s case, it was from the top-down.

The more at-bats hitters see with men on, the more it familiarizes hitters with bringing them in.

Therefore, they’re naturally more comfortable with what’s asked of them: bringing the runners in. How many different leadoff men did Roberts try last season? A.J. Pollock immediately addresses that problem, preventing the same calamity from happening in 2019.

As was the case with the missing setup man, once the void has been filled, guys like Joc Pederson, David Freese, Austin Barnes, Chris Taylor, and Cody Bellinger, just to name a few, can focus on what their initial jobs were to begin with.

Anytime a weight like that is lifted, players instantaneously feel exponentially more comfortable. When players feel more comfortable, their production goes up.

Lastly, the Dodgers failed to find the right hitter in the 2-hole as well. Corey Seager is one of the best hitters at the 2 throughout baseball and he’s an on-base machine.

Once those guys at the 3, 4, 5, and 6 start seeing more runners on, and more consistently, they won’t press as much to bring them in.

A hitter’s worst nightmare is pressing; they make mistakes before they’re even in the box by trying to score 8 runs with a guy on second base. Baseball doesn’t work that way.

Of course hitters in the middle of the lineup are expected to bring runners in as well, however, top of the order guys are expected to get on base.

When half of the lineup isn’t contributing the other half feels pressured. Frustration builds easily because they’re expected to deliver in undeliverable circumstances.

In Conclusion-

I agree with Friedman’s claim that the current Dodgers’ roster has no weak spots. In fact, of the two-three outwardly obvious weaknesses we had last season, all have been addressed.

In that regard and on paper, there aren’t any weaknesses left for the front office to prepare for that haven’t already been addressed.

Due to this and Friedman’s ability to make adjustments throughout the regular season when bad stuff happens, I think the Dodgers should prepare themselves for the World Series yet again.