A month ago, most Dodger fans wanted Chris Taylor executed. Now, they are shocked at his execution. He is one of the hottest hitters in the league. What’s the difference? The LA Times, Jorge Castillo wrote this:
In 15 games since Seager was put on the injured list June 13, Taylor was batting .429 with three home runs and a 1.1238 on-base-plus-slugging percentage entering Friday’s meeting with the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers are 11-4 in those games.
Taylor, 28, attributed the surge to a tweak.
“Probably around the time when Seags got hurt, I just realized I just needed to start a little earlier,” Taylor said. “And that was really the only mechanical adjustment I made.”
Taylor acknowledged playing every day also helps, but he maintained he has felt significantly better at the plate since the beginning of May when he implemented substantial mechanical changes in an attempt to regain his 2017 form, which produced a breakout season.
After carrying a .162 batting average and .493 OPS through May 1, Taylor is batting .315 with a .954 OPS in 167 plate appearances since.
Taylor’s strikeout rate has remained consistent – it was 26.2% through May 1 and it’s been 27.5% since – but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Taylor’s inflicting damage with strikes.
I am going to remind you that I was one who told you that CT3 could regain his 2017 form, while many of you were ready to cut bait and get rid of Taylor. It’s not that I am smarter than you, it’s just that I don’t just see. I try and have vision. I looked at Chris Taylor regress in 2018 and thought that he could recapture his 2017 ability. As he regressed even more early this season, I saw him “tinkering” and talking to the hitting coaches in the dugout.
Chris is always going to strike out a lot. He will never cut his strikeouts down as Cody has, but he can be and probably already is, the player we all knew and loved in 2017. It is possible he will go back to the lead-off spot. This changes everything when Corey Seager comes back. If he keeps this up, he has to play, and here’s where it will be:
- Shortstop to give Corey a day off;
- Second base against LHP;
- LF against LHP;
- CF to give Verdugo or Pollock a blow; and
- A pinch hitter on days he doesn’t start.
CT3 has to play about every day, but it likely won’t be in just one position. The Dodgers have had the “luxury” of making moves that other teams can’t afford, such as moving Joc Pederson to 1B, and calling up 4 rookies (Beaty, Rios, Smith, Garlick) to showcase their skills.
I do smell a trade coming, but I really can’t see Hand or Vasquez coming. Hand is not coming because Cleveland is in full contention mode and will likely be buyers. Pittsburgh is likely in the selling mode but will want a King’s Ranson for Vasquez. I have heard that Huntington wants Lux AND Ruiz! I would not trade one of them for Vasquez… let alone both of them.
Texas is still in contention as is Oakland, so it’s doubtful we see any movement there. I still believe that the Dodger’s best chance at improving the bullpen will come from “within.”
Changes in Clayton’s Game
Clayton Kershaw’s velocity has been ticking consistently up and he is healthy – that bodes well for him and the Dodgers as he is “re-inventing” himself. How he needs to pitch is counter-intuitive to how he used to pitch. He is realizing that he has to change patterns, throw fewer strikes (close, but not a strike) and maintain separation on his fastball and slider.
I thought he pitched very well in Colorado. He hung a curve to Blackman, but it’s easy to hang a pitch in Denver. The defense didn’t help him out, but he certainly out-pitched Buehler and Ryu. The key thing is that he is healthy. He’s another Dodger who is dairy-free and if he has experienced anything like I did, his back and hips are likely much less painful. That was the biggest thing I noticed when I went dairy-free. That could help his back and hip problems immensely.
I think that by September, you will be seeing a different pitcher. Old habits and patterns are hard to break. He has been pitching the same way for 10+ years. The Dodgers are helping him be less predictable, like throwing fewer first pitch strikes. Sometimes little changes can yield big results. I have a lot of hope that Clayton will still be the Dodgers Ace for a couple more years. He’s still an All-Star.
More About Trades
MLB Trade Rumors wrote this before the season started:
Audacious general manager Brodie Van Wagenen hit the ground running in his first offseason atop the Mets. Now, after two straight down years, the revamped club has a realistic chance to compete for a playoff berth.
Major League Signings
Jeurys Familia, RP: three years, $30MM
Jed Lowrie, INF: two years, $20MM
Wilson Ramos, C: two years, $19MM
Justin Wilson, RP: two years, $10MM
Total spend: $79MM
Trades And Claims
Acquired 2B Robinson Cano, RP Edwin Diaz and $20MM from the Mariners for OFs Jay Bruce and Jarred Kelenic and RHPs Anthony Swarzak, Justin Dunn and Gerson Bautista
Acquired OF Keon Broxton from the Brewers for RHPs Bobby Wahl and Adam Hill and 2B Felix Valerio
Acquired INF/OF J.D. Davis and INF Cody Bohanek from the Astros for 2B Luis Santana, OF Ross Adolph and C Scott Manea.
Acquired RHP Walker Lockett and INF Sam Haggerty from the Indians for C Kevin Plawecki
Claimed OF/1B Jordan Patterson from the Rockies, then lost him on waivers to the Reds
Selected RHP Kyle Dowdy from the Indians in the Rule 5 Draft, then lost him on waivers to the Rangers
Yeah, Brodie was a genius and the media darling BEFORE the season started because he gave the idiot writers a lot to write about. I said it then and I’ll say it now: The writers were idiots and Brodie was a moron. What a trainwreck the Mets are… and they won’t get out of it until Brodie and the Wilpons are gone. Conventional wisdom is usually wrong.
Other Dodger News
- Yesterday was a rest day for Cody Bellinger… so he rested at 1B.
- No game today and Chicken Strip starts Tuesday at home against the D-Bags.
- The Yankees are looking for starting pitchers and Ross Stripling might just fit the bill. Would the Dodgers worry about facing him in October? Let’s not forget that Ross was an All-Star last year. Could they do a deal where Stripling is traded for Clint Frazier and Frazier is then flipped to the Pirates for Vasquez? Ross is a good guy and I would hate to trade him, but he is a starter and deserves to start… so he can get paid!
- 4 All-Stars: Ryu, Kershaw, Buehler, and Bellinger. Way to represent!
- Gavin Lux and DJ Peters have been flat-out unconscious after being promoted to OKC. Both are OPS’ing over 1.200
DC’s Minor League Lowdown
The DSL does not schedule games on Sunday.
The AZL Dodgers (Lasorda and Mota) were not scheduled on Sunday.
The Ogden Raptors were not scheduled.
Great Lakes Loons 9 – Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego) 3
Jose Chacin started for the Loons and had his best outing of the season with 8 innings pitched on 7 hits, 2 runs and 2 strikeouts. Yeison Cespedes made his Class-A debut after being promoted from the Raptors and gave one run in his inning pitched on 3 hits.
The Loons offense started rolling again early with 3 runs in the first inning on a Chris Roller single and a Dan Robinson double. The Miguel Vargas show took over for a while as he clubbed a solo home run in the second inning and a 3-run shot in the 4th inning. Two more runs scored in the top of the 6th inning on sacrifice flies by Dillon Paulson and Jair Camargo. Vargas had a 4-hit, 4 RBI day with a double along with his 2 home runs.
Ranch Cucamonga Quakes 9 – Lancaster JetHawks (Colorado) 13
Austin Hamilton got the call for the Quakes and tossed 5 innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks along with 5 strikeouts. Another Austin, Drury this time, followed Hamilton and gave up one run (unearned) over 2 innings. He didn’t give up any hits but walked 2 which coupled with an error resulted in a run. He struck out 5. Sven Schueller stumbled after four good outings giving up a 3-run homer in the top of the 8th inning. Another run came in on an error shrinking the Quakes 9-3 lead to 9-7. The JetHawks 8th run came on another error, this time by Schueller. Max Gamboa came on the try to put out the fire and the first batter he faced reached safely on a third consecutive error by the Quakes loading the bases with two out. Gamboa then served up a grand slam putting the Quakes down by 3 runs. One more JetHawk came across the plate in the top of the 9th.
The Quakes came out swinging and plated one run in the first inning on a Marcus Chiu single and 3 in the 3rd inning on a Devin Mann 3-run home run. It was his 17th of the season, just one behind Luis Castro of the JetHawks. They scored 5 in the 4th inning on a Niko Hulsizer single and back-to-back home runs by Marcus Chiu and Donovan Casey. Chiu’s was a 3-run home run. Chiu and Casey had 3 hits while Mann and Liput had 2.
Tulsa Drillers 1 – Arkansas Travelers (Seattle) 2
J.D. Martin started for the Drillers and got through 7.2 scoreless innings with a 1-0 lead but with 2 out in the 8th he was touched for a home run. He got the next out and his line for the game included 8 innings, 6 hits one run, no walks and 8 strikeouts. Jordan Sheffield came on to pitch the bottom of the 9th inning. He proceeded to walk the first 2 hitters he faced on 8 pitches. After a strikeout he walked a third batter to load the bases. Following another strikeout he walked the winning run home.
The Drillers got their only run when Drew Avans stretched a single in the 6th inning into a run. He took second on a wild pitch, stole third and then stole home. Christian Santana had 2 of the Drillers 5 hits.
OKC Dodgers 13 – Nashville Sounds (Texas) 6
Dustin May made his AAA debut and gave up a run in the bottom of the first inning. A second run scored in the 3rd inning on a HBP, a force out and two singles. He pitched 5 innings on 4 hits, 2 runs (one earned), 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Caleb Ferguson came on in the bottom of the 6th inning and pitched a scoreless inning. Justin Grimm and Adam McCreery both gave up 3 hits and 2 runs while Chris Nunn pitched a scoreless 9th inning.
The Dodgers very quickly gave May some run support. Gavin Lux led off the game with a home run in the top of the first inning. Four more came home in the 2nd on a 2-run triple by Angelo Mora, a Gavin Lux double driving in Mora and a Zach Reks double bringing in Lux. The 3rd inning was high lighted by back-to-back solo home runs by Jon Kemmer and Jake Peter. The 4th inning produced its own excitement with a Zach Reks home run following a Connor Joe double, followed by a DJ Peters homer. Not to be outdone, 3 more scored in the 5th on a ground out and a 2-run double by Cameron Perkins. Reks and Mora both had 4 hits.
DJ Peters has started off hot in AAA. Anyone know his K numbers? Granted it’s only 3 games, but that’s the ONLY concern in his game. Maybe he and Kendall should have a K contest.
I would trade Lux OR Ruiz for Vazquez. Yes it may be an overpay as far as talent for talent (MAY BE), but for a legit chance at a title, you do what you have to do. It’s cute to say “oh we have this guy coming up and that guy coming up.” It’s not cute to say “Oh our bullpen continues to be avg at best and we don’t do anything about so we can hoard prospects and not fix our biggest weakness by far for a legit chance at a ring.”
There’s no guarantee that any bullpen acquisition helps us win a title, but there’s also no guarantee that these top prospects will become all stars. There is 1 guarantee however: I GUARANTEE if a Felipe Vasquez helped us win a ring, nobody here will care if Lux or Ruiz makes 5 all star games!!
The Dodgers have strength at the catcher position in Smith and Cartaya but they don’t have anybody like Lux in the middle infield.
One thing we know for sure is that Vasquez will be a premier closer/setup reliever for the next four years and we don’t know if Ruiz will be a good mlb player. But, as Mark Twain once supposedly said: It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.
In the middle infield they have Jeter Downs, Jacob Amaya and Omar Esteves. But, I would not trade Lux for anyone. He’s gonna be a star!
Oh I agree with you. I’ve been on the Lux train when others proclaimed him to be a bust of a 1st round pick. I guess if you don’t produce when you’re 19, you’re a bust. I would hope we keep him, but at this time, after 2 years of losing in the World Series, the ring is the only thing.
Ruiz is already an overpay. No way on Lux. If you start asking all the teams about Ruiz for their closer, something might just turn up.
True 59, but they appear to be maybe grade B players and Lux appears to be a grade A player. Cartaya and Ruiz are closer to being the same grade.
I think Downs is closer to being an A than “just” being a B
Lux will be in the starting line-up next year and then for the foreseeable future. He will not be included in a trade just like Bellinger and Seager weren’t included in any trade discussions for Cole Hamels and Machado etc. Not going to happen!
AF’s business model is cost controlled players at many positions along with a few multi-year veteran contracts throughout the 25 man roster. In the next couple of years we’ll see the contracts for CK, JT and KJ all expire but then they will need to sign the likes of Seager, Bellinger, Muncy. That’s where players like Lux, Ruiz, Smith, Peters, Grove, White, May, Gonsolin fit in. Is it possible some are dealt for the right piece?……..certainly. Will a deal include Lux?……..not likely.
Unless a trade is made to thin out the 25 like was done with Kemp and Puig, Lux might have to wait one more year. Turner’s contract expires after next year and the Dodgers might want to think about Lux at third instead of short or second.
If Pederson, Seager, Muncy, Verdugo, Pollock, Bellinger, Taylor play a big role in a WS championship, it will be hard for Lux to move one of them aside next year.
Bobby it’s a good thing you are sitting at home and not in the Front office,We would be a trainwreck,who knows maybe you would trade Kershaw because he is on the wrong side of 30,or maybe you trade seager because he is always injured. The rings will come.
Yes, we’d be a “trainwreck” because I want us to step up and improve upon our one weakness. The weakness that’s showed itself in the last 2 Octobers.
And are you referring to Kershaw, who’s single handedly cost us 2-3 rings in the last 6 years?
If I were in a front office, perhaps I’d have zero rings. But guess what, that’s the same as the Dodgers!!!
And to insinuate I’d trade Seager because he’s always injured is ridiculous. Perhaps go have a coffee, and try again.
Singlehandedly? I wouldn’t want you as a teammate either.
The 2 $300million guys who we let go/didn’t sign were left off the All Star game
I was all for signing Bryce, but man, thank you Bryce for not taking our $40 mil over 4-5 year deal!!
Manny, on the other hand, has really heated up, and personally I felt he should’ve made it over Kris Bryant.
Haha, and if anyone is wondering why this nutjob is posting so much this am, it’s because I”m Wash DC, AND woke up at 6am EST. Hence I’ve had ample time to post/read/screw around.
As I am always interested in learning more about the minor league teams and helped by Mark, AC and DC and others, I was appalled about a comment that the minor leaguers have no medical insurance. So, do the players have to pay for their surgeries, etc? How does that work?
The teams look after their surgeries, rehab,etc. that result from playing baseball. The Dodgers paid for Julio Urias to have the cosmetic surgery done on his left eyelid. However, I’m guessing off season dental work and other medical procedures not related to playing are not covered by the parent team. AC could be really definitive about this as his son Andy played minor league baseball for quite some time and actually made it to MLB.
Thanks DC.
Our friend, “Mr. Suit”, served this guy well:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/01/sport/bobby-bonilla-day-mets-mlb-trnd/index.html
Very interesting rudybyrd. Wish Mr Suit well and hope to see him in his seat at Dodger games soon.
To Mark re your British Slang video
I am so “knackered” and “skint” or “quids in” depending on the day. I “swear down” that I will try to be positive and not get my “knickers in a twist” about the bullpen and hope in the future they do not “throw a spanner.” “You got to be kidding me” but I will not comment on “pants” or “be out on the pull” and ‘rightly so”. DBM
No doubt CT3 has picked it up, and there is no question that he has value to the Dodgers. And certainly he’s not a player that I would give away. But I also recognize that what he’s done recently will not necessarily continue consistently into the future. I suspect that he might be one of those players who is alternately hot and cold. If the right deal came along I would definitely consider trading him, Joc, and Kike’.
Like I said in a previous post, I have never seen Ruiz play, and therefore I am undecided as to whether or not I would include him in a deal for Vasquez. That’s a decision I leave to the Dodgers braintrust, who knows the player a lot better than any of us on this website. And even though I like what I’ve seen of Will Smith, I understand that he raises questions about whether or not his performance level is sustainable over the long term. And although the Dodgers have a promising prospect in Diego Cartaya, I recognize that he’s only 17, and that it will likely be 3-5 years before he begins to contribute.
Even though I haven’t seen him play, I seriously doubt if I would include Gavin Lux in a deal for Vasquez, especially since it appears that he is getting very close to contributing very soon, be it this year or next, or even 2021. Justin Turner is beginning to show some signs that age may be catching up with him, so I think it’s imperative that the Dodgers begin to seriously think about how he’s going to be replaced.
Also, I wonder whether or not the Dodgers could come up with a package good enough to obtain Vasquez without including Ruiz. And as I’ve mentioned before, does anyone here know if the Pirates have a player whose salary they would like to unload on the Dodgers in order to bring down the player cost in a deal for Vasquez?
I also feel Justin turner is slowing down. We better win now if he is to be a part of it. Thus far, I think he has slightly regressed on defense, power, base running, and contact. I would rest him more down the stretch to keep him fresh. I like Taylor a lot but his strikeouts worry me. It seems he comes up a lot in key situations and I am always nervous that he will k. In a long season everybody has ups and downs but in the playoffs this team will have to cut back on strikeouts. Obviously, our bullpen is an area that we need our greatest improvement. We have a great team but we have time to improve some areas.
Why do they all ask Vazquez, Hand or Smith ?, who do not see that Baez has evolved and become a great reliever ?, is not the eighth or ninth the problem in the bullpen, the problem is the intermediate bullpen, the problem is, Floro, Yimi, Alexander, Rosscup, Chargois, etc, Kelly has 100 mph so there is a lot of hope that he will return, because Vazquez?
They ask Vasquez, Hand, or Smith because not only do the Dodgers need a dominant relief pitcher in their pen, but also a lefty specifically. Those three are all left-handed.
Trading for Will Smith is probably the best bet. Cost won’t be that high since he’s a free agent. Lux will start next year, probably at second. Trading either Ruiz or Lux is a non-starter. Besides, I don’t think the Pirates trade Vasquez.
Perhaps I missed it but has the DH been named for either the AL and or the NL?
Hunter Pence and JD Martinez are the AL DH’s. The NL will have to name one…
Angel pitcher Tyler Skaggs died this am in Texas. No word on how, but Angels -Ranges tonight obviously has been postponed
According to Ken Gurnick, the Dodgers would have to give up at least 2 of their top 5 prospects to get Smith from the Giants. So you can count on at least that and more for Vasquez. Also he says Joc Peterson alone won’t bring a top reliever to the Dodgers.
So are you willing to pay the price for a Smith, Vasquez? Or would you be willing to pay less for somone like Ken Giles?
Giving up 2 of Verdugo, Lux, Ruiz, May & Smith (or Gonsolin) to Farhan for a rental would be absolutely “moronic”.
I agree and it would also be moronic to give up more than that for Vasquez.
That is not what Gurnick wrote.
Yes he did read it yourself.
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/fans-ask-questions-about-dodgers-bullpen
That not what he said at all.
What do you guys not understand about this quote?
“According to MLB Pipeline, the top five prospects in the Dodgers system are catcher Keibert Ruiz, shortstop Gavin Lux, pitcher Dustin May, pitcher Tony Gonsolin and catcher Will Smith. If I was Giants president Farhan Zaidi and the Dodgers wanted, say, reliever Will Smith, I would want two of those five. And if I was the Dodgers, I wouldn’t trade two of those five.”
And this quote?
“Pederson will be a free agent after 2020, so it’s unlikely he would be enticing enough for a club to take only him for an “upper tier” reliever.”
Seager and Pollock are on track for rehab games this week. I know most of you guys, Mark included, aren’t fans of Pollock, but I got an itch that this guy will be Joc 2.0 in the play-offs with some key hits. Don’t count this dude out.
I’m hoping for that.
I certainly hope that Pollock is not Joc 2.0. We don’t need him to hit for power and have a low BA. We need a hitting machine that’s able to get on base and score RISP. Joc has failed in this area but he does hit for power, consistently. Plus, he doesn’t SO a lot like Taylor and Muncy. Pollock just needs to show that he’s a solid starter who hits for average and can defend his position. Solidity and consistency is the only thing that will help Pollock and the Dodgers win it all.
Right on Roger..Stick with your gut..I got a real goo.feeling about A.J. too..
And besides that I got a GOOD
feeling.