Dodgers Players With Most to Prove for Rest of 2022 Season
On paper, the Los Angeles Dodgers have as much talent as any team in baseball, but they've dealt with some ups and downs over the past month.
There is no shortage of X-factors on their roster, from the health of Mookie Betts to potential contributions from one of the best farm systems in baseball, and there are also several individuals who will need to prove themselves in the coming months.
Whether it's an underperforming or injured star, an upcoming free agent, or a breakout performer at a key position who needs to maintain his current level of production, there are many reasons a player might have something to prove.
Ahead we've highlighted three such players on the Dodgers roster.
CF Cody Bellinger
1 of 3
Cody Bellinger was a candidate to be non-tendered by the Dodgers after he hit .165 with a 44 OPS+ and minus-1.5 WAR in 95 games last season.
The 2019 NL MVP ultimately returned to the Dodgers, with the two sides agreeing to a $17 million salary figure in 2022 to avoid arbitration, and he has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining next offseason.
The 26-year-old has improved on last year's production, but only marginally with a .207/.271/.388 line that includes eight home runs, 24 RBI and a strikeout rate hovering around 30 percent.
Unless he picks up his production between now and the end of the year, a non-tender seems like a far more realistic outcome than it was a year ago.
LHP Andrew Heaney
2 of 3
The Dodgers gave left-hander Andrew Heaney a one-year, $8.5 million deal as one of the first moves of the offseason, hoping to tap into the potential that saw him rack up 150 strikeouts in 129.2 innings in 2021.
The 31-year-old was terrific through his first two starts in a Dodgers uniform, including six scoreless innings of one-hit, 11-strikeout ball against the Cincinnati Reds on April 17, but he then spent roughly two months on the injured list with a shoulder injury.
He rejoined the rotation on June 19 and allowed five hits and one earned run in five innings against a good Cleveland Guardians team, giving him a 0.59 ERA through 15.1 innings.
Can he stay healthy? Can he keep pitching at a front-line level? If he can, a lucrative multiyear payday could await him during the offseason.
3B Justin Turner
3 of 3
An All-Star last season, Justin Turner has been a shell of his usual productive self so far this year.
The 37-year-old is hitting .214/.285/.345 for a 74 OPS+, and his batted-ball metrics don't provide much optimism for a drastic reversal of fortune, as he ranks near the middle of the pack in hard-hit rate (33rd percentile), average exit velocity (43rd percentile) and barrel rate (46th percentile).
The Dodgers hold a $16 million club option on Turner for 2023 that comes with a $2 million buyout, and right now things are trending toward the latter.
With top prospect Miguel Vargas raking at Triple-A and knocking on the door for an MLB promotion, Turner will need to prove he is still the team's best option at the hot corner.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Tuesday's games.
.png?w=256)
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
