The Los Angeles have been having a lot of controversy surrounding the outfield this season.
With left fielder Michael Comfort showing off his offensive struggle and left fielder Tecker Hernandez showing a bright weakness in his defense, manager Dave Roberts considered shaking things.
I thought the skipper had considered moving Hernández to the left as Conforto hit .185 this year.
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“I think that’s certainly a great idea. It’s not zero chance of happening,” Roberts said. “I haven’t approached Theo yet, but that’s certainly what I thought.”
After all, the won the World Series with Hernandez on the left field.
Among the active right fielders, Hernandez ranks first percentile for outs above average, with a ranking of -10. This number wasn’t that good last season, but graded it at the third percentile, but his .282 batting average and .750 OPS could be better used on the left, while being swapped to the right.
One of the many combinations that Roberts must consider is relying on utility star Tommy Edman who returns from the injured list. Early September returns are projected against the 2024 NLCS MVP that can slide into the center field, with the current centre fielder Andy Page moving to the right.
Another idea Roberts spoke publicly is to move infielder Heisen Kim to the left field.
Kim is on the injured list to match the unfortunate themes of this season, but an imminent return is expected. He had only 44 appearances on left field during his time with the Korean baseball team, but recently recorded five innings left during his rehabilitation assignments in Triple A.
With a Gold Globe Award pair during KBO’s tenure, Kim presents the possibility of becoming a positive defender in the outfield, while simultaneously providing a .304 batting average to help the team return home.
Anyway, Hernandez’s batting average during August is exciting after a recent struggle with the plate since returning from a left gro caliber injury in May, but now the question remains how to make the most of his bat while complimenting the rest of the lineup.
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Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Image
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