Dodgers Land 5 Players in Top-100 List for 2023 Season
The Dodgers enter the 2023 season with a ton of talent. Maybe not as much talent as they had last season, but still a bunch of the game’s best players. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman remain two of the best at their respective positions, while Julio Urias and Will Smith continue to trend toward All-Star status (they should have already made an All-Star team by now).
With that being said, ESPN ranked their top 100 MLB players ahead of the 2023 season, and five Dodgers made the cut. Some of the rankings, however, were a bit suspect. Here’s where all the Dodgers landed.
No. 5: Freddie Freeman – I have no problem with this one, as Freeman is undoubtedly the best player on the Dodgers, and is easily a top-five player. The only players above him were Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge and Manny Machado. That seems fair.
No. 9: Mookie Betts – Betts came in a little low here. I think he should have been above his former teammate, Trea Turner, and Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners. Betts may have not add the .300-plus average he usually enjoys last year, but he hit a career-high 35 home runs, and won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award.
No. 46: Julio Urias – The long gap between the second- and third-best Dodger leads us to Urias, the ace of this staff. Urias is forever under-appreciated, and on this list, it’s no different. Somehow, Urias is yet to make an All-Star team, despite being one of baseball’s best pitchers over the last two seasons. Hopefully, Urias finally gets the recognition he deserves this season, ahead of his free agency. But on this list, let’s just say there were a lot of pitchers above Urias who shouldn’t have been.
No. 47: Will Smith – It didn’t take long to get to the next Dodger, who came in right after Urias. Smith is also yet to get the respect he deserves as an All-Star in this league, but hopefully, he gets that same recognition in 2023. He’s one of the best hitting catchers in the league, and continues to improve behind the plate. Hopefully the Dodgers don’t wait too long to extend him.
No. 87: Clayton Kershaw – The final Dodger on this list is none other than the greatest on the team in Clayton Kershaw. He chose to re-sign with the team this offseason, and will again be relied upon to have a big year in the rotation. Last year, he started an All-Star game for the first time in his career. Let’s see if there’s anything left on his bucket list.
What do you think of these rankings by ESPN? Is anyone too high or too low? Let us know in the comments below.
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