Okay, do not confuse these streaks with the stuff pulled in the ’70s by drunken idiots. These are the best streaks in Dodger history. I love this kind of stuff.
Scoreless Innings
59 innings: Orel Hershiser, 1988. In the midst of his best season as a major leaguer, the Bulldog went on an impressive run of continuous scoreless innings. Surpassing the 58 2/3rds. Big D had passed Walter Johnson’s 55 2/3rds. Drysdale threw six consecutive shutouts during his streak in 1968. Big D’s streak was broken up by Howie Bedell of the Phillies who drove in 1 run all year. No pitcher since has come close to either mark
Consecutive Wins
The Dodger record is 15 compiled by Dazzy Vance in 1924. The LA record is 13 by Phil Regan in 1966. Hooton holds the record for most by a LA Dodger starter at 12 in 1975, tied by Kersh in 2017.
Losses
The longest losing streak belongs to Rick Honeycutt, 11 in 1987. Guess you do not need to be a great pitcher to become a very good pitching coach.
Strikeouts
Sometimes a player you would not think would even be in the conversation as the leader. In this case, I was more than a little surprised to find that Aaron Harang holds the record for the most K’s consecutively as a Dodger. He struck out 9 in a row against the Padres in 2012. The reliever mark is 6 by Richert and Perranoski. One other note about Harang’s mark, it is also the most K’s in a row to start a game.
Strikeouts in First MLB Game
The record is 6 held by Pete Richert, 1962 against the Reds and Karl Spooner, 1954 against the Giants. No one has surpassed that mark.
Most K’s Consecutive Games
Koufax holds the mark for the most in 2 and 3 straight games with 31 and 41. He did that in a 3 game stretch in 1959. Hideo Nomo holds the record for 4 straight games with 50 in 1995. Dreifort holds the record for the most K’s in 2 innings. 7.
Walks Inning
Brickyard Kennedy walked 6 straight in 1900. One record I think most pitchers would not like to have.
Saves
Not surprisingly, Eric Gagne holds the record for most consecutive saves, 6, and most in a season, 55. both records coming in his magical 2003 season.
Most Games No HR Allowed
Another surprise name, Joe Beimel, in 2008 pitched in 104 games and allowed no home runs. Pretty impressive.
Most Saves Converted
Again, no surprise, Eric Gagne 84 over parts of 3 seasons, 2002-2004.
Now for some hitting streaks.
Games
The 3-Dog, Willie Davis holds the Dodger record for the most games with a hit at 31. Willie did it in 1969. Zack Wheat holds the Brooklyn record, 29 in 1916.
On Base Safely Game
Cookie Lavagetto was on base 7 times for Brooklyn in 1939 against the Phillies
Reached Base Safely
Pedro Guererro got on 14 times over 4 games in 1985. He passed Ron Cey who had 10 consecutive times reaching base.
Hits
Andre Ethier and Ed Konecthy each had 10 consecutive hits. Andre accomplished this in 2012 and Konecthy in 1919. Hits in 3 consecutive games are 12 by Keeler, Milt Stock, and Rafael Furcal. In 4 games the record is 16 by Stock in 1925.
Extra Base Hits
Steve Garvey holds the record with 5 in a row in 1977 in a game against the Cardinals. Campanella, Kemp, Green, and Pederson hit HRs in 5 consecutive games. And Green holds the record for most in 3 games at 7 in 2002.
Games
Not even close, Garvey with 1107. He also had the most seasons playing all of the games, 7 from 1976-1982.
Stolen Bases
Davey Lopes stole 38 consecutive bases in 1975. Zack Wheat had the record for the most games in a row scoring a run, 13, in 1925.
Team Records
That covers most of the individual marks. Team marks for some categories, Wins, 15 by the 1924 team. LA mark is 13 set twice, 1962 and 65. Lost 16 Brooklyn in 1944, LA, 11, 2017. Wins against an opponent on the road, 18 from 45-48 against the Pirates. 4 doubleheader wins in a row in 1924. And games with a double play, 23 in 1952. Well, that does it for the streaks. Just thought they would be interesting to look back on. Looks like they are going to fall short for the most consecutive division crowns barring a Giant collapse. But let’s just get to the series and go from there. Back to back titles sound great.
The streak I would like to see is most World Series wins since 2020
Last off day of the regular season. Does this season seem particularly long, or is it just me?
It’s interesting to see the generalizations that people come up with after 156 games…
Trea Turner, who has never had a WAR over 4.7 has a better chance to put up a 6 WAR than Corey who’s been over 5 twice.
A 100 win team (with 6 games remaining) are uninspiring to watch. Well, there’s only 2 100 win teams right now and our run differential is about 25% better than that other team.
Yes, the criticism of Trea Turner is over the top, but Corey’s better and a broken hand doesn’t make you injury prone. Whenever I think of injury prone, I think of Jeff Bagwell who was until he wasn’t.
As far as I can tell, Julio Urias is not lined up for game 163. He pitched in game 156, so he’s lined up for game 161 if we stick to a 5 man rotation. Right now, Bueller is lineup up for game 163, which would make Scherzer lined up of 163 and Urias for the Wild Card game. If 163 is out of reach, they probably hold Bueller back and give him and Urias extra rest for the Division Series with Max still pitching in the Wild Card Game. Not a bad position to be in.
I like Bluto’s idea of bringing in Bryant and Bradley if Seager walks. I would just throw the extra money at Seager, but I really like Bryant.
Marcia said it best, regarding the Giants this season “Chalk it up to the supernatural”.
I hate being in the Wild Card position. But, it might not be avoidable with few games remaining. Keep fighting for that top spot. It really hurts when you look back at some of the give away games early in the season, or the three consecutive blown saves after the All-Star game.
Since those three blown saves, Kenley’s been (dare I say) perfect! What a turnaround, also lowering his ERA from around 3 to 2.3. I still don’t trust him.
The Padres are a 500 team today heading into Dodger stadium. Their season is over and the only thing they have left to play for is to spoil the Dodgers or Giants.
59 in a row is my favorite steak in baseball. Mad Max has been incredible since he came here and he didn’t even come close to that streak. The best thing about it was the previous record holder was Don Drysdale. It’s a great record to hold twice for a franchise that emphasizes pitching.
This last week should be fun. It sure would be awesome to tie and then beat the Giants in the 163 game like we did the Rockies a few years back. Let’s say it all works out. Who do you want to play in each post season series? Here’s mine…
DS – Giants
LCS – Cardinals
WS – White Sox
But, I find all the AL teams intriguing for various reasons. The Red Sox, Rays and Asterisks would be re-do series from recent trips. The Yankees are the ultimate matchup and the Blue Jays are the only team still in it that we haven’t played before. You have to go back to 1959 when we played the White Sox.
Do not count out the Brewers. That team has some serious pitching. Belt got hit on the hand yesterday and had to leave the game. Not before he hit his 30th HR. Giants not sure if he will miss any time. AJ got hit on the hand last night just before he left the game. Only way they play the Cardinals in the LCS is if the Cardinals beat the wild card team and the Dodgers win the division. Since the Dodgers have never won back to back series, that is the streak I would most like to see. Would not mind a threepeat like the Lakers had either.
Don’t you think the Brewers might start resting guys now that they have won their div? Maybe make our last 3 a little easier to win?
cheers
pb+
My mantra remains the same – if we hit, we win. Yesterday’s game, against a woefully bad team, is indicative of what we are, all or nothing. 3 solo homers then nap the rest of the game. I worry we won’t be able to just “turn it on” against better pitching in the playoffs. We are still favored.
Corey Seager has played 150 games once in his 7 year career. He did play 52 out of 60 last year, which translates to 140 out 162. That would be enough if he could keep it up. He’s playing less than 100 this year. I think we all want an every day shortstop. Is it him?
Bryant would be an interesting pick up. Wonder what he might cost.
Trea Turner, as spacey as he appears to be, will score 100+ runs, as will Betts, and those two at the top of our lineup for years to come would be something in which to look forward.
For now?….wake up bats.
There are only two ways we play the Cardinals in the playoffs this year; 1) In the wildcard game, 2) in the LDS if we manage to win the division and the cardinals beat the gnats in the wildcard game. We cannot play the Cards in the LCS. Should we get there, that would be against either the Brewers or the Braves (outside chance the Phillies win the east but not looking likely at this point).
Whatever happens over the next 6 games, we have nothing to be ashamed about. We could end up with 106 wins and NOT win the division. Think about that for a moment!! Has any team in the history of the game won 106 games and NOT come in 1st place?
I realize that in past years there was a 154 game schedule and so that % for 154 games would would be 100 wins.
When you consider how many injuries we had to deal with this year – not to mention the TB debacle – the fact that we have already win 100 games is remarkable. Not long ago, I heard that we had won the most games in the following year by a WS champion since the inception of the division playoffs. Is that true?
To possible answer your question:
There have been 10 teams that have won 100 or more games in the MLB and finished second including the Dodgers who did twice. No second place team has won 106 games, the most was wins were 104 by the 1942 Dodgers and the 1909 Cubs.
So the answer is NO. No team has won 106 games and did not win the pennant.
2018 Yankees: 100-62
Finished 2nd to: Red Sox (108-54)
2001 A’s: 102-60
Finished 2nd to: Mariners (116-46)
1993 Giants: 103-59
Finished 2nd to: Braves (104-58)
1980 Orioles: 100-62
Finished 2nd to: Yankees (103-59)
1962 Dodgers: 102-63
Finished 2nd to: Giants (103-62)
Dodgers and Giants ended with the two teams tied at 101-61 after 162 games. That forced a three-game tiebreaker series to determine who would represent the NL in the World Series against the Yankees. The first two games were split — the Giants knocked Sandy Koufax out early in Game 1, but the Dodgers pulled out a walk-off win in Game 2. In the winner-take-all Game 3, Los Angeles held a 4-2 lead entering the ninth inning, but the Giants rallied for four runs to win the pennant. Though the Dodgers’ season had some high points — Koufax threw his first no-hitter, Don Drysdale won the Cy Young Award, and Maury Wills stole 104 bases to win MVP — there was no postseason berth waiting at the end. But Los Angeles would win the World Series the next year.
1961 Tigers: 101-61
Finished 2nd to: Yankees (109-53)
1954 Yankees: 103-51
Finished 2nd to: Indians (111-43)
1942 Dodgers: 104-50
Finished 2nd to: Cardinals (106-48)
The 1942 Dodgers had a 10-game lead in the NL as late as Aug. 5, but the Cardinals mounted a comeback over the final two months of the season to top Brooklyn by two games in the pennant race. St. Louis took three of four games from Brooklyn — two of which were walk-off wins — in a late-August series, then won the clubs’ final two meetings in mid-September to tie the Dodgers in the standings. The Cards passed the Dodgers the next day, and even though Brooklyn closed the season on an eight-game winning streak, there was little they could do because the Cardinals won 12 of their final 13 games.
1915 Tigers: 100-54
Finished 2nd to: Red Sox (101-50)
1909 Cubs: 104-49
Finished 2nd to: Pirates (110-42)
Yep, I realized that it’s impossible to play the Giants in the DS and the Cardinals in the LCS after I had some coffee.
DS-Giants
LCS-It seems like we always play the Brewers and Braves, let me flip a coin…Braves
WS-White Sox
I still remember listening to the game in 1985, where Guerrero’s consecutive getting on base streak was ended. But he ended it with a sacrifice fly, which didn’t even count as an at bat!
As of now, Scherzer is lined up for next Wed, Oct 6, for the Wild Card. If we can get past that, at least Buehler/Kersh/Urias will have had an extra few days off, and Buehler will be ready for Game 1 in SF.
For fan purposes, a game 163 would be fun, but for our pitching rotation purposes, I’d hate to have a Game 163, followed by a Wild Card Game, followed by the NLDS.
Again, we’re at 100 wins already, with 6 to go. If we lose out in this division, there’s no shame. Tons of injuries, a bizarre suspension, and we still finish near 104 wins??? I’d take that any year.
Same here and it has been a strange year. Not as strange as last year, but strange none the less. Just look at the list of guys who have played here and are not even in the organization or on the team. It is long. The deadline deal cost them 4 prospects. Two of whom are playing the string out in DC and might help them a lot in the future. Duffy and Hamels were a wash. Only money lost with Hamels and a low level prospect with Duffy. None of the waiver wire guys have stuck with the team for more than a few weeks except Phillips. Albert has been a positive addition and most thought he was a reach, but he has had some moments. Lets hope he has a couple more before this is all over. Even with all of the injuries, the bad stretch where they went 5-15, the inconsistency of the offense. Bellinger’s prolonged slump. The team has kept itself in the race. And winning 2 of 3 in Colorado when all three of your best pitchers are not their best was huge. That could have gone the other way and they would be eliminated by now. You have to give Farhan and Kapler their props. They have done an awful lot with what most consider, not that much talent. But those journeymen pitchers, kids, and retreads along with the career years by Crawford and Belt, and a rebound by Posey, have kept them from going into a prolonged slump. No June swoon or dog days of August. Just consistent winning baseball. Have to be commended for that. They have been very lucky too. Have to head to the VA in Colorado Springs to get my glasses fixed and some more meds…..
I do not discount what the Brewers can do, but their Bullpen ERA is 3.85, while the Dodgers is 3.12.
The Dodgers’ Starters’ ERA is 2.90, while the Brewers is 3.08.
Overall, the team ERA is 2.97 for the Dodgers and 3.39 for the Brewers.
The Dodgers have scored 783 Runs, which is the most in the NL. The Brewers have scored 717 runs.
Overall, the Dodgers have a run differential of more than 0.76 over the Brewers.
However, the game is not played on paper.
If it was, we wouldn’t be worried about being in the Wild Card game, eh?
A one off game against the Cards looks particularly daunting at this moment in time.
What happened to Europe in the Ryder Cup? Not a very good showing! Did they send their top players for the tournament? The United States was young ,talented and hungry. We’ll see what happens when in 2 years it is played in Europe.
I also think the American golfers have the Hotter wives and girlfriends than the European golfers.
Andrew
I cannot argue with any of the above.
Was a very poor spectacle, and I knew the game was up after the 4Balls.
As for the WAGs, you’ve nailed that one too.
As I’ve said before, if I could lead a parallel life, it would be in LA married to a lovely Californian lady. (My Missus doesn’t read here).
Only kidding – she’s a great girl.
Time to get some of these key Batters hitting in the last week of the season…
Nice article from LA Times today I saw re-posted on Yahoo today about the Dodgers bat boys. Good read.
cheers
pb+
I be been on a football weekend so I had to binge watch the last 2 games.
Some thoughts:
* Our water spigot hitting is concerning. The faucet is wide open or shut off completely. Not scoring after the 3rd inning again is a problem but the shutout masks the problem.
* I see MLB is experimenting with a tackified baseball now in AAA. Good idea in general but If I’m playing AAA right now I don’t like being a lab rat.
* The HPU cost Urias about a dozen pitches after a missed strike 3 but he has no swing and miss stuff. Tons of foul balls just add to his pitch count.
* Nomar was talking about picking up the pitch out of the pitcher’s hand and what a batter looks at before the release point. Back in the day some of you might remember we were taught to look at the logo on the pitchers cap ignoring any body motion. Your eyes just went from the logo to the release point to avoid any distractions.
* Same with infielders tracking the pitch to plate. Some players watched the ball out of their pitcher’s hand all the way to the plate and then the exit from the bat. I didn’t like that. I watched the hitter the whole time and the ball leaving his bat. I thought by reading the batter I got a better jump. I actually had some “visual slumps” when I was making poor reads. I’d be leaning the wrong way when the ball was hit. I had to slow down and stay balanced and not anticipate as much.
* We haven’t had to compete in September. We’ve had comfy leads in years past and had lots of rest. Rest has been such a topic lately.
* Kirsten report that for now the rotation is
Monday off
Tuesday – Striker
Wednesday – Max
Thursday – Gonzo
Friday – CK
Saturday- Urias
Sunday- Striker
That’s obviously subject to change if we can’t catch those damned Giants.
* Mark is a master of making statements that create conversation. I’m not sure how much of it he actually believes but it gets folks talking. I personally would try to win the Division until it is mathematically impossible. As soon as that’s the case I would adjust the pitching rotation to try to line up for the wildcard game and hopefully beyond.
* I can understand the idea of losing the battle to win the war. But to me that’s not how players are wired.
Here is the speech I would NOT have had expected Doc last week.
“Listen up. Well you know guys it’s been an extremely long and grinding season. Unlike the years when we sewed up the Division Title and could coast into the playoffs getting lots of rest, this year we had to compete. I know the organization ignored the luxury tax, made one of the greatest trades ever at the deadline. And we had to overcome lots of injuries to get where we are. You should be proud. I know you’ve been coach at every level to give it your best effort and that has made you successful. But that’s changing now. I’ve decided, alone with the Wizard behind the curtain, to change our goal. To change our mind set to be much smarter. We’ve decide that it’s wise and in your best interest to throw in the towel for Division race for this season and get some needed R and R to prepare for the Wild Card Game. Those damned Giants just don’t seem to get as fatigued as we do. Some of you may disagree with this tactic but it’s really for your own good and gives our team the best chance to win the Wild Card game.”
That kind of thinking just ain’t going to happen in a Clubhouse.
Rather amazing to me that the Dodgers still are the clear betting favorites to win the pennant. SF is second, Milwaukee third. The Dodgers are somewhere around +150, while the Giants are around +215, and the Brewers+300 or so. This is hard for me to believe, as I would think that both of those teams have a better chance than we do, because we are very likely going to be the wild card team, and have to win best of five at SF, and best of seven at Milwaukee. And we don’t look like we are good enough to do it. Oh, of course we have the talent, but we don’t win sufficiently against the better teams, and we don’t seem to play with that extra verve. We are workmanlike, while the Giants seem more like an inspired team.
I know that the books have said that they have been overweight on the Dodgers all season, so maybe this just reflects it. But I would rate our chances to win the pennant at about 30%. The Giants should be favored, they will be the home team, and they have the best record in baseball. Milwaukee is very dangerous, and whatever ERA record they have does obscure that Hader was out for a couple of weeks, when they lost those extra inning games to the Giants in Milwaukee.
When you watch a team closely, you tend to see the flaws more, so maybe I and others are not giving the team enough credit. Beating the Rockies and Diamondbacks two out of three, with the two losses being virtual routs, does not seem like the play of a team which is going to win it all, though the Dodgers are the top betting choice to win the World Series , as well. We look very good in some games, and insufficient as a team in others. It’s not the losses, everyone loses, but it is not rallying, looking bad in the field, being dominated by this or that pitcher. The truth is that there are all sorts of bad teams in the National League, and so the Giants and Dodgers will both win over 100 games. But we are not going to play bad teams in the playoffs.
Do we have enough of that intangible thing which the great teams have? Will we get outmanaged by Kapler or Counsell–if we get past the dangerous wild card game? Will at least two of our hitters have great playoffs, or will we look lost at the plate in too many games, and not advance runners the way the Giants do? Will three starters be enough; who is the fourth starter for the playoffs, Gonsolin? The bullpen looks solid right now, but so do those of the other playoff teams. And we have to play the extra games on the road, where we don’t often fare too well in playoff games. Let’s see how we can do in the crucial game of the playoff series, with the opposing team’s fans screaming on every pitch, and the managers throwing lefthanders at us. Let’s see if we can do what we rarely have done this year, which is to rally to win a game against a good team on the road. That’s what the playoffs are about. We won them last year, but there were no road games. Maybe our best play is in front of us, we will blend together at last to simply out-talent and out-execute the Giants and Brewers. It is certainly possible, but I don’t think we should be favored to do it.
And we have to play the extra games on the road, where we don’t often fare too well in playoff games.
Let’s look at that.
2019 – Dodgers had home field and lost to Nationals in Game 5 at home in NLDS
2018 – Brewers had home field and Dodgers beat them and Craig Counsell in 7 games, with the 7th in Milwaukee
2018 – Dodgers had home field and Dodgers beat Atlanta 3 games to 1
2018 – Boston had home field and beat Dodgers in WS 4 games to 1
2017 – Dodgers had home field and lost to Houston in Game 7 at home in WS
2016 – Cubs had home field but Dodgers lost 2 of 3 at home and lost NLCS
2016 – Nationals had home field and Dodgers beat the Nationals in 5 games, with 5th game in Washington
2015 – Dodgers had home field and lost to NYM in Game 5 at home in NLDS
It appears that the Dodgers have lost three playoff series where they were home team for final game; 2015 NLDS (Mets), 2017 WS (Houston), 2019 NLDS (Nationals). They won 2017 NLCS and NLDS with home field advantage, and 2018 NLDS. They split their playoffs when they had the home field advantage.
When opposition had home field advantage they also split. LAD beat Brewers in 2018 NLCS, and Nationals in 2016 NLDS, and lost to Boston in 2018 WS, and Cubs in 2016 NLCS. It is clear (to me) that both Boston and Cubs were better than LAD in their series. I am not as certain that the Dodgers were the superior team vs. Milwaukee or Nationals.
What this tells me is that in a short series, any playoff team can beat another team on the road. On paper, the Dodgers are better than any other team in the Major Leagues. The Giants may have a better record, but I am not convinced they are a better team. If the Dodgers get by St. Louis and SF they will likely go to Milwaukee or less likely to Atlanta. The Dodgers have beaten Milwaukee in a playoff NLCS when the Brewers had the advantage and Craig Counsell, and they can do it again this year. Will they??? They will be favored in WC, NLDS, NLCS, and WS.
Does any team have better than a 30% chance of winning the pennant?
I think that’s a pretty loud and emphatic no.
I mean last year when the Dodgers were the clear favorite, I don’t think it was better than 1:6 which is less than 20%.
A fair point! But the Dodgers, per the odds, are being given around a 40% chance..
The Angels are rumored to be interested in Scherzer. Would they also be interested in Bauer if he is legally exonerated? If so, might the Dodgers trade Bauer to Angels for Justin Upton and his $28M contract that expires after the 2022 season? That would free up salary for Trea for 2023 and beyond.
How about Bellinger and ? for Corbin Burnes?
That would put Lux in CF.
Corey Seager posted a photo on Instagram hugging Trea Turner and dedicated these words to him for arriving together at the 100 HR club :
coreyseager5
Thanks for inviting me to the club bro!
I don’t plan on doing any speculation on the post season right now. Who’s stayin? Who’s going?
One conversation is obviously – who’s the future shortstop. Without any other comparisons, I did look up the comparison of stats between Seager and Trea Turner as the both got to 100 career homes at the same time. Both have played 7 years in the Bigs. Cory 630 games, TT 683 to get to 100 dingers. OPS Seager = .863, TT = .845, Fielding % at SS Seager .969, TT = .973. Amazingly similar numbers.
In a few weeks I plan to offer other differences but the stats on the paper says they are very similar.
Seager has a good glove and a good arm, he makes all the plays that go directly to him and makes few mistakes so he has a good fielding percentage, the problem is his reach to the sides, many balls that should be caught go to OF and on the scoreboard there is a hit instead, the reach of TT is amazing and that will lead him to make some mistakes but he will also make many outs that Seager cannot do, TT is a natural SS, Seager is a 3B but thanks to his good hands and arm can make the routine plays in the SS.
Now TT is playing 2B where in certain plays he is doubtful, but 2B is very difficult, has its own complications, the shooting angles are very different, it is not that easy, it takes time.
I couldn’t disagree with you more about Seager but as I said, that’s a discussion for after the season. And just like a year ago with the signing JT conversation, Seager must want to move to 3rd. He’s not a chess piece you just move where you want to. He is a Major League All-Start Shortstop who has pride playing that premium position. It’s his job until he wants to move to 3rd or out of the organization. He deserves much more credit and is more valuable than you give him credit for. I can’t wait to debate this again with you in a few weeks. Bring your ammo.
He’s an all-star shortstop because of his offense, not his defense, that’s been explained extensively by Mr. Badger.
A ball on the ground 6 feet from him does not catch it, does not reach it and passes to the OF and that will appear as a Hit when it should have been an out.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/stats/fielding/_/position/ss/sort/defWARBR
More later
That’s sad !!!
Yeah, you could say that. But we are an offensive minded operation.
The fact Cody has a +.4 dWAR is actually good for him. It took him 134 games to get that in ‘19.
Fernando Tatis, Didi Gregorious, Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez, Dansby Swanson, Xander Bogaerts, Trea Turner are all further down the list. Accurate? Precise? Meaningless?
Seager at 3B with his good hands and strong arm would make him a remarkable defensive player, he is also more agile than Justin Turner and has a much better arm which would allow him to play two or three steps further back which would give him even better reach. What is best for the team in defense from 2022, In each position good players on both sides of the game, a team that will avoid many runs with its defense, is:
C Smith
1B Muncy
2B Lux
SS TT
3B Seager
RF Betts
CF Bellinger
LF Pollock (not level but hitting)
Obviously, a team can win a World Series with either Trea Turner or Corey Seager. Derek Jeter was not the best SS in the World, but he won. SS is just one position. It takes a lot more than aa SS to win. They both bring things to the table. If the Dodgers end up with both, it will only be because one decided to be willing to play another position… which seems unrealistic, but evidently posssible.
I don’t believe either of them will show up near the top of any defensive ranking list. They are offensive players. Seager has played one position. Turner has played 3. Put him at short and leave him there and I think he would get better.
The vast majority of Dodgers players play more than one position and are always willing to do so to help the team when asked by the manager; only Smith and Seager play one position and I’m sure that if Smith was one day asked to play another position, for a few games, he would gladly accept.
Seager is looking for his money and I understand why he only wants to play only SS, he in 7 seasons has 100HR, 357 RBI and 20 WAR that gives an average per year of 14HR, 51 RBI and 3 WAR numbers good for an SS but if it were a 3B those numbers would only be acceptable and he would be getting a much smaller contract, I think once he gets his money then he will be flexible and he will play anywhere, I don’t see him as a selfish player, I see him as a team player and a good teammate, he just is looking for your money.
Brandon Belt has a fracture in his left thumb
Great! That means the Giants win their last 6 games! I’ll take the guy who won us a WS last year!
Belt has been their best hitter and reached 30 homers for the first time in his career. He pretty much singlehandedly beat the Rockies this weekend. He had a pair of 3 run shots late in the games. With Belt out, they will have to use some combination of Wade, Flores or even Ruf. Does not matter. They still have some pop from the position. Fielding they lose a little with Flores or Ruf. Wade has been decent over there.
This is an awesome question that I’m stealing from the Ben Clemens chat:
What would your reaction before the season have been, if I told you that Cody Bellinger and Brandon Crawford would each have over 300 PAs and that Crawford would be worth more than 6 WAR more than Bellinger?
If Crawford was dealing with the injuries and surgery Bellinger has dealt with, he would not be posting that high of a WAR, especially playing a position like SS> Most knew Bellinger would not be at full strength coming out of spring, and no one could have predicted the broken bone in his leg that put him out even longer.