Cody Snavely
The 2025 Major League Baseball season is finally here, with games set to be played this Thursday, February 20th, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, kicking off Cactus League play.
While spring training is a way for all players to prepare and tune up their skills for the long, 162-game regular season, for some players, it is a chance to prove themselves for greater opportunities.
That can be said especially for the Dodgers, with roster spots at a premium. Only the best players will get a spot as the team looks to repeat as champions. However, three of the players on the roster have more to prove than anyone else: Bobby Miller, Hyeseong Kim, and Chris Taylor.
Can Bobby Miller Find his 2023 Mojo?
In many ways, the Dodgers’ starting rotation’s performance in the first half of the regular season hindered Bobby Miller’s young right arm. While the rotation has undergone significant renovations in the last two winters, the club still has massive questions about the roster.
Health is one of the most prominent issues as Gavin Stone and River Ryan are expected to miss all of 2025. Emmet Sheehan and Clayton Kershaw are out until mid-summer. Shohei Ohtani, who is returning to two-way status, is likely out until May. Tyler Glasnow is coming off right elbow tendinitis that ended his 2024 season. Rookie Roki Sasaki had his health issues in Japan, and his career-high in innings is just over 120. And their most dependable starter, lefty Blake Snell, has only eclipsed 180 innings twice in his career.
While the Dodgers are also expected to have right-handers Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin set to return, Miller has more upside than bother starters combined.
To make a long story short, Bobby Miller’s sophomore season was sh*t, and he’d be the first to tell you that. Despite an excellent rookie season where the righty posted a 3.76 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.102 WHIP, and 119 strikeouts in 124.1 innings pitched, he steeply declined in year two.
Statistically, Miller was the worst starting pitcher in Baseball last season, with an absurd 8.52 ERA in 56.0 innings. However, the righty does have some excuse for the performance as last season Miller dealt with right shoulder inflammation and a knee injury which hindered his performance.
While it seems that May and Gonsolin will be battling for the fifth spot in the Dodgers’ rotation with relief pitchers Michael Kopech and Evan Phillips uncertain, Miller could make the team in either role.
Miller’s role on the team depends entirely on how he looks during spring training, and with newly signed lefty Blake Snell set to take Miller under his wing. Hopefully, he can find some of that 2023 mojo and help solidify the backend of the Dodgers rotation.
How Will the Transition for Hyeseong Kim be From the KBO?
While the Dodgers front office decided to bring in Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim on a 3-year, $12.5 million contract and ship off former top prospect Gavin Lux, he’s placed on the roster is not a guarantee despite what some think.
For starters, in Kim’s contract, there is no clause that prevents the team from sending him down to the minor leagues, unlike most players who sign international free-agent deals. So, if Kim does struggle, the Dodgers do have the flexibility.
Despite Kim coming off one of his best seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), where the lefty hit .326/.383/.458 over 567 plate appearances, his career OPS was a bit low at .766, which would be slightly above the league average last season at .711.
Defensively, Kim is the complete package. He was considered one of the better defensive players in the KBO, with second base being his best position statistically. Still, he does have experience at shortstop, third base, and both corner outfield spots.
So far at camp, Kim has primarily been seen as the infielder taking reps. Still, in January, Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes said to expect to see Kim all over the diamond.
One problem going against Kim’s first-year success is the rough history of offensive players from Korea in their first season in the show, where there has been a steep decline in most of the overall offensive numbers.
Time will tell how well Kim transitions from the KBO to Major League Baseball, but if he does struggle, it would not be surprising to see him spend a few weeks in Triple-A to get his barrings in order. If not, and he plays well, then he’ll have earned his spot on the roster.
Chris Taylor Needs to Prove to Himself & Fans That He
There is nothing else to say about Chris Taylor besides that he has been one of the worst overall players in Major League Baseball in the last few years.
Taylor’s struggles have long been documented, especially last season, when the former 2021 National League all-star had the worst season of his career with a .202/.298/.300 slash line and 74 wRC+.
However, even before the 2024 season, Taylor was in a steep decline after re-signing with the Dodgers for a 4-year, $60 million contract. Since the 2022 season, Taylor has had a combined .684 OPS and a below-league average 93 wRC+.
“The last few years have not been up to the level I want.” Taylor said last week during an appearance at the Yamaava’ Resort & Casino. “I don’t think that’s anything physical or my age. I think it’s more mechanical. For me, I’m definitely motivated to bounce back and kind of get back to where I was four or five years ago.”
With the re-signing of fan-favorite Kiké Hernández two weeks back and the acquisition of Korean utility infielder Hyeseong Kim, Taylor’s place on this roster can be seen as redundant and a disservice to other players such as Andy Pages waiting in the wings at Triple-A.
While the offense isn’t pretty, Taylor’s spot on the roster was saved last season due to his defensive versatility. Still, even those numbers have dropped in recent years, with the nine-year veteran having -4 OAA (Outs Above Average), which ranked in the 17th percentile.
With the Dodgers’ busy offseason and championship expectations, if Taylor does not improve, his place on this roster will put a damper on the Dodgers’ chances of repeating and would force President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman’s hand to possibly make a move.
A strong spring could lead to a breakthrough for not only the Dodgers and their fans but also Taylor himself, who is seeking any positives at this point in his career.
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