Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — And just like that, it was over. Your 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers are back in Southern California, having completed the Arizona portion of Spring Training. The final pre-season games will begin on Sunday night against the Angels at Chavez Ravine, followed by two games down in Anaheim on Monday and Tuesday evening. Then, a day off. Then, the holiest day on the baseball calendar: Opening Day, March 31, 2023.
And as the team broke camp in Camelback Ranch, there were a few final tweaks and decisions necessary to complete the Opening Day roster. It’s quite different from the roster that began the year in 2022. For those of you keeping score at home, fully SIXTEEN Dodgers who were on the Opening Day roster last season are not there this year, either because of injury or attrition. Let’s recap, shall we?
INJURED LIST: Gavin Lux, Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen
NO LONGER WITH DODGERS: Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Hanser Alberto, Edwin Rios, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Garrett Cleavinger, Mitch White, David Price, Craig Kimbrel
That, Dodger fans, is A LOT of turnover. So who are the players on your new-look Dodgers? Well, some are old familiar faces. Some are Dodgers who were part of the team last year who didn’t start on the Opening Day roster. And some are prospects who will be getting to experience their first-ever Opening Day in the big leagues. Let’s take a look
Position Players
- Catchers: Will Smith, Austin Barnes
- Infield: Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas, and Miguel Vargas
- Outfield: Chris Taylor, Mookie Betts, Trayce Thompson, Jason Heyward, David Peralta, and James Outman.
- Designated Hitter: J.D. Martinez
The rookie Outman, who tore up the Cactus League, is the only real surprise here. And to be honest, were it not for the season-ending injury to Gavin Lux, he probably wouldn’t have made it. With Miguel Rojas forced into a starting role, it makes the team a little light on the infield bench. Look for Chris Taylor to see more time in the infield until reinforcements arrive. JD Martinez (rather than Justin Turner) as a DH gives the Dodgers a lot less flexibility in that position, so it looks like this lineup will have to be on their feet a lot more than last year’s bunch.
Rotation
- Starters: Julio Urias, Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw, Noah Syndergaard, Ryan Pepiot
Urias will get the Opening Day nod, and Dave Roberts has chosen to split up the two lefties by throwing Dustin May into the second position in the rotation. That will be followed by Kershaw, Syndergaard, and, until Tony Gonsolin’s ankle heals up, Ryan Pepiot. Pepiot performed well in Spring Training, and he just beat out of Michael Grove to take Gonsolin’s spot. Will be interesting to see if he rises to the challenge.
Relievers
- Bullpen: Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Phil Bickford, Yency Almonte, Shelby Miller, Caleb Ferguson, and Andre Jackson
This bullpen will see a lot of turnover once guys like Daniel Hudson come off the IL. It will be a while, but I’d imagine they’ll be plenty of trips to and from Oklahoma this year.
Conclusion
So there you have it, your “new-look” LA Dodgers. Is this team going to win 111 games again? Magic Eight ball says don’t count on it. It will be interesting to see how the new balanced schedule affects everybody’s wins and losses this year. According to one power ranking that I saw, only the Cardinals will have an easier schedule than the Dodgers in 2023. So, who knows? Let’s play ball!
