Dodgers News: Chris Taylor Shares Who He Thinks Will Step Us This Season
As you might assume from the looks of the Dodgers' offseason so far, the 2023 season will present a massive turnover with a few new faces and also a few less faces than last year.
But these changes in the roster also come with a change in leadership within the team.
Justin Turner who was with the Dodgers for nine seasons was clearly a leader on and off the field but now that he's headed to Beantown, both players and fans have started to wonder who will step up next.
This past week, Chris Taylor hopped on a call with Dodger Nation's Doug McKain to share about discuss the adjustments the team will have to make this upcoming season. One of those is a new shift in leadership. Here's what he had to say:
“Obviously losing a couple guys, especially JT, he was sort of always our vocal leader. So it’ll be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out. I know we brought in a couple guys. We brought in J.D. Martinez and J-Hey [Jason Heyward]. Those guys are well respected throughout the league and everything I’ve heard about them is, everybody looks up to them and it’ll be great to have those guys in the clubhouse. For me, I’ve always been more of a lead by example. I think most people know I’m not the most vocal guy. But I like to think that I do things the right way and I prepare the right way and hopefully that can rub off on some of the younger guys. And I’d like to think that they respect the way I go about my business.”
J.D. Martinez has spent 13 seasons in the major leagues across four different organizations. The 35-year-old designated hitter has a .288 career AVG and will most likely follow up Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in the lineup.
And not only does he have experience in the MLB but some pretty impressive accolades as well: 5x All-Star, 2018 World Series Champion, and 3x Silver Slugger. A pretty beefy resume for the Dodgers youth movement to look up to.
Heyward is also an interesting name that Taylor threw out there as he's been playing in the MLB since 2010. The 33-year-old outfielder has spent his career with the Cubs, Cardinals, and Braves winning a World Series in 2016, 1 All-Star nod, and is a 5-time Gold Glove award winner.
Clearly, the Dodgers are made up of some star-studded talent both in the new and returning players. However, it will be interesting to see new faces step up and lead a team of both young guys and All-Stars like Betts and Freeman as well.
Chris Talyor is one of those familiar faces as he will return for his eighth year with the Dodgers. He, along with Kershaw, has one of the current longest tenures with the organization and has seen lots of different teams within Dodgers baseball.
Chris is on the media trail promoting his upcoming "Driving For Hope" golf event at TopGolf in El Segundo. CT and his wife Mary along with the CT3 Foundation are hosting the first L.A. edition of his annual charity golf event. Proceeds benefit Children's Hospital Los Angeles supporting children battling cancer and other life-altering illnesses.
Tickets are still available here for the Thursday, January 12 event. For those that cannot attend, there will be an online auction running along with the event. Details on their site.
