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State Of The Dodgers: Questions In The Infield

Jeff Spiegel
8 Min Read
State Of The Dodgers: Questions In The Infield
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

PAGES: 1 | 2

In a new series of posts, we’re examining each of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ position groups; analyzing which players are gone, who is returning and which free agents might be on the team’s radar.

Click here to see our pieces on starting pitching, the bullpen and the outfield.

Heading into the offseason one year ago, few expected the Dodgers infield to experience much of a shake-up. They ended the season with a group that featured A.J. Ellis, Adrian Gonzalez, Dee Gordon, Hanley Ramirez and Juan Uribe.

While Ramirez was believed to be on his way out the door, Ellis, Gonzalez, Gordon and Uribe were all under contract — with Gordon and Uribe both coming off of the best season of their respective careers.

And then, things went haywire.

Gordon was shipped to Miami for a package of players, the Dodgers traded for Yasmani Grandal, signed Jimmy Rollins and traded for Howie Kendrick.

What seemed to be a stable and predictable group had been flipped on its head in just a matter of weeks — leaving the Dodgers with three-fifths of a new infield (Ellis remained as a backup, with Gonzalez and Uribe penciled in as starters).

So, can we expect the same this off-season?

Free Agents: Howie Kendrick, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley

All three of these veterans played a significant role last season, but it’s hard to imagine any scenario where Rollins or Utley are back in 2016.

Given the cost of acquiring Kendrick, there’s a chance the Dodgers are interested in re-signing the second baseman, but with plenty of youth waiting in the wings, they could opt to receive the compensatory draft pick instead of retaining Kendrick.

Rollins was a disappointment for the Dodgers, hitting .224 with a .285 on-base percentage, along with playing below replacement level defensively; he posted a -0.1 WAR according to ESPN.

Likewise, Utley was dreadful in 34 games with the Dodgers. He hit .202 with a .291 OBP. Defensively, at least, he posted a 0.7 WAR in his time with the Dodgers.

Kendrick, on the other hand, was a different story. In 117 games, he posted a .745 on-base plus slugging percentage, which was right in line with his career numbers.

Defensively, however, while he was believed to be an upgrade, he posted a -1.1 WAR according to ESPN.

CONTINUE READING: Returning Infielders, Potential Newcomers

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By Jeff Spiegel
Jeff Spiegel was raised in California but currently resides in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from the University of Oregon, he worked in sports before entering journalism full time — first as a Sports Reporter and then as the Associate Editor of a local newspaper. Online, he has been writing about both the Dodgers and Raiders since 2012 — having written for DodgersNation.com and SBNation.com prior to joining both DodgerBlue.com and RaidersNation.com. He left full-time journalism in 2012 to become a pastor. Jeff can be found on Twitter at @JeffSpiegel. Favorite Dodger I'm going past and present (sort of) on this one. Recently, I was a die hard Yasiel Puig guy. The energy he played with was amazing and the hope and expectation he brought every single night was captivating. Whether it was a rifle from the warning track to throw a guy out at second, an aggressive bat flip or licking his bat, I was here for ALL of the Yasiel Puig era. Past tense, I'd go with Eric Gagné. This wasn't so much about Gagné himself as it was the experience of cheering for him. Yes, he was on steroids — but the dude was unlike any pitcher I've ever seen — he was NASTY. I still stand by the claim that if I needed one out and my life depended on it, and could choose any pitcher from any era to get me that out, I'm taking roided up Gagné in a heartbeat. Favorite Dodger Moment A few jump to mind immediately. Being born in November of 1988, I missed the last World Series by weeks — which also meant I didn't get to see the Dodgers win a playoff game until I was nearly 16. They had made the playoffs in 1995 and 1996, but were swept both times. In 2004, though, I got to see them win behind a complete game shutout from Jose Lima, and that was pretty freaking special. The next in-person moment that came to mind was the Manny Ramirez bobblehead night pinch-hit grand slam from 2009. Vin Scully claimed it was the loudest he had heard Dodger Stadium in 20 years, and it's hard to disagree. As far as ones I didn't get to see live, I'll throw one more out there: the back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs that tied a game against the Padres in 2006 (plus the walk-off from Nomar Garciaparra in extra innings) was an all-timer. Obviously, the impending Dodgers World Series will quickly jump to the top of this list...