What if Francisco Lindor was on the Dodgers instead of Ohtani?

The FanGraphs Newsletter, September 17, 2024 [READ IN BROWSER]( September 17, 2024 The marginal difference between Lindor and Ohtani’s WAR totals (7.4 and 7.0, respectively, at the time of this writing) creates a virtual tie to be broken based on the personal convictions of voters and anyone else with an opinion and an internet connection. For most, the choice between the two distills down to whether Ohtani’s 50/50 chase overrides his DH-only status. We want to explore how Ohtani’s one-dimensional role interacts with the value of a roster spot and the limitations that it places on how Los Angeles constructs and deploys the rest of its roster. In a two-way Ohtani season, he brings tremendous value to an individual roster spot as a frontline starter and an elite hitter who takes 600 or so plate appearances. But this year he contributes only as an offensive player. To do this, Kiri Oler went through every starting defensive alignment for the first 148 games of the Dodgers' season and penciled in Lindor at shortstop. Then based on the handedness of the opposing pitcher, reorganized the rest of the defense accordingly and replaced Ohtani at DH. Summing up the projected WAR totals and comparing to the team’s actual WAR reveals a 3.0 WAR increase overall when adding Lindor and subtracting Ohtani. The largest gains come on the defensive side of the ball, where moving Lux off second base in favor of Rojas, adding a full season of Lindor at short, and getting more innings from Betts in right lead to an improvement of almost 19 defensive runs above average (including all positional adjustments). Given that the run environment this year sets the bar at approximately 9.7 runs per win, the improvement on defense basically accounts for two-thirds of the increase in team WAR. [READ MORE]( [Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa Are Back, but the Twins Are Barely Hanging On]( Neither star is fully healthy, but Minnesota’s shrinking Wild Card lead created a sense of urgency for them to return. | by Jay Jaffe [Top of the Order: Previewing the Option Decisions for NL Teams and Players]( Some option decisions are straightforward, while others will be tough for the club or player. | by Jon Becker [FanGraphs Power Rankings: September 9–15]( The Padres rise to the top of the FanGraphs Power Rankings. | by Jake Mailhot [Eugenio Suárez's Extended Hot Streak Continues to Drive the Diamondbacks]( A change in routine has helped the slugging third baseman become the NL’s top hitter since the start of July.. | by Jay Jaffe [Sunday Notes: RoY Candidate Colton Cowser Contemplates Contact]( Plus an AL Cy Young poll, A.J. Hinch on the manager/ex-manager fraternity, Yan Gomes on his career, how Dwight Evans got his nickname, facts and stats galore, and more. | by David Laurila [Sophomore Slumps Aren’t a Thing]( Don’t worry: There’s no shadowy second-year curse coming for Jackson Merrill, even if he does take a step back next season. | by Dan Szymborski [I Think Lawrence Butler Is Pretty Good]( He’s 24 years old, playing a decent right field, and slugging like one of the best players in the game. | by Michael Rosen 🎧 [Effectively Wild Episode 2217: Who Was That Masked Man?]( [DOWNLOAD THE FANGRAPHS APP]( [FanGraphs & Effectively Wild Merch Is Now Available at BreakingT!]( [ORDER HERE]( [Real or Not: Why each MLB contender can (or can't) win it all]( by David Schoenfield, ESPN ($) [Predicting the All-MLB Team as end of season approaches]( by Thomas Harrigan, MLB [Why the Kansas City Royals are good for baseball]( by Brittany Ghiroli, The Athletic ($) [Zach Eflin Has Unlocked A New Skill]( by Jack Foley, Pitcher List [@fangraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [RSS]( [FORWARD]( [SUBSCRIBE]( Copyright © 2024 FanGraphs Inc, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the FanGraphs Newsletter. Our mailing address is: FanGraphs Inc 3017 N Underwood StArlington, VA 22213 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](