Dodgers hoping that Michael Comforto follows the traces of Teoscar Hernandez – Orange County Register

Glendale, Arizona – Dodgers would not bother to use the same script with a different actor.

Last year, the Dodgers attempted a chance on an old star at the start of the thirties, signing Teoscar Hernandez to a one -year contract. Hernandez rewarded them with another star season and a level of Silver Slugger level, then collected a three -year contract extension.

Michael Conforto corresponds to part of the profile – an old All -Star signed for an agreement of one year – and the Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, thinks that he could follow a similar path to Los Angeles.

“As I said from the start – I think he’s going to be one of my choices to click this year for a guy who, I think, will really take a step forward,” said Roberts.

“I am not saying that he is teo de ’24. But it is a kind of light in which I see it.

Comforto does not want to take a step forward as much as a few steps back “to return to ’17 to 2020.”

“What I was doing then was the level of the stars,” he said. “Try to come back.”

Very exhausted perspective, Comforto was in the majors a year after the New York dishes made their choice of first round recovery in 2014 and were the answer to a question of Trivia a few months later – as one of the three players to participate in a Little League World Series, at the College World Series (in Oregon State).

Two years later, it was an All-Star while striking .279 with an OPS of .939 and 27 circuits for the 2017 dishes. By 2021, the dishes saw him part of their plans that they offered him a contract extension of $ 100 million. He refused, sprawled in 2021, then became a free agent during the baseball base in a lockout. A shoulder injury suffered during training sessions required surgery and put it aside for the 2022 season.

“I think not playing for a year really made me go back,” said Comforto.

Fresh nights in San Francisco did not help either. Comforto has rebounded with the giants in the past two seasons – but mainly on the road. Last year, he struck .216 with a 632 ops at Oracle Park, .253 with a .852 ops far from the bay. He hit 35 circuits in two years with the Giants, including nine at home only.

The Dodgers would be happy to obtain the traveling version of Comforto this year.

“I am delighted to hit the Dodger Stadium here,” said Comforto at the Fanfest event last month. “It is an ideal place to strike. Good hitting eye, good weather. Excited not to freeze in the outside field this year. »»

The comforto bat has not yet failed this spring – a slow start -up for him, he says – but working with the coaches of the Dodgers reminded him of what he can bring to the programming of the Dodgers.

“Nothing of the earth. Really just things that I have done in the past-reaffirm, bringing things that I have done during the periods when things were really, really good, “he said. “I think it’s an effective way because I saw myself doing it. I know that is there.

Roberts plans to give Comforto time to bring it out. He will be the left -hand player every day with only occasional days against the left -handed launchers, said Roberts. It is not planned to give comforto a peloton partner (despite a trio of right -handed options for this role in Chris Taylor, Andy Pages and Kiké Hernandez).

“I think our guys have seen certain things that they say, can bring him back to what he was in ’15, plus a productive striker,” said Roberts. “Where he is in his maturation as a ball player – I just think things are really queuing.”

Phillips is progressing

The right -hander Evan Phillips continues to progress in its restoration of a torn ligament on the back of his shoulder. He launched his fourth enclosure session of the lifts on Wednesday morning and will start to face the strikers in the practice of the liverrophy while the Dodgers are in Japan.

“It was the best he had,” said Roberts about Wednesday’s throw session. “He used all of his pitch mixture. … Today was a big step in the right direction. If I didn’t know better, he was in the shape of a mid-season. »»

The right -hander Michael Kopech has also launched enclosure sessions in its delayed spring accumulation. Neither he nor Phillips will be ready to open the season in time.

“At the start, we were trying to be very careful with their accumulation, knowing that they launched a lot of high stress sleeves last year,” said Roberts. “So, making them start a little later is not a bad thing. I think what is sort of seeing where they are right now, just more encouraged. »»