The return of Tommy Edman gave the Los Angeles Dodgers more versatility to set their outfield how they like, and his ability to play center field should go a long way in improving their defense.
But the corner outfield has been an issue for the Dodgers all season, both in terms of getting offensive production and quality, or even average, play on defense. Michael Conforto and Teoscar Hernández have seen the majority of the starts in left field and right field, respectively, but neither have played up to expectations.
With the return of Edman, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts slid Andy Pages from center field to left field, and kep Hernández in right. Conforto was on the bench with a left-handed pitcher starting.
That’s despite the potential of moving Hernández to left field and putting Pages in right field likely further improving the defense. Changing Hernández’s position has been a question posed to Roberts multiple times this season, and he has pushed back against it each time.
“Teo being more comfortable in right and I think since Colorado, the outfield play has been very good from Teo,” Roberts reiterated this week. “Now to just flip him, I just didn’t feel comfortable doing that right now. I think we have two guys that are more comfortable in right with Andy and Teo, if Andy is not in center field. That’s kind of where we’re at.”
However, Roberts has also left open the possibility of a change later in the season. But that ultimately may come down to the performance of other players in the lineup, and not just what Hernández does.
“I’m toying with it,” Roberts said. “Obviously, like Andy in right, like the arm. Teo ended the season in left field last year, so we’ve shown we can win a championship with him in left field. Not quite there yet, but thinking about it. And a lot of it is contingent on how Tommy looks as well.”
Why are Dodgers keeping Teoscar Hernández in right field?
Roberts deciding to keep Hernández in right field truly comes down to the platoons the Dodgers are going to rely on, and not wanting to move as many players around.
Against left-handed pitching, Pages, Edman and Hernández will get the majority of starts, with Alex Call occasionally mixing in as well.
“As long as Tommy is fine and doing good, but I value Alex Call as well,” Roberts said. “So I’ve got to make sure we keep him relevant and playing, because he’s earned it too.”
But against right-handed pitching, Conforto is likely to replace Edman, who has struggled throughout his career while batting from the left side. Roberts noted that Conforto will continue to see time against righties, and added Edman will play more against left-handers.
That suggests the primary Dodgers lineup against a right-hander is going to consist of Conforto, Pages and Hernández, creating a platoon between Conforto and Edman.
With Edman out of the lineup, that would require Pages to slide back into center field. When Edman is in the lineup, Pages would then move over to left field. That means only one player will be moving positions in their outfield often.
If the Dodgers were to move Hernández to left field when Edman plays, that would require him to move back to right field when Conforto is in the lineup, while Pages would be sliding between right field and center field.
That means two players would be changing positions on a nightly basis, creating more moving parts and potential for more issues. It may also cause more trouble for Hernández, who struggles defensively at just one position, and that would surely get worse if he’s flipping sides of the field constantly.
So instead of moving Hernández between positions, they opted to just keep him at one, and as Roberts noted, he has shown improvement since being called out for his defensive issues.
But with Roberts leaving the door open for a potential change, that would likely come if one of Edman, Conforto or Call establishes themselves as the everyday player, even though that scenario is unlikely to happen.
If Roberts could consistently pencil in the same three names to the lineup every night, then moving Hernández to left field could make a lot more sense.
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