As usual, the sharks are circling the USS Dodger as they have been since the Andrew Friedman Era started. They are hoping, wishing and praying that the hull has cracks in it and sinks so that they can devour the man for whom they have developed an irrational hatred. The sad part is that the sharks are Dodger fans and Andrew Friedman has done nothing but make the team better.
As teams sustain years of winning, their farm systems decline every year and eventually the team becomes a bottom dweller… except the Dodgers. As the MLB team has gotten better (two straight World Series and picked for a third straight by many), the farm system has also gotten better. That is simply something astounding. I am sorry to confuse some of you with the facts… maybe you prefer I stick to your fantasy?
Putting a team on the field capable of getting to the World Series is quite an accomplishment. Once there, it falls upon the manager and players to win it. Losing two World Series in a row is on Doc and the players – If you are good enough to get there, you are good enough to win. Fans say “Well the Red Sox were clearly the better team.” The Oakland A’s were clearly the best team in 1988 and that didn’t help, did it? The Dodgers were the best team in 2017 and didn’t win. Maybe the best team is not the team with the best players. Maybe the best team is the team that plays together the best!
Maybe that sheds some light on why certain players were unceremoniously traded for two highly touted prospects that have helped elevate the Dodgers farm system again. Evidently, the Dodger brass, including Dave Roberts, did not think they could win with that bunch, When Wood is moping because he’s not starting, Puig is moping because he doesn’t play against lefties (simply because he can’t hit them) and Kemp is moping because he doesn’t play due to being a worse defender than JD Martinez, you are not a winning team.
Andrew Friedman knows that he will be forever judged by the sharks circling the USS Dodger based upon winning one or more World Series, not by coming close every year. He made the Farmer Trade because he feels he has a better chance of doing it without those players. He sees the big picture and yes, there are questions about this team. Right now, Joc Pederson would seem to be the starting left fielder. He may have a platoon partner if he shows he still can’t hit LHP.
But, we also have to acknowledge that Joc is slow afoot and slow to throw in the outfield. Verdugo is so much better defensively it isn’t even funny. Alex is going to have to earn his PT. It won’t happen overnight, but it can happen… it’s on Alex. He is showing flashes and his defense, arm and base-running have been outstanding. I still think the Dodgers may need another RH bat. Nick Castellanos is still on their radar and the Dodgers have the pieces to add him if needed.
Max Muncy has had a hand problem and is now resting. A bad couple of weeks related to injury does not mean “regression.” He was hitting well earlier. This is Spring Training where some people make “Jumping to Conclusions” an Olympic Sport! Patience, Grasshoppers! As situated currently, this is a 95 win team, but Joc and /or Muncy could be be traded to balance out the lineup. The Dodgers have a good record this Spring, despite clearly trying to develop players, and not trying to win (like Sunday). That’s what Spring Training is for. I am frankly amazed and amused at the negativity being spewed by some Dodger fans with the irrational hatred of Friedman.
Rants & Raves
- Just when you are ready to give up on CT3 – BANG!
- Remember when everyone was whining because Martin and Barnes were the Dodgers catchers? Me neither.
- Caleb Ferguson’s line did not look good, but they are still treating him as a starter and he ain’t that guy! Bullpen is where he should be. He came into a bases-loaded situation and closed the door and pitched another good inning before melting down.
- Cody Bellinger going other way with a hit to LF is something you will see a lot of this year. He has been working on that all Spring.
- Stetson Allie is tantalizing, isn’t he? If he gets that control down, he will be up at some point.
- I guess Rich Hill may be the guy who starts Opening Day. With his blister problems in the rear view mirror, I can see him approaching 180 innings.
- It’s just Spring Training, but they ring the bell in 10 more days – you are going to see Corey Seager this week!
AF is an asset manager. The assets he works with is baseball skills organized into an organization that wins ballgames, both in the short term and long term. He’ll trade value from a position of strength to shore up a position of weakness.
To respond a little more thoughtfully to that rant by Carlos, and in general to the belief by many that Puig and Co. were traded for nothing, you have to understand that what AF got in return was the maximum value. The market dictates the value, not wishful thinking or personal attachment. The Dodgers had no desire to re sign him, so best to get what you can for him rather than get nothing.
Peraza is a decent enough player, but he’s not an exceptional player and there’s no place for him in a Dodgers starting lineup that has WS aspirations.
AF will whiff on a few moves, but if you understand the reasoning behind the calculated risks from as asset management perspective, then it makes sense.
Well said!
Peraza is Dee Gordon with a little less speed.
.282 BA/.319 OB% – Purely a #8 hitter. He might not start in AAA for the Dodgers.
Give the Dodgers credit for freeing players who are blocked.
Excellent comment.
One of the big reasons the Dodgers lost to Boston last year was because Pederson, Muncy, and Bellinger spent too much time on the bench due to the number of innings lefties pitched.
Verdugo is growing on me.
Pederson is having a much better spring than people realize. He ranks high in runs, RBIs, Home runs, doubles, and OPS and almost all of that has come in the last 6 games he has played. Contrary to what some might say, Pederson is a very good defensive left fielder.
Pollock was added to this team mostly to shore up hitting against lefties but his all around play and attitude will be just as important.
Bellinger got his big chance earlier than anticipated because of an injury to Gonzales. Like in the case with Lou Gehrig, once in, he stayed in. That might be the case with Verdugo.
Joc catches what he catches, and he is good at going back on balls, but in my opinion, he gets poor jumps on balls hit in front of him and he is slow to throw, This is purely my opinion based upon the “eye test.” I do feel he is doing better than it seems and should start the season in LF.
I always felt that Ethier was the absolute worst at coming in on balls when he played left field but did a better job when he played right field. I’ve seen a few times where Joc looked like he should have caught up to a popup behind third base but couldn’t tell for sure. One time this spring a ball fell in behind third that looked like joc should have gotten to but I also saw Freese who was playing third base basically freeze and not make any attempt at that ball and it was his to catch.
Joc has a reputation for not only going back on balls but also taking direct routes and getting good jumps. His arm certainly is not as strong as Verdugo’s but he has an accurate arm. Don’t mistake his smooth mechanics and minimal setup when he makes throws as being slow.
The other day he ran in on a line drive and back handed it on a short hop and without hesitation threw to third base to try to get a force out instead of throwing home where he had no chance. If Muncy had caught the good two hop throw from Joc the inning would have ended before the runner scored. He seems to know what to do when the ball is hit to him which says his baseball IQ is much higher than his overall IQ.
Mark
It seems you are still reacting to what some others are saying about AF at another blog we all know. Why even bother to comment on what goes on there? It has nothing to do with how this board operates and how most of the posters contribute their comments here. I was a bit surprised yesterday by the comments of one poster here regarding Carlos. It’s the most reactive comment that I’ve seen here, but I am not a long time poster here and don’t really know the history. I do know that the past is in the past and the more I pay attention to the present, the less I care about the past as well as the future. Just something to think about or not think about, depending on your pov.
What Jeff said.
Jeff,
I have no idea what they are saying at the blog in question, except when someone e-mails stuff to me. This is just stuff directed to numerous sources – it is not directed at them, but evidently the shoe fits.
Love this blog and the amount of quality food for thought on the Dodgers. I am so thankful to have such a good decision maker like AF leading our team. Keep up the great content
Stuff from around:
Santa’s Reindeer: You guys listed Josiah Gray and Michael Grove as potential top 100 guys on next year’s list. What’s the biggest thing you guys are looking for from each/both of them this year that would move them up?
Eric A Longenhagen: Gray would be development of a third impact pitch, Grove is a blind dart throw based on LA’s track record with injured college arms.
Jarrod (OK):
I think you were the first guy I saw that dubbed Zach Willeman as a potential break out.. seems like the rest of the industry is starting to slowly get on board. What type of pitcher do you think he becomes? #3/#4 starter, dominant RP? Or chance for more.. thanks for chatting!
Kyle Glaser: If he can really hold 94-96 with two plus breaking balls, that’s a front of the rotation starter. He did that in short bursts last year. Seeing if he can maintain that over a full season with control is another challenge. But what he showed had Dodgers personnel reminiscing of what happened with Walker Buehler post-TJ. It was that sick. Now we’ll see if he can hold it.
JaKob (Dallas, TX):
Is Dennis Santanna going to get another chance this year? It seems like a bunch of injuries are going to have to happen for him to start.. Can you give me your opinion on him and your thoughts on him being a potential trade chip? Would he be starting in other rotations around the league. Thanks Kyle.
Kyle Glaser: He will, especially when you know Kershaw and Hill are going to go down at some point. I like him a lot (have since the Cal League when it was clear he was better than Alvarez and it wasn’t close). The fastball and slider combo are great, if the changeup continues to come along he can be one of those No. 4 starters who is a little wild but gets a lot of whiffs. As far as other rotations around the league, heck, he’d be the Rangers second-best SP right now. As long as he comes back healthy, he’ll be able to help the Dodgers in a lot of ways. Starting, relieving, trade chip for significant contributor. He’s legit.
Pablo (New York):
Does Clint Frazier need out of New York, like yesterday? And can the same be said for Alex Verdugo in LA.
Kyle Glaser: Frazier you can at least see the potential avenue to playing time with Gardner a free agent after this season. I get why they’re holding onto him. Frazier, Hicks, Judge and Stanton as the OF/DH rotation beginning in 2020 can work. Verdugo though, I’m not convinced he’s better than any of the Dodgers’ other options, and he comes with a whole lot of baggage. Going somewhere else with less OF depth would be beneficial to his career. I’m not sure he ever gets to his potential with the Dodgers
TP: Any good reasons why Texas wouldn’t just let Willie Calhoun play everyday?
Keith Law: Where?
DF: Re. the Reds. If they are out of it in July, do you see a chance to recoup similar value to what they gave up with Puig, Wood, etc.?
Keith Law: Zero chance.
Thanks 59. Always interesting to get knowledgeable takes.
To be fair Baseball America does not like Verdugo regardless of how good he is going to be, going back to his high school days when he never wanted to compete in the BA tournaments and showcases. So I really can care less what Kyle Glaser has to say about what he believes the future holds for Verdugo…. writers have been counting Verdugo out his entire professional career, which I believe give him that edge or chip on the shoulder that makes him perform better than what those writers predict. Verdugo will be really good, just you wait.
So Verdugo is Anti-Social? I like him more and more everyday
Opening Day Roster Prediction [as of 3/18]:
C–Barnes
1B–Muncy
2B–Hernandez
SS–Seager
3B–Turner
LF–Joc
CF–Pollock
RF–Bellinger
BC–Martin
BIF–Freese
*BOF–Verdugo
BU–Taylor
SP–Hill
SP–Buehler
SP–Ryu
SP–Maeda
**SP–Stripling
RP–Jansen
RP–Kelly
RP–Baez
RP–Alexander
RP–Urias
RP–Garcia
RP–Floro
***RP–Chargois
*Unless we can’t rework Miller’s contract and keep him in AAA; [Miller could also replace Muncy in case of injury]
**Due to Kershaw starting season on DL; when CK returns, Stripling goes to pen
***Not real sure about this pick; wouldn’t be surprised to see someone else here
IIRC, Miller is signed to a minor league contract with a NRI. Starting him in AAA shouldn’t be a problem from that standpoint. I don’t remember that he has a clause that he can opt out if not on MLB roster by a certain date, but I could be wrong on that.
I’ve read he needs to be on the 40 and 25 man rosters. Plunkett says he has an opt-out date this week. Since he’s out of options, he couldn’t just be sent down to AAA. Maybe he’s not worth the fuss but I’m reading the tea leaves here and I think Doc & AF like his potential/experience/versatility.
On a related note, I tend to agree with those who say we still need another RH bat. Our big RH bats are Turner, Pollock, Hernandez, & Freese. (I consider Barnes and Taylor more complementary pieces and Martin’s an old catcher.)
After that, it’s what . . . Paulo Orlando? If we think we’re going to need another RH bat by the deadline, might as well look into it now.
and DJ Peters is not close. His bet hope is tear up AAA this year and put him into our 2020 plans. I don’t see him near Dodger Stadium this season.
Edit: It appears the deadline this week is for him to be added to the 40 man roster, which shouldn’t be hard to do. After that, he would have to be added to the 25 man prior to opening day or risk being lost. I’m guessing there’s good communication behind the scenes and we’re getting an idea of what we plan to do.
And for those of you who think this is much ado about nothing, remember Taylor/Muncy/Culbertson.etc. as surprise contributors to successful squads.
I forgot Ferguson. He still could miss the cut, especially if others lack options.
in response to dodgerpatch. Great post, however saying that the puig return was market value, might actually be selling AF short. I believe that trade was an absolute steal. Jeter Downs is the real deal. His plate discipine is beyond his years. he hit 13 hr and stole 37 at Aball last year, He’s a guy the dodgers wanted to draft but cin got to him before they could. I think the dodgers actually got away with one in that deal. of course it all remains to be seen.
I get the feeling Mark that you really like Castellanos. But you mentioned Kemp’s defensive shortcomings in left field and according to everything I’ve read Castellanos has a good bat and is defensively challenged. What am I missing?
Casty played mostly RF and just for 1 year. He has been an infielder all of has career. LF is easier and with the right instruction he can be average there. Lots of people think that, not just me BTW.
According to Fangraphs, Detroit had the worst defensive RF in baseball last season. If Castellanos was their primary RF, then I can’t imagine why you would want him for LA. And as to your comment that he used to be an INF, he was just about the worst 3B in baseball before that. He is a DH and nothing more.
https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=rf&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=0&type=1&season=2018&month=0&season1=2018&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0
I can’t imagine Friedman and Co. accepting an absolutely horrid outfielder on this team. His bat isn’t great enough, and not proven enough, to compromise on those horrible defensive stats.
His defensive metrics are ancient history. LF is easier to play than RF. Casty is very athletic, but maybe needs a better team, better instruction and the like. If you looked at their history, there are many players whom you would have missed out on if you had looked at their past. I have a couple of scout friends who think he can be at least as good as JDM. I also look for him to be a hitting beast.
His defensive metrics are last year’s history – not ancient history. And of course he’s going to be just fine defensively – because that’s what you hope that he’ll be?
I said before players reported there were no available spots for Dodger position players. With Doc saying Cory will be the starting SS on OD we are debating Brad Miller for a final spot over Verdugo or CT3? Please. I predicted only the final spot in the rotation and last spot or 2 in the BP would be in play and that is still true, even with Kersh and Buehler behind everyone. I will probably not agree with the final calls but the Team is loaded and with the easy opening schedule should get off to a decent start this year too. Let’s wait and see how they do, it’s way too early for gloom and doom. I see rainbows and unicorns with my blue colored glasses!
CT3’s roster spot is not in question.
Are those the glasses you wear while driving down the Vegas Strip???
I got back from Arizona yesterday afternoon. What a trip! Traffic most of the way there, I arrived at my hotel at 9:30PM to find that it was under construction. No lobby, no pool, no restaurant or lounge. A lot of false advertising on Expedia. I had to cancel my second night and switch hotels.
We met up with my cousin and brother for breakfast on Saturday morning in Downtown Phoenix. The place was called Matt’s and it was very good. Everything organic / cage free, made onsite. Small menu, but everything was top notch. We got to the park at around 11AM and I went straight to the back fields where I got to see just about the entire pitching staff warm up and play catch. So many live arms. Julio, Allie and May really stand out above everyone else. Allie is a huge dude. He looks like he should have had shoulder pads and a helmet. Probably could be a linebacker. May throws heat effortlessly. He was throwing from the furthest distance in warmups. Garcia looked impressive. Really wide shoulders and seems to throw effortlessly as well. Yasiel Sierra was there, right in the middle of the action with the major leaguers and top prospects. Still very tall and lanky. Kershaw was throwing on flat ground from a windup will everyone else. He looked the same as he always does. I broke away when they started pitching batting practice and started wandering to the other fields when Dave Roberts almost ran over me driving in his golf cart. I yelled “Watch it, Doc!” Shaking my head I stumbled across a bullpen session with Walker Bueller throwing to Russell Martin. I was expecting to see some elite heat and hear the glove pop. I didn’t see or hear that. He also didn’t have the best control. Seems like he’s still shaking off cobwebs or not really feeling it that day. Maybe Martin was using his quiet glove. Nothing else going on, on the other fields.
We wandered into the stadium around noon, grabbed a beer and walked around until we found our seats down the left field line towards the corner. This is a good vantage point for seeing players walk onto the field. I sat down and stretched out and felt a burning sensation on the inside of my arm on by bicep. I thought that the hot seat back burned my arm until the I saw the yellow jacket fly off! The first aid station is behind home plate by security. They did a nice job inspecting the sting and game me ibuprofen, benadryl and some ice packs and told me not to drink any more beer after taking the benadryl.
I proceeded to watch the game from other people’s seats in the shade with my wife and daughter. Tony Gonsolin started a little shaky, but got out of his trouble in the first. The wind was blowing in, so not too much scoring in the game. Tony was sitting 90-92 mostly, so he might be close to a dead arm phase. He still looks nasty and the ball seems to come out behind his ear. His release is a little funky. Alexander looks great. He’s throwing hard and everything tails downward. Jansen was sitting 90-93 and looks close to top form. Kelly was consistently around 96 and no one could touch him. Baez also had an easy inning, but I was in RF and couldn’t see the MHP reading on the scoreboard. I left feeling a little dizzy / drowsy in the 8th from the benadryl beer cocktail.
Me and my wife and daughter did split a Dodger Dodger dog while we where there. Even the Dodger Dog was off. No grill marks and a weirdly long yellow bun. I ran into a fan that said that commented that he had his first ever Dodger Dog. I told him he didn’t because the bun is wrong. His buddy agreed.
I tried to make a reservation at Don and Charlies in the second inning. When I called they were all booked and weren’t accepting walk-ins because of a large party renting out the main room. We went to RigaTonys instead. Great salad, Calamari was about a 7 on a 1-10 scale. Mussles were the large green kind, I prefer the milder small black mussels, another 7. The baked RigaTony was an 8 and the Angel Hair Cacio e Pepe “Sicilanized” was a 10! Simple pasta dish of Olive Oil, Garlic, Black Pepper and Parmesan – Sicilianized adds Hot Pepper, Anchovy, Capers. This is something like I make at home. I might just make it tonight it was soooo good.
It was a very quick trip. Driving day on Friday, I left at 2 and got a lot of traffic. Next time, I’ll leave at 11 or noon to avoid traffic. I didn’t get to the hotel until around 9:30PM. Out the door by 8:30 AM on Saturday, breakfast, ballpark by 11. I would plan on getting to the park at 10 to watch position players work out. I would skip breakfast to eat more ballpark junk or save up for dinner. Make reservations the week before if you want to get into a specific restaurant. There were youth baseball tournaments, youth soccer, college softball and NCAA tournament this weekend so everything was super packed. The Dodgers games was a sellout on Saturday and Sunday. Got out of there early on Sunday and took our time on the way home. Tons of wildflowers and swarms of butterflies. It was a fun trip even with the Hotel snafu, Wasp Bite and unable to get into my favorite restaurant. And don’t even get me started on the horrible drivers on the way home. Sheesh! Almost died a couple of times!
I would highly recommend going during the week. Way less busy throughout the entire city.
awesome recap!
Yes, if it was on the Yelp app.
Vegas
Muncy is hurt, I am sure you have heard.
What did you see with Muncy before he had to go out?
I thought he was breaking out, after he hit that double, and cleared the bases.
MJ, The game I went to in person this spring in Scottsdale he had 2 bad AB’s letting borderline fastballs go by then taking a breaking ball for strike 3 but his 3rd time up smoked one high off the wall in dead center. He looked excellent at 1B starting a DP and picking a few short hops but missed one that gave an E to Taylor. It looked to me like he was pressing a bit trying to live up to all the hype. I’m hoping these days off help him get mentally right, physically he still can turn on anyone’s fastball.
Thanks 59. I love Matt’s. It’s a small place and usually people have to wait outside 45 minutes to get in.
I’ve only been to Vero Beach but have been there three times.The back fields are fun. In today’s times I am surprised we can still get so close to the players. I guess it is a memorable experience even when things don’t go as planned.
The first time I was at Vero I had good seats about 10 rows off the field very close to first base. It was hot there. There were a couple of line drives that went into the seats that were lethal. I never take a glove to a game but one would have been handy for self defense. There were empty seats behind home plate that were covered and shady. I just sat down in one and nobody said a word to me. Sandy Koufax a few minutes later sat down in front of me and a little later Bret Butler’s family sat down to my right.
On another trip to Vero Beach I flew home on a seat next to Logan White. We talked non-stop for three hours. He seemed to enjoy it so I kept talking. He gave me his business card and told me anytime I wanted tickets for my family to give him a call. I did later during the season and sure enough we had four good tickets waiting for us at Will Call.
Wow, great story Bums! Every now and then you have one of those trips where everything falls into place. That didn’t happen for me this time, but we did have a particularly memorable occasion at Dodger Stadium one day. My work sponsored a client event, invited me and my son along. Right when we go there, we were greeted with Clayton Kershaw bobble-heads and my son, Dante was asked to go onto the field to run out to one of the players at the beginning of the game. It was our green-eyed rookie right fielder, Matt Kemp. He signed a ball, then we went up to the suite where our Special Guest was my favorite player as a kind, the great Ron Cey. What a night to remember!
That sounds really cool. Ron Cey was always a favorite if mine. I liked Cey and Russell on those 70’s teams.
Vegas thank you!
I haven’t watched him as closely as I should, so I knew you would know what he has done up to now.”
Like I said, I saw the ball he hit off the wall, and I thought that may be his break out hit.
I just want the guy to be able to start the season quickly, so he won’t press like you said he might be doing.
I trust your judgment, especially when it comes to hitting.
And I know how hitting can be so mental, so I hope Muncy gets a good start again this year.
59
It sounds like you made a great time out of your trip, even if everything didn’t go as well, as you hoped.
You just never know with Fridays, because Fridays can have less traffic at times, and that is probably because a lot of people wanted to take a longer weekend.
I had to go out to my doctor in Riverside that day, and the traffic wasn’t that bad yet, but I left at 8am and got back on the freeway on the way home, at 1pm.
But at one, the traffic was starting to get a little heavier at that time.
I know what you mean about Dodger Dogs, that don’t have any grill marks, because that is what makes Dodger Dogs, so much better then other hotdogs.
Those yellow buns, were probably potato buns, instead of the typical buns they have in LA, and those potato rolls do make any sandwich or hotdog, taste a little different.
I am glad at least you got to see a lot of our young arms and our arms in general, when you were out there.
I bet the last thing you thought, that you would literally run into Roberts, although he was the one, that literally ran into you.
I am glad at the least, you had one great meal that you won’t forget, but you won’t forget this trip either.
Except the instructions that you gave us, to be prepared for any trip we make to spring training, in the future, and for your next trip to spring training, too.
It is always good to see someone that makes the best of anything, including a wasp sting, so I am glad you still had a good time!
Just another reason to not like Doc. The guy was driving crappy and ran the stop sign! He was following Prior driving Honey in the lead golfcart.
59
That is what I thought, when I heard that.
Bobby and Palmdale
Don’t make me laugh, you two, are to funny.
Surprised to hear Sierra was out there. Might be the last of a dying breed, the prematurely wealthy baseball player . . .
59,
did you that Allie plays that Sasquatch in those Beef Jerky commercials without make up sometimes? He is that big.
59,
please describe the horrible drivers in detail please, so we can conduct a poll on who are the worst drivers in the West.
I thought in yesterday’s game when the anouncer said that Turner had scored the most runs on this team up to now, that was a telling sign.
Because Turner are second hitter, has scored 5 more runs then Joc our lead off hitter.
Joc has scored 7 runs, but 3 of those 7 runs came from Joc’s 3 HRs.
Turner has scored 12 Runs, and he has only hit 1 HR, but Turner has also had 10 less at bats then Joc too.
The idea is to have someone on base, or even better, have someone in scoring position, when Turner comes up to bat.
And Joc in the lead off position last year, had the lowest OBP of his career, so that is not a strength like it once was for Joc, when he is hitting in the lead off position.
Also remember the lead off hitter, doesn’t necessarily lead off the rest of the game.
And because of that, you might be surprised how often the lead off hitter comes up, when runners are on base, or in scoring position.
Joc came up with runners in scoring position last year 83 times, and Joc was only able to get a hit in these situations, 18 times.
And remember the lead off hitter is going to get more at bats, then anyone on the team.
Why are we giving a career 240 something hitter more at bats, then anyone else on the team?
This just doesn’t make sense even with Joc’s power, because 19 of Joc’s 25 HRs came, when there was not a single runner, on base.
And Joc does not look like he is really adjusting in spring training this year either.
Because he has only gotten one hit when runners were on base in spring training up to now, and that was his double in the game against the Padres, this last week.
I think we need to have our 4 best hitters, hitting at the top of the line up, like they once did.
Because the lead off hitter does come up to bat more often then we would think, when runners are on base, or in scoring position.
We not only need our lead off hitter to get on base in front of our 3 best hitters, it would also be good to have our lead off hitter to be able to handle the bat, in these situations too
And if they have speed that would be a plus too, but almost every player in our line up can hit one out, so we have plenty of power, throughout the line up.
I should have said this, the lead off hitter will almost always get more at bats in a game, then the hitters behind him, because the way the order turns around.
MJ, I get accused, maybe deservedly so, of supporting Joc. I admit to like him, imperfections and all. But you persist even more in singling him out for criticism and rarely criticize any other player. Your criticism is repeated as if you having it on your clip board and just paste it.
You are not a negative person so it is strange that you persist in Joc hate. Sometimes we all have to look at strengths and weaknesses and not be so opinionated as to which is the most important measurement.
You and I don’t disagree on too many things and are mostly compatible with our views. We were on opposite sides a few years back when third base seemed to be up for grabs and Turner had not nailed it down yet. I wanted Turner to be the third baseman and you wanted Alex Guerrero. Lately its been a preference difference you and I have for left field where you want Toles and I want Pederson.
i want Verdugo. So count me in on this battle!!!
{ref whistle} “Flag on the play–Accusing someone of liking Alex Guerrero”
Bum
Firstly, you almost always say something back to anyone that doesn’t see Joc in the light that you do.
Sometimes literally, and sometimes it is an a more obscure way, although you haven’t as much lately.
The last time I said I didn’t think Joc was our best lead off hitter for the team, you made up this same revisionist history.
And I thought at that time, we were good.
I guess we are only good, if I don’t say what I think is best for the team, if it involves Joc.
I am sorry, but I just don’t think Joc is our best lead off hitter.
I have never thought Turner shouldn’t play third base, in fact, I was one of the only people at that time, that thought Turner was much more then a utility player, so stop making stuff up!
I just don’t think Joc’s strengths are best for this team, in the lead off position, that is just my opinion.
Joc’s biggest strength is his power.
And Joc is obviously is not trying to adjust even now in spring training, so why would I think he is going to adjust in these situations, in the regular season?
I am sure you wish you saw Joc adjusting too.
Like Mark pointed out today, we saw Bellinger adjust and hit the ball the other way, but I haven’t seen Joc, do that once.
I know there is a high average if a team scores first, they are more apt to win a game, so I can understand trying to give Joc that first at bat, to pop one out.
But I think that is more important in the post season, and in more important games.
And like I already said, the lead off hitter comes up more then one would think, with runners on base, or when runners are in scoring position.
And the lead off hitter, will most likely get more at bats in a game then anyone, with the way the order turns over.
I am only speaking the truth about Joc, I don’t consider that hate, just the truth.
Whaaat?
Regular season begins 2:35 a.m. PST Wednesday morning in Japan. Weird . . .
That’s when I’ll start looking at stats.
If Pollock doesn’t bat lead-off, it’s more about what he can do in the middle of the lineup than what he can’t do atop it.
Palmdale
I really don’t know who should be our lead off hitter, what’s your best on that?
I’d probably bat Muncy there and watch him put up a .400 OBP.
Palmdale
I have always thought Muncy might be a good lead off hitter, because he tends to have good plate discipline, so he will take his walks.
And he can hit in those different situations in games better, and he would hit plenty out too.
I hope he is going to be okay, because wrist injuries are always so scary.
But he is in the line up tonight.
Kike or Pollock. There is no other rational choice.
My wife and I just got back from watching the minor leaguers. IT is a beautiful complex. I saw Charlie Hough working with a pitcher.
I also saw J D Peters in the batting cage. He is big.
I saw probably 10 catchers or more working on framing. They had a pitching machine and every pitch was just below the knees. They were bring the pitch up into the strike zone. They did it for 2 hours.
I saw pitchers taking ground balls and throwing to all bases and covering first.
On another field I saw infielders taking infield practice.
They had two games starting at 11:30. That is when we left.. Since it is a night game, the major league players do not come out until 2:00.
We are going to a game on Tuesday and Friday. It was cool enough in the morning and all had a light shirt over their numbers. I really did not know who was who, except you cannot miss Peters.
Idahoal
I am sure you loved watching those catchers, since you were a catcher, and a coach.
I remember when you were so worried, because we didn’t have many good catchers in our system.
It is like Friedman heard you, because now we have plenty of top catching prospects, and in our system.
I hope both you and your wife, have a great time this week, and have a safe trip home.
IdahoAL
Who is bigger, DJ or Stetson?
And which town would you prefer to live. Pocatello, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Falls, or the obvious one Boise, Twin Falls, Lewiston.
We are moving later this year. Idaho, Montana or maybe Wyoming
A couple of items from a chat with Dave Roberts. Kershaw is coming along. I saw him throwing in practice and he looked good the same when he was doing long toss. Doc said,though, that he won’t be ready for opening day,but wouldn’t comment on who would start. Hill is a good guess.
I asked him about any difference in the way he related to the front office this year. He didn’t answer directly but did say that a lot of people don’t like change and resist relying on all of the new information that is available to teams today. He didn’t seem to be referring to people in the FO but fans and perhaps writers. He said he was sad to see Fared (sp) go to the giants anthat he was a good friend.
Saw Kelly, Kershaw, Urias and Maeda all throwing on the practice mounds at the same time. They all looked fast and K threw without holding back. Kelly has a motion that makes one wonder where he gets his velocity. I have a couple of pics but don’t know how to post them here. More later, Strip against the Rangers tonight
Campy,
1. Save the pic as a JPEG to your desktop;
2. If you don’t have it on your computer, e-mail it to yourself.
3. Go to tinyurl.com and follow the instructions…
… or e-mail to me.
What is your email?
2018 HR Totals–Will Each Player Hit More [+] or Fewer [-] or Same [=]?
Muncy–35 [-]
Bellinger–25 [+]
Joc–25 [-]
Pollock– 21 [=]
Hernandez– 21 [+]
Taylor– 17 [-]
Turner– 14 [+]
Barnes– 4 [+]
Those look like great assessments to me!
Hernandez was the main one I waffled on, but like many here I think he could break out big-time.
Palmdale
I can see that with Kike, because it looks like he will get more consistent at bats this year, since he may be playing second everyday.
Taylor is back to playing leftfield tonight, and leading off.
They say Corey will be ready opening day, but I am sure Roberts will rest him a lot at the beginning.
And because of all of that, it is hard to know how many at bats both Kike and Taylor will get, and how many consistent at bats, they will both get too.
But like I said, those were great assessments.
Muncy less
Bellinger more
Joc slightly less
Pollock less
Hernandez less
Taylor less
Turner more
Barnes more
A lot will depend on the number of at bats they get and their health.
I am getting in on this late again. Mark, I agree with you that losing two World Series in a row falls on doc and the players. Even last year the series was not as lopsided as it appeared. The Sox wanted it more and Cora expected much more from his players. But, when you baby everybody all year like doc does you can’t just turn that on in the series.
AF doesn’t think he can win with those players. Puig has done pretty well in the playoffs. It’s early but he has hit a couple home runs off lefties this spring. He used to hit lefties I don’t know what happened. As far as trading him. He probably was a clubhouse distraction, weren’t going to resign him anyway, 2 good prospects, cheaper to sign pollock with the bonus of pollock balancing the lineup. If bellinger can stay in rf I think it helps him and he is going to become a plus plus player. He reminds me a bit of Shawn green. Bellinger has great tools.
What happened to joc speed? He used to be a 20-30 base stealer. He may be our slowest player. He seems overweight to me. Joc is a serviceable or better left fielder, better than average power, good obp, apparently a good attitude. When they brought puig up I remember pat corrales saying joc was the best minor leaguer la had. He takes some brutal swings against lefties. He is a good solid player who will get expensive in a year or 2.
I don’t see Muncy repeating but who could. The league knows him better and a solid year would be about all you could expect. Look at bellinger and Taylor who struggled after a fantastic year. Barnes should be better it would be hard to be worse. Barnes has always been a solid hitter until last year. Martin, I would be surprised if he didn’t spend half his time on the injured list. If healthy he could be a good role player.
In case you missed this, from Dodger Insider:
Sixteen months after being promoted to director of player development, Brandon Gomes has been promoted to Dodger vice president and assistant general manager.
The Dodgers made the announcement on Sunday, as well as naming Will Rhymes the new director of player development, Alex Slater as director of baseball operations and Duncan Webb as director of baseball resources.
Gomes has been with the Dodgers since 2016 after a five-year playing career, in which he went 11–12 with a 4.20 ERA in 173 career games with Tampa Bay. He was named director of player development on Dec. 1, 2017 following the departure of Gabe Kapler to Philadelphia.
Rhymes joined the Dodgers in 2016 serving as a pro scout for two seasons before becoming the assistant farm director in 2018. Prior to joining the staff, he played three seasons in the Major Leagues from 2010–12 as an infielder with Detroit and Tampa Bay.
Slater has been part of the Dodgers front office since 2014, the same offseason in which Andrew Friedman was named president of baseball operations. Slater has been in Major League Baseball for 11 seasons, serving as a baseball operations assistant in the professional scouting department of the San Diego Padres from 2009–2014.
Webb joined the Dodgers in 2015 as the coordinator of international player development and served in various roles the last four seasons in the Campo Las Palmas complex in the Dominican Republic. The Massachusetts native originally began his professional career in 2006 serving as a baseball operations intern for the Boston Red Sox before becoming their assistant farm director from 2013–14.
Seen all of that. The biggest news from the Off-Season is the Dodger Front Office 🙂
I took a day off.. all the buzz yesterday was Puig getting 2 hr’s. I told them all he’d break their hearts.
Everyone pretty covered theirs and my trip..
What sticks in my mind was Hill’s outing and Verdugo’s sweet stroke.
Oh and ya, JT diving into the stands gave me heatburn. I was here a year ago when he went down. Rest him a little Doc..he’s ready for God’s sake.
Glad to see the Dodgers saving Kershaw from himself. If they could only convince him to have surgery. Corey Seager only needs three MLB level Spring games to get ready for the season? Probably better off starting with Kike at 2B and CT3 at SS. It’s been a rough Spring? Don’t look now, but the Dodgers lead the Cactus league in run differential. 3rd in baseball. Probably skewed a bit with all those stud pitchers we have, but I’ll take it as a good sign. The offense will probably come around in May. Hopefully this group will scratch out a few runs a game and win with pitching like the 88 team.
I liked the Bellinger Shawn Green comp and the Muncy for leadoff idea.
I also like the in-house promotions. I mean, why hire from outside when next year’s GM will probably want his own guys? 😉
Roberts is a turd. Too many pitching changes, always lying about the players and their health status, horrible post-game interviews, bad driver!
Buehler is still in the mix. The latest Roberts blather. I’m embarrassed for him!
Yeah, the one guy he chooses to say is in the mix is the other guy that hasn’t been in a game yet.
I heard he chews the ice in his gin and tonics too . . .
59,
Roberts will always live up to his turdness reputation. He just can’t help himself. Once the 3 pitcher rule is in place, watch him squirm in the dugout. Oh, and Stetson on playing the Sasquatch in the Beef Jerky commercials, he apparently only asked to be paid in said jerky for compensation.
… and just imagine if he had the best winning percentage of any Dodger manager of all time. How would you explain that, since he is so bad?
Hummm, well he does. Just lucky, I guess!
I will admit to wanting AJ Ellis to manage the Dodgers but Doc is the manager and he has scoreboard on his side.
Pederson is not slow. Martin is slow. It’s hilarious that Seager is never mentioned as slow considering that he plays a position that is typically played by one of the fastest players on a team and he is slower than Pederson.