Los Angeles Dodgers: 2020 Season Preview
By Jamaal Artis
As we get ready for the start of the 2020 baseball season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, here is a season preview for the shortened season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers opening day is finally near us, the Dodgers kickoff their 2020 season Thursday, July 23rd against rivals the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers like all of Major League Baseball (MLB) have had their season reduced to 60 games due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Despite the great delay, the Dodgers are among the favorites to win the World Series, for the Dodgers, who have won the NL West Division seven consecutive seasons, a World Series title would end a 32-year drought.
The last time the Dodgers played an official game at Dodger Stadium they had to watch the Washington Nationals celebrate a NLDS win. The team has gone through some changes since then jettisoning pitching veterans Hyun-Jin Ryu, Rich Hill, and Kenta Maeda, the Dodgers made the biggest move of the offseason trading for 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts, adding him to a potent lineup.
Before the Dodgers take the mound lets preview the team as a whole:
Lineup
By adding Betts to a lineup that already includes Cody Bellinger the Dodgers can boast at having MVP’s from the last two seasons in their lineup. Betts adds an element of both speed and power at the top of the lineup having hit at least 25 home runs and stolen 25 bases from 2016-18. Last year, Betts hit 32 home runs but failed to steal more than 20 bases since his rookie season. If the Dodgers are smart they will use Betts speed on the base paths to wreak havoc on opposing pitchers.
Bellinger broke out as the NL MVP last year and will be expected to continue to power the Dodgers offense, but he won’t be alone Max Muncy returns after hitting 35 home runs for the second consecutive year.
The Dodgers have so much depth in their lineup they will look to platoon Joc Pederson and AJ Pollock giving them big bats towards the bottom of the lineup that will stretch opposing starters. Last year the Dodgers shattered the NL record for home runs and they just got better while adding speed.