Editorials

Dodgers News: Mattingly Hopes Players Are All About Winning

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

One thing that can be a blessing and a curse for a team is having too many good players.

While it may sound like a blessing, when a team has too many players that are capable of contributing, some players might let their emotions get the best of them when they aren’t playing every day. The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of those teams that has too many players for just eight starting positions in the field.



Fielding one of the deepest lineups in the big leagues, the Dodgers have 10 position players with at least 20 games played, and that’s not including Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig, who have been out with injuries. Once they return, manager Don Mattingly may have more difficulty managing egos and the lineup.

According to Dodgers Nation reporter Matt Moreno, Mattingly isn’t too concerned about his team and their emotions:

Our guys have been pretty good. Number one you want to make sure that we keep talking to guys. They know the situation. Everybody wants to play, but I think we’ve done a pretty good job of communicating to this point. We’ll just try to keep going with that and hopefully everybody is all about trying to win.

Mattingly has dealt with a crowded outfield situation the past two seasons, and it’s yet to become a major issue. However, this season, he has a crowded outfield and a budding competition at third base. Juan Uribe began the year as the starting third baseman, but he’s started just twice since May 5 and he recently expressed his desire to want to play more. Uribe did say that he understood and that winning was more important.

That mentality is the type of mentality that Mattingly and the Dodgers will need in order to get through the season and through the postseason:

At the end of the day we’re trying to win and we’re trying to do the best we can for them individually. We want them to have great seasons, but we’re also trying to put the best club out there that gives us the best chance to win.

If the end result ends up being a World Series championship, then the Dodgers won’t have an issue with playing time.

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Vincent Samperio

Vince is currently the Associate Editor and Social Media Manager for Dodgers Nation. Hailing from San Pedro, CA and a student at Cal State Long Beach, Vince has previously written for the Daily 49er and LASF Magazine.

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