Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Making our way around the diamond in our little preview of each postion on the 2024 Dodgers we arrive at a position that had some surprises in 2023, and we open up 2024 in a completely different place than we thought we’d be 12 months ago. Last year at this time, we were thinking that Miguel Vargas would be the heir apparent to second base; this year it’s a very familiar face who figures to get most of the starts on the right side of the infield.
Mookie Betts (10 years MLB experience, four with LAD)
Mookie Betts LOVES to play the infield. After rattling off a string of Gold Glove seasons in right, Mookie finally got his chance in 2023 when Miguel Vargas’s supposed breakout season started to sputter. In all our superstar saw 70 games at the second base spot in 2023, and played other 16 games at shortstop. This year, he’ll be coming out of camp as the everyday second baseman, something I’m sure he’s thrilled about. In 2023, quite simply Mookie was spectacular. Second in the MVP voting, .987 OPS, 39 bombs, led the team in WAR with 8.3. Awesome numbers. Can he replicate the feat in 2024? There’s no reason to think that he can’t. He is still only 31 years old. There should be plenty of fuel left in the tank before the inevitable age- based decline starts to set in.
However, there is one thing about Betts that is still troubling to me. Unlike Freddie Freeman, who is the model of consistency at first base, Betts is notoriously streaky. He hit .455 in August and then dipped to just .241 in September, and as we all painfully recall, was completely absent in October when he went a pitiful 0-for-11 while the Dodgers were getting swept out of the playoffs by the Diamondbacks. It might be easy to shrug it off as just a bad couple of games, but even in Betts’s MVP year with Boston, he didn’t perform that well in the postseason. Over seven years of playoff appearances, Betts is hitting just .241 in October with a middling OPS of .710. In order for the Dodgers to get where they need to be, Betts has to lock in when it matters most, and thus far in his career, there hasn’t been much evidence of that outside of a few great moments in 2020.
But hope springs eternal, especially in March. With bashers like Ohtani and Freeman behind him, Betts is sure to see his share of pitches to hit from the leadoff position this year, and hopefully once October rolls around, we’ll see the best version of Mookie at the plate. Anyway, here’s what he did last year, and the FANGRAPHS projections for 2024.
| Season | Team | Level | G | PA | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | LAD | MLB | 152 | 693 | 39 | .307 | .408 | .579 | .416 | 167 | 8.3 |
| 2024 | FGDC | PROJ | 157 | 679 | 32 | .279 | .377 | .513 | .380 | 142 | 5.8 |
Chris Taylor (10 years MLB experience, eight with LAD)
At this point in his career, Chris Taylor sort of is what he is. A versatile utility guy, one who has the flair for the dramatic, and one who is prone to frustrating stretches at the plate. He still swings and misses a lot more than I’d like, and I really wish he’d work on a better two-strike approach, but he brings a lot of hustle and energy to the ballpark every night, so I’m willing to forgive a little with this guy. Even though MLB.com has Taylor listed as Number Two on the second base depth chart, I’d be surprised if he saw much action there this year. Far more likely to see this guy roaming the outfield, especially now that Kiké Hernandez has been brought back into the fold. Still, with both Hernandez and Taylor on the roster, it seems like second base will be well-manned in the even that Mookie needs to return to the outfield at some point in the year.
| Season | Team | Level | G | PA | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | LAD | MLB | 117 | 384 | 15 | .237 | .326 | .420 | .323 | 104 | 1.9 |
| 2024 | FGDC | PROJ | 96 | 413 | 12 | .228 | .316 | .390 | .308 | 94 | 1.1 |
Kiké Hernandez (10 years MLB experience, seven with LAD)
Kiké has always been a fan favorite at the Ravine, which explains the social media celebration when he unexpectedly re-signed with the team a few weeks ago. I wasn’t necessarily among that group of celebrants, but I’m hopeful that a full season in Dodger blue will re-invigorate this uber-utility player. Again, given the relative lack of depth in the outfield, I’m guess we’re more likely to see Hernandez out there than we are to see him at second base, but he’s proven to be an excellent fielder wherever he is on the field. There will be more to say about him in our outfield preview, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t used at second from time to time to replace Mookie when he moves to the outfield for late-inning defense. Let’s hope he can get the bat going all year long as well.
| Season | Team | Level | G | PA | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | – – – | MLB | 140 | 508 | 11 | .237 | .289 | .357 | .282 | 72 | -1.3 |
| 2024 | FGDC | PROJ | 79 | 343 | 9 | .235 | .300 | .384 | .298 | 87 | 0.5 |
Other Options…
One name that we have definitely NOT dwelled on in this discussion is one Mr. Miguel Vargas. After tearing up the minors in 2022, we thought that last season might be his year. But it never came to pass. After a prolonged struggle at the big-league level, his average for the year was just a buck ninety-five, with not much pop or fielding prowess. Looking back on the highly touted prospect’s rookie year, manager Dave Roberts was his usual upbeat self. “Last year was certainly a learning experience for him. I think he even said, at some point, he lost some confidence,” Roberts said. “But this spring, he looks fantastic. And I don’t know how it’s gonna play out when we break camp. But Miguel is still a big part of what we’re doing now, and going forward.”
Now, I will say that our Cody Snavely has reported that there is talk of trying to turn Vargas into an outfielder this year, but that didn’t go that great last season. We’ll see. Before Kiké was added to the roster, I would say it would be about 50/50 that Vargas breaks camp with the big team. Now, I’m kind of leaning toward him starting the year at OKC. In addition, new Dodger Jonathan Arauz is in camp, but I’d be very surprised to see him crack the lineup at any point this year. In the end, it seems like second base is going to be ride-or-die with Mookie Betts this year, with the occasional chip-in from the veterans Taylor and Hernandez. There are worse places to be in life.
DODGERSBEAT RATING: A
