Which is why the emergence of Cody Bellinger in this third full season and Alex Verdugo, in his second year with the big club, along with Joc Pederson, in his fifth full season, and Corey Seager, in his fourth full season, has to put a smile on Dave Roberts' face.Bellinger is the hottest hitter in baseball, hitting .432 with 10 dingers and 24 RBI in the first 21 games.
Verdugo, who possesses a sweet swing, is trying to crack the starting lineup but may force Roberts to call his number with the way he is swinging the bat. Verdugo is hitting .364 in 44 plate appearances with three homers and 12 RBI and last night displayed a gun for an arm when he fired a 98 mph strike to home to nail a Milwaukee runner at the plate.
Pederson, who was involved in a number of trade rumors in the offseason, is just starting to live up to the expectations created when he hit 25 homers in his first full season in the majors in 2015. Pederson went yard 25 times last year and is looking more hitterish at the plate in 2019. His .234 batting average is still below par but his pitch selection is vastly improved.
Seager, who missed most of 2018 with an elbow injury, is hitting a quiet .239 but has shown flashes of his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2016 and his second All-Star appearance in 2017. Seager had 22 homers and drove in 77 RBI in 2017 and has a career .299 batting average.
Then there's the pitchers.
Walker Buehler and Julio Urias, along with Caleb Ferguson out of the pen, are the future anchors of the L.A. staff as Kershaw recedes. Buehler has ace stuff and Urias, still a spot starter, proved he has the right stuff last night when he held Milwaukee to one hit over six frames with nine strikeouts.
The future looks bright.
