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

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.

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.

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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.