Dodgers News: Los Angeles Wants To Improve 2-Strike Hitting
The Dodgers are taking ideas from the Giants’ playbook, according to Peter Gammons.
According to FanGraphs, the Dodgers were No. 23 in the league at two-strike production in 2016.
The Dodgers have a Weakness, and They’re Addressing it https://t.co/aR5juiUUjA
— FanGraphs Baseball (@fangraphs) March 31, 2017
“It’s what we’ve emphasized all spring,” Roberts said. “It is getting better.”
The author of the above piece, Travis Sawchik, opines the Dodgers are right to copy San Francisco’s blueprint.
“But if the Dodgers have a buy in to an improved two-strike concept perhaps they can be even more productive as an offensive group this season,” Sawchik writes. “That the most talented team according to projections is focused on getting better at the little things, on improving at the margins this spring, should be concerning to the rest of the field.”
Interestingly, two-strike production didn’t carry teams into the playoffs. Five of the top 10 didn’t qualify for the 2016 postseason.
- Boston
- Colorado
- Chicago Cubs
- St. Louis
- Baltimore
- Washington
- Cleveland
- Miami
- Detroit
- Arizona
San Francisco placed at 11. Those are regarded as some of the most potent lineups in baseball, but perhaps this serves as material for the “pitching > hitting” crowd.
The L.A. offense got off to a slow start in 2016. If it finds its second half form earlier in the 2017 campaign, it will rank higher on the list. FanGraphs projects the Dodgers to have the best rotation and bullpen, so offensive consistency could be what makes Los Angeles the best team in baseball.
