Los Angeles Dodgers: Yasmani Grandal’s Emergence
By Ryan Schultz
The Los Angeles Dodgers have stepped into first place in the NL West. They have done it without their star, Clayton Kershaw. Part of the reason they have played so well is the emergence of Yasmani Grandal as a star catcher.
The Los Angeles Dodgers looked like they were in a pretty sticky situation when they had to send their star pitcher Clayton Kershaw to the disabled list in late June. At the time, Kershaw was putting up unreal numbers, including an unbelievable 16.11 K/BB ratio. Not only was Kershaw’s pitching outstanding, but his teammates in the rotation were struggling. It seemed like the Dodgers were headed for a steep decline in a division that they already trailed seemingly too far behind the Giants.
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Rather than dropping in the standings, the Dodgers have done the exact opposite. Despite losing Kershaw for over a month now, the Dodgers have managed to make their way into sole possession of first place, as of Wednesday afternoon. The rotation has been able to improve slightly, with the return of Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson. McCarthy (since placed back on the DL) and Anderson both struggled in their return, but the Dodgers have proven to have the depth in the rotation to keep consistently dealing with the question of who will start the next game.
Above all, the Dodgers have been saved by the emergence of a few position players hitting the cover off of the ball. Aside from Corey Seager crushing the ball, as he has all season long, Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal have both found their hitting stroke following the injury to Kershaw.
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If we take the Kershaw injury as the turning point for the team, we can really see how much Grandal has improved over that time. It’s unclear when Kershaw truly got injured, but his last start was June 26th, so we’ll go from that date. Since then, Grandal has had 136 plate appearances and is hitting .301/.419/.681 with 13 home runs and a 191 wRC+. Sure, the sample size is relatively small, but his contributions to the team in the wake of Kershaw’s injury has been key to their success.
Grandal hasn’t shown that he can hit that well for an entire season yet. However, Grandal hasn’t played a full season healthy yet either. If Grandal can stay healthy, this type of production is likely what we will see from him.
"“While I was hurting, I was late on everything because my hands were slow,” Grandal said. “But it’s gotten a little better. I don’t have to try to pull everything or swing harder. I just let everything flow, and that’s why I’m able to see the ball better. I’m swinging at better pitches and not chasing.” (source)"
Just as I talked about earlier this week with Buster Posey, the value that Grandal brings to the team isn’t simply what he produces with the bat. Unlike Posey, Grandal has not dealt with a constant starting rotation all year. Instead, Grandal has had to adjust to catching a wide array of different pitchers, all at different talent levels. Despite having to catch a wide range of talent from very good to very bad, Grandal still ranks among the best in pitch framing. Not only is his CSAA second in the league behind Posey, but he also has the respect of catchers throughout the league for that skill. His teammate A.J. Ellis even said on MLB Network that he watches what Grandal does on tape to improve his abilities in receiving.
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Yasmani Grandal has been a very crucial part of the Los Angeles Dodgers team this season, especially in the wake of mounting injuries. Because of his emergence, along with the emergence and great play from his teammates, the Dodgers have managed to take first place from the Giants without having their best player. It’s uncertain when Kershaw will return, but if and when he does the Dodgers could become a dark horse World Series contender out of the National League. Yasmani Grandal will most certainly be a part of that path in the playoffs.