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3 Dodgers players the fans have already lost their patience with
The Los Angeles Dodgers went through an extremely uneventful offseason where they made virtually no big additions. J.D. Martinez, Miguel Rojas, Noah Syndergaard ... really?
After such a disappointing ending to what felt like a magical 2022 season, Dodgers fans watched guys like Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, and Chris Martin sign elsewhere while the team felt like it was punting 2023 with eyes on Shohei Ohtani. The vibes were not good heading into the new campaign.
The Dodgers have recovered from their slow start and have possession of first place in the NL West, but it feels like this team has so much room for improvement. And these three players are clearly leaving the door open for upgrades because they're not getting the job done as the patience of the fans gets tested.
Chris Taylor
Since Chris Taylor signed his four-year, $60 million contract, it feels like he has been a completely different player. He struggled mightily last season, and while he's hit for more power in 2023 and still provides helpful defense, he continues to look like a shell of the player he once was.
We know that strikeouts will always be a huge deal when it comes to Taylor. He led the league in strikeouts back in 2018, and has struck out at least 160 times in each of the last two seasons. That's still out of control for him as he's whiffed 39 times in 35 games (34.8% of his at-bats). That's better than last season's mark of 35.2%, but barely.
In the past we've been able to live with the strikeouts because of everything else he provided. Taylor's versatility is well-documented and he's always had some power and speed as well. His other hit tools and on-base ability have just completely vanished.
From 2017-2021 Taylor slashed .265/.343/.461 while averaging 16 home runs per season. He had an .804 OPS and a 113 OPS+ in that five-year span. In the last two seasons he's slashed .214/.293/.389. He has a .682 OPS and an OPS+ of 87 over that span. He's hitting for more power this season with seven home runs after just 10 last year, but he's hitting under .200 with a .250 OBP.
We know the things he's done and we know the Dodgers aren't exactly flooded with talent in the outfield right now, but it's becoming harder and harder to justify giving this guy at-bats.
Trayce Thompson
It's safe to say this feel-good story has started to wash away. Thompson came out of nowhere last season and had an absurd couple of months for the Dodgers after being acquired for cash from the Tigers.
In a 50-game span from June 21 through August 30, Thompson slashed .301/.388/.564 with seven home runs and 26 RBI. He played a huge role in the Dodgers winning virtually every day. Unfortunately, the magic started to dry out a bit in September, and he had just two hits in 13 at-bats in the postseason. Even with the slightly sour ending, Thompson had definitely earned a spot on the 2023 Dodgers.
He didn't start on Opening Day, but Thompson played the second game of the season and had the game of his life, launching three home runs and driving in eight runs. The Dodgers cruised to victory in Arizona and Dodgers fans were excited about 2023 Trayce Thompson. Unfortunately, he's done practically nothing since.
In a part-time role since that first appearance, Thompson has four hits in 56 at-bats with just one home run. He has drawn 13 walks which is solid, but he's struck out 30 times and looks uncompetitive in most of his at-bats.
We get that Thompson is out of options, but it's not like this guy is owed $60 million like Chris Taylor. Eventually, if the Dodgers are serious about this season, they have to take the risk. If someone claims him off of waivers and he goes off, more power to him.
They can't have this guy who's done absolutely nothing wasting a roster spot.
Noah Syndergaard
When the Dodgers signed Noah Syndergaard, many fans were hooked because we've all witnessed the miracle worker that is Mark Prior. The things he did last season with guys like Andrew Heaney and Tyler Anderson made everyone even more excited about what he could do with a guy as talented as Syndergaard.
We know Syndergaard as "Thor" from his days in New York, but he didn't even realistically have to be quite that good. The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urías and Tony Gonsolin already in the rotation and had Dustin May cruising before he went down with a forearm injury. They needed Syndergaard to be solid, but they didn't necessarily need another ace.
In his first full season coming off Tommy John surgery, Syndergaard had some good moments and some bad. He had a 3.94 ERA in 25 appearances (24 starts) splitting time with the Angels and Phillies. He was able to throw 134.2 innings and stay healthy. The downside for Syndergaard was that his velocity was way down, and that caused his strikeouts to take a massive hit.
He struck out 9.7 batters per nine in his six seasons with the Mets. That number fell dramatically to 6.3/9 last season. Dodgers fans were excited, however, because of the team's history with getting the most out of their pitchers coupled with the potential of Syndergaard throwing harder another year removed from Tommy John. There was a ton of hype surrounding the situation.
Unfortunately, Syndergaard's velocity is actually down from last year. He averaged 93.6 mph with his sinker and 94.1 mph with his four-seam fastball in 2022. He's averaging 92 mph with his sinker and 92.4 mph with his four-seamer this season. This is a guy who used to throw 97-98 consistently with the ability to touch 100 mph.
Syndergaard, with his reduced velocity, is striking out just 6.4 batters per nine and has a 5.94 ERA through eight starts (36.1 innings pitched). He's eclipsed five innings just four times in his eight starts and hasn't looked special whatsoever. May's injury undoubtedly bought him more time in the rotation, but this can't last the entire season if he doesn't improve.