2023 regular-season review: Los Angeles Dodgers
Another year, another division title for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they won their ninth National League West title in the last 10 seasons.
Led by a star-studded offense, the Dodgers pitching staff that was once a strength was decimated by injuries and their depth was tested throughout the season. Despite all of this, they still were able to comfortably win the division, leading the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks by 16 games.
Let's take a look back at some of the key players and moments for the Dodgers in 2023.
Hitter of the Year: Freddie Freeman
(.331/.410/.567, 90 XBH, 102 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 161 games played)
While teammate Mookie Betts will likely finish higher in the Most Valuable Player award voting, first baseman Freddie Freeman arguably had the best season of his career in 2023 and was the driving force behind their offense.
Missing only one game for the Dodgers, Freeman was a nightmare for opposing pitching in 2023
Slugging 29 home runs and a career-high 59 doubles, the 33-year-old was an extra-base hit machine and even showed off his base running ability by swiping a career-high 23 stolen bases.
Also setting career-highs in 2023 with 211 hits and 131 runs scored, Freeman has continued the electric start to his tenure with the Dodgers after signing as a free agent in March of 2022 and will look to add to his Cooperstown-worthy career in 2024.
Pitcher of the Year: Clayton Kershaw
(13-5, 2.46 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 137 strikeouts in 131.2 innings pitched)
In his sixteenth season in a Dodgers uniform, Kershaw was still lights out while mentoring a staff filled with young faces in 2023.
With injury after injury to the Dodgers pitching staff, Kershaw was able to give the team the most starts and innings pitched he's had in a season since 2019.
At 35-years-old he showed no signs of slowing down. If eligible, his 2.46 ERA would have qualified as the second-best in all of baseball only behind San Diego Padres pitcher Blake Snell.
A free agent this offseason, Kershaw's future is unclear. He could return to the Dodgers for his seventeenth season with the organization, look for a new club or entertain the possibility of retiring and starting his clock to becoming a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Minor League Player of the Year: Michael Busch
(.323/.431/.618, 57 XBH and 90 RBI in 98 games played)
After a monster 2022 campaign in the minor leagues, Busch had an even better year in 2023 while playing in Triple-A.
Slugging a career-high 32 home runs in 142 games played during the 2022 season, Busch followed that up with 27 during 2023 in only 98 games played on his way to Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player honors.
With a new approach at the plate that saw him lower his strikeouts while still drawing a healthy amount of walks, Busch saw his batting average rise after being more selective at the plate.
Although he struggled during his first taste of the big leagues in 2023, batting .167 over 72 at-bats, Busch will get the chance to make the team during spring training.
Play of the Year: Freeman breaks Dodgers single-season doubles record
In a franchise rich with history, it's not very often that you can etch your name in the history books but that's just what Freeman did in only his second season with the organization.
With the club record in reach, Freeman would break it against the Washington Nationals on September 8 after hustling out a line drive into right field for record-breaking double No. 53.
Freeman would finish the season with 59 doubles, falling just short of becoming the first hitter to reach 60 doubles in a season since 1936.
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