A few days ago, Bluto posed the following:
“I mean if you are evaluating players from a far then you have to be down on prospects when they fare poorly. But what’s the difference between being down and writing off?And what does writing off mean? Does it mean moving down in the prospect list? Or removing altogether?”
I am sure that my opinion of “being down” vs. writing off would not be the same as those much more experienced talent evaluators. There are very few players that I would ever write off before they were released. To be sure, the only determination that matters is the team’s. I am sure that there were many who wrote off my son before he made it. I am sure that most had written off Erik Kratz before he made it to his first ML roster at 30. There are dozens of those type of players.
One example for a player written of for me is 2015 2nd round draft pick Mitchell Hansen. He quickly became a favorite of mine. His status as a top prospect dimmed very quickly, but I never gave up on him until he was released. NYY signed him quickly thereafter, but he was released again in January 2019 by NYY and has not been picked up since and so I would consider him written off.
Jeren Kendall could very well find himself in the same situation after this year. His prospect star is very much tarnished, but he has tools that could make him a player at some future date, so I have not yet written him off.
Some players are considered organizational depth and can find themselves moving from team to team hoping for that proverbial chance. As long as they are employed, they are not written off. Look at any AAA and AA roster and you will find these type of players.
Yesterday BellingerBuehler wrote “In the minors as far as pitching is concerned and again stat wise the only one with a decent amount of innings pitched that looks good stat wise is Marshall Kasowski 24.1 innings pitched 41 strikeouts which computes to 15.2 strikeouts per 9 innings and no home runs allowed with a 1.15 WHIP. I’d like to see him get called up to see what he has in the big league”.
I brought up Marshall and a second pitcher who I believe will be a better long-term option…Jordan Sheffield. Nobody has ever questioned Jordan’s arm, but his status as a top of the rotation starter has always been questioned by scouts. From the day he was signed, most evaluators thought his best chance was as a reliever. Late last year, Jordan started that transition and was added to the AZL Fall League Roster as a reliever. This year, Jordan has been a reliever exclusively. He started at Rancho and was dominant. He threw 17.1 innings with a 2.60 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, 11 BB and 26 K in a famously known hitters league, California League. He was promoted to Tulsa on May 15 where he has been even more At Tulsa he has been even better. In 10 games and 11.2 IP, Jordan has allowed 4 hits, 5 walks, with 17 K. He has a 0.77 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. He may not be the strike out machine that Kasowski is, but 43 in 29.0 IP is still pretty good (13.3 per 9 inning). Jordan has been better in high leverage situations this year, and if he ever obtains solid command and control, he will be a great late inning high leverage reliever. Marshall Kasowski or Jordan Sheffield. I am hopeful that both will be considered for relief roles inn 2020, but I do not think 2019 is the year.
There has been a lot of conjecture as to what the Dodgers will do (trade) to improve their odds against LHP. With the lead they currently enjoy in the NL West there is very little chance they will relinquish that lead. With good hitters against LHP, Corey Seager and AJ Pollock, the fortunes against LHP should improve. But just in case, I thought that I would look at potential playoff teams and their roster of LHP.
Colorado:
Jake McGee LHRP
Arizona
Robbie Ray LHSP, Andrew Chafin LHRP, T. J. McFarland LHRP
San Diego
Joey Lucchesi LHSP, Eric Lauer LHSP, Logan Allen LHSP, Robbie Erlin LHRP
Milwaukee
Alex Claudio LHRP, Josh Hader LHRP
Cubs
Cole Hamels LHSP, Jon Lester LHSP, Jose Quintana LHSP, Mike Montgomery LHRP, Kyle Ryan LHRP
St. Louis
Andrew Miller LHRP, Tyler Webb LHRP
Braves
Dallas Keuchel LHSP, Max Fried LHSP, Jerry Blevins LHRP, Sean Newcomb LHRP/LHSP, Grant Dayton LHRP
Phillies
Jose Alvarez LHRP, Austin Davis LHRP, Ranger Suarez LHRP, Adam Morgan LHRP
Nats
Patrick Corbin LHSP, Sean Doolittle LHRP, Matt Grace LHRP, Tony Sipp LHRP
Twins
Martin Perez LHSP, Taylor Rogers LHRP
NYY
J.A. Happ LHSP, James Paxton LHSP, CC Sabathia LHSP, Zack Britton LHRP, Aroldis Chapman LHRP, Nester Cortes Jr. LHRP, Stephen Tarpley LHRP
Houston
Wade Miley LHSP, Cionel Perez LHRP, Framber Valdez LHRP
One has to figure that MadBum will be joining a contending team.
It just does not seem that there are enough LHP for the Dodgers to overreact and bring in a mediocre RH bat to challenge the LHP. If a JDM type player does become available, I would think the Dodgers would check into that, but not because they feel overmatched by LH pitching.
Gavin Lux will be the starting SS in next Tuesday’s Texas League AS Game. Since the beginning of 2018, Lux has been on a different plane. Something clicked and he has become a bonafide top prospect, and a certain ML player. In reviewing the top SS prospects, Bo Bichette, Carter Kieboom, and Gavin Lux were all top draftees in the 2016 draft. Bichette is at AAA as is Kieboom who has made a brief appearance with the MLB Nationals. I think Gavin will get there this year, and maybe right after the Texas League AS game. I predicted that Nico Hulsizer would move to RC directly after the Midwest League AS Game, so I might as well predict that Gavin gets that promotion next week. Gavin has done nothing but prove that he can play at an elite level at the last two levels he has played.
Before Saturday’s game, in a list of league offensive leaders, Lux was #2 Slugging, #2 OPS, #2 Hits, #2 HR, #4 BA, #5 OBP, #6 Runs. Is that enough to get him promoted to OKC? Once he gets to OKC, will he begin a transition to 2B?
Thinking about Gavin and Jordan Sheffield, got me to reminiscing about the 2016 Dodgers draft.
Round 1 – Gavin Lux – AA (AS Starter)
Round 1a – Will D. Smith – MLB
Round 2 – Jordan Sheffield – AA
Round 2a – Mitchell White – AAA
Round 3 – Dustin May – AA
Round 4 – DJ Peters – AA
Round 5 – Devin Smeltzer – MLB Twins
Round 6 – Errol Robinson – AAA
Round 7 – Luke Raley – AAA Twins
Round 8 – Andre Scrubb – AA
Round 9 – Tony Gonsolin – AAA
Round 10 – Kevin Lachance – Released and signed by DBacks
Round 11 – AJ Alexy – AA Texas
Round 13 – Cody Thomas AA (AS Starter)
Round 14 – Dean Kremer – AA Baltimore
Round 15 – Brayan Morales – A+
Round 19 – Chris Mathewson – A+
Round 26 – Brandon Montgomery – A+
Round 30 – Ramon Rodriguez – Ogden
Round 31 – Stevie Berman – AA
Round 33 – Zach McKinstry – AA (AS bench)
Round 35 – Nick Yarnall – A+
Round 38 – Kevin Malisheski – Ogden
It is a pretty good supposition that all of the top 11 draft picks (through Round 9) will make a ML roster in some capacity. That is a phenomenal draft. Two Texas League All Star starters and one Texas League All Star reserve were from the Dodgers 2016 draft. Nine of the eleven are still with the Dodgers and all 9 are at AA or better. I do not believe I have seen a better draft except maybe for the 1968, but 2016 has not yet come to a conclusion.
Finally, I certainly understand why some can pick and choose what individual components of a game they want to dwell on. I have been a strong advocate for relief help, but I have no reservations at all about the starting pitching and timely offense. Seager and Pollock out? No problem. Beaty gets a walk off HR to win Game 1 of the series and knocks in two critical runs in two ABs the next night. Verdugo then gets his second walk off HR and a 4 hit night. Two rookies leading a clutch hitting attack?
Fans want to complain about a hanging curve by Caleb Ferguson? You have that right. Instead I am going to celebrate Beaty’s two clutch singles, and Verdugo’s walk off and 4 hits. I am also going to feel good about Garcia, Floro, Jansen, Baez, and Kelly pitching shutout innings without allowing a hit and only a single walk. This was a tremendous win on a night when Ryu was not at his best. Just as each of those relievers came back with solid games last night, I am just as positive that Ferguson will have his good days again. He will hang another curve and give up another HR. He should not be expected to be a consistent high leverage reliever right now. Maybe someday.
One bad pitch in 5.0 innings of relief. You cannot get much better than that, and not many have been as hard on the relievers as I have been. I am going to take this win and smile.
MINOR LEAGUE REPORT by AC
OKC Dodgers 0 – Memphis Redbirds 5 (Cardinals)
There was not much good in this game. The Dodgers delivered 2 singles (Shane Peterson and Jake Peter). Rob Zastryzny started and pitched 6.0 innings allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks, with 6 Ks. He did allow a HR. Adam McCreery pitched 1.0 innings and gave up a solo H R. Jamie Schultz followed also surrendering a run on 2 hits and 2 Ks. Justin Grimm finished the final 1.1 wit 2 Ks.
Tulsa Drillers 2 – Amarillo Sod Poodles 1 (Padres)
Dustin May pitched his best game of the season going 7 scoreless innings yielding 2 hits and registering 14 strikeouts. Yordy Cabrera relieved May and pitched a perfect 8th but gave up 2 singles and a sac fly in the 9th to tie the game at 1-1.
The Drillers used 2 singles and a batter reaching base on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. A walk scored one run for a 1-0 lead. With the score tied 1-1 in the 10th, Zach McKinstry started at 2nd to begin the inning. Josh Thole grounded out to move McKinstry to 3rd. Gavin Lux was intentionally walked. Drew Avans singled to score McKinstry.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 10 – Lancaster JetHawks 5 (Rockies)
The Quakes scored 10 runs on 12 hits, including 5 XBH. The Quakes opened the scoring in the 3rd. Deacon Liput singled and Jeter Downs drilled a double. WP scored one run and a Jeren Kendall sac fly scored run #2. The JetHawks tied the score with single runs in the 4th and 5th. The Quakes broke it open with 5 in the 6th. Donovan Casey walked and after a pop out, Marcus Chiu hit a 2 run HR. There was a flyout for out #2. Brayan Morales walked a stole 2nd. Deacon Liput walked and Morales and Liput pulled off a double steal. Jeter Downs singled home 2 and went to third on a throwing error. Devin Mann singled to bring Downs home for the 5th run in the inning. In the 7th, Donovan Casey opened the 7th with a HR (12). Jordan Procyshen hit another HR (2). Brayan Morales, and Deacon Liput singled. Downs walked to load the bases with Mann singling for the Quakes 10th run on the night.
Josiah Gray pitched a strong opening 5 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. He did strike out 9 JetHawk batters in 5 innings. Wes Helsabeck pitched 1.2 innings surrendering a 3 run HR. Bryan Warzak pitched 1.1 innings striking out 3, and Logan Salow pitched the 9th allowing a single with 3 strikeouts.
Ogden Raptors 4 – Orem Owlz 7 (LAA)
Catcher Tre Todd was the hitting star with his first double and 1st HR (2 run HR) and 3 RBIs. Jimmy Titus hit his first professional HR and Joe Vranesh hit his first professional double. That was the extent of the Raptors offense.
The pitching overall was not as good as the offense. Alfredo Tavarez started and went 5.0 innings. He allowed 2 runs on 6 hits with 3 walks and 4 Ks. Yeison Cespedes pitched the 6th allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk. Corey Merrill pitched a scoreless 2 innings with 1 hit. Hunter Speer pitched the 9th giving up 2 runs on 3 hits.
Great Lakes Loons 2 – Fort Wayne TinCaps 1 – (Padres)
19-year-old LHSP Robinson Ortiz (LAD Prospect #24) pitched his 4th consecutive outstanding start. In yesterday’s game, Ortiz pitched 5.0 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits and 1 walk with 5 Ks. In his last 4 games, he has pitched 20 innings and has allowed 1 run on 9 hits, 6 BB, and 23 K.
Zach Willeman followed and pitched 3.0 innings allowing only a single in his 1st inning (6th). The Drillers put together a HBP, single, BB, and WP to score a run in the 8th and take a 1-0 lead. Willeman may have tired after three outstanding innings, because he allowed 2 singles, a walk, and a sac fly in the 9th to knot the score at 1-1. Brett de Geus relieved Willeman in the 10th. No runs were scored in the 10th and the TinCaps did not score in the 11th. With Chris Roller starting at 2nd to begin the inning, Jacob Amaya was intentionally walked. Dillon Paulson hit into a force placing runners on 1st and 3rd. Roller then scored on a WP to bring home a 2-1 victory.
Miguel Vargas went 2-4 for the offensive side of the ledger.
DSL Dodgers Bautista 2 – DSL Royals 3
19-year-old DH/1B, Kiumel Bastardo continued with his hot bat going 3-4. He is now 12-25 with 2 doubles, batting .480. His 3 walks takes his OBP over .500. He also had 5 SB. Harold Restituyo and Gregory Pereira both went 2-4 with Restituyo hitting his 1st double. Four pitchers allowed three runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 3 walks. The foursome had 8 Ks.
DSL Dodgers Shoemaker 4 – DSL Indians 7
The Shoemakers took a 4-2 lead into the 9th but gave up 5 runs (4 earned) to steal the win. 5 Shoemaker pitchers pitched a solid 7 innings allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks. Luisenya Perez came on in the 8th and was hit very hard with 4 hits and 1 walk giving the Indians the 5 runs they needed.
Offensively, Marlon Cairo went 2-4 including a 2 out 2 run single. He also hit his first triple on the season.
AZL Dodgers Lasorda 3 – AZL Mariners 2
The Lasordas had a little walk-off magic of their own. Trailing 2-1 in their home half of the 9th, Aldo Espinoza banged his 2nd HR to tie the game at 2. Jorbit Vivas was HBP and Eddys Leonard singled. After Vivas was thrown out at home on a Rolando Lebron groundball to 1B, Wladimir Chalo was intentionally walked to load the bases. Next batter up was Edwin Mateo who unintentionally walked to bring home Leonard and the walk off win.
Israiky Berroa started for the Lasordas and went 5.0 innings allowing 1 run on 7 hits, 1 walk, with 4 Ks. Orlandy Navarro followed with 2 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, 1 walk, and 3 Ks. Reinaldo De Paula pitched the final 2.0 perfect innings with 3 Ks.
Aldo Espinoza went 2-4 and Rolando Lebron finished the night going 3-4. Yunior Garcia hit HR #1.
AZL Dodgers Mota 6 – AZL Athletics Green 0
26th round draft pick, Mark Mixon, was apparently the first 2019 Dodger pitcher draftee to pitch for the organization. He started and pitched 1.0 inning, allowing 1 hit and 1 strikeout. Hyun-il Choi followed and pitched 4.2 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and 1 walk, with 6 strikeouts for his first US win. Jeffrey Abreu and Carlos De Los Santos pitched the final 3.2 innings in the 4 pitcher shutout victory.
Several Dodger hitters had big nights, led by Luis Yanel Diaz who went 3-5 with two triples. Ismael Alcantara went 2-5 with his 1st triple. Andres Noriega went 2-3 and Kevin Aponte and Alfonso Guillen had 2-4 nights. Alex De Jesus hit his first triple and Kody Hoese hit his 5th double of the season.
Did anyone notice that Ferguson struck out the final batter in the same inning that he served up the HR? I forget who the hitter was, and whether or not the strikeout was swinging or taking, but it was definitely a curve that did the job.
Caleb has a great curveball – he has just had trouble commanding it this year. He will get the “feel.”
As Mark said, Caleb has a great curve ball. He needs to command it. He has done so in MiLB and did so last year in ML, so there really is no reason to send him back. The Dodgers have time to invest in him as they have several others (pitchers and position players) who have struggled a bit. They have a sufficient lead in the standings in the NL West and NL in total. They can afford to be patient. Alexander has not picked up a ball since going on the IL so he may not be ready for some time. Urias is currently in the rotation. Caleb is the only LHRP available. They are going to keep giving him the ball.
Wasn’t that curveball hit for homer out of strikezone?
Did anyone notice that Yimi struck out the only batter he faced before Ferguson served up the HR and that Yimi has better splits against lefties this year?
Maybe the Rich Hill injury is a blessing in disguise. Rich is really dirty against lefties. Maybe he can be the loogy that Roberts cherishes?
I may be a little quicker to “give up” on players. Here’s my list:
Yadier Alvarez – Enough Already!
Edwin Rios – AAA pitchers are figuring him out
Stetson Allie – 22 BB in 22 IP to go with 26 K’s and a 9.67 ERA and 1.88 WHIP
Jamie Schultz
Brock Stewart
Zac Rosscup
Joe Broussard
Jake Peter – .182? What?
Dennis Santana as a starter – If they don’t send him to the bullpen, he will be another Brick Stewart
Jeren Kendall – Hitting .202 and strikes out 45% of the time. Stop the insanity.
Yes, I know they need the bodies. One guy I am not giving up on, but who has struggled mightily at AAA after dominating at AA is Mitch White. Does he need to move to the pen? Gonsolin has had no issues with AAA, but White has imploded.
Alvarez is the only player I have actually given up on. I do not expect much out of any of the others that you have listed (other than White), and I do not expect any to be on the Dodgers 25 man, including Santana. I think Santana still has enough intrigue to be packaged in a trade. If he remains with the Dodgers, it should be as a reliever. Sheffield made the decision. Stewart did not. Santana can learn. I do expect some movement of the logjam identified above with Lux, May, Sheffield, and Kasowski knocking on the door…and getting louder.
White has too good of an arm to give up on. He has enough good outings to keep coming back for more. Dodgers need to show patience with him, but he is another that I would not be surprised to see packaged in a trade. If not this summer, then perhaps next winter.
While I do not necessarily give up on them, they should not block others from progressing.
SSSHHHHHH. Keep it quiet or no one will want to trade for those guys. 😉 Alvarez, Allie and Rios for Hand!
Kendall’s K rate has actually gone up in his second year of A+. Last year 158 Ks in 494 PA (32%), and this year 58 Ks in 155 PA (37.4%).
I am sorry. I did not mean to give the impression I was dwelling on the defensive liabilities of the game last night. No one could be more thrilled than I am (well maybe a lot of people) about the outcome of the game . It was exciting and made me wish I could jump over a railing in the dugout to rush on the field to congratulate all the players, Verdugo, and Kelly on an awesome performance. Instead, I jumped up from the couch and cheered. Go Blue.
There are definitely some defensive liabilities that have surfaced recently. We have 1B, 2B, & SS, with an occasional substitution at 3B of players that are not playing those positions full time. Taylor has made 3 errors since Corey got hurt. Beaty-2E in 14 games at 1B, Muncy 3 E in 20 games at 3B as opposed to Kike with 2E in 57 games at 2B.
Because of the dynamic offense and pitching that we have, these errors are often covered up and not game losers, but they are there, nonetheless. We were a top defensive team until recently and we are slipping. It’s not enough to throw our hands up in the air, but some of these guys are playing out of place. Muncy at 3B is asking for trouble but who else is going to relieve him? Same with Taylor.
Muncy will get PT because he can hit but he is a defensive liability. He struggles playing catch. I would prefer they hide him at 1st but the logjam there makes that difficult. Why is Doc so opposed to Bellinger at 1st, keeping Peterson in the outfield? Is it Belli’s shoulder? Seems he can pop a shoulder out in right as much as 1st. Not a fan of Peterson learning a new position in the bigs when it’s unnecessary. Bella is great at first. Muncy to Peterson is an adventure.
1. I think Muncy is much better defensively than you think.
2. Bellinger is the best Right Fielder Baseball. Maybe he’s the best 1B too (I’m talking defensively), but given a choice of one, I would take the best RF’er.
3. The Athletic rated the Dodgers outfield as the equal of Houston defensively and rated the Dodger infield as the #1 defensive infield. Moving Belly to 1B weakens the team.
4. Joc is going to make some mistakes, but the Dodgers have the time to let him learn on the job. Leaving Belly in RF gives the Dodgers the most hitters with the best balance.
5. While I am at it, I think Alex has earned the CF job!
I disagree. Belly at first strengthens the defense. Her’s a great player at 1st or right. Muncy is not much better than I think as an infielder. Seldom makes a strong accurate throw.
So, Muncy stays at 2B?
So, you are willing to trade the best infield in baseball and the best outfield in baseball (defensively) for just having the best infield in baseball? Because if you move Cody to 1B, you will have an average outfield.
Bellinger leads the majors in runs saved and rates extremely well at catching balls, but this selection is as much a testament to his arm as anything else. Bellinger has saved an MLB-best six runs with that arm this season. He’s thrown out seven and allowed only nine of 37 runners to advance on balls he’s fielded.
From The Athletic: Cody Bellinger has been out-of-this-world good in right field. We made a mistake not including him among the best outfield arms. He’s saved 19 runs in the outfield this season, six with his arm (both best in MLB). Of the 32 baserunners who could have taken an extra base on a ball he fielded, more have been thrown out directly by him (7) than advanced (6). That’s outstanding.
He’s not the only good one.
Alex Verdugo has eight defensive runs saved spaced out across all three positions. Chris Taylor and Joc Pederson have done all right. The thing to consider is just how good they might be if A.J. Pollock was healthy. Pollock, normally highly-rated for his range and positioning, albeit with a poor-rated arm, actually cost them five runs before going on the injured list.
Most Defensive Runs Saved – 2019 Outfields
Dodgers: 28
Any way you spin it, the Dodgers are better at 1B with Bellinger there but worse defensively as a team. That makes no sense!
As long as Muncy hits and there is a log jam at 1st we may have to live with his defensive shortcomings. With him in the lineup, I would prefer him at first where he doesn’t have to throw much. But I get it. Haven’t we seen about 4 different guys at first? And now Peterson.
We all might hate Joc for awhile at 1B: He has a lot to learn, but I think he can get there in his next 25 games.
I agree on Muncy at 2B. Third is not his strength, but I’ve been impressed with his play at second.
To add to this, I distinctly remember articles/chats/reporters relaying information about Verdugo’s character issues to such a scale that it was conceivably affecting his status or rank as a prospect.
We need to remember, easy for me to sound high on a throne with those four words, how young and malleable these kids are. How diverse their backgrounds and formative years were.
All of those issues were real. Give him credit for recognizing them and fixing them.
I think I am much less concerned with lefties this year than last. Belli, Muncy, Verdugo and Seager have all shown they can hit lefties and Pollock will be back. I don’t think there’s a need for another right handed bat. This is a wonderful team both on the field and in the clubhouse but you can always get better. I was at the game last night. The Dodgers played a sloppy game and still beat a quality team. This team has some magic to it but It’s not about winning 110 games. It’s about beating the Yankees or Astros in October. And getting a top,bullpen arm gives us that chance. I say whatever it takes outside of Lux and May make it happen. The Yankees need a top starter and do you think for a second that Cashman isn’t gonna make that happen. What a series that would be Yankees-Dodgers!
A little bit more on the myth as to how the Dodgers perform against LHP. Similar to Bluto’s comments on the seemingly endless reports about Verdugo’s perceived character issues, sometimes the accused grows out of those perceptions. In Verdugo’s case there is no doubt that he has taken a giant leap forward with his transformation beginning last winter. A lot of credit has been given to Gil Reyes in his transformation. No doubt he had his hand in it (probably a BIG hand), but the maturity has to come from within, and Verdugo is becoming the total package.
Everyone knows that the Dodgers cannot hit LHP. Or do they? The Dodgers have faced LHSP 26 games (32% of the games) and have won 17 (65.8%) of those games. Only four teams have better percentage, but no team has won as many as 17 games against LHSP. Houston comes closest with 16 (out of 22 games).
I thought last night might have been Ryu’s best performance of the year. He obviously didnt have his best stuff and we played sloppy baseball behind him. Yet he didn’t get frustrated and really competed limiting the damage and keeping us in the game and giving us a chance to come back and win. Which we did! Kudos to Ryu! Sign of a great pitcher
I literally agree with every word you wrote in both of your posts today!
Great observation.
One other stat to chew on.
Matt Beaty RISP – 19 PA, .500/.526/.722/1.249, 1 double, 1 HR, 11 RBI
Matt Beaty RISP w/2 outs – 10 PA, .333/.400/.667/1.067, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB
He will get figured out, but he has no fear. He is not in awe of anyone. And because of that, he will re-educate himself once the pitchers do figure him out.
Pinch hitting is difficult and most players want to play instead of sit and wait for the occasional pinch hit opportunity. But if Beaty and Garlic are to pinch hitting as some pitchers are to relieving, then maybe they will the next Manny Motas and make a mere half million dollars a year for 5+ years. Both could replace an aging Freese. By keeping their plate appearances down to pinch hitting roles, pitchers might not figure them out.
Or, maybe they are Max Muncies and should be late blooming regulars.
I am glad not to have been Reynolds last night with Kelly putting 100 mph pitches at my chin.
So, if Jordan Sheffield, Marshall Kasowski, and Caleb Ferguson will be on the active 25 in 2020 as relievers then the Dodgers don’t need Hand’s multi-year contract and could offer less for a half year of Will Smith.
Stewart, White, and Esteves could land Will Smith?
Stewart and Esteves is enough.
I disagree Mark. To me, Stewart has no trade value at the moment and Esteves probably wouldn’t be enough by himself. Remember, AF isn’t operating in a vacuum with whatever he offers. There will probably be 8-10 teams who make Farhan an offer for Smith. Even though we’re only talking 1/2 season of control I think it would take more than just throwing Stewart and Esteves out there.
They are somewhat different players but every time I see Matt Beaty I think Dave Hansen.
When I see Beaty I think of Utley. Not the leadership part of it. He’s way too young and inexperienced on that front, but his overall demeanor. He’s a grinder, has a nice short swing and doesn’t try to overpower the ball, nothing scares him and he rarely cracks a smile on the field (except when he hits a walk off 🙂 ).
I know this is reaching far in the past. I am old so please forgive me. But did Dave Hansen or Ron Hansen play for the Vancouver Mounties along with Brooks Robinson who I was fortunate and privileged to watch play there as a rookie. He then went to the Orioles from Vancouver along with an infielder named Hansen who as I recall ended up with Chicago. Brooks is still the very best 3rd baseman in my opinion. I called him the “vacuum cleaner at 3rd base.”
Ron Hansen played for Vancouver and Baltimore with Brooks Robinson before moving on to the White Sox.
Thank you Mark.
Taylor, Muncy, Beaty! And the beat goes on! That on top of highly regarded rookies, Pederson, Seager, Belli, Buehler and now Verdugo. Gotta give some props to player development and AF’s leadership. Now if only they could lend a hand with my Trojan football team!
Freese to the IL and Will Smith called up.
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/david-freese-strained-hamstring
I was actually going to write earlier that if Freese did indeed go to the IL, I thought Smith would be called up.
Freese has been nothing but fantastic since he joined the Dodgers. In 159 AB he’s hitting .327 with 10 HR and 32 RBI. Not bad for a 36yo.
I”ve read he has taken over leadership in the club house replacing Chase Utley, if that’s possible. If he doesn’t completely slide down the rabbit hole in average, I’d love to see him back next year.
Good. Get Freeze healthy for Sept/Oct! He may be the #5 hitter in most playoff games batting behind Belly, so we will definitely need hm.
So that makes the best team in baseball with four rookies on the 25 man (Verdugo/Beaty/Smith/Garlick). Plus Seager, Belli, Buehler, Urias, Pederson, Ferguson, Hernandez at 27 or less. Muncy and CT3 at 28. All arbitration or pre-arbitration.
It’s crazy to see how wide open our “window” is. A testament to the front office and not trading away the cream of the crop.
We now have three catchers on the roster, all of whom can play multiple positions. I think we’ll see Smith play some second and third along with catching. As a matter of fact I’m guessing that he will be the first guy in there at third when JT needs a rest. As Jeff pointed out above, Muncy’s arm at third leaves something to be desired. I’m guessing that Smith won’t have that problem, although time will tell how efficient he is at fielding grounders.
Nats release Trevor Rosenthal. No control (walked the bases loaded last night) but Honeycutt can fix him just like Kelly. A sure AF pickup.
My thought exactly. How could Andrew resist a guy who combines an injury history with a lack of control. Sounds like the best of Morrow and Kelly combined. We just need to decide what uniform number to assign him.
love it!
Today’s go-for-the-sweep lineup:
Joc (1b)
Verdugo
JT
Belly
Muncy (2b)
Beaty (LF)
Kike (ss)
Barnes
Maeda
Nice lineup today, CT3 needs a day off now and then. If Maeda can go 6 I like their chances for a sweep. Senzatella has an ERA over 5, not sure his splits away from Coors. He usually throws strikes and he’s facing the Dodger’s leftie power hitters in a day game where the ball carries much better.
I could see taking a flyer on Rosenthal, he was lights out at one time not too long ago. MLM for part of a season is a small risk to take. He could tune up at AAA and see what he’s got, and no stranger to the playoffs.
Beaty and Garlick have made me a believer and I was already on the Smith train. My top 3 pre season faves were in order: Muncy, Verdugo and Urias. Only Urias still needs to prove himself, he is better than Maeda and just needs an opportunity to show he belongs in the rotation.
The Front Office has so much confidence in Urias that they are holding him back until after the All-Star break. Then he goes into the rotation. They see him as one of the TOP FOUR starters in the playoffs.
Fox sports was saying last night the Dodgers lead the major leagues with 17 homegrown players on their active roster. Just amazing the talent we keep bringing up that performs day to day. I think Freidmans job in the coming years is going to be how to pay all these guys when it comes time, (Seager, Bueller, Bellinger, Urias, Verdugo, etc.) Too bad Borass has Seager and Bellinger as clients.
And Urias and Ryu are Boras clients.
Holy smokes Vegas, really? That ain’t good. Damn. Borass is a pain in the ass.
Do the dodgers ever practice slidingI because kiky almost broke his knee shoulder and neck.
I think 2017 CT3 is back!
Oh my god !
Will Smith will not go back to AAA!
R U Kid DDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!
Atta boy Will Smith!
Welcome back Willy Boy!!!
Put will smith in the lineup now! No way Barnes has the upside and Barnes is no slouch. If smith is right up there defensively he needs to play. I know he has a better arm. He needs to play so he can be playoff ready. Catcher is one area we can improve and we can do that in house. You have got to see what he can do.
The Prince!!! Why not…
This team is sick… Is Mickey Hatcher somewhere in the park?
Well…………..WOW!!!!!
Well one good thing you can say about our bullpen. It sure makes for exciting walk off homers!
That tying run was on Martin doing his best Yasmani Grandal imitation.
Bellinger and Kike had the runner by 15 feet!
I have 4 words for the game today. “Let the kids play”.
I guess it’s Garlick’s turn tomorrow night!
I hope CT3 continues to produce, but he still has a tendency to swing too hard and chase. So unless he learns to calm things down, he will likely remain a very inconsistent performer who will likely be prone to highs as well as long term slumps. There is definitely talent there, but I wonder if he will ever be able to harness it with any consistency over the long term. And Kike’ has some of the same issues.
It looked to me that Smith had to pull his arms in to get the barrel on the ball and still hit it out to the opposite field.
Well, that happened; again.
I must say I was one of the posters with a rather negative opinion of CT3’s game. He has proven me completely wrong and it looks like we now have 2017 CT3. Not sure what AF will do when Seager, Pollock and Freese all get healthy and assuming there are no other injuries. Beatty, Will Smith and perhaps to a lesser extent Garlick deserve to remain on the 25 man roster.
This team is so much freaking fun. Steady hand of JT, CK and KJ with the youthful exuberance of Verdugo, Bellinger etc. What a team, lets keep it going!
You were certainly not alone. Most posters have been negative with CT3 for awhile. He does seem to be back to his 2017 persona. Good for him, good for Doc for sticking with him, and most of all good for all of us fickle Dodger fans.
2B and LF still remain platoon positions, as does 1B. When Seager returns, SS is his. Kike and Taylor will share 2B duties and LF unless Beaty nails the position down which is unlikely. 1B should be given to Max with Pederson and Freese seeing time. Max will have to be either at 2B or 1B as they need his bat. There are so many possible variations and that’s what makes the Dodgers such a dominant club.
The resurrection of CT3 is almost a miracle.
Water for your everything from US Water Systems on Vimeo.
My daughter was at all three of these games and she said the place was hopping. What fun when things go well. Where do they come up with all of these heroes? A commentator said, “They can almost field two major league teams.” Not far off.
3 different rookies walking off each game in a 3 game sweep against a division rival. What is better than this? I’m still awestruck by it. This will never happen again! We’ve all just seen a unicorn.
Garlick, Beaty and Smith are all playing much better than advertised. Verdugo came out of his slump with a vengeance. What a fun team!
Ummm.. this is the Kool-Aid I have been urging everyone to drink!
Dodger Mom…This is why AC was touting the minor lg. team hopefully near you…
Can the Prince, Garlick and Beaty continue this onslaught?? We’ll see once the ‘BOOK’ is out!!! These pitchers talk amongst themselves and the analyst geeks study habits, weaknesses etc… Can these kids adjust??? We’ll see… The Book is a true test…
I would put my money on Smith to be the 2020 Dodger starting catcher… AC commented positive on Beaty… Garlick, I dont know…
P.S. Was that MT really dissing on his All Star Catcher ??
Yes, it was!
And his projected comeback player of the year candidate.
Hello to all. I am back and better than ever. See that things are about the same as I left them about a week ago. At least the talk about how important Pollack is to the team has died down. With these young kids getting a shot, at last, I see Pollack as trade material.
Funny how people are so much friendlier outside of California. Plus, one can see once again how crappy California has become as a State to live.
Nice to have your positive input again.
This team is unconscious right now. I was at my granddaughters soccer tournament today wearing my Bellinger jersey, and it continues to amaze me how many Dodger fans are up here in Sacramento. And the number of people who came up to me and asked if I heard about what Will Smith had just done? Of course I had. There was a little roar coming from one of the tents when he hit it. In Sacramento. Even my Giants friends (yes I have them) have to shake their head at what is happening, and not in disgust but in admiration. They have all said that they hope that Farhan can do that for the Giants. I have told them that their first move is a good will gesture in trading Will Smith to the Dodgers.
I wonder what the Rockies must think. They were hoping to come in to LA and win 2 out of 3, and instead lose all three because of back-back-back walk-offs hit by rookies. They may have accepted Belli/Muncy/JT, but Beaty/Verdugo/Smith? What is crazy is that Beaty and Smith were added to the roster the day of their walkoff. The only reason Beaty was allowed to be recalled is because the Dodgers put Sborz on the IL, otherwise, Beaty would have had to wait 10 days before being recalled. What a teammate that Josh Sborz is.
Everything is going the Dodgers way right now. We need to remember these days, when the bats and/or arms cool off.
I am still hoping for a night when Will Smith (actor) throws out first pitch, Will Smith (pitcher) gets a save, and Will Smith (catcher) gets a key hit and catches the final out…all at Dodger Stadium for the Dodgers.
When I got home this evening, I was looking at the MiLB box scores and noticed that Gavin Lux doubled in the 8th as a PH (Sunday is usually his day off), and came around to score. This was his last AB before the AS break for AA, and I was commenting to my son that perhaps that was Lux’s final AB with his AA team. I am speaking out to the Baseball Gods to push for Lux to get the promotion after the AS Game just as Nico Hulsizer did. It worked for Hulsizer, maybe it will for Lux.
The other player that deserves consideration is Jordan Sheffield. At Rancho this year, he had 17.1 IP, 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 HR, 11 BB, 26 K, 2.60 ERA, .109 BAA, and 0.98 WHIP and got promoted to AA. At AA he has been even better. 13.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 HR, 6 BB, 21 K, 0.66 ERA, .091 BAA, and 0.73 WHIP. If Sheffield ever gets consistent command, he will be unbelievable.
It is time to push these kids. Get them ready for LA in 2020.
From your lips, AC, to the baseball god’s ears!!
These kids can hit. They are not afraid of pressure. What a great time to be a dodger fan.
Like AC, I have a lot of friends who are Giants fanatics. What they are seeing right now from the Dodgers is really demoralizing. Think about it – if you are fan of a team in the process of rebuilding, you are trusting that your FO will accumulate young talented players and have them ready to compete when?… when Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Cody Bellinger, Alex Verdugo, Will Smith, and a handful of other guys that AC has already identified ARE.IN.THEIR.PRIME. Justin Turner will be contributing like how Chase Utley and David Freese are being utilized now.
Giants fans keep reminding me that the Dodgers somehow find some guy like Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, or Max Muncy every year – a player who’s not on anyone’s top prospect list, but they seemingly come out of nowhere to contribute. This year, it feels like THAT GUY could be Matt Beaty.
Also, every year the Dodgers seems to roll out another rookie sensation – Seager, Bellinger, Buehler, … Verdugo . At the risk of sounding greedy, I actually think this is actually picking up more steam. Not just one, but several rookies breaking out every year. With some of the names discussed here, it sure seems possible. Yeah, it sucks being a Giants fan right now.
Hamchuck, it was amazing how much more friendly Californians were while you were gone
This ownership group along with a couple of GM’s did something that is rare. They rebuilt a baron farm system while winning. We may not like every move they’ve made or didn’t make, but they’ve built a perennial powerhouse. I’d like to see deserving players like JT, CK, KJ, and Dick Mountain get a WS title now.
Well Giants fans never pass up an opportunity to rub in their 3 WS wins but they paid a price keeping the band together and now have a bunch of aging players with boat anchor contracts-enjoy! Meanwhile the Warriors took over the town and the 49’rs are ahead of schedule on their rebuild so it may be awhile before the Giants are relevant in SF again. Kind of sucks to be a Snakes or Rockies fan too, stuck fighting for a WC spot already. 12 straight wins over the Rocks and Az up next, Kershaw vs Greinke tomorrow. The Padres will be good but are very young and a year or two away from competing with the Dodgers. The Giants could be cellar dwellers for a couple years.
I used to hate the Giants and their fans but I have mellowed over the years. Yes, it is still a rivalry but there are some Giant players I like. Their announcers used to drive me nuts, but they have improved also and I do not mind listening to them now. I remember going to a SF/LAD game on one of my signature birthdays and sitting in the stands behind Matt Kemp playing center field. I still like Dodger stadium better and feel more comfortable there, but have not been to any games since I moved to Norcal. I still do not like losing to them though. That will never change.