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.