Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Today’s category is a bit of a catch-all; we’re going to take a look at anybody who’s not a regular in the infield and outfield. So in other words, everybody except Freeman, Lux, Trea and Justin Turner, Mookie, Cody, and CT3. Let’s start with a look at the catchers:
Catchers:
- Will Smith: .272 BA, 14 HR, 47 RBI
- Austin Barnes: .158 BA, 4 HR, 13 RBI
Will Smith has essentially taken over the full-time catching duties from Austin Barnes, though Barnes is occasionally inserted in the lineup when Smith needs a little break, or, more likely, when Clayton Kershaw is pitching. With only limited opportunity (fewer than 100 at-bats), Barnes has struggled to produce much at the plate, though for a hot minute in April he was leading the team in home runs. Still, he calls a good game and is well-liked in the clubhouse, and that will be enough to keep Barnesy on the roster for a while longer.
Smith, on the other hand, is really coming into his own. He had a bit of a slow start, but has really turned it on of late. Over the last 30 games, Smith is hitting .307 with an OPS of .955 (which is why he should be an All-Star this year. Grrr). And, his slow heartbeat in the clutch moment makes him seem a lot more mature than the typical player who’s not even played two full seasons worth of baseball yet (298 games so far). Love this kid. Keep him as long as we can.
DODGERSBEAT GRADE, CATCHERS: A-
Designated Hitters:
- Justin Turner: .252 BA, 8 HR, 51 RBI
- Max Muncy: .156 BA, 9 HR, 30 RBI
Actually, it’s been Turner who’s gotten the lion’s share of starts at DH this year. He’s been slotted in there 37 times. For a while, it looked like Eddie Rios would get a lot of action in that spot, but unfortunately, he’s basically gone for the year with a bad hammy. Will Smith has DH-ed a bit when Barnes is catching, and Max Muncy has filled out the remainder of the days.
Since we discussed Turner in our post about the infield, I will concentrate on Muncy today. Needless to say, it’s been a frustrating and long first half for Muncy. He’s still doing all right in the On-base-percentage department, mostly because of his uncanny ability to work a count. And he’s had moments where the old Max peeks through. But that is just not what we’re used to seeing from Muncy. It’s hard to believe that last year at this time, he was an All-Star and getting chants of “MVP! MVP!” from the Dodger Stadium crowd.
Maybe that injury has bothered him more than he’s letting on. Maybe he’s still a little too hesitant to let it fly at the plate. Whatever the reason, he’s hurting the Dodgers with that ..632 OPS (200 points below his historical norms). Once Muncy gets going, this team will be unstoppable. Until then, we’re still giving up too many outs in the middle of the batting order.
DODGERSBEAT GRADE, DESIGNATED HITTER: C
Bench:
- Hanser Alberto: .227 BA, 2 HR, 8 RBI
- Jake Lamb: .233 BA, 2 HR, 3 RBI
- Trayce Thompson: .259 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI
- Eddie Alvarez: .160 BA, 0 HR, 3 RBI
- Zach McKinstry: .125 BA, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Other than Alberto, none of these guys was on the Opening Day roster. They’ve each contributed something to the team’s success, but with no pitchers hitting anymore, the bench takes on a much different role than in seasons previous. The main focus now is giving the starters a break from time to time and filling in during times of injury. Thompson and Lamb are a pretty good platoon in the outfield, and Alberto is a fun guy to have around. A little surprised at Alberto’s relative lack of success at the plate, as he once was a pretty high average guy in his days with the Orioles. But by far the biggest drag about the bench is that Edwin Rios is not on it anymore. Get well soon, Eddie!
DODGERSBEAT GRADE, BENCH: C
