Dodgers: Five questions that must be answered during Spring Training

2. Who is going to play when in left field?

Left field is a cluster for the Los Angeles Dodgers, I really have no idea what the team is going to do with all of the options in left field. Matt Kemp, Andrew Toles, Joc Pederson and Enrique Hernandez all have claim at the position and will see some time throughout the year there.

I can tell you this though; Hernandez will likely be the left fielder on Opening Day. Not because he is the best, but because the Dodgers are set to face the Giants and Madison Bumgarner. As you may know, Hernandez is the Dodgers’ MadBum killer. However, with his versatility, the Dodgers are more likely to use Hernandez all around the field, limiting his time in left.

Then there is Joc Pederson, who two years ago would have been a shoo-in for the spot. However, the strikeout rates continue to climb and Pederson’s once high stock continues to fall. His defense is not what it used to be and he lost his job in center to Chris Taylor. Pederson is a good power option, but that is really it.

Then you have Andrew Toles, who seems to be the logical choice to be the “starting” left fielder in 2018 (if they even have one). However, Toles last played in May and may not be ready for a full-time role again. Spring Training will be a telling sign of that.

Finally, there is Matt Kemp; the Dodger that everyone wants to have a breakout year and return to 2011 form. Quite frankly, though, that will not happen and it is a surprise that Kemp is even still on the roster. At this point, Kemp is just playing to keep his job on a contending team. If he falters, the Dodgers will not hesitate to cut him; especially because of the guy on the next slide.