Once again, the Dodgers head into a new season facing big expectations. And it’s no wonder: the team boasts the highest payroll in the majors, so it’s only natural for fans to expect that a loaded lineup should be able to take the top prize.
As we approach the 2017 season, we’re previewing what’s ahead for each of the 30 MLB teams. The Los Angeles Dodgers are next:
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Up-and-coming player to watch
Cody Bellinger, the Dodgers’ top-ranked prospect, is the son of former big-leaguer Clay Bellinger, a utility player who suited up for the Yankees (and, briefly, the Angels).
Drafted in the fourth round in 2013, the younger Bellinger has the potential to be a superstar: the six-foot-four, 210-pounder has already generated buzz for his impressive power swing.
Bellinger hit .271/.365/.507 with 26 home runs in 117 games across double-A and triple-A last year. While he usually plays first base — a spot occupied on the Dodgers’ roster by Adrian Gonzalez — he’s spent some time in the outfield and could wind up slotting in there if he gets called up this year as expected.
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What a successful 2017 season would look like
The Dodgers are expected to take the division once again, and on paper at least, the team is a serious contender to win it all. In other words, anything less than a World Series championship will be a disappointment.
Making the championship series would be a good start, of course. Last year, the team earned its fourth consecutive division title but fell to the eventual champs, the Cubs, in the NLCS. The Dodgers haven’t won an NLCS since the year they earned their last World Series title, in 1988.
Los Angeles, at least, is set up to repeat its success in part thanks to the re-signing of several key players: lights-out closer Kenley Jansen is back, as is third baseman Justin Turner and starter Rich Hill. Jansen’s return, especially, is a relief to Dodgers fans. The team relies on him heavily when the offence falters, and he’s come up big in desperate situations (as he did, for example, in last year’s NLDS, when he threw 51 pitches in Game 2 to keep his team in it).
The Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to star talent — with baseball’s best pitcher in Clayton Kershaw, and shortstop Corey Seager, last year’s Rookie of the Year, already an MVP-calibre player at just 22. The question here isn’t how the team fares in the regular season, but how they get past the Cubs come October.
Biggest remaining question
One of the more intriguing storylines heading into the season centres on young pitcher Julio Urias, the likely ace of the Dodgers’ future. Just how the left-hander will be used this season remains to be seen.
Urias appeared in 18 big-league games last year — his age-19 season — with 15 of them starts. He posted a 3.39 ERA across 77 innings. Come October, he became the youngest pitcher ever to make a start in the post-season when he pitched in Game 4 of last year’s NLCS.
Here’s the rub: the Dodgers are treading carefully and have decided to limit his innings, at least for now. Urias likely won’t start the season in the majors, as the team wants to make sure he’s available and ready for a more meaningful role down the stretch. But if injury befalls the rotation at it did last year, Urias could wind up in the majors sooner than later.
