Dodgers Dugout: Answering some early season questions about the Dodgers

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Write about Max Muncy, and he suddenly homers. I must remember to use my powers for good and not evil.

I’ve been writing this newsletter for 11 years now, so it’s always good to get a different perspective on the team, who may have a different way of looking at things.

So I asked colleague Jack Harris, who is The Times beat writer for the Dodgers and travels with the team, some questions about this season. Here are his thoughts.

Q. The Dodgers may be the only team in baseball that can start 21-10 and have a segment of the fans worried. What is your take on the team so far?

Harris: Supremely talented, but not yet totally in sync.

Yes, it’s easy to note all the ways the club has struggled in this opening month, from inconsistent offense to early-season pitching injuries to simple fundamental lapses that have cost them repeatedly.

And yet, they still have the best record in baseball. They are still well over a 100-win pace. They are still most peoples’ pick to win the World Series. If there’s one thing we’ve learned so far, it’s that this team’s floor seems incredibly high. That’s one of the luxuries a $400 million roster buys you.

The question, of course, is how long it will take for them to hit their ceiling.

We began seeing signs of it during this current five-game winning streak, starting with improved performance from their Big 3 of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — all of whom endured slumps at various points in this opening month, not to mention the time they missed because of either injury, sickness and paternity leave.

The rotation’s production has also been lacking, putting a heavy early burden on what’s been a sturdy, but overworked, bullpen.

Still, it should probably be comforting to Dodgers fans that, even in a month when their best hitters and pitchers were inconsistent, they were still this good. So, no, there’s no reason to panic right now, obviously. We’ve seen glimpses of the Dodgers’ potential to be dominant. And they have plenty of time to still get better.

Q. I get more email about Max Muncy than any other Dodger. Some saying the Dodgers should remain patient, some saying they should bench him. What are your thoughts and how long a runway does a guy like Muncy get?

Harris: Put it this way: Part of the reason the Dodgers made no serious pursuit for Nolan Arenado this offseason was because of the trust they had in Max Muncy as their everyday third baseman.

Thus, it will take a lot more than one bad month to erode that faith in any meaningful way.

That’s why, for now, the Dodgers are going to give Muncy ample opportunities to figure things out. As Dave Roberts noted, Muncy’s worst career splits are almost always in March/April. And he’s bounced back from slow starts before, having finished every full season of his Dodgers tenure with above-league-average production at the plate.

To me, the most concerning things at this point are: 1) Muncy’s defense, which has significantly regressed after some notable improvements last year; and 2) that, until Wednesday, he didn’t have any home runs yet, failing to generate the type of power that often off-sets his high strikeout totals and low batting average.

However, Muncy’s performance this past week (he has reached safely 10 times in the past five games, and finally did hit his first home run Wednesday) already offered some reasons for optimism. And between now and the trade deadline (when the team could more seriously consider other alternatives at third base), he will get plenty of opportunities to keep trying to turn his season around.

Q. The Dodgers have two catchers at Oklahoma City, Hunter Feduccia and Dalton Rushing, who appear major league ready. But Will Smith is locked in to a long contract and is still a top catcher. What happens to both these guys in the long run? Would they think about bringing one up this season to serve as backup and part ways with Austin Barnes?

Harris: Like with Muncy, the Dodgers made their trust in Barnes clear this winter, picking up his team option despite their organizational depth at the position. So I wouldn’t expect them making a change there barring some unforeseen circumstances.

For now, Feduccia is the better short-term stopgap to come up in the event they need more bench depth. We already saw that once, when he was recalled during Freeman’s stint on the injured list.

Rushing, on the other hand, is still in a more developmental phase. There’s little left for him to prove with his bat at the minor-league level. But the Dodgers want him to get regular playing time behind the plate to keep improving as a catcher, which is why they’ve kept him in triple-A to this point.

Exactly where he fits into their long-term plans does remain a question. He could always serve as a trade chip if they need to bolster the big-league roster. Then again, power hitting left-handed catchers don’t grow on trees. So for now, they’re content to hold on to him, see how his defensive abilities as a catcher develop, and go from there.

Q. Tyler Glasnow is having a rough season. Fans are riding him on social media, calling him Glass-now. Damp conditions, leg cramps, now his shoulder. How concerned should people be about his long-term future just based on his health?

Harris: At this point, it is fair to wonder if Glasnow will ever stay healthy for a full year. Injuries have plagued him his entire MLB career. And at 31 years old, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that will ever change.

As far as this season is concerned, the Dodgers’ main priority will be letting his shoulder calm down, then working with him to try and find tweaks to his delivery. Ideally, he will be able to return at some point this summer, and factor into their late-season pitching plans.

Still, when you pay a pitcher more than $100 million like the Dodgers did last offseason, you are hoping for more than a few productive stretches interrupted by repeated injuries. Acquiring him, and signing him to a five-year extension, was always a risk given his injury history. And so far, they haven’t been any more effective at keeping him healthy.

Q. Gavin Lux is off to a fine start with the Reds. Do you think the Dodgers have any regrets about trading him?

Harris: I wouldn’t say regret quite yet.

Hyeseong Kim — whose signing this offseason effectively triggered Lux’s trade to Cincinnati — has been making strides with his swing in triple-A. And even if he’s never the big-league hitter Lux is, his positional versatility defensively gives him value Lux didn’t have with the Dodgers (who seemed reluctant to play him anywhere other than second base).

Moving Lux also kept their options at second base fluid, which could be useful if the team decides to move Mookie Betts off shortstop at some point this year (though that’s not a guarantee to happen, given how much better his defense at shortstop has been to this point).

So, for now, I still think the Dodgers are comfortable with the trade. Then again, if Lux remains a .300 hitter, they could miss the production he would have supplied to the bottom of their lineup.

Q. Finally, taking Dodger Stadium off the table, what is your favorite ball park to visit when covering the team? Any why? And is there a least favorite?

Best ballparks:

—Petco Park: Great environment, great location, great in-stadium food options.

—Oracle Park: Best press box location (lower level, right behind home plate).

—Fenway & Wrigley: Just cool historical places that are so different from any other venues in the league (even if you have to elbow through crowded concourses to reach the clubhouse postgame).

Worst ballparks:

—PNC Park and Camden Yards: These might be hot takes, given how scenic they are as venues. But I’m not personally much of a fan of either city. And beyond the views, the stadiums themselves are rather average. Good to visit once; not every year (or even, in the case of Camden, every other year).

All-time leaders

The reception for the all-time pinch-hit leaders was exceptional, so from time to time we will take a look at the Dodgers career leaders in different categories, combined and just in L.A. This week, we’ll look at hits.

Franchise

1. Zack Wheat, 2,804
2. Pee Wee Reese, 2,170
3. Willie Davis, 2,091
4. Duke Snider, 1,995
5. Steve Garvey, 1,968
6. Bill Russell, 1,926
7. Carl Furillo, 1,910
8. Jim Gilliam, 1,889
9. Gil Hodges, 1,884
10. Maury Wills, 1,732

Los Angeles only

1. Willie Davis, 2,091
2. Steve Garvey, 1,968
3. Bill Russell, 1,926
4. Maury Wills, 1,732
5. Eric Karros, 1,608
6. Ron Cey, 1,378
7. Andre Ethier, 1,367
8. Matt Kemp, 1,322
9. Steve Sax, 1,218
10. Davey Lopes, 1,204
11. Dusty Baker, 1,144
12. Mike Scioscia, 1,131

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 3-2, 1.06 ERA) at Atlanta (Grant Holmes, 2-1, 4.50 ERA), 4:15 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 0-1, 3.55 ERA) at Atlanta (Spencer Schwellenbach, 1-2, 2.87 ERA), 4:15 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Dodgers (Dustin May, 1-1, 3.95 ERA) at Atlanta (Bryce Elder, 1-1, 5.33 ERA), 4:10 p.m., ESPN, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Proposed Dodger Stadium gondola project hits roadblock with California’s court of appeals

After ‘rough’ month, Dodgers’ Max Muncy hopes first homer is ‘something to build on’

Dodgers have injured pitchers? What else is new? | Dodgers Debate

Shaikin: The Dodgers are good, and old. Should they try NBA-style load management?

And finally

Duke Snider hits two home runs in Game 6 of the 1952 World Series. Watch and listen here.