When most fans typically digest the first half of an MLB season, it takes them a while to analyze all the components that landed their favorite team at whatever spot in the standings. With the 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers, though, you can quickly boil the first half down to two factors — injuries and underperformance.
As long as we can remember — in the non-Frank McCourt days, anyway — the Dodgers have been among the Top 5 MLB clubs in payroll. However, aside from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, none of those costly investments resulted in a World Championship. Regardless, at the 89-game mark of the 2023 campaign, the Dodgers have a 51-38 reco0rd and are tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West.
Last year’s regular lineup was significantly different than this season’s younger version, specifically with players like Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner having landed elsewhere. You could probably make similar observations about the starting rotation with Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Walker Buehler and Mitch White having started a combined 64 games in 2022.
Nevertheless, let’s look at a few things that have and have not worked for the Dodgers over the course of the 2023 campaign.
J.D. Martinez
Before we dig too deep into the offense, we can definitely say that signing veteran slugger J.D. Martinez was a smart move, at least from what we’ve seen during the first half. The Dodgers passed on Justin Turner’s $16 million 2023 team option to snag Martinez for a thrifty $10 million this year.
At the break, the 35-year-old Martinez is second on the club in long balls and hitting a respectable .255/.303/.570 with 20 doubles and 62 RBI. Although the 22 home runs are probably what earned Martinez his sixth-career All-Star spot, you can certainly say the Dodgers got an excellent return on their $10 million investment.
Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts
Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts are the unparalleled offensive leaders of the team, and there’s nobody else really close that can produce continuously each night at the ballpark. Mookie has been a lot streakier than we’d like, but his surge during the end of the first half gives us hope that he can shoulder more of a consistent load with Freeman. Right now, Mookie is leading the team with a .964 OPS and is probably on his way to a personal high in long balls.
The beauty about Freeman is that he rarely gets in a slump. When he does, it doesn’t take him long to work himself out of it, because that’s the way elite hitters operate. Freeman’s 31 doubles lead the majors, and if he wasn’t hitting in the two-hole, he might be leading the universe in RBI right now.
Although it’s too early to say for sure, there’s a possibility Betts and Freeman might both be strong contenders for league MVP honors at the conclusion of the season.
Will Smith, Max Muncy, James Outman and the Rest
All the credit in the world needs to be given to Will Smith for his skills behind the plate and his offensive contributions, but to say he is a legit three-hole hitter on a club with a $222 million payroll might be a stretch. The problem is that there’s really nobody else who can produce in that spot.
The Dodgers aren’t a poor offensive club by any means. Even though their .244 team batting average ranks 19th in the majors, their .786 OPS ranks third, their 494 runs scored ranks fourth and their .330 OBP ranks fifth. These numbers strongly indicate how good Freeman and Betts — with a dash of Smith and Martinez — have been. The biggest issue is that the club doesn’t have much of a supporting cast on offense aside from those four players.
Max Muncy’s .190-ish batting average and 20+ homers remind you of the Dave Kingman, Rob Deer and Jack Clark days when guys would launch 40 out of the yard while hitting under the Mendoza Line. Muncy’s had some decent contributions this year, but his current .807 OPS is good enough for sixth on the team, trailing players like Jason Heyward for Top 5 honors.
The strong start of James Outman was short-lived, seeing the 26-year-old go from Rookie of the Year frontrunner to a player on the fringe of the active roster. Outman’s future could depend on whether the club makes any significant upgrades at this summer’s deadline.
Andy made similar observations about Miguel Vargas in her column on Friday.
Starting Rotation
We could undoubtedly talk about the starting rotation forever, with all of the conversations ending with “as long as they get or stay healthy.” If the club’s injury misfortunes carry over to the second half of the year, they’ll need some help at the trade deadline, at least from a reliable veteran with the ability to eat a bunch of innings and maintain a respectable ERA. With an extra arm or two, a six-man rotation is a possibility, especially if the team finds itself in playoff contention during the stretch run of the regular season.
Currently, the team’s starting pitching ERA is 4.55 and is good for 20th in the majors. In the past, the club had cemented itself as a perennial Top 5 fixture in this category. Yes, injuries have played a huge factor, but there just isn’t as much quality depth as there’s been in recent seasons.
Clayton Kershaw leads the way with 16 starts, followed by Tony Gonsolin with 13, Julio Urias and Noah Syndergaard with 12 apiece and Bobby Miller with eight. After that, there’s really not much to write home about regarding potential second-half contributors.
Bullpen
At the break, the Los Angeles bullpen ranks 23rd in the MLB in team ERA at 4.43, 20th with a 1.33 WHIP and 26th with a .251 batting average against. There are a lot of the same faces from the relief crew that finished an impressive second in the majors with a combined 2.87 ERA from last year, including guys like Yency Almonte, Alex Vesia and Phil Bickford, who came back down to earth after producing the finest seasons of their respective careers.
With Daniel Hudson’s new knee injury and Blake Treinen completely out of the picture, the Dodgers could certainly benefit from a few key additions at the upcoming trade deadline. Aside from Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol and Caleb Ferguson, there’s a lot of daylight between which arms are reliable and those that are not.
Finally, the Dodgers rank 26th of all major league clubs in team defense, according to a combination of advanced metrics from Fangraphs.