2021 Dodgers in review: Sheldon Neuse

During the offseason, the Dodgers acquired infielder Sheldon Neuse from the Athletics in exchange for pitcher Adam Kolarek and minor-leaguer Cody Thomas.

The plan was for Neuse to be a utility man off the bench, giving the Dodgers solid at bats while providing defense at a variety of infield positions. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case in 2021. For the season, Neuse hit only .169 with an OPS of .505. He appeared in only 33 games and spent the final two months of the season in Triple-A.

His season got off to a solid start, as he had two home runs and an OPS of just under .800 through his first 10 games. After that, things just went downhill. Over his final 23 games with LA, Neuse hit .119 with an OPS of .354. He drove in only one run, which came via a home run. He struck out in 39.5 percent of his plate appearances.

Neuse’s plate discipline was essentially non-existent all season. In his 66 plate appearances, he drew only one walk. I had to double check to make sure that stat was correct.

His Triple-A season was pretty solid, as he hit .293 with an OPS of .830 in 78 games. He hit 13 home runs, 13 doubles and drove in 56 runs. It was a rough 2021 at the big-league level, but hopefully he can turn things around when given another chance in 2022.

2021 particulars

Age: 26

Stats: .169/.182/.323/.505, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 11 H, 33 OPS+, 33 wRC+, -0.6 fWAR -0.5 bWAR

Salary: $575,000

Game of the year

Neuse didn’t have any memorable moments on the season. His best game was when he hit his first home run of the season on April 25.

Roster status

Neuse has 78 days of service time and won’t be eligible for arbitration until 2025.