Dodgers Overrated? One MLB 'Expert' Thinks So
Harold Reynolds was a solid ballplayer and seems like he's probably a nice guy.
Okay, now that we've covered all his good points, let's talk about his baseball "analysis."
Harold has a long history of saying dumb things, probably about all the teams but definitely about the Dodgers.
Remember 2017, when Chris Taylor came out of nowhere to post a 123 OPS+ and 4.4 WAR, one of the brightest surprises on the best Dodger team we'd seen in decades? In late August of that year, with Taylor sporting a .923 OPS, Reynolds said Taylor shouldn't make the postseason roster because he hits right-handed and they needed more guys who could hit against righty pitchers. (Taylor was actually slightly better against righties than lefties that year.)
A month later, Reynolds said Yasiel Puig would only play against lefties in the postseason. Puig, of course, had a well-publicized .592 OPS against lefties that year.
Okay, one more: Earlier this year, Reynolds changed baseball history.
Okay, now that we've established Harold's bona fides as a baseball "analyst," let's get to what he said on Thursday. He was on the Dan Patrick Show, and he was asked about the Dodgers being favored to win the World Series.
“Well I think they’re probably highly favored,” Reynolds said, “but I think they’re overrated with the favoritism.”
Look, Harold's a dadgum professional, so if he thinks they're overrated, he has a good reason, okay?
“I’m a little concerned about their starting pitching,” Reynolds said. “I think the pitching is not where it was at. You lose Walker Buehler, that was a huge blow to them. And Scherzer’s now with the Mets. So you look at the staff from last year that didn’t get all the way there, they’re two down. I just don’t see it.”
There are concerns to be had about the Dodgers' starting pitching. Can Clayton Kershaw's back stay healthy? Will Tyler Anderson's lack of strikeouts be an issue? Is Tony Gonsolin healthy?
But no, Harold went with "they don't have Max Scherzer or Walker Buehler," even though they won 111 games and posted the best ERA in baseball without Scherzer or Buehler.
There's more. Surely, this is where the wisdom comes in, right?
“The top three guys in the lineup I think have a chance to be all Hall of Fame potential players,” Reynolds said. “Mookie, Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner, incredible. But there’s a drop-off after that.”
It's true. There's definitely a drop-off. You drop down to Will Smith and his 120 OPS+, and then Justin Turner's 116. Max Muncy had an .858 OPS over the last two months of the season, and Trayce Thompson was .901 for the whole season.
Are there question marks offensively? Sure. But, again, this is the team that scored more runs than any team in baseball this year; that wasn't just the top three. Seven guys drove in over 60 runs this season, and eight guys scored over 60. Five guys hit 20+ homers (with one more at 19), and nine guys had 20+ doubles.
Are the Dodgers guaranteed to win the World Series? Of course not, and if you're betting on either them or the field, take the field, because of the nature of baseball. But the Dodgers are a genuinely, historically great team, and if Harold thinks acknowledging that is "overrating" them, well, that's Harold for ya.
