Many Dodger fans think that Chris Taylor will move to 2B in 2019 after Logan Forsythe moves on. While that is not a crazy idea, we need to realize that Chris Taylor is a pretty good CF – He is a conscientious Top 10 CF… maybe Top 5 by the end of 2018 (that is to be decided). While I am not against moving Taylor to 2B, who plays Center Field? Also, Chris Taylor has not looked great at 2B, but I do believe he can adapt and play the position well, so I am not against it.
OK, I’ll play along. In 2019, Forsythe is gone (Grandal, Pederson and maybe Puig too) and Taylor moves to 2B. Then, Andrew Toles would be the center fielder. To me, that sounds like he should go to OKC RIGHT NOW and play CF everyday so that he can be a solid replacement. That softens the blow of going to OKC THIS year.
As you know, I think Matt Kemp will be the LF’er in 2018 and maybe he has a great year. If he does, I am not sure he can do it again in 2019. Also, Alex Verdugo, DJ Peters and Yusniel Diaz will be chomping at the bit. A lot of what happen there depends upon Kemp and Puig. Kemp would still be under contract for the 2019 season and Puig can be controlled through 2020. There is simply no room for Joc Pederson in 2018 and especially in 2019 unless he suddenly turns it around and that is more unlikely than Matt Kemp winning the MVP. On the game feed yesterday, they discussed Joc’s numerous batting stances last year – seven to be exact. He’s a mess and needs to go somewhere with no pressure for a fresh start.
Trayce Thompson has looked very good this Spring – hopefully he keeps it up and the Dodgers can move him for another younger prospect. There is simply no place for him. I think that will happen. But, in 2019 the outfield becomes even more crowded. A lot can happen between now and then. Yasiel Puig could be traded and so could Kemp. Could Ruiz or Smith switch positions to 2B?
The Dodgers have a lot of problems… Good Problems! Where do they play everybody? Stay tuned. This should be fun to watch.
Stock Rising
- Keibert Ruiz
- Will Smith
- DJ Peters
- JT Chargois
- Jake Peter
- Wilmer Font
- Kyle Farmer
- Matt Beaty
- Edwin Rios
- Andrew Toles
- Max Muncy
Stock Dropping
- Joc Pederson
- Mark Lowe
- CC Lee
- Henry Owens
- Dylan Baker
The Dodgers are hitting .296 as a team with a .365 OB% and a .895 OPS. That would be great to do that all year (not likely). The teams’ ERA is 5.53 – that would not be good! Hey, it’s Spring Training… and we haven’t even seen the Dodgers Top 2 pitching prospects: Walker Buehler and Mitchell White!
The picture of Chris Taylor is from last year when The Truth Hurts dubbed him Christ Aylor.
Discussion (45)
Disagree, not disagreeable
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/dodgers-rich-hill-focused-on-2-pitches/c-267920216
Rich Hill looks way ahead of where he was last spring. Verdugo took a pitch on the outer half and hit a no doubt HR to LF today. If Joc could learn to do that consistently instead of trying to pull everything he would be dangerous with his mad power, but he can’t or won’t. I think Verdugo may go down to AAA but not for long. Kemp has certainly not lost his power. Font goes against the Cubs tomorrow in what could be a big test.
Peter. Peters. Pederson…..Confusing. Worse than Cody. Corey.
Alex Verdugo is making a strong case to be on the team – he is flashing more power.
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Grandal is getting his stroke.
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Kike is Kike – backup all over the place. I read some where that Jake Pete was like Kike. No way. He can’t play SS or CF and Kike plays both very well.
should we trade an outfielder to seattle?
If Seager goes down this year for a short term, I think Kike’ takes over at SS, and Tim Locastro would be first guy up as utility player. If more long term, Donovan Solano has played well enough to move into that position for a longer term in 2017 (if he is still with the team). Seager will be the SS until he can’t. The earliest he moves to 3B is when JT’s contract runs out after the 2020 season.
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I am going on the premise that Corey only needs 10 games defensively to get ready for the season as has been offered. If he still cannot throw, then I would think that surgery becomes a consideration. He rested it with physical therapy all off-season. I am not a doctor, so I have no idea if another 2 months of rest is warranted, or if they just bite the bullet and fix it. I understand it is an elbow issue, but exactly what it is I am not sure. I just hope that the management is not blowing smoke on this one.
We have so many moving parts that it makes a blog like this fun–lots of speculation.
To answer the question, “Who plays ss if Seager is moved to …??” Let’s look at Mark’s quote, “Taylor, who is a natural shortstop…”–Buster Olney. I can’t see a move to 3rd as a remedy if Seager has a bad wing. The throw to first is just as taxing if not more.
On Chris Taylor
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“Behind an impressive campaign both in the field and at the plate, Taylor was ranked the No. 7 center fielder heading into this season, by ESPN’s Buster Olney. In front of Taylor on the list are Mike Trout, Charlie Blackmon, George Springer, Lorenzo Cain, Tommy Pham and Byron Buxton.
Taylor, who is a natural shortstop, ranked ahead of natural center fielders such as Ender Inciarte, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Andrew McCutchen.”
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Even if Taylor ran a bad route, he get’s to more balls than Pederson.
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If Matt Kemp hits .290 with 25 HR, that would be HUGE!
1 – Thompson has no chance to stick with the Dodgers and will be flipped for a lower level prospect.
2 – The Dodgers are looking for consistency from Joc Pederson. They haven’t seen it yet. He may be sent down after ST is done but I see him being unloaded at some point during the season.
3 – Taylor isn’t a real CF – at least not yet. Pederson knows how to run good routes in CF and I haven’t seen any of the other Dodger OF who do this consistently. I haven’t seen Verdugo out there. Toles doesn’t run good routes.
4 – Puig is still under team control in 2019 even though his contract is up (he is arb eligible). They would be crazy to dump him if he plays like he did last year and behaves himself. As good as Verdugo might be, he is not going to play defense as well as Puig nor will he hit 25 – 30 HR.
5 – Seager graded out very well defensively last year. He moves well for a big guy and covers the ground. His arm problems won’t magically go away if he moves to 3B. It could help his back though. I haven’t heard anything about a neck problem. I think the Dodgers keep him at SS as long as possible. Question – if Seager goes to 3B, where does Turner go? With his knee problems and advancing age, he can no longer play 2B.
6 – Taylor has not looked good at 2B in his career – he has a .941 FLD % (his worst position) and doesn’t look comfortable there.
7 – If Seager doesn’t play SS, who does?
8 – Kemp is not going to be MVP. If the Dodgers keep him they will try making him semi-regular at LF but he won’t play every day due to his bad wheels. He will take days off against some RHP and Joc or Toles will play instead. What do I expect if he stays? .290, 25 HR in 450 AB. We will see if his conditioning helps his defense. He used to run awful routes when he was healthy and was able to make corrections with his speed. Without his speed?
Other than Duke Snider the players that I gravitate to haven’t been all that great. Ron Fairly, Jim Lefebre, Ron Cey, Bill Russell, James Loney, Joc Pederson, to name a few and prospect wise I will add Will Smith and Brock Stewart. Oh well.
As far as ammunition goes, Joc is giving all of it to Mark and none to me. Rats. At least I like Taylor as a player and as a center fielder.
AC – Am I really wrong about the future of Seager at SS ??
I like CT3 in CF. He is just learning, and has a chance to be good to very good out there. He just needs experience. Hopefully he can continue to play offense while playing CF. Yes, Alex Verdugo, Yusniel Diaz, and DJ Peters can all play CF (and Starling Heredia), but they are not true CF’s. The next true CF in the Dodgers organization is Jeren Kendall. His defense and speed are ML ready, but his offense is not D-1 College ready (okay a little hyperbole). Kendall needs to make contact and he can play CF for a long time at the ML level.
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So who does play 2B in 2019? Those on the current 40 man would include only Tim Locastro. While not currently on the 40 man, Jake Peter could be if needed. There is no necessity as long as Chase is still on the roster. However, IMO, both Peter and Locastro are more utility type players, and not everyday. If Errol Robinson gets promoted to AAA this year and does reasonably well, he could be in the discussion. I am a big supporter of Errol Robinson so I hope he succeeds. But the next closest would be Omar Estevez followed by Gavin Lux and then Ronny Brito. Further down the line could be Jacob Amaya. But there is no sure fire “can’t miss” middle infielder in the system. That is why I believe the Dodgers will look outside for the 2019 2B, and I would not be a supporter of Brian Dozier as long as DJ LeMahieu is available. As long as they are relatively reasonable, I can see one of those two as a Dodger 2B in 2019. I am a card carrying DJ LeMahieu fan. He has a career .356 OBP (and for MJ, a career BA of .302) and is an above average defensive 2B. Like most Rockies, he does get a boost from Coors Field, but for the last three years, he has also been fairly consistent away. Bottom line…D J LeMahieu is my choice to be the Dodgers 2B in 2019.
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I agree with your commentary on Joc. I have also stated that the best thing for Joc Pederson is to go somewhere we there is no pressure…Miami, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Oakland (his home area), ChiSox, Detroit??? I like him best in Baltimore who desperately needs a LH hitting OF, and someone to replace Adam Jones in CF in 2019. Counting 2018, he has three years control which Baltimore would also love. He is not as bad as he is showing, and he shows no ability to succeed when the pressure is on. Nothing was expected of him in the WS and he flourished. He was asked to compete for the LF position and he hasn’t (flourished or competed). I like Joc as a person, but not as a Dodger. I hope he does well, but it will never be as Dodger. Joc does have options so he can go back to AAA, but that will depress his value even more.
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I also agree on Trayce Thompson. There is just no place for him on the Dodger 25 man. As well as he is playing this Spring, he is not out-playing Kemp, Toles, or Verdugo. FAZ will try to get whatever they can for Trayce.
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The Matt Beaty 2B experiment has not gone well this Spring. He is another hitter that needs a defensive position. Like Rios, his best seems to be 1B. I hope he gets a chance to play some OF in OKC to see if he can play a ML LF.
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The more I watch DJ Peters the more I am reminded of Jayson Werth. The HR he hit Friday was just launched. And he is actually a good defensive OF who can play CF if needed, also like Jayson Werth. This is going to be a critical year in DJ’s development. AA is a difference maker in prospect status. He needs to cut down on his K’s.
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Mark Lowe (turns 35 in June) and C. C. Lee (31), were longshots at best. I see no reason for them to even take a spot on the OKC roster. Henry Owens is still young enough to try and straighten out. Plus, I am always partial to former BoSox players. The same is true with Dylan Baker who has never pitched above AA (12.2 IP in 2017). I would be willing to see what he can do at Tulsa before pulling the plug on him.
Besides being conscientious, CT in my mind will be/is a consensus top 10 CF!!!
In my mind, a strange place at that, I still think the elephant in the room is Mr. Seager… With his neck and back issues I have thought from day 1 he was not long for the SS position… I know, I know, Cal Ripken was tall and etc. etc.
I want a healthy Seager for many years roaming Chavez Ravine…
Mark, My opinion is Matt Kemp is not an experiment, he was in a trade with Atlanta for only one purpose, to reduce payroll. The Dodgers had every intention of then trading him and reducing payroll even further but found no takers. The Dodgers have Kemp and only three choices, play him, sit him, or release him. The smart choice is to play him and see if he can somehow be somewhat productive, not an MVP or hit 40 home runs but be effective enough for the Dodgers to justify the 21M for this year.If that happens then good. I’m sure if this was the last season of his contract he and the 22M still owed would be gone leaving Toles and Verdugo to fight for left field.
Will Kemp be an MVP this year? I don’t think so
Will Kemp hit 40 home runs this year? I don’t think so
Will Kemp play better defense being 40 pounds lighter? I don’t think so, he is going to count on Taylor to cover more ground in left-center while Kemp covers the line. Let’s hope this coverage doesn’t cause an injury to Taylor.
Will Kemp be of value to the team this year? I think he will probably get off to a good start and then struggle. The real question is if that happens will the Dodgers stay with him or release him? Whatever happens, Kemp is not an experiment he is a trade that the Dodgers hoped would happen that didn’t.