Dodgers Opinion: The Dodgers Should Move Teoscar to LF, But Not Right Now

DENVER, CO—The Los Angeles Dodgers, riding high after a three-game sweep over their rival, the San Diego Padres, reclaiming first place in the National League West, looked to continue the good vibes on Monday.

The Dodgers would travel to Denver, Colorado, to face the last-place Rockies in a four-game set. One would think the Dodgers would try to capitalize on this momentum and carry it into the weekend. Well, you’d be wrong.

The Dodgers would struggle in Game One of a four-game set versus the Rockies, wasting a solid performance from right-handed ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who tossed seven innings, allowing just three runs at Coors Field.

While a lot of blame should go to the Dodgers’ offense, which could only muster three runs off one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball, along with going a combined 2-for-11 with RISP and leaving six men on base.

However, all eyes were on Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández.

Hernández, 32, a fan favorite, has been an issue on defense this season, but unlike last season, his bat made up for those defensive issues, and instead of playing right field, Teo spent most of his days in left.

In the ninth inning, with the score tied, Hernández had a sluggish jump — 8.5 feet below average per Statcast — and he was too late as he ran in. The ball landed in the grass and bounced away. When second baseman Freeland finally got to it, Tovar had already reached second with a hustle double. According to Statcast, the expected batting average (xBA) was only .060, with a 99% chance of a catch.

The next batter, a soft ground ball poked up the middle, was enough to score the speedy Tovar on what should’ve been a routine flyball, ending the game in a Dodgers loss.

What makes it worse is that it was the second defensive miscue on the night, as earlier in the game, with the Dodgers leading 2-0, Rockies rookie Kyle Karros drew a leadoff walk against starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The next batter, Brenton Doyle, lofted a fly ball to shallow right that Hernández played on a hop. Karros rounded the bag at second and beat Hernández’s throw to third, which enabled Doyle to move up to second.

The next batter, Ryan Ritter, followed with a two-run single to tie the game.

It has been a recurring theme for Los Angeles, especially lately, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts again stating that he needs to see his players clean up their act, including Hernández.

“He’s got to get better out there. There’s just no way to put it. I know there’s effort – it’s not a lack of effort. But the thing is, we’ve just got to get better. We do.”

Hernández, entering today, ranks as the worst defensive outfielder, ranking in the first percentile in OAA at -9, along with an 84% success-rate in 230 attempts.

The defensive issues are nothing new for Hernández, as he even ranked similarly in OAA last season, despite playing in left field, with a -9. However, he was in a less premier position, and his red-hot bat ranked in the 93rd percentile in Batting Run Value.

With the Dodgers in a tight division race as we approach the end of August, they need to make defensive adjustments to give themselves the best opportunity to win.

That move likely involves pushing Hernández back to left field while also bringing back Mookie Betts to right, despite the eight-time All-Star playing above-average at shortstop.

Betts has only appeared in right field for a few innings this season as a defensive switch late in the game versus the Los Angeles Angels last week. But it was enough time to stir fan speculation about a possible move back to the outfield.

Well, fans may soon get their wish, as it was reported by Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times that Mookie Betts had a private conversation with manager Dave Roberts and President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.

After a 4-3 walk-off loss to the last-place Colorado Rockies — a loss set up by two poor plays from right fielder Teoscar Hernández — Mookie Betts met with manager Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, in Roberts’ office.

It’s not clear what Friedman, Roberts, and Betts discussed in their private meeting, but the implication is a potential change within their position group, as Betts has shown he’ll put team needs above personal goals in the past.

The move of Betts to right field and Teoscar back to left field does give the Dodgers their best corner outfield alignment, and with Tommy Edman’s ankle injury still an issue this season, it remains unlikely he’ll play in center field anymore, even after he’s activated off the 10-day injured list.

The move of Teoscar to left field also allows the Dodgers to stop giving Michael Conforto everyday at-bats, as he has not produced this season, other than a four-week stretch in July when his wRC+ was above 130.

If you move Betts to the outfield, that opens up a hole at shortstop, which Alex Freeland or Miguel Rojas could plug, but neither is setting the world on fire with their bat right now to warrant everyday playing time.

This is where patience comes in.

This week, both Hyeseong Kim and Kiké Hernández will begin a minor league rehab assignment with the Triple-A OKC Comets. If all goes well, both players could return on the team’s next homestand, per Dodgers insider David Vassegh.

Shortly after, Tommy Edman is expected to rejoin the team and be an option at either second base or shortstop, providing the Dodgers with much more flexibility.

All three of those players can play a multitude of positions, including corner outfield. By October, this’ll give Los Angeles more defensive depth and the ability to move Teoscar out of right field, an issue that has plagued them all season.

My ideal defensive alignment when the team is healthy would be as follows:

• Will Smith, C
• Freddie Freeman, 1B
• Hyeseong Kim, 2B
• Tommy Edman, SS
• Max Muncy, 3B
• Teoscar Hernández, LF
• Andy Pages, CF
• Mookie Betts, RF

Obviously, it could change depending on whether a righty or lefty is on the mound, but that gives you a solid infield and decent outfield, despite Betts not being a Gold Glove caliber player anymore.

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