Dave Roberts Feels Comfortable Putting Andy Pages ‘Anywhere in Outfield’ for Dodgers
Dave Roberts has been around the block long enough to know that publicly showing a little bit of faith in a young player can do wonders for their psyche.
In this case, we’re talking about Andy Pages. The Cuban outfielder has elite arm strength and power to all fields. Yet, his lack of consistency has been a major storyline throughout the early part of this season. He’s hitting only .183 entering April 25, and that includes only five extra-base hits in 71 at-bats.
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In the short two-game series versus the Cubs in Chicago, Pages appeared to turn the corner a bit after his slow start. Roberts continued to express confidence in the young outfielder.
“I feel comfortable putting him anywhere in the outfield,” Roberts said. “The last few games, with the bat, seems like he’s a lot more confident, and then obviously, the defense in the last seven to 10 days has been a lot better. Just a really good play.”
As depicted in these two clips, Pages made some big plays on the road. He threw out Ian Happ from left field on a throw clocked at 97 mph. It’s the second-hardest throw from an outfielder this year per Statcast.
In the two-game series, Pages scored three runs and notched three hits — and two of those were homers.
Assuming Pages can stabilize and become a credible everyday player, it’ll go a long way in lengthening a lineup in desperate need of production.
The bottom-half has been dreadful for weeks now. Pages has shouldered the responsibility in toggling back and forth between multiple outfield spots. While possessing this sort of versatility is nice, the bat has yet to round into shape.
As many have said before, all it takes is one good series to get on track. Perhaps that will manifest itself for Pages and the Dodgers.
Photo Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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