Dodgers 2017 season in thirds: The first 54 games

I said I was not going to be around this week, but changed my mind. One of my favorite posts to do each year are the breakdown of each season in thirds. Wednesday marked the 54th game of the season for the Dodgers, so their 2017 is one-third over.

This has been the best Dodgers season since the first year I started tracking this, in 2009. The club is on pace for 99 wins, over 800 runs, and have outscored their opponents by 1.59 runs per game so far.

Let’s look at the individual players, for whom the first third of the season is kind of easy. For the most part just multiply by three and there is your pace. Later on in the season, we can compare player to player to see how some improved and others didn’t.

Last year, the catchers got off to a slow start, but that was not the case this season, with both Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes very productive out of the gate.

Up next is the infield, buoyed by Corey Seager and Justin Turner, and the emergence of Chris Taylor. For utility players, I just placed them where they played the most, and didn’t break up their actual split totals at each position. Kiké Hernandez played more innings in the outfield so that’s where he goes. Scott Van Slyke had the same number of innings at first base and in the outfield, but he started more game at first, so he sticks in the infield for now.

Think how bizarre this is: the Dodgers are on pace for 99 wins, and they have one home run each from their opening day starters at first base, third base, and second base.

The outfield has for the most part been a mess, saved by two rookies who weren’t in the early-season Dodgers plans. Andrew Toles was tied for the Dodgers lead in home runs one day before tearing his ACL, and Cody Bellinger has been a power-hitting force. Despite not showing up until the final week of April, Bellinger leads the Dodgers in home runs and RBI.

Now we move to the starting pitchers, which brings me back to one of my preseason talking points. I thought the number 42 was a big reason why the Dodgers would be better in 2017 than in 2016. That was the total number of starts last year by Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, and Julio Urias, and I figured if that number could get up to at least 70 then this season would be productive.

Well, Hill was wiped out for a while with blisters, and Urias was inconsistent, but even with that those three combined for 21 starts through the first third, a pace for a 50-percent increase over last year. The lesson: it helps to have Kershaw back anchoring things. And having Alex Wood as a just-as-good part of the rotation has been great too.

The bullpen is back at or near the top of most categories in MLB, but perhaps more importantly is on pace for far fewer appearances then in their record-setting 2016. Kenley Jansen still hasn’t walked a single batter. Ridiculous.