Over the past week Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed a handful of players who will be on the club’s 25-man roster for the National League Division Series matchup with the Washington Nationals.
The latest revelation came Sunday when Roberts announced seldom-used and recently-returned Andre Ethier will be with the club for the best-of-five series. The veteran outfielder has primarily been used as a pinch-hitter, and should continue in that role during the postseason.
Roberts spent the past week using players in various capacities as a final audition for the NLDS. Brett Anderson and Brandon McCarthy both pitched in relief, with the former outperforming the latter.
The Dodgers figure to face multiple decisions in the bullpen, an area that was the backbone for the club throughout the season.
Since beginning their recent run of NL West titles, the Dodgers carried 14 position players and 11 pitchers in the 2013 NLDS and NL Championship Series, and the 2015 NLDS. They elected for 13 position players and 12 pitchers in the 2014 NLDS.
Included below are roster projections from the DodgerBlue.com staff, with the names in each position group listed alphabetically. Submitted projections have been updated to reflect news of Adam Liberatore set for arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow.
Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015)
Staring pitchers (4): Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Julio Urias
Relief pitchers (8): Luis Avilan, Pedro Baez, Joe Blanton, Grant Dayton, Josh Fields, Kenley Jansen, Ross Stripling, Alex Wood
Catchers (2): Yasmani Grandal, Carlos Ruiz
Infielders (5): Adrian Gonzalez, Charlie Culberson, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Chase Utley
Outfielders (6): Andre Ethier, Howie Kendrick, Joc Pedereson, Yasiel Puig, Josh Reddick, Andrew Toles
First and foremost, I believe the Dodgers will break from last year’s mold and carry 12 pitchers. In large part because their bullpen was a strength — a strength in numbers.
Plus, there seems to be lingering concern or caution with Rich Hill’s blisters, and Kenta Maeda tends to get shaky after the fifth inning. Pedro Baez, Joe Blanton, Grant Dayton and Kenley Jansen were the easy choices.
I believe Luis Avilan’s strong close to the season warrants a spot, and I gave the nod to Josh Fields over Louis Coleman as the final right-hander. Ross Stripling is the natural selection for a long reliever, and Alex Wood pitched well enough in his relief appearances.
Considering Roberts removed the guesswork in the outfield, that left Kiké Hernandez and Charlie Culberson battling for the final position-player spot in my eyes. Culberson’s walk-off home run and recent surge were enough to offset Hernandez’s versatility.
Side note: I would have projected Ethier and Andrew Toles to both be included had Roberts not already made that known.
Eric Avakian (@AvakEric):
Staring pitchers (4): Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Julio Urias
Relief pitchers (8): Luis Avilan, Pedro Baez, Joe Blanton, Grant Dayton, J.P. Howell, Kenley Jansen, Ross Stripling, Alex Wood
Catchers (2): Yasmani Grandal, Carlos Ruiz
Infielders (5): Charlie Culberson, Adrian Gonzalez, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Chase Utley
Outfielders (6): Andre Ethier, Howie Kendrick, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Josh Reddick, Andrew Toles
Overall, the Dodgers may need to worry more about pitching scenarios compared to their offense. With an expected mediocre Nationals starting rotation, the Dodgers should be able to mount enough run support to earn their victories.
The key will be in the relief pitching once the starter has hit their cap. I elected to go with an extra relief pitcher because it provides more flexibility for Roberts in his first postseason.
Roberts has stated Urias will make the roster, though hasn’t defined a role. I believe that will be as the fourth starter. While the rookie has been under strict supervision, two of his better outings this season have come against the Nationals.
The Dodgers already answered questions regarding their outfield scenario, which seems to have the struggling Hernandez off the roster. In the end, his lack of production against southpaws was his downfall.
Culberson and his late-game heroics have earned a spot in the NLDS. His steady defensive ability also allows him to leverage different pinch-hit scenarios, should any contests see extra innings or late-game changes.
Selecting relievers was the toughest decision. While Jansen, Baez, Dayton and Blanton are locks to get in, the remaining spots were a toss up. Liberatore’s regular-season success certainly set a strong standard.
His ability to get both lefties and righties out was going to be crucial in many scenarios. That of course is now a wash with Liberatore set to undergo elbow surgery.
The final spot on the roster, for me, goes to J.P. Howell. In many instances, the Dodgers may find themselves in a close contest, with left-handed batters at the plate. Roberts may need to use his lefties on several occasions during a game, earning the proven veteran the final spot.
Matt Borelli (@MattDodgerBlue):
Staring pitchers (4): Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Julio Urias
Relief pitchers (8): Luis Avilan, Pedro Baez, Joe Blanton, Jesse Chavez, Grant Dayton, Kenley Jansen, Ross Stripling, Alex Wood
Catchers (2): Yasmani Grandal, Carlos Ruiz
Infielders (4): Adrian Gonzalez, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Chase Utley
Outfielders (7): Andre Ethier, Kiké Hernandez, Howie Kendrick, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Josh Reddick, Andrew Toles
The starting rotation is basically set: Kershaw will start Game 1, with Hill and Maeda following in the next two games. Should there be a Game 4, I believe Urias will get the nod over veterans Anderson, Scott Kazmir and McCarthy due to ineffectiveness and/or injuries.
Predicting the eight for the bullpen wasn’t quite as easy. The locks for me are Blanton, Jansen and Dayton — the latter has made a serious impact since making his MLB debut in July.
Baez has looked sharp since being recalled from a brief stint with Double-A Tulsa, and makes the roster. Stripling and Wood both are included given their recent success and in Stripling’s case, ability to log multiple innings.
My final two spots went to Jesse Chavez and Liberatore. The former essentially beat out Coleman, who struggled mightily in September. Fields finished the season strong, but I believe Chavez is simply the better option.
Meanwhile, I initially chose Liberatore over Avilan and Howell because of his dominance during the first half of the season (despite not being as sharp in the second half). However, I’ve had to go with Avilan due to Liberatore undergoing elbow surgery.
Only four infielders make the cut given the abundance of outfielders, and they are the four who appeared in the most games at their respective positions during the regular season.
With the exception of Hernandez, Roberts has already confirmed that the other six outfielders will be on the NLDS roster. Amongst the group, Ethier’s inclusion is perhaps the most surprising due to the fact that he isn’t 100 percent healthy.
Despite his season-long struggles, I picked Hernandez over Culberson because of his ability to play all over the field.
Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand):
Staring pitchers (4): Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Julio Urias
Relief pitchers (7): Luis Avilan, Pedro Baez, Joe Blanton, Grant Dayton, Kenley Jansen, Ross Stripling, Alex Wood
Catchers (2): Yasmani Grandal, Carlos Ruiz
Infielders (5): Charlie Culberson, Adrian Gonzalez, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Chase Utley
Outfielders (7): Andre Ethier, Kiké Hernandez, Howie Kendrick, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Josh Reddick, Andrew Toles
The main question marks regarding the Dodgers’ NLDS roster are in the bullpen. I believe they will carry 11 pitchers this series, considering how deep into ball games the team’s starters are capable of going.
The starting rotation seems set with Kershaw, Hill and Maeda slated to start the first three games. They then have the option of bring back Kershaw on short rest in a potential Game 4, or start Urias.
The only true locks to make the roster in the bullpen are Jansen, Blanton and Dayton, who has been lights-out down the stretch.
I believe Baez earned a spot on the roster as he has not given up a run since being recalled at the beginning of September. I also feel Stripling’s body of work this season earns him a nod. The same applied to Liberatore prior to news of his surgery, so I’ve replaced him with Avilan.
For the last bullpen spot, I believe the team will go with Wood, who has thrown three shutout innings since returning from injury. I chose Wood over the likes of Avilan, Fields and Chavez.
There is really only one position player roster spot up for grabs, considering Roberts said Ethier would be included. I believe that will go to utility man Culberson, who of course was the heor when he a hit a walk-off home run to clinch the NL West.
Culberson can play any spot in the infield, which someone like Rob Segedin cannot, and has proven that he can hit lefties well, batting .319 this season.
Jeff Spiegel (@JeffSpiegel):
Staring pitchers (4): Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Julio Urias
Relief pitchers (7): Luis Avilan, Pedro Baez, Joe Blanton, Grant Dayton, Josh Fields, Kenley Jansen, Alex Wood
Catchers (3): Austin Barnes, Yasmani Grandal, Carlos Ruiz
Infielders (5): Charlie Culberson, Adrian Gonzalez, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Chase Utley
Outfielders (6): Andre Ethier, Howie Kendrick, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Josh Reddick, Andrew Toles
I’m going with the same mix the Dodgers used in the 2015 NLDS (14 position players, 11 pitchers). The big surprise here is for the last spot in the bullpen, where I went with Fields.
Over his last 11 appearances, Fields has allowed just five hits and one earned run. Walks have been an issue (five), but he also has 11 strikeouts over that stretch. Part of this decision also comes down to how Roberts has utilized the bullpen lately.
Outside of Coleman, Dayton and Jansen, Fields is tied with Baez and Blanton for most appearances. The first reliever outside of the list is Coleman simply because he was brutal (10.80 ERA) in September.
Catcher is the easiest group to plug in as far as Grandal and Ruiz go, but I’ll make my surprise bench pick here and go with Austin Barnes. I think he offers the team some speed off the bench as a pinch runner (18 of 21 steals this season with Triple-A Oklahoma City), as well as some flexibility with their catchers in big spots late in the game.
Normally, a team would hesitate to pinch-hit for their catcher knowing they had just one backup option. With Barnes, however, the Dodgers could pull Ruiz against a righty or even Grandal against a lefty if they felt it best to do so.
Ultimately, I think the Dodgers have a couple of bench spots to play with, and if I’m throwing darts at some names in trying to get inside Roberts’ mind, I’ll go with Barnes.
Culberson gets the nod here over Hernandez for a couple of reasons. First, he’s a better defender — and with the possibility of an error costing you a game in the postseason, that matters.
Second, Culberson has actually hit lefties better than Hernandez this season (albeit in less games). Finally, and most obviously, who could forget the clutch home run he hit against the Colorado Rockies in Vin Scully’s final game at Dodger Stadium? It may seem silly, but I think that kind of confidence counts for something.
Roberts has already hinted at the fact that this group is set, and I think it was a fairly easy choice for him. Ethier is the big surprise, of course, but the reality is, the Dodgers don’t have a ton of great options at the end of their bench.
Yes, Ethier has been brutal since coming back from injury, but something about his experience in big spots would give me confidence as a manager late in the game.
Jared Massey (@JarredJMassey):
Starting pitchers (4): Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Julio Urias
Relief pitchers (7): Pedro Baez, Joe Blanton, Grant Dayton, Josh Fields, Kenley Jansen, Ross Stripling, Alex Wood
Catchers (2): Austin Barnes, Yasmani Grandal
Infielders (5): Adrian Gonzalez, Micah Johnson, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Chase Utley
Outfielders (7): Andre Ethier, Kiké Hernandez, Howie Kendrick, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Josh Reddick, Andrew Toles
I went with 11 pitchers instead of 12 because, in Kershaw’s and Hill’s starts, you can expect them to pitch into the seventh or eighth inning. Plus, the relievers will have a day off after the first two games, making more arms less necessary.
Urias is my No. 4, even though he may not make a start if the Dodgers are down heading into Game 4. Jose De Leon would be the starter and Urias would be in the bullpen if the former had finished the season on better terms.
I fully expect Kershaw to go on short rest if need be, moving Urias to a relief role. I know it won’t happen, but Barnes has gotten the short end of the stick since being acquired. He’s definitely a better option than Ruiz in a short series, given he won’t be starting.
Barnes is far more athletic and could replace Yasmani Grandal late in a game without losing elite framing ability. Grandal should absolutely start every game, but if anything were to happen, I’d want Barnes as the backup.
Micah Johnson gives the team the ability to have a designated pinch-runner on the roster. The only notable omission is Culberson, who I don’t see making the roster simply due to him not being high enough on the depth chart.
Ethier makes the roster as the primary pinch-hitter off the bench. He’d have to be used late, though, to avoid Nationals manager Dusty Baker simply bringing in a LOOGY to neutralize him. Josh Reddick, Joc Pederson and Howie Kendrick are likely the starters against righties.
Yasiel Puig should start against lefties, and Hernandez will likely get the nod as well. Toles may deserve a start here or there and could serve as another pinch-runner or late-game defensive replacement.
