Sunday, April 12, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

On a team full of superstars, the national media and Dodger fans frequently overlook Andy Pages. They shouldn’t.

Pages, a serious 25-year-old outfielder, fits seemingly into a veteran Dodger team. He has been its best player so far this year. He has worked hard to make himself a center fielder. On Saturday, he almost ran into his mentor, Teoscar Hernández, to catch a fly ball in left center field.

As the center fielder, Pages is the captain of a Dodger outfield flank by Hernández in left and Kyle Tucker in right. He has learned to take charge. In 2025, he sometimes had bad jumps on fly balls, making them into hits.

Not this year. Everything that goes in his direction, he catches. The league knows running on him is a bad idea because his right arm is an accurate cannon.

Since Pages missed the entire 2023 season with a right shoulder injury, the Dodgers didn’t expect him to be in Los Angeles until late 2024 or the 2025 season. Nevertheless, he forced the issue. In 2024, he played in 106 games and hit .248 with 13 homers. He played a vital role during the NLCS against the New York Mets.

When Pages had a slow beginning to the 2025 season, the media and Dodger fans wanted their favorite team to demote him. They felt he would benefit from more coaching in AAA, but the Dodgers resisted. They had confidence in the young outfielder, and Pages rewarded the organization.

In 156 games, Pages hit .272 with 27 home runs, the second-highest total on the Dodgers, behind Shohei Ohtani’s 55. However, he didn’t walk much and had trouble with the outside pitch. During the postseason, he struggled mightily at the plate, prompting Dave Roberts to bench him for Games 6 and 7 in the World Series.

After the World Series ended triumphantly for the Dodgers, batting coaches and Pages worked intensely to overhaul his swing. Since the beginning of spring training, he has looked like a different hitter. In Arizona, he murdered the ball.

His hot hitting has continued into the first fifteen games. His .429 batting average leads the major leagues. He delivers when the Dodgers need a hit the most. He has four home runs.

Many Dodger fans want Roberts to move Pages up in the batting order, so the Dodgers can have more offense. Roberts is reluctant to do this because he doesn’t want to put more pressure on the young man. Pages may force the issue as he has throughout his time with the Dodgers.

While the media focuses on Ohtani, Tucker, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, Pages does his thing to help his team have the best record in the majors.