This week has definitely felt like a changing of the guard, as after Austin Barnes was designated for assignment earlier in the week, Chris Taylor was released by the team yesterday. Like Barnes, Taylor arrived to the Dodgers with little fanfare but went on to become one of the defining players of the Andrew Friedman era, as CT3 was one of the key early acquisitions and development success stories.
After famously being acquired in 2016 for former top prospect Zach Lee, CT3 played 1,007 games as a Dodger, and saw his versatility and heroics make him a fan favorite. Things may have gotten ugly in recent years, but since his breakout in 2017 to his All-Star appearance in 2021, he posted a .265/.343/.461/.804 line while playing quality defense at every position but catcher and first base. That versatility allowed the Dodgers to mix and match constantly on a game-to-game basis, and provided the front office with a ton of flexibility in roster construction year-to-year, which helped key their success during his time with the team.
Thank you, CT3. pic.twitter.com/WhX5fr4t53
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 18, 2025
As the team’s highlight video showcases, he was also front and center when it was most important during a stretch of eight consecutive playoff runs, and his .791 postseason OPS is 42 points higher than his career regular season OPS.
Most notably, CT3 was named co-MVP of the 2017 NLCS thanks to a 1.248 series OPS, including hitting a late go-ahead homer in Game 1 of the series.
That year he also started the World Series with a memorable Game 1 homer, came up with a game-tying single in Game 5 to complete a wild ninth-inning comeback, and doubled in the tying run in Game 6 in what should’ve been the first of his three World Series rings, totaling an .889 OPS over the postseason run.
He was similarly important during the 2018 run to the World Series, posting a .853 OPS for the playoffs and making probably one of the most famous defensive plays in Dodger history with his diving, sliding catch on the warning track to preserve the lead in Game 7 of the NLCS.
There were more magical moments in 2021, as in the win-or-go-home NLWCG, he smashed a walk-off homer to put the Dodgers through to the NLDS. Later in the playoffs, he hit three homers in Game 5 of the NLCS to help the team stave off elimination en route to posting a 1.202 OPS for that postseason.
For the new fans, he was essentially 2024 postseason Tommy Edman during three postseasons, except his teammates mostly didn’t come through in those years.
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CT3 was also notable for his work off the field via the CT3 Foundation, his Barrels Are Overrated celebration, and his steady, professional demeanor no matter what the team asked of him, and they certainly asked him to do everything and anything.
If he seems to mean even more to some fans than the highlights showcase, that’s probably because for a generation of Dodger fans (including me), CT3’s best years dovetailed with the team’s new direction that saw them head to the first World Series they’d ever seen, and he made some of the biggest impacts on the way to those accomplishments. Like with Barnes, endings are rarely ever storybook, but that certainly shouldn’t detract from all the amazing memories he’s provided fans over the years.
Thank you Chris for bringing two championships to LA, all the unforgettable moments on and off the field and everything you’ve done for the city of Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/64yGt7WwDC
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 18, 2025
