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4 takeaways from the Dodgers' up-and-down first week of the 2023 season
The 2023 MLB season just got underway last Thursday, but though it's early on in the season, trends are already revealing themselves, and themes from last year are re-emerging to start the season. While it might be too early in the campaign to look at divisional standings or the playoff picture, it is never too soon to take a look at how well individual players are doing. In the case of the Dodgers, there are many surprises and standouts early in the season, from familiar faces to new acquisitions.
The Dodgers have the best run differential in the NL, thanks to some explosive offensive performances. Those offensive performances have propelled the Dodgers to a division-leading 4-2 start to the season. However, offensive production is not the only factor that has given the Dodgers early-season success. The most consistent production from the roster has come, somewhat surprisingly, from the pitching staff. From Mookie Betts to James Outman, and from Clayton Kershaw to Shelby Miller, let's talk about some key takeaways from the first two series of the Dodgers' 2023 campaign against the Rockies and Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers' outfield is stacked
Through six games of the season, great performances at the plate from multiple outfielders have forced Dave Roberts' hand. Should Roberts let an outfielder play DH for a day? Should Roberts just stick to platooning and favoring advantages in righty vs. lefty matchups? Well, the skipper came up with an interesting solution in two of the first six games. Trayce Thompson belted three home runs in his first start of the season on Saturday night.
With Thompson taking a position in the starting lineup, which of the Dodgers' outfielders would Roberts sit? None of them was Roberts' final answer. The outfielders performed well enough that instead of moving one of them out of the lineup, the Dodgers moved Betts to second base to allow Thompson, Outman and David Peralta to stay in the outfield. Later in the game, Betts moved back to right field, and saved a run for the Dodgers with his magical right arm.
In the Dodgers 13-run performance against the Rockies on Monday, the outfield showed up again. Jason Heyward hit his first home run of the season, while Outman had the Dodgers' first multi-triple game since 2014.
James Outman is the first Dodger with 2 triples in a game since Yasiel Puig hit 3 on July 25, 2014https://t.co/nf7lQeF5WZ
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) April 4, 2023
It is no surprise to know that four Dodgers outfielders are currently in the top six of the OPS leaderboard for the team so far. Thompson, Heyward and Outman all have an OPS higher than 1.260 on the season, with each of them only trailing Will Smith or fellow outfielders for the team lead. Betts had a relatively slow start to the season, but his multi-hit game on Tuesday night leaves him at a .990 OPS after the first week of games. Regardless of who the Dodgers have started in the outfield so far, they've all contributed.
Dodgers bullpen may be better than we expected
With potential key contributors like Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen sidelined with injuries for the beginning of the season, the Dodgers bullpen was an area of concern for many fans heading into the season. However, the issue for the Dodgers bullpen has not been the unknowns, like veteran Shelby Miller and youngster Andre Jackson, but rather the mainstays of Dodgers bullpens past.
Four Dodgers relievers have yet to allow an earned run this season. Caleb Ferguson, Andre Jackson, Evan Phillips and Miller have combined to throw 11 scoreless innings, and in that span, both Jackson and Phillips picked up the Dodgers' only two saves of the year.
As a result, the Dodgers have started the season with a top-10 bullpen ERA in all of MLB (2.84). Knowing that the Dodgers will likely get Treinen, Hudson and even newcomers Alex Reyes and J.P. Feyereisen back at some point this season, there is hope that the bullpen can be a major strength of the 2023 Dodgers by the end of the season.
Offensive inconsistency is still a problem for Dodgers
Through the Dodgers' first six games, L.A. owns the second-best run differential in MLB at +25, and only trail the Rays by a single run for the No. 1 spot. However, the Dodgers still managed to lose two games, despite putting up a league best 38 runs (6.3 runs per game) over the first six games of the season. So, how can you have great pitching (the Dodgers' team ERA is 2.17, fourth in MLB) and great hitting, yet still end up with a 4-2 record? One word: inconsistency.
While the Dodgers' offensive production has been strong, one thing it definitely has not been is consistent. Both of the Dodgers' two losses were 2-1 defeats at the hands of the Diamondbacks. In their losses, the Dodgers struggled to generate any kind of offense, with a combined .145 batting average and 20 strikeouts (in 62 at-bats) in the two losses. In the wins, the Dodgers are hitting .330 with 30 strikeouts, despite 38 extra at-bats.
This problem should even out over the course of the season, but it really feels like Dodgers teams in the past have struggled with the same issues. As a fan, it is hard to see such a talented team struggle with such large disparities between performances in wins and performances in losses. From the standpoint of the season, however, the Dodgers might want to lean into stealing more bases to manufacture offense like the Diamondbacks did against the Dodgers (albeit the Dodgers do not have a player with Corbin Carroll's speed).
The rookies came to play
For rookies James Outman and Miguel Vargas, it has been an amazing week. All eyes did not necessarily begin focused on the two young hitters buried deep in a lineup with superstars at the top, but both Outman and Vargas had strong enough weeks to turn some heads. What is even better is that the two have extremely different approaches to hitting.
While Vargas likes to take many pitches, and drew eight walks in his first 13 plate appearances as a result of his keen eye, Outman likes to swing ... a lot. Vargas' patience has allowed him to reach base safely often to start the season, giving him a 1.222 OPS to start the year. Outman's aggressiveness has allowed him to collect three extra-base hits, including an impressive opposite-field home run and two triples, all while posting a 1.260 OPS.
Outman and Vargas were expected to hit near the bottom of the Dodgers' lineup as they got fully adjusted to major-league pitching. However, their hot starts to the season have helped power the Dodgers to a strong 4-2 start with MLB's second-best run differential. Let's all hope their performances keep getting better throughout the season and help the Dodgers to another division title, and maybe even more.