The Los Angeles Dodgers are a powerhouse.
They did lose some star-level players in the offseason, most notably Trea Turner, Justin Turner, and Tyler Anderson.
They do have the roster and resources to keep pacing the NL West, though.
These two players will help if they can prove they can leave behind worrying trends and an ugly injury, respectively.
1. JD Martinez
The Dodgers signed JD Martinez to a one-year contract.
He is expected to be their designated hitter.
Martinez, 35, had a 119 wRC+ with the Boston Red Sox in 2022.
That means he was 19 percent better than the league average hitter.
However, he has something to prove: that he is not a declining asset that has seen his overall home run output decrease in each of the last four full seasons.
Martinez homered 45 times in 2017, 43 in 2018, 36 in 2019, 28 in 2021, and 16 in 2022.
He has played something close to a full season in each of those years.
The trend is worrying.
If there is a team with the ability and resources to stop the trend and help him return to being, at least, a 25-homer hitter, it’s the Dodgers.
Time is rather unforgiving, though.
2.Dustin May
Dustin May was on top of the world in 2021.
He made five starts with a 2.74 ERA and an incredible 13.70 K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings).
Then he blew up his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery, which is why he could make only six starts in 2022.
He didn’t quite show his pre-surgery form, with a 8.70 K/9 and a 4.50 ERA.
The Dodgers need him to throw more strikes, as he walked 4.20 hitters per nine innings in his 30 frames last year.
#Dodgers Dustin May was pretty honest about his recent struggles: “I’m at a point now where I feel comfortable with everything, I just need to go out there and execute. It’s not really a thing with Tommy John anymore. I just need to go out and throw strikes.”
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) September 22, 2022
That will probably come with time as he grows more confident in his elbow, but he does need to prove he can be that pitcher he was in 2021.
