The Los Angeles Dodgers of 2019

The 2019 L.A. Dodgers have been remarkable this season. From back-to-back walk-offs, to competing for the best record in the league, they have improved on their errors from last year and are World Series contenders for this season with predictions that either the New York Yankees or Houston Astros will likely be their opponent.

Cody Bellinger's Stellar Season

Let's start off with Cody Bellinger, an outfielder for the Dodgers, who is in the running for MVP. Bellinger, in his 2nd year of playing in the MLB, has hit 44 home runs, 108 RBI’s, and has a batting average of .306 so far this season. Cody, who receives the "MVP chant" almost every night at bat, has said “…it's for sure cool. You never expect that going into a season. Enjoying it and not letting it determine what I do. I’ve called ‘time’ a few times when they chanted just so I can lock it back in at the plate." Cody is competing for the most home runs in the season, with his close opponents Pete Alonso, Jorge Soler, Eugenio Suárez, Mike Trout, and Christian Yelich, who are neck and neck with him in that category.

Walk off city

2019 has been a walk-off season for the Dodgers, with 12 walk-off wins. On June 23rd, MLB history was made by Matt Beaty, Alex Verdugo, and Will Smith, who, as rookies, hit walk-off home runs on three consecutive nights. This had never been done before. Beaty hit his walk-off homerun first, Verdugo the next day, and Will Smith, who was watching from Triple-A OKC, would do the same the following day.

new dodgers

Speaking of the three rookies who made history, the Dodgers have been bringing up rookies from the minors that have not disappointed. Matt Beaty, Will Smith, Kyle Garlick, Edwin Rios, Gavin Lux, Tony Gonsolin, and Dustin May, all have been called up throughout the season to fill in for injuries but have now made starting spots on the roster for future games because of their incredible performances during their substitute time. The Dodgers have also gained effective players during the off-season such as Christopher Negrón, Joe Kelly, Alex Verdugo, Casey Sadler, and Russell Martin (who has rejoined the Dodgers since leaving in 2010).

improvements

Overall, the Dodgers have improved in their offense, defense, and bullpen. The greatest struggle last year was the bullpen. The Dodgers knew they had to improve. Which they did by adding new pitchers Caleb Ferguson, Tony Gonsolin, Adam Kolarek, Dustin May, and Casey Sadler. Combined with working with the pitchers they already had on problems they experienced in the previous season by sending them down to Triple-A OKC to improve on pitches they weren’t confident in, and playing them less often so they may not be worn out.

nl west champions

The Dodgers clinched the NL West Division title for the seventh time in a row on September 10th, with a score of 7-3 against the Orioles. Walker Buehler struck out 11 and brought his total amount of strikeouts to 200. Now, the Dodgers are striving to win the World Series for the third year in a row.

If you haven’t been to Dodger Stadium yet, you still have time to attend with playoffs coming. If you can’t catch a game this season, think about next season when they host the 2020 All-Star game and Home-Run Derby. Don’t forget to watch them during the post-season and Let’s Go Dodgers!