Dodgers: Trea Turner Expected to Lead Off Moving Forward, Even with Mookie Betts Activated
What do you do when you have two great players that are used to being at the top of a lineup? This is a problem that the Dodgers will have to address now that Mookie Betts is active alongside new his new teammate, Trea Turner.
It looks like the Dodgers will continue to go with Trea Turner, at least for the time being. When the lineup came out for Thursday’s game, Trea was penciled in at the top while Mookie Betts slotted in at number 3. This is the same order they hit the only other time that they were in the lineup together, and Dave Roberts seemed to hint at this being the plan for the team going forward.
I think so. In talking to both [Trea Turner and Mookie Betts], they’re interchangeable. But I think with Trea at the top and Mookie being consistently at the 3 [spot], I think it just adds a length and a speed dynamic with Trea at the top. I think it just allows us to create some more things.
There is no wrong answer for the Dodgers here, as both Turner and Betts are electrifying players who hit for both average and power. Turner does add a bit more speed to the equation, however, and this creates some additional havoc for opposing teams to think about.
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Having both Trea Turner and Mookie Betts in there on a daily basis will be fun to watch as a fan, but there isn’t a whole lot of time left for this team to tinker with their lineup construction before October. The Dodgers will need to figure out a consistent 8 batters that provides them with the best chance to win every single game. With a roster absolutely loaded with stars, there are definitely worse problems to have.
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The odd man out surely looks like Bellinger with his 174 average!
I would have Trea Turner lead-off, Betts 2nd, Seager 3rd, Muncy 4th. Leave Bellinger off. Justin Turner, Will Smith, Pollock, Taylor + pitcher would be my batting order.
Robin, it looks like Muncy will remain in the 2 slot between Trea and Mookie going forward and they can’t go wrong there. It will be different on days Betts doesn’t start. Only thing is Pollock needs to be higher up in the order.
I’ve never been sold on JT being
in the clean up spot- he’s a better
#3 IMO I’m not sure Muncy is the
answer there either ’cause I think
he’d press. Tough call for Roberts!
On days Betts doesn’t start, JT will hit 3rd. Muncy most likely remains batting 2nd unless he isn’t in starting lineup.. Anyone’s guess as to who is an ideal cleanup hitter, although Will Smith is certainly up to being in cleanup spot when he starts.
Paul view my line up below. Everyone protects everyone else. Weak spot would be Beaty Bellinger spot. But Taylor and Smith follow. They would have to pitch to everyone but Pollock, but Pollock is even raking bad pitches. What a great problem to have…
I disagree! Trae leading off is perfect. But, Seager, the doubles machine, needs to be 2nd. If Trae gets on, its an automatic run. JT 3rd, Muncy 4th, with Betts 5th. This starts another run with speed on the bases and good contact hitters like Pollock 6th and Smith 7th behind him. We’ll get another run off that lineup. The RF du jour at 7th and Belli, who is still recovering but making gradual progress, at 8th, with the pitchers spot at 9th.
It’s like having TWO top-of-the-order lineups. Trae and the hitters followed by Betts and the hitters.
I believe you have a point there, two 4 man lineups.
They have enough bats to do that, if they play those bats. With the pitcher’s spot in between. That would be a unique approach that few teams have ever had the talent to pull off. 1 and 1A.
I’d do the lefty righty all the way through the line up.. Trea,-Seager-JT,-Muncy-Pollock-Beaty/Bellinger-Taylor-Smith……Beaty ,Bellinger Mckinney lefty off the bench – Betts -Pujols- Barnes righty off the bench…..Think of that firepower in late innings. Also it would limit Betts with his injury….This is the expanded roster ideal line up….Roberts could mix and match this line up and have more firepower than any team going forward….
Come on! Betts isn’t a bench player, no matter his health status. If he’s healthy enough to play, he’ll be starting.
Betts is 0 for since returning. I agree he needs to start if he was betts. But he’s injured still and isn’t playing like himself. Once again tonight 0 for….He would be ideal lower in the order but Roberts throws him in the 3 spot like he’s Aranado or something…
It’s only his second game back. And you obviously have no clue what you’re talking about by thinking Arenado is better. Even with the injuries, Betts is having a better year than Arenado.
Jerry, Arenado is in the line up every day and has the power of a 3 spot batter in a line up. Betts hasn’t played much , been hurt, and has had one hot streak. He’s NOT a #3 hitter. Pollock, Turner, Muncy, Seager, we could all see hitting third, but Roberts throws him in there after he’s been out for months. Also hits pujols 4th when he’s not hitting much either. If your saying Betts is a better #3 hitter than Arenado you should go back to Little League coaching..
Trea, Corey, Mookie, Muncy, JT, Belli, Smith, AJ, pitcher. But can go with Belli later in order if we forgo RH bat, LH bat alternating after JT. Anyway you slice this – a murderers’ row!
Only issue would be having Smith and or Pollock hitting near bottom of lineup. If Bellinger, McKinney, Beaty(when he returns from OKC) are in the lineup, they should bat 8th.
Paul, Pujols should not be hitting 4th Smith should….Smith is the Only Dodger hitting at all now….Bellinger still is a very very wasted roster spot….Beaty needs to be in this line up.. If Betts is supposed to be healthy like Jerry thinks he is, then why are they playing him at second tonight?
The most replace Bellinger he’s had his chances and still batting 170 go Dodgers
The down fall of this team so far this year has been Roberts entitlement philosophy. He keeps marching Bellinger out to strikeout with runners on base, bats a still injured Betts 3rd when he isn’t hitting, Pujols 4th when he isn’t hitting, sends Beaty down when he’s his BEST bench player, because he apparently doesn’t like him. Even earlier in the year he marched Rios out there just like he is Bellinger to strikeout over and over and over. All because he favors players for what they have done in the past and Not what they’re doing in the present. Everyone in the baseball world like the Baseball Tonight crew can see bellinger is toast , but how he keeps playing is even a bigger mystery. Bellinger finding his swing has more of a chance than finding hoffa’s body, but Roberts will let the search hurt the team rather than do what ANY other manager would have done weeks ago…
Yes the choices Roberts makes really don’t make much sense to me most of the time. So frustrating when he benches hot hitters. So it isn’t my imagination that he has something against Beaty, right? Even when Beaty’s bat is hot, he benches him. Really strange.