With MLB Opening Day only 16 days away and spring training games steadily underway, baseball season is right around the corner. Over the next month, we will preview all 30 MLB teams for the 2020 season leading up to Opening Day on March 26th. Next up, the Los Angeles Dodgers 2020 preview. Check out the preview for the Los Angeles Angels.
The Los Angeles Dodgers won a National League-leading 106 games in 2019 making it the seventh consecutive season over 90 wins for the Dodgers. Their regular-season success did not carry over to the postseason however as the Dodgers fell to the Washington Nationals in five games in the NLDS. The Dodgers are continuing to go all-in on winning their first World Series since 1988 as they acquired 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox in the offseason.
Betts will team up 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger to form one of the best lineups in all of baseball. Betts and Bellinger are joined by Justin Turner, Corey Seager, and Max Muncy to form a lineup that could hit over 300 HRs in 2020. Top prospect Gavin Lux is expected to make the Opening Day roster and will be a strong contender for NL Rookie of the Year.
Left Field and Catcher are the only positions where the Dodgers have competition and they appear to be in good hands no matter the victors. A.J. Pollock and Joc Pederson are both veterans that give you different strengths for the position. Second-year catcher Will Smith will attempt to win the job from holdover Austin Barnes.
The Starters
While the offense has a chance to be historically good, the starting rotation is looking weaker than normal for the Dodgers. Hyun-Jin Ryu signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency and Kenta Maeda was sent to the Twins as a part of the Betts trade. Veteran Rich Hill dealt with injuries last season and ended up signing with the Minnesota Twins in free agency.
That leaves future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, up and coming ace Walker Buehler, and swingman Ross Stripling as the only Dodgers to start more than 10 games for the team in 2020. 2012 AL Cy Young winner David Price was brought in as a part of the Betts deal to be a mid-rotation starter and Alex Wood returns to the Dodgers after an injury-riddled 2019 with the Cincinnati Reds. With one rotation spot open it seems that Julio Urias will emerge to start the season as Dustin May aka “Gingergaard” has dealt with an injury in Spring Training and will most likely miss Opening Day.
The bullpen, which struggled at times in 2019, is looking to be a strength in 2020 for LA. Kenley Jansen and Joe Kelly struggled at times last season but have shown flashes of their top tier stuff in Spring Training. Pedro Baez is coming off a good season and is also having a good spring, and the Dodgers added Blake Treinen, who struggled last season, but posted a 0.78 ERA in 2018. If Treinen returns to his 2018 form, and Jansen and Kelly look like their usual selves, the Dodgers will have a shutdown bullpen.
The plan is simple for the Dodgers, win a World Series. They have been close, two straight appearances in 2017 and 2018, but have not been able to finish the job. This team, however, may just be their best in a long time. With two former MVPs and two former Cy Young winners on their team, the Dodgers are loaded with talent. The Dodgers are set to dominate the National League again in 2020 and will be the favorites to represent the league in the World Series. The question is, can this Dodgers team finally get over the hump?
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