Los Angeles Dodgers Spring into Step

As Spring tip toes upon us, there is only one thing to look forward to: the start of Dodgers baseball. Entering the stadium wearing your favorite player’s jersey, the smell of fresh Dodger Dogs and hearing that beautiful crack of a baseball bat hitting a 90-mph ball has simply been missing from our lives. For now, we have been satisfying our cravings with Spring Training and wonders about the new season to come.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have made major changes to the roster after their 2022 season. We had to say goodbye to players who seemed like they would always be a part of the Dodgers Franchise including Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger. Turner will be continuing his career with a team whose colors will match his trademark beard, the Boston Red Sox. As for Bellinger, he headed to the East Coast where he will be playing for the Chicago Cubs. Both these athletes will be missed but Los Angeles has some new prospects to look forward to.

The Dodgers signed star pitcher Noah Syndergaard who was formerly on the Phillies roster. Syndergaard’s career total is 57-41 and has a career win percentage of .582. His best win percentage was in 2018 with the Mets at .765. He came close to that record last year with the Phillies at .714.

Ryan Pepiot and Michael Grove have been attracting attention now that LA will see them on the mound again, possibly in a consistent rotation, after moving up from the minors. Both pitchers made their debut last season and earned impressive numbers. Pepiot has a 3.7 ERA, a 3-0 overall record and 42 strikeouts. Grove earned a 4.60 ERA and consistently threw about 95 mph when he was pitching last season.

Outfielder, James Outman, also made his debut last season and will have a larger impact on the roster this 2023 season. Outman’s first 13 at-bats of the 2023 Spring Training was a .462 batting average, a .529 on base percentage and a .846 slugging percentage. He also earned six hits, one homerun, one triple and four RBIs.

Alongside the fresh, promising names on the 2023 roster are the Dodgers veterans Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, Julio Urias, Austin Barnes, Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, Chris Taylor and Max Muncy.

If it sounds like someone is missing, you are right. Dodger star Gavin Lux tore his ACL and injured his LCL in an early Spring Training game and will not be competing this upcoming season. His healthy teammates will have to take over for him.

Despite trades and injuries, Los Angeles has been setting up a potentially successful roster for the regular 2023 season. It includes young, healthy, and motivated athletes ready to show what they got as well as determined, well-known athletes who have overall knowledge and experience of the game and team. The pitching lineup has improved and shows promise, which was an obvious goal from last season.

As Spring Training continues, it will be exciting to watch how the fresh players adapt and how the Dodgers look heading into the regular season.