These spots on the list were well deserved.
MLB Network has started releasing their top 100 players for the 2023 season. They officially reached the top 50, which meant it was time to get to the Dodgers.
Dodgers ace Julio Urias came in at No. 50 on the list, while Dodgers catcher Will Smith came in at No. 42.
While these are very nice honors, I can’t help but feel like the Dodgers were a little low on the list.
Starting with Urias, he’s consistently been under-appreciated and underrated throughout his MLB career. He’s (somehow) yet to make an All-Star team, and finished third in the NL Cy Young race last year (when he really should have been second).
Over the last two seasons, Urias is 37-10 with a 2.57 ERA and 361 strikeouts in 360.2 innings. He’s been one of the more durable and dominant pitchers in baseball and, in my opinion, deserves to be much higher on this list.
As for Smith, I think it would be okay for him to be around No. 42, however, Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman is right ahead of him at No. 41. Rutschman is great, and he’s very quickly going to become the best catcher in baseball, but he’s not there yet. Smith is more proven than Rutschman, and is only getting better as he enters his fifth season in the league. He deserved to be ahead of Rutschman, at least for now.
There are sure to be more Dodgers on this list. Let’s hope they get the respect they deserve.
