Editorials

Dodgers Top 3 Lineups Against Left Handed Pitching

Earlier in the week I wrote about the best possible lineups for the Dodger when they face RHP. As promised this is the other half. I’ll be enumerating 3 different lineups the Dodgers could use against left handed starters. Before I start the 3 lineups, just for the sake of symmetry, here are the Dodgers R/L splits.



 

 

 

Lineup 1 (Currently Healthy and Active)

  1. AJ Pollock CF
  2. Max Muncy 1B
  3. Justin Turner 3B
  4. Cody Bellinger RF
  5. Kiké Hernandez 2B
  6. Chris Taylor LF
  7. Corey Seager SS
  8. Will Smith C
  9. Pitcher

“Why do you have Corey Seager so far back in the lineup?” I know what the first question is. I chose this because at least in 2019, his splits have been like a typical lefty. He just hasn’t hit lefties as well this year, at least so far. This protects his bat and adds some depth to the bottom end of the lineup.

While AJ Pollock has struggled mightily against RHP this year, he has MASHED LHP. He’s a perfect leadoff hitter for starts against southpaws. Muncy and Turner are fairly comparable when it comes to their splits. A healthy David Freese is a must start against all LHP. The rest of the lineup has some flaws, admittedly, against LHP. That said, they’re the best choices of the players we have healthy. If you’re looking for the silver lining, it’s the next paragraph.

Lineup 2 (Healthy Roster Edition)

  1. AJ Pollock CF
  2. Justin Turner 3B
  3. Alex Verdugo LF
  4. Cody Bellinger RF
  5. David Freese 1B
  6. Max Muncy/Kiké Hernandez 2B
  7. Corey Seager SS
  8. Will Smith C
  9. Pitcher

Yikes! Never thought you’d see a slash line that had Hernandez and Muncy, did you? Well there it is. Depending on the individual matchup, it works. I would still probably always put Max Muncy in there instead of Kiké, but we know the Dodgers don’t operate that way. I could also see them sitting Verdugo, despite the fact that he absolutely mashes lefties. He has extreme reverse splits. This one was the most difficult of the lineups I’ve made.

I put Turner at the #2 spot because statistically, your #3 hitter is most likely to come up with 2 out and nobody on. I wanted to combat that with Turner who tends to get on a lot.

Lineup 3 (Lets Get Wacky?)

  1. Max Muncy 2B
  2. Justin Turner 3B
  3. David Freese 1B
  4. Cody Bellinger RF
  5. Alex Verdugo LF
  6. AJ Pollock CF
  7. Kiké Hernandez SS
  8. Will Smith C
  9. Pitcher

Put Max Muncy at leadoff and give Corey Seager a night off. That’s my radical idea. Corey in 2019 isn’t quite what he normally is. He may get there, but for now he isn’t. He looks pretty great against RHP, but against southpaws his splits show you he just isn’t there yet. Get a guy like AJ Pollock (who could easily lead off in this lineup) to protect Cody Bellinger so that he’ll actually get pitches to hit.

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When your 8th hitter is the hot-hitting rookie Will Smith, you’ve got to feel pretty good about your lineup.

Final Thoughts

These are just my ideal lineups. If you were wondering what lineups I think the Dodgers are actually going to throw out there, that’d be a different article altogether. Based on splits, other statistics, and gut feeling, this is what made the most sense to me. The Dodgers an embarrassment of riches. The reason I know this is that these lineups took a lot of thought and deliberating. A lot of teams, you’re lucky if you’re happy with throwing out one comfortable lineup against ALL pitchers. The Dodgers could almost put two playoff lineups out with the entirety of their bench. If you have differing thoughts, drop them in the comments.

AJ Gonzalez

AJ is a lifelong Dodgers and Lakers fan who grew up in California. His whole family is also lifelong Dodgers fans. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, two kids, his guitars, and beagle Kobe.

2 Comments

  1. The fact that Dodgers have to have different lineups against LHP every time out shows once and for all that they are no match for either the Yankees or Astros when WS comes around, because both hose teams have a solid core lineup that can hit both hands of the pitcher facing them.

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