With hours remaining before the Dodgers are required to announce their postseason roster, I’ve revised my predictions for who makes the team.
The big changes center around the health of Matt Kemp (who was healthy when I made my initial predictions) and Andre Ethier, who is still a mystery.
With that said, here is my new prediction (changes are in italics):
Catchers (2)
AJ Ellis
Tim Federowicz
Infielders (6)
Mark Ellis
Adrian Gonzalez
Nick Punto
Hanley Ramirez
Juan Uribe
Michael Young
Outfielders (4)
Carl Crawford
Andre Ethier
Matt Kemp
Scott Van Slyke
Skip Schumaker
Yasiel Puig
Starting Pitchers (4)
Zack Greinke
Clayton Kershaw
Ricky Nolasco
Hyun-Jin Ryu
Bullpen (8)
Brian Wilson
Kenley Jansen
Paco Rodriguez
JP Howell
Ronald Belisario
Chris Capuano
Carlos Marmol
Brandon League
Chris Withrow
The only change on the bench was swapping Kemp with Van Slyke, which I think is a fairly safe bet to give the Dodgers a fourth healthy outfielder. On the pitching side, I’ve gone with Withrow over League.
I was never a fan of League to begin with, but just figured they’d take him anyways — I’m starting to doubt that though with how well Marmol and Withrow have been pitching lately.
I think they’ll keep Ethier on the roster as a pinch-hitter, regardless of how well he can run. In reality, I wouldn’t expect to see him playing the field at any point in this series, but I’d take an immobile Ethier over someone like Jerry Hairston Jr. any day off the bench.
The biggest omission is Dee Gordon — a guy I think could be a game-changer as a runner. Whether they’d trust him in the field or to hit, however, is what ultimately could keep him off the roster. One good sign for Gordon is their interest in testing him out in center field, however, because it shows they’re doing what they can to justify his inclusion.
I think it comes down to Marmol, Withrow and Gordon — with two of the three making the team. In the first round, the Dodgers could probably afford to play with one less reliever, but we’ll see what Mattingly decides.
What do you think? Marmol or Withrow or Gordon?
Keep in mind that the roster can change should the Dodgers make it past the first round, but then again, lets not get ahead of ourselves…
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In case you missed it, here’s the latest on Andre Ethier’s injured ankle/shin.
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