The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the most productive lineups in Major League Baseball, but they also have a glaring hole they can’t seem to solve.
It isn’t related to any one position, nor is it tied to just one specific hitter. Instead, it almost seems like a curse the team can’t overcome.
Despite the Dodgers posting the highest wRC+ (118) and on-base plus slugging (.783) in the league entering play Sunday, they have the worst production out of the second spot in the lineup in all of baseball.
Dodgers who have hit second in the lineup this season are batting a combined .213/.275/.327 with a 67 wRC+. The OPS (.602) and wRC+ are both the worst marks by any team this season out of the two-hole.
The Dodgers have given more than 50 at-bats batting second to four different players, and none of them have performed up to expectations.
They started the season with Kyle Tucker there, but he hit just .238/.330/.333 before being dropped down in the batting order.
The expectation after Tucker signed his $60 million average annual value deal was that he would hit at the top of the Dodgers lineup behind Shohei Ohtani. But his struggles led to being moved down and Tucker even bat seventh on Saturday.
Andy Pages replaced Tucker in the No. 2 spot and has received the majority of at-bats their, only for his production to dip. Pages was posting superstar-level production early in the season, but is now around league average at the top of the lineup.
He’s hit .239/.280/.467 with a 101 wRC+ batting second this season. In June that has dropped to .189/.235/.324 with a 51 wRC+.
It’s not totally surprising Pages saw some drop in production after hitting .321/.366/.518 through the end of April, but he is getting to the point of an extended slump, and it coincides with moving to the two-hole.
Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts have also seen time batting second. Freeman has 87 at-bats there while hitting .276/.263/.538 and Betts has hit .196/.234/.430 over 51 at-bats.
Freeman’s average and slugging are mostly normal, but his on-base percentage dropping so significantly led to a 50 wRC+ in that spot.
Betts has struggled most of the season, so it’s no surprise that he didn’t fare well in the two-hole, but he was also at his worst batting there, posting a 16 wRC+.
Will Smith, Miguel Rojas, and Alex Call have all received more than five at-bats batting second. Smith is hitless in eight plate appearances, while Rojas and Call each have one single in six plate appearances.
It’s hard to say the specific reason for the struggles there, or if it’s mostly just randomness. Batting behind Ohtani can surely add some pressure to a player, but it can also work to their benefit with a pitcher potentially taking their foot off the gas a little after getting by the superstar designated hitter.
How can Dodgers fix the second spot in lineup?
It would be safe to bet that production from that spot would naturally improve, given the talent of the players in the lineup. Pages and Tucker are both better than they’ve shown batting second, while Betts has also been trending up recently.
Smith could also be an answer for that spot once he returns from the injured list, and his metrics suggest better numbers are ahead despite his inconsistent season.
But given the importance of the two-hole in a lineup, the Dodgers should also be proactive in trying to find what works best, especially if it’s a mental block for some players batting in that spot.
It’s not a major issue for them at the moment as they lead MLB in wins with the best offense, but every small thing can matter in the postseason, and having their most optimized lineup could be the difference between a three-peat and first round exit.
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