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We’re nitpicking when trying to find something wrong with the Dodgers at this point.
The team is 9-2 as of Monday night to begin the year and still is missing a handful of players (Freddie Freeman, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, Clayton Kershaw, the pitcher version of Shohei Ohtani) who’ve yet to impact the team at a high level.
Having said that, if there’s one potential problematic spot within the team, it’s currently the centerfield position.
Andy Pages has played parts of two seasons there. He was pegged as the team’s starting centerfielder this year, largely due to Tommy Edman playing second base as a byproduct of Korean import Hye-Seong Kim starting off the year in AAA.
We saw Pages misplay a handful of balls last year, and that trend has already continued in 2025. To make matters worse, he’s currently hitting .118. He has four hits in 34 at-bats, and has struck out 14 times. Normally a shoe-in to play versus lefties, Pages was not in the starting lineup Monday against Washington Nationals LHP MacKenzie Gore.
There’s real concern Pages might not be the answer in the interim or longterm. He’s naturally a corner outfielder with some real talent. Pages has pop and a very good arm. However, he’s blocked by Michael Conforto and Teoscar Hernandez. The Dodgers desperately want to get his bat in the lineup — but not at the sake of crushing the team with poor defense.
The team was hopeful Kim would begin with the Big League team at 2B with the versatile Edman in CF. However, Kim’s swing needed to be revamped with more experience against plus velocity. He’s done well so far — hitting .273 with four doubles and a triple in 33 at-bats.
It’s tough to move Edman from second base. He’s an excellent fielder and has played at a Gold Glove level thus far. However, the Dodgers can’t afford to be below-average at several spots — and as such the team’s strength is not on the defensive side of the diamond.
