It’s the Fight in the Dog!

Posted By on February 25, 2017

Paul DePodesta once said “If it can’t be quantified, it’s not important!”  I am sure that is part of the reason why he in no longer in baseball. He is now the stat guru for the Cleveland Browns.  In the book Moneyball, in which DePo was one of the characters, you also heard that he did not value defense very much.  I guess that’s why he is so comfortable in Cleveland – they don’t value defense very much either.

Evidently, DePo also couldn’t quantify Adrian Beltre’s defense as well….

Clemente, Martinez, Piazza or Beltre – which one was the Dodger’s biggest blunder?  Four HOF players GONE!

This has been a Public Service Announcement. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.  

Actually, no – I’m going to continue to talk about stuff that can’t be measured.  You can measure the size of the dog in the fight but you can’t measure the size of the fight in the dog!  I happen to like large breeds, but some of the fightenest (I just made that word up) dogs I have seen are little dogs.  Man-O-Man, can they fight!

The Dodgers have a few pedigree, purebred big dogs on the team named Kershaw, Seager, Pederson, Bellinger, Verdugo, Stewart, Urias, Puig, Ethier, Grandal, Gonzalez, Maeda, Jansen and others, and in many ways have a young team.  But, they also have some “junkyard dogs” and I really, really like junkyard dogs.

Justin Turner is  a Junkyard Dog!  Chase Utley at one time was a AKC pedigree purebred, but now he’s just a junkyard dog…. so is Franklin Gutierrez!  The pure breeds need a few junkyard dogs to teach them the ropes (like taking out the SS and breaking his leg) or playing with ankylosing spondylitis. Justin Turner was rescued from the pound where he was about to euthanized and became something very close to a star.

Andrew Toles may be a Junkyard Dog.  Trayce Thompson is a purebred, but he needs to become  a JYD! Brandon McCarthy, Hyn-Jin Ryu and Scott Kazmir are all Junkyard dogs as is Sergio Romo.  How do you know who is a junkyard dog?  Well, it’s like this:   When asked to define pornography, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said this:

“I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it…”

I know Junkyard Dogs when I see them too!  I think they are the best!  So, if I call anyone a junkyard dog, it is a compliment, not a put down. It’s good to have purebreds, but you have to have a few JYD’s and what’s even cooler is  a purebred who becomes a junkyard dog.  Adrian Beltre is an example.  Come to think of it, Seager and Kershaw might already be junkyard dogs.

Rants & Raves

  • I am certain I was way off on my roster picks yesterday – a lot will change over the next 5 weeks,  and it should be fun to watch!
  • Consider this conundrum:  Let’s say that Ryu, Kazmir and McCarthy are all 100% healthy (humor me) at the end of Spring Training. Any team that trades for any of them is going to want to see them in game action for maybe a month or so.  What do you do?  I have advocated sending McCarthy to the pen.  Others have said Ryu might pitch there, but one starter for sure already has lots of bullpen experience and that is Rich Hill.  It’s a longshot that all three are healthy, but it could happen.  Could Hill pitch out of the pen for a while?  Odds are, all three won’t be ready, but what if they are? Could the Dodgers start the season with this rotation?
    1. Kershaw
    2. Maeda
    3. Ryu
    4. Kazmir
    5. McCarthy
  • Urias, Stewart, Hill, Stripling, Wood – If healthy, the Dodgers have two rotations.  This depth is incredible.  Quit thinking about last years injuries – it ain’t happening like that again!
  • Luis Robert – Future Dodger? It’s worth considering!  Could FAZ pull it off?  How good is Robert? One American League international scouting director described Robert as “the best player on the planet, and that’s no exaggeration.“

PLAY BALL!  The best pitcher on the planet starts.

UPDATE:

Today’s Starting Lineup:

  1. Forsythe 2B
  2. Seager SS
  3. Turner 3B
  4. Grandal C
  5. Gutierrez DH
  6. Pederson CF
  7. Puig RF
  8. Toles LF
  9. Segedin 1B

Dave Roberts evidently is a reader here.  He likes my suggestion of hitting Yasmani at Cleanup!

Today’s Music:

This article has 28 Comments

  1. If Robert is cleared to sign by June 15, the A’s, Astros, Braves, Cardinals, Nationals, Padres and Reds, who have all exceeded their 2016-17 bonus pools, remain in the mix to sign him. However, when the international-signing period starts on July 2, those teams will join the Cubs, Dodgers and Royals in a group of teams that will not be able to sign international prospects for more than $300,000 because they are in the maximum penalty. The Angels, D-backs, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees will no longer be limited to signing players for $300,000 or less during the next signing period.

    Does this mean Robert will be a Yankee or you think we have a shot?

    1. Yeah, he would need to wait until July 2, 2018 for Dodgers to sign him. Oh well, we might have to settle for Otani. I think I would rather have him anyways.

      1. Otani will be looking to sign next offseason. The Dodgers won’t be able to give him squat either until July 2018.

  2. Unless there was some wink, wink, nod, nod
    –
    I wonder if it’s possible to buy or trade for another teams option (like the Royals). I know some of the picks are now tradable.

    1. Yes he is! Also got Segedin at first base, the guy is pretty versatile and right handed hitting. He could bull his way onto the 25 man roster. Saw him play several times at AAA, he always seemed solid to me.

      1. Segedin has no shot in hell at making the 25 man roster without injuries to other players.

        1. I like a lot of your takes Boxout but I have to agree with Hawkeye on this one. Segedin does have some versatility but to me, he does not look like a solid major league player, especially on defense. His glove has not appeared good enough to hold a position in my view.

          1. You guys are probably right, especially because (I believe) he has options. In light of what Mark wrote about Van Slyke, perhaps he could pass him up on the pecking order?

  4. Segedin is organizational depth. He made the show last year and could this year if there are injuries and/or trades.
    –
    I also do anoint him a Junkyard Dog!

    1. The thing I’d like visible would be him laying off that Puig killing low and away pitch.

      Luckily I’m able to stream today’s game for a look-see of what we have a right for hopes in for our new 2B. Looks damn good!

      Watford, Try MLB Streams as it’s what’s working for me, though not the most fluid.

    1. Mark

      Grandal had a good day!

      A hit, a double, and a good throw to second, that should have been, an out.

  14. Cheers Mark – I needed to update my Atbat App – all good now.

    You are right, Puig looks slimmer.
    Younginger pitched a nice 1-2-3 innings. He looks good.

    Good to get a look a Belinger – nice glove work.

    Baseball is back.

Comments are closed.