The copious amount of talent the Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired for 2025 has created a couple of interesting camp competitions in the starting rotation and center field.
Andy Pages is part of the group fighting for a final roster spot among position players, even after he was a major contributor last season.
Spring Training not only serves as a tuneup for players guaranteed to make the roster, but it also allows the Dodgers to experiment with defensive configurations and putting players in new positions.
With Teoscar Hernández and Michael Conforto expected to lock down the corner outfield spots, the Dodgers are seemingly giving Pages the opportunity to prove himself in center field in order to make his case for a roster spot.
The growing pains have continued for Pages, most notably during last Friday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave him a vote of confidence.
“I think what happened is a smaller guy, it didn’t sound like it was hit that hard, got a bad break on it, Arizona air, it carried over his head. He works hard and I trust him out there,” Roberts explained.
Pages played in 116 games for the Dodgers last year, logging 87 of those in center field and 46 in either corner outfield spot. During his time in the Dodgers’ farm system, Pages spent a majority of his time in right field with 255 games played. He did also have a good amount of exposure in center field with 106 games.
But Pages clearly looks more at home when playing in a corner compared to center field, and the numbers back that up. Any defensive metric from the 2024 season shows that Pages did not contribute positively with his defense in center field, with -8 defensive runs saved or his UZR/150 mark of -9.5.
Comparatively, Pages graded out above average in both of those categories when playing in either left field or right field.
Pages has the tools to be a good defender, with 95th percentile arm strength and 75th percentile range in 2024, but he simply hasn’t been able to adjust to the angles and demands of playing center field, which could come with time. But if not, he will most likely have to wait until a corner outfield spot opens up in the future.
Andy Pages improving in center field?
With the Dodgers still hoping Pages can make the transition to center field this season, Roberts continued to offer support to the 24-year-old with a generous interpretation.
“I think there was some miscommunication at times last year with him and Teo, but outside of that, I thought he played a good center field,” Roberts said.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
