Los Angeles Dodgers’ Regular Season Preview for 2022

“Hope springs eternal in the human breast; Man never Is, but always To be blest. The soul, uneasy, and confin’d from home, Rests and expatiates in a life to come.” -Alexander Pope

The 2022 Major League Baseball is upon us and the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans are hopeful for more October glory.

Despite not winning their division for the ninth consecutive season, the Dodgers did make it to the postseason last year but fell short of the World Series, losing to the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. Despite the 99-day lockout, the Dodgers front office didn’t stand pat and reloaded for another run at the title.

Essentially, the Dodgers replaced Corey Seager and Kenley Jansen with Freddie Freeman and Craig Kimbrel to dramatically remake their roster once again.

Freeman was the big free-agent signing, coming from the Braves after winning the 2021 World Series. In a surprising move after seemingly going with a closer by committee, the Dodgers traded outfielder AJ Pollock to the Chicago White Sox for Kimbrel.

Despite the loss of long-time contributors and bringing in new faces, the expanded postseason format almost guarantees the Dodgers will once again be a force to be reckoned with come the fall.

Here’s how the Dodgers stack up as they embark on their championship journey.

Dodgers Lineup

With the signing of first basemen Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers can now boast three league MVP’s in their starting lineup. Freemen can replace the left handed-power of Corey Seager, and his consistency makes the lineup just as dangerous.

With Trea Turner and Mookie Betts setting the table at the top of the lineup, and Max Muncy in his familiar clean-up sport, the Dodgers boast the best 1-4 in baseball. Despite having a potent lineup on paper, there are still questions when it comes to the Dodgers offense.

With the trade of AJ Pollock, there is a question of who will step into the everyday left field spot. Chris Taylor is the most likely candidate when everyone is healthy. Taylor hit well during the first half of 2021 (.834 OPS) but faded badly in the second half (.709 OPS), and more will be asked of Taylor to stay consistent for the entire season.

The big question mark is certainly the bat of Cody Bellinger. Whether it was because of his surgically repaired shoulder or because of his approach, Bellinger had an atrocious 2021 regular season.

In just 95 games, Bellinger carried an abysmal slash line of .165/.240/.302/.542 that was only mitigated by a postseason that included a .906 OPS and clutch hits throughout October. The Dodgers won 106 games in spite of Bellinger’s poor bat, it is unlikely they can repeat that feat this year if Bellinger hasn’t figured things out.

Dodgers Starters

The Dodgers’ starting pitching provides the biggest question mark as the regular season starts. The team lost Max Scherzer to free agency and the fate of Trevor Bauer’s 2022 season still has not been decided by Major League Baseball.

Walker Buehler and Julio Urías provided the one-two punch in 2021 and will be tasked with carrying the starting staff once again. The rest of the staff is still up in the air. Clayton Kershaw returned on a one-year, incentive-laden deal after having an injury-riddled 2021.

Will Kershaw be able to hold his spot in the starting staff or will he once again be knocked out by injuries? Tony Gonsolin had an up and down 2021 and is now going to be depended on for starting depth. If he struggles again, the Dodgers may need to find starting pitching during the trade deadline.

The back end of the starting staff could be a hodgepodge of Andrew Heaney, David Price, Tyler Anderson and, eventually, the returning Dustin May.

So many questions with their starting staff could put a real strain on their bullpen.

Dodgers Bullpen

Even with the loss of Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers bullpen is still one of the strongest in all of baseball. The trade that brought Craig Kimbrel in answers the question of who will handle the closer role.

The rest of the bullpen provides plenty of depth, with Blake Treinen once again in the fireman role and the continuing development of Brusdar Gaterol.

The Dodgers are hoping Victor Gonzalez can return to form and provide relief against left-handed bats, and if Alex Vesia and Phil Bickford can once again be effective, the Dodgers will boast the best bullpen in baseball again.

Regardless of who gets the ball the last two years, the Dodgers’ strength in pitching has come from their bullpen. 2022 should be no different.

Dodgers 2022 Season Prediction

Even with all the questions about their team makeup, the Los Angeles Dodgers are once again the cream of the crop in the NL West. It’s highly unlikely they’ll win 106 games and be in second place again.

So if the Dodgers win the NL West division title again, will they be able to overcome their October blunders and win another World Series? The Dodgers should win the World Series no matter who tries to get in their way. The only team that can bring the Dodgers down are themselves.

Prediction: Get ready for a November parade. Dodgers in 6.

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