Last but certainly not least, the last and final team in the entire Preseason Preview Series are the 2020 World Series Champions, your Los Angeles Dodgers.
Projected Starting Rotation
| 1 | Clayton Kershaw |
| 2 | Walker Buehler |
| 3 | Trevor Bauer |
| 4 | David Price |
| 5 | Dustin May |
The Dodgers may in fact have the best rotation in baseball. They have starters up the wazoo and they let Spring Training dictate who gets a spot. The 7 potential starters are Kershaw, Buehler, Bauer, Price, May, Gonsolin and Urias. Of the 7, there are 3 definite starters, Kershaw, Buehler and Bauer. I would give the 4th and 5th spots to Price and May because of Price’s reputation as a starter and for May, because May is a better starter than he is a reliever. Gonsolin and Urias have both proven that they are able to transition over to being relievers and handle the pressure. As for expectations, I see Kershaw starting hot and declining as the season goes on. An important thing to make note of is, Kershaw is in the last year of his contract so he has to play well in order to continue getting what he gets, in terms of money. Bauer is in the 1st year of his potential 3 year deal and he has a lot of naysayers that he has to prove that last year was not a fluke. Buehler has the opportunity to give the Dodgers 4 Cy Youngs, if he has an excellent season. All-in-all, the rotation, no matter who are the 5 starters the rotation will be unbelievable.
Projected Line-Up
| 1 | RF Mookie Betts | R |
| 2 | SS Corey Seager | L |
| 3 | 3B Justin Turner | R |
| 4 | RF Cody Bellinger | L |
| 5 | C Will Smith | R |
| 6 | 1B Max Muncy | L |
| 7 | LF A.J. Pollock | R |
| 8 | 2B Gavin Lux | L |
| 9 | P Pitcher | – |
Bias aside, this lineup is FUCKEN STACKED!!!! As long as Dave doesn’t mess with it, with the exception of A.J. Pollock, then the Dodgers will be in a great position come August. The one guy I want to touch on, is Gavin Lux. Lux has been this top prospect that the Dodgers have deemed “untouchable” when it comes to trades. Yet, they haven’t given him a real shot to be an everyday player and superstar that he has been projected to be. I know fans have said that Taylor will be a great 2nd baseman, but in my opinion, Taylor should be a utility player and Lux should be the everyday 2nd baseman. If not then we missed out on getting guys like Josh Hader, Nolan Arenado, and Francisco Lindor for nothing.
2021 PECOTA NL West Projections
It’s safe to say that the Dodgers are the best team in baseball. 1) because they are the defending World Series champs and 2) because they have a great rotation, have a stacked lineup and turned their weak bullpen into a strength. I absolutely agree with the PECOTA projections, and have the Dodgers not only finishing in 1st in the NL West but also have the best record.
