The Dodgers need to shake up their lineup

Five lineup changes they need to make

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

It’s been eight games. The Dodgers are in first place. They lead the National League in slugging.

These are all valid reasons as to why the Dodgers shouldn’t make any drastic changes to their lineup. You could provide me with one of those reasons and I would totally get your point.

If you’ve come to learn anything about me on Substack or on Twitter, you’d know I love to go against the grain. Hence the reason for this article.

I would like to see the Dodgers shake things up in their starting lineup. I’m not asking Dave Roberts to do a completely revamped 1-9, but there are definitely some changes I think he needs to consider. Here are five lineup changes I would personally make if I was submitting the lineup card tonight.

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Get Max Muncy out of the No. 4 spot

I love Max Muncy and everything he’s done for the Dodgers over the years. He’ll likely be a member of the “Legends of Dodgers Baseball” at some point in the future. You need to move him down in the order as soon as possible.

Muncy has hit cleanup in all seven games he’s started this season. As of this moment, he’s hitting .115 with an OPS of .512 and an OPS+ of 36. I’m sorry, but in no reality can you have a .115 hitter as your cleanup hitter. Not only is he not hitting the ball, his 13 strikeouts are tied for the most in the majors as well.

Move him down, now.

Yes, I know Muncy had a great spring. Yes, I know he looked like a much better hitter in the second half of last season. None of that matters, because currently he’s looked like one of the worst hitters in all of baseball.

I’m not saying you need to have him hitting ninth, but at least move him down a few spots until he proves he’s capable of being a reliable hitter once again.

Make Miguel Vargas your No. 2 hitter

Small sample size, but Miguel Vargas has been the best player in all of baseball when it comes to getting on base. Through only six games, his OBP is a crazy .682. Even though he missed a couple of games with a thumb injury, he leads all of the majors with 11 walks.

Instead of having him down in the lineup, move him up and put him in front of your All-Star hitters.

Keep Mookie Betts as your leadoff man, but this is where everything else gets shifted around a bit. By moving Vargas down to the No. 2 spot, you push Freddie Freeman and Will Smith down a spot, making your lineup deeper. All of a sudden, you have Smith as your cleanup hitter. Not to mention, you allow Freeman to have more RBI opportunities. It couldn’t hurt, considering he has only one RBI this season, which came courtesy of a homer.

If Vargas continues to be the on-base machine he is, you got to have him in front of your best hitters. No offense, but I’d prefer to not have him on base for guys like Chris Taylor and David Peralta.

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