Toles is acing all the tests so far
PHOENIX — The checklist is almost completed.
Hit a triple? Andrew Toles did that early in Cactus League play.
Run hard to first base? Check.
Slide into second base? Ditto.
With opening day less than three weeks away, Toles has cleared most of the hurdles set by the Dodgers as he returns from the seasonending knee surgery he underwent in May. All that remains, Toles indicated, was diving for a ball. He was saving that activity for a game.
“I’m not trying to get hurt in practice, you know what I’m saying?” Toles said.
So far this spring, Toles has mostly been hurting opposing pitchers. He hit a runscoring double in the first inning of Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs to keep his batting average above .400. He has been one of the Dodgers’ most productive hitters this spring as he makes his case to begin the year on the big league roster.
Toles is one of several players listed by manager Dave Roberts in the competition for left field. With Matt Kemp’s place on the roster looking more secure by the day — at least until the Dodgers can find a team willing to take on a significant portion of Kemp’s contract — Toles appears to be the primary candidate for supplanting Joc Pederson in left.
Pederson looked like the favorite heading into camp. He may still be, as the Dodgers do not place an excessive amount of importance on Cactus League statistics. Even so, Pederson entered Saturday’s game with a .143 batting average as he made adjustments to his swing.
“It’s so hard to just evaluate in spring training,” Roberts said. “The No. 1 thing for us with Andrew is just to see that he’s healthy, which he’s shown that. And with Joc, trying to figure things out right now mechanically.”
Both players suffered through last season. Toles missed the majority of 2017 after banging his knee into an outfield wall at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers demoted Pederson after his performance cratered during the summer. The team acquired Curtis Granderson as a replacement, only to see Granderson be just as unproductive as his predecessor.
Pederson burst back onto the scene with three home runs in the World Series. But his presence on the roster occurred by happenstance. The Dodgers left him off the first-round roster. After shortstop Corey Seager injured his back against Arizona, Pederson replaced him in the next round. He was one for six against the Cubs, but looked more useful than Granderson, who was hitless in seven at-bats and appeared incapable of making contact.
When Seager returned to face the Houston Astros in the World Series, Pederson stayed on the roster in place of Granderson. His slugging aided the Dodgers. But it did not obscure his regression during the regular season.
Heading into 2018, Roberts spoke with Pederson about his defense. The Dodgers felt Pederson’s fielding dipped during the year, and Chris Taylor supplanted him as the starting center fielder. Pederson was worth 4.7 runs below average in 2017, according to FanGraphs.
“There was a slip last year,” Roberts said. “And Joc and I have talked about it.”
Pederson blamed himself for the decline, Roberts said.
“From Joc’s words, I think that there was a little bit of a lack of purpose, focus on the defensive side last year,” Roberts said. “Because to be an elite defender you’ve got to be committed on every single pitch. And self-admitted, it wasn’t as sharp as it should have been.”
Perhaps Pederson will display the purportedly renewed focus in the majors. Unless the performance by Toles forces the Dodgers to option Pederson to the minors to begin the season.
“We have a couple weeks left to evaluate,” Roberts said. “But Andrew is doing everything he can to earn an opportunity on the roster.”
Jansen isn’t worried about hamstring
A day after being scratched from his Cactus League debut, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen played catch and pronounced himself still on schedule to be ready for opening day.
Jansen injured his left hamstring while running sprints Friday morning. Roberts described the injury as a “tweak,” rather than a strain. Jansen did not undergo an MRI exam.
The right-hander downplayed the severity of his condition.
“You’ve got to be smart,” Jansen said. “If you feel something, say something. I said something. I’ve just got to make sure I’ll be healthy for the season.”
Jansen expects to pitch in a minor league game Monday. His major league debut is scheduled for Thursday against Kansas City. Jansen was slated to appear in only two Cactus League games before the regular season began.
Jansen worked out under restrictions Saturday. He walked on the treadmill, rather than running. He completed a bevy of exercises designed to rehabilitate the hamstring.
“It’s a bummer,” Jansen said. “But it’s spring training. I’ll be ready.”