Can the Dodgers Win It All This Year
Perhaps this is finally the year for the Dodgers. The Dodgers have produced a winner over the first half of the season. They have the top pitcher in the league, Clayton Kershaw, a rookie sensation that is turning heads, Cody Bellinger, and one of the most highest winning percentage records in all of baseball.
However, their post season results has ended in defeat for a team that has won more regular season games than any other National League franchise over the last four years.
For the last five years, all that the Dodgers have been is a contender. They have won four consecutive National League West titles, but have failed to reach World Series in any of those campaigns. Since 2008, no team has reached more National League Championship Series than LA, but they have failed to win as many as three games in any of those campaigns. The post season frustration is pushing them to the next level and expectations are sky high at Dodger Stadium this season.
The club has been more decisive in the way the team has gone about business. Coming off a 10-game winning streak, they are in their customary spot atop the NL West, which is a highly competitive division this year with the emergence of Colorado and Arizona. They are second in the NL in runs scored, while also carrying the lowest team ERA in the National League. This club is in a position to be the best team to wear Dodger blue in a generation.
Few players have ever had the start to a career that Bellinger has accomplished. He has joined Albert Pujols as the only rookie in MLB history to reach 20 home runs in 21 games. This was accomplished by hitting two home runs in six games over that span of games.
No franchise in baseball has produced more instant impact rookies than the Dodgers. In the 70 years of the Rookie of the Year Award’s existence, the Dodgers won 17 times, more than any other National League club.
And while Bellinger could bring the number of ROY winners to 18 for the Dodgers, the continued development of Cory Seager, a previous ROY winner has continued to be an even better performer in his sophomore year. A season after finishing as an MVP finalist, Seager has improved his on-base %, improved his fielding % and gathered his second career three homer game. This combination could form the NL’s most dangerous tandem for years to come.
Another big difference of the big price tag is the substantial results in return of Justin Turner. Although he missed nearly three weeks, Justin Turner has hit in the neighborhood of .400 in two separate months this year, more than justifying the $60 million pact he landed last winter.
Likewise, Kenley Jansen’s return to LA has garnered fantastic returns, as he is approaching the 20 save mark already and is the owner of an ERA underneath 1.00.
The current Dodger roster has 21 players who suited up for the team a year ago, with another five regulars, led by Adrian Gonzalez, on the disabled list. Four of their everyday starters have been developed from within, with another two draftees joining the pitching staff in Kershaw and reliever Brock Stewart. The Dodger organization that has long since been able to grow its own talent while seasoning it with both patience and trusting beliefs.
The Dodgers have been on the right path for years. There is something different in this club and the results show a patience chemistry mix that surpasses all other Dodger teams. Getting to October will be the final test of this great Dodger season.
