Mark uses “Rants and Raves” so I will use “Bites and Bits” to avoid any copyright infringement with Mark or Bits and Bites Snack Mix. Actually I have little to rant and rave about but have some small pieces of somewhat innocuous “stuff” that I will post. Some things that just popped into my head during the past few days or that I stumbled upon. Some of it might be a little goofy.
What I Like:
I like the way the Loons players, at least most of them, wear their pant legs knee high. I really dislike the pants dragging on the ground like pajama bottoms. I have never gotten out of the stirrup era. For me, this is how a professional baseball uniform should look. I miss Duke.
I also like it when the Dodgers have “Dodgers” on their road jerseys. Everyone who knows baseball, and often those who don’t, know of the “Dodgers”.
What I Dislike:
I really dislike the so called “pitch framing”. It is simply a misnomer. Maybe there is something to be gained by it in a deceptive manner but let’s call it what it is. It is without question yanking the ball in or up. A framing would be holding the glove motionless, at least in my opinion. Any umpire that uses that pitch yanking as a reference should be yanked out as an umpire. It irritates me to see minor league catchers yanking the ball, especially in. It doesn’t help their passed ball rate. That is a bit of a rant, eh!
What I Miss:
I miss the stolen base as it declines in numbers each year. I understand there have been ups and down in the number of stolen bases over the decades, but the trend now definitely seems to be down.
YEAR STEALS
1987 3,585
1997 3,308
2007 2,918
2017 2,527
2018 2,474
Buster Onley wrote an article a year ago that at least helps explain why the stolen base is falling out of favor.
Gavin Lux:
In a MiLB.com article on Gavin Lux on April 19, 2019, Lux explains his transition to the prospect we hoped he would become.
He talked about how to hit left-handed pitching with Chase Utley. He talked defense with Justin Turner and Enrique Hernandez. He took instruction from organization coaches Robert Van Scoyoc, Brant Brown and Aaron Bates. The whole time, Lux straddled a line of seeking out as much information he could while letting the veterans get their work in, too.
“They’re super open to everything,” Lux said. “The more I can pick their brains, the more I can l learn. So, for me being around them every day was a learning experience for me.”
“I’m super left-eye dominant. I never knew that until this offseason,” he said. “So, I started opening up and, honestly, I’m just trying to stay inside and shoot it the other way, and if he stays inside, pull it. I just think the more you see them, the more you get off of them.”
“I was super mechanical,” he said. “I was thinking where my hands were, and I got super caught up with it. So, going into 2018, I just found a swing that worked, and I said I’m not going to toy with it too much.”
Lux is not putting the cart before the horse.
“I obviously want to be as good as I can,” he said. “I’m going to be where my feet are and take it a day at a time, and just have fun doing it.”
Stetson Allie:
He has had a difficult couple of outings with home plate seemingly moving around on him creating five walks in two appearances without getting an out. Yet on Friday, April 19 he had a special game although he gave up three runs without recording an out.
Benjamin Moore:
No, not the paint. Ben Moore was added the the OKC Dodgers roster in early April and is on the IL. The 26-year-old catcher was signed by the Dodgers as a free agent in February.
Moore was the primary backstop for the Southern Illinois Miners of the independent Frontier League for the last two seasons, and batted .251 with 11 doubles, three homers and 28 RBIs in 101 games for the black and gold. He hit .287 in 37 games with the club in 2018, ranking among the team leaders in batting average before a knee injury cut his season short. Also a strong defender, he committed just two errors behind the plate with Southern Illinois in over 750 chances.
The Trade:
A couple of days ago Bobby asked about the players the Dodgers sent to Baltimore in the Manny Machado trade.
“BlackMirror mentioned Yusniel Diaz; does anyone know how Diaz or any of the other guys we sent over for Machado are doing?” I did take a look before Monday’s games.
Four of the players are teammates with the AA Bowie Baysox – Diaz, Bannon, Kremer, Pop. Kremer is on the IL and has not played yet in 2019. Valera was traded by the Orioles to the Giants and is now with the AAA Sacramento River Cats.
G SLASH HR RBI
Yusniel Diaz 16 .224/.318/.362 1 7
Rylan Bannon 16 .288/.364/.492 2 12
Breyvic Valera 13 .262/.404/.381 1 4
Zach Pop has a 1.23 ERA in 7.1 innings pitched and a 0.82 WHIP. He has given up only two hits, struck out eight and walked four.
Movement on the Farm:
Outfielder Chris Roller, LHP Justin Bruihl and RHP Kevin Malisheski added to the Loons. Outfielder Drew Avans promoted to RC. Right-handed pitchers Justin Hagenman, Jose Chacin and Guillermo Zuniga all removed from the Loons roster and not added to the Quakes so returned to extended spring training as a paper move.
Minor League Report by DC
There were only two games on Tuesday as the Dodgers had a travel day and the Drillers got rained out in Midland. The game was not just rained out, but also hailed out. A strong thunderstorm struck the Midland-Odessa area just before the scheduled first pitch and forced the postponement.
The thunderstorm included golf ball-sized hail, leaving severe damage to many of the automobiles in the stadium parking lot.
Great Lakes Loons 3 – West Michigan Whitecaps 4 (Detroit)
Josiah Gray started his fourth game of the season and from the first pitch it seemed evident he did not come with his best stuff. He threw 67 pitches in 2.2 innings giving up five hits and two earned runs along with two walks and four strikeouts. Gray was relieved by left-hander Austin Drury who stranded the two bases runners he inherited and kept the loons close. He pitched 2.1 scoreless innings on one hit and three strikeouts. Joel Inoa followed Drury and gave up to runs in his 2.1 innings. He left with the bases loaded and one out. Jasiel Alvino shut down the Whitecaps on a strikeout and ground out leaving the bases loaded. He gave up only one hit and a walk in 2.2 innings while striking out four.
The Loons tied the game at two in the bottom of the fifth inning when a Dillon paulson double plated James outman and a Chris Roller single brought home Miguel Vargas. The Loons scored one more run in the bottom of the eighth inning with a Romar Cuadrado single that followed a Jacob Amaya double. Romar Cuadrado had two hits while Jacob Amaya hit his seventh double..
RC Quakes 3 – Inland Empire 66ers 0 (LAA)
For the third time in Rancho Cucamonga history the Quakes were no-hit through nine innings. However, in the top of the ninth they scored the only runs in the game. Starling Heredia began the inning at second base, Marcus Chui drew a walk and Drew Avans brought them both home with a long triple to center field. Avans then scored on a Brandon Montgomery sacrifice fly. The Quakes did draw seven walks during the game but struck out 18 times.
The Quakes pitching wasn’t too shabby either. Geraldo Carrillo started and pitched five innings of two-hit ball. He walked three and struck out two. Austin Hamilton and Max Gamboa both followed with two innings giving up one hit and striking out nine. Jordan Sheffield continued his stellar closer work with his fifth save in five opportunities and maintaining a 0.00 ERA. He struck out the side, all swinging, in the bottom of the tenth inning.
I think we are witnessing something in Jordan Sheffield that some of us have been touting…when you have a pitcher with a good arm but questionable length, convert him to a high leverage reliever. There was never any question as to how good Jordan Sheffield could be, but it was fairly evident he could not maintain the power/command over a sustained period. In 8 games (8.1 IP), he has surrendered 1 hit and zero runs. He still needs to work on his control as he has walked 7 in those 8.1 IP. He does have 14 K’s. Once he can spot his fastball more precisely, he is a potential ML closer. Congratulations to Jordan for recognizing what his strengths seemed to be, and enjoying a great start to the 2019 season. He will have a bad outing, but for now he is someone to really watch. At the end of last season when he started the transition and then went to the Fall AZL, I thought he might be a good bet to make it to AAA this year, and be on the short list for a 2020 reliever role.
Another former starter enjoying success as a reliever is former 18th round draft pick out of Pepperdine, Max Gamboa. In 6 games, Max has allowed 6 hits, 6 walks, and registered 20 strikeouts in 10.2 innings. He has allowed 3 runs in two of those games and went unscored on in the other 4. In his last three games he has pitched 4.1 innings and allowed 2 hits, 2 walks, to go with 10 strikeouts. He is quickly becoming a very reliable multi-inning reliever. I think Max has a legit shot at a ML career as a reliable middle inning reliever.
Nice adds AC. Good to hear about Sheffield.
I’m with you DC on the pants. I like to see socks and hate those boot cut pants. They don’t look like a uniform. I remember as a kid we would stretch our stirrups to make them as long and skinny as possible.
Lux is probably my favorite prospect right now. I hope he learns how to throw, but he sure looks like he can take over 2B soon. His athleticism is off the chats and can probably handle CF if needed.
I also miss base stealers. I think they put a lot of pressure on the opposing pitcher. But, when I look back at some guys that used to steal a lot of bases, I can’t help but notice the high rates of being caught stealing. I also miss hit and runs and bunting for hits. Rod Carew and Brett Butler were great at it.
Good Post DC.
I like a catcher’s ability to catch a ball just wide of the plate with the edge of the glove and keep as much of the glove in the strike zone as possible. That’s framing. Yanking the glove sometimes works but it looks funky.
Good story on Lux.
Note to Jeff–Please voice your thoughts on the Dodgers without using Mark as your foil.
Just a bit of fun, Bums.
Off topic but I left Loma Linda ortho yesterday with knee replacement as a near future option and I figured some that post here might offer some personal educated advice. I learned my lesson to not jump off retaining walls anytime in the future but Knee replacement sounds somewhat threatening. I don’t really even know what knee replacement is. As far as I know it could be done with cadaver parts or man made materials or even neither.
The metals used in artificial knees are alloys of cobalt-chromium and titanium. The bearing portion of the joint is made of a high-grade, wear-resistant plastic. The metal-plastic bearing combination is the most common type used in knee replacement implants worldwide.
A couple of weeks to a month after replacement you will be glad you did it.
Thanx, I don’t know why I hadn’t looked it up until after I posted that, but I appreciate your feedback. I take it you had it done and thus sans a lot of pain?
My wife and a co-worker did one. My wife needs one on her second knee but doesn’t want to do it again. She loves her new knee though.
I have never had a replacement. Quite a few folks around here have. Almost without exception, those who do the follow up work as prescribed have had very successful replacements. Those who do not do the exercises, refrain from lifting for the prescribed time , etc. often have difficulties.
Maeda is such a head case sometimes. He always reverts back to nibbling too much and falling behind. That guy needs to trust his fastball and slider early to get one over and get ahead. He needs to mix it up and not fall in love with one pitch.
Another tough game against a lefty. Quintana is on a roll right now, so you have to tip your cap. But, our right handed subs that were put in for our lefty platoons did absolutely nothing. It’s absolutely criminal that Bellinger (the best player in baseball right now) hit 6th in the lineup yesterday.
There’s gonna be games like this sometimes, but we don’t need to help out our opponents by making sure they don’t see our best hitter in the top of the lineup. You have to give Freese and Taylor some playing time, I get that. But, you don’t have to push Belli down to the 6th spot.
Baseball should show the socks but basketball doesn’t have to go back to the short shorts.
I always liked Furcal’s slap bunts and they should be more effective now with the shifts.
I am in Vegas and did not get to see the game last night. It’s all work, hardly any play… but I am a couple hundred dollars ahead on Blackjack.
Staying at the Venetian – This is the Sportsbook.
Anyway, it was a bad game I guess – I did want to touch on Howard Coles’ article in Forbes about Yelich. Yes, we all knew he was a breakout candidate, yes he would not put up monster numbers in LA and yes, Friedman did like Yelich a lot! What we don’t know is what the Jeters asked for him. I am sure Verdugo and Ruiz were part of the ask, so Howard is just inventing a “Strawman” – We have no idea who was involved and even if the Jeters had interest in anyone outside of Ruiz and Verdugo….
I would have been okay with a Verdugo and Ruiz trade for Yelich even though at the time it easily could have bumped Joc off the team.
I don’t think they got anything close to Verdugo and Ruiz as far as quality goes. Who knows what they were thinking, but Verdugo seems to be better than anyone they received in the trade. Maybe their “Strategy” was quantity over quality.
Bum, you know bunts are an endangered species…
Call me a dinosaur or a purist, but I really miss the stirrup look..Cooler than the other side of the pillow…
Eye black evolution… It wasn’t long ago that my HS coaches allowed their players to create their own design which was straight out of the Rocky Horror show.. just give em the peel and place strips and be done with it….
Have I said lately although he’s one of my favs, Verdugo’s (another pinch hit yesterday) hair cut has got to go..
Damn, I feel better now…
Joc has had his share of ridiculous haircuts. I prefer Verdugo’s current haircut to his styled thin beard he used to sport. Everything changes soon enough.
Framing may only get a few strikes a game but there’s a definite benefit for the psyche of the pitchers. Making balls look like strikes is something good catchers just do instinctively, and it is a skill that can and should be taught to every young catcher as long as human umpires are calling balls and strikes. And if you think pitchers don’t appreciate it you are mistaken. Mike Mussina wouldn’t pitch his last couple season for the yankees if Jose Molina wasn’t catching. Why? Cause he was the best I’ve seen making balls look like strikes. Might of just been in Mussina’s head…but that’s enough of a reason to frame.
Other DC.
I don’t doubt a word that you say. This is my opinion only and perhaps the only one on the planet. I don’t think it is the umpire’s job to massage the psyche of the pitcher by calling strikes that are balls. I know pitchers appreciate it but it is just inconceivable that an umpire would use the catcher’s glove position to determine a ball or strike. He has to know that catchers are doing their best to be deceptive. In their careers they have seen thousands upon thousands of pitches. Doesn’t experience count for anything? Don’t they get better at it? Surely they can make independent judgments. Granted, the most mistakes they make, again in my lone opinion perhaps, are those pitches off the plate. that catchers yank back in. Hitters of course help by chasing pitches out there that are unhittable.
As much as I don’t want the game to further degenerate in robo-baseball, maybe electronic balls and strikes is the answer if umpires are going to continue to be influenced by catchers.
Umpires have always been influenced by catchers, from my point of view. They do after all protect the umpire.
The best framers are subtle. You can’t frame a pitch that’s 6 inches off the plate. Only works for borderline strikes. Some catchers do get a better % of borderline pitches called strikes. Maybe it’s all just an anomaly. But the statistic keepers do give it some legitimacy.
Actually, the WSJ recently posted an article saying the older umps are worse at judging the strike zone than umps in their 30s. So, experience has a peak and a decline just like ball players…
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-average-umpire-is-almost-50-the-best-ones-might-be-in-their-30s-11555431301
Last night was a great example of an umpire’s crappy strikezone and the effect it had on the game. He was pinching Maeda early, then calling off the plate late, when the bases were loaded for Pollock. I’m pretty old school when it comes to rule changes, instant replay, etc. But, the one thing I really want is an electronic strike zone. I can’t help but think back to the Dodgers getting owned by Glavine and Maddux in the playoffs because the umpires gave them inches off the plate.
Last year I considered Diaz as a potential 2019 starting LF candidate. Looks like my timeline was off. Orioles are bad so maybe AA is a prudent placement since they’re in no rush.
Maybe Maeda in the BP and Julio starting? Ferguson?
Julio is on an innings limit. He can’t stay in the rotation all year and still pitch in the post-season. The obvious choice is Stripling since he’s pitched better than Maeda, but is still slated for the pen when Hill comes back on Sunday. At least that was the plan before yesterday.
Other DC maybe leaving Julio in the pen till after the all star break then put him in as a starter. For now lets use Ferguson as a starter or bring up May
Enough already with Chris Taylor! He should never be starting. Since we have no good right handed bats in the organization to play left field against lefties give the job to Verdugo!
Hernandez is another candidate to platoon with Joc if Muncy played second and hit lefties better than Joc and CT3. I would prefer to keep Joc in LF full time and see what he does against the next 10 lefty starters. And, I would like to see more of Verdugo in RF and more Belli at first.
Mr Strikeout. Send him to AAA to work in making contact. Enough
I agree, Taylor needs to earn it from the bench at this point. I only want him to start at SS at this point. He can be a late inning replacement in the OF if they pinch hit for Joc.
For those of us who are Verdugo fans (and I’m guessing that’s most of us by now) here’s a link to a nice article on him:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-alex-verdugo-dodgers-rookie-personality-vicente-fernandez-volver-volver-20190422-story.html?utm
Oh and I miss the short shorts in the NBA too! How old r u guys?
Early days, but old friend Frankie Montas is leading MLB in wins (jointly)
Old Friend ? That guy did not even throw a pitch for LA. But i get what you mean.
Montas implemented a split-finger fastball this off-season.
It’s great to see him do well.
It is always great to see former Dodgers do well. Not just because there might be some emotional investment in the player, but also so potential trade partners don’t always believe you are fleecing them with your prospects who may never be MLB players. I hope Grant Holmes and Jharel Cotton do well also. I hope Willie Calhoun does well.
Can Freese play First base ??? Why dont they use him at third base to spell Turner who has also been showing signs of declining defense at 3B this year. But Freese plays terrible 1B.
Observations.
Ferguson needs to use his curve ball more. He is a one pitch pitcher. I would like to see him sent down to work on ,his pitches.
Taylor needs to be sent down. Same problem as last year. SO. It has been too long and he just cannot make contact.
Verdugo needs to play, but where.
I agree with Bum. Let Joc play some games against LH. If he cannot, then I would trade him. You just cannot have two players filling one position.
Maeda does not trust his pitches. He nibbles and gets behind.
Barnes needs rest.
Agree with your assessment that Verdugo needs to play more, even against LHP.
I’ll be happy the day CT3 is jettisoned to OKC to learn to make contact. Can’t afford to see if he’ll adjust in the big leagues. Love his grit and his “team first attitude” but can’t stand the results and since the MLB is about results he has to go down. He looks nothing more than a late game defensive player.
Martin is due back soon.
You can’t have two players filling one position? I think the Red Sox did that last year at 1B and won the World Series against a team that platoon more that all others. But, I agree with you about platoons in general.
I’m not against trading Joc, after all you can’t keep everyone. But, you better get a lot better at hitting lefties if you’re gonna give up Joc’s production against righties. Kike and Pederson are an ideal platoon since Kike crushes lefties like Pederson crushes righties. But, Taylor sucks so Kike’s playing second base. They should probably let Kike play LF and let Muncy play second against lefties. But, Joc is committed to giving Taylor a long lease, we’re in first place, so It’s hard to really argue.
We better target a setup guy and a right handed power bat at the deadline. Problem is, right handed power hitters are becoming unicorns. And half of them suck at fielding.
The top two needs in the offseason was right handed bat and bullpen help. Right now it looks like they blew it in both areas. It might be a different story next month when Kelly and Pollock start stepping up.
Idahoal, Joc is a platoon player. If the team is committed to platooning, they must pair Joc with a strong RH batter. Joc just cannot hit lefties. Kike is the only strong RH batter that is platoonable but they want him to play 2B. IMO, the best solution would be to trade Joc for an all around hitting LF. But that is not likely to happen. His contract is team friendly and his HR production is too strong. Dodgers are caught between a rock and a hard place. They are not going to have their cake and eat it with this structure. Every year, we see and complain about the same thing, yet the FO does nothing. Money is definitely at the heart of this problem and the willingness to only promote within the system.
Verdugo belongs in RF. Cody at 1B. Kike, while doing much better is still not a complete hitter. Platooning him with Joc leaves 2B to Muncy. Kike is a better 2Bman. This is the same problem we had last year, it just looks different. And, Muncy is nose diving at present.
Cody batting 6th again, Taylor behind him. Both Garciaparra and J-Hair complaining about this.
59, is Joe Davis J-hair?
I try not to listen to Joe Davis’ broadcasts. He’s trying to be Vinny and sounds completely phony to me. He’s too young for this job, but he’s good looking. He’s not a baseball man. He should marry Alanna and get her to coach him in broadcasting. His energy is dead.
Nomar is good, Orel is very sharp but talks about himself and meanders too much. Davis has no personality. He’s a cover girl.
Left handers are hitting 346 against Quintana, righties 220. Just sayin’. Cubs are smart, stacking lefties against us with Hammels today and Lester coming off the DL tomorrow. The pre-game crew is blasting them for sitting Joc and Muncy. Doc interviewed and says Taylor is getting leeway, not soon enough to take him out of the platoon for Verdugo. Garciaparra’s response to that interview… Taylor shouldn’t get so much leeway after leading the league in Ks last year.
Absolutely agree with Nomar on CT3.
What am I missing that Doc is seeing that causes him not to bench Taylor. (Is he watching games we are watching)
It seems so logical that Verdugo should be replaceing Taylor. But, is there a reason
Taylor keeps getting the nod?
Please explain.
Bobo,
If you’ve noticed, the FO is loyal to a fault when it comes to ‘their’ acquisitions. We saw it with Forsythe, Reddick, & Dozier, and we are seeing it with Joc, Taylor, and now with Barnes.
With all this talk about catchers and framing, has anyone had the thought that perhaps Barnes is not calling the pitches very well? We have some great arms on our club, but look at all the HR’s we are giving up. The pitch calling question is getting airplay in my brain. Never mind framing. Is Barnes calling the wrong pitches? I would like to hear what others think about this possibility. It’s a worthy question to ponder and analyze. With Barnes’ lack of offensive production, we will probably be looking at a catching replacement next season. We are seeing his regression once again. .190 BA
The team is slumping with the exception of Cody, Verdugo, and Joc. The pitching has been atrocious and the bats cannot be expected to win games with 3 hits or 7 hits where only HR’s are getting runs in. JT is now officially in the slump-a-dump. Corey is not. Throw in Kike, Taylor, Freese, and Barnes, with a peripheral slump by Pollock and Muncy, and you have a very lacklustre team. But, the main culprit is still the pitching, both starters and BP.
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/chris-taylor-looking-to-fix-swing-with-dodgers
Here you go Bobo. This article contains intelligible quotes from Doc regarding Taylor.
That was a brilliant comment from Doc 59. Whacha sayin! Sync up his swing. wow. These guys are so Blinded by the Home Run that when they see the white ball fly over the green fence it is hypnotizing.