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2 Dodgers who've exceeded expectations through 50 games and 2 who've fallen short
The Los Angeles Dodgers are 50 games into the 2023 season and hold a slight edge over the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West Division.
The high-spending San Diego Padres are languishing beneath the San Francisco Giants, and Dodgers fans have to feel pretty good about where their team is sitting, especially considering the numerous injuries LA has suffered this season.
Thankfully, a few players have exceeded expectations early on and have helped the Dodgers emerge as the division leaders about 30% into the campaign. But there has also been a handful of players who've held this team back. Who are two Dodgers that have exceeded expectations through 50 games and two who've fallen short?
Will Smith has exceeded expectations for the Dodgers
Now, there will be those throughout the fanbase who claim they saw this coming a mile away. And that's fair. After all, one could make the argument that Will Smith is the best hitting catcher in the National League outside J.T. Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies.
But Smith is having a career year and is doing so with one of the Dodgers top prospects breathing down his neck. LA fans are enamored with Diego Cartaya, but Smith's performance through the first 50 games of 2023 should put to bed any ideas of rushing the 21-year-old backstop to the big leagues.
Smith is hitting nearly .300, has a slugging percentage of over .500, and trails only perennial All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman for the team lead in OPS. Smith is playing at an All-Star level himself so far this season and likely deserves his first nod.
Smith is beginning to put it all together. The former first-round pick has always been viewed as bat-first, and he's certainly brought the lumber this season, but his defense has also seen a big improvement. Smith is playing at the same level he was during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and was a key piece of that squad that took home a title.
James Outman has exceeded expectations for the Dodgers
Admit it, you didn't expect James Outman to be as good as he's been to start his rookie season. Outman, according to MLB Pipeline, was outside of the Top 10 prospects within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization heading into 2023.
But Outman has been very good since making his major league debut late last season. Outman flashed his potential in just four games in 2022, but he's been just as good so far in 2023. Okay, maybe not as good, but no one expected Outman to continue to put up an OPS near 1.400 like he did while enjoying a cup of coffee last season.
Outman ranks behind only former MVPs Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts in hits (40), trails only Betts and Max Muncy in home runs (9), and leads the team in three-baggers. Now, where he needs to improve is with pitch recognition, as evidenced by his team-leading 60 strikeouts.
Outman is currently locked in a battle with Arizona Diamondbacks outfield Corbin Carroll for the NL Rookie race. Outman, however, leads Carroll in triples, home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage. Yeah, the best rookie in the NL so far would definitely suggest Outman has exceeded expectations.
Trayce Thompson has fallen short of expectations for the Dodgers
There are those Dodgers fans who wonder why in the world Trayce Thompson is still on the team, and they're right to question just that at this point in the season. After 50 games, Thompson has fallen woefully short of expectations and should probably be released.
Thompson made a believer out of the LA faithful after a terrific showing last season. He was an afterthought, but then put together his best season outside of a 15-game stint with the Chicago Cubs in 2021.
The slugger posted a slash line of .268/.364/.537 with 13 home runs and an OPS+ of 138. Thompson has taken all the goodwill he built up with the Dodgers fanbase last season and flushed it completely down the toilet given the horrific performance he's had through the first 50 games of 2023.
He can't hit for average, he can't hit for power, and he can't even get on base at a 30% clip. It's safe to say that perhaps no one within the entire Dodgers organization has been more disappointing through the first two months of the season than Thompson. And it can't go on much longer.
Julio Urías has fallen short of expectations for the Dodgers
For as much heat at Thompson is catching for his performance in the batters' box, starting pitcher Julio Urías, who just landed on the IL, deserves just as much criticism for how poorly he's performed on the mound.
Sure, Urias is second on the team behind only Clayton Kershaw in strikeouts this season, but he's allowed more runs than Noah Syndergaard. The right-hander has allowed 28 runs to dent the plate and is carrying a 4.39 ERA.
Now, that's not awful if he were the Dodgers No. 4 or No. 5 starter, but Urías is LA's ace. The left-hander won the ERA Title in the National League last season and, entering free agency this upcoming offseason, many were expecting an epic contract year.
Urías has been victimized by the long ball this season. He has already allowed 14 home runs and, according to FanGraphs, the left-hander's HR/FB is 20%. That means one out of every five fly balls that Urias allows is leaving the yard. That number is nearly double what it was in 2022.
Let's hope the 26-year-old uses his time on the IL to reset because he'll need to be a co-ace at the very least if the Dodgers hope to make a run this year.