Dodgers Rumors: Three Players that will be Gone by the End of the Season
By Jason Reed
Scott Van Slyke
Outfielder and first baseman Scott Van Slyke serves a ver specific role with the Dodgers – be a platoon option for left-handed pitching. This logic seems to be wise, as Van Slyke has historically performed far better against left-handed pitching and would be a great upgrade from Adrian Gonzalez. However, thus far in 2017, that does not seem to be the case.
Facing primarily left-handed pitching, Van Slyke is batting an abysmal .154 with six strikeouts. Sure, he does only have 13 at-bats, making him 2-13, and it is far too soon to write Van Slyke off. However, he has struck out almost half the time and quite frankly, even at his best I do not think that Van Slyke is the best guy for this job.
That brings into question – who is the guy who is better suited for this role with the Dodgers? That man is Rob Segedin, who proved his worth at the end of last season. It is nothing short of bewildering to me why the Dodgers have Segedin in the minors and Van Slyke in the majors; they have it backward!
Sure, Segedin did not have the best numbers and that is always a bad sign, but he did show signs of greatness and certainly can outshine Van Slyke’s .154 average. Heck, in AAA he batted .319 last season, and while it is AAA, that is still impressive.
The Dodgers have these guys reversed of where they should be in the Dodgers organization. By the time the season comes to a close, it should not be surprising that Van Slyke is the one in the minor leagues.