MLB Preseason Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB Preseason Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers
Vincent Armanino
Opening Day for this MLB season is March 25th. Currently, teams are spending Spring Training in either Arizona or Florida. Two teams in the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks have similar aspirations of competing for the World Series, except carrying different baggage into the season.
The Dodgers have won three World Series titles since 2020, including the last two. Their roster includes three-time MVP winner Shohei Ohtani, former MVPs in shortstop and outfielder Mookie Betts, and first baseman Freddie Freeman. As if that wasn’t enough, this coterie of offensive talent is propped up by Will Smith, arguably the best catcher in baseball, former all-stars Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez, and newly signed outfielder Kyle Tucker, who has consistently hit somewhere between 25 and 45 percent better than league average.
Accompanying this assemblage of mashers is a pitching staff headed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto who finished third in Cy Young voting last year and looked like the best pitcher in baseball during parts of the team’s playoff run. Behind Yamamoto is a mix of proven talent and young arms with potential who all bear the concerns of health. If availability is the best ability, then the Dodgers pitching staff would be found lacking.
Health would be the only factor that could limit the Dodgers success this season. Pitchers like Tyler Glasnow are getting paid with the knowledge that at best they will give their team 125 to 150 innings pitched. It is the unplanned collapses that could finish the Dodgers. Max Muncy who has been a stalwart at third base is approaching 36 and despite two seasons of above average offense, has seen his power and his glove decline year over year since 2023 if not earlier. Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman are also in their mid-30s and no matter how good they have been in the past, father time remains undefeated. The same is true for Will Smith who is 30. Not to demean those who are in their third decade or beyond, but 30 is a threshold that still signals a decline in production in baseball. Even Kyle Tucker, their shiny new toy, has a history of missing significant time due to injury.
For Dodgers fans, there is much to enjoy. Ohtani continues to make great arguments every season as to why he is the greatest player this game has ever seen. Young players such as centerfielder Andy Pages continue to put it all together. This team’s past decade rivals any team in any sport in regards to success. For those less inclined to rep Dodger blue, there is hope. Bats slow down, arms exhaust, and there is the potential that all of this happens at the same time, ending the Dodgers chances at a successful season. Until this happens however, the Dodgers remain favorites to hoist the trophy at season's end.