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

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 18: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts to a strike out during the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on August 18, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 18: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts to a strike out during the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on August 18, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
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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:

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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.

(Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

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.

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

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.

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.

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