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3 Dodgers who don’t deserve to start in the playoffs
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Dodgers are coasting to a ninth consecutive playoff berth this season as the best team in baseball. It would be a massive shock if the Dodgers didn’t finish with the best record in the league, as the team has been firing on all cylinders as of late.
While the team has played great, there are still some tweaks and refinements that can be made for October. That is exactly what this last month of the season is for: testing out different lineups and roles to find the best possible starting nine for the postseason.
As it stands right now, there are some Dodgers starters who have not earned that starting role, and when October rolls around, they might end up getting the boot in favor of someone else.
Here are 3 Dodgers who don’t deserve to start in the playoffs:
3. Cody Bellinger
Cody Bellinger‘s fall from grace has been sad to watch. Despite putting together an historic season in his 2019 MVP campaign, Bellinger has been one of the worst everyday starters (at the plate) since the start of the 2021 season.
Now, there are bigger problems to have on a team than having a bad No. 9 hitter who plays great defense in center field. That being said, the Dodgers have an option to replace Bellinger with someone who plays comparable defense and is better at the plate.
That option is Joey Gallo. Gallo has by no means been great with the Dodgers, but he has undeniably been better than Bellinger. Since joining the Dodgers, Gallo has a .203/.320/.469 slash line. Nothing amazing, but for a nine-hitter with some pop, that is not bad.
Bellinger’s season OPS is under .700 and he has been even worse since Gallo joined the team. The former MVP has a .171/.250/.378 slash line in that same time frame.
Gallo and Bellinger are very comparable and, at this point in time, Gallo is a better version of Bellinger. While Bellinger has had big moments in the past, it is Dave Roberts’ job to fill out the best possible team, and the best version of the 2022 Dodgers is a version where Bellinger is on the bench.