Dodgers’ Andy Pages primed for a potential breakout season
Andy Pages hasn’t forgotten the last playoffs, as much as he wishes he did. And he’d probably like you to forget it too – or, well, most of it.
Don’t hesitate to keep the mental image of his epic catch against teammate Kiké Hernández.
This stunning play in the bottom of the ninth inning not only saved Game 7 of the World Series, it also saved Pages’ reputation. Covered for the ignominy of his historically dismal performance of four for 51.
You know what will help everyone completely erase those memories? Turn the proverbial page? Maybe stop us from talking about it again?
A steady diet of games like Thursday’s.
In an 8-2 season-opening victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium, Pages stood out among his club’s stars.
And, as the eighth man in the order, he also served as a reminder that there truly will be no rest for tired opposing pitchers this season.
The bottom of the lineup also has some teeth: as the record shows, it was Pages who hit the Dodgers’ first home run and drove in the club’s first runs to kick off their quest for a third straight World Series championship.
He was the one who cracked the code against Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen in the fifth inning, blasting a three-run, 400-foot home run to left-center field.
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And that it was his at-bat to start the eighth – a single the other way, to right field – that Roberts had to mention after the game.
During spring training, Roberts named Pages as this season’s pick-to-click candidate, in part because of the 25-year-old center fielder’s efforts to improve his plate discipline after throwing 32 percent of his pitches outside the zone last year.
The pick-to-click distinction previously went to Teoscar Hernández in 2024, before becoming an All-Star in his first season with the Dodgers. Last year, Michael Conforto was Roberts’ choice.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that Pages isn’t putting too much stock in his manager’s prediction: “It’s really nice for him to say that about me, or to pick me, but obviously I’m not really focused on that,” he said through an interpreter.
What he’s focused on, he says, “is just trying to do everything I can, every day, to get a little bit better.”
This is what got his manager so excited.
“He’s a complete player,” exclaimed Roberts. “And I can’t wait to see what he can do this year.”
Is a season breakdown of Andy Pages loading?
Andy Pages, center, celebrates with Teoscar Hernández, left, and Max Muncy after hitting a three-run homer in the fifth inning Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Weren’t last season’s 27 home runs – the second most on the Dodgers, behind Shohei Ohtani’s 55 – a breakthrough?
I think… right?
Not when Pages so clearly has so much more to give.
Now, when he does his homework like he did this spring, he stands in front of a pitcher, calling out balls and strikes. (Attention, automated ball and strike system?)
Not if the Dodgers can trust him at the plate like they now feel safe with him covering the outfield.
“Even last year when there was question about whether he could play center field at a high level,” Roberts said. “And he’s worked his butt off, he really has. Every day he works and he keeps getting better – his jumps, his lines to the ball and obviously the arm strength is there.”
On Thursday, Pages had another one of his sensational snags, taking an angle that would have made a defensive back proud in pursuit of Geraldo Perdomo’s ball to start the seventh. Laying back, Pages slipped under the ball to add to his opening day summary.
“I feel good,” Pages said when I asked him afterward, not about the last playoffs, but about his confidence heading into this season — even though his mind went back to it anyway.
“It’s something that happened earlier, the playoffs are what the playoffs were,” he said. “I’m not really focused on that, I’m focused on what I’m doing at the moment and my confidence is really high at the moment.”
Keep it up, and the heroism will be remembered by everyone, including those to come.
