Dodgers Expected to Rely on Youth For First Time In A Long Time

Los Angeles looks to work rookies into their rotation alongside their veteran players.

It’s been a while since the Dodgers have had a lot of youth movement, but this upcoming season, they look to take advantage of it.

In 2022, the Dodgers only had six rookies play. Compared to other years, that was their lowest number of rookies in over two decades and the second-lowest since World War II. 

Even with those rookies on the roster, they weren't very active. Out of the six rookies from last season, Andre Jackson, Michael Grove, Ryan Pepiot, James Outman, and Miguel Vargas will be rookies again in 2023. As for Jake Reed, he already exceeded the rookie limits last season.

With all rookies returning, Los Angeles is aiming to utilize them more within the rotation. As of now, the team has 14 rookies available, which is a tie for the 25th-most rookies in the history of the franchise. 

Guys like Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, and Michael Busch are sure to get more playing time with other options available in Jacob Amaya, Jonny DeLuca, and Andy Pages.

The Dodgers have a lot to work with next season to involve their younger guys. Some players like Vargas and Outman are expected to get possible starting positions. Other players like Miller and Stone can fill rotational positions.

How well will the youth movement pan out for the Dodgers? In comparison to previous years, one can predict how significant the rookies’ roles will be.

As for the 2021 season, the Dodgers used 20 rookies and of those, Alex Vesia and Phil Bickford were standouts. Fast forward two years and 14 of those 20 are no longer in a Dodgers uniform anymore.

A look further back to 2006 shows a bit more valuable impact. In 2006, L.A. gave their rookies ample playing time. Russell Martin and Andre Ethier got close to 500 plate appearances, while Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Willy Aybar had over 100 PA each.

That season, the team was able to balance the rookies with the vets including stars like Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent, Kenny Lofton, and Greg Maddux. A solid middle ground was found within both areas of talent which was reflected in their 88-74 record, as they finished second in the NL West.

Being able to utilize the youth in complement with the veterans is something that helped produce effective results and something that this year’s team can try to emulate.

Although nothing is clear, some can predict the 2023 season to look similar to how the 2006 season went as far as the youth movement. The amount of playing time from this year’s rookies is also an uncertainty, but there is a lot of potential.