Allen C. Lieu
After the heartbreaking series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2014 NLDS, the Dodgers were left with more questions than answers. The 2014 regular season was filled with its own highlights and letdowns. The season netted the Dodgers two no hitters, a National League West Division championship and six game lead over the division rival San Francisco Giants.
Throughout the 2014 season, the Dodgers played musical chairs with the outfield and their respective positions. Who will be manning the outfield spots in the 2015 season?
Let’s examine the outfield that played in the 2014 NLDS. The starting outfielders for the first three games were Carl Crawford (left field), Yasiel Puig (center field) and Matt Kemp (right field). Each outfielder has the ability to change the game.
The Starting Three
Carl Crawford is not the same player when he played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but when he is healthy, he can provide a boost to the lineup. He still has the ability to hit for power and he can change the game on the base paths. He swiped 23 bases this year, which was slightly better than last year’s stolen base count. Crawford is not known as a defensive left fielder as his arm is not the strongest, compared to his other two outfielders. Carl Crawford is signed through the 2017 season. The Dodgers will take a healthy Crawford and he should be manning left field barring any injuries that have plagued Crawford throughout his career.
Yasiel Puig. Dodgers fans have rallied behind #66 as one of their own. Yasiel Puig is the wild card to both the Dodgers success and disappointments. Yasiel Puig has the ability to change the game with one swing of the bat. He can make a routine single turn into an exciting double or triple. He has blazing speed on the basepaths and runs at full force. His arm can pick off base runners from all over the field. Ask Gregor Blanco or Brandon Belt. Puig missed out in the 2013 season of becoming an All-Star. In 2014, Puig was named an All-Star for the National League squad. Vin Scully deemed Yasiel Puig as the “Wild Horse.” His talents far outweigh the negative implications of Puig’s play.
Puig didn’t start the 2014 season off to a great start. He was late on Opening Day and did not start the game. He has had issues where he was late to the stadium, resulting in multiple benching. Puig started the first three NLDS game but was taken out of the starting lineup for game 4, replaced by Andre Either. Mattingly felt that his was the best option for the team to win, since Puig was not hitting.
Puig struck out a whopping seven times in a row during the NLDS. He seemed lost at the plate. He couldn’t control his emotions during the heated NLDS, once being escorted back to the dugout by the home plate umpire. The Cardinals simply were able to get into Puig’s head. They constantly threw inside to Puig and pitched frequently to the outside edge of home plate. Puig’s knocks are that he doesn’t play the game in the right way and this irks many of Puig’s detractors. Some of the common statements that criticize Puig include: He overthrows the cutoff man, he showboats every time he gets a hit with the infamous bat flip, he doesn’t show the proper respect to guys who have been around the game a long time. He runs into unnecessary outs and sometimes takes risks when you’re not supposed to (ie: trying to steal third when Hanley Ramirez is batting). How does Puig fix all his problems? It’s simple. Yasiel Puig needs time to grow and learn. The more he is around the game, the better he will learn to control his emotions. He will continue to lean on his teammates, as it is a huge learning curve for Puig. Who doesn’t want an exciting player to enter the game? Every time Puig is at the plate, he has the ability to make the game fun and exciting.
Puig will be the starting center field for the 2015 campaign. He has too much talent to simply be traded and sent packing. Puig also has a team friendly contract. He will be throwing out runners, tracking fly balls with blazing speed, and will be delighting the Los Angeles fan base in 2015.
Matt Kemp started the season off manning Center field before being moved to Left Field. Was Kemp happy playing in Left Field? He let it be known that he was a center fielder. In the beginning of the 2014 campaign, Kemp had just come back from surgery and the Dodgers were afraid that Kemp may have taken a step back from all of the injuries he sustained from the 2013 season. Fast forward to the NLDS and Matt Kemp moved across the outfield to right field. Matt Kemp was simply on a tear. He regained his power stroke towards the second half of the season. During the 8th inning of game 2 of the NLDS, Kemp hit a towering blast that ignited Dodger Stadium from the lull of near defeat to mass joyfulness.
Kemp was able to feel comfortable once again at the plate and on the field. After moving over to right field, he began to hit and field. Kemp drastically changed to the tune of 25HR, 89 RBIs, and a .287 batting average. Last year’s campaign saw Kemp trying to stay healthy and stay on the field. By the time the 2013 NLDS and NLCS playoffs came around, Kemp was the Dodgers biggest cheerleader, as he was on crutches and was shut down for the playoffs. Kemp did his damage in the 2014 NLDS and he was the heart & soul of the team. He viscously blasted Dale Scott’s leery strike zone of game 4. He proved that he belonged on the team as an outfielder, instead of cheering from the sidelines.
Kemp is signed through the 2019 season. If he had a similar season to 2014, or if he is able to replicate his MVP 2009 season, the Dodgers will take be glad to penciling in number 27 every game. Matt Kemp will be the starting right fielder for the 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers.
Who’s Left?
Andre Ethier had one of his most disappointing seasons as a Dodger. He started in center field on opening day and by the time the Dodgers reached the NLDS, Ethier was the odd man out. Defensively Ethier excelled when he was on the field. 2014 saw Either’s offensive numbers drop drastically. He still has trouble hitting lefties and his power dipped to single digits this year with 4 HRs. His playing time was reduced and he was used mainly for pinch hitting duties, as well as a defensive replacement in blowout games. Will Ethier be traded this upcoming season? The answer is a tricky one. The Dodgers are not inclined to trade Ethier immediately, as any of the other outfielders may become injured and a spot will open up. Ethier becomes a very expensive pinch hitter and reserve player, especially with his contract in the neighborhood of 95 million dollars (with vesting options) to the 2018 season. He will most likely be traded if everyone else stays healthy.
Scott Van Slyke did an admirable job filling in as the 5th outfielder on the team. Van Slyke is versatile enough to fill in the outfield spots, as well as spot start behind 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Van Slyke mainly played left field or center field. He will be returning with the team next season, barring injury or trade. Van Slyke’s numbers were better than Ethier’s numbers. Van Slyke is the Dodgers right handed pinch hitting weapon off of the bench.
Joc Pederson, one of the Dodgers top prospects, is playing a position that does not have enough spots for players. Pederson has been tearing up the minor leagues where in 2012, he was named the Dodgers minor league player of the year. Last year he became the first player in Pacific Coast League history to hit 30 HR and steal 30 bases. He became PCL player of the year and also won the award of PCL player of the year. After the minor league season ended, Joc Pederson was called up to the big league club. In his limited appearances, he managed only 4 hits out of 28 plate appearances. This could also be a result of playing longer into the season than he was used to. Despite his limited playing time, Pederson showed great poise when he played center field. He looked comfortable when he was inserted into games as a late inning defensive replacement. Pederson, among other top prospects, was deemed untouchable by upper management, so the likelihood of Pederson being traded is slim. Pederson will be starting in triple-A once again, unless the Dodgers can free up space in the outfield. It does not help Pederson’s progress if he is simply sitting on the bench.
