Steve Webb
With today’s post, we move on to look at what could be the best outfield in all of baseball. Emphasis on “could” as there are a number of variables that will come into play, especially at the beginning of the year. Unfortunately two fan favorites were lost to free agency over the winter. Joc Pederson is gone. Kike Hernandez is gone. So, the Dodgers will be relying more on the the trio of Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, and AJ Pollock to carry the load this season. But this group is about as good it gets, both offensively and defensively. We start today with the only non-MVP among them AJ Pollock in left field. In addition, we’ll take another peek at Chris Taylor, who is sure to get his share of playing time in the outfield this season.
AJ Pollock (2020: .276, 16 HR, 34 RBI)
After an injury-plagued and rather disappointing first year with the Dodgers, AJ really came into his own in 2020. He and his wife had a health scare with their newborn daughter Maddie Mae right as Covid was shutting down the entire league last March, so maybe the extra time to be with his family was just what was needed for Pollock. Once the little one was out of danger, AJ seemed to have a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. Pollock came out of the gates smoking. In the first few games of the season, Pollock looked like an MVP with an average for July over .400.
Then reality set in and he had a bit of a lackluster August, but he seemed to regain his footing in September. He hit nearly .300 for the entire month, and had an OPS of .981. Great numbers as the Dodgers pulled away from the field. One nice bonus from Pollock last year was a bit of a power surge. He hit 16 home runs in a mere 55 games. Believe it or not, AJ Pollock was your Dodgers home run leader for 2020. Not bad in a lineup with sluggers like Betts, Bellinger, and Muncy.
Though he’s lost a step or two since he was a Gold Glover with Arizona, he is still certainly more than an adequate fielder. With Bellinger covering a lot of territory in center field, Pollock will be fine this year in left, though not spectacular. While all this looks fine on paper, there is one worrisome aspect. Pollock has been having a very hard time getting on track this spring. Some of this is to be expected with a veteran player who might need a bit more time to get the engine up to running speed. Still, as I write this, AJ is only hitting .167 in the Cactus League this year. Not, great, Bob. If he falters, look for Dave Roberts to lean more heavily on Chris Taylor during the year.
Chris Taylor (2020: .270 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI)
The more that Spring Training has gone on, the better Gavin Lux is looking at second base. We’d now put him, and not Chris Taylor, as the odds-on favorite to be the opening day starter at that position. So, if Lux is at second most days, that means Taylor will be more of a rover this year. He’ll probably be playing a lot of both infield and outfield, depending on Dave Roberts’s needs for the day. It’s his versatility that makes Taylor so valuable. The reason he got in the lineup 56 times last year is that Dave Roberts knew he could count on Taylor to provide steady defense when he wanted give other players a day off.
In addition, his offensive numbers have been very consistent in his four plus seasons with the team. You know what you’re going to get out of Chris Taylor: some decent power, good OBP, and a pretty clutch bat. And unlike Pollock, he’s been tearing it up this spring. As I write this Taylor’s Spring Training numbers are great; he’s slashing .419/.486/.968. We’re going to need to find a place for him somewhere in the lineup. Plus, according to my friend Veronica, who would know about such things, Taylor is the sexiest of all the Dodgers, nudging out fellow left fielder AJ Pollock in that category. So, I guess he’s got that going for him, too.
So, today’s rating will incorporate, offense, defense, and, ahem, sex appeal.
DODGERSBEAT RATING: B
