Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers have their first off-day of spring training action, which leads us here at DodgersBeat to catch up on all the notes and storylines leading up to this point.
The Dodgers have the best record in the Cactus League at 9-2-1 with a .818 winning percentage. While it is only spring, the Dodgers on both sides of the ball have looked dominant.
With only a little over two weeks away from Opening Day in Korea, the Dodgers will start to put the pressure on the gas pedal, ramping it up to be ready for the much-anticipated 2024 season.
Three-headed monster in action
The long-awaited Dodgers debut for new two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani happened this past week, which also unveiled the Dodgers’ order for the top of the lineup.
Dave Roberts elected to go with Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman, a fearsome task for any starting pitcher.
I have personally argued for Ohtani batting second, and the stats back it up. Shohei Ohtani has a 1.013 career OPS batting second compared to a .856 OPS batting third. Batting Ohtani second was always the move.
Freeman, who will slide down to the three-hole, is one of the most consistent hitters in baseball. While his numbers are better in the two-hole, they are still elite in the three-hole, where, in his career, he is posting a .906 OPS.
Betts will continue to be the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter. Throughout his career, he has excelled at the spot and prefers to continue to leadoff games despite his power.
Speaking of Ohtani and Betts, they have been scorching hot this spring. Since making his debut, Ohtani is hitting .714/.778/1.429 with an OPS of 2.206, 1 HR, 1 triple, and 5 RBI.
Betts, who came to Spring Training with a new focus as he transitions back to the infield at second base, is hitting .412/.524/1.230 with 1 HR and 3 RBI.
Freeman, who has been sluggish so far this spring, hopes to rebound in the next two weeks before the trip to Korea.
However, the trio atop the Dodgers lineup is set to be historic, with three former MVPs lined up, all in their prime.
Glasnow & Yamamoto make their debuts
Shohei Ohtani is not the only new Dodger who made his debut as newly acquired starting pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto made their Cactus League debuts.
To this point, Tyler Glasnow has made two starts, each with varying results. In his first start against the Angels, Glasnow pitched only 1.2 innings, allowing a few hard-hit balls and a couple of runs. However, it was in his second start that the former Rays ace showed off his skills.
In his recent start against the Cleveland Guardians, Glasnow went three innings with five punchouts in a dominant start.
Yamamoto, who debuted against the defending World Series Champion Texas Rangers, showcased to the league why he was paid $325 million.
In two scoreless innings, Yamamoto attacked the zone, throwing 16/19 strikes with three strikeouts while also demonstrating the deadly splitter and curveball.
Yamamoto is expected to make his next start against the White Sox on Wednesday at Camelback Ranch.
Prospects making some noise
Typical of Spring Training action is the opportunity for Minor League players to showcase their abilities on the big league club.
The Dodgers, who consistently have one of the top farm systems in the league, have had plenty of players make some noise. However, to make this list short, I’ll highlight two.
On the hitting side, Dodgers top prospect Andy Pages has been on fire and making the most of his playing time so far.
Pages, who missed the entire 2023 season due to shoulder surgery, is expected to be a full go this season with his eyes on a possible in-season callup.
So far this Spring, his slash line is .400/.500/1.500 with 2 HR and 8 RBI, showing that his shoulder is fully healed and could be an option at some point in RF/CF in 2024.
On the pitching side, the most impressive is Gavin Stone, who looks like a new pitcher compared to 2023.
Stone, who made his MLB debut in May of last year, had a rough start to his career. The hitters ate off his fastball and his change-up. In 2023, Stone posted a 9.00 ERA in 31 innings, striking out 22 batters.
So far this Spring, Stone has posted a 1.59 ERA in 5.2 innings with 4 SO, but his demeanor on the mound is a complete 180.
Gavin Stone also survived the first round of roster cuts and is a logical option for the final spot in the Dodgers rotation come Opening Day.
With Clayton Kershaw on the 60-day IL, Walker Buehler‘s status up in the air, and the Dodgers slowing down Emmet Sheehan Stone may make the roster after all.
Recent transactions
The Dodgers made a plethora of moves, such as first roster cuts, 60-day IL transfers, and a trade.
The Dodgers stayed busy today, trading for infielder Andre Lipcius from the Tigers for cash. Lipcius, who was DFA last week by the Tigers, is a utility infielder familiar with time all around the Diamond.
Expect Lipcius to fill a similar role to former Dodgers Minor League utility man Luke Williams on call in case of an injury or double header.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Lipcius, the Dodgers officially transferred left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw to the 60-day IL.
Kershaw, who re-signed with the Dodgers before Spring Training, is expected to be out until mid-summer.
The Dodgers also made their first set of roster cuts as the team approaches Opening Day in Korea.
The Dodgers optioned Landon Knack, Ricky Vanasco, Nick Frasso, Hunter Feduccia, and Andy Pages while also reassigning Stephen Gonsalves, Jesse Hahn, Michael Peterson, Eduardo Salazar, and Travis Swaggerty to Minor League camp.
2024 Position previews
If you missed the message on our DodgersBeat socials, Steve Webb and I have begun our position previews.
Over the next few days, there will be an article for each position, and it’s an excellent read to get an idea of what to expect from the 2024 roster.
So far, we have covered catcher, first base, second base, and third base, with plenty more coming next week.
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