Dodgers Dugout: Looking At The Nl West First And Second Basemen

Hi, and invited to different version of Dodgers Dugout. My sanction is Houston Mitchell. Today we proceed our bid looking astatine nan NL West, position by position.

NL West, nan first basemen

Let’s look astatine nan first and 2nd basemen, classed from champion to worst. Click connected nan player’s sanction to beryllium taken to their afloat stats page.

Dodgers
Freddie Freeman
Last season: .295/.367/.502, 39 doubles, 24 homers, 90 RBIs, 141 OPS+
Career: .300/.386/.511, 142 OPS+

Freeman’s ankle ne'er seemed 100% past season, and he still put up coagulated numbers. He has said he wants to deed .300 again aft failing to do truthful nan past 2 seasons. There are only 3 existent players (minimum 2,000 sheet appearances) pinch a profession batting mean of astatine slightest .300: Freeman, Luis Arráez (.317) and Jose Altuve (.303). The apical 10 successful profession batting mean among progressive players:

1. Arráez, .317
2. Altuve, .303
3. Freeman, .300
4. Trea Turner, .297
5. Yordan Alvarez, .297
6. Bo Bichette, .294
7. Mike Trout, .294
8. Aaron Judge, .294
9. Mookie Betts, .290
10. Yandy Díaz, .290

San Francisco
Rafael Devers
Last season: .252/.372/.479, 33 doubles, 35 homers, 109 RBIs, 140 OPS+
Career: .276/.349/.506, 129 OPS+

Devers was acquired astatine nan waste and acquisition deadline from Boston. Oracle Park didn’t look to dampen his numbers arsenic overmuch arsenic it does to others, arsenic he deed 11 homers location and 20 wide pinch nan Giants. He’s not precisely Wes Parker at first base, but he is simply a coagulated tally producer.

San Diego
Gavin Sheets
Last season: .252/.317/.429, 28 doubles, 19 homers, 71 RBIs, 105 OPS+
Career: .236/.301/.397, 94 OPS+

Sheets was a large astonishment for nan Padres past season, hitting amended than he had successful 4 seasons pinch nan White Sox. He will get nan mostly of starts against right-handers, but could beryllium against reliable lefties.

“The large point for maine has been controlling nan onslaught zone, getting walks and being disciplined,” Sheets said astir his improved hitting this spring. “You get swings for illustration this and you build disconnected nan 2 of those things, you tin really put nan 2 of those things together.”

Arizona
Carlos Santana
Last season: .219/.308/.325, 11 doubles, 11 homers, 54 RBIs, 77 OPS+
Career: .241/.352/.425, 112 OPS+

How aged is Carlos Santana? He was signed arsenic an amateur free supplier by nan Dodgers successful 2004. He was traded to Cleveland successful 2008 for Casey Blake, who retired successful 2011. He was a coagulated subordinate for nan past Indians, doubly finishing successful nan apical 20 successful MVP voting, but he is good into his diminution shape now.

Colorado
Edouard Julien
Last season: .220/.309/.324, 10 doubles, 3 homers, 12 RBIs, 76 OPS+
Career: .232/.336/.382, 99 OPS+

Julien vanished seventh successful rookie of nan twelvemonth voting successful 2023 erstwhile he deed .263/.381/.459 for nan Minnesota Twins successful a small complete half nan season. It has been each downhill since then. The Twins traded him to Colorado successful January, and nan Rockies get to spot if they tin unlock immoderate was moving for him 3 years ago.

Second base

Arizona
Ketel Marte
Last season: .283/.376/.517, 28 doubles, 28 homers, 72 RBIs, 145 OPS+
Career: .281/.351/.472, 121 OPS+

He has won back-to-back NL Silver Sluggers, vanished 3rd successful 2024 NL MVP balloting and had an OPS+ of 145 past season. He is nan cardinal to nan Diamondbacks’ discourtesy and 1 of nan much underrated players successful nan game.

San Diego
Jake Cronenworth
Last season: .246/.367/.377, 20 doubles, 11 homers, 59 RBIs, 108 OPS+
Career: .247/.335/.406, 107 OPS+

Cronenworth is 1 of those guys who don’t make nan headlines but softly puts up dependable accumulation each day. Every squad needs a subordinate aliases 2 specified arsenic Cronenworth, a feline you tin pencil into nan lineup each time and not person to interest astir him.

Dodgers
Miguel Rojas
Last season: .262/.318/.397, 18 doubles, 7 homers, 27 RBIs, 100 OPS+
Career: .260/.314/.362, 86 OPS+

He apparently had immoderate benignant of large deed successful nan World Series past season. I must person missed it. Hyeseong Kim and Santiago Espinal could besides get playing clip astatine 2nd until Tommy Edman is capable to return.

San Francisco
Luis Arráez
Last season: .292/.327/.392, 30 doubles, 8 homers, 61 RBIs, 99 OPS+
Career: .317/.363/.413, 115 OPS+

How valuable is simply a feline whose worth lies almost wholly successful his batting average? Arráez has won 3 batting titles, 3 years successful a row, pinch 3 different teams. He is pinch a caller squad again this year. He has mild power, draws fewer walks, is unspeakable connected defense. But he tin get statement thrust singles each time long.

Colorado
Tyler Freeman
Last season: .281/.354/.361, 20 doubles, 2 homers, 31 RBIs, 92 OPS+
Career: .247/.324/.342, 85 OPS+

It appears, according to MLB.com, that Freeman has edged retired Willi Castro for nan job. Either 1 tin play aggregate positions and will astir apt get plentifulness of clip everyplace connected a squad that is expected to suffer 100 games again.

In lawsuit you missed it

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s lead-up to Dodgers opening time ‘hard to put into words’

‘There’s endless possibilities.’ Mookie Betts embraces Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s training methods

And finally

Freddie Freeman hits nan walk-off homer successful Game 3 of nan 2025 World Series. Watch and perceive here.

Until adjacent time....

Have a remark aliases thing you’d for illustration to spot successful a early Dodgers newsletter? Email maine astatine houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here.