As in every walk of life, personalities run the full spectrum on the Dodgers 25-man roster. You’ve got the carefree, fun-loving, boisterous types such as the lovable Kiké Hernandez, Matt Kemp and, of course, Yasiel Puig. On the other end of the spectrum you’ve got the stoic, quiet, no-nonsense types like Chase Utley, Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw, and even 2018 National League Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger, all of whom (for the most part), employ the ‘speak only when spoken to’ mentality that our fathers often tried to pound into our heads as kids … usually without success.

Now this most certainly isn’t to say that even the loudest and rowdiest don’t have their quiet moments, or vice versa. Nor is it to suggest that having one type of personality is any better or worse than the other. But what it is to say is, again, just like every other walk of life, personalities run from one extreme to the other, and this is what makes every one of us unique.

But for the most part, the individual personalities within the Dodgers clubhouse rarely – if ever – have any effect whatsoever on what happens ‘between the lines’ (as they say).

…or does it?

There may be one exception to this basic general rule – Logan Forsythe.

Forsythe, who is currently in a third ‘club-option’ year of a two-year / $10.25 million contract (which he signed while a member of the Tampa Bay Rays on January 15, 2016), is and has been pretty much a dud since being acquired by the Dodgers in the trade that sent beloved right-hander Jose De Leon to Tampa Bay on January 23, 2017. And while the extremely quiet 31-year-old Memphis, Tennessee native and former first-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres in 2008 out of the University of Arkansas has had his moments in the sun as a member of the Padres, Rays, and Dodgers, he has clearly fallen well short of expectations in his two seasons with the Dodgers, who granted him that $8.5 million club option for the 2018 season.

There is no disputing that Logan Forsythe is among the nicest guys on the team despite his soft-spoken personality. But the bottom line is that it might be time to move on from him as the Dodgers (almost) everyday second baseman. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Here again, this isn’t to say that Forsythe isn’t a nice guy; quite the contrary, in fact. He is among the nicest guys in the Dodgers clubhouse and is always willing to speak with the media – good, bad, or indifferent – when asked. It is to say, however, that he has been – and continues to be – the Dodgers weakest link … at least with the bat.

A bit harsh, you say? Check this out:

Of the 12 non-pitchers currently on the Dodgers 25-man roster, Forsythe is dead last with his .204 batting average (10-for-157, dead last with his .254 on-base percentage, second to last with his .306 slugging percentage (behind only Austin Barnes‘ .270), and dead last with his .560 OPS.

Simply put, were it not for the $8.5 million that the Dodgers are shelling out for a guy who should have been designated for assignment weeks (if not months) ago, he undoubtedly would have been.

But there’s another element in play here, one that Dodger fans are painfully familiar with. Much like perpetually struggling right-hander Pedro Baez, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts likes Logan Forsythe (who is an extremely likable guy), regardless of how bad he has been during his two seasons with the Dodgers (.218 / .324 / .320 / .644), and regardless of how much he is hurting the team.

Roberts’ argument – to this point, at least – has been that Forsythe is an exceptional defender. The problem with this argument is that it doesn’t hold water.

Whether at his natural second base position or when he filled in at third base while Dodgers All-Star third baseman Justin Turner was on the shelf recovering from his fractured left wrist, Roberts has and continues to overlook the fact that Forsythe has committed four errors in 36 total chances at third base for a .889 fielding percentage (as compared to Justin Turner’s .971 FPCT and Kyle Farmer‘s .976 FPCT at third base), and has committed three errors in 140 total chances at second base for a significantly better .979 FPCT, which is undoubtedly why Doc continues to run him out there in spite of his DFA-able offensive numbers.

The burning question is, of course, what better options do the Dodgers have at second base. The obvious answer if Max Muncy who, as we have all come to know and understand, must … absolutely must be in the Dodgers lineup every day because of his team-leading 17 home runs, team-leading .410 on-base percentage, team-leading .616 slugging percentage, and team-leading 1.026 OPS. The downside is that Muncy is not – and has never been – an everyday second baseman … or first baseman, or third baseman, or outfielder, for that matter. In fact, he has logged fewer games at second base (four) than any of the other positions he has played in his 36 games with the Dodgers thus far this season. In those four games at second base, the extremely popular 27-year-old Midland, Texas native has committed one error in 16 total chances for a .938 FPCT; not horrible, but a ridiculously small sample size.

That being said, I’m sure that most Dodger fans will gladly take the .041 disparity in fielding percentage in favor of the 15 home run disparity between Mad Max and Logan Forsythe, who has hit only two home runs thus far this season.

Another viable second base option is (wait for it…) Kyle Farmer. Although the extremely popular 27-year-old Atlanta, Georgia native and former Georgia Bulldog teammate of Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood has never played a game at second base at the major league level, he did play one full game at second base with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers this season. In that one game he did not commit an error in his one chance, for a 1.000 FPCT. Yes, this too is also a ridiculously small sample size, but with his propensity to come up clutch in extremely tough situations offensively, he is most certainly worth the gamble.

With his clutch bat, backup catcher / utility infielder Kyle Farmer is a very viable option to replace Forsythe as the Dodgers everyday second baseman; or even split time there with Max Muncy.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

As far as minor league second base alternatives for the Dodgers, there really aren’t many at the Triple-A or even Double-A levels. However, if you expand your search a little further, there is Dodgers 2016 first-round draft pick (out of Indian Trail High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin) Gavin Lux who, by every indications, is the heir apparent to eventually replace Forsythe and 39-year-old / 16-year MLB veteran Chase Utley as the Dodgers future everyday second baseman. The obvious problem with this is that the extremely talented second baseman and 2018 Cal League All-Star is only 20 years old and currently assigned to the Dodgers Advanced Single affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes … although he probably won’t be there much longer. In other words, Lux is probably at least one full season away from being MLB ready, and more than likely two.

Lux went 2-for-4 with a triple in the seven major league spring training games in which he appeared with the Dodgers this past spring. He also drew two walks to give him an outstanding .667 on-base percentage.
(Photo credit – Gary A. Vasquez)

But putting personalities, likes, or dislikes aside, at some point – and hopefully relatively soon – Dave Roberts, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, and general manager Farhan Zaidi are going to have to come to grips with the fact that money notwithstanding, the Logan Forsythe experiment has failed miserably and it is time to move on from him.

Fire away.