Over the last three years, no MLB team has had more regular-season wins than the Los Angeles Dodgers. LA's 320 victories are 25 more than the second-place Braves during that span. Yet all the Dodgers have to show for it is an NLCS appearance and two NLDS exits. Their only World Series title of the last 35 years remains the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
Despite their postseason struggles, the Dodgers have started the regular season strongly again in 2024. The additions of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow have made LA an even more formidable team to face. LA's 38 wins are the second-most in the National League and give the club a comfortable seven-game lead atop the NL West.
Even amidst a strong start, the Dodgers still have several holes in their lineup. Here are four Dodgers players fans are already fed up with in the 2024 season
Gavin Lux (2B)
At what point does Gavin Lux cross over from being a prospect to someone the Dodgers need consistent production from at second base?2022 felt like a breakthrough year. Lux led MLB with seven triples in 129 games, posting a .276 batting average and .745 OPS. But in Spring Training 2023, Lux tore his ACL and missed the entire season.
In his first two months back on the diamond, Lux did not look like the player who was once a first-round pick and top prospect for the Dodgers. The 26-year-old is batting .209 on the season with an OPS of .554. While he provides above-average defense at second base, his offensive struggles do not bode well for an LA lineup with surprising holes.
James Outman (OF)
The Dodgers moved Mookie Betts to the middle infield last year after the season-ending injury to Gavin Lux, figuring their outfield depth could make up for Betts' shift. James Outman was especially impressive for LA, finishing with 23 homers and 16 stolen bases as a rookie with a .790 OPS. But this year, with Outman and other Dodgers outfielders having a tough time at the plate, Betts' move to the infield is looming large. Outman batted .147 across his first 124 plate appearances, his OPS dropping to .516. A .197 BABIP is partly to blame, but Outman was demoted to Triple-A despite lousy luck.
The 27-year-old has seemed to have recalibrated in the Pacific Coast League, and Dodgers fans will hope his improvement can carry over to the Majors.
Chris Taylor (OF)
A mainstay in the bottom half of the Dodgers lineup for nearly a decade, Chris Taylor is finally beginning to show signs of slowing down at age 33. The utility man is batting just .108 on the year and has a single extra-base hit in 87 plate appearances — a far cry from his career .250 batting average and .753 OPS. With Los Angeles not getting much production from the rest of its outfield, Chris Taylor's struggles are magnified. Is this the end of the line for the Dodgers veteran?
Enrique Hernandez (OF/3B)
Like Taylor, Kike Hernandez is another player with a long history of success for the Dodgers who has done next to nothing at the plate this season. Hernandez is batting .198 with a .533 OPS and four extra-base hits across 137 plate appearances. His only saving grace is surprisingly above-average defense at third base this year — a position he has not played much in his career. Still, his lack of performance at the plate is surprising, given his history of success.
