The Dodgers have won at least 90 games six years in a row, and with MLB’s best record (by far) this season, they seem like a lock to get there again in 2019. Triple digits are certainly within the realm of possibility, too, as is a third straight trip to the World Series.
In that stretch, the Dodgers have also been at or near the top of MLB’s payroll list, but a large part of their success can be attributed to folks who joined the franchise under the cover of near anonymity. Those are the players we’re going to highlight today.
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So a guy like Clayton Kershaw doesn’t make the list, of course, because the Dodgers made him the No. 7 overall pick of the 2006 MLB Draft. Rich Hill doesn’t make the list, either, even though his career setbacks tossed him all the way back to independent baseball in 2015. See, the Dodgers acquired him after he rebounded, a trade that also included Josh Reddick heading to LA and sent a couple of very well-thought-of prospects to Oakland.
1. Justin Turner
His LA arrival: Turner was traded by the team that drafted him, Cincinnati (December 2008), designated for assignment by the Orioles (May 2010) and non-tendered by the Mets (December 2013). According to reports, Turner had worn out his welcome in New York, which led to the surprise move after the 2013 season. Turner was team-less for a couple of months before he finally signed with the Dodgers on a minor-league free-agent deal in early February.
His LA impact: Aside from Clayton Kershaw, no other Dodger has been the face of this run of 90-plus win seasons than Turner. He batted .340 in his first year with LA, and though he’s had trouble staying healthy during the season, he’s been the driving force for the Dodgers’ lineup in his six years with the club. He’s batted .304 with an .880 OPS in the regular season and a hefty .313 with a .923 OPS in 49 postseason games.
2. Max Muncy
His LA arrival: Muncy played 96 games for the A’s in 2015-16, but never found much traction at the big league level. In that uniform, he batted just .195 with five home runs and a .611 OPS, and the A’s released him in spring 2017. He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers, who put him in Triple-A for the entire season. Muncy hit .305 with 12 homers in 109 contests. He started 2018 at Oklahoma City again, but was called up a couple of weeks into the season.
His LA impact: Muncy homered in his first start for the Dodgers, but overall he struggled early, batting just .190 with a .663 OPS in his first 49 plate appearances. From there, he caught fire. In his next 28 games, Muncy hit 11 home runs and posted a 1.197 OPS while starting games at third base, first base, second base and even playing a few innings in left field. The lefty let go by Oakland finished the season with 35 home runs and a .973 OPS, then added three more home runs in the postseason. This year, he’s batting .280 with 17 homers and a .915 OPS in 76 games, further cementing a spot in the lineup.
3. Chris Taylor
His LA arrival: The Dodgers traded for Taylor in June 2016, a deal most notable because LA sent former elite prospect Zach Lee — who never really found consistency as a pro — to Seattle in exchange for Taylor, a former fifth-round pick who had batted just .240 in 86 games for the Mariners over parts of three seasons. The deal was a blip, at best. A hope that maybe a change of scenery would help revive both careers.
His LA impact: Taylor didn’t do much in 2016, but made the most of his opportunities to start 2017 and forced his way into the lineup on a regular basis, starting at least 10 games at shortstop, center field, left field and second base. He finished the season with 21 homers, 17 stolen bases and a 4.8 bWAR, then hit .316 with a pair of homers in the NLCS and was named series co-MVP, along with Turner. Playing all over the field again in 2018, Taylor’s numbers were down a bit, but he still posted a 4.1 bWAR and again was outstanding in the NLCS — he hit .364 — in helping the Dodgers to the World Series again.
4. Enrique Hernandez
His LA arrival: A sixth-round pick of the Astros in 2009, Hernandez was shipped to the Marlins in July 2014 as part of a seven-player trade, then was part of another seven-player trade that December that landed him in Los Angeles. He was, it’s safe to say, not the biggest name to switch teams in either of those deals.
His LA impact: Hernandez batted .307 in his first year with LA in 2018 PAs. He’s become a tremendously valuable — versatile — piece of the Dodgers’ equation ever since. In his five seasons with the club, he’s started at least 11 games at each of the following positions: center field, second base, left field, shortstop, right field, third base and first base. Yeah. And even though his offensive numbers haven’t always been great, he’s had a knack for delivering in big moments. Remember his three-homer game at Wrigley Field in Game 5 of the 2017 NLCS, as the Dodgers clinched their spot in the World Series for the first time since 1988?
5. Andrew Tolles
His LA arrival: Toles was a fourth-round pick by the Rays in 2013, then was named that franchise’s minor league player of the year in 2014. Personal issues led to his release in 2015, and he was out of baseball that season, spending a couple of months working in a grocery store in Georgia. The Dodgers gave him a chance for the 2016 season, and he made the most of it. He played 22 games in High-A, 43 in Double-A and 17 in Triple-A before he was called up to the bigs.
His LA impact: In 48 games with the Dodgers in 2016, Toles hit .314 with an .870 OPS, earning a spot on the precious postseason roster. Toles hit .364 in the postseason, including a scintillating .462 in the NLCS against the Cubs. It wasn’t enough, though, as Chicago won the series in six games to advance to the World Series. His 2017 season ended early when he tore his ACL and had season-ending surgery. He spent a large portion of 2018 in Triple-A, batting .307 with seven homers in 71 games. He’s been out with personal issues in 2019.
