Dodgers: Running through the options to replace Max Muncy

Option 3: Taylor, Kiké playing 2B, 1B, and an OF slot? 

Against lefties, the Dodgers most recently employed Bellinger at first, with Taylor and Hernandez manning the corner outfield slots, and with Muncy at second base.

Since playing Pederson against lefties is out of the question, one of the outfield slots is up for grabs, as is the 2B slot. This naturally could mean Kiké and Taylor would face lefties no matter what in Muncy’s absence, but it is trickier than that.

With both of them filling in an OF and 2B slot, what happens to first base? Would Bellinger stay in right field and let Beaty play first, despite his poor splits against left-handers?

More than likely that would be the case, as unfortunate as that would be, but that presents the downside of Beaty in comparison to Muncy. The splits. And the power disparity of course, but also the splits.

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So the question becomes who better than Beaty to man an infield slot. Jedd Gyorko? He’s been in such a rut since becoming a Dodger (he’s hitting .167 in 12 ABs with 4 Ks to one walk), that maybe Lux is the answer against lefties too, even if that is just after September call ups.

Lux, versus lefties in 2019 at Triple-A, is hitting .368 in 38 ABs. In a larger sample size, his 2019 Double-A numbers, show a .279 AVG against lefties compared to a .319 mark against righties. That is still more than .100 points better than either Gyorko or Beaty, assuming he can translate his minor league numbers to the big leagues.

But what other options do the Dodgers have beyond Lux?

Really the only way to handle this is to keep Beaty in the lineup, assuming Lux is out of the question for some reason. Plus, in 23 Triple-A at-bats, he hit .435 with a pair of dingers this season.

So, if Beaty is given more time, he may find a happy medium between his Triple-A and MLB lefty-on-lefty numbers. And if he could do that, that might just give the Dodgers the lineup flexibility they need to make a deep run once again, even with the mighty Muncy in the lineup.