5 Bold Predictions for the Remainder of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Season

The Dodgers are off to an excellent start to the season, and their entire roster deserves credit. They have the best offense in baseball, the fourth-best pitching staff, and the second-best record. Saying that they are among the favorites to win the World Series is no bold call, but the following predictions I will make are.

Clayton Kershaw Will Finish the Year as the Best Pitcher in Baseball

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Some are concerned because Kershaw has a 4.26 ERA, which is not what the Dodgers expected. He was the 2014 NL MVP and Cy Young winner, and he was expected to anchor a pitching staff that would be among the league’s best.

To this point of the season, that has not been what has happened—except it kind of has.

Kershaw’s FIP thus far in 2015 is just 2.90, which is not that far off of his career mark of 2.73. FIP is considered more instructive of future performance than ERA because it adjusts for the possibility of an abnormal number of hit balls finding holes. FIP shows that Kershaw has actually been good this year.

Additionally, FanGraphs uses FIP to calculate its pitcher WAR, so Kershaw can still finish atop it and justifiably be considered the best pitcher in the league. Even with his rough start, he is in the top 20.

The Dodgers Will Not Make a Significant Trade

Denis Poroy/Getty Images

Brandon McCarthy is out for the rest of the season.

Fans may expect a team with a $275 million payroll to continue to make big splashes, and the injury woes this team has seen would support that theory. However, I do not believe that to be the case.

Brandon McCarthy is out for the season, and Hyun-jin Ryu has still not made his season debut. Should the Dodgers make the playoffs, their rotation will not be as strong as they hoped on Opening Day. And with aces like Cole Hamels and Johnny Cueto potentially available, a match might be made.

However, trading for one of those pitchers would cost the Dodgers a figurative ton. It would likely take both Julio Urias and Corey Seager, and the front office (with its offseason trade of Matt Kemp) has shown a desire to make the team sustainable in the long-term—and a trade of those prospects would run counter to that philosophy.

Corey Seager Will Be on the Postseason Roster

Elsa/Getty Images

This obviously assumes that the Dodgers make the playoffs, but that is honestly a relatively safe bet. FanGraphs claims the Dodgers have a 98.6 percent chance of making the postseason, and Baseball Prospectus calculates the chance at 96.7 percent.

If they do, though, I believe Seager will be a part of the team. A rapid promotion to Triple-A (just 20 games in Double-A in 2015) indicates how pleased the Dodgers have been with his progress this season, and current shortstop Jimmy Rollins has struggled. There are reasons to believe Rollins will rebound (a career-low .194 BABIP being one of them), but if he doesn’t, Seager is his ready-made replacement.

Even if he doesn’t get called up in August to replace Rollins, Seager will almost undoubtedly be up in September, and I believe he will make the postseason roster. Nothing about his performance suggests he won’t be successful at the major league level, and his high-upside bat would provide Don Mattingly with yet another quality bench option.

Joc Pederson Will Be an All Star

Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

Pederson has gotten off to an impressive start to his career. He has been MLB’s eighth-best hitter (through May 13), and he has performed in center field. With Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford—two of the Dodgers’ presumptive starting outfielders—on the disabled list, Pederson has been a consistent presence at the top of Don Mattingly’s lineup.

I suppose it is folly to attempt to predict All-Star voting patterns, but Pederson has been a pleasant surprise and plays in one of the country’s biggest markets, so he will not lack for support. He will definitely deserve to be in Cincinnati in July.

The Dodgers Will Finish 2015 with Baseball’s Best Bullpen

Harry How/Getty Images

Kenley Jansen has not yet pitched in 2015.

A year after finishing with the 22nd-best bullpen ERA, the Dodgers have built one of the game’s most dominant units. They currently rank third in ERA and first in FIP, and Kenley Jansen still has not taken the mound.

Of the 11 relievers who have thrown out of the Dodger bullpen, only three even have FIPs over 3.00. And while Pedro Baez left Wednesday’s game and has since been placed on the DL, Kenley Jansen—he of the career 2.25 ERA and 2.00 FIP—should be back this weekend.