Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself
By Peyton Schultze
Cody Bellinger’s extraordinary play to start the season has propelled the Dodgers to a 5-2 record and two series win over Arizona and San Francisco (via Flipboard).
One year ago, Cody Bellinger slugged a “mere” 25 home runs and had several in-season slumps that seemed to somewhat stunt his development as a future face of the franchise. His inconsistency at the plate followed him into the playoffs despite being named the MVP of the 2018 NLCS, but Bellinger produced some key moments on the field and in the batter’s box in Game 7 that played a crucial part in the Dodgers path through the National League.
This inconsistency followed Bellinger into this year’s Spring Training, hitting only .226 with 12 hits up at Camelback Ranch in Arizona. Yet the young and versatile player has impressed everyone around the league to start the 2019 regular season with his suddenly consistent hitting and great defense that should have Dodger fans around the world on the edge of their seats.
To start the season, Bellinger is hitting .438 with 14 early hits, including 5 home runs (tied for the league lead) and 13 league-leading RBIs. His blazing speed has helped him get around the bases on balls hit in the gaps (he also leads the league in runs as well) and has helped him even leg out some infield singles as well, such as in the 8th inning of last night’s game versus San Francisco that he ended up scoring on later in the inning on a double from Chris Taylor. Bellinger has always played great defense throughout his young career both in the outfield and at first base, but now looks great again as an everyday right fielder for this year’s squad. Cody Bellinger and the Dodgers look promising to start the season, and are looking to redeem themselves from seasons that ended in disappointment.
Kiké Hernández has also hit exceptionally well to begin the season as the Dodgers’ primary second baseman against righties and lefties (via Bein Sports).
Although Bellinger has been the primary star that has helped the Dodger reach a 5-2 record in their first full week of the season, there have been several other contributors that have helped Los Angeles win their first two divisional series against Arizona and San Francisco. The Dodgers have slugged their way to their five wins, leading the league in home runs and breaking the record for most team home runs through their first seven games in MLB history. This production has come from many members of the Dodgers’ lineup and has brought a lot of promise for the long season ahead. One of these stars has been their most notable offseason acquisition in center fielder A.J. Pollock. Pollock has been steady in the middle of the Dodgers’ lineup to start the year and has provided some stability in center field as an everyday player. Most notably, Pollock was key in Sunday’s victory over the Diamondbacks with a two-run double in the bottom of the 8th that tied the game late and eventually helped the Dodgers come back and win 8-7.
Another huge player so far has been the fan-favorite and all-around second baseman, Kiké Hernández. Hernández is hitting .436 with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs, continuing his elite success from the end of last season and this year’s Spring Training. Joc Pederson has also been great to start the year against right-handed pitchers. Pederson, like Hernández, has also slugged 3 home runs and is also hitting .412 when he plays left field for the Dodgers. Minus the rusty start by Walker Buehler last Sunday, the Dodgers’ starting rotation has been elite, with two excellent performances from Hyun-Jin Ryu and several nice starts from Ross Stripling, Kenta Maeda, and Julio Urias.
Despite a bit of a slip-up on Tuesday night, Kenley Jansen already looks better than last year with a sharper cutter and a leaner frame that has helped him collect three saves (via Flipboard).
Although they’ve started very nicely, the Dodgers do have a few small concerns. Corey Seager looks like he is still working to get back to his past ways at the plate, and has been a little rusty to begin the year. However, Seager has been very solid defensively at shortstop to start, which is a very encouraging sign for the Dodgers’ front office. In addition, Justin Turner has yet to find his elite form after a red-hot Spring Training. It’s way too early to have any real concerns about one of baseball’s best hitters, but JT did not have his best offensive week. Max Muncy and David Freese have not been outstanding to begin the year at first place, but both have had some clutch moments at the plate that have halted really any concerns of a turnaround at the plate.
However, the Dodgers’ biggest concern to begin the year has to be their bullpen. Although last night was a solid performance from the ‘pen, their two losses have simply come at the expense of blown leads by the bullpen. Joe Kelly and Yimi Garcia have not been great whatsoever to begin the year, especially with their fastball control that has left fastballs over the middle of the plate. Garcia has not been a great pitcher throughout any spurt of his Dodger career, while Kelly had a label as an inconsistent pitcher for the Red Sox until the playoffs of last season. This should inspire some type of confidence in Kelly that his large contract could still be worth it, and he has plenty of time to turn around his rough start to his reliever career in Los Angeles.
Yet not all members of the bullpen have had poor starts for the Dodgers thus far. Caleb Ferguson has continued to build upon his reputation as a fiery and reliable left-hander out of the bullpen for Dave Roberts and Co. and has started the season on a great note. Kenley Jansen also looks much better than he did at this point last season, despite the loss of any type of overwhelming velocity. Jansen’s cutter looks much sharper with some rapid, late movement and his ability to control the pace of at-bats has the Dodgers’ chances of success looking promising.
Corey Seager has not had the best of starts at the plate, but the young shortstop has shown flashes of returning to his previous All-Star form as the Dodgers’ franchise position player (via Bleacher Report).
It’s been a great start so far for the Dodgers, with an upcoming road trip that will see them travel to Colorado and St. Louis. During this time, Clayton Kershaw will make a rehab start to get back on track toward a Major League return and Rich Hill looks to keep up his pace to return from a late-spring knee injury. With the return of one of these players, Urias will likely be moved to the bullpen after making a start versus Colorado on Sunday Night Baseball.
As for the active roster, the team will look to continue their great pace against two solid National League teams before returning back to Dodger Stadium for a homestand versus their NLCS opponent in the Milwaukee Brewers and for the return of the Yasiel Puig-led Cincinnati Reds. The Boys in Blue always make things interesting, and the start of the 2019 regular season has been no different in the Dodgers’ pursuit of their first championship since 1988.