Los Angeles Dodgers: What is the plan against southpaws?
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a lot of left-handed bats on the roster and will have an interesting lineup against left-handed pitching in 2019.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are left-handed heavy entering the 2019 season and even the addition of A.J. Pollock does not really change that. Against right-handed pitching, the Dodgers should be just fine. Against left-handed pitching, well, there could be more of a struggle.
We saw the perfect gameplan to beat the Dodgers in the postseason last year and the Milwaukee Brewers almost defeated the Dodgers despite having a roster that was not as talented.
The plan is simple: start a southpaw, get Dave Roberts to start his coveted right-handed lineup and then pull the southpaw for a right-handed reliever once those platoon right-handers are due up in the sixth or seventh inning (assuming it is a close game).
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You draw the left-handed hitters into the game and then go right back to a southpaw approach. Leaving the Dodgers out to dry with some left-handed bats that are poor against southpaws. This is harder to execute in a 162-game season, and hence why the Dodgers will be fine in that regard but is a great strategy in October.
As we enter Spring Training after the pitchers and catchers report it is hard to see what the Dodgers’ plans are against left-handed pitching. Is the team going to go with that right-handed lineup nearly every time or are there going to be more left-handed everyday guys?
Corey Seager is an everyday guy but does not have an extreme split against southpaws, so he will be fine. However, do you make Cody Bellinger and top prospect, Alex Verdugo, everyday guys? They are left-handed but Bellinger is a great all-around asset and the only backup for Verdugo in right field would be another left-handed bat.
The Dodgers did bring in David Freese for first base depth and to use as a potential platoon piece, so perhaps he gets much more playing time than anticipated in 2019.
Regardless, you have Bellinger, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo and Andrew Toles to worry about. Pollock was not great against left-handed pitching last season, which isn’t great and the Dodgers other right-handed bats not named Justin Turner are Enrique Hernandez and Chris Taylor.
It might be a case of Hernandez and Taylor starting in left field and second base against southpaws but surely that cannot be the team’s best plan.
Especially when there were options, such as Jose Abreu or Nicholas Castellanos, that the Dodgers probably could’ve afforded for Joc Pederson and a prospect.
Predicting the stats for the Dodgers' starting rotation. dark. Next
I don’t really know the Los Angeles Dodgers’ plan against southpaws. But to be fair, the guys up in the front office are a lot smarter than I am. Let’s hope whatever they have planned works out.