With the departures of key position players Kiké Hernandez and Joc Pederson in free agency, the Los Angeles Dodgers have roster spots up for grabs this spring.
One player who is competing for one of those is prospect Zach McKinstry, who made his MLB debut in 2020, playing four games while also spending a majority of the year with the taxi squad.
McKinstry has impressed everyone in the Dodgers organization over the last calendar year, whether it be during 2020 Spring Training, Summer Camp or at the alternate training site. That makes him one of the favorites to make the Opening Day roster, which is his main goal this spring.
“My first and foremost goal is to try and break camp with the team. If that doesn’t happen, team’s got to win, so I’ve got to just keep my eye on that. Anything I can do to help the team win this year,” McKinstry said.
Versatility is the best thing he has going for him as similar to Hernandez, McKinstry has the ability to play all around the diamond. “I think it gives me a little bit of an advantage,” he said.
“They know I can go out there and compete at a lot of different positions. They trust me to go out there. I remember last year they came up to me and asked where I felt more comfortable. I was like, ‘I’m kind of comfortable everywhere. Don’t really have one that I’m not comfortable with.’
“It’s more of where am I more comfortable now. It’s pretty easy going and they just kind of trust me. Just got to keep working at it and doing it every day.”
Hernandez was a key piece for the Dodgers in recent years as a super utility player who provided Gold Glove-caliber defense at every position while also coming up with timely hits. McKinstry sees himself filling that role for the team now that Hernandez is on the Boston Red Sox.
“That’s the goal. You see him leave, you’re kind of in that same role throughout the Minor League system and they just kind of bring you up that way,” McKinstry said. “Definitely, those are the shoes I think I need to fill.
“I think I’m right there competing for that spot. It’s up for the taking.”
The Dodgers have a ton of depth, so McKinstry will be in competition with other options like Matt Beaty and Sheldon Neuse to crack the Opening Day roster, which should make for an interesting Spring Training.
McKinstry trying to pick brains of veterans
While McKinstry doesn’t have much experience at the big league level, he fortunately has a number of veteran teammates he can learn from. “I’m all ears around the guys. I love to look up to J.T and C.T.,” McKinstry said.
“C.T. is kind of the role I’m looking to do as a utility kind of guy. Ears open all the time and just learn as much as possible. Muncy is really baseball smart, so I try to listen to him. I’ve been hitting out here with him since January, so really excited for this year.”
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