Think Blue Planning Committee

Although it’s been right around two weeks since the beginning of the season for most MLB teams, more time has passed for the Los Angeles Dodgers due to the South Korea trip to open up the year. The Dodgers already have 16 games on the books and are already on their second go-around with division foe San Diego.

Overall, the infamous Dodger offense has lived up to its name for the most part, despite a select few bottom-of-the-order regulars struggling mightily.

Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani

Converted infielder Mookie Betts started the year on a dead sprint to outpace every other hitter in the league. However, the 31-year-old Betts has since passed the torch to teammate Shohei Ohtani, who is showing spectators many of the reasons why he won the American League MVP in 2023.

Aside from his four long balls, Ohtani already has 24 hits, including 10 doubles. He still trails Mookie in OBP and HR, but the crazy thing about Ohtani is that he has gone a ridiculous 16-for-35 over his last 37 plate appearances.

Both Freddie Freeman and catcher Will Smith have started out hot as expected, and the additional good news is that Teoscar Hernandez is surprisingly leading the club with 17 runs driven in, despite his 25 strikeouts.

Third baseman Max Muncy leads the club with 27 punchouts, but his .255 batting average is a much better sign than his sub-.150 average this time last year.

Chris Taylor, Gavin Lux and James Outman

Obviously, any player can turn their season around quickly at this point of the season, but the worst offensive performances so far have been coming from the bottom third of the lineup with Chris Taylor, Gavin Lux and James Outman. Taylor has just one hit in 37 plate appearances, while Lux and Outman have gone 7-for-43 and 8-for-45, respectively.

Fortunately, Miguel Rojas has gotten off to a decent start compared to his historical offensive standards and could see a lot more playing time if his bat stays hot. Enrique Hernandez has been sluggish at the plate as a utility guy, going just 5-for-28 in his first 30 plate appearances.

Starting Rotation

If the big players of the starting rotation stay healthy for the majority of the season, the Dodgers could return to the top of the team pitching stat categories — a spot they used to own several years ago. With a 2.25 ERA and a 0.750 WHIP, righty Tyler Glasnow has been spectacular through four starts. Both Bobby Miller and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have shown some flashes of potential greatness and could emerge among the league’s best within their next start or two.

Veteran southpaw James Paxton has also been solid in two starts and should theoretically hold on to his starting spot for the foreseeable future, even when righty Walker Buehler returns very soon.

There should be enough starting pitching depth to survive a few minor injury list stints. It’s also worth mentioning that the team could possibly receive a few reinforcements sometime after the All-Star break in Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May.

Bullpen

Aside from Evan Phillips, most of the Los Angeles relievers have gotten thumped in some shape or form. Young righty Michael Grove has surrendered 10 earned runs in 10 innings as the club’s long man, and fan-favorite Joe Kelly has given up five earned runs on seven hits over just 6-2/3 innings of work.

A pair of righties in Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen should provide a much-needed boost at some point, although it should be interesting to see how the team makes room on the active roster when they’re activated.