The run towards back-to-back World Series titles continues for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After disposing of the Philadelphia Phillies in four games during the NLDS, a spot in the NLCS awaits Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and the rest of the Boys in Blue.
As we’ve done ahead of the Wild Card and NLDS, this roster prediction will aim to piece together a group Dave Roberts could roll out versus the winner of the Chicago Cubs-Milwaukee Brewers series.
While one notable name will be left off due to injury, another will rejoin the squad after not featuring in either of the first two rounds.
Two-Way (1): Shohei Ohtani
While Ohtani pitched brilliantly in Game 1 of the NLDS, he struggled immensely at the plate. The hopes are that he can enjoy a mental reset over the next few days. Fortunately for Ohtani, neither the Cubs nor the Brewers possess the type of elite talent from the left side compared to the Ranger Suarez-Cristopher Sanchez-Jesus Luzardo group.
Starting Pitchers (3): Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow
Along with Ohtani, the immensely gifted quartet will once again be asked to carry the Dodgers moving forward. Glasnow was fantastic in the decisive series-ending win on Thursday evening. Snell has been lights-out throughout the postseason. Yamamoto will be looking to bounce back from an underwhelming Game 3 start (by his standards).
The most fascinating element for the NLCS revolves around the order in which these pitchers will be utilized. We’ve seen Ohtani struggle during starts, more so the day after taking the mound, at the plate. For that reason, with an off day coming after Game 2, it may make some sense to let Ohtani take the ball then with Snell presumably taking the bump in Game 1 of the upcoming series.
Relief Pitchers (9): Emmet Sheehan, Clayton Kershaw, Blake Treinen, Roki Sasaki, Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer, Anthony Banda, Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius
It’s been reported that Tanner Scott will not be available until the World Series should the Dodgers get that far in the postseason. He was replaced mid-series by Wrobleski, and we expect “Wrobo” to continue to be on the roster given his ability to pitch multiple innings coupled with the velocity he brings from the left side.
The only other addition to the group will be Casparius. He’s been waiting in the wings for his opportunity to make his mark on the squad. The Dodgers do need another right-handed reliever added for balance and as a possible innings eater. Edgardo Henriquez’s lack of control in the Wild Card round may prevent him from being a realistic option.
Kyle Hurt could ultimately be a guy looked at in this spot. A more speculative yet not completely unrealistic option is Kirby Yates. With this being a seven-game series, relievers that can take down multiple innings (Kershaw, Sheehan, Sasaki) will be highly significant.
Position Players (13): Will Smith, Ben Rortvedt, Freddie Freeman, Miguel Rojas, Tommy Edman, Max Muncy, Hyeseong Kim, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Kiké Hernandez, Alex Call, Justin Dean, Andy Pages
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With Smith seemingly healthy, the Dodgers could opt for more roster versatility by rolling the dice and leaving Rushing off the squad. There’s also a world where Rortvedt is left off the team for Rushing given the fact that the youngster offers far more power and ability at the plate. However, Rortvedt is the quintessential “vibes” guy for this team at the moment.
There’s no other surprise when surveying the team across the board. Dean remains as a pinch-runner/defensive sub in centerfield. Call will have some real value in this upcoming series considering what he did against the Phillies versus lefties, and also due to the tough lefties LA will face with either the Cubs (Shota Imanaga, Matt Boyd, Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz) or the Brewers (Jose Quintana, Jared Koenig, Aaron Ashby, Robert Gasser).