Cody Snavely
We are officially more than halfway through the 2024 Major League Baseball season as we enter the month of July when the real fun begins with the trade deadline on the 30th.
As we enter game number eighty-seven tonight on the eve of the Fourth of July, the Dodgers’ season has had some highs and lows, disappointments and surprises, and everything in between over the course of a one-hundred-and-sixty-two-game season.
National League West outlook
As of July 3rd, 2024, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in first place in the National League West, eight and a half games above the second-place San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers are twenty games over .500, sitting at 53-33, which puts them with the second-best record in the National League and on pace to win well over one hundred games for a fifth consecutive season, a streak dating back to 2019.
Despite the massive division lead, which is second in all of Major League Baseball, the Dodgers have struggled with a few NL West opponents. Currently, the Dodgers have a losing record compared to the Padres, who are only winners of three games in their eight meetings this season.
Entering yesterday’s game, the Dodgers were .500 against the Diamondbacks in their three meetings, but with yesterday’s walk-off win, they now have a four-and-three record against the Snakes.
Despite a weekend series loss to the San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers maintain a strong six-and-three record against their Bay Area rivals. They have also shown dominance over the Colorado Rockies this season, securing five wins in seven games, further solidifying their strong performance.
According to FanGraphs, the Dodgers are in a strong position with a 94.4 percent chance to win the National League West and a staggering 99 percent chance to make the postseason. These statistics should fill Dodgers fans with optimism for the team’s future.
Biggest surprise?
The popular pick would be right-handed starter Gavin Stone, who has arguably been the Dodgers’ most consistent pitcher, along with having the second most innings pitched on the staff and the lowest ERA at 2.73.
However, my pick would be left-handed relief pitcher Alex Vesia, who has turned back the clock to the 2021/2022 season after a disastrous 2023 campaign.
Vesia struggled during the 2023 season, which saw him post his highest numbers as a Dodger and be sent down to the minors in May. For the whole season, the lefty went four-and-five with a 4.35 ERA, 1.389 WHIP, and sixty-four strikeouts in 49.2 innings.
Now in 2024, Vesia has become a key figure in the National League’s top bullpen, enhancing all his previous statistics. His versatility to enter games in the sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth innings further underscores his value to the team.
This season, Vesia has already tied his career high in saves with four—and we haven’t even gone to August. He also has a 1.23 ERA, 0.873 WHIP, and forty-seven strikeouts and ranks in the 100th percentile in xERA.
We recently had the pleasure of hosting Vesia on the Bleed Los Podcast, where he shared his journey from 2023 to the present and the reasons behind his success this season. Don’t miss out on this insightful conversation.
Biggest disappointment?
There are plenty of options when it comes to this season’s biggest disappointment. Whether we look at Chris Taylor or Walker Buehler, the biggest disappointment is Gavin Lux.
Entering the 2023 season, Gavin Lux was set to become the full-time shortstop. However, after a terrible injury on the base paths in Spring Training, the young infielder was set to miss the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL/MCL.
After a lengthy rehab and a rigorous training routine, Lux was finally set to reclaim his opportunity as the Dodgers’ everyday guy at short. However, after a terrible defensive showcase, the Dodgers decided to make a hasty decision, moving Lux back to second base and opting for 31-year-old Mookie Betts at shortstop.
Lux, 26, has done well at second base this season, ranking in the 78th percentile in outs above average. However, his .246/.317/.365 slash line has not done much to help the Dodgers or the bottom of the order.
Lux was the former top prospect in 2019, winning Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year Award. However, since his call-up in September of that year, his minor league success has not transitioned to the big league level.
The Dodgers have many questions to solve before this deadline, and one of them is whether they will ride it out with Lux, who is under team control until 2027.
Team MVP?
Can there be co-MVPs? If so, the Dodgers have two players who are deserving of the honor this season: Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani.
Up until a few weeks ago, Mookie Betts was the clear consensus early pick for the National League Most Valuable Player Award, and rightfully so. The 31-year-old was putting together his best start to a season since 2018 when he won the 2018 American League MVP with the Boston Red Sox.
However, a 98mph fastball by Kansas City Royals pitcher Dan Altavilla quickly silenced those hopes and dreams as a fractured left hand will sideline Betts for the next six to eight weeks.
Prior to that, Betts was hitting .304/.405/.488 with a .892 OPS, all while transitioning to shortstop, a position he had not played regularly since his senior year in high school.
Since Father’s Day, Ohtani has stepped up big and taken advantage of the leadoff spot, propelling himself into MVP talk as a designated hitter, which has not been done in Major League history.
This season, Ohtani has been a force to be reckoned with, hitting .320/.402/.646 with a 1.048 OPS in 328 at-bats. His transition to the leadoff spot has been particularly noteworthy, with a .380 batting average, nineteen hits, eight homers, eighteen RBIs, and sixteen runs scored in just thirteen games.
As of now, Ohtani is the frontrunner for the MVP award, with odds of -229 according to Fox Sports Bet. If he wins, he would be the first Dodgers player to do so since Cody Bellinger in 2019.
Team Cy Young?
Similar to the team MVP questions, if the Dodgers could have two, it would have to be Tyler Glasnow and rookie starter Gavin Stone.
However, after a dominant June that saw Stone go undefeated with a 1.97 ERA in thirty-two innings pitched and a few rough starts from Glasnow, Stone has taken over as the “best” pitcher so far this season.
However, this is not to overshadow the remarkable performance of Glasnow this season. The right-handed flame thrower has an impressive record of eight-and-five with a 3.23 ERA. He also leads the National League in strikeouts with a staggering 136, a testament to his skill and dedication.
Stone is nine-and-two with a 1.124 WHIP and 2.73 ERA in eighty-nine innings pitched so far this season. He showcased his potential and dominance by tossing a complete-game shutout against the Chicago White Sox his last time out.
What is next?
The Los Angeles Dodgers have seventy-six games left of the 2024 regular season before the postseason begins. With the July 30th Major League Baseball trade deadline fast approaching, the team will likely take the next steps to fill in the roster holes for a potential deep October run.
Up to this point, the Dodgers have been business as usual. They sit alone in first place in the National League West and are on pace to have one of the best records in baseball this season despite the large number of injuries and inconsistencies the team has faced.
In terms of grades or expectations, this team will ultimately be graded by whether or not they win a World Series Championship, not their regular season success, but so far, it is looking good, and the second half should be a thrilling ride.
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