The Los Angeles Dodgers are off to an encouraging start amid a crowded National League. The defending champs are 33-21 and up by two games on the second-place San Diego Padres in the National League West.
While some players like Mookie Betts have yet to round into form, there are others who are already looking like the perennial All-Stars they are. MLB.com’s Manny Randhawa ultimately has four Dodgers projected to make the All-MLB.
Randhawa has Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman on the first team while stalwart catcher Will Smith is on his second team, giving the following argument:
“At the plate, Smith has a .333/.456/.511 slash line after going 2-for-3 with a homer and a pair of walks on Monday,” Randhawa assesses. “Behind the plate, he entered Monday with +2 caught stealing runs above average, placing him in the 85th percentile among qualified catchers…Freeman’s off to a tremendous start, leading the National League with a .361 batting average and 1.065 OPS to go along with nine homers.
There is seemingly no limit to how much Ohtani can achieve on the field. As he prepares to make his Dodgers debut on the mound, the reigning NL MVP continues to be a force at the plate. With his MLB-leading 19th homer on Monday, he's slugging an NL-best .648 and also has 11 steals…Yamamoto got off to a spectacular start this season and owns a 1.97 ERA through his first 11 games.”
Overall, the Dodgers have to like where they are right now, especially before their two-way superstar makes his pitching debut. This team has a giant target on their back and would like to have home field throughout the postseason. The Dodgers are in contention for the best record in the league, and should they gradually get better as the season continues, they will be the favorite to secure that top spot.
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