The Dodgers are Having a Slammin’ Spring

The Dodgers didn’t hit a single grand slam during the 2014 regular season. This Spring the Dodgers have hammered two grand slams all within a matter of days. Where have all the grand salamis gone? Can the Dodgers transition into the regular season with some of this power?

Last season Chris Heisey hit a grand slam off Josh Lueke of Tampa Bay on April 13, 2014 when he was with the Cincinnati Reds. Unfortunately no Dodger last season hit any four-baggers, and a big reason was because the Dodgers infamously struggled offensively with the bases loaded.

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In fact, the Dodgers were dead last in the National League with an abysmal .191 batting average with the bases loaded. The Reds were at the top of the list with a .348 team batting average with the bases juiced. Cincinnati hit an incredible six grand slams last season including Heisey’s. The Dodgers were the only team in the league not to hit a single grand slam.

The grand slam is one of the most exciting plays in baseball. Perhaps because of its rarity (for the Dodgers at least), it is an explosive offensive gem which ignites the crowd.

This Spring the youth and minor league side has sparkled for the Dodgers, and they have hit two grand slams so far during Spring Training.

The first slam came off the bat of Matt Carson, giving the Dodgers a five run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Indians on Saturday, March 14th.

The second slam was of the Darnell Sweeney variety to the opposite field against the Oakland A’s giving the Dodgers a 6-4 lead in the eighth inning on Monday, March 17th.

Last Spring Training, Scott Van Slyke and Alex Guerrero both hit grand slams, but sadly the slamming was only of the Spring variety for the Dodgers in 2014.

When was the last Dodger grand slam during the regular season? We would have to go back to 2013 when Yasiel Puig was impressing in his rookie season and hit his first career grand slam on June 6, 2013. It was a beauty, and gave the Dodgers a 5-0 lead over the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium. This was just three days after Puig’s MLB debut.

That was the sole slam for the Dodgers in 2013.

Even though Matt Carson nor Darnell Sweeney are likely to make the Opening Day roster, I’m enjoying the offensive fireworks from the young prospects and fringe minor leaguers (Carson is 33-years old) this Spring. Hopefully the Dodgers can improve offensively with the bases loaded in 2015 with the new roster additions and reconfigured lineup.

Here’s to more grand slams in 2015!