Dodgers Report Card: First Quarter of the Season
Time sure is flying this year. Seems like just yesterday we were talking about opening day and the start to another year. But after Friday’s game, the Dodgers are already a quarter of the way through the 2019 season.
That means its quarterly report card time. Below, we look at how the Dodgers how done so far this year in different facets of the game and assign them grades. Currently, the Dodgers sit at 26-15, good for first place in the West and the best record in the National League.
Offense: ‘A’
Stats:
Runs per game: 5.35 (2nd in N.L)
BA: .257 (4th in N.L)
Homeruns: 63 (2nd in N.L)
OPS: .802 (2nd in N.L)
wRC+: 116 (1st in N.L)
BB/K: 0.53 (1st in N.L)
The Dodgers offense has been one of the best in the league over the first 40+ games. They’re at the top of the league in practically every major statistical category, as illustrated above. They’re one of the deepest lineups in baseball, and they can beat you with the long ball or by simply running up the opposing pitcher’s pitch counts. They lead the league in BB/K, showing how patient they are at the plate while not striking out much.
Bright Spots: After putting up video game type numbers over the first quarter of the season, Cody Bellinger has not only been the best player on the team, but the best player in baseball. He leads all MLB in Avg (.396), OBP (.478), OPS (1.262), wRC+ (225), Runs (34) RBI (38) and he’s 2nd in homeruns (14.) Bellinger also has six steals and has played great defense. He’s just been incredible.
It’s hard to talk about anyone other than Bellinger with how great he’s played, but an honorable mention should go to Alex Verdugo, who’s been another bright spot for the Dodgers so far. The highly touted prospect is finally getting some playing time this year, and has taken full advantage. In 106 PA, he’s slashing .337/.377/.561.
Room for Improvement: Although the team numbers are great, there are still a few players who’d love to improve on their first quarter stats. Chris Taylor was really struggling early on, slashing an abysmal .171/.263/.257/ through April. However, he’s turned it on over the last week and is beginning to look better at the plate.
Corey Seager hasn’t had his typical offensive year so far this season, hitting just .230/.327/.348 with a .675 OPS. Coming back from two major off-season surgeries, it’s easy to give Seager the benefit of the doubt, and it’s probably too early to be overly concerned with him. With that said, he’s not where he needs to be offensively, and his numbers reflect that.
Starting Pitching: ‘B+’
Stats:
ERA: 3.55 (4th in N.L)
WHIP: 1.11 (1st in N.L)
FIP: 4.00 (6th in N.L)
IP: 223.1 (1st in N.L)
BAA: .230 (2nd in N.L)
K/BB: 3.72 (1st in N.L)
All things considered, the Dodgers starting pitching has been very solid this year. They had to do without the services of Clayton Kershaw for the first few weeks and missed Rich Hill for the entire first month. Hyun-jin Ryu also had a short stint on the IL. However, their depth has allowed guys like Julio Urias and Ross Stripling to fill in without missing a beat.
Bright Spots: Since the start of the 2018 season, Hyun-Jin Ryu leads all MLB starters with a 1.99 ERA (min 125 IP.) When healthy, he’s been terrific, and this year’s been no different. He’s 4-1 with a 2.03 ERA on the year, and has an insane 22.5 K/BB ratio. It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle with players like Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, and Rill Hill in the rotation, and on paper, Ryu may still be the team’s 3rd or 4th starter. But he’s pitching like an ace so far in 2019 and if he can stay healthy, he could be a significant contributor for the Dodgers staff all year.
Room for Improvement: Coming off a great 2018 season, expectations for Walker Buehler were pretty high this year. But after an abbreviated spring training, his season debut was delayed a few games and he looked a little rusty in his first couple of starts. He has a 4.95 ERA and his strikeouts are down from 9.9 K/9 last season to 7.9 this year. He certainly hasn’t been bad, and still holds a 4-0 record on the year. However, he’s not been the same dominant version of himself that we saw in 2018. With the talent he has though, you could probably expect that to change going forward.
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Bullpen: ‘C-’
Stats:
ERA: 4.50 (10th in N.L)
WHIP: 1.20 (3rd in N.L)
FIP: 4.08 (5th in N.L)
BAA: .232 (6th in N.L)
K/BB: 3.19 (2nd in N.L)
LOB%: 65.4% (14th in N.L)
If there’s been one cause for concern this year for the Dodgers it would likely be their bullpen. Only 3 N.L teams have a higher ERA among relievers then the Dodgers’ 4.50 mark. Their 7 blown saves are also tied for the 2nd most in the N.L.
Bright Spots: Dylan Floro has stood out as one of the few bright spots in the bullpen. He has a spotless 0.00 ERA and a 0.808 WHIP over 16 appearances and 15 innings this year. Opposing batters are hitting just .185 against him and making hard contact only 32.1% of the time, which is the second best percentage on the club. Floro has been one of the more reliable relievers on the team and could see his role expand if he continues to produce well.
Room for Improvement: There’s certainly a lot of room for improvement here. Kenley Jansen hasn’t been himself thus far, and he’s getting hit hard far too frequently. The Dodgers signed Joe Kelly to a 3-year, $25 mil contract this off-season in hopes they had found they 8th inning setup man, but unfortunately, he hasn’t been that. Kelly’s ERA stands at 8.80 and he’s not missing many bats either. Hitters are hitting .348 against him and opponents SwSt% (swinging strike %) is only 7.6%, which is last on the team.
Overall: ‘A-’
It’s hard to be too critical of a first-place team. The Dodgers surely have areas they can clean up and improve on, but overall, they’re playing very well. There’s still a long way to go, but if the first quarter is a sign at all, the 2019 season is shaping up to be a good one.
Dodgers are clearly the class of the National League West yet again this season……dare I say it? This could be SEVEN in a row!……Since 2013 the Dodgers have owned this thing…….barring the dramatic, it looks like a two team battle between the Dodgers and the DBacks this year……….I thought Colorado would be in it, but it sure doesn’t look it right now…….With all the offensive punch the DBacks lost in this last off season, their success so far is surprising to me. The Giants refusal to turn over their archaic roster, (insert Bochy versus Zaidi here) has made them a doormat for years to come. Sad really……but they should not have kept him around this long.
They are 26-15 today(41 games), last year after 42 games, they were 16-26, getting swept by last place Reds at Dodger Stadium, losing series at Marlins, before heading to ironically Washington, winning that series. The Dodgers brain-trust need to play Pederson against a starting LHP(bat him 6th-7th-8th) so he doesn’t forgot how to hit, because he will forget.
The Dodgers are the class of the NL West!!!!! Of course, we are only one month into the season. We seem to be excelling in each facet of the game. That does not mean we are perfect. Every time I come down on Maeda for his lack of reliability, he throws a gem like last night’s game. Kenta, my apologies!!! Joc is earning more playing time than the manager is giving him, and Mr. Verdugo has made a case to play each and every. Hill still worries me, and the addition of Kimbrel to the BP would be welcome IMHO. Go Blue!!!!
Remember to always hustle. Kike would have been safe at first with his broken-bat ground out. He did not run, and it was that delay that caused him to be out at first. Every play is critical.
Kike remember how many outs are in the inning. Remember at Colorado, earlier this year, he didn’t remember how many outs there were, he thought there were two, and didn’t turn the inning-ending double-play. If I recall the it didn’t cost the Dodgers the victory though.
If the bull pen staff doesn’t come around, and there is no one to come in and shore it up, that flaw will cost this club dearly this year. Given the pen’s performance of late, I’d give them a split grade: D for blowing saves and a C for alleged potential. Note to FO: your bull pens got a problem.
I would give Dodgers an over all grade of B+ and the BP a D.
I would give the BP a D grade and the team over all a B+
It is time to bring Gonsolin up to solidify the BP. I am one of the few who think Kelly can get it together.
Joc can’t hit lefties. Career stats show that.