Just a bit about the week that was knowing that there are only two more weeks of the weeks that were in the 2021 season.
Oh my!
MiLB Players of the Month for August
It is no small feat to be selected as the MiLB Player of the Month in their division as there are many good prospects throughout the leagues. Miguel Vargas may well be selected as the Dodgers MiLB Hitter of the Year. Ryan Ward might be one of the biggest surprises within the Dodgers system although his junior year at Bryant might have suggested he could hit with some power as he had 15 home runs in 58 games with the Bulldogs.
Double-A Central – Miguel Vargas
Tulsa Drillers (Dodgers) third baseman Miguel Vargas led the league in average (.410), runs (24), hits (41), and on-base percentage (.470), and was second in total bases (62) and OPS (1.090) and third in slugging percentage (.620). Vargas recorded 15 multi-hit games, including three stretches of four straight multi-hit games. Vargas, 21, was signed by the Dodgers as an International Free Agent out of La Habana, Cuba, on September 7, 2017.
High-A Central – Ryan Ward
Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers) outfielder Ryan Ward batted .323 led the league in runs (27), home runs (10), total bases (67), and RBI (25), and was second in slugging percentage (.698) and third in OPS (1.107) He had nine multi-hit games and homered in four straight games August 12-17. Ward, 23, was selected by the Dodgers in the eighth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Bryant University.
Draft Update – 2021
The Dodgers still have four members of the 2021 draft class who have not yet surfaced – RHP Peter Heubeck (1), LHP Justin Wrobleski (11), RHP Madison Jeffrey (15), RHP Gabe Emmett (19).
Billy Gasparino helps explain why some of the 2021 draftees will not pitch during the regular 2021 season.
“Seventeen pitchers is about what we’d take in a 40-round draft,” Gasparino said. “Some we’ll shut down until instructional league because they’ve already thrown a lot of innings this year. There will be a place for them all next spring.”
During the past week, fifth-round selection RHP Ben Casparius made his debut with the Arizona Complex Dodgers pitching a scoreless inning with one hit and three strikeouts.
RHP Ryan Sublette (7) debuted with the Quakes on September 1 and has now pitched two scoreless innings at the Low-A level.
Left-hander Adam Scoggins, an undrafted free agent, debuted with the ACL Dodgers and has pitched two scoreless innings with two hits, two walks, and six strikeouts.
The two most active pitchers from the 2021 draft class have been LHP Lael Lockhart (9) and RHP Michael Hobbs (10), both now with the High-A Loons.
Lockhart has pitched eight innings with the Loons posting a 1.13 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP while striking out 15 and walking two.
Hobbs had pitched 4.1 innings with the Loons over four appearances striking out eight with two walks while posting a 2.08 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP.
Both of these young pitchers were signed by the Dodgers for $2,500 while 11th round selection Justin Wrobleski signed for $197,500.
With Lockart and Hobbs, the Dodgers were able to sign them to these deals because both pitchers were college seniors and effectively had no leverage to negotiate.
It must be disappointing for the players and it takes place around the league, so until the system is changed, teams will continue to take advantage of college seniors.
Carlos Duran – Standing Tall
Carlos Duran made his High-A debut with the Great Lakes Loons on Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits in 4.1 innings, and managed runners well with his four walks.
On March 8, 2018, the Dodgers signed free agent RHP Duran to a minor league contract. His bio indicates that at age 16 he stood 6’7” tall and weighed 230 pounds. Oddly enough he is still listed with the same height and weight dimensions.
The native of Nagua, Dominican Republic is now listed at No. 17 on the Dodgers Top 30 list.
He spent his first two years of professional baseball playing in the Dominican Summer League but moved to the Arizona League midway through the 2018 season.
During the 2018 season, he attracted some attention as a 17-year-old posting a 1.50 ERA over 42 innings pitched along with a 0.76 WHIP and 30 strikeouts while walking only 3.
Things changed in 2019 as Duran experienced some control issues walking 20 in 40 innings while striking out 39. He also gave up more than a hit an inning elevating his WHIP to 1.64.
During the current season, he has pitched 78 innings over 19 starts and has struck out 112 while walking 28. His ERA is 5.19 which too is elevated by just four outings that have not been all that successful.
His scouting report indicates he has averaged 95 mph with his fastball this year, topping out at 98 with run and sink. His slider is even better, sitting in the low 80s with a sweep that eats up right-handers, and it grades as well above average at its best. He also has an upper-80s changeup that lacks consistent velocity separation from his heater.
The skinny is that he needs to improve his changeup and refine his command to succeed as a starter, with his fastball/slider combo giving him a chance to become a high-leverage reliever.
He is fun to watch out for on the mountaintop in the middle of the diamond. He is now the fourth 20-year-old on the Loons along with Andy Pages, Jorbit Vivas, and Eddys Leonard.
Fun Fact: Three top Dodger prospects signed as international free agents were all signed at bargain-basement prices, although Lael Lockhart and Michael Hobbs might not agree. Miguel Vargas, Andy Pages, and Carlos Duran all signed for $300,000.
On the Road Again
Dodgers #1 prospect Bobby Miller pitched for the first time since July 23rd after a stint on the injured list throwing 2.2 scoreless innings with the Loons last Thursday. That helps explain why, until now, he has not been promoted to the AA Tulsa Drillers.
Justin Yurchak played in four games in the most recent series with the Springfield Cardinals after being activated from the Injured List and went 9-for-16 with 7 RBI. His average with the Drillers is now .431 in 18 games. He spent 14 days on the IL.
Eddys Leonard has now played seven games in center field for the Loons after having played in the infield for his entire minor league career.
Locked-in and Loaded – Michael Busch
It’s not easy to follow up a four-hit night, let alone top it, but Michael Busch did exactly that on Saturday. The third-ranked Dodgers prospect mashed a pair of home runs, doubled, reached base four times, and drove in six for Double-A Tulsa. The 2019 first-round Draft selection hit a two-run blast in the second, a three-run jack in the fifth, and lifted a sacrifice fly to left in the third. Busch brought his tater tally to 19 on the season with the Drillers and has 61 RBIs over 99 games. Busch had two more hits and two RBI on Sunday.
On Monday Busch was selected as the Double-A Central Player of the Week for August 30-September 5.
Invisible Man
Does anybody remember Christian Santana?
He is still around and has had a bit of a slow season, for him, with the OKC Dodgers.
Santana was signed at age 17 by the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic in the spring of 2014.
He played his first two seasons in the Dominican Summer League before coming stateside for the 2017 season in which he hit eight home runs in 42 games.
He began the 2017 campaign with the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League and after 10 games in which he was hitting .537 with five home runs, he was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons where he slashed an impressive .322/.339/.460 with another five homers over 44 contests.
During the 2018 season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, he posted a triple slash of .274/.302/.447 with an impressive 23 doubles, 24 home runs, and 109 RBI. He earned Cal League Player of the Week honors in early August and was named a MiLB organizational All-Star at the season’s end.
Santana moved up to the AA Tulsa Drillers for the 2019 season slashing .301/.321/.436 over 102 games.
Now 24, with the OKC Dodgers this year he maintained his consistency at the plate. Limited to 71 games, Santana’s slash line is .297/.321/.414. He has five home runs and has driven in 33.
He has played mostly third base during his minor league career with some at first base. On defense, some already believe he has the capability to be an above-average defender at the hot corner. He has excellent quickness and range, and his arm strength is probably his best defensive asset. In addition, his ability to handle multiple infield spots could potentially boost his acceleration through the system.
His next step may well depend on plate disciple. In 2021 he has struck out 56 times and walked nine.
Another Invisible Man
This young man was just named the Low-A West Player of the Week for August 30 – September 5. In his last six games, his triple slash is .364/.400/.606 with an OPS of 1.006. He has four doubles, three home runs, and 11 runs batted in.
On the season he is in or close to the top 10 in the league in most offensive categories. His 31 doubles lead the league while he is second in the league with 79 runs scored. His other stats include .297 BA (10th), 66 RBI (8th), .379 OBP (11th), .503 SLG (7th), .882 OPS (7th).
The 6’0”/178-lb. right-handed hitter has played primarily at second base with some time in the outfield.
If you guessed Sam McWilliams you are correct.
No, not the Sam McWilliams that was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and now pitches with San Antonio Missions. The Sam McWilliams who was selected by the Dodgers in the 19th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Meridian Community College in Meridian, Mississippi.
Excellent coverage DC. It is very interesting to watch these youngsters develop. I happen to think there are some real gems here.
It seems like there always needs to be a whipping boy on this blog. Currently, it is popular to bash Cody Bellinger.. and he is an easy target because he is not hitting at all.
Earlier in the season, it was popular to bash the bullpen and many of you were exceptionally good at it! You were also incredibly wrong. Some of you wrote eloquent diatribes about how Andrew Friedman could not build a bullpen and blah, blah, blah… until the Dodgers’ Bullpen made you shut up!
Lesson learned? No, you just go on to the next thing. What a miserable existence!
By the way, I will rub your nose in it… The Dodgers bullpen is now #3 in ERA in MLB, just a few points behind the Giants and Rays… and due to injury, the Dodgers bullpen now has a lot more innings under their belts than the two teams above them.
AF did know how to build a bullpen and you knew ZILCH!
Signed, I TOLD YOU SO!
We will discuss Bellinger later, but did you see Belli’s teammates mob him in the dugout when he drove in a run? Bad attitude? Won’t listen? I think that was totally debunked when I saw that!
Finally, what a HR by Albert Pujols! I was sitting in a restaurant and turned it on to see his AB – I just knew he was going to do something. Incredible. I have a feeling we are going to see some more Albert Moments in the playoffs.
Will Belli snap out of his slump this year? I have no idea, but they are giving him every chance… and he deserves it!
Mark, I come in peace….
I think it is noble that you are taking on the lead role to defend Cody here, and I applaud you for such.
But know this- it’s not like guys like me who are frustrated seeing Cody go 0-4 every night and want him in Oklahoma working out his problems rather than in LA dislike Cody and want to see him fail. Trust me, if Cody starts going 2-4 while knocking in runs, you can say, “I told you so” every day to me and I will reply back, “you did, and now I see he has worked out his problems and is back.” And I will rejoice in that news too.
So, I hope you see, it’s not like guys like me are throwing rocks at Cody out of malice…it’s only because we would prefer someone better for now to take his place WHILE HE WORKS ON HIS SWING IN THE MINORS.
Heck, some of you have even said Cody may not be fully healed until next year. Okay, if that is true, then he may have to stay in the minors all year while we make our playoff push. I am disappointed and was hoping AF would have picked up some RHH outfielder at the trade deadline seeing we don’t have any in the minors who is decent enough to come up now, but he didn’t. I guess he is thinking like you…Cody will soon turn it around. But how long do we wait?
Do you want the Cody you are watching today up with the bases loaded in a one game playoff against Snell or Melancon or any other very good reliever on his Padres with two outs in the 9th inning? I sure don’t. If Cody is not 100%, why play him day in and day out? Are you not embarrassed for him seeing his .160 BA? Are you not embarrassed for him knowing that he has the worst BA of any starter in MLB over the last two years? I am…..this is not the Cody I remember.
Clearly, his swing is a mess and or he is still injured and it doesn’t appear to me the coaches are helping him correct his swing. So, like I said, just let him go down in hopes of fixing it, and then he can return. Don’t let him continue to work out his issues while playing with us and watching him go 0-4. You can’t always bury an automatic out, which is what we have been doing practically every game since the All Star break, batting him 8th.
In conclusion, we both want the same thing Mark…we want the Dodgers to succeed and we both don’t want to see Cody embarrassed by his ineptness at bat. Can’t you see how this is hurting him? I’m sure it won’t hurt him as much in Oklahoma or Tulsa.
Your friend,
TM
The problem with that TM is that there is nobody better in the minors. Beaty might be hitting well, but he is no center fielder. If he was, he would probably already be back on the roster. None of the outfielders presently at OKC are that good. Now, there is a pretty decent CF at Tulsa, James Outman, but they are not calling up a AA player to replace Bellinger. Only Bellinger knows if he is being hurt. He has the support of his team mates and management. The team is doing what it feels is the right way to handle the situation. You and many fans might not agree. But I think they have better knowledge than we do, and they are not doing things to please the fans. They are doing what they feel is best for the player. One other thing TM, Bellinger has not played the equivalent of a full season over 2020 and 2021.So saying it has been two years is misleading.
Taylor in CF, Beaty/ Sousa in LF.
Taylor showed the world he could play CF at the All Star game.
Do you know if LA is working on Lux to play the OF?
That has been discussed. Taylor is adequate in CF I will give you that. But he is just as bad as Bellinger lately. The HR the other day not withstanding. Souza is hitting .179 so far. With one HR. I doubt he is a better option in the outfield. The whole thing is skewed because of the injury to Pollock. Lux has been playing 3rd base at AAA. I think, and this is my opinion only, that the fans should trust the powers that be to make the decisions.
I think the only worse hitter than Bellinger was Chris Davis, but he’s already retired, so….
TM,
I think that if the Dodgers’ front office thought Cody would be better off at OKC, that he would be there. I leave that decision to professionals.
Don’t you think one of their concerns with that is the difference in the level of pitching in AAA? That he could go down, literally rake, and then come back up against MLB pitching & have the same issues?
cheers
pb+
LOl cool they mobbed him for hitting a grounder. That’s basically the bar he has set for himself at this point.
Lol…..I had the same thought you had but just couldn’t write it down….
But, I will agree, if nothing else, that shows his teammates are looking for any small thing to encourage Cody. This shows what great teammates they are, looking for something to give him a pat on the back.
PRETTY SURE that anytime you get a productive out that scores a run that either ties the game or gets you the lead, your teammates will “mob” you. That was essentially the winning RBI. Now that Cody has sucked so badly for a while, it seems the good he does is also discounted. Game tied, man on third. Instead of what we have seen lately, he correctly puts the ball on the ground ( for a change ) and scores the runner. Exactly what he should have done. If he was currently hitting .300 and executed that play, everyone would be saying how “situationally aware” he was to not swing away, but the bring the run home.
cheers
pb+
For the record I didn’t say Friedman CAN’T build a bullpen. Up until this year I didn’t like the way he built bullpens. Case in point last year’s bullpen imploded in the playoffs (I predicted that) and Julio Urias (a starting pitcher) had to bail out the bullpen in the playoffs.
For the record I haven’t bashed Bellinger because I know what he is capable of doing. I’m being patient with him.
I hope we are trying to work with either VARGAS or BUSCH to also play the OF. They both can’t play 3B so it would be nice to see one can play the OF. I’m very excited to watch their progress.
Go Baby Dodgers!
TM
Busch is primarliy a 2b though his defense there is average at best. Some experience in the OF would not hurt his chances to make it to the Show. His bat has really come alive lately and looks like the Dodgers had hoped for.
Lux is hitting well at AAA too.
Will we go with an opener again tonight or will it be White from the get go ?
The Bellinger slump just will not end. Another o-fer yesterday. In all my time watching this game i have never seen a former MVP and ROY in such a grand Canyonesque slump.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope we have Trea and Corey playing 2B and SS for many more years, so we will need some of these hot shot infielders to learn to play OF. I would be working on one or both of them ASAP to be learning to play the OF.
I know one can replace Justin Turner in a few years, so the other “may” have to replace Pollock or Cody for whatever reason.
TM, I too would love to see TT and Seager up the middle nest year. Nobody mentions Rios anymore, who was in the mix to platoon with an aging JT in ST. I suppose Rios is still with us and in the mix. Hopefully we have the DH next season (and there is a season) for JT, so the everyday job at 3rd would be open. I would try to relocate some of the AAAA guys including Lux.
I’m going to be upfront with you….I’m not that big of a Rios fan.
We can add what “TM would do to prospects” right below “TM would send Bellinger to the minors” on the list of things that are important only to TM.
Who cares what you or I would do?
We know nothing.
It could just as easily be that many of these MiLB players we talk about are being groomed, for trade bait too. Look how we got Max & Trey. We always talk about where they will play for us in the bigs, but many of these guys will end up somewhere else, used as bait to get someone we really want. Just a different perspective here.
cheers
pb+
Still beating the same ol dead horse.
Just responding to Mark’s post. Because I replied to Mark, it is technically only for his eyes…but of course everyone can see it and respond, but technically it was just meant for Mark.
Mark did bring this up, so I just wanted to show mark how we are actually on the same team here and we both want the same thing. We are not BASHING CODY…WE DO LOVE HIM, just want LA to be stronger.
Hey, I totally get it. I want them to be the best they can be also. And I replied to your post above. There is no one better at AAA> They cannot trade for anyone either. They could pick up someone off of waivers, but there is no guarantee that player would be better than Belli. He is in the lineup purely for his defense, something the team values a lot more than the fans do. Those are facts. Everyone is simply beating a dead horse. The Dodger brass and manager and coaches and his team mates know exactly what he is doing to try and contribute. Yesterday he did. He drove in a run with a ground out. Fans can belittle it all they like, but as Orel and Joe said, it was a productive out. His ofer was more productive than Taylor who struck out for the 153rd time this season. I do not need to defend him, his team mates did that yesterday.
Excellent post TM, we do indeed want what’s best for the Dodgers and Cody, but the low bar that has been well chronicled by some at LADT is disturbing and alarming to some fans including me.
Some were excited to note that Cody lined out with a 107 MPH line out or hit a ground ball RBI out and call it progress. 0-4 is 0-4 regardless if you K, line out or ground out.
What’s next….he went 0-4 again but in those four AB’s he fouled off 7 pitches and some want to call it progress?
I have no new opinion on Bellinger. He must have medical clearance or he wouldn’t be in there. The hitting coaches must be ok with his stand straight legged hands behind his looping head bobbing White Rabbit late swing (or something would be done about it) so I’m thinking what we’ve seen all year is history and his next at bat will be the one. It’s exciting really.
I believe I was the one who said this bullpen would be historic. I had no idea how right I would be. I’ve never seen anything like this and I’ve been watching MLB since 1956.
I still see us winning the Division, though my crystal ball is a bit cloudy. Must be all the smoke in the air out West. .
Hats off to you, Sir, for forecasting our wonderful bullpen.
I don’t know how you were able to see Bickford, Vesia, Bruhle, Feliz, Greene, Phillips, and even Grat would be solid consistent pitchers this year.
Knebel, Kelly, Jansen, Trienen all have some history of greatness, so that isn’t as mind boggling as the forecasting of the group mentioned above, but even still, it was no given that Jansen and Kelly would turn it around like they have.
Good call! Our bullpen has to throw two games every five days…God BLESS THEM And thanks to them, we are still consistently winning.
I didn’t predict those guys TM. What I was looking at early was Knebel, Treinen, Kelly, Graterol, Gonzalez, Alexander, Nelson, Jansen, Price and Gonsolin, with Urias at the ready for October. There was no way of predicting the rabbits AF has been able to pull out of his hat.
This is the weirdest year I’ve seen since last year. The giants good? Didn’t see that coming. Bauer’s saga? Nope. May gone early? Nope. Kershaw out again. Well, yeah, that one isn’t so surprising. A team slump, sure, that happens, 21-6 while it is happening? Nope. Didn’t see that coming either. Like I said, my ball is cloudy. I just know it’s good to be a Dodger fan.
Ditto with you on the Bellinger front. I realize his GG defense and hustle on the base paths is probably the most positive thing we’re going to get from Cody the remainder of the season.
The three starters we currently have and the BP have been outstanding the last few weeks and have really kept the team in the division race. I conceded weeks ago that Mark had predicted greatness from this BP. The man knows his pitching. I don’t recall you saying historic for the BP, but why not? Outstanding call on your end! The Bickford and Vesia additions have been fantastic additions.
I think AF is setting up our farm system to start producing some more quality relievers in the near future. With the unpredictability of relievers year to year it’s a salary saving approach. No more $10M+ closers or setup men. If one doesn’t work out on to the next. Kind of like he’s been doing on the waiver wire recently. This could push down the salaries of starters as well considering they rarely pitch more than 6-7 innings. All this would allow big money to be spent on position players that most everyday.
Another win and another day of comments about Bellinger…
There was some magic last night. A standing ovation, an old buddy and former teaming giving a returning star time to enjoy his welcome reception and a blast to follow. It was a storybook beginning of the game for Big Al. Miracles happen, just ask Souza Jr. who chipped in with a RBI double. No magic for Belli who drove a ball to the warning track in Center Field and made a play where his throw was just late to throw out a runner after fielding a ball off the wall.
The bullpen did it’s magic magic last night by combining for 2 runs allowed. Feliz looked dirty closing it out pounding the zone with strike after strike. Just five Ks through 8 innings and 2 of those came from Treinen. It was a different kind of game than we’re used to seeing.
There’s going to be some difficult decisions for the bullpen once the postseason begins. There’s just too many good arms to include all of them on the roster.
The addition of Steven Souza will serve as a capable outfielder to spell Bellinger against lefties at times to give him an extra day to work on things. If the law of averages plays out as expected, Belli will have a historic run in the playoffs. Wouldn’t that be something?
I’m looking forward to seeing Mitch White on the hill tonight. He’s been a bit inconsistent, but the overall results have been pretty solid standing tall with a 3.49 ERA on the season. Some people find it a little later than others.
Corey Seager made a hell of a play making it look very easy on a Bader grounder to the 6-7 hole. Not as flashy as it was effective, most Shortstops don’t have the tools to make that play.
Excellent point BullPen, on Seager’s play. He did make that play look very easy. He showed what a strong arm he has. I’m a big Seager fan at short and just shake my head at the suggestions that he has to move to 3rd or 1st to help the club defensively. 1 error since he returned to the lineup.
A little off base but I had to report it here. Early this morning my wife was skimming over the news channels and one of them(she doesn’t remember which) reported that MLB has now decided have China make the baseball bats.
Could this be true and if it is WTF is going on. Will they also make the baseballs, uniforms, gloves, etc too?
Has ANYONE heard or read the same thing?
Helmets not hats. New Era already uses China to make most of their hats. But, I also have some New Era hats from the Philippines…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/minnesota-town-braces-for-closure-of-factory-that-makes-mlb-gear/ar-AAO9WoI
Thanks for the info B&P.
Rawlings has a factory in China that make baseballs.
From the internet : Today, about 80% of baseballs used worldwide (MiLB balls) are made in China. However, official baseballs for Major League Baseball are made by Rawlings in Costa Rica under an exclusive contract. Each year, Major League Baseball teams use nearly one million baseballs over the course of a season.
Yesterday Sam McWilliams continued his attack on Low-A West pitching. He hit his league leading 32nd double, his 13th home run and was a triple short of the cycle.
It was mentioned yesterday that Yadier Alvarez has surfaced again with the ACL Dodgers. According to the box score he struck out three on nine pitches. At 25 striking out three is not unusual. Throwing nine in a row that at least look like strikes is unusual for Alvarez.
In his carer Alvarez has been able to limit hits giving up 177 in 211 innings. He has struck out 249 but has walked 119.
He has been a $32 million dollar experiment. Maybe it will finally click this time. Here’s what he said in February, 2020.
“There are times when something goes wrong for you in a game and you think, ‘Man, with all that training, all those things go wrong in games for me, forget this, I don’t want to play anymore,’ ” Alvarez said. “You think that sometimes. Baseball is like that, but I couldn’t deal with it. I acted like a child.
“At the end, I wasn’t working hard. I didn’t put in the effort. And it hurt my velocity. And when things went wrong I’d say, ‘All that work for nothing.’ And it was all a lie. I wasn’t putting in the work. I didn’t have the focus at the ballpark.”
Alvarez left the team without speaking to the Dodgers.
“I just left without thinking,” he said. “I ran out and left.”
Alvarez spent time in Miami, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and sought advice from trainers, current players and former players.
“They asked me the same question: Why did you leave? What happened?” Alvarez said. “I explained to them and they said it was immaturity. They explained why I should return to baseball, but they told me not to come back like this, that I should see a psychiatrist first.”
Maybe this time it will work for him and the Dodgers. I wish him well.
If he still has velo plus the maturity he could be our next great closer. Saw him throw during Spring Training a few years back and it was incredible how easy and effortless he lit up the radar gun with good movement.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It would be an amazing story…
The Albert Pujols home run was one of the top moments of the MLB season so far.
The introduction and respect he received from the fans and from Molina were awesome!
And just an amazing story to have Albert hit a HR in his return to St Louis.
Pujols seems to be a great asset in the clubhouse, and all of the players have been extremely complimentary of his presence. Nice to have Albert on the team as one of the many pleasant surprises this year.
He is one of the best hitters of this century, yet still cares enough to be a contributor off of the bench, and a great teammate. Very rare for a true superstar to show this level of humility and unselfishness.
And I also need to compliment the Dodger team for bouncing back with two straight road wins in St Louis after a disappointing series in SF and a ridiculous travel schedule imposed on them. The team has so many true professionals. I sometimes focus too much on the areas for improvement, but need to recognize that despite so many injuries, the Dodgers are on pace for 103 wins. The Dodgers have won 15 more games than the Padres, and if not for the crazy performance by the Giants, the Dodgers would be coasting to a division title. They need to keep grinding for a division title, but also we need to have a little perspective on their season to date.
Last 29 games. 23-6. Bullpen era 1.91. 148K’s 146 innings. Despite AF not being able to build a bullpen and Roberts not being able to use it! Mark what do you do with Bellinger come the playoffs if he can’t come out of this funk.
I’m still numb as to how well the bullpen is doing, and they have to pitch whole games two out of every five days, not to mention saving the other three.
So today, Greene, Grat, VESIA, and Kelly all through less than 12 pitches last night, so I surmise all 4 to be available tonight as well as Bruhle and Jansen. Hopefully White can go 3 or more innings.
He is on the bench. Gold Glove CF Defense is valuable. However, I will take that when we get to that point. I think “that point” is when AJ gets back!
ON THIS DATE IN 1965:
Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax tosses a perfect game against the Cubs, becoming the first pitcher to throw 4 no-hitters.
The only other pitcher to eventually match that mark is Nolan Ryan (7).
* Well played and managed game. Nice work Doc handling the bullpen. Max’s outing the day before sure helped the bullpen yesterday and today, I hope.
* Stringing 9 pitchers together with only 2 earned runs and only 2 walks has become sort of par for our bullpen staff. It’s quite amazing really that we do this without 1 or 2 having a poor outing. It is not that easy.
* I watched the Cards broadcast for a change and they of course paid tribute to Albert. It’s awesome to see the warm welcome he got from their fans and former teammates. I knew of his greatness in his 11 years in St Louis but I’d forgotten just how great. How about averaging .328 / 1.037. Both BA and OPS would be leading MLB today. And he did that for 11 years. Remarkable. And then he goes yard in his 1st AB. Great moment in baseball history.
Chill bumps watching that moment. He is an amazing athlete and guy. I’m glad he is on our team….good influence, not to mention can still hit.
It was so fun seeing the reactions of Albert’s teammates. You can see how much they admire and enjoy him. Great send off for him after a wonderful career!
There may be better videos to use but the point is – show Cody the mechanics involved when felling a tree with an axe:
https://youtu.be/nK8h2DmM0Ww
Now take that into the batters box.
I watched the video Badger, because I do everything you tell me to do. Problem is I saw him taking most of his swings in a downward motion. Isn’t that the exact opposite of what they teach ballplayers these days? Don’t they tell them to swing in a somewhat upward motion?
Of course Cody’s swing, as many have commented here, looks like a golf swing these days. That works very well when you’re hitting a ball off the ground, but not so well when you’re facing a major league pitcher.
STB, you’ll notice that any skilled golfer doesn’t move his head down 15 inches to strike a golf ball. Guys that bob their head and relocate their eyes in golf, top the ball, hit it fat and lack consistency. A still head and eyes work in golf, felling a tree and hitting a baseball.
Notice how the knees are bent and the head is still. Can this guy run down a ball in center field?
His knees are bent, his head is still, his eyes are on target and he’s short to the notch.
Take note Cody.
But he’s still swinging on a downward path.
I wonder if we’ll ever get the real story behind the Cody-coaches dynamic for this season. If the coaches were giving him the same advice as most every commenter online has done for weeks now, and if he was just ignoring it, I’m sure Doc would have put his ass on the bench by now. Does this mean that the coaches are OK with his current batting approach? Very strange.
On the down chop of course he is.
You’re jerking my lanyard, right Jefe? It’s the MECHANICS we are referring to. Picture that swing with a follow through and a shoulder high finish. Short, quick, power at impact, finish high.
I don’t know what his coaches are telling him. I can’t imagine ANY professional hitting instructor saying what he does is ok.
Why yes Badger there might be a little lanyard pulling going on here but my question about the coaches and Belli was a serious one.
Well, on that subject I have no clue what they’re telling him. Apparently it’s “just keep hacking, you’ll run into one before too long. Law of averages”.
“Pile on the crippled guy. Beat the hell outta him!”
Just like the bullies in grade school.
The point here is that many (including you) have consistently argued that Bellinger is the same great player that he was in 2017 or 2019 when even George Shearing can see that he’s not. And based on what I’ve observed, he probably has the same front shoulder problem after surgery for a SLAP lesion (labral tear) that others, including Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez had – except Bellinger’s numbers are more extreme.
That’s not to say that he won’t come back next year to be successful – but right now he’s the worst fastball hitter in MLB (as of 2 days ago hitting .093 against heat 94 MPH and up). You can’t say that he’s on the cusp of total recovery – there’s no proof of that and his September numbers are .000/.059/.000.
Like all Dodger fans I wish that Bellinger was healthy and productive but the fact is that he’s not. Happy talk won’t make it so. The Dodgers need to make an adjustment.
I have refrained from predictions about Bellinger.
He is the same guy, but the circumstances are different.
However, if AF and Doc think he should be in the lineup and not on the IL or OKC, I have to defer to people who have a lot more knowledge about it than me.
The Dodgers are 88W – 51 L, apart from that ugly 5-15 at the end of April they are 83W-36 L for a .697, the Dodgers all year have played for .697, this team is incredible !!!
So you think Belli is bad. Since joining NYY, Joey Gallo is batting .130 with 61 k’s in 123 ABs.
So Gallo’s bad too. And so how does this affect your assessment of Bellinger’s performance in 2021?
My opinion:
It’s bad!
But if you can do it once, you can do it again.
The bathwater may be lukewarm, but I ain’t throwing out the baby too.
I have purposely stayed away from the negative comments. But since you asked, it does not affect my assessment of Belli’s 2021 season. He is having a horrific year. I do not think anyone has said differently. I have never said anything different and neither have Mark or Bear. But to be clear, I am in line with Mark and Bear who say that the baseball people have more knowledge and are in a much better position to make personnel decisions than we fans.
We can all have an opinion, but without knowledge, that is all they are…opinions. Have at it. If you want to opine that Belli needs to go back to OKC or out of baseball, you have the right. But AF and Doc do not agree with you, and they are the ones who get paid to make those decisions. That is exactly what Mark and Bear have said. If AF and Doc make too many wrong ones, they will get fired. And yet, since the day following the trade deadline, the team is winning at a record pace (26-8 or .765 winning percentage). That is at a 124 win pace. Mookie has played 17 of those games. Muncy, CT3, and JT are running on fumes. They have a three man starting pitching rotation. And they keep on winning. Are you saying that if Beaty was in left and CT3 was in CF that the Dodgers would be 34-0? I have an opinion on that…horsespit.
For those who have asked, I am not worrying about the playoffs. Those decisions will come at the appropriate time. For right now, Belli in the lineup is not hurting the team from their goal of winning as a team. I agree with Badger. Maybe the next game something will click and Belli will go off. If not, as long as the team wins, why are so many upset?
Hi Jeff,
While you and I may not be of one mind on all things being discussed on this blog, I absolutely LOVE the way you write and lay out your thoughts. I enjoyed reading your words here.
Yes, the boys are still winning despite all those things you mentioned. That is amazing. Thank God for bringing us Trea Turner and Max Scherzer. I shudder to think where we would be without those two amigos. (Thanks AF!)
TM
THANK YOU. It seems some opinions would equate to Doc or the FO keeping Cody in the lineup even if they thought it could cost them the div or even the WS. If they thought they could do anything that would almost guarantee or is likely to increase their chances of winning, and that involved sitting Cody, or sending him down, everyone has to know they would. Our “job” is to be fans, and whatever that means to each of us. To some it is simply to cheers their boys on, regardless. To some, it is to exercise their god given right to complain ’till the cows come home. But for mgmt & the FO the job is to get to the end with the best record possible and win it all. And whether that includes Kenley ( who almost everyone was “done with” early season ) or Cody, or anyone else, to assume a noob like me knows better is ridiculous.
cheers
pb+
Doc was called a liar because Corey Seager did not come back as soon as was originally reported. Some on here even questioned Seager’s manhood for a “little break”. Those fans did not see the X-Rays, but they were all knowing and Doc was a liar. Now we have learned that NYM manager Luis Rojas and acting GM Zach Scott have been telling everyone that after reviewing the MRIs of Jacob deGrom’s right elbow, there was nothing structurally wrong. However, last night Sandy Alderson spoke to the press and informed them that deGrom had “lowest-grade partial tear” possible in his right ulnar collateral ligament. He will not require surgery. It is now reported that after two months rest, the ligament is “perfectly intact”.
Managers advise as to how they are advised. Maybe deGrom did not want anyone knowing that he had a low grade partial tear. That is his right. We do have HIPPA laws. Just as I am certain that Doc does not intentionally deceive (or lie as some of you like to call him) nor did Luis Rojas. They are given a script as to what to say to potential questions as to the health of their players. Just because we are fans of a certain team, we are not entitled to know the health/injury status of any player. And before anyone says, then don’t say anything, how far is that going to go with the press? They will undoubtedly read what they want into the non-disclosure. There are those who have speculated that Clayton Kershaw was about to undergo TJ surgery even though there was no medical update so advising. Why? Because forearm inflammation is code for UCL tear (or so they believe).
Was surgery ever performed on someone who didn’t have forearm inflammation?
Some of us thought TJ surgery was a definite possibility. Most of us knew a soreness first diagnosed in July with a “possible” early September scheduled return was a serious oh sh*t moment. 2 months later….. how is he?
Yeah, we seldom get the straight facts out of anyone anymore. You cannot be surprised by that. I wonder how much professional gambling influences reports.
I may have made a judgment on facts, not in evidence with Kershaw, but here are the facts:
1. He has “forearm tightness” which they later changed to “elbow soreness.”
2. He has been out more than 2 months.
3. He has lots of innings on that arm/
4. His velocity has been going downhill for several years.
If he needs TJ, that would be no surprise.
I have a lot more info on Clayton than Cody!
Remember Marino Tanaka has issues but somehow with rest he avoided surgery.
It sure seems to be a “new” diagnosis this year. Jon Gray and Jacob deGrom both had forearm inflammation and neither had surgery. I am sure there are others. We are all on watch mode for CK. So far they say he will be fine and in the rotation sometime next week. Although he was scheduled for some surgery, it sure seemed that Kenta Maeda had more than forearm inflammation, but the doctors were not certain if full TJS would be required. Unfortunately once they got in, they diagnosed the tear, and a full TJS was performed.
I do not know anything at all about gambling trends. Since I have no knowledge in that area, I will pass on any opinion. Although lack of knowledge does not stifle many from their opinions. ☺
Good one Jeff.
Well, 49 pitches with no issues. Supposed to go 60 pitches against the dbacks. Here’s hoping.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see Colorado win this afternoon game?
0-0 into the 5th inning. DeSclafini v Gray
3-0 Rockies end of 5th.
Lets hope t he Giants do not start one of their patented late rallies again.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!
GO ROCS! ( hard to say any day but today )
Tonight’s winning lineup:
HITTERS H-AB RBI HR SB AVG
T. Turner2B 161-503 58 21 26 .320
M. Muncy3B 106-416 78 30 2 .255
M. BettsRF 99-374 47 19 9 .265
C. SeagerSS 75-267 39 8 1 .281
W. SmithC 98-359 68 23 3 .273
C. TaylorLF 124-473 71 20 13 .262
A. Pujols1B 61-255 49 17 2 .239
C. BellingerCF 45-277 33 9 2 .162
M. WhiteP 0-13 0 0 0 .000
No JT
YOU KNOW that will fry someone’s bacon; JT sitting. I can predict dozens if not hundreds of “he hits two out & you sit him the next day” from the “experts” on the blogosphere.
cheers
pb+
He hit 2 out and he sits.
THANK YOU!
As Nomar likes to say EL BENCHO LOL
Doesn’t take an expert to say he hit two out because he did, and it is an easy observation that he is sitting. There isn’t anything wrong with saying what is obvious. The criticism of posters is just as offensive as the criticism of the manager.
3-0 Rockies top of the 6th
Crawford 3 run HR . Man oh man.
Beginning to think they are a team of destiney this season.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
Just saw that. Fingers crossed. But crap, man on first and no outs either.
4-3 Rockies in the 6th.
Eric Stephen
@ericstephen
Dodgers are pushing Julio Urías and the rest of the starting pitchers back a day, so it’s Urías, Buehler, Scherzer against the Padres
Gonsolin gets bulk innings Thursday against the Cardinals
Dave Roberts said Clayton Kershaw will rejoin the rotation early next week
Promise someone a day off tomorrow and see what they do today.
Bobby Miller is now listed on the Tulsa Drillers roster. He will start the game tonight against Amarillo.
Go Bobby!
Giants have the bases loaded with no outs in the 9th. Wade singles, 2 runs score 5-4 SF still no outs.
How often has that Wade kid come through for them like this? It seems like a lot….
Dang midgets
Another day, another Giants rally in the 9th inning. Man, I could throw up in my mouth.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!1
Did God direct you to post this TM???
Is your Higher Power providing you the insight and knowledge of playing this game??
I told my wife when SF went up to bat in the 9th, watch them come back to win….she said, isn’t that the team you want to lose, and I said yes…..but for some reason they seem to come back to win in the 9th inning time after time.
She then asked me…..”does your team do that time after time? “
I said, “no, I think they only have done it once “ (9th inning comeback).
She then said, “SO, it looks like you won’t be winning the World Series this year….clearly this team wants it more!”
Ouch! My wife really knows how to hurt me….
ROCKIES score four in 9th ! Yes I am on drugs !
Totally
Those SF bastards cheating like Houston did? It’s just that it’s not possible for them to continue winning those kinds of games …. It was enough to see that they continue to win each fucking game in a different way each time …. Send Bellinger there, I’m sure he’ll stop being a mediocre hitter with them!
A lot of pression for dodgers to win today. 2 games rear the way the Giants have been playing is todo much
Oh well….too bad the game wasn’t 8 innings long…..they would have about 20 more losses….
I am so impressed with their heart to win and never give up attitude that I’m going to say something unpopular probably…..I hope they win the WS if we don’t. They deserve it, if we don’t.
Besides, I hate the Astros and Yankees and Red Sox, so why not the Giants? Their GM is pretty good you know.
No way I root for the Midgets. If not us then the Rays. AMazing how they do it. Traded Snell, lost Glasnow and still comfortably leading the AL East with the 2nd best record in MLB.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Root for the Giants? BLASPHEMY!
I don’t live in California…..
I had to watch the Cardinals broadcast yesterday. They showed Albert working with Bellinger on his mechanics. Specifically, the way Cody’s front hip flies open every single swing.
I am sure Belli is working hard to regain his old form. No doubt about it. But the results sadly are depressing.
If the Dodgers would be up comfortably in the division they certainly would be right to carry him along hoping he will find his stroke soon. But can the Dodgers really afford it in a ultra tight pennant race like this one ?
Facing Wainwright tonight does not bode well for the Dodgers. We could very well be 2 games out before the day is done.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good post dodgerrick
1 I think that is called elitism/being an elite.
High five!
Very good post, dodgerrick.
Agree with everything you said.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posts are being deleted. That’s the ultimate elitism.
If you don’t agree with me I will shut you up by deleting your post.
Cancel culture…… it indeed appears posts are being deleted. I gave a high five to Dodgerrick after reading one of his posts, nothing else, just a high five and I now find my post deleted. Wow!
Here are no comments in TRASH or SPAM.
Cancel culture. You are being accused of censuring progressive thought Mark.
Bear? Nah, he wouldn’t do that.
Let’s ask him.
Hey Bear, are you censoring thought here?
No, I have not been on my computer until the last 10 minutes. The last time I was on here was when I posted about the Rockies giving up the lead in the 9th. Eric, I have no trouble with anything anyone posts. I might not agree, but you guys have a right to say what you want, and do not assume you know me.
Not smart to send Betts with one out and Smith coming up
I remember back in the 60’s the Cardinals having a shortstop named Dal Maxvill. I think his career batting average hovered near the Mendoza line but he always seemed to be in the Cardinals lineup because of his defense. I cringe when Cody comes to bat but for me, I’d take Cody’s superior centerfield defense and put up with his bat for the remainder of this year rather than play Beaty in left and Pollack in center or Taylor and Pollack. Taylor’s not the CF Cody is and lately, his bat isn’t much better either. Cody’s bat will come back next year. If we’re lucky, it shows up this year in the playoffs.
That’s the way they played the game back then. Shortstops had to be a good glove man over anything else. If you could hit that was icing on the cake
Ozzie Smith was like that for years before he went to St. Louis.
Sosa was clearly out of the base path. Now why isn’t that reviewable?
Why didn’t someone fault DOC for not walking Molina?
I fault Chris Taylor for playing on the warning track and extending the inning.
And pitch to Nootbaar with the bases loaded? Are you crazy? Nootbaar is OPS’ng right up there with I have no idea who Nootbaar is.
Wow – I have been censored. My post deleted. What happened?
I guess I’m no longer wanted here – don’t let the door hit you on the butt on your way out I guess.
Later all
Been there, done that.
Yes, you have – under many monikers! 😉
Exactly two.
Are you sure rick?
I missed the post. What did it say?
Go to Eric’s post at 7:11 – he was responding to it – but it’s not there any more
I can see it’s gone. What did it say? Did you say Biden is an old diminished asshat? No, Bear wouldn’t have censured that. Did it say Pelosi looks like a wax museum statue? No, that wouldn’t be censored either. Did it say Trump has the IQ of a premature pumpkin and hair that looks like cotton candy made of piss? (For that one Penn Jillette gets full credit)
It said Badger is a moron!
😉
Oh. Why was that censored?
Exactly. 😉
Something might be screwy on the main page. It might be needing an update or something. Some of mine have gone missing in the last couple of weeks. Just repost it.
Might be a problem with the wordpress dashboard. Repost what you wrote.
Did you see the Giants announcer Dave Fleming’s comments about why Buehler and Urias can’t get the Giants out? Hope they post that in the dugout! Maybe that’s why Their ace Glausman sucks so much now. Fleming thinks he is a real expert. Ever hear him call games? Love to have WB shove those words down his throat in the playoffs
I did not see that. Message board fodder for sure. Buehler would probably love to start a playoff game against them in their park if he read that. Bellinger makes a great catch on that drive by Waino.
I’m having a hard time staying awake. Watching this Dodgers offense is like sucking down a Zolpidem smoothie.
OK, I rebooted the server for the website after I could not log in.
Post what you want… but play nice and do no call me a dirty rotten scoundrel.
Rick,
I could not get into the site from my laptop, until I had it rebooted.
I responded to your e-mail from my i-Pad when I was not on the deck.
Post it now.
Wow, with all the buildup I wonder how profound it will be.
Sorry but Dodgers are not Giants…..in this season… after Smith..only bad hitters..no way they can hit timely
Out pitched and out hit. Some bad fielding and Greene giving up a late homer. Just not their day. Gonsolin will be activated to start tomorrows game. No starter named yet for the Cardinals. Castellano’s avg down to .317, so Turner now leading the league with a .320 avg. 22 games left, and the Giants do not play tomorrow, so they can pick up a half game before they head home or they can be 2 1/2 back with 21 to play.
Geez , I can’t imagine where the Reds will be without Castellanos next year.