Three Dodgers who might want to forget their spring training

With Opening Day here, a few players on the Los Angeles Dodgers may want to forget their spring training performance.

Of course, spring training stats are meaningless and are not an indication of how a player will do during the season, but for these players, it might be best to forget what happened in Arizona and start the season with a clear mind.

J.D. Martinez

Martinez was one of the Dodgers’ biggest free-agent signings, inking a one-year $10 million deal. After a subpar second half with the Boston Red Sox last year, the 35-year-old slugger is reuniting with Dodgers hitting coach, Robert Van Scoyoc, who helped turn Martinez’s career around. Martinez is expected to be the everyday designated hitter and to be a guiding voice in the clubhouse to the team’s younger hitters. 

However, Martinez’s bat has not yet provided the thump the Dodgers were hoping for. Heading into the last day of spring training, Martinez had the most at-bats on the team but was slashing .192/.250/.327 with only two homers. 

Martinez did end spring training on a high note, collecting three hits, including a double, in the freeway series finale, raising his batting average to .232. 

“You’re never ready for the season it feels like,” Martinez said. “My body feels good, my swing feels good and competitive every time I go out there. I feel like I’m ready.”

Trayce Thompson

Thompson is making his first Opening Day roster with the Dodgers since 2016. One thing Thompson wanted to work on this spring was hitting left-handed pitchers. 

Thompson had reverse splits last season after coming over to the Dodgers, hitting .308 with 10 homers 30 RBIs and an OPS of 1.010 against right-handers, and only .174 with three home runs, 11 RBIs and an OPS of .621.

In Thompson’s quest to dominate right-handed pitching, his bat has gone entirely cold. In 31 at-bats, Thompson only has three hits, which is good for a batting average of .086. 

Thompson also competed in the World Baseball Classic for Great Britain and was able to collect three hits, including a home run, in 14 at-bats. However, six hits for the entirety of spring is not a good sign. 

Thompson is expected to platoon in center field with rookie James Outman. 

Chris Taylor

After coming off one of his poorest seasons as a Dodger, Taylor came into camp ready to prove that his 2022 was just a fluke. However, his spring did not go the way he anticipated.

Heading into the Freeway Series, Taylor only had six hits in 48 at-bats with a staggering 23 strikeouts. Taylor performed so poorly that manager Dave Roberts announced that the 32-year-old will start the year as a platoon player, mostly seeing playing time against left-handed pitching.

The news didn’t seem to phase Taylor much.

“It’s a long season, I’m not thinking about the whole year,” Taylor said. “I’m just trying to get myself right. If I play the way I’m capable of, I’ll play against lefties and righties.”

Like Martinez, CT3 ended his spring on a bit of a high note. Taylor collected a hit, including a home run, in each game of the Freeway Series and only struck out twice.

While his performance didn’t change his role come Opening Day, Roberts did praise Taylor’s adjustments.

“He’s way more on time than he was the last few days, and the homer was a byproduct,” Roberts said. “Even the other at-bats, I thought he took some good swings and was looking over the baseball much better.”