Chris Taylor is invaluable for the Dodgers

A little appreciation this morning for Chris Taylor, who’s currently got an OPS of .848, is hitting .280, and who Dave Roberts calls “invaluable.”

If you didn’t know, Taylor might be everyone’s favorite “under the radar” player as Pedro Moura writes over at Fox Sports. Between being named an All Star this year, NL Player of the Week at the end of July, and getting the Dodgers nod for this year’s Heart & Hustle Award, Taylor is having ~a season~.

Chris Taylor homers off former teammate Rich Hill in last Saturday’s game against the Mets.

Chris Taylor snags a Christian Yelich hit in Game 7 of the NLCS in 2018.

Additional appreciation today for lefty Alex Vesia who’s been on fire for the Dodgers lately. His exuberant struts off the mound are something I’m really looking forward to seeing more. Tom Krasovic at The San Diego Union-Tribute writes about East San Diego County’s young and rising star.

Alex Vesia strikes out J.D. Davis to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the 8th inning against the NY Mets on Aug 20, 2021.

Links

• Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA interviewed Vesia on Tuesday night after the Dodgers win against the Padres, and on pitching in front of his hometown crowd.
• And Fabian Ardaya writes about a fun thought experiment at The Athletic: “What if… the Dodgers had signed Shohei Ohtani out of high school?”
• Clayton Kershaw spoke with reporters in San Diego about his road back to the Dodgers rotation. From Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register, here’s Kershaw: “As long as my elbow doesn’t hurt, we’ll be in a good spot. It’s been frustrating. It’s been a long time. It shouldn’t have taken this long. It’s frustrating on my part. But hopefully, I can be around for the fun part and help us in September and October.”