When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced his National League Division Series roster on October 4, there were no real surprises. Sure, you could argue that the inclusion of third catcher Austin Barnes was a bit of a head-scratcher, but when you think about it, Roberts’ explanation as to why he included the 26-year-old Riverside, California native on his playoff roster, it makes perfect sense.

“With [Carlos] Ruiz, just his ability to hit left-handed pitching and I trust him behind the plate obviously,” Roberts said. “[Barnes] just gives the flexibility to potentially run for Yasmani if need be and Austin, he’s a bat off the bench, can hit right-handed, he can run and he can also play second base, third base. Pretty versatile player.”

The one other guy on Roberts’ NLDS roster that may have caused some Dodger fans to say “Hmmm” is veteran outfielder Andre Ethier.

…or did he?

When Dodgers back-up catcher and fan-favorite A.J. Ellis was traded to the Phillies for Ruiz in late August, Ethier immediately became the Dodgers’ longest tenured player, having been acquired by the Dodgers on December 13, 2005 as a minor leaguer in a trade that sent oft-troubled outfielder Milton Bradley and pitcher Antonio Perez to Oakland; a trade that many still consider to be the best trade that former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti ever made.

Over the course of his 11 major league seasons – all with the Dodgers – Ethier has a career slash-line of .285 / .359 / .463 for a career OPS of .822 – certainly not Hall of Fame numbers but quite impressive numbers nonetheless. Yet in spite of this, it seems that the (now) 34-year-old Phoenix, Arizona native is a perennial trade-rumor candidate. But like the proverbial ‘bad penny,’ Ethier always turns up on the Dodgers Opening Day roster year after year. But unlike that bad penny, he continues to be one of the most popular Dodger players among fans and his teammates and has an incredible and uncanny knack for coming up big in extremely clutch situations; so much so that he earned the nickname “Captain Clutch” many years ago and still seems to rise to the occasion in key situations.

Anyone who has witnessed Ethier taking batting practice since his return from the DL will tell you that he has been absolutely crushing the ball. As he has done so many times during his career, don’t be surprised to see ‘Captain Clutch’ come up big this postseason as well.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

As every Dodger fan knows, Ethier suffered a fractured right tibia when he fouled a ball of his right shin during a spring training game on March 18. He was initially expected to miss 10 to 14 weeks but did not appear in a rehab game until August 25 with the Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He was finally re-activated from the disabled list on September 10, appearing in 16 games for the Dodgers with 26 plate appearances, going 5-for-24 (.208) with one home run, one double and two RBIs. Do these numbers justify Ethier being on the Dodgers Division Series roster? According to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, there’s more to it than just the raw numbers and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who disagrees with him.

“I think it’s the veteran presence. He feels comfortable at the plate right now,” Friedman said. “He’s someone that’s in the immediate fold that makes sense throughout the course of the game, the beginning of the game to help us. In games that he’s not starting, to have that kind of left-handed bat off the bench is a great thing for us.”

We all know that it is impossible to predict the outcome of any baseball game, let alone a postseason baseball game. Yet somehow and in some way, you can just sense that Andre Ethier – ‘Captain Clutch’ – will come up big during the playoffs.

…and probably when you least expect it.