Los Angeles Dodgers: Veteran Duo Living Up To Their Reputation

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a flurry of moves in the offseason and haven’t missed a beat. They’re picking up where they left off last season. They’re riding a five-game winning streak and are tied for first place in the NL West.

Adrian Gonzalez, thru ten games, is in mid-season form. He’s having an MVP-like campaign in the early going. He leads the majors in batting average (.550) and has set two new records in baseball. He became the first MLB player to hit five home runs in his first three games. I was lucky enough to be at Dodger Stadium when he knocked three bombs out of the park. Also Gonzalez set a new Dodger record Friday night. A-Gon is the only Dodger to have 22 hits in ten games. He leads L.A. in every offensive statistical category this season.

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We know what to expect from the 31-year-old slugger and gold glove winner. He’s as consistent as they come. I would like to focus on the other two acquisitions that are making an impact this season. Howie Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins have been great since arriving to Los Angeles.

Who can forget Rollins’ 3-run HR on Opening Day? Rollins is arguably one the best leadoff hitters in history. Rollins has been solid hitting (.220); he has 9 hits in 2015. At 36 years old, he leads the team in stolen bases (3) and is third on the team in RBI (7). A multiple gold glove recipient, he uncharacteristically has 4 of the 9 Dodger errors this season. Look for that to change.

Kendrick has been equally impressive in 2015. He hit his second home run of the season Friday. He’s hitting .342 (4^th on team) and driven in 8 runs. He’s second on the team with 13 hits and fourth on the team in drawing walks. His defense has been exceptional. Kendrick has not committed an error this year.

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The infield duo were brought in for their defense and locker room presence. So far they have lived up to that. Kendrick and Rollins have been terrific in the diamond, they have 44 assists between them. In 2014 the Dodgers committed 107 errors in 162 games. They were 27^th in the majors. The front office moved quickly to rectify that problem and brought in the two veterans.

They will form one of the best double-play tandems in baseball. They have five double plays between them in the first ten games. According to Fangraph, Rollins and Kendrick were 6^th best at their respective positions defensively. A massive upgrade for the boys in blue as J-Roll and Howie continue to build chemistry together.

Offensively both players have been terrific. Between them, they have hit seven doubles, two triples, driven in 15 runs and drawn nine walks. They’re not known for their power but so far have hit three home runs. Next to Gonzalez, Kendrick and Rollins are in the top three of nearly every offensive category. Both veterans play in crucial positions in Don Mattingly’s lineup. Rollins is the unquestioned leadoff hitter and Kendrick is the clean up hitter behind A-Gon. That shows the confidence from the manager to pencil in those two players in important spots.

The consensus around baseball (and fans) is that Rollins and Kendrick are keeping the seat warm for top-prospect Corey Seager (20) and new signing Hector Olivera (30). Three-fourths of the Dodgers infield will be free agents next season. If they keep up their stellar play, I can see the duo sticking around for another year or two. Don’t you?