The Dodgers have relied on the home run ball early in the 2023 season. Entering Tuesday — through 23 games — the Dodgers lead the National League with 43 home runs, and trail just the Tampa Bay Rays for the most in all of baseball (48). The Dodgers are hitting a home run every 17.49 at-bats, which is pretty unheard of. Last year, the New York Yankees led the entire MLB by hitting a home run every 21.35 at-bats.
With the MLB’s new rules, most notably the banning of the shift, people expected the game of baseball to revert back to a game of putting the ball in play, and not so much trying to hit home runs.