After six months, the Dodgers have locked up their chance to repeat in 2025. Los Angeles officially did so on September 19, becoming the fourth National League team in the dance. And to little shock, the big stars, coupled with youngsters, helped get the Dodgers into the postseason.

More brilliance from Ohtani

It’s incredible to think about how impressive Shohei Ohtani is, to the point where it almost doesn’t feel real.

Ohtani became the first player since Alex Rodriguez to have back-to-back 50 home run campaigns, accomplishing that this season. Now, Ohtani has fewer RBIs; only 98 as of September 30. However, that’s a byproduct of Ohtani having seen fewer plate appearances this season with runners in scoring position.

Thus far in 2025, Ohtani has only had a runner on second or third in 16.7% of his plate appearances (not including IBB). Last year, it was 23.3%.

Ohtani’s also not stealing many bases, as the two-way star has resumed pitching. And, to little shock, Ohtani has been just fine on the mound. Ohtani struck out 54 over 41 innings this season, a total across 13 starts as the Dodgers control his innings. In the process, Ohtani created a new 50-50 club.

The 31-year-old will likely win another MVP award this season. But for the Dodgers to win the World Series once more, the team will need Ohtani to play like he has in the regular season.

Breakout stars

Yes, the Dodgers have needed their “core” pieces this year. Those players have shown up in spades.

Freddie Freeman surpassed the 60 extra-base hit marker once more, while Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez, and Will Smith have been among the players to provide ancillary support. Mookie Betts, meanwhile, batted .324 with eight home runs since August 10, as his 46 hits in that span were among the top ten in the league.

And on the mound, the Dodgers have been able to rely once more on Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell when they’ve been healthy. Clayton Kershaw also stymied hitters in what will be his final season. However, some youngsters have provided key contributions along the way.

Andy Pages, in his second season, blasted 25 home runs and emerged as a steady, dependable regular. Pages nearly doubled his home run output with just a shade over 150 plate appearances more than he amassed last year. Five years after he was nearly traded, Pages developed into a budding star.

Pages was the only young hitter to break out this year. The Dodgers did, though, debut Hyeseong Kim, Dalton Rushing, and Alex Freeland this season, all of whom could be key depth pieces over the next few years.

On the mound, Emmet Sheehan is healthy and thriving. Sheehan struck out 76 over 65.1 IP, after he missed all of 2024. The former Boston College product posted ridiculous Chase% (32.2%) and Whiff% (31.8%) rates along the way. A formidable four-pitch mix is the reason for those numbers.

The big one, though, has been Yoshinobu Yamamoto. We saw what Yamamoto was capable of in 2024 when he was healthy. He pitched well in the playoffs and has been even better this season, as he came into play on September 20 just six strikeouts shy of 200.

Navigating the bullpen

Depending on what metric one looks at, either the Dodgers’ bullpen is one of baseball’s best — or one of the shakiest.

Los Angeles, in 2025, has seen their bullpen post the 10th-best left-on-base percentage (72.2%), and is also top-ten in K/9 (9.3). And, a lot of that has to do with the fact that the Dodgers have significant weapons to work with.

Alex Vesia, who has one of the best “rising” fastballs in the game, struck out 76 over 57 innings this season and is part of a very left-handed-heavy bullpen. Anthony Banda (125 ERA+), Jack Dreyer (148 ERA+), and Justin Wrobleski (92 ERA+), have all been very effective (Wrobleski’s ERA+ is high but he’s the only regular reliever with a sub-2.5 BB/9 and 10+ K/9).

The problem is that the Dodgers have received less-than-stellar runs from their two big acquisitions in the winter: Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates.

Scott is tied with Ryan Helsley and Greg Weissert for the most blown saves (9) in the Majors this season. His command has never been pristine but in past years, he generally missed out of the zone. This year, there have been some misses in the zone. But, in general, teams are on his fastball, even in situations where he has hit his spot.

As for Yates, he, too, has seen his fastball hit hard. The 38-year-old conceded seven home runs off the four-seamer this season.

Nonetheless, this is the bullpen the Dodgers must work with. Evan Phillips is done for the year and likely most of 2026 after Tommy John surgery. Brusdar Graterol is on the 60-day IL, while Michael Kopech hit the injured list again in September.

What to expect in October

The Dodgers’ postseason will look different this season. Over the last three years, Los Angeles has had the benefit (or not, depending on how one sees it) of skipping the Wild Card Round. The last time the Dodgers were in it was 2021, the last year of the old playoff format.

It doesn’t look like the Dodgers can skip that round in 2025. The Brewers are in good shape to lock up a top-two spot. The Phillies, meanwhile, likely put any chance of the Dodgers getting a bye when Philadelphia took their series this past week.

Last year, the Dodgers’ pitching staff — and particularly their bullpen — was sublime. That will be the big focal point. Los Angeles can throw any of their big guns on the mound and overwhelm hitters. But in the playoffs, piecing together those last few innings is extremely difficult.

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