Grading the Dodgers halfway through the season

How have the Dodgers been through 81 games?

Just like that, we’ve reached the halfway point of the season. 81 games completed with 81 more to go. I’m not sure where the time went, as it feels like I was just waking up at 3am to watch their first game of the season in Tokyo.

Through 81 games, the Dodgers are 50-31. They’re the only team in the National League with 50 wins. They’re also tied with the Tigers for the best record in all of baseball.

How does this team compare to the 2024 squad that won the World Series? Well, through 81 games, that team also went 50-31. That’s gotta be a good sign, right?

With the season halfway over, I thought it would be fun to look back at the first half and hand out some grades. We’ll be grading the offense, starting rotation and bullpen. In addition, I’ll be sharing my biggest surprises and disappointments.

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Offense

Grade: A+

The Dodgers offense has been fantastic to begin the 2025 campaign. They lead baseball in essentially ever major category.

124 wRC+ (1st)

.265 AVG (1st)

.340 OBP (1st)

.462 SLG (1st)

.802 OPS (1st)

.347 wOBA (1st)

127 HR (1st)

459 R (1st)

I mean, there is really nothing to complain about. They’ve been great in every aspect of the game. Sure, there are stretches where the offense looks terrible, but that’s baseball. Through half of the season they’ve been the best. I don’t really need to spend more time on the offense here.

Biggest surprise: Andy Pages

I won’t lie, I wanted Andy Pages sent down in early April. Through the first three weeks of the season, he was terrible. He wasn’t hitting. He was terrible in center field and he had a number of outs on the bases. His fWAR was negative. This wasn’t just a cold start to the season, he was also horrible in spring training. I thought he needed time in the minors to improve his defense in center field and work on his hitting.

Good thing the Dodgers were patient with him.

Not only has Pages turned things around, he’s turned into one of the best players in all of baseball. Through 81 games, Pages has the 16th highest fWAR in baseball (3.0). He’s on pace for a 6.0 fWAR season, which is MVP territory. Since April 8 (right around when I wanted him sent down) Pages has been the eighth most valuable player in all of baseball.

Just think about that for a second. Over the last 2.5 months, only seven players in all of baseball have been more valuable than Pages.

We knew the bat had potential, but what he’s done in the outfield has been nothing short of spectacular. Pages has been one of the best center fielders in baseball this year. Despite looking like a Little Leaguer to begin the year, Pages has turned things around completely. Look at his Baseball Savant page. This right here is Gold Glove caliber.

Pages has proven me wrong. Not only has he turned into a valuable piece on this team, he’s turned into one of the best players in the sport.

Biggest disappointment: Mookie Betts

The weight loss isn’t an excuse anymore. Mookie Betts simply hasn’t been a good hitter this season. Through 81 games, he’s on pace to have the worst season of his career.

He’s on pace to finish with a 3.8 fWAR, which would be his lowest (excluding 2020 COVID season) since his rookie year. He’s on pace to hit 18 home runs, which would be his fewest in a season since 2015 (excluding 2020 COVID season). His 104 wRC+ would be the worst of his career.

The craziest part of Mookie slow start is the fact he was actually BETTER to begin the year, when he was 15+ pounds underweight. As he’s put the weight back on, he’s actually gotten worse. Since April 15, Betts is hitting .240 with a .664 OPS and 88 wRC+. 59 games is a large enough sample size. This isn’t just a slump.

I don’t believe his struggles are due to him playing shortstop, which by the way he’s been incredible at. I don’t agree that he should move back to right field, where I’d argue he wouldn’t be a great defender.

When looking at the advanced metrics, Betts is about a league average hitter, which lines up with his 104 wRC+. His xwOBA ranks him 54th percentile. His expected batting average ranks him 62nd percentile. His expected slugging percentage ranks him 46th percentile.

Mookie just isn’t hitting the ball hard. He’s 25th percentile in average exit velocity, 22nd percentile in barrel percentage and 20th percentile in hard-hit percentage. He’s still doing everything else at an elite level (chase %, whiff %, strikeout %, walk %). The issue is his power has evaporated.

I still have faith in Mookie to turn things around, but I think the days of him being a consistent 140+ wRC+ type of hitter are gone. Now, he can still be a valuable player due to his upside at shortstop, but a 104 wRC+ is simply not going to cut it.