How Important Are Bench Players?
Over the last couple of years, I have been concerned with what I have considered a lack of power off of the Dodgers bench. Players like Kike, Rojas, Taylor, do not exactly scare the opposition. The way teams are constructed now, especially the Dodgers, it seems versatility…
Over the last couple of years, I have been concerned with what I have considered a lack of power off of the Dodgers bench. Players like Kike, Rojas, Taylor, do not exactly scare the opposition. The way teams are constructed now, especially the Dodgers, it seems versatility trumps the ability to crush baseballs. Back in the day, that role was usually filled by veteran players nearing the end of their careers.
In this era, it seems more about how many positions you can play late in the game. Having an awful postseason offensively, Andy Pages was inserted for defensive purposes in game seven and made a game saving catch that kept the Jays from scoring. Pages, who hit 27 homers during the season was 4-41 in the postseason. Pages though is considered a power hitter. He normally plays every game.
So, who supplied the power? The game tying homer was hit by Rojas, one of the team’s best defensive players. At the time, Miggy had only played one game in the World Series, game six. LA was one out away from losing the series to the Blue Jays. Will Smith would win it in the 11th with his own solo shot.
During the 2025 season, Dodger pinch hitters were 21-107, a .196 BA. They had 5 homers and 14 driven in. They struck out 32 times and walked 14. Not a very good record of success. The best pinch hitter in Dodger history was Manny Mota. Not a power hitter but a very good bat to ball hitter.
The record for PH homers in a season by a Dodger is 7. Dave Hansen, a backup third baseman has that record. I doubt it will ever be matched or broken the way pinch hitters are used in this era. Since power does not seem to be the primary goal, I would think they would at least consider getting players who were pretty decent hitters along with their abilities on defense. Let us look at some of the bench candidates.
Hyeseong Kim hit .280 in his short stint with the Dodgers. Kims OBP suffers from the fact that he does not walk very much, at least he did not do so last season. He walked just 7 times and struck out 52. A guy with his speed is most valuable when he gets on base. A little more awareness of the strike zone would be a huge asset to Kim.
Miguel Rojas is a defensive whiz. He has also had some big moments with the bat. In his career, Miggy has hit .232 in pinch hitting roles. He has 1 homer and 13 runs driven in. Last season, Miggy was probably the Dodgers best pinch hitter. He hit .429 as a PH and hit 1 of the 5 PH homers LA had. His OPS was over 1.200.
Alex Call was a .260 hitter last year. He did not have many PH chances during the season. He was used more as a defensive replacement. One of his assets is his ability to get on base. His OBP was .361. It was .333 with the Dodgers. He is also a very good outfielder who can play all three positions.
Andy Ibanez, recently signed by the Dodgers as a free agent is a 32-year-old glove first infielder. He has also played the outfield a little, but most of his experience comes as a 2nd or 3rd baseman. He has no power to speak of and does not hit very well at all.
Dalton Rushing is the one current bench player who has some power. He hit double figure homers in the minors twice. He only had 142 at bats in the major’s last season. He was replaced on the postseason roster by Ben Rortvedt, who after his trade to LA suddenly found his bat. Rortvedt was placed on waivers after the season and claimed by the Reds, so the backup job falls into Rushing’s lap. How much he will give LA on offense remains to be seen.
Alex Freeland got his first taste of the major’s last season and showed some good defense but did not really get many chances to show his offensive side. Freeland played at three different levels of the minors in 24, and last year he played 106 games at OKC. He batted .268 and clubbed 16 homers, so he also has showed some power. The issue right now for Alex is roster space. With Ibanez signing a MLB deal, and Rojas being retained, there is not any room for him. The only way he makes the 26-man out of spring is if someone gets injured.
The odd man out here is Ryan Ward. The Dodgers did him a disservice by adding him to the MLB roster. He is simply injury insurance. LA attempted to find trade partners for Ward and Bobby Miller according to reports, but there were no takers. Ward is a legitimate power threat having hit 133 homers in the minors. But he turns 28 in February.
Those are the probable bench players available on the 40-man roster. There are four players currently on the roster at OKC who have appeared in the majors, Chuckie Robinson, Ryan Fitzgerald, Matt Gorski and Nick Senzel. Currently there are no outfielders listed on the OKC roster, which means we will probably see AF sign some players to minor league deals.
In my humble opinion, which means little, the Dodger bench has plenty of defense and not much offense. Maybe that will change, and maybe it won’t. How benches are used has changed dramatically from when I first started watching the game. It will probably change more over the next decade or so.
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Discussion (112)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Current Signing Rumors New York Yankees: Reported as having “checked in” on Kopech as a high-upside bullpen depth option. Insiders suggest he is a “buy-low” candidate for a Yankees staff seeking late-inning strikeout ability. San Francisco Giants: Have reportedly been “in touch” with Kopech this winter. Analysts predict he could serve as a closer candidate for the Giants, potentially on a short-term, team-friendly deal to rebuild his value. Detroit Tigers: Suggested as a speculative “fixer-upper” fit, though concrete reports of negotiations have been light compared to the Yankees and Giants.
What’s the word with Michael Kopech? Haven’t seen any rumors about him lately. I know the Dodgers don’t need him, but I’ve always liked Chris Bassitt. He’s pitched well against the Dodgers. Probably a good fit with the A’s. It’s hard to believe Framber Valdez hasn’t been signed! Unless that incident with his catcher is a lot deeper than reported. Maybe he’s a bad clubhouse guy. Really hate Pittsburgh didn’t add any position players of big time talent. I’m guessing Skeenes will be just another in the long list of superstar pitchers who get out of town as soon as possible. Tight wad owners are “ruining “ baseball, not the Dodgers! Top 10 catchers? Can’t say I’m surprised Cal is #1. But Contreras over Will? Not sure I agree with that assessment.
Hard to hate on 60 homers (& my son’s name is Cal) but Smith is #1 to me. My favorite Dodger and it isn’t close.
There are still 8 unsigned players left on MLB Trade Rumors’ Top 50 FA List. All of them are pitchers. With Eugenio Suarez returning to Cincinnati, the last bat has been taken off the board in the Top 50 Free Agents list. The remaining players are all pitchers. The list right now is: Framber Valdez Zac Gallen Chris Bassitt Lucas Giolito Nick Martinez Zack Littell Justin Verlander Max Scherzer
TRADE DETAILS Mariners acquire: INF/OF Brendan Donovan Cardinals acquire: RHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (MLB’s No. 91 prospect, per MLB Pipeline); OF Tai Peete (was Mariners’ No. 11 prospect, now Cardinals’ No. 15); OF Colton Ledbetter (was Rays’ No. 24 prospect); Competitive Balance Round B picks (No. 68 overall, from Mariners; No. 72 overall, from Rays) Rays acquire: 3B Ben Williamson
MLB Network’s Top 10 Catchers (2026) Rank Player Team 1 Cal Raleigh Seattle Mariners 2 William Contreras Milwaukee Brewers 3 Will Smith Los Angeles Dodgers 4 Drake Baldwin Atlanta Braves 5 Alejandro Kirk Toronto Blue Jays 6 Gabriel Moreno Arizona Diamondbacks 7 Yainer Diaz Houston Astros 8 Sean Murphy Atlanta Braves 9 Iván Herrera St. Louis Cardinals 10 Shea Langeliers Athletics
The Cardinals made out very well in the Donavan trade.
100 games at 2b & 44 elsewhere last year. I’d say he’s a 2b with some defensive versatility. Be careful what you get good at.
The Cardinals send infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan to the Mariners, getting prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje and Tai Peete plus a competitive balance round B pick (#68 overall) from the Mariners, as well as receiving outfield prospect Colton Ledbetter and a competitive balance round B pick (#72 overall) from the Rays.overall) from the Rays. The Rays send outfield prospect Colton Ledbetter and a competitive balance round B pick (#72 overall) to the Cardinals, receiving infielder Ben Williamson from the Mariners.
Keith Law’s full Dodgers look is up @TheAthletic ($$$$$) We already had his top seven from the 100 list. Some notable ranked prospects are: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7007474/2026/02/02/dodgers-2026-top-20-prospects-keith-law/?source=user_shared_article 8. Ko 9. Davalan 13. George 17. Zazueta 20. West There’s an others of note section, with Ward. And a fallen section with Maddux Bruns.
Remains a stretch 😉
“A” key, not “The” key. I have lots of keys.
Mariners Close To Acquiring Brendan Donovan The Mariners and Cardinals are closing in on a deal to send Brendan Donovan to Seattle, per a report from Katie Woo and Chad Jennings of The Athletic. The report adds that a third team may be involved. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Rays are also involved. I want to see what teams involved are giving for a utility player with 2 years of control. I’m glad we didn’t get him.
I would classify that as potentially catastrophic 😉
Dont put that in the atmosphere!
We could lose Ohtani, Betts, and Yamamoto and still be alright.
Edman is an important piece, but to deem him the “key” is a stretch. If you were to single out a single key, I would venture to say is the health of our veterans. However, the Dodgers system is deep and built to weather the storm. It would have to be a catastrophic level event(s) to cripple the system.
Despite having Ohtani I hate the DH. More strategy removed from the game. These days the pitchers were only hitting once or twice a game before the manager had to make a decision. The DH did kill the bench at least partially
Well, we struggling in the regular season AND the WS last year. Clean it up!
I think the key is “there is no key.” The Dodgers have the players and the farm system to weather any storm.
I think Edman is a key this year. I like to reflect on the outside brought in to supercharge our talent base. I start with Mookie then Glasnow & Freeman. Obviously Yamamoto & Ohtani but also Teo. Snell, Sasaki & Tucker. (Scott & Diaz too.) But Edman’s a bit different from the rest. More of a straight complementary player despite the NLCS MVP. Would love to see that player again.
That puts him up there with Ohtani’s 3 dinger, 10 K performance because of the no-no.
So which of the teams in the NL West makes the October tournament? I believe NONE will.
I’m with you on Kim. My point was that Kim was always being mentioned as trade bait when he is probably the best defender. It’s good to see support in this site for him getting a fair shake at 2B. Hopefully the Dodger brass will feel the same.
Remember what Kapler did in the beginning!