4 former Dodgers who painfully enter 2023 on fire after impressive springs

3. Tyler Anderson

Every year there seems to be a breakout pitcher at the back end of the Dodgers' rotation that turns into an All-Star. The likes of Alex Wood and Ross Stripling pioneered that breakout and Tyler Anderson may have perfected it in 2022.

Anderson was someone who could only land a one-year deal with the Dodgers and wasn't even signed to pitch out of the rotation to start the year. Injuries opened the door for the southpaw to be a consistent starter and he turned that into a career year and All-Star nod of his own.

That earned him a payday from the Los Angeles Angels by way of a three-year, $39 million contract. Meanwhile, the Dodgers signed former Angel Noah Syndergaard to fill Anderson's place in the back end of the rotation with the hope that he too could break out in LA.

Typically this works out great. The Dodgers are better are maximizing pitchers than the Angels and, knowing that history, fans weren't wrong to think that Syndergaard would be better than Anderson. Unfortunately, that's been far from the case thus far.

Anderson finished his 2023 spring with a 1.35 ERA in 13.1 innings, allowing his first run in his Monday start against the Dodgers at Angel Stadium. He threw 5.1 innings and allowed two runs against his former team. Syndergaard also started that game and did not fare as well, allowing five runs on nine hits in five innings. He finished spring with a 5.79 ERA.

2. Corey Seager

Ah, the trend continues. All-Star-caliber shortstops that the Dodgers simply let slip between their fingers. While Trea Turner was having a red-hot World Baseball Classic, Seager was having the best Spring Training showing at the plate of any qualified hitter in 2023.

Seager led all qualified hitters in OPS with a 1.147 mark in 57 plate appearances. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have Miguel Rojas at short after Gavin Lux suffered a torn ACL.

The main thing that (seemingly) kept Seager from returning to the Dodgers after the 2021 season was his long-term injury concerns. Seager wasn't necessarily the most durable player while he was in LA and there were reasonable concerns about how that would translate over a long-term deal.

That being said, Seager was able to stay healthy with the Texas Rangers in 2022 and is now entering the 2023 season with a red-hot bat. At his best, Seager is the best offensive shortstop in the sport and is someone who can legitimately garner MVP buzz, especially if he's the leader of any potential Rangers turnaround.

While all of that is potentially happening, the Dodgers will be relying on Rojas and Chris Taylor to play shortstop. From Seager to Turner to Lux to Rojas to Taylor. Bad.

1. Trea Turner

Trea Turner took the mantle of Captain America during the World Baseball Classic thanks to his heroics at the plate. Turner was the best player on the diamond for Team USA, who would not have made the finals if not for his grand slam against Team Venezuela.

Turner finished the WBC with five home runs, 11 RBI and a 1.483 OPS in 25 plate appearances, leaving every Dodgers fan wondering where this was in the playoffs over the last two years. The new Phillies shortstop carried this success into Spring Training, where he posted a 1.261 OPS in 23 plate appearances with two home runs and seven RBI.

Turner averaged a home run for every 6.86 plate appearances combined between the WBC and Spring Training. It's a small sample size, sure, but Turner is undoubtedly the hottest hitter on the planet as we head into the 2023 season.

And the Dodgers let him walk. The second star shortstop in as many offseasons. While their reasoning may have been justifiable, it doesn't make it any less painful when looking at the bigger picture.