A 14th round draft pick in 2005, Scott Van Slyke entered the 2017 season with a fresh slate after posting career-worsts in nearly every offensive category the previous year. He broke camp with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was featured on their Opening Day roster.
Van Slyke struggled in the early going and finished April with a .508 on-base plus slugging in 36 plate appearances (21 games). The 31-year-old appeared in six contests for the Dodgers in May, but otherwise spent the majority of the month with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Van Slyke would suit up for the Dodgers in just one more game — against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 6 — where he drew a walk in his only trip to the plate.
At the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, Van Slyke was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, along with Minor Leaguer Hendrik Clementina, for left-handed reliever Tony Cingrani. The move marked the end of Van Slyke’s 12-year tenure with the organization.
He went on to play in 15 games for Triple-A Louisville, but never received a promotion to the Majors. All-in-all, Van Slyke slashed .122/.250/.293 in 29 games for the Dodgers, while putting up a slash line of .222/.317/.365 in 70 games between two Minor League affiliates.
Despite the platoon advantage, Van Slyke posted a worse OPS against southpaws (.541 in 34 plate appearances) as opposed to right-handed pitchers (.548 over 14 trips to the plate).
2017 Highlight
On April 19 against the Colorado Rockies, Van Slyke collected one hit — a solo home run — in three at-bats, which ultimately propelled the Dodgers to a 4-2 victory over their division rival.
2018 Outlook
On Oct. 2, Van Slyke elected free agency and now looks to rebound with a new organization. Because of struggles over the last two seasons, he may be relegated to sign a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training.
