Week 1: Why the Dodgers are showing signs of being the best team in baseball this season.

1. Best top to bottom line-up

The ever-changing line-up of the Dodgers is unique to Major League Baseball, aka MLB. There are four players that constantly play while the other four position players are interchanged each game. This strategy allows for the players to perform at their best when needed.

For example, when the Dodgers face a left-handed pitcher, they have a line-up stacked with right-handed batters that are more likely to succeed. This strategy puts aside egos and pride for the sake of the team and is obviously working this season.

In past seasons, the Dodgers have really relied on hitting home runs to win games. This season, they have brought up their RBI percentage which has led them to victory over and over again.

With their ability at the plate to hit home-runs and RBI’s they have become unstoppable this year. They are projected to have the best line-up in the national league, up and down.

2. Front-runner for MVP

The Dodgers have a star player this year, Cody Bellinger, who started off the season hitting 400. He leads every category, except for a close second in home-runs, in the league. His speed is a key element in his success this season so far. He is able to turn singles into doubles, doubles to triples and easily steal bases. Needless to say, his base running is off the charts.

He is a threat on the bases and at the plate, which we have seen multiple times this year when pitchers intentionally walk him. This has forced other players hitting after him to really step up and bring him home.

As we know his offense to be exceptional, his defense is incomparable to other outfielders. He is tied for the league lead in baseball with outfield assists. Other teams have learned that when a ball is hit to him, they cannot take that extra base because they will be thrown out. His arm is that good and that deadly.

This is Cody’s third season with the Dodgers. He won rookie of the year his first year and had an off year the second. This has really pushed him to step up as a leader this year and prove that his rookie year was not a fluke. The team really relies on his energy and passion he brings to every game. If he continues on this pace, he will be a shoo-in for Most Valuable Player in the National League.

3. Starting pitching is best in MLB

Altogether, the starting pitchers rank second in earned run average, aka ERA, and seventh in innings pitched. To be able to lead in both of those rankings is crucial to their success this year.

The starting pitchers have been successful in keeping the bullpen pitch count down which has been key in victories this season because the bullpen is the weak link for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are lucky to have the best pitchers in baseball currently, who is Hyun-jin Ryu. His stats are unlike any other pitcher in the National League. He is 9 in 1 and an ERA of 1.35. In the month of May, he has started 6 games and only given up 3 runs.

If the Dodgers starting pitching continues to be this dominant, it will be hard for any other team to compete in a five or seven game series in October.

Thanks for reading and if you have any other reasons the Dodgers are showing signs of being the best team in MLB, comment below!