In the initial installment of the report card, all of the pitchers who have appeared for the Los Angeles Dodgers were evaluated and graded, and in this second portion of the evaluations, the performances of all the position players who have been utilized in the first half of the season will be examined.
All of the teams in Major League Baseball with excellent pitching staffs still need to put eight quality position players behind every pitcher in order to succeed.
Effective pitching alone won’t win a championship, as a superior defense and a productive offense are also integral components to any team’s success.
Like the pitching staff, injuries have also hampered the Los Angeles position players. With Manny Ramirez’ two appearances on the disabled list coupled with Andre Ethier’s broken finger, the very talented Dodger outfield has been broken apart for a good portion of the season.
Casey Blake’s minor back problems and Rafael Furcal’s nagging hamstring earlier in the season forced the Dodgers’ bench players to step up and cover the infield as well.
Team chemistry is paramount on the road to a championship, as it’s impossible for one or two superstars to carry an entire team on their shoulders.
In this final installment of evaluations, all of the position players who have appeared during the season thus far will be evaluated and graded. The following frames highlight each of the 16 players who have played in the field for the Dodgers so far this year and show a letter grade and commentary for each player.