September 4th, 2019 at 9:00 am 
by 0799291000348 No, not Gavin Lux making his first start for the Dodgers, or Kenta Maeda moving to the bullpen, although those moves were also overdue and worthy of mention. It was the defensive realignment that saw the healthy A.J. Pollock in left field and the versatile Chris Taylor in center field. The Dodgers did not officially acknowledge the change, but its significance should not go unnoticed.
Pollock’s defensive reputation was garnered on one good season, 2015, when he was named by Rawlings as the National League’s Gold Glove center fielder. But the combination of injuries and age (32 in three months) have eroded his center field defensive skills to the point where he is a liability in the position. Chris Taylor is not a great defensive center fielder, about average statistically, but he is much better than Pollock. However, the Dodgers best defensive alignment is when Alex Verdugo is in the Dodgers outfield.
Verdugo’s first rehab game was Monday night as the Designated Hitter for the Dodgers Pioneer Rookie League Ogden Raptors – two walks and fly-out to left field in five innings was his stat line. But make no mistake about it, when Verdugo returns to the active roster sometime next week, he may very well be the Dodgers regular center fielder, although on Monday afternoon Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted that Cody Bellinger might become his everyday center fielder, with Verdugo likely to be in left field and Joc Pederson in right.
The next step will be to platoon Pollock with one of the Dodgers young outfielders, depending on whether Bellinger plays first base or the outfield. Pollock’s batting splits this season cannot be ignored for the postseason. Facing right-handed pitchers Pollock has slashed .220 / .290 / .422 / .713; against left-handed pitching .350 / .398 / .500 / .898.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)
Most likely, Pollock will be unhappy with the shift to left field and even more disgruntled with platooning. But both moves are in the best interest of the team’s pursuit of a World Championship in 2019.
What about 2020?
That’s a topic for the upcoming Hot Stove League.
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Posted in 
An OF of:
LF Joc/Pollock
CF Cody
RF Dugie
Looks good to me.
Nice article and I think this is a very good move for the Dodgers to make.
for the last few years i have wondered why any FA would sign here, knowing that their counting stats and ability to secure personal awards would be all but voided by shared playing time, all of which affects future earnings. championship rings are great but many end up in the pawn shop as they arent edible. as i recall, AJ was assured that he would be the everyday CF but it was clear from the beginning that he was not the best option on this team. realistically, he’s the fourth or fifth best defensive CF we have. he’s a good player but he simply wasnt needed here and will become disgruntled, at best, as the next couple of years see verdugo, beaty, lux, garlick and rios force their way into this lineup. guys like joc, ct3 and kike, all fan favorites will become expendable as their price tags rise but there through it all sits AJ…
[…] has slashed .220/.290/.422/.713; against left-handed pitching .350/.398/.500/.898” (courtesy Think Blue LA). I can also envision Bellinger and Verdugo switching outfield positions. If you recall, the […]