With the first half of the 2016 regular season in the books, the Los Angeles Dodgers sit at 51-40 record, which is good for second place in the National League West. Los Angeles does have a 2.5-game lead in the Wild Card race.
Despite battling numerous injuries, particularly on the pitching front, the club remains in good position for another postseason berth this fall.
Let’s review the starting positional players and how they fared throughout the first three and a half months of the season.
Disappointments
Yasmani Grandal: It has been an up-and-down season for Grandal to say the very least. Ending the month of April with a .903 on-base plus slugging percentage in 16 games, his bat was basically nonexistent the following month, slashing a disastrous .114/.192/.271 in 78 plate appearances.
Since then, however, Grandal’s offense has slowly made a comeback, posting a .639 OPS and 1.573 OPS in June and July, respectively. After hitting just seven combined home runs during the first three months of the season, Grandal has already tallied five in the first 10 days of this month.
Howie Kendrick: Serving as the club’s primary left fielder with Andre Ethier on the disabled list and getting an occasional start in the infield, Kendrick has been the true definition of ‘versatility’ thus far.
For starters, his defense in left field has been much better than anticipated given that he hasn’t played the position since 2013. Kendrick’s ability to play first and third base, along with his natural second-base position, allows the Dodgers to rest other veterans when needed.
Kendrick struggled mightily at the plate out of the gate but has shown signs of improvement. Since batting .151/.182/.151 in 18 games during April, he has posted an .882 OPS with 12 extra-base hits over the last 28 days. For the season, however, Kendrick’s 82 OPS+ is among the worst in Major League Baseball.
Yasiel Puig: After spending most of June on the disabled list, Puig has yet to tap into his offensive potential this season. In 270 plate appearances to date, he has posted a 91 OPS+ (nine points below league average) with seven doubles and seven home runs.
To Puig’s credit, he has posted consecutive .800+ OPS’ during the months of June and July, and seems to be completely healthy heading into the second half of the season.
Not all was lost though, as Puig emerged into one of the better defensive right fielders in the Majors during the first half. His defense alone has netted him 0.6 dWAR, per Baseball-Reference’s calculations.
CONTINUE READING: Standouts From First Half Of 2016
Standouts
Adrian Gonzalez: The 34-year old first baseman is enjoying another productive season despite seeing his power numbers declining rapidly (.412 slugging percentage, seven home runs).
To make up for it, Gonzalez is reaching base safely at an elite rate (.370 on-base percentage) and is still hitting for solid average (.291). Additionally, he ranks second on the team in doubles and RBIs with 17 and 44, respectively.
Joc Pederson: Despite entering the All-Star break on the disabled list, Pederson had been one of the Dodgers’ most consistent bats during the first half of the season.
Among qualified teammates, he ranks second in OPS (.804), slugging percentage (.476), home runs (13) and OPS+ (116). Pederson typically sits against left-handed pitchers, but his slash line against righties is superb at .246/.341/.498 in 232 plate appearances.
He’s received just 30 plate appearances against southpaws and hit .154/.233/.308 with one double, one home run and five RBIs.
Justin Turner: Undergoing knee surgery during the offseason, Turner headed into the 2016 with a fresh start. While it took him awhile to get things going offensively, his bat is beginning to mirror its form from the past two seasons.
In 344 plate appearances, Turner is batting .256/.331/.445 (110 OPS+) with 30 extra-base hits and a team-high 44 RBIs. In addition to Turner’s valuable bat, he has continued to play solid defense at third base and will be a vital piece to the puzzle moving forward.
Chase Utley: The seemingly ageless Utley has been a staple at the leadoff spot for the Dodgers this season, reaching base at a high clip (.349 OBP) and coming through with clutch hits.
Offensively, he’s been around league average (98 OPS+) because of his declining power but his true value to the team is the leadership that he provides on and off the field. It also doesn’t hurt that he owns the New York Mets, as evidenced by his .308/.345/.731 slash line in seven games against them this season.
CONTINUE READING: Selecting An MVP From Position Players
MVP
Corey Seager: The projected NL Rookie of the Year has entrenched himself into MVP talks behind an All-Star caliber first half.
Seager currently ranks third in FanGraphs’ version of WAR among NL positional players with 3.9, behind Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford.
Focusing on the Dodgers, Seager leads the teams in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.297), home runs (17), on-base percentage (.357) and slugging (.521).
What’s most impressive about Seager, perhaps, is how confident and mature he appears at the plate and on the field, considering he’s just 22 years old. Needless to say, if Seager keeps it going in the second half at this pace, the Dodgers will be more than thrilled.