With the trades and signings perhaps appearing to be all wrapped up for the Dodgers, let’s look ahead to the season and find some conjecture and predictions for 2019.
A.J. Pollock will do well this season for the Dodgers, despite the fact that he’s wearing No. 11—Dodger fans well know the last three players to wear this number, and they all bring a groan with them. Jimmy Rollins, Josh Reddick and Logan Forsythe all have worn the number for the Dodgers after having been acquired mid-season or signed in the off-season. But none of their stint were long. Rollins was trending towards the end of his career when he signed. Forsythe and Reddick were traded to the Dodgers, so it was not their choice to be there. Reddick couldn’t get out of town fast enough, and poor Forsythe couldn’t stay healthy enough to be his productive self before he was traded to the Minnesota Twins.
In his introduction to Los Angeles media and fans on Saturday, Pollock stated that he had his sights set on being a Dodger from the very beginning.
“When this happened, it almost felt too good to be true”, he told Alanna Rizzo after his press conference.
He’s been stuck on a team that couldn’t quite do anything in the playoffs, if they made it at all, and a fresh start does a body good. With the Dodgers’ propensity to platoon, and not counting a freak injury, he’ll play like the player he is and stay healthy through the season.
This season’s team will be mostly intact in September—While searching twitter on another topic, I ran across this tweet from Bill Shaikin:
Last season was so devastating injury wise that the Dodgers front office had to go out and find three new infielders to help. I think Corey Seager will have a slow go of it in the beginning, not even necessarily being ready for Opening Day, but by the time September rolls around, he’ll be fine.
The battle for second base will have worked itself out (another mini-prediction—Enrique Hernandez will win that). So while now we don’t know what the day-to-day infield will look like, and Seager possibly not being at SS on Opening Day, there won’t be any external players brought in to help there.
I think a big acquisition be made mid-season near the trade deadlines, and it will likely be a pitcher or an outfielder.
Andrew Toles will be this year’s Chris Taylor/Max Muncy—Okay, so admittedly this one is wishful thinking, as I really like Toles. And, it also doesn’t count because he’s been up with the team before. But he was well on his way to being a rock star in 2017 before he gave up his body making a play in the outfield early in the season. Who’s to say that if healthy, he couldn’t do it again? With a great spring training that results in consistent playing time, it just might.
What pleasant predictions do you have for the upcoming season?
Think Blue Planning Committee 
I really hope your third prediction is spot on Andy, I’m a big Toles fan also. I would sure like to see what Andrew could do with one whole, healthy season, I think there is a great player burried in there somewhere, just waiting to break out.
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Go Toles!
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My prediction is, bear will be calling for Andrew Friedman’s firing from the first day of the season, until the last.😀
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Exactly why I stated ‘positive predictions’ at the end of the post. Although Bear will see that as a positive…
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What makes you think he’ll wait for the season to start?
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That’s a lock. But He is Giggleheimer’s fair haired boy. I can only hope they do not renew his contract.
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No one talks about Verdugo????????? He is going to be a great addition and our lead off hitter
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I didn’t talk about him in the context, because that’s what he’s supposed to be. Taylor and Muncy came seemingly out of nowhere
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Mark my words Larry. Verdugo has no shot at being the lead off man. You have experienced players who have done that job for a while. Kike actually has a decent BA as a leadoff hitter. Pollock has hit leadoff in AZ. Taylor was the best option in 2017. And last year, Joc had 8 homers from the lead off spot. I think since he is so hung up on platooning that ol Roberts will rotate those guys into that spot. Verdugo is untested and virtually a rookie. They are not going to put that kind of pressure on the kid. If he is even still a Dodger come opening day, with which Fried Brains at the helm, is not a lock.
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Mark my words he will make the team in SP and bat 8th to start the season by May 15th the lead off hitter that we need so badly. Can stand watching Taylor&Joc strike out when we need people on base. Tune in
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Like I said, If he is still with the team he will hit down in the order. DR does not use set lineups and unless you have been blind the last couple of years he rarely hits players in the same spot in the lineup more than a couple games in a row. Only exceptions are going to be Turner, who will always hit 3rd and Seager who has been a staple in the 2 hole most of his time with the Dodgers. You have a lot of faith in an untested player. I do not share that faith.
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Friedman and bear are buds now. I’ve been saying we should be all in on Realmuto and Castellanos or Abrue. Bear says no and I think AF listens to bear. So they’re thinking together now!
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Not a chance in hell. And if I ever met him face to face he would know it. Not sending any Xmas cards to his house.
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He doesn’t celebrate Christmas anyway….
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If there are no further trades it will be interesting who has the better spring. Verdugo, JOC or Toles. Probably determines the two corner spots in our outfield
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My pick for the Taylor/Muncy award 2019 is Rios. I say he comes in and crushes it this spring and forces his way into the roster!
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Reds now seem to be in the drivers seat for Realmuto……their #1 pick is Miami’s main target. Either that or it is a ploy to get the Dodgers to sweeten the pot. Problem is I believe the names I have seen mentioned are too high a price for a rental, which Rich, is one of the reason’s I do not want to see them ship some valuable chips off to the White Sox for Abreu, when they have one of the best in the league over there in Bellinger. I do not hate Andrew. I just really dislike the way he works.
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I get it bear. I just want another big right handed bat in by lineup
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I just want hitters. 70% of the league throws right handed. I’d be fine beating all of them.
Good hitters aren’t intimidated by same side pitching. Looks to me like the Dodgers are conditioning all their fans to “platoon think.” I don’t buy into it.
In his career, Bryce Harper has an .850 OPS against left handed starters, .796 against LHP. He of course clobbers RHP, 70% of the league, but I contend hitters hit.and he’s a hitter. Verdugo hit lhp in the minors. Hopefully he still can.
I think a key to success against same side pitching is having experience doing it. Platooning is antithetical to that process.
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When you have a minute Bear, let me know what you might call a guy you hate. You said above “I do not hate Andrew………” and then you refer to him as Fried Brains. Just know that if I ever refer to you as Boiled Brains, I don’t hate you.
By the way, completely agree that what they seem to be asking for JTR and Abreu is just too high to make those kind of trades, and furthermore I think we already have better options at first base than Abreu.
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Jeff, I have been calling him Fried Brains ever since he traded Kemp the first time. I do not like him much. But I disliked DePodesta more. Was not too fond of Kevin Malone either. When someone is in the public eye, they open themselves to criticism. I get why Friedman is doing things the way he is. But i am not drinking the cool aid.
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Again the issue for the Dodgers is that we have been shut down by left handed pitching of which Boston has 2 starters and that’s 4 games in a WS. I’d rather have a bat like Castellanos in our lineup than what we have right now in left field!
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While that may be true I refer you to Game 7 against Houston where we were throttled by 5 different pitchers and 26 of the 27 outs were recorded by right handed pitchers Also worth mentioning – 2 right handers from Boston got W’s in ‘18. We are an equal opportunity failure when it comes to big game outcomes.
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Nick Castellanos is an absolutely deplorable defender in the OF with a wet noodle for a throwing arm. He’s an AL player only.
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The sad fact is Andrew Toles can hit .700 during spring and not earn a starting role.
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And that’s why I call him a ghost. If he has a great Spring he should be given opportunity to play elsewhere.
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If we can help Kemp to,play a decent left field I’m sure we can get Castellanos to play a decent left fielg as well. Simply put this team as is isn’t good enough to win a WS. I believe our biggest weakness is offense against a lefty. His bat is just too good to pass up!
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Rich, That ship has sailed. Detroit wants too much for him. Yeah, they might make him serviceable, and he would be a huge help against lefty’s BUT. They PLATOON remember? Castellanos is not going to play every day. And the cost in prospects and the added salary, he is just not in the cards, and he, like Abreu would be nothing more than a rental.
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Ok. I give up
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Wow…..I am surprised…….There was a guy on twitter rating the 1st basemen in the National League. He had Muncy rated as #8. That’s just moronic since he did not even have Belli on his list, but Bellinger played the majority of the games there. He kept insisting that Bellinger was an outfielder, even though on dodger.com he is carried on the roster as an infielder…some people! LOL
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“There’s a guy on twitter” ….. you needn’t go any further.
Max Muncy OPS’d 1.022 vs LH starters. Why not just start him every day at first base? He’s the first baseman all Spring. Hit him 100 grounders every morning (Larry Bowa regime) and take 100 throws in the dirt every afternoon. He could be Keith Hernandez by April.
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Hey, I get it my friend……you expect him to be the Max Muncy of last year. Great. But he is no Keith Hernandez no matter how many frippen grounders he takes in spring. Would he be better? Unless his work ethic sucked he had better be after all of that. I am of the mind that he is not going to have those kinds of numbers this year. If he proves me to be wrong, great. But here is a telling stat. The first 3 months of the season, he struck out 51 times. Thats pretty decent. The last 3 months he struck out 79 times. Plus his struggles in the WS where he K’d 13 times. They had adjusted. Never came close to matching his June numbers after the all star break. And my main objection still stands. Cody is far and away the better defensive player, and his chances of major injury are greatly enhanced in the outfield. And from what I am reading, if he does play the OF, it would be in RF, and there goes the Verdugo is playing everyday for lunch bunch.
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I’m on record saying I don’t believe Muncy will OPS
.973 again. I just think he showed he can hit left handers and if given the opportunity might could get better if he had one position to focus on. I read somewhere he’s lost some weight so who knows, maybe he will win the second base job. And RVS will fix the hole in his swing…. right?
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Max Muncy will be the predominant first baseman of the Los Angeles dodgers for the 2019 baseball season. I wasn’t to wishy washy was I?
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I believe that will not be the case. I do not think Muncy is going to be anywhere near the player he was last year. But that’s just me. I do believe that Toles will be the odd man out again. He might not even start the year in the majors. I would like to see him get a shot somewhere else. All the talk is about Kike, Joc, Verdugo, Taylor and Pollock. Plus the Cody should be in the outfield lovers.
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