Dodgers: Five hitters that have owned them since 2010

Hitters That Have Owned the Dodgers Since 2010 – A.J. Pollock, Arizona Diamondbacks

When the Dodgers signed A.J. Pollock to a four-year, $55 million deal prior to the 2019 season, it left many scratching their heads. Pollock had a pronounced injury history which had prevented him from capitalizing on his massive potential.

Did the Dodgers know something that other clubs didn’t?

Maybe it was just a case of having an up-close and personal view of Pollock and what he had done to the Dodgers over the years that played a big part in the signing.

Since debuting in 2012 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pollock has appeared in 89 career games against the Dodgers, and while he is a career .279/.337/.467 hitter against the rest of the league, he has owned the Dodgers to the tune of .291/.352/.532. Imagine that production without the injuries that allowed Pollock to play more than 130 games just twice in his career.

To put things into perspective, Pollock ranks 3rd against the Dodgers over the last ten years with a wRC+ of 133, 5th with 17 home runs, 6th in runs (57), 2nd in ISO (.242), and 2nd with a 40.1% hard-hit rate.

The Dodgers obviously saw a player that had killed them over the years and figured if they can’t beat him, sign him. Unfortunately, that led to another injury-marred season, where Pollock hit .266/.327/.468 in Los Angeles, but at least he was no longer taking it out on Dodgers pitchers.