Los Angeles Dodgers: Three reasons why the Dodgers will win the West

3. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the most talented team in the National League

Talent does not guarantee anything and the 2018 Los Angeles Dodgers are the perfect example of that. After acquiring Manny Machado and Brian Dozier, the Dodgers’ lineup looked like an American League lineup and looked head and shoulders above the rest.

However, it was not smooth sailing, to begin with.

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Machado was decent at the beginning of his Dodger career but certainly was not the same Manny Machado. Brian Dozier was an upgrade from Logan Forsythe but fell back to earth relatively soon, Justin Turner was not having his normal performance and Matt Kemp, Max Muncy and Yasmani Grandal went from scorching hot to ice cold.

Kenley Jansen missed time due to an irregular heartbeat and the bullpen seemingly lost its identity as a result. The Dodgers lost countless close games and blew countless close leads and had several games where the offense could not back a great starting pitcher performance.

Yet still, the Dodgers hung in there. The talent alone on the roster kept the team afloat as it entered its worst part of the season. Then Turner came out of the hole, Machado returned to Machado, Cody Bellinger started having a bigger role, Muncy is hitting home runs again and Kemp has found the clutch gene.

Let’s not forget a starting rotation that boasts a Clayton Kershaw that is performing the best he has since his MVP season; Walker Buehler, who has become the proper second arm in the rotation and is dominating; Rich Hill, who grinds every time he is on the mound and has been one of the best in baseball over the last few months; Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is healthy and tossing gems and Alex Wood, who is a year removed from an elite season and at his worst is still an MLB standard third guy.

The bullpen may be shaky but it is better with Kenta Maeda and Caleb Ferguson serving as trusted bridges to Kenley Jansen. When Ross Stripling returns, the Dodgers will have three trusted arms outside of Jansen in the bullpen.

With a starting rotation that will throw six or seven innings on a near nightly basis, that is a huge thing to have.

At the end of the day, the Los Angeles Dodgers are stacked from top to bottom. In September, there will be less lineup juggling and more giving the A+ lineup on a consistent basis. The talent has kept the team afloat, now it is time to shoot off to the moon.