Position series: Second base
by Cary Osborne
(Editor’s Note: Throughout the offseason, Dodger Insider will recap each position group from the 2017 season. Second base is the seventh in the series.)
Previous Editions:
Center Field
Left Field
Right Field
Third Base
Shortstop
First Base
OVERVIEW
In the 2016 offseason, the Dodgers addressed a need by trading top right-handed pitching prospect Jose De Leon to Tampa Bay for veteran second baseman Logan Forsythe.
Forsythe had an interesting season to reflect upon. He suffered a fractured toe on April 18 and later suffered a hamstring injury that forced him out a month. His batting average dipped 40 points from the year before, he hit 14 fewer home runs and his OPS was down 100 points. And yet, he still provided huge boosts elsewhere before thriving in the playoffs.
Among players with at least 200 plate appearances as a second baseman, Forsythe ranked second in baseball with a .397 on-base percentage. He also spearheaded a dramatic defensive turnaround for the Dodgers at the position. The Dodgers went from 28th in the Majors in defensive runs saved by second basemen in 2016 to third in 2017. They went from 20th in defensive runs above average and ultimate zone rating in 2016 to 10th in both categories.
Another area where the Dodgers improved is in the FanGraphs stat rGDP (double-play runs saved) — a stat for shortstops and second basemen. The Dodgers were tied for 28th in 2016 at -3. The Dodgers were tied for sixth in the Majors in 2017 at +2.
Forsythe’s injury also opened the door to the emergence of Chris Taylor, who was brought up to the Majors from Triple-A Oklahoma City on April 19 and went on to have a breakthrough season. Taylor and veteran Chase Utley spent nearly two months taking most of the reps at second base while Forsythe healed and filled in for Justin Turner at third base.
On July 7, Utley collected his 1,000th career RBI. He became one of just four second basemen all time (played a minimum of 75 percent of their games at the position) with at least 250 homers, 1,000 RBI, 1,800 hits, 1,000 runs and an .800 OPS.
It was Forsythe, though, who started a majority of the games at second base in the second half, and he was the Dodgers’ primary second baseman in the postseason.
Forsythe was third on the Dodgers in batting average, second in on-base percentage and third in runs (minimum 20 plate appearances) during the postseason.
PLAYING BREAKDOWN
· Logan Forsythe (68 starts, 80 appearances, 587 2/3 innings)
· Chase Utley (68 starts, 80 appearances, 573 2/3 innings)
· Chris Taylor (19 starts, 22 appearances, 166 2/3 innings)
· Austin Barnes (4 starts, 21 appearances, 76 2/3 innings)
· Kiké Hernández (2 starts, 9 appearances, 30 innings)
· Charlie Culberson (1 start, 2 appearances, 10 innings)
TEAM STATS (2B)
(Note: The following stats are accumulated for players who played that position at the time of the at-bat. For example, only Logan Forsythe’s stats while playing 2B are included, rather than Forsythe’s overall stats for the year. Most stats come via FanGraphs, Baseball Reference and STATS LLC.)
AVG: .263 (20th in MLB, 11th in NL)
OBP: .360 (4th in MLB, 3rd in NL)
SLG: .426 (13th in MLB, 5th in NL)
OPS: .786 (7th in MLB, 2nd in NL)
HR: 18 (T-15th in MLB, T-6th in NL)
R: 98 (T-7th in MLB, T-4th in NL)
RBI: 69 (17th in MLB, 7th in NL)
wOBA (Weighted On-Base Average): .341 (7th in MLB, 2nd in NL)
wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus): 112 (7th in MLB, 2nd in NL)
K: 143 (10th most in MLB, 4th most in NL)
BB: 81 (3rd in MLB, 1st in NL)
WAR (according to Baseball Ref): 2.9 (T-9th in MLB, T-2nd in NL)
BASERUNNING (2B)
SB: 5 (T-24th in MLB, T-13th in NL)
SB%: 62.5 (25th in MLB, 13th in NL)
rBR (Baserunning Runs via Baseball Reference): 1 (T-8th in MLB, T-4th in NL)
DEFENSE (2B)
Def (Defensive Runs Above Average): 4.7 (10th in MLB, 5th in NL)
UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating): 2.2 (10th in MLB, 5th in NL)
DRS (Defensive Runs Saved): 9 (3rd in MLB, 2nd in NL)
Errors: 15 (T-7th most in MLB, T-5th most in NL)
Fielding %: .977 (T-24th in MLB, 7th in NL)
TOP THREE (BY PLAYING TIME)
• Logan Forsythe
Regular Season
Overall — .224/.351/.327, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 56 R, 3 SB
As 2B — .274/.397/.381, 4 HR, 43 R, 25 RBI, 2 SB
Fielding (As 2B) — 3 E, .989 FP, 5 DRS, 9.2 UZR/150, 4.2 Def
Postseason
Overall — .297/.435/.351, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 9 R, 2 SB
• Chase Utley
Regular Season
Overall — .236/.324/.405, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 43 R, 6 SB
As 2B — .233/.293/.415, 8 HR, 34 R, 27 RBI, 3 SB
Fielding (As 2B) — 5 E, .978 FP, 1 DRS, 1.4 UZR/150, 1.6 Def
Postseason
Overall — .000/.211/.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB
- Chris Taylor
Regular Season
Overall — .288/.354/.496, 21 HR, 72 RBI, 85 R, 17 SB
As 2B — .313/.425/.567, 4 HR, 12 R, 11 RBI, 1 SB
Fielding (As 2B) — 5 E, .944 FP, 2 DRS, -3.1 UZR/150, -0.1 Def
Postseason
Overall — .254/.380/.508, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 12 R, 0 SB
HIGHLIGHT MOMENTS
- After Forsythe suffered a fractured toe on his right foot on April 18, the Dodgers brought Taylor up from Triple-A Oklahoma on April 19 and inserted him into the lineup against Colorado. Taylor went 2-for-3 with two doubles. More importantly, it was the starting point of a breakthrough season for Taylor, who ended up playing five positions for the Dodgers.
- Forsythe was a terror to his former team, the San Diego Padres in back-to-back games on June 30 and July 1. He had four hits in each game and reached base nine times in 10 plate appearances. He also scored five runs. Forsythe came into the June 30 game with a season slashline of .208/.333/.282 and left the July 1 with a slashline of .247/.363/.329.
- In Game 2 of the National League Division Series, Forsythe was 3-for-5 in the Dodgers’ 8–5 win against Arizona. With the Dodgers trailing 2–1 in the bottom of the fourth, Forsythe hit a one-out single. He later scored on a wild pitch to tie the score. In the fifth, he ignited a four-run inning with a one-out RBI single. He later scored on an Austin Barnes double. He also led off the seventh with a single and scored on an error to put the Dodgers up 7–5.
ANALYSIS/LOOKING FORWARD
Forsythe was brought in to be the Dodgers’ primary second baseman in 2017, but his injury and Justin Turner’s hamstring issue in late May/early June lessened his time at the position.
He goes into 2018 as the primary second baseman again and is also arguably the Dodgers’ best option to spell Turner when he needs a rest at third base.
Despite Culberson being traded to Atlanta and Utley being a free agent, the Dodgers have backup options at second base. Hernández, Taylor and Barnes all remain options. With outfielder Andrew Toles looking to return from ACL surgery, and Taylor and Hernandez’s value in the lineup, it’s possible to see both more at second base in 2018. But the Dodgers could also look to a middle infielder to spell Forsythe and Corey Seager at shortstop.
Tim Locastro, who made his Major League debut with the Dodgers on Sept. 29, fills that profile. In five Minor League seasons, he has played 240 games at second base and 130 at shortstop.
With the offseason still here, other options could still present themselves.
