To say the Los Angeles Dodgers enjoyed a successful first half of the 2017 season would be an understatement. The club went into the All-Star Break with the best record in baseball at 61-29 and leading the Majors with a plus-163 run differential.
While the pitching was superb, the Dodgers have been one of the better hitting teams as well, ranking second in total fWAR (19.5) and third in wRC+ (110).
Let’s look back at some notable performances from the first half, good and bad, and how they fared among each other.
Disappointments
Adrian Gonzalez: Battling recurring back issues since the beginning of the season, Gonzalez only appeared in 49 games during the first half of 2017, slashing .255/.304/.339 with 11 doubles and one home run in 182 trips to the plate.
Gonzalez uncharacteristically struggled to drive the ball with power, and as a result, posted career-lows in ISO (.085), wOBA (.279) and fWAR (-0.8).
The veteran first baseman was placed on the 10-day disabled list in mid-June with a herniated disc in his back and he may not return until August. Gonzalez only recent began taking swings.
Standouts
Cody Bellinger: Just 70 games into his career, Bellinger is already leaving a mark on the sport with his powerful swing.
The rookie opened up the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City and only received a promotion because of an abundance of injuries to the Dodgers’ outfield depth.
Bellinger instantly took the league by storm and earned himself a permanent spot on the team’s 25-man roster.
In 292 plate appearances, the 21-year old hit .261/.342/.619 with 25 home runs, 15 doubles and 58 runs batted in. Bellinger became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 21 career home runs and five multi-homer games — doing so in just 51 games.
Along with his offensive capabilities, Bellinger has displayed valuable defensive versatility by seeing action in the outfield corners, in addition to his natural position at first base.
To cap off an incredible first half, Bellinger participated in the Home Run Derby and advanced to the semifinals before being eliminated by New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge. He also became the youngest positional player in Dodgers history to take part in an All-Star Game.
CONTINUE READING: More Standouts and Naming First-Half MVP
