Dodgers: SportsNet LA’s John Hartung Sees No Weaknesses on this 2020 Team
Spectrum SportsNet LA superstar anchor John Hartung took some time with Dodgers Nation this week to talk about the excitement surrounding the upcoming season. Moreover, he discussed just how good on paper this 2020 club looks.
We asked John if he could recall ever seeing a better-built baseball team than these Dodgers.
“I can’t recall seeing one going into the season to be honest with you, because when you look at this team — from the start of spring training and even now — you don’t see a weakness at all. And that is so incredibly rare.”
Now including the DH, the starting 1-9 on any given day — versus righties, lefties, whomever — could easily put up 25+ home runs in a full 162-game season. But it’s not just about the power. No, this team could beat you in just about every way with a bat in hand.
With the superstar talent in Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger complemented by a healthy Corey Seager and Max Muncy and so on, added with the role players and depth? There really never has been a question mark surrounding this team.
“Most teams go to spring training and the have a lot hope,” Hartung said, “thinking ‘maybe we can win a pennant this year and contend for a World Series, but we still have our question marks.’ … I didn’t really have any question marks with this Dodger team at all back during the spring and I don’t have many really right now.”
So we get it (and now we’ve seen it), this team is good. Really good. In three exhibition games, the Dodgers outscored their opponents 27-7. We’re running out of superlatives to describe this team and the regular season hasn’t even started. As Hartung said, it’s now just a matter of guys going out there and performing up to their expectations.
It’s an embarrassment of riches out here in Los Angeles… and opening night is only a day away.
WATCH: SportsNet LA’s John Hartung Sees No Weaknesses on this Dodgers Team, Names a Darkhorse for Cy Young & More
Find John Hartung at @LAJohnHartung on Twitter, and on Spectrum SportsNet LA all championship season long.
Gee, if we’re referring to local sports TV network anchors as “superstars,” that doesn’t leave much room on the hype scale for anyone higher on the pecking order, which would be just about anyone else on the broadcast “spectrum” eh?
It will be good to actually see how the 2020 Dodgers play in some real games against worthy opponents before we start declaring them without weaknesses.
In recent seasons they’ve shown weaknesses trying to hit in the clutch in big games and for the relievers to get elite opposing batters out in crunch time. The managerial substitution decisions have also often been very questionable.
I know they already put the cart before the horse with the huge contract with Mookie Betts—signed before he played a single regulation game with them. Those huge contracts have been known to have messed with players’ heads, not only those of the contract recipients, but also those of their teammates as well.
Let’s watch and find out how weakness free they really are.
Heeey Steve & Rain….GIVE ME A BREAK!!!….On Paper they have a Really Great Team for a regular season….let alone a shorty! When you have a part time outfielder who hit 36 homeruns last year and you tried to dump him for a few bucks…that says you either are STUPID or you’re just loaded with talent!
The real trick is to see who gets off to a great start,,,,,
Dodger starting rotation is a weakness and it was even before Price decided not to play this season. Kershaw is nowhere near what he used to be; Urias is a question mark; Wood is coming off a terrible season and is a big question mark; Stripling is just not very good; Buehler is sold, of course. Ryu and Maeda will be missed.