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4 Dodgers who have been the most concerning during Spring Training
Spring Training is coming to an end and it's now time for the Los Angeles Dodgers to really focus on the team's depth chart and determine who is going to make the Opening Day roster and start in the Opening Day lineup.
While Spring Training games ultimately do not matter, there's a lot we can learn from a team over the month of action. Fans can also get an idea of what form players are currently in. Some players jump off the page and look great while others haven't enjoyed the same luxury.
How are things looking in Dodger land leading up to March 30 against the Arizona Diamondbacks? Specifically, fans might have to worry about these four players as it pertains to performance at the onset of the 2023 season.
4 Dodgers who have been the most concerning during Spring Training
4. Trayce Thompson
Trayce Thompson has not been very good during Spring Training, folks. He's hitting a woeful .083 with nine strikeouts and six walks in 30 plate appearances. Striking out at a 30% clip is less than ideal, but at least his walk rate has been somewhat respectable thus far.
While Thompson easily has the worst numbers of anyone on this list, he checks in as the fourth-most concerning Dodger for multiple reasons. First is the fact that the sample size is smaller due to his participation in the World Baseball Classic for Great Britain, where he actually played quite well.
Second is the fact that Thompson should not have been expected to do much this season. Thompson has been a journeyman outfielder who got hot for two months last year and played his way into a starting role with the best regular-season team of the last decade.
One would hope that the Dodgers weren't actually planning on giving Thompson a significant role this season and that he would be a depth outfielder that pinch hits and platoons (which is more than fine!). His performance in spring may have solidified that role for 2023.
3. Clayton Kershaw
Look, I know this is surprising and it pains me to put Clayton Kershaw on this list. While his fastball velocity in his first Spring Training start was extremely promising for fans, his overall production on the bump has been less than ideal.
Of course, the sample size is very, very small as Kershaw has only pitched in two games this spring. But we have to judge based on the sample size that we have and the fact of the matter is that Kershaw has not been very sharp.
In 12.1 innings pitched (fifth-most this spring), Kershaw has allowed seven runs on 14 hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. The most concerning thing is how many home runs he's allowing. Kershaw has allowed four bombs, including one to former teammate Corey Seager. Not good.
It's also concerning that Kershaw is typically pretty good when he pitches in Arizona. There have only been two times in which Kershaw has had a really rough spring that was worse than this one: 2014 and 2021.
Kershaw was in his prime in 2014 and won both the National League Cy Young and MVP award. However, he didn't start off the season great as he allowed seven runs in a May 17 start and had a 3.57 ERA at the end of that month.
He rounded it into shape, obviously, but that did not happen fully in 2021. Kershaw also had a bad start (for his standards) in 2021 in which he had a 3.66 ERA after his 13th outing. In his first 13 starts, Kershaw had four where he allowed five runs and another where he allowed four.
Kershaw's worst pitching (he had a 3.55 ERA in 2021) is still better than a lot of guys in the league. But with how he's pitching this spring, I'm not sure if we're going to see the dominant version of Kershaw for a few weeks/months.
2. J.D. Martinez
The Dodgers needed to replace two infielders this past winter with Trea Turner and Justin Turner finding new homes. Prospect Miguel Vargas served as one of the replacements at second base (allowing Gavin Lux to shift over to shortstop before his ACL injury) while J.D. Martinez served as the JT replacement.
While Martinez likely won't play defense at all this year, bringing him in to be the full-time DH allows Max Muncy to eat innings at third base, replacing JT in the process. On paper, this looked like it was going to be an excellent move by the Dodgers.
Muncy got a more consistent role in the field and Martinez was coming off of a better season than Turner. Not only that, but Martinez's ability as a southpaw masher had a lot of value on a lineup that struggled against left-handed pitching last season.
Martinez has not had the kind of start that fans were hoping for in the Dodger blue. The Dodgers' DH has logged the most at-bats this spring and has struggled with a .200/.234/.289 slash line. Martinez has hit one home run and one double while striking out 13 times.
Los Angeles really needs Martinez's power-hitting bat in the middle of the order, and while he may not be in his prime anymore, he easily should be able to replicate, if not improve, on what JT produced last year. If his cold spring continues and he cannot do that then the Dodgers' lineup will objectively be even worse.
1. Chris Taylor
With the addition of Miguel Rojas to be the veteran utility infielder, it looked like Chris Taylor was en route to being the everyday starting left fielder with James Outman in center and Mookie Betts in right.
Then Lux's ACL popped and Taylor became the team's backup shortstop. But that's not even a worry! Taylor's defensive value isn't debatable. He's one of the most versatile in all of MLB.
What fans should be worried about is his production at the plate. Taylor's production this spring has been nothing short of abysmal and it's hard to be confident in his 2023 season when he's following up his dreadful 2022 in this manner.
Taylor, who has the second-most at-bats on the team, is slashing .119/.245/.190 thus far. CT3 has recorded just five hits and six walks while striking out an alarming 20 times. For those keeping track at home, that's a 41.7% K rate for Taylor this spring.
Last season wasn't too great for Taylor, either. In 118 games he slashed .221/.304/.373 and struck out 160 times in 454 plate appearances. This slide has been happening since his All-Star first half in 2021. In the second half of the 2021 season, Taylor slashed .223/.290/.419 and struck out in 33% of his plate appearances. This is more than just a troublesome spring. This is a trend and is extremely worrisome.