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Position Battles To Watch As Dodgers Head Toward Postseason

Jeff Spiegel
7 Min Read
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not quite that time yet, but it’s getting closer and closer — the time when MLB rosters are trimmed back down to 25 players for the 10 teams lucky enough to have their season continue. As it stands, the Los Angeles Dodgers are a heavy favorite to reach the postseason.

So with 12 games remaining on their schedule, it’s time to begin thinking about who will make the cut. As usual, the playoff roster is handled differently than the regular season roster.

For one, the strategy is much different. You’re not playing to win 162 games, you’re playing to win three of five and/or four out of seven. There’s more pinch-hitting, more rotating of pitchers, less starters in a rotation, etc.

Of course, you’re also playing against a particular team for the entire series. So if an opponent is heavy on a certain type of pitching, or plays a certain brand of baseball, that gets factored into the decision-making process.

So with all of this in mind, which players are fighting for a spot on the postseason roster as the regular season draws to a close?

Last year, the Dodgers went into the National League Division Series against the Mets with 14 position players and 11 pitchers. At first glance, there are plenty of players we can assume will be among that group (assuming they remain healthy): Joe Blanton, Adrian Gonzalez, Yasmani Grandal, Rich Hill, Kenley Jansen, Howie Kendrick, Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Joc Pederson, Josh Reddick, Carlos Ruiz, Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Chase Utley.

That would leave spots for five position players and six pitchers hanging in the balance. Some decisions will be easier than others, but let’s review important battles.

Outfielders: Andre Ethier, Kiké Hernandez, Yasiel Puig, Rob Segedin, Andrew Toles

With the versatility of Kendrick, it seems like the Dodgers could take multiple back-up outfielders to fill out their bench. But who doesn’t make the cut?

Hernandez, Puig and Segedin are here because the team can’t hit lefties and they (sort of) can. Segedin is the long shot, but he hit lefties well during his time with Triple-A Oklahoma City (.354/.426/.626).

Puig is probably the favorite because he has been good lately, while Hernandez offers an extra back-up in the infield. As far as those who hit righties, Ethier and Toles appear to be in competition.

Stacie Wheeler at Dodgers Digest recently compared the two outfielders. Last year, the Dodgers took three extra outfielders and two extra infielders.

In theory, the team could take four of these five, plus Kendrick (already included above) and still have one extra spot to play with. It’s interesting to note that the club’s official depth chart lists Segedin at first base.

Perhaps the Dodgers keep Hernandez, Kendrick and Segedin as super-utility pinch-hitters?

Starting pitchers: Brett Anderson, Jose De Leon, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, Brock Stewart, Ross Stripling

It seems safe to assume the Dodgers will carry four starters into the postseason, and with three solidified, who gets the final spot?

Anderson, Kazmir and McCarthy are currently on the disabled list, but remain hopefuls for the playoffs. Anderson made a rehab start for Oklahoma City last week and is expected to come off the DL this week

McCarthy recently threw simulated games at Camelback Ranch, and will throw another on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. Meanwhile, Kazmir, attempting to recover from thoracic spine inflammation, developed a blister after a simulated game.

Among those who can actually throw baseballs at the moment, De Leon, Stewart and Stripling appear to be the best options.

De Leon has been good thus far in two starts, going 11 innings with a 5.52 ERA and 12 strikeouts. His biggest issue has been allowing three home runs. Because of De Leon’s injury earlier this season, it appears as if De Leon won’t be limited innings-wise down the stretch.

Stripling has also been serviceable, pitching to a 4.12 ERA in 20 games (14 starts). It’s not great, but it’s fine — and makes for a not-that-terrible backup option. Stewart is the long shot but in his last two starts (10 innings pitched), he has allowed just three earned runs while striking out seven.

Bullpen: Luis Avilan, Pedro Baez, Jesse Chavez, Louis Coleman, Grant Dayton, Josh Fields, J.P. Howell, Adam Liberatore, Josh Ravin, Julio Urias, Alex Wood

With five bullpen spots remaining, this figures to be the most hotly-contested space on the roster. Not to mention if one of the pitchers listed above gets kept around as a reliever.

The guess is that Urias is a safe bet, as is Dayton based on how well he has pitched (22 innings, 32 strikeouts, four earned runs). Liberatore was unhittable in the first half of the season (0.61 ERA) but all-too-hittable in the second half (10.80 ERA), which is why he has made just four appearances since Aug. 29.

The Dodgers will need some lefties in the bullpen, so Howell, Avilan, Urias and Liberatore figure to be competing for a couple spots. Norris was previously included in this group, but he was designated for assignment to create room on the 40-man roster for Wood’s return.

Plenty can change between now and the end of the season, but for now, it looks like these are the battles to watch down the stretch. Who do you like to make the roster as of this moment?

Jeff Spiegel was raised in California but currently resides in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from the University of Oregon, he worked in sports before entering journalism full time — first as a Sports Reporter and then as the Associate Editor of a local newspaper. Online, he has been writing about both the Dodgers and Raiders since 2012 — having written for DodgersNation.com and SBNation.com prior to joining both DodgerBlue.com and RaidersNation.com. He left full-time journalism in 2012 to become a pastor. Jeff can be found on Twitter at @JeffSpiegel. Favorite Dodger I'm going past and present (sort of) on this one. Recently, I was a die hard Yasiel Puig guy. The energy he played with was amazing and the hope and expectation he brought every single night was captivating. Whether it was a rifle from the warning track to throw a guy out at second, an aggressive bat flip or licking his bat, I was here for ALL of the Yasiel Puig era. Past tense, I'd go with Eric Gagné. This wasn't so much about Gagné himself as it was the experience of cheering for him. Yes, he was on steroids — but the dude was unlike any pitcher I've ever seen — he was NASTY. I still stand by the claim that if I needed one out and my life depended on it, and could choose any pitcher from any era to get me that out, I'm taking roided up Gagné in a heartbeat. Favorite Dodger Moment A few jump to mind immediately. Being born in November of 1988, I missed the last World Series by weeks — which also meant I didn't get to see the Dodgers win a playoff game until I was nearly 16. They had made the playoffs in 1995 and 1996, but were swept both times. In 2004, though, I got to see them win behind a complete game shutout from Jose Lima, and that was pretty freaking special. The next in-person moment that came to mind was the Manny Ramirez bobblehead night pinch-hit grand slam from 2009. Vin Scully claimed it was the loudest he had heard Dodger Stadium in 20 years, and it's hard to disagree. As far as ones I didn't get to see live, I'll throw one more out there: the back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs that tied a game against the Padres in 2006 (plus the walk-off from Nomar Garciaparra in extra innings) was an all-timer. Obviously, the impending Dodgers World Series will quickly jump to the top of this list...