The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2024 MLB season with extremely high expectations. LA currently holds a 4.5-game lead in the National League West as they prepare for the playoffs. Although the Dodgers have dominated the competition in the regular season over the years, LA has just one World Series victory since 1990. With Shohei Ohtani now on the roster, anything short of a Fall Classic victory will be considered a failure in 2024.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, Ohtani is playing at an elite level. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have also played well. But LA will need a complete team effort in order to avoid falling short in the postseason once again. Three players will be especially impactful for the ball club in October in addition to the Dodgers stars.
Dodgers need Walker Buehler to find his rhythm
The Dodgers pitching has been decimated by injury trouble in 2024. Buehler, who returned from Tommy John surgery, has appeared in 13 games and he is still trying to find his form on the mound. Overall, the two-time All-Star hurler has pitched to a 5.95 ERA.
Rust was to be expected from Buehler. After all, he had not pitched in a big league game since 2022 before the 2024 campaign. However, the Dodgers' other injury concerns make it quite clear that they need another pitcher to step up.
Buehler doesn't even need to be a dominant ace. He just needs to give the Dodgers opportunities to win. He pitches for a ball club that offers plenty of run support and yet, Buehler's record is still just 1-5. Wins and losses don't receive as much attention in today's MLB, but a 1-5 pitching record on the Dodgers is telling of Buehler's performance.
If Buehler can just turn in respectable starts moving forward and in the playoffs then LA will benefit without question.
Will LA continue to trust Chris Taylor?
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts surely wants to believe that Taylor can bounce back. However, it has been a disastrous season for the 2021 All-Star.
Taylor's versatility has kept him on the roster. The Dodgers may need to make a difficult decision ahead of the postseason if he continues to struggle immensely at the plate. Taylor is currently slashing .178/.282/.267/.549 across 77 games played. He has only three home runs and six doubles in his 221 plate appearances.
Taylor endured a down 2023 season but he still managed to hit over .230 while recording 15 home runs. His underperformance is becoming difficult to ignore, though.
Dodgers fans know that Taylor isn't afraid of the big moment. He's enjoyed some memorable swings of the bat in recent seasons. If Taylor can step up and provide some clutch hits moving forward, the Dodgers will receive a necessary boost for their offense.
What is the Dodgers' Gavin Lux plan?
Ohtani, Freeman and Betts are superstars. Teoscar Hernandez and Will Smith are good players. But the Dodgers could use another consistent offensive force in the lineup.
Lux has the potential to be that player for the Dodgers. He displayed signs of stardom in 2022 and was set to take over LA's starting shortstop job in 2023. A spring training injury forced Lux to miss the entire '23 campaign, however, and he hasn't swung the bat all that well since returning in 2024.
Lux is currently hitting .249/.310/.389/.699 across 124 games played. He's also hit 10 home runs and 22 doubles in his 439 plate appearances. Lux has been productive at times, but the Dodgers need him to be more consistent.
Perhaps Lux can build some momentum ahead of October and play a big role for the offense in the playoffs.
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