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The Dodgers enter Spring Training this season with more position battles than they have had in recent memory. Who will be the everyday shortstop? How will the rookies be used? Will Outman be the everyday center fielder?
These are just some of the questions the Dodgers will attempt to answer when the games fire up here before too long.
Jim Bowden released a tweet on Monday that stated that he had been told by Andrew Friedman that he sees Muncy at third, Lux at short, Vargas at 2nd and Rojas in the utility role. Here’s the tweet:
Andrew Friedman #Dodgers told us that if he had to guess now he sees Muncy at 3B Lux at SS Vargas at 2B Taylor in OF...Rojas utility...but team has a lot of positional flexibility and open to competition @MLBNetworkRadio @FantasyAlarm
— Jim Bowden⚾️🏈 (@JimBowdenGM) January 29, 2023
Executive Vice President and General Manager, Brandon Gomes also confirmed this idea as well with comments he made to the media on Wednesday.
Here is his quote:
“Right now, we see Gavin (Lux) as our everyday shortstop,” Gomes said. It’s the clear and right choice for the Dodgers brass to go with Lux as the everyday shortstop.”
These thoughts are consistent with those that I have shared on the situation in the sense that the club would give Lux the chance to claim the short-stop position and run with it because it’s the best-case scenario on different levels.
Gavin Lux at SS
First, if Lux is able to show his potential as a shortstop, which is plentiful, it would solve that position for the foreseeable future. Shortstop is the most important defensive position on the field other than pitcher and catcher, and to have that position nailed down for the next several years would allow the club to build in other areas of need to put themselves in the best position to win.
Watch Lots of Video of Gavin Lux Playing Shortstop
Another aspect of Lux becoming the everyday shortstop would be the fact that it would open up more playing time for the rookies. Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch have done everything they need to do at the Minor League level, and, anything short of 350-400 MLB at-bats in 2023 would be spinning their wheels.
With Lux at short, either Vargas or Busch could play 2nd and the other can play some left field. The Dodgers could create a rotation based off of matchups that would give them the at-bats they need.
Need More Fire
One of the biggest deficiencies of last year’s team was that it was boring. The Dodgers needed to add “fire” and rookies do that.
Watch the Dodger’s Top Ten Prospects in Action
The club is at a crossroads in the sense that they have the next generation of Dodgers ready to go. But, they also know that it would be irresponsible to blindly turn over a club that signed Clayton Kershaw and J.D. Martinez to 1-year deals, to a lineup where half of the players are rookies. So that was never going to happen, at least not without a backup plan.
Best and Worst Case Scenarios
The best-case scenario would play out as such. Lux at short, Busch at 2nd, Vargas in left, Outman in Center, Taylor as utility, and Thompson as a late-game defensive substitution and a matchup offensive player.
Well, and the Dodgers win a World Series.
The Dodgers would have defined their future while at the same time winning a championship in the present, so that would be the best of all worlds.
For more thoughts on lineup possibilities, check out Dodgers Dawgs above.
The worst-case scenario would be if the club shuts down the rookies too quickly, none of them gain the experience or confidence they need and the Dodgers still don’t win the World Series.
In that scenario, the club would have nothing built and nothing to show for it.
In short, at the end of 2023, the club either needs to have won a World Series or have built for the future. If they can do both, that’s great, but, one or the other has to happen, and make no mistake about it, they will put winning a World Series above all else. That’s why this off-season has made so much sense.
Wait, what? Did I just type that the club will put winning the World Series above all else and followed it with the statement that this off-season has made sense? Huh?
Yes, I sure did, so let me explain!
Off Season Has Made Sense? What?
This off-season indicates that the Dodgers are going to try and have their cake and eat it too. They are going to try and win a World Series while simultaneously building the future, but, with insurance, in case they can’t.
Position Battles Part II: The Rookie Pitchers
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) January 11, 2023
This series will cover the stuff of Pepiot, Grove, Miller, Stone & Jackson & will create discussion on potential roles.
Today is Part I of the Rookie pitching series featuring Ryan Pepiot. #dodgers
Article: https://t.co/mjDbN36r1P pic.twitter.com/GzkuEAPhdy
The Dodgers know they have several rookies and their chance to become the next generation of great Dodgers. But, they also know that they owe it to Clayton Kershaw and other veterans to not sacrifice the season for a youth movement. So, what they’ve done is built a roster that is equipped to handle the best and worse case scenarios and everything in between.
Expanded Playoffs Give Runway
With the expanded playoffs, the Dodgers, and every other team have more runway to play their rookies. There is more leeway to lose some battles in an attempt to win the war because, as we saw in the playoffs last year, all teams need to do is get in. The Dodgers could put rookies at 2nd base, left field, center field, and Lux at short, then give the 5 Rookie pitchers a bunch of innings and still make the playoffs.
I’m convinced of that.
A little Bobby Miller heat and Jacob Amaya Magic all in one clip. Amaya was 6 for his last 6 when he made this play and had made more than 1 of these types of plays in this series. #dodgers @BMilled15 pic.twitter.com/zVbV6SaSH0
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) January 8, 2023
In fact, having seen these rookies several times, I’m convinced that, unless things go totally sideways, the Dodgers will make the playoffs whichever way they choose to go in terms of the youth movement. So, the flexibility is there to give the young guns a look.
What if the Rookies Can’t Handle It?
That’s the part of it that makes this off-season make so much sense. If Lux doesn’t handle shortstop and if the rookies don’t perform well enough to win their spots, then Rojas goes to short, Lux goes back to 2nd, Taylor goes to left field and Thompson goes to Center. Or Jason Heyward or Bradley Zimmer, or any combination of the veterans in the organization could take the reigns and mesh with Mookie, Freddie, Will, Gavin, and J.D. That could happen, and the Dodgers have built their roster with that insurance knowing they can turn to a lineup that is exclusively veteran if they need to.
Muncy, Lux, Martinez, Freeman, Betts, and Smith are going to be in the offensive lineup every day. Then Taylor will be in the lineup somewhere on most days, so 2/3’rds of the lineup is going to be filled with guys that have an MLB track record of success. So, if the Dodgers ended up going all veteran, someone like Heyward, Thompson, or Zimmer would be filling holes and wouldn’t have to be anything more than a role player.
Insurance Plan
The Dodgers built insurance into their roster around their core of everyday veterans, especially with the acquisition of Rojas. But, there’s no pressing reason to start by shutting out the rookies, especially considering the expanded playoffs. There’s no reason not to test all the waters first, then fall back to the veterans and trade at the deadline, if necessary, when the needs have been more clearly defined.
At this point, no one really knows how well any of the rookies will do, there is no way to tell, but, by the last day of July, if they’ve been given runway, we will. At that point, the club can pinpoint the exact need and trade for it.
Or, it may come to pass that Lux does work out at shortstop and the rookies take the reigns and run with them. At that point, the Dodgers can sell enough to get under the Competitive Balance Tax and avoid the penalties of being over for the third year in a row all while winning in the present and building the future at the same time.
What a deal that would be!
As you can see, there’s a lot going on in the Front Office and a lot of questions to be answered, but, make no mistake about it, the Front Office leaves no stone unturned, and winning the World Series is the top priority. When they make a move, they do so with the intent of winning the World Series this year, then also to best set up the club to be in a position to win it every year.
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