The MLB season has been underway for a good number of months now, with the Los Angeles Dodgers currently sitting second in the NL West Division. To date, they have a record of 84 wins and 49 losses, which sees them in 2nd place, behind the New York Giants, but crucially ahead of the San Diego Padres, the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks. As the 2020 World Series champions, the Dodgers will be hoping they can repeat their successes of last season in this, the 132nd season for the franchise in Major League Baseball.
Originating in Brooklyn, the Dodgers played in New York up until 1957, when they moved west to Los Angles. They have been situated in the Dodgers Stadium for nearly 60 years, in which time they have picked up five World Series, 11 NL Pennants and 19 Western Division titles.
Their current Manager, Dave Roberts, played for the Dodgers between 2002 and 2004. He has been in charge since 2016, following a stint as both coach and manager at the Padres. Read on to understand some of the top MLB picks for this season.
2020 World Series Champions
Despite being one of the most prestigious and successful sides in Major League Baseball history, the last 30 years had been notable for its lack of a World Series title. They had made it to the final in both 2017 and 2018 but were defeated by Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox respectively. This meant that the pressure was on the team and Roberts, to convert their regular season dominance into end of season glory.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 regular season was affected and shortened, meaning they only played 60 games in total. They finished with a 43-17 record, which was the best in all of MLB. They faced off against the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series, then made light work of the Padres in the Division Series. Then, they faced off against the Atlanta Braves in seven games for the League Championship Series. Despite at one point trailing to the Braves 3-1, they were able to overcome the side from Georgie 4-3, taking them to the World Series showdown against the Tampa Bay Rays.
While usually the series would have been played out at each sides’ home stadiums, this postseason was held at a neutral grown, at the Globe Life Field in Texas, the series started off fairly evenly. The Dodgers claimed the first game 8-3, while the Rays struck back in game 2, winning 6-4. Game 3 saw the Dodgers earn a 6-2 victory, but in game 4 the Rays managed to claim an 8-7 win. From their the Dodgers made it count, winning 4-2 and 3-1, to win the series 4-2. It was their 7th World Series victory, which sees them in 6th place in overall World Series titles.
The Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was named as the World Series MVP, having a batting average of .400, scoring two home runs, and an on-base percentage of .556.
2021 Trade News
While the Dodgers are the defending World Series Champions, they have still been very active in the trade market, to capitalise on their success and to hopefully build a successful dynasty for their fans. Of all their trades this season, two stand out more than most. Trea Turner and Max Scherzer were both captured from the Washington Nationals.
Turner, a 28-year-old Shortstop, was coming off of 5 successful seasons in Washington, where he has tied the record for the most cycles in a career, placing him alongside John Reilly, Babe Herman, Bob Meusel and Adrián Beltré. He also has the ability to play second base and centre field, making him a true utility player.
Sherzer is a pitcher, who has previously played for the Detroit Tigers and the Diamondbacks, as well as for the national. One of the best of his generation, he was a World Series champion in 2019 and has played in 8 All-Star games across his illustrious career. Both of these additions to the Dodger’s have certainly aided them in this campaign, even if their trades were at the expense of several young prospects such as Josiah Gray and Gerardo Carillo.
Playoffs
The Dodgers have successfully navigated their way to the post-season yet again, continuing their fine run of form. However, they are now the team that everyone will want to beat, so it will be even harder to replicate their success this year. They do have the aid of having fans allowed back into the Dodger Stadium, meaning they surely will get an extra boost that they sadly missed during last years’ successes. Their opponents are the Braves, the New York Giants and the St Louis Cardinals, and in just a few weeks we’ll have a clearer picture of whether they can taste World Series victory again this season.
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