2016 Dodgers in Review: OF Will Venable

(Via)
PA AVG OBP SLG wRC+ HR WAR
MLB 19 .056 .105 .111 -43 0 -0.3
AAA (OKC) 172 .276 .343 .404 100 4 N/A

What happened in 2016: Venable had been a thorn it the Dodgers’ side for years with the Padres. They signed him after he was released by the Phillies in June. He didn’t play much in the minors or majors.

Raise your hand if you remember Will Venable was a Dodger in 2016. You’re either a die-hard Dodger fan or a liar.

Venable began the season with the Phillies, and he played mostly in Triple-A for them before being released on June 10. The Dodgers, in need of a veteran left-handed bat after release Carl Crawford on June 13, signed Venable on June 14. He joined the MLB team immediately. Unfortunately for he and the Dodgers, Venable had an uneventful 19 plate appearances (three starts) with LA. He logged just one hit (a double) and scored a run.

After he was designated for assignment, he accepted a trip to Oklahoma City where he appeared in 46 games. He was decent, but it was clear he wasn’t much of an MLB-caliber player anymore. This came after playing six consecutive seasons of at least 121 games.

2017 status: Venable elected free agency on Nov. 7 and has yet to sign anywhere. He should be able to land a minor-league deal from some team, if he’s OK with being a Four-A player.

About Dustin Nosler

Avatar photo
Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.