Steve Webb
Pollock Trades Shuffles the Cards in the Outfield
So, in my original post I was waxing rhapsodic about how the Dodgers were going to have a lethal 1-2 punch in left with Pollock and Taylor and how Pollock would probably get most of the starts in left with Taylor roving around the diamond so he could give days off to other players.
Scratch all that. Instead, it looks like Chris Taylor is going to be the Dodgers everyday leftfielder this season, and when he needs a break, look for Gavin Lux to give Taylor a day off his feet from time to time. It’s not the left field we were hoping to see this year, and to get Craig Kimbrel, the offense was downgraded a bit, but this might end up working out better in the long run. Much as I like AJ Pollock, this lineup makes more sense given the Dodgers long-term plans. With that said, let’s do our Left Field Preview (Taylor’s Version).
Chris Taylor (2021: .254 AVG. 20 HR, 73 RBI)
Chris Taylor was another Dodger who came up big time for the Boys in Blue last season, so much so that he got himself added to the All-Star team for the first time in his career. From his epic 14 pitch at-bat against the Cardinals early in the year, to that walk-off winner that he put into the Dodger bullpen in the Wild Card game, Taylor filled 2021 with a lot of great memories for the Chavez Ravine faithful.
Taylor is the Swiss Army knife of the Dodgers defense. Last year alone, he played every position on the field except pitcher, catcher, and first base. In fact, last year he only played 30 games in left, simply because he was needed elsewhere on the field due to the injuries to Bellinger, Betts, and Seager. Hopefully, the Dodgers can avoid that kind of injury bug this year, but if somebody does go down, it’s good to know Taylor can be plugged in anywhere. Have glove, will travel.
However, with AJ in Chicago, it stands to reason that Taylor will be seeing maybe 120 starts or so in left. He is absolutely the Dodgers’ best defender out there. And, if he keeps it up at the plate, I imagine there won’t be much drop-off at all in the Dodgers’ run production this year, given the signing of Freddie Freeman and the addition of the DH spot in the lineup.
Gavin Lux (2021: .242 AVG., 7 HR, 46 RBI)
Let’s be honest, if Chris Taylor is on the field, he’s probably going to be playing left. However, there will be days, that Taylor is needed elsewhere or just needs a blow. That is where Gavin Lux comes in. Playing the outfield was sort of foist upon Lux at the end of last season, and he was learning on the job. Now, he’s had a whole winter to work on his defense a bit, so he will probably be more comfortable in left when called upon.
Gavin 2021 was all over the map. He had a horribly slow start, but seemed to put it all together in May. Then, he inexplicably lost it over the summer months, with a few minor injuries thrown in there. It got so bad that he was sent down to OKC for a few weeks to do some fine tuning. But then, after he was called back up in September, he was on fire, hitting a torrid .367 for the month and getting a lot of big hits for the Dodgers down the stretch.
Lux still struggled with left-handed pitching, but he really seemed to be coming into his own as a player. The experience in the outfield during the playoffs was sort of forced on him without any adequate prep or practice, so you can hardly blame him for his miscues in the field in center. But the Freeman signing put Lux’s playing time in big-time jeopardy until Pollock was dealt. Now, I could see Lux getting some platoon starts against righties, and most of them will be at second. When a lefty is pitching, I imagine Muncy plays second and Lux rides the pines that day. But he would be a nice bat off the bench in late innings on those days.
I’m sure Gavin has been working hard in the outfield during Spring Training. Because I think the message has been received. If he wants to be on the field for this stacked Dodger team, he needs to get versatile in a hurry. Still, I have a lot of faith in Lux, and I think he’s going to be on the field more often than not this year. Where exactly might be another question.
Others…
In addition to Taylor and Lux, Zach McKinstry (who starts the year in OKC) might get some innings in the outfield this season. In addition, non-roster invitee Kevin Pillar is a great defender, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t figure out a way to play himself into the lineup at some point this year. He’ll also start the year in OKC, but with a thinned-out outfield and an iffy center fielder right now, anything could happen. Plus, while not technically an outfielder, Jake Lamb has absolutely raked this spring, and has had a handful of starts in left in his career.
REVISED DODGERSBEAT GRADE: B-
