Dodgers: Chris Taylor Hopes to Find Himself at the Plate

After sweeping the Cincinnati Reds, the Dodgers have been showing off their power behind the plate and on the field. The same cannot be said for Chris Taylor, as he is falling behind compared to the rest of the team.

Since Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts made the decision to make Kiké Hernández the everyday second baseman and with Corey Seager healthy again, there is no room for Chris Taylor in the infield. With a packed outfield and an electrifying Alex Verdugo waiting in the wings, there’s simply no room for Taylor.

It might be plausible that since Taylor is not receiving enough playing time, it’s drastically affecting his performance. Through 19 games, Taylor is hitting .170 with an OPS of .554. Taylor has begun to heat up as of late, but he was drastically struggling at the plate to begin the season. He was 3-for-31 with 10 strikeouts during the first 14 games.

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Though his numbers are down across the board, the one silver, lining if there is any, is the decrease in his strikeout numbers. He’s striking out in only 25 percent of his plate appearances this year, compared to his nearly 30 percent mark last year. It’s only a five percent difference, but considering he’s getting out at a rate of seven percent higher last year, it’s a good sign those strikeouts are going down.

There may not be much room for Taylor to start every day, but he is still a highly valuable asset to this Dodgers team. Not only is he beneficial in substituting late in games, but his ability to play great defense is uncanny. Being a viable pinch-hitter is so important to a team, but a substitute coming in to provide amazing defense late in a game may be more valuable.

Over the last week, Taylor has really looked better at the plate. He’s hitting .294 over his last seven games and has raised his average nearly 100 points. Hopefully, Taylor can continue to find himself at the plate, and be the hitter the Dodgers desperately need as they hope to make yet another World Series push.