3 times Dave Roberts shot Dodgers in the foot and gifted Padres NLDS

2. Starting Trayce Thompson Every Game

The Dodgers got beyond lucky when they traded cash to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Trayce Thompson, who then proceeded to have a monumental career year after being a nobody from 2015-2021.

In the end, Thompson went 2-for-16 in the NLDS. He scored one run, walked three times, struck out six times, and didn’t record an extra-base hit. But apparently that was a better option than Cody Bellinger, who went 1-for-7 in the first two games and struck out four times? At least Belli hit a double and has a ton of postseason experience (in fact, he was great in October last year!).

Thompson no doubt should’ve gotten a healthy amount of reps, but when the offense was witnessing a downturn for the ages, leaving him in there was certainly not the right move. Thompson is a supplemental player that benefitted from the success of everybody around him — he lengthened the lineup. He was/is by no means a singular force to deserve 4 out of 4 playoff starts.

On top of that, perhaps Roberts and the Dodgers put the nail in the coffin of their relationship with Bellinger, who is by far a better defender than Thompson.