4 keys for the Dodgers to avoid another early playoff exit

Find What Works and Stick With it

Often times, the MLB postseason is truly just a reflection of who is hot at the right time. That can be an entire team, but more often manifests itself within one player. In 2020, Corey Seager and Randy Arozarena carried the Dodgers and Rays to the World Series. In 2022, Jeremy Peña had a postseason breakout to help the Astros win the World Series. Sometimes it's not always a star who puts the team on their back, and in the case of Peña (and also the 2021 Braves duo of Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler), that's exactly what happened.

The Dodgers have many candidates for postseason breakouts. Whether it's veterans like Jason Heyward, Kiké Hernandez, David Peralta or rookies like James Outman, Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot, someone is almost guaranteed to give the Dodgers production from an unlikely source if Los Angeles is racking up postseason wins. However, recognizing who that may be early on can be a challenge.

Los Angeles has to avoid taking out starting pitchers early from great outings and also must be willing to change the lineup if someone is on a hot streak. It may be worth playing one of the lefty outfielders against a lefty starter in the right situation, and the same point stands for mixing up the starting rotation if one of the rookies (or even Lance Lynn), are outperforming expectations.