Los Angeles Dodgers: DJ LeMahieu a good fit at 2B?

DJ LeMahieu is fresh off of winning yet another Gold Glove, but it is unclear whether the Colorado Rockies want to bring him back. With a hole needing to be filled at second base, should the Los Angeles Dodgers pursue the slick-fielding DJ?

On Tuesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers have already expressed interest in free agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu. The slick-fielding, glove-wielding LeMahieu is fresh off of being named the National League Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner at 2B, but it appears as if his seven-year run with the Colorado Rockies has come to an end. The two-time All Star, three-time Gold Glover has been a consistent fixture in Colorado’s lineup, but the team declined to give LeMahieu a qualifying offer as he heads into free agency for the first time in his career, and it appears as if the Rockies could be looking to move on from him altogether.

DJ LeMahieu would serve as an upgrade at second base for many teams. The question is, would he be a good fit for the back-to-back NL pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers?

Unfortunately for LeMahieu, he heads into free agency following a 2018 campaign that was perhaps the most atypical season of his career. Having never previously been placed on the disabled list, Hamstring, thumb, and oblique injuries sent DJ to the DL on three separate occasions this season, limiting him to 128 games which is the fewest he’s played since 2013.

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Even when he was healthy, LeMahieu’s numbers failed to replicate his usual production of recent seasons — known as a contact hitter who has a knack at drawing walks, he slashed just .276 this season and had his lowest walks total since ’14 as his ability to get on-base regressed significantly.

However, DJ also blasted a career-high 15 home runs, and likely would have improved on his ’17 campaign in runs and runs batted in had he been healthy. LeMahieu’s .298 BABIP this season is also far lower than his career .343 mark, indicating he was unlucky and fewer of his balls found gaps.

LeMahieu’s puzzling season along with the inevitable call-up of top prospect Brendan Rodgers (a shortstop who would be moved to 2B) could explain why the Rockies don’t appear interested in resigning the 30-year old second baseman. This opens the door for Colorado’s division rival to engage in talks with LeMahieu, and signing him would satisfy the L.A.’s need of a 2B, as the team received little out of the players that manned the position last season — Dodgers’ second basemen had a league-worst .209 batting average and NL-worst .332 slugging percentage. Impending free agent Brian Dozier, who was acquired at the July trade deadline for fellow two-bagger Logan Forsythe, hit a measly .125 with 2 RBI in the postseason, illustrating the team’s dire need for an upgrade.The Dodgers could turn to an internal option to fill their second base void, such as Chris Taylor, but given the franchise’s deep pockets it’s expected they pickup a free agent.

The combination of LeMahieu’s stellar defense and offensive prowess makes him a desired candidate for the Dodgers’ second base job, however it is worth wondering how he’ll fare playing outside of Colorado. The well-known stigma of Rockies’ hitters having far better home stats is also true for LeMahieu; at Coors Field, the most hitter-friendly ballpark in baseball, DJ has a career line of .329/.386/.427, but his .264/.311/.362 road splits make it difficult to believe that he will be the same player on a different team.

While DJ LeMahieu has experienced success with the Colorado Rockies the past seven seasons, his odd 2018 campaign along with the doubt he can produce outside of Coors Field will cost him in free agency this winter. However, perhaps the Los Angeles Dodgers believe they can get the second baseman for a bargain, and if DJ LeMahieu can continue to be the same player for a new team he would be a considerable improvement as part of what would be one of the strongest infields in the Majors.