<
        >

          SweetSpot

          Dodgers face tough choices up the middle with Corey Seager out

          Corey Seager's absence during the NLCS will have a big impact on the Dodgers. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA Today Sports
          • David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior WriterOct 14, 2017, 06:55 PM
            Close
            • Covers MLB for ESPN.com
            • Former deputy editor of Page 2
            • Been with ESPN.com since 1995
            Follow on X

          LOS ANGELES -- Without even playing, chalk up one big loss for the Los Angeles Dodgers heading into the first game of their NLCS showdown against the Chicago Cubs as All-Star shortstop Corey Seager was left off the 25-man roster. His back injury is apparently much more severe than manager Dave Roberts let on during Friday’s media session, when the indication was that Seager would be on the roster and in the lineup.

          Infielder Charlie Culberson was added to the roster, and although he started just one game at shortstop in the regular season and you might expect he's around as a utility guy, he's in the Game 1 starting lineup, batting eighth for the Dodgers. But that is not to say Roberts didn't have options, which he might consider later on in the series:

          • Enrique Hernandez: 16 starts at shortstop. Hernandez is a right-handed utility guy who has been starting in left field against lefties, including a Game 2 start against Robbie Ray in the NLDS.

          • Chris Taylor: 10 starts at shortstop. Taylor came up as a shortstop before moving to the outfield (where he hadn’t played until this season). Taylor, of course, is now the starting center fielder, although he did start six games at shortstop in early September when Seager missed some time with a sore elbow. The Dodgers also added Joc Pederson to the roster this round, after he wasn’t rostered in the NLDS. In their limited action at shortstop this season, Hernandez was at plus-4 defensive runs saved while Taylor was at 0 DRS.

          • Logan Forsythe: One start at shortstop. This is more of a long shot, but if Roberts wants to keep Taylor and Hernandez in the outfield, Forsythe could start at shortstop with Austin Barnes or Chase Utley playing second base. Barnes, the hybrid second baseman/catcher has been tearing it up at the plate and started two of the three games against Arizona, so this would be a way of keeping his bat in the lineup with pitch-framer extraordinaire Yasmani Grandal behind the plate. The Dodgers are carrying a third catcher in Kyle Farmer as well.

          Most likely, we’ll see a lot of mixing and matching here, as the Dodgers’ depth gives Roberts a variety of options. Still, with lefty Jose Quintana starting for the Cubs in Game 1 and Jon Lester the likely starter in Game 2, no matter what lineup Roberts chooses, he will be down a productive bat minus Seager. Consider how the following players hit against lefties:

          • Grandal: .233/.320/349

          • Utley: .167/.286/.375 (28 plate appearances)

          • Pederson: .204/.291/.306

          • Curtis Granderson: .202/.274/.394 (includes Mets numbers)

          • Culberson: .143/.143/.286 (seven at-bats, hit .300 versus LHPs in Triple-A)

          So Roberts will be choosing between Pederson or Granderson in the outfield (with Taylor or Hernandez at shortstop), or play Forsythe at shortstop, with Grandal and Barnes in the lineup.

          Against right-handers, Hernandez almost certainly stays on the bench (he hit .159/.244/.255 against them), Granderson goes to left field and then Roberts can decide whether or not to move Taylor to shortstop and play Pederson in center. Remember, the Dodgers basically buried Pederson in mid-August, sending him back down to Triple-A on Aug. 20. Upon his return, he had just 25 plate appearances with the Dodgers in center. His defensive metrics in center were also poor this year, with minus-12 DRS.

          Aside from all that, the Dodgers lost their No. 2 hitter, and one who handles lefties well. With a top of the order that went Taylor-Seager-Justin Turner-Cody Bellinger-Yasiel Puig in the Diamondbacks series, Roberts had a nice right-left-right-left-right balance, making it more difficult for the opposing manager to match up out of the bullpen.

          Seager actually hadn’t hit for much power since the beginning of August, with just four home runs in 191 at-bats, as the elbow issues seemed to affect his ability to drive the ball. But he still gave them good at-bats and hit .273 with a .343 OBP.

          Is this injury enough to sway the outcome of the series? Dan Szymborski of ESPN Insider certainly thinks so, having crunched the numbers:

          There’s no denying it will have an impact, especially since the Cubs will be able to run out Quintana and Lester four times combined if the series goes seven games. The Dodgers were favorites heading into the series and should still be considered as such.