2018 Dodgers Player Reviews Grand Finale

Doing individual reviews of each and every single player of the 2018 Los Angeles Dodgers is kind of like going through the Rolling Stones’ entire discography. There’s a lot of good stuff to go through, to the point where it feels endless. You’ve got monster albums like Beggar’s Banquet, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street, and perfect songs ranging from the ethereal “Ruby Tuesday” to the melancholy “No Expectations” to the swaggering “Tumbling Dice.”

The 2018 Dodgers, for all their flaws, had many great players with indelible stories and moments. Walker Buehler looking more like a veteran ace than a rookie, Matt Kemp’s out-of-nowhere comeback, Hyun-Jin Ryu’s miraculous recovery from a nasty groin injury, Max Muncy being the latest superstar plucked from the scrap heap, etc.. While they didn’t win the World Series, they still made for a lot of great memories that have their place in franchise lore.

Eventually, though, the good stuff runs out. After Some Girls, you have to force yourself to listen to Dirty Work, Emotional Rescue and (god forbid) A Bigger Bang. And after the Kershaws, Buehlers and Turners are accounted for, you’re left to pick through the likes of Wilmer Font, Rocky Gale and Zac Rosscup. Oh the thrill.

No one said it would be easy. But at Dodgers Nation, we promised to review every last player who donned a Dodger uniform in 2018, no matter how brief or pointless. And being painfully exhaustive happens to be one of my guiding principles as a writer. With Spring Training 2019 officially underway, it’s time to check off the last ones in one go. So crank up “Indian Girl” and open your mind up to some trivial minutia!

J.T. Chargois

One of many relievers cycled in and out during a tumultuous year for the bullpen. Starting his career with my AL team, the Minnesota Twins, Chargois was claimed off waivers in early 2018 by the Dodgers. He had a decent year, 2-4 with a 3.34 ERA and 40 strikeouts. He even survived a demotion to Oklahoma City in late May to pitch well the rest of the season, although he didn’t make the playoff roster.

Chargois remains in the Dodgers system, and could be a serviceable reliever in 2019. At the very least, we should hope to see him so as to elicit more thirst Tweets from the legendary Pls:

J.T. "Sweetcheeks" Chargois warming up in the pen. Hope we get to see them.. I mean, him tonight.

— pls (@doyerspls) August 9, 2018

Daniel Corcino

Jesus, I didn’t even know who this was at first. I’m the guy that did the Wilmer Font player review for crying out loud! Corcino pitched just two games, both of them in June, before being designated for assignment on July 4. He managed a 2.25 ERA, if that means anything to you.

Corcino was re-signed to a minor league deal in January and was invited to spring training as an NRI.

Kyle Farmer

Alright, I have to hold the snark for this one. If you know me at all, you know Kyle Farmer is a player of profound significance in my life story. It was his walk-off against the Giants in 2017 that provided salvation during the darkest year of my life. It was also deemed the best moment of that magical season by his fellow players, and when you think of how many there were to choose from, that’s saying something.

Unfortunately, with the excess of catching prospects and utility infielders, there simply wasn’t a future for Farmer in Los Angeles. He saw limited action in 2018, hitting just .235 in 39 games. As a result, he was included in the Puig/Kemp/Wood package to Cincinnati, which is admittedly a much better place for him.

Thanks for everything, Kyle. That one moment in July 2017 was a real-life dream in a season I’ll never forget.

Logan Forsythe

Oh sweet Logan. After some great moments in the 2017 postseason, I really thought he’d grow in 2018. He simply didn’t improve, hitting only .207, and was traded straight up to the Minnesota Twins for his second base replacement, Brian Dozier. If we ever get the 1965 World Series rematch I’ve craved for years, expect him to go full Victorino on us for optimum ex-Dodger revenge.

Yimi Garcia

Another middling reliever. Garcia was unremarkable, going 1-2 with a bloated 5.64 ERA and coughing up seven home runs. He did, however, have one bright shining moment when he was one of four pitchers in the combined no-hitter in Mexico. That inning was to his season what “Hand of Fate” is to the Stones’ 1976 album Black and Blue, the one good moment amidst a pile of trash.

Zach Neal

Man, and I thought Daniel Corcino was ephemeral. This guy pitched one – ONE – inning for the Dodgers in 2018, an April 3 loss to Arizona in which he surrendered two hits and one run. He was promptly designated for assignment, traded, and is now playing in Japan. You could probably listen to “Child of the Moon” in the time he pitched for the Dodgers. Or not. Who cares?

Daniel Hudson

Well, we have…another relief pitcher! A veteran pitcher whose finest season was as a starter for the 2011 NL West champion Diamondbacks, Hudson came here on a minor league deal and did his part. He went 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA, but missed the last month of the year with an arm injury. He will not return to Chavez Ravine in 2019, having signed a minor league contract with the Angels a few days ago.

Tim Locastro

Well, at least it’s not another reliever. A utility player, Locastro took the field in 18 games in 2018, doing absolutely nothing. He was eventually designated for assignment and traded to the Yankees, who later traded him to Arizona.

And so ends Dodgers Nation’s 2018 player review series. These forgettable last few ones aside, it truly was a gas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPEypgcmu9g