Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2024
After the Los Angeles Dodgers spent over a billion dollars this offseason, all Dodger fans are excited about the upcoming season. Most Dodger fans expect a world championship. While the Dodgers upgraded the team, their outfield has questions.
During the winter meetings, Dave Roberts announced Mookie Betts would be the everyday second baseman, so who will play in right field? Most teams won’t move a Gold Glove right fielder, but Betts prefers to play second base since it is easier on his body.
The Dodgers re-signed Jason Heyward. After a miserable time with the Chicago Cubs, Heyward rebounded with a .269 batting average, 15 home runs, 40 RBI, and a .813 OPS. While Heyward isn’t facing left-handed pitching, his offensive statistics probably will regress. Defensively, Heyward is still a fantastic right fielder. His leadership skills are valuable to the Dodgers.
After his inconsistent rookie season, James Outman figures to be the Dodger center fielder. No Dodger fan will soon forget Outman’s defensive blunder during Game 1 in the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks that opened the floodgates against Clayton Kershaw. Will Outman rebound from the public blunder?
In his rookie season, Outman sometimes was an offensive force at the bottom of the lineup, but at other times, he was an automatic out. In 2023, Outman had a .248 batting average, 23 home runs, 70 RBI, and a .790 OPS. Since most players in their sophomore seasons struggle offensively, the Dodgers don’t know what they will get from Outman.
The Dodgers obtained Manny Margot, a centerfielder, from the Tampa Bay Rays along with Tyler Glasnow. At 29, Margot doesn’t catch the headlines, but he is a good defensive outfielder. While with the Rays, he hit .264 with 4 home runs and 38 RBI. Margot may be valuable to the Dodgers if Outman falters. He can play either left or right field against left-handed pitching.
When the Dodgers signed Teoscar Hernandez, everyone was excited since Hernandez has power from the right side. The Dodgers’ offense is left-handed dominant making it susceptible to left-handed pitching. Hernandez strikes out about a third of the time, which is uncharacteristic for the Dodgers. While with the Seattle Mariners, Hernández had a .258 batting average, 26 home runs, 93 RBI, and a .741 OPS. Hernández figures to play left field, and he is an average defender.
If any Dodger outfielder gets injured, Chris Taylor is waiting on the bench to play. Taylor is a great defensive outfielder. Coming off a poor offensive performance when he hit .237 with 15 home runs, 56 RBI, and a .746 OPS. In 2023, he was hampered by a severely bruised knee, but he is healthy now.
The Dodger outfield might be the team’s weak link in the 2024 season.
