The run towards back-to-back World Series titles continues for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After disposing of the Milwaukee Brewers in four games during the NLCS, a spot in the World Series awaits Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and the rest of the Boys in Blue.
More news: Dodgers vs Blue Jays World Series Schedule — Dates, Start Times, Channel and More
As we’ve done ahead of the Wild Card, NLDS, and NLCS, this roster prediction will aim to piece together a group Dave Roberts could roll out versus the Toronto Blue Jays.
Two-Way (1): Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani’s gargantuan performance in Game 4 of the NLCS left the collective baseball world breathless. If the Dodgers use a similar formula to last series, Ohtani would pitch Game 4 of the World Series at home in Dodger Stadium. The ballclub is surely hoping that the three-homer effort versus the Brewers get Ohtani back on track in terms of his performance at the plate.
Starting Pitchers (3): Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow
Along with Ohtani, these starters have carried the ballclub all postseason long. While the Phillies lineup did possess some dangerous hitters, Toronto top-to-bottom likely is the strongest lineup the quartet will have faced to this point. Along with that is the presence of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Dodgers cannot let him beat them single-handedly given how potent he’s been all October.
The Blue Jays are somewhat similar to the Brewers in terms of being a scrappy team that puts the ball in play. They aim to wear pitchers out. The Dodgers pounded the strike zone versus Milwaukee rather than playing into their hands by pitching on the edges. We’ll see if LA approaches with a similar game plan geared towards being aggressive rather than going for the chase with off-speed pitches.
Relief Pitchers (9): Roki Sasaki, Blake Treinen, Emmet Sheehan, Ben Casparius, Clayton Kershaw, Jack Dreyer, Anthony Banda, Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott
This is the most difficult grouping to project moving forward into this series. Toronto has a host of very good right-handed hitters littered throughout their lineup. This includes Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Bo Bichette, Ernie Clement, and Alejandro Kirk. One can make a real argument these are the Blue Jays top-five hitters.
It could be a case where the Dodgers fully expect their starters to give them six-to-seven innings — with the formula of Vesia, Treinen, and Sasaki to follow. Having five lefties is a bit of a gamble given the righty-heavy opposition. Having said that, LA may just believe in these nine arms to be the best possible options.
It would not be overly surprising to see Edgardo Henriquez added to the fold to give further balance from the right side. In this exercise, Justin Wrobleski is being left off for the return of Tanner Scott. If Scott could do anything to make up for a bad 2025 season, it could be giving the Dodgers quality outings in the most important series of the year.
Position Players (13): Will Smith, Ben Rortvedt, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Miguel Rojas, Tommy Edman, Hyeseong Kim, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez, Kiké Hernandez, Andy Pages, Justin Dean, Alex Call
This group is going to remain the same from the NLCS.
Toronto likely will have only three left-handed pitchers on its World Series roster. There is a world where Dalton Rushing or even Michael Conforto could be inserted as strictly pinch hitter options. In that event, Call would most likely be the one left off the team.
More news: Dodgers Predicted to Be ‘In the Mix’ for Star Japanese Free Agent This Offseason
However, comparatively speaking, Call is a far better defender than both — and he’s a far faster runner should he be called upon to pinch run. Call also has looked quite good in his limited time this postseason at the plate.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Have you downloaded the new Dodgers Nation app yet? Click here for Apple Users and here for Android Users to be a part of the redesigned app to give fans everything they need, all in one place. Don’t miss out on live GameCast with play-by-play, news and analysis, Dodgers Nation podcasts and videos, all the stats you want and more!
One Response
II was sorry to see that Alex Vesia is having some challenging Personal Issues. I Hope he can return to the Team soon. But– PLEASE,— do NOT use Tanner Scott in High Leverage Situations,— in the World Series. I am sorry. But he has been consistently Sub-Par, and the Dodgers can NOT allow him to “BLOW” any more Games,— especially in the WORLD SERIES. Perhaps he can regain his Form from last Year. But, he needs some Time, and some Help, before he can reset his Pitching abilities. This is NOT the Time to do REMEDIATION. We need Reliable and Effective Pitching– especially in a short Series.