MLB analyst sounds alarm on Dodgers' aging stars ft. Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman & others

Los Angeles Dodgers Sluggers Freddie Freeman & Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the talk of the year so far with their star-studded lineup, including Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. Going into Friday, they are one of two teams that have 10 wins under their belt.

However, with their star-studded roster, you cannot overlook many of their players' ages. A good portion of their roster is 30 and older, and this game does not get easier as you age.

MLB analyst Brian Kenny dug into the club's aging roster and was honest in his assessment. The fielders are getting older, especially with Freeman leading the way at 35 and Ohtani being 30.

"Their position-player core, as great as it has been and it is, is aging. Freeman and Mookie are great, but they are also [35] and 32. Max Muncy and Kiké Hernandez are 34 and 33," said Kenny.

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Mookie Betts is getting up there in age at 32, and Max Muncy is 34. While they have younger players scattered across the lineup, their age makes them one of the oldest teams, with an average age of 31.48.

"The base running, the defense, general baseball awareness was the seperator in the World Series last year. They were taking bases from the Yankees while the Bombers were giving away bases. That's how they won" he added.

Kenny points to the team's aggressiveness on the basepaths last year as pivotal for them winning the World Series against the New York Yankees. With their players getting closer to their mid-30s, they are not getting any faster.

Dodgers' pitchers have had trouble finding the strike zone this season

Los Angeles Dodgers - Roki Sasaki (Photo via IMAGN)

While some of the focus is on the Dodgers' position players, there has been concern among the pitching staff. They have had trouble finding the strike zone, walking more batters than any other team.

Roki Sasaki has 11 walks in his first few starts, and Landon Knack struggled mightily against the Washington Nationals. Going into Friday, they hold the highest walk rate at 12.9%.

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This is not ideal for a team whose biggest strength would be its pitching staff. They just have not been able to get into a good groove, although they sit with one of the best records across baseball.

If the club wants to defend its World Series titles, the pitching staff will have to clean things up. There is no better time to start than on Friday when they start a new series against the Chicago Cubs.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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Edited by Jared "Bloomy" Bloom