The Los Angeles Dodgers kick off their season early for the second consecutive year, as the team is traveling to Tokyo, Japan to take on the Chicago Cubs for a two-game series at the Tokyo Dome on March 18 and 19.
The Dodgers leave for Japan in less than two weeks, giving them limited time to finalize their roster competitions.
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The competition that matters most for Japan is the one for the final position player roster spot. As of now, it appears there are three players — Hyeseong Kim, Andy Pages, and James Outman — competing for one spot. However, it’s possible a non-roster invite such as David Bote or Eddie Rosario sneaks into the competition, too.
Nevertheless, with just eight Cactus League games to go until L.A. heads to Japan, here’s a prediction for what the Dodgers’ Opening Day lineup will look like for Game 1 of the Tokyo Series in Japan.
Dodgers Opening Day Lineup Prediction
- Shohei Ohtani, DH
- Mookie Betts, SS
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Teoscar Hernández, RF
- Max Muncy, 3B
- Will Smith, C
- Michael Conforto, LF
- Andy Pages, CF
- Tommy Edman, 2B
The Breakdown
The top four of the lineup is not only obvious, but has already been revealed by Roberts. Then, going down the line, the Dodgers will likely go lefty, right.
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The big prediction here is Kim gets left off the Opening Day roster, and instead, Pages takes the spot. The Cubs have the left-handed Shota Imanaga slated to pitch Game 1 in Japan, and Pages was a lefty killer last year.
Across 107 regular season plate appearances against left-handed pitching at the MLB level last year, Pages slashed .357/.396/.520 with an OPS of .917. He’s 2-for-15 thus far in spring with one home run and an OPS of .611. Kim is 2-for-17 with one home run and an OPS of .544.
The Cubs are expected to have another left-hander in Justin Steele start the second game of the Tokyo Series. Thus, Pages would likely get the opportunity to start both games, meaning it doesn’t make sense for Kim to travel with the team when he could continue getting reps in Arizona.
While Kim may not be in the starting lineup for Japan, he’ll still have an opportunity to compete for a spot on domestic Opening Day roster. The extra time at Camelback Ranch will only help him make that dream a reality.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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