The Dodgers Are on a Historic Run in the National League West
Since MLB split the league into two leagues twenty-five years ago, just two teams have gone on as dominant of a run as the current Los Angeles Dodgers. The Atlanta Braves took the NL East fourteen straight times from 1991 to 2005 in a run that began under the old format. The Yankees won nine straight division titles from 1998 to 2006.
But the Dodgers are in the middle of one of those great runs. Last year, they became just the third team ever to win seven consecutive division titles, starting in 2013. That run of dominance has been fielded by a number of things, but new ownership fielded the fire. The hiring of new staff, including President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, has been huge in taking the team to the next level. One rival executive expressed his concerns with the team to Baseball America.
They’re the model right now. They’re hitting on all cylinders. They’re drafting very well. They’re developing very well. They’re obviously very good at the big league level. They’re doing it all.
Indeed, the Dodgers have one of the best farm systems in all of baseball while also remaining competitive every year. Most of the teams that are in the top ten in farm systems have close to zero hopes of playoffs, but the Dodgers are potential champions almost every year since 2013.
The amount of time and effort that the organization puts into player development and research is second to none. That’s why we get guys like Joc Pederson, Walker Buehler, Corey Seager, and Cody Bellinger coming up from the farm almost every season. The Dodgers know how to grow young talent better than any team in the league, and it’s proving effective.
So what has all of this led to? The Dodgers have managed to have the best attendance in baseball for the last seven seasons and went to their first World Series in close to 40 years. But they still have not managed to get over that hump and win it all. They came close in 2017, but the Astros decided to cheat them out of a title.
With their vast financial resources and a plethora of talent, it’s only a matter of time before the Dodgers are lifting the Commissioner’s Trophy in the air in October.
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