For years the Crimson Sox have spoken about the necessity to construct in the direction of sustainable success, pledging to finish the boom-or-bust cycle that has plagued the franchise for the previous decade and a half.
However whereas they’ve talked the speak, the Dodgers have walked the stroll.
Since 2013 the Dodgers, who go to Fenway Park this weekend for a giant three-game sequence, have gained 11 NL West championships in 12 seasons, 100 or extra video games 5 instances, 4 pennants and two World Collection. They boast baseball’s most star-studded roster, that includes future Corridor of Famers like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw together with a laundry record of All-Stars, and final yr’s title-winning workforce has a powerful case for being among the many most proficient golf equipment ever assembled.
Requested what he’s seen from the Dodgers this yr, Crimson Sox supervisor Alex Cora laid out a scouting report that reads like a horror film for an opposing workforce.
“They’ve the perfect athlete within the universe (Ohtani) taking part in for them, he’s main off. Probably the greatest baseball gamers within the league (Betts), he’s not having an excellent season however he nonetheless contributes,” Cora mentioned. “The primary baseman (Freeman) is a Corridor of Famer, the catcher (Will Smith) is without doubt one of the best-hitting catchers within the league, (Andy) Pages has come up and accomplished an incredible job, Teoscar Hernandez is a confirmed large leaguer, Miguel Rojas is a good shortstop, fairly strong, and at any time when Kiké (Hernandez) pitches it signifies that they gained.”
And but whereas the Dodgers have spent some huge cash to carry this workforce collectively, the previous yr has proven there’s extra to the Dodgers’ success than simply working up a virtually $400 million payroll.
Final yr when the Dodgers gained their second World Collection championship this decade, they did so with a pitching workers that was held along with duct tape and paper clips. Ohtani, Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone have been all unavailable to pitch in October, leaving the membership to get by with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler and a mishmash of relievers.
Didn’t matter. The Dodgers rolled by way of the postseason and clobbered the Yankees in 5 video games anyway.
This yr the Dodgers’ workers has been decimated once more, with 12 pitchers at present on the injured record, together with 11 on the 60-day IL. That group consists of starters Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin and Stone plus relievers like Tanner Scott, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol and Michael Kopech. Plus, Ohtani’s nonetheless solely thrown 12 innings this yr as he ramps up in his return from elbow surgical procedure.
A run of accidents like that will be sufficient to bury virtually any workforce, but right here the Dodgers are, first within the NL West once more and simply behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the perfect document in baseball.
“The accidents are the accidents, I simply nonetheless suppose we’ve sufficient expertise proper now for us to be higher within the pen, and clearly offensively,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned forward of Friday’s sequence opener. “In order that’s form of the place my focus is at, ‘guys we’ve simply obtained to carry out.’”
At this level the Dodgers aren’t simply this era’s reply to George Steinbrenner’s Yankees, who outspent everybody to make sure the sport’s greatest gamers at all times ultimately wore pinstripes. The Dodgers do the entire little issues proper too, guaranteeing a continuing pipeline of expertise is at all times flowing in case a number of of the high-priced acquisitions break down.
It’s no shock then that the Dodgers at the moment are on the middle of the baseball universe. Simply ask Buehler, who noticed up shut how well-oiled a machine the Dodgers have develop into at each stage.
“While you scout, draft, develop and do all of these issues actually rather well on high of getting the best payroll within the sport, I feel it solutions itself,” mentioned Buehler, who recorded the final out of the World Collection final fall for the Dodgers earlier than signing with the Crimson Sox as a free agent. “Haven’t missed on many first-round picks, a variety of guys get to the massive leagues and have profitable careers once they get drafted there, in order that’s what you need.
“I feel they’re most likely the mannequin for lots of people in how trendy baseball must be accomplished and I used to be very lucky to be drafted and developed and spend a lot time there,” he continued. “I attribute a variety of the success I’ve needed to them and the way they dealt with and handled me, I’ve nothing however good issues to say about them.”
The Crimson Sox’s current rebuild has been bumpy, however followers can take solace in realizing it didn’t occur in a single day for the Dodgers both. Now with a younger core led by Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Garrett Crochet and others starting to emerge, the Crimson Sox must be properly positioned to contend within the years to come back.
However the Dodgers and their overwhelming expertise ought to nonetheless function a reminder that so far as the Crimson Sox have already come, they nonetheless have a protracted strategy to go.
