When the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired second baseman Logan Forsythe from the Tampa Bay Rays last offseason, they figured to have added a player who was outstanding on the defensive side of the ball, capable of hitting left-handed pitching and also serve as the primary leadoff man.
Forsythe didn’t last too long in the leadoff spot, which ended up panning out as the emergence of Chris Taylor allowed Forsythe to hit lower in the order. He did provide steady defense at second base throughout the year.
But Forsythe struggled at times with the bat, in some part due to injuries that prevented him to settling into a rhythm. He hit .290/.418/.452 against southpaws but struggled against right-handed pitching.
In 286 such plate appearances, Forsythe batted .190/.315/.262 with three home runs and 20 RBIs. While that is cause for concern, some within the organization believe that 2017 was an outlier year and he will improve against righties, via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
He is also a productive batter against left-handed pitchers, and Dodgers officials feel he would improve against right-handed pitchers in 2018.
For much of the season, Forsythe was in a platoon with Chase Utley, so he was not seeing consistent at-bats against right-handed pitching, which may have played a factor in his struggles.
Forsythe has a career .661 on-base plus slugging percentage when facing righties, compared to .828 against lefties. But as recent as 2016, he posted a .778 OPS against right-handed pitching.
After his disappointing 2017 regular season, Forsythe had a solid postseason for the Dodgers, hitting .297/.435/.351 in 14 games. That type of production should bode well for the team over the course of a season.
