Los Angeles Dodgers: Mind-boggling facts about the 2019 Dodgers
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the most polarizing teams in the MLB and certainly have some interesting facts heading into the 2019 season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have not only been the most consistent playoff team over the last six years but are also one of the most popular teams in the MLB. There is a reason why over 40,000 fans come out to each and every Dodgers home game and why the team has premier advertisers, including Fly Emirates on the foul polls.
Dodger fans might think they know everything about the team but that is not the case. There are some interesting and intriguing facts that you might not have realized.
Some are quite obvious and are more of eye-openers and others take some digging. Either way, here are five mind-boggling facts about the Los Angeles Dodgers heading into the 2019 season.
1. Russell Martin is fifth in on-base percentage over the last three years among catchers
The Los Angeles Dodgers trading for Russell Martin was such a trademark move by the Andrew Friedman-led front office. Martin was a fairly cheap option that did not cost a lot of salary or prospects that happens to be a familiar face in LA.
Some fans are upset that the Dodgers are content with Martin after losing Yasmani Grandal and having J.T. Realmuto available on the market.
And while Martin is not the same all-star that he once was and his stats might not seem that good on the surface, he has one great offensive trait that goes along with his great pitch framing and veteran insight.
He gets on base. A lot.
How much you might ask? Russell Martin has a combined .338 on-base percentage from 2016 to 2018 in 318 games. Could be a bigger sample size but it is big enough.
That is the fifth-best on-base percentage among catchers in that time. The biggest catch? That is also better than both Grandal and Realmuto over the last three years.