All-Star D May, Dodgers Rookie of the Year, Julio Struggles And More Bold Predictions for 2023

The new season is here and Dodgers fans are ready to run it back for another NL West crown. It’s a different looking team in 2023, but the goals are the same as always… go win the World Series. LA will have some serious competition down south with the stacked San Diego Padres looking to make a run at the club’s first division title since 2006, but the Dodgers have all the experience on their side.

To prepare us for the new season, I asked our staff for their boldest predictions heading into the new season. Here’s what we came up with for the question…

What are your boldest predictions for the Dodgers this season?

I’ll lead us off…

Clint Pasillas (@realFRG)

1. Dustin May will be one of the top pitchers on the staff, leading the team in wins and strikeouts while being named to his first All-Star game.
2. Max Muncy will bounce back in a big way and lead the team in home runs. He’ll finally surpass the 40 homer threshold in a season but will be an All-Star snub.
3. Julio Urias will regress slightly, posting an ERA over 4 (my guess, 4.04 ERA) for the first time since he was 20 years old. He’ll still lead the team in innings pitched, surpassing 200 as he heads into free agency. He will re-sign with LA.

Noah Camras (@noahcamras)

1. The Dodgers have six All-Stars this season — Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith (finally!), Julio Urias (finally!), Dustin May (I know, crazy) and Noah Syndergaard (I know, craziest). I’m expecting a massive bounce back year from Syndergaard after going through the Mark Prior pitching lab, and I think May will get back to being the future ace of this team we all expected him to be before his Tommy John surgery. Also, quick boldest prediction that I just want to have in writing: Dustin May throws a no-hitter in 2023. That’s about as bold as a bold prediction can get.
2. The Dodgers have three players finish in the top 10 in National League Rookie of the Year voting — Miguel Vargas, James Outman and Gavin Stone. I think Vargas is going to hit .300 this year (bonus bold prediction), and Outman is going to hit 25 home runs (another bonus bold prediction). Also, I think Stone is going to join the big league squad sooner rather than later, and immediately turn into one of their best high-leverage relievers.
3. This one’s quite bold, but I think Miguel Rojas is going to have an OPS+ above 100. Our very own Doug McKain told me 95 would be much more reasonable (and still very bold), but hey, that’s why we call them bold predictions. Rojas has only had two seasons with an OPS+ above 100 in his career, and those years, he played in 90 games (2017) and then 40 games in the COVID-shortened 2020. But he’s worked on improving his bat with LA, and I see it all coming together for his best offensive season in a full-time shortstop role with the Dodgers.

Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA)

1. James Outman is going to have an OPS above .800, Hit 25+ home runs, and finish in the top 3 in NL ROTY voting.
2. Gavin Stone is going to pitch more than 50 innings with a sub 2.50 ERA and have a prominent role for the Dodgers in the postseason.
3. The Dodgers are going to trade for an ace-level starting pitcher (Corbin Burnes/Shane Bieber) and a lefty masher at the deadline.

Noel Sanchez (@noisebynoel)

My bold prediction for the 2023 season is that J.D. Martinez will turn back the clock and dominate the designated hitter spot. He’s in a different situation with LA this year and he has the opportunity to not only bounce back from a disappointing season with the Red Sox. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict between 30-35 home runs from him and don’t be surprised if he’s getting All-Star love. His offensive production will be huge with our young culture as of now.

Ricardo Sandoval (@_RicardoSand)

1. Dustin May emerges as LA’s number two.
2. Fireman Phillips leads team in saves and solidifies himself as their closer/
3. James Outman is top three in team home runs.

Let us know your biggest, boldest predictions! Sound off in the comments.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Please subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more all year long!