3 Dodgers who don’t deserve to start in the playoffs

2. Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor had a career season for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021 that resulted in a nice new contract for the super utility player. While CT3 still has value in being a utility player that slots in at any position, it is hard to make the case for him being an everyday starter in October with how he is playing.

Granted, there is time for Taylor to turn it around before October, and he definitely has a better chance of doing so than Bellinger does. But, as it stands right now, Taylor is not the best option for the team to throw out in the starting lineup.

Taylor is slashing .218/.306/.376 this season, giving him his worst OPS (.682) since joining the Dodgers. Strikeouts have always come in bunches with Taylor, and that has been the case this year as well. CT3 has 139 punchouts in 382 plate appearances. That gives Taylor a 36.4% strikeout rate, which is the highest in the league among hitters with 350 plate appearances.

It has been getting worse for Taylor as well. Since returning from the IL, Taylor has a .545 OPS in 25 games played. Taylor has struck out nearly three times as often (38) as he gets a hit (13) in that timeframe.

So who should start instead of Taylor? The answer is really quite simple: Trayce Thompson. Nobody saw it coming, but Thompson has been a positive presence at the bottom of the order who simply offers more than Taylor at this point in time.

1. Andrew Heaney

Andrew Heaney is finally putting together a consistent stretch of being healthy for the Dodgers, but at the same time, he is starting to come back down to earth. Heaney has allowed 18 runs (15 earned) in his last five starts, giving him a 5.63 ERA in that time frame.

Home runs have been the culprit for the southpaw. In those five starts, Heaney has allowed 10 home runs in total. When he is not allowing someone to leave the yard, he is actually pitching quite well, but he is allowing too many home runs to start a pivotal postseason game.

That being said, there is still an opportunity for Heaney to make a difference. Him not starting for the Dodgers opens the door for him to take on the 2020 Julio Urías role out of the bullpen. He can become a high-leverage left-handed pitcher that Dave Roberts utilizes to throw two or three innings in key spots if needed.

It all depends on the matchup, but there is reason to believe that Heaney can thrive in this role. First of all, he is still striking out batters at a really nice clip. In those same five starts, Heaney has 41 punchouts in 24 innings pitched. His 13.5 K/9 is fifth in the league among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched this season.

Left-handed batters don’t see the ball as well against Heaney, either. While they have a higher average than their right-handed counterparts, they still have an OPS below .700 against Heaney and have not hit a single home run against him in 55 plate appearances.

3 Dodgers who survived trade deadline but won’t be on 2023 roster

The Los Angeles Dodgers may not have traded these guys at the deadline, but it's more likely than not they won't be around for the 2023 season.

The opportunity is there for Heaney to be an effective member of the Dodgers’ pitching staff, it just should not come as part of the starting rotation.