Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Farhan Zaidi Envisions Internal Improvement Against Left-Handed Pitching

Dodgers General Manager Farhan Zaidi spoke with MLB Network Radio about the trade for Logan Forsythe.  He also pointed out he felt the Dodgers’ injuries to right-handed bats are overlooked in conversations about their struggles in that department.

Zaidi said the lineup was imbalanced, but it isn’t as bad as it seems.



“One of the storylines that I think was probably a little bit underrated last year was some of the injuries we had to our right-handed bats,” he said. “Guys that weren’t every day players but guys that were in there for us against left-handed pitching. Kike Hernandez had some injury issues, Scott Van Slyke and Trayce Thompson. And early in the season when those guys were healthy, we actually performed a little bit better against left-handed pitching. But we had some of those injuries. Having them all out at the same time I think, for stretches late in the season, really affected us.”

The Dodgers won the NL West and came within two games of a World Series berth despite setting a record for players on the disabled list. Van Slyke battled a back injury, Hernandez a rib inflammation, Thompson had lower back irritations that the team has yet to see him fully recover from. Yasiel Puig, another right-handed bat, slumped, hit the DL and was demoted to the minor leagues. In other words, much of the right-handed depth the team thought it had deteriorated at a record-setting level.

Zaidi said the team’s balance will improve with health. That, in turn, will make the Dodgers a much tougher chess opponent.

“There come times when you have to look at your roster and say ‘we’ve really got to prioritize re-balancing things,'” Zaidi said. “Not just from the standpoint of having a lineup that’s balanced, but also when you think about the guys in the other dugout, and just making it’s harder to manage against your team. You never want to be in the situation where … you know there are teams that are easier to manage against, when you know exactly how you’re going to do things once you start getting late in the game, versus a team with balance where it’s a little bit more unpredictable and you don’t know whether to get the lefty up or the righty up, how they might counteract those moves.”

https://twitter.com/MLB_RR/status/824068138207707136

Spring Training is two weeks away, and that will be the first test to see if Zaidi is correct.

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Gabe Burns

Gabe Burns is an award-winning journalist. He serves as a reporter and editor at the DodgersNation news desk. He additionally works as editor-in-chief of The Spectator, Valdosta State University's student paper. Gabe's work has been featured on a number of platforms, including Draft Breakdown and Pro Football Spot. His byline has been cited in media such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. Aside from covering Dodgers baseball, Gabe enjoys watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Orlando Magic and Tampa Bay Lightning. He can be followed on Twitter at @GabeBurns_DN.

One Comment

  1. I’m rooting for Trayce Thompson to end up being another right hand bat we need. I love Kike and I always hoped Van Slyke could hit like his dad. With Kershaw’s best friends Kemp and Ellis gone Van Slyke I think is also pretty close to Clayton as well. But I don’t believe those guys are going to propel us into the world series.
    Whether we end up trading them or some of them I know chemistry and salary cap are issues.

    Puig is not gonna hit 25 hrs, drive in 90rbis or be counted on for a full season. We have to get Braun.

    McCarthy and Puig for Braun- The Brewers were for it.
    You can hate him for the steroid thing but for my money we need him. How on earth will we out score or keep up with the likes of the Cubs, Rockies, Indians and Redsoxs.  WE WERE14th in runs scored last year overall.

    I believe we will pitch even better this year but the Dodgers need offense.

    Toles leading off may prove to be huge. If he’s anything like I saw last year he’s our starting left or right fielder.
    I’m hearing Forsythe to lead off – well maybe.

    Time will tell.

    DODGERS TO THE WORLD SERIES AGAIN!

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