The Dodgers have announced their 25-man roster for the 2017 National League Division Series, which begins on Friday, October 6, 2017 at 7:31 pm PT.

The Dodgers will carry 12 pitchers and 13 position players in the first round of the 2017 postseason.
(Image courtesy of LA Dodgers)

Although there was widespread speculation that utility infielder Tim Locastro would make the team – more so for his baserunning skills than anything else – he did not. Instead, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, general manager Farhan Zaidi, field manager Dave Roberts and a reported bevy of other Dodgers executives and scouts chose to go with catcher / utility infielder Kyle Farmer. By doing so, this allows Roberts the luxury of keeping the smoking hot bat of back-up catcher Austin Barnes in the everyday lineup while providing back-up protection for regular catcher Yasmani Grandal. It also gives Roberts a power bat off the bench.

Who can forget Farmer’s dramatic walk-off double in his very first major league at-bat on July 30, 2017 to give the Dodgers a 3-2 win over the hated San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the 11th inning, a moment that Roberts recently called his favorite Dodger Stadium memory this season.

“Home memory? There’s been many. But I think if I had to choose one, it’s probably the debut of Kyle Farmer and that walk-off against the Giants,” Roberts said, with an almost fatherly-like grin. “To see Alex (Wood) and how joyful he was, to take the field and get to Kyle and the teammates. I found myself on the field for him and seeing him get his shirt ripped off, and his parents there. That was probably a special one.”

As you would expect, it was a pretty special moment for the 27-year-old former University of Georgia Bulldog as well.

“It’s more than I ever expected, the guys in this clubhouse are awesome,” said Farmer, when asked what the experience has been like for him. “There’s not one bad guy on this team. Great team players, they welcome us all with open arms. If you would have told me I’d be in this situation about three months ago when I was in [Double-A] Tulsa, I’d call you a liar.

“This is a great experience for me, and especially being part of this great team, especially with this epic run that we’re going on. The champagne showers were something that I’ll always remember,” Farmer added.

Farmer gets mobbed by his teammates after his dramatic walk-off double against the Giants in his first major league at-bat on July 30, 2017.
(Photo credit – Mark J. Terrill)

Another surprise, although not really, was the inclusion of veteran outfielder Andre Ethier on the NLDS roster. Even though the 35-year-old longest tenured Dodger has dealt with serious injuries over most of the past two seasons, he gives Roberts a very experienced left-handed bat off the bench. It was thought that Ethier was competing for a roster spot with 25-year-old outfielder Joc Pederson, but the raw numbers showed that in spite of his very limited playing time and plate appearances, Ethier brings far more playoff experience into the mix. Even though the Phoenix, Arizona native only went 8-for-34 (.235) in his limited playing time this season, two of those eight hits were home runs and another a double.

Pederson, on the other hand, finished the season with a rather dismal .222 batting average. He did, however, slug 11 home runs on the season, suggesting that this was a very difficult decision for the Dodgers brass.

Another not-so-much-of-a-surprise is the inclusion of right-handed reliever Pedro Baez on the division series roster. As most fans know, the 29-year-old Bani, Dominican Republic native struggled considerably in the second half of the season that often drew boos from Dodger fans even at Dodger Stadium. Yet Roberts made it abundantly clear on numerous occasions that he was a big fan of the hard-throwing right-hander. He also pointed out that when you look at the full body of Baez’s work, his 2.95 ERA jumps out at you and could prove instrumental for the Dodgers in the postseason.

So there you have it, the Dodgers 2017 National League Division Series roster. There’s only one thing left to do now…

Play Ball!