Dodgers: Ranking the best Opening Day lineups in Los Angeles history

1) 2019: Here comes Cody Bellinger

The best Opening Day lineup since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles? It might smell of recency bias, but the 2019 lineup card submitted by Dave Roberts is the best. 2017-2019 all offer amazing lineups which rank among the top in franchise history using park and league-adjusted statistics, but varying factors that altered which of the best hitters played on Opening Day for each of those years makes 2019 the strongest.

Obviously, it starts with Cody Bellinger. The National League MVP proved he is worthy of being considered among the very best in all of baseball. He smashed 47 home runs, drove in 115 runs, batted .305/.406/.629 and led the league in total bases. He was a machine at the plate.

Max Muncy proved 2018 wasn’t a fluke. He made his first All-Star team, hitting 35 home runs for the second consecutive season. To give an idea of the depth of this lineup, Muncy was one of seven hitters featured in this lineup who reached double digits in home runs during this season. Only two players had an OPS+ below league average. This lineup could flat out hit.

Joc Pederson hit 36 home runs and was almost an afterthought when talking about this Dodger offense. Justin Turner had another strong season with 27 homers, and finished third on the team in total bases. Corey Seager bounced back nicely from injury, mostly reproducing the numbers he generated before missing most of the 2018 season.

And that does it! I wish we were talking about the 2020 Opening Day lineup, but hopefully you enjoyed reading about the top opening lineups since the Dodgers moved to LA. Who knows where the 2020 lineup could rank when they eventually get their names called.