Now that the Arizona portion of the Dodgers' spring coaching schedule has concluded, and because the workforce flies to South Korea Thursday morning, listed here are some observations from watching Cactus League play from afar.
The massive three
For the reason that addition of the American League MVP to an offense that already featured former MVP winners Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, anticipation was excessive to see the highest third of the Dodgers lineup play collectively. They usually introduced.
- Betts hit .417/.488/.583 with one residence run and three doubles in 41 plate appearances
- Ohtani hit .458/.536/.833 with two residence runs, a triple and a double in 28 PA
- Freeman hit .265/.308/.588 with a team-high three residence runs and a triple in 39 PA
* These numbers embrace final Friday's rainout towards Reds righty Nick Martinez, when all three had been 0-for-2 earlier than the sport was washed out.
Ohtani was basically on his personal schedule as he rehabbed from elbow surgical procedure final September. He didn't play in a sport till the Dodgers' sixth sport on the schedule, and he solely performed on consecutive days twice throughout Cactus League play. The terrific trio performed collectively in 9 video games, and in these video games there have been 45 innings wherein at the very least one in every of them was nonetheless within the sport. The Dodgers scored in 16 of these 45 innings, and a complete of 34 runs in these innings.
Freeman batting third, behind Betts and Ohtani more often than not, naturally led the Dodgers with 14 RBI to date this spring. Anticipate extra alternatives as soon as the true sport begins.
The conversion works
The Dodgers signed Sauryn Lao out of the Dominican Republic as a part of their 2015 worldwide free agent class, and he performed largely third base and first base as he labored his method via the minors, together with reaching to Excessive-A Nice Lakes at age 22. after struggling on the plate, Lao was transformed to pitching after the 2022 season.
The 6'2 righty impressed on the mound, posting a 3.79 ERA final yr, beginning the season at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga and ending at Double-A Tulsa. Lao struck out 73 in his 57 innings for a powerful 30.7 % strikeout proportion. However what was most spectacular for somebody in simply his first season on the mound was that Lao issued simply 10 unforced walks all season, a 4.2 % stroll charge.
The Dodgers performed 21 Cactus League video games within the Arizona portion of their spring coaching schedule, and in every sport a bunch of minor league outfielders suited up simply in case they wanted to. finishing innings. 13 minor leaguers got here into the sport, together with Lao, who pitched thrice and struck out 5 of the eight batters he confronted whereas pitching 2⅓ scoreless innings, permitting only one stroll.
Lao doesn't flip 25 till August, and can doubtless begin the season in Tulsa, so he's at the very least somebody to observe in 2024 as he strikes towards a possible path to the majors.
Odds and ends
- Whereas Betts led the workforce in hits (15) and runs scored (10) in Cactus League play, outfielder Andy Pages was second within the latter with 9 runs scored, regardless of batting simply 17 occasions and being singled on the third of March. spring displaying for Pages, who’s again to well being after having shoulder surgical procedure shortly after being injured final Might in his first sport in Triple-A.
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto in his three Cactus League begins has struck out 14 batters in 9⅔ innings with a 29.8 % strikeout charge. He additionally allowed 9 runs with an 8.38 ERA, thanks partly to greater than half (15) of his balls in play (29) turning into hits.
- Josue De Paula is likely one of the Dodgers' prime prospects, and he doesn't flip 19 till Might. He performed in two spring video games for the Dodgers — on split-squad day and within the ultimate residence sport Wednesday — and even hit an opposite-field residence run.
- First baseman Kevin Padlo led the Dodgers with 17 video games performed (counting final Thursday's rainout in Scottsdale), yet another than fellow visitor Austin Gauthier. Chris Owings, one other non-roster invitee, led the workforce with seven walks.
- Non-roster lefty Gus Varland and TJ McFarland tied for the workforce lead with seven video games pitched.
- With two rainouts, the Dodgers accomplished 19 of their 21 video games in Arizona. Solely one in every of them led to a draw, though he was 13-5 in video games that reached a call.
