Dodger fans have watched Cody Bellinger for the past couple of seasons now and many have concluded that “he doesn’t listen to his coaches,” “he is not coachable,” “he is stubborn,” and many other superlatives that may come to mind. After less than 30 at-bats, they have condemned Cody Bellinger to the baseball bone pile.
The same is true with Andrew Heaney – he is already being counted upon to be worse than he was last season… and that was pretty bad! He has a 5.83 ERA last year and right about now his Spring ERA sits at 16.88. Yeah, he sucks. What a waste of $8 Million – what was Andrew Friedman thinking? He sure is a dumbass…
Uh, would you like to bet REAL MONEY on that? See… Andrew Friedman has something of a pretty damn good track record in areas like this. Well, of course, he is not perfect, but he has thought it through about 57 different ways. It takes “dumb money” to go against AF. The “smart money” is on him.
Does that mean that I think everything is just “peachy keen”? Does that mean we should not worry? Well, I don’t think everything is peachy keen, but I also do not worry. Let me put this into perspective: Old Habits Die Hard and Progress is not Linear! In the case of Cody Bellinger, undoing a year or more of bad habits is hard. Changing your swing in practice is OK, but in real-live action, when you have to think “now how am I supposed to do this?” does not always work. The changes are only going to work when he is able to implement them unconsciously. When it is in his head, his confidence is not high. As you can surmise… this takes time. I think Cody can be successful with any of the swings and stances he has utilized, but he just needs to stick with one unconsciously. Repetition is his friend.
Andrew Heaney is learning a new pitch as well as grips on his old ones. Change is tough and old habits die hard. When he has to think, he is likely going to “over-think.” Did I mention that change is hard? Heaney will get six to eight starts to prove what he can do. As I have often mentioned, his stuff does not equal his production. It’s a high-risk, high-reward move, but this is not a sprint. It’s a long season.
For the record, I am not betting on Heaney, but I would not be surprised if he is DFA’ed or if he wins 12 games. I am betting on Bellinger, but even if he is a bust along with Heaney, have no fear! Tyler Anderson takes Heaney’s place, or maybe David Price, or maybe Ryan Pepiot, or maybe Landon Knack, or Dustin May, or Danny Duffy… I can go on and on. If Bellinger totally tanks, Chris Taylor, Gavin Lux, AJ Pollock, and Mookie Betts are real-time options. However, fixing bad habits, or just old habits takes time.
Dodger News
- Tony Gonsolin was beaten like a rented mule last night. It should have been so much worse! I am not in the least worried about him.
- It is very obvious that Gavin Lux has throwing issues in the infield. Time to name him an outfielder full time? Sometimes I see such ability in him and other times I see a deer in the headlights.
- Shawn Manaea just upped his price with last night’s performance. I wouldn’t mind having him, but the A’s are asking for people with names like Miller and Vargas.
- Noisy had 3 hits for the A’s last night. Geeeezzzz! He couldn’t jump out of a boat and hit water with the Dodgers – now he’s Pete Rose.
- Tommy Kahnle is supposed to pitch on Saturday for the first time in nearly two years. Both Kahnle and Phil Bickford are being brought along slowly. Maybe May for them… It just opens the door for Mitch White, Reyes Moronta, and Garrett Cleavinger.
- Tyler Anderson looks like a #5 starter.
- Zack McKinstry and Andy Burns were sent packing to OKC. Solid guys – no room!
- I don’t think Edwin Rios is going to let anyone pull the wool over his eyes. He’s making this team!
- Here’s where I will be the first week of May: https://www.craftbrewersconference.com/ I’ll lift one for you Watford
- Another night game tonight with the Guardians!
Are you kidding me? Tyler Anderson No. 5 starter? He looks like the Ace of this staff!
Do the Dodgers need a new hitting coach? Maybe they should pay the A’s to fix Belli after what they did for Nuese.
It was nice getting one in the W column. Too bad the starting lineup did little to help.
After reading Bauer’s complaint regarding The Athletic, I’m completely disgusted with the state of journalism in this country. I recently thought about restarting my subscription with them, I’m glad I didn’t. I won’t be giving them any money any time soon after reading that they had the medical report and made false allegations that contradict what was in the report.
I’m more excited about Eddie Rios than any other hitter on the team. Can we find a way to get him, Freeman and Lamb in the same lineup? His swing on that oppo bomb last night looked effortless.
Drew Avans was shocked that he hit that Granny. It was fun watching him run those bases.
For some reason, I don’t like night games in the Spring.
Just 9 more days for them to flip the switch.
Both Lamb and Rios hitting make choosing between the two perhaps the toughest roster decision of the Spring for the Dodgers. I thought Rios was on the verge of breaking out prior to last year. Maybe he makes that jump and becomes a Muncy-like late bloomer.
I know the threshold for proving defamation is high, and I don’t know the law here, but I’m rooting for Bauer. Preserving free speech and journalistic independence is important, but there is just so much politically inspired malice that corrupts journalism now. She wrote articles arguing against his signing and then lied about the victim’s injuries to argue for his suspension.
The business model of journalism is changing pretty dramatically. Molly Knight’s Substack account is the direction things are moving. This is good in one sense in that it does an end around the legacy gatekeepers and democratizes journalism, but not-so-good in the erosion of traditional journalistic standards. Even if Bauer doesn’t win the case or it doesn’t make it to court, I imagine she’s going to have to hire an attorney, and I don’t think she has that many Substack subscribers. It’s gonna hurt her financially. If this helps keep independent journalists honest, then it’s a good thing.
I read your post yesterday saying she basically wrote a book comprised of gossip. It made me think a little, and I think you’re right. My Passan comparison was probably off the mark. The Arm was a thoroughly researched book. Passan had to really understand the game and human physiology and kinematics. I don’t know that Knight ever really had a deep understanding of the game. She’s frivolous.
I held my nose and went over to Dodgers Digest to see if they were having a temper tantrum over the lawsuit. No article about it, yet, but a quick glance at the comments section revealed some Wokester getting all upset about Kevin Pillar making some All Lives Matter comments in 2020. I hate that site.
Well, I’m sure Molly would rather have a steady check from The Athletic, than to try to count coins coming from Substack. It screams of someone who can’t find a job vs. someone who’s at the top of their game. Her book put her on the map and she parlayed it into a job at the Athletic. Since she left, I haven’t heard of anything she’s done since. A sinking ship and a lawsuit against her from lawyers with a DC, and Beverley Hills address. I wouldn’t want to be her right now.
“A shot over the bow” isn’t the only thing this lawsuit is. I think Bauer is sick and tired of the double-standards and is on a mission. He could have easily “Kept things quiet” for a lot less money than this is costing him. He is fighting for change and doing what he thinks is right. At least, that’s what it looks like to me.
Journalism has been going through a transition ever since the Internet ruined print media. There’s going to be peaks and valleys until they figure out how to make money. Unfortunately, click bait has turned into flat out lies while trying to push the envelope to garner an audience and the advertising revenue that follows. There has to be some standards to reporting and lawsuits, unfortunately are the way to see to it. First, the covington kid, now Bauer and Kyle Rittenhouse are suing these media outlets. While the threshold is high, CNN’s payout to Covington was a winning lottery ticket that set precedent for irresponsible reporting. This lead to the ouster of CNN’s head and a company reeling with problems related to false stories including a suit by Cuomo who has some dirt on people in high places.
DD is a cesspool of nonsense. I feel the same way about holding your nose when you check over there. I’m not really to fond of the glib writing style and nonsensical statements like saying a generational player “is good at baseball”. Way to break it down for idiots by understating the obvious.
After last night’s two strikeouts in two at bats, Bellinger is looking more and more like the batting version Steve Blass. Blass was an ace pitcher for the Pirates in the 70’s and one day, for no reason, just lost his ability to pitch.
Okay, as Mark says often, it’s spring training. Shouldn’t get overly excited one way or the other.
As for Andrew Heaney, the lockout probably set him back more than most. The Dodgers are making some changes and it’s taking him longer to adapt. The shortened spring hasn’t helped. The lack of interaction prior no doubt contributed. So it’s wait and see. Can he make the adjustments, gain confidence and pitch like $8 million?
I’m hopeful for Cody Bellinger. I think he is listening to the myriad of hitting advisers the Dodgers employ. Because he’s healthy Cody apparently believes he can return to his old form. Maybe he can. But this is more or less a make or break season. Hopefully he starts hot and continues to climb. Confidence is a key. Trusting the process without results may derail him, human nature and all. Too many opinions may clutter his thinking.
Sports journalism has always been different, a mix of opinion and straight news. It’s not like covering a planning commission meeting.
Honestly, I think Guardians is a dumb name for a sports team, especially for an MLB team. The only way to save it is to make Rocket Raccoon the mascot. That would add some punch.
Once again people are talking about Trevor Bauer. Good old Rob Manfred and MLB need to resolve this today, not tomorrow or next week or next month. Otherwise, he should be fired. Probably should be canned either way.
Yes, Tyler Anderson and Edwin Rios have been impressive. The Dodgers do have some depth.
Let’s call ’em the “Guardindians”.
My concern for Bellinger goes way beyond 30 spring training ab’s. He was bad in 20 and epically horrible in 21. I’m rooting for him but the odds of him returning to an all star level look bleak! I’d love to be wrong tho! Rios is not only making this team but we need to find him consistent ab’s. Lux would be better suited for OKC and playing consistently and coming back up when Pollock or JT get hurt.
And once again you totally forget he was injured both years. He had shoulder issues in 20, and last year was out two months with a broken leg before coming back and injuring his hammy. He was coming off of shoulder surgery and his shoulder was not at full strength. Get off his back. 2020 was a short season. If you remember, and I think you don’t, Pederson and Muncy both hit below the Mendoza line in 20. Bellinger hit 40 points higher than both of them. So lets have a little fairness here. Belli had a bad year. Had he been totally healthy, I do not think he would have been that bad.
His original scouting reports indicated huge natural power but huge swing and miss potential and low rating for overall hitting. The league figured him out. Time to trade him while he has some value.
😉
You really think he has any trade value right now? Better to hold on for a while and keep trying to fix him. He came along at the end of last year, I’m okay waiting to see if they can get him on track.
I’m beginning to think they need to fire their hitting coaches. No one is hitting on this team except Rios (Who wasn’t hitting all last year while rehabbing), Lamb and Freeman (Who they haven’t had enough time to break yet). Everyone else sucks.
“You really think he has any trade value right now?”
He can fetch a bag of balls. I mean, he’s a former MVP. That’s gotta be worth something.
Former is the definitive word. His value at this point in trade is at the lowest it has ever been. But there would be a team out there that would probably take a shot. That being said, he is not getting traded. At least not until he has some real game at bats under his belt.
Bellinger is thinking too much up there. You can see that when he stares at strikes in the zone and swings wildly at sliders in the dirt.
Yeah, I understand the coaches are working with him, and non-linear progress and all that, yada yada, but it seems he’s been working on and constantly changing his swing for the last three years. How long does it take? Why isn’t he working on the muscle memory of his new swing in the batting cage from November through February? Why is he trying to figure this out a week before the season starts?
Not too concerned with Gonsolin. It looked like he was trying to throw the fastball and curve a lot just to practice with it.
Here’s my spicy starting pitcher take. Urias will be a UFA in 2024. Buehler will have his walk year in 2025. Do you sign both? Both will require lots of $$$ in a long-term deal to keep. How much can the Dodgers spend? They can’t sign everybody to long term expensive deals.
Buehler will be 30 when he’s a free agent. Urias will be 27 in his free agent year.
Here’s my 2026 rotation:
Urias
Bobby Miller
Dustin May
Tony Gonsolin
Maddux Bruns
Nothing like day-dreaming during Spring Training, but this is great!
Wouldn’t the way to maximize asset value be to trade Buehler (in the hypothetical that Urias is the one kept) in the off-season before his final season?
Imagine the return Friedman could garner!
But is that return worth more than the 8+ WAR Buehler could return?
True. Don’t just let him walk for a draft pick. Trade him at the 2024 ASB for talent, preferably an outfielder, because I don’t know that the Dodgers have a lot in the system.
Ok, here’s my prediction: After signing Urias to a 7 year/ 165 million deal in the 2024 off-season, they try to work with Buehler’s agent on an extension. After negotiations break down, the Dodgers trade him to the Mariners for Julio Rodriguez.
Ok, fine. The Mariners throw Haniger in the deal to make Bumsrap happy.
LOL!
Awesome sauce.
I have been predicting a comeback season for Cody if he continued his hitting approach as he used during the playoffs. It looks like that might not happen. I’ll wait and see how he decides on which one of the several hitting stances/approaches he chooses to use. If his hitting woes continue this season then there’s a good chance he will be traded. I think this possibility increases if the Dodgers come to terms with Trea Turner in the near future. How many nine figure players can the team afford? With Pages soon to arrive on the scene why would the Dodgers give Cody a $100-200M long term contract? Cody is so talented and athletic it would be a crime to see that never fully develop those talents. I’ve been critical of him in the past because of those abilities possibly being wasted. Let’s hope for the team, fans, and more so for Cody that doesn’t happen.
Watch a game from the playoffs, like I did yesterday, and look at Bellinger’s stance now. He went back to that stance a couple games ago. I am not going to worry unless he looks this bad a month into the season.
It’s funny how so many fans wanted to get rid of Kenley Jansen. So he is gone and MLB has the Braves as the #1 Bullpen with Kenley as their closer.
Dodgers are #8.
We will see how that plays…
Much easier to project guys with long records of success (Kenley) or coming off dominant seasons (Matzek). I’ll be surprised if the Braves can can keep Kenley’s head on straight all season. It seems like that was a full time job last year.
The Dodgers have the least amount of well known names on that list. What they do have is an abundance of talented young arms.
* Nice to get my first look at Diego Cartaya last night. Great looking 6’3″ athlete. He looked reasonably comfortable behind the dish. One thing I didn’t especially like is he has his throwing hand hanging loose at the bottom of his chest protector, with a man on. I might move that behind his thigh, like he does with nobody on. I’ve seen catchers put that meat hand in a soft fist right in the middle of the chest protector claiming it’s safe there. Maybe it’s safer where he has it but it seems vulnerable to a foul tip. I’d like it outta there completely. It’s unusual where he has it.
* Spring training can certainly matter to the youngsters trying to make an impression, before they start their year in the minors. You could see how much it mattered to Drew Evans last night after he hit his grand salami. The smile is likely on that face for awhile. No doubt his biggest baseball moment in his life, to date.
* David Price is definitely the new Bigfoot.
* Pillar made a great catch in right. Alberto a great pick at 3rd. Rios looks great. So let’s do some ciphering on the position guys:
Catchers: Smith, Barnes
First: Freeman
Second: Muncy, Taylor
Short: T. Turner
third: J. Turner, Rios
Left: Pollock
Center: Bellinger
Right: Betts
That’s 11 guys. For my money, Alberto and Pillar make the club.
With the expanded roster to 14, that leaves one spot between Lux and Jake Lamb. Yup I have Lux on the bubble. And I like Lamb’s lefty bat right now over Lux’s.
I think there has been great competition for roster spots this spring which will improve our bench over last season.
* Staying healthier would be nice.
Interesting you brought up Pillar. No one’s really talking about him, but he’s always been an above average glove in the outfield. Jake Lamb has never been a great defensive player. I think Pillar is a dark horse, but viable to keep on the team because he can play every outfield position well, like the outfield complement of Alberto.
I think Lux’s middle infield defense flexibility and ability to play the outfield give him an edge maybe?
Everyone is ragging on Cody, but Lux is hitting .077. It is what it is. He may have to go down one more time and earn his way back.
My money is on the Dodgers using the two extra spots for pitchers. There’s no need to carry an extra bench player with the DH. Lamb is pretty redundant with Muncy, Rios and Freddie on the team. As much as I want to see someone on this team hit, I can’t see how he fits on this roster unless Muncy starts the season on the IL. It makes no sense at all to send Rios down when he owns a roster spot to make room for the same guy who doesn’t have a roster spot.
Kevin Pillar makes a little more sense. His 692 OPS last year was very close to his career mark and was around 150 points higher than Belli’s last year. Maybe Belli needs to spend some time working on his swing on the IL and then on a AAA rehab assignment. Duffy to the 60 day seems to be a logical move to open a roster spot for Pillar or Lamb.
Pillar over Belli might be an improvement in the short term. Lamb over Rios is a wash at best.
I have no problems with sending Lux to the minors. This time, don’t have him play SS, have him play 2B and outfield exclusively. I’ve said this 1000 times. The Dodgers screwed up by not having him play second base before his first call up. He looked fine at second last year. One bad throw this Spring doesn’t not constitute the “Yips”. His problem is with his footwork.
Maybe Outman, Lux and Belli can play at AAA together, then call up the one that’s showing the most promise. Have them all split time in left, center and right and call up the one that’s performing the best until they all figure it out.
Good observations Phil. Agree on keeping Pillar on the roster. With Cody’s issues so far it would be nice to have a GG caliber CF available in case Cody can’t become productive again. Recently, Pillar has become a “Rodney Dangerfield” type of player – no respect. The Dodgers will be his 7th team in five years. As mentioned, his defense is excellent and he hits good enough (.260 lifetime) to warrant some playing time. Add Jake Lamb and send Lux out to start the season to get on track with his bat. Right now Cody is hitting twice what Lux producing. So there’s that.
The improvement with the bench should be a major contribution in going to the playoffs. Only problem is too many candidates for five spots after May 1. Interesting to see how it shakes out. A trade maybe?
Who’s your DH Phil?
Doug, I personally like a more “permanent” DH like a Cruz or Edgar. But since we dont have a Cruz or Edgar, I’m sure Doc will rotate it between JT, Rios, Muncy, Smith, and CT3. Whom ever he wants off their feet and their bat in the line up.
Bellinger is now must see TV. He is not only striking out he is missing the ball by a foot. No foul tips. He is more of a fan than I am of him right now. What is strange for me is that I always felt he had good contact skills when he just wanted to put the ball in play. I also thought that a hitter should strive to make consistent contact before shifting to the big swing.
I think Lux has been taking good swings. I prefer him to be the regular second baseman to start the season. Muncy is hitting .154 and Justin .200, Taylor .231.
It isn’t because Lamb is hitting well so far this Spring that is impressing me. It is because his swing is said to be back to where it was when he was at his best with AZ. He has been good in the past which means he has a good chance to be more than a spring training phenom.
Rios can back up first and third. I want him on the team. He could be the lefty hitting stud that makes up for Bellinger’s bat and lack thereof.
Oakland, no matter how many times they trade their best players away, always field a competitive team. What if they roll the dice again and win again. That dice roll could be Rios, Lamb, Grove, Jackson for Montas?
That’s exactly what Garvey did during his career – when he fell into a slump he focused on contact. Then, lo and behold, the long ball came back.
Bellinger reminds me of Joc a lot. New stance every Spring and always swinging out their asses. Both seem pretty laid back.
If Max isn’t pulverizing baseballs, there’s no use having him at second base. Alberto might be the best option at second, but he can’t hit righties. Is there room for Alberto, Lux and CT3? CT3 can focus on the outfield and 3B. Alberto and Lux can platoon second base. Lux can spell Trea. JT and Rios can job share DH and 3B.
I wouldn’t trade Rios straight up for Montas, but Rios is me what Joc Pederson isto you. I would do Lamb, Grove and Jackson. Maybe include Heaney and go with Burrows or Fulmer instead.
I wasn’t sure if Heaney could be traded prior to June or July because he just signed as a free agent. I don’t think Oakland would want all of his $8M salary. If it is true that he is trying to tame new grips, then maybe he will be worthy of the Dodger rotation sooner than later.
Right now I too would hate to lose Rios. I think he and Justin make a better tandem for third than Muncy and Justin.
Bellinger has the most AB of any Dodger this Spring – they are giving him some run to try to work the bugs out. It isn’t working (yet). Most of the Dodger hitters have gotten off to a slow start this Spring. Betts hitting .125 (only 8 AB), Pollock hitting .077, Muncy .154.
The difference between Bellinger and the others is that he hasn’t had a really good season since 2019, and last year was historically bad. He has more to prove at this point than Pollock, Betts or Muncy do.
Evan Longoria expected To miss six weeks. It’s a blow for the Giants, as the 36-year-old Longoria enjoyed a resurgent 2021 campaign at the plate when he batted .261/.351/.482 with 13 homers and 17 doubles in 291 plate appearances. A shoulder sprain kept the former Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star out of action for two months over the summer, however, and Longoria will now endure another absence of note thanks to this latest injury. He’ll likely be sidelined into mid-May.
Losing Longoria makes the Giants even more lefty hitting dominant. I bet they now wish they tried harder to sign Story.
EI could run down the. Menu of adjustments that I expected from Bellinger, starting last January. I could list them now but that horse has left the barn.
There are a number of things I’ve mentioned before but if he wants a quick visual, just throw in some Freddie Freeman video. And watch his head. You will not see an 18 inch head drop to get into his launch position. You won’t see him swing 100% every hack.
You will see and actual trigger to load his hands. You will see a balanced stance that has some knee and hip flex so he doesn’t have to drop his head. You will see him with less moving parts and therefore on TIME. You will see his hands to the baseball with the goal of driving the ball to left center.
I hope Bellinger comes around but he’s not going to AAA for anything but a “rehab” assignment after a fake stint on the DL. The affiliation? The inability to make contact and a broken psyche.
Freeman is a good example. To my untrained baseball eye, it just seems like he always is in control and gets a good whack at the ball to all fields, and never seems out of balance.
3 key elements, Patch, to hitting and pitching – Balance, Posture and Alignment.
Some things are cosmetic. Like bat position and initial stance. A guy can have the bat up his butt and stand on his head in the batter’s box. But balance and posture are all necessary, when the bell rings. He needs to get into a stance and bat position ready to trigger and load. That’s done prior to the pitcher releasing the ball. We’ve all heard “get that front foot down early” as a key to hit velocity. The pitch is traveling while Belli’s head is still dipping and his feet aren’t set. And then we wonder why he’s tardy and swing from his ass. I have a challenge for ya. Go to a gage and try to hit 75 mph with your eyes moving up and down, back and forward, diving late into the pitch. Than turn it up to 95. Your success and confidence level will give you a better understanding of where Belling is right now.
On Hot Stove this morning there was talk about Mattingly’s solution for a slump. He would put tape on a mirror and take a hundred swings in front of the mirror making sure his head did not rise above the tape line.
I’ve always been perplexed and amazed by Bellingers swing. Since the first time I saw him in Rancho years ago. I remember seeing him swing and miss a couple times and thinking “that swing won’t play in the Show”… only for him to hit the next ball 450 feet over the batter’s eye.
I’m certainly no expert on swings. But his swing has always been prone to periods where he just had terrible timing and became a strikeout machine. Unlike Freeman, if Cody’s timing is off his swing is useless. Freeman has the kind of swing (and approach) where if he’s in a bit of a power slump and doesn’t feel “right” , he adjusts and becomes an almost entirely different hitter. His first hit this spring was a prime example. Shortened up, went opposite field and crushed a line drive into the gap. Bellinger is all or nothing. He’s either the Cody who hits balls a mile or the Cody who looks like the 9th hitter on my 8th grader’s travel team.
I won’t pile on the guy like many fans do. But I understand the frustration. A guy who won an MVP a couple years ago who looks completely lost is difficult to accept on this team. I see people bringing up Chris Davis’ name. I don’t think Cody is Chris Davis. However, if Cody can’t figure this out it might get into his head like it did Davis. I certainly pray that won’t be the case.
Jayne, trust me. I’m really not piling on. I have no reason to want anything for Bellinger other than success. I’ a Dodger fan. I’m just pointing out what I see and I know all the comments about advice from the peanut gallery.
The only people who know what is going on in Bellinger’s mind are Belli, the three hitting guru’s the Dodgers employ and his manager. Maybe his mom and dad too. Not one single fan has a clue what he is doing daily or how he looks on the backfields. Let the real games begin, and maybe the switch gets flipped. I care less if he strikes out 40 times in spring. First long ball he hits that wins a game, and fans will love him again. Remember this, he got the game winning hit in game 5 of the NLDS, he hit a 3 run shot against the Braves that brought them back from elimination, and he hit the game winning homer in game 7 of the 2020 NLCS.
I have a pretty good idea on what is going on in Bellinger’s head right now.
I doubt that very seriously. You have never been in his position. None of us have.
What about now?
Ask again at about 4:20 PM
https://images.app.goo.gl/K5Jzx7cEeEVpZjtJ8
Has anyone here ever listen to LA sports radio? I just had the misfortune of tuning into it, and it was incomprehensible.
Once you hear the voice of Petros Papadakis once, that nails-on-chalkboard feeling never leaves you.
It was him and this inane character Vick, and it was awful
Boston sports radio was out there, but at least they talked about Sports! Nothing on the Dodgers, Kings, NCAA. No sports talk at all
Vick the Brick talking like a hippy guru with his Bernie Sanders accent.
Inane pretty much sums it up.
I’m almost impressed AM sports radio survives.
LA sports radio has sucked for years.
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
2B Gavin Lux L
LF AJ Pollock R
3B Max Muncy L
CF C. Bellinger L
SS H. Alberto R
C A. Barnes R
DH Edwin Rios L
1B Jake Lamb L
SP David Price L
Urias is the SP and Price will pitch in relief tonight
I’ve been a Bellinger fan from the beginning, and really feel his pain. I’ve never faced major league pitchers, but in college, we routinely faced 90-95 mph with some nasty stuff mixed in. As a lead off hitter, I learned how to make contact … don’t think I ever took a full swing. As I’ve watched Cody, one would think that he would hit the ball further when he actually did make contact. That’s not been the case. Several other team mates have hit longer balls, with less effort. It’s a little like driving the golf ball … the hardest swing rarely works. I would really like to see him shorten up, make contact, get his confidence back. The way the defense gives him the left side … a push bunt would be a double with his speed!
Have you noticed that Gavin Lux seldom has a throw on the money?
What did I tell youaboutLux?
Right now he can’t hit either. Alberto has made a couple of nice plays. Belinger’s at bat was ok. He did not swing at some pretty close pitches that he would have whiffed at last year. Yeah, he grounded out, but at least he made contact. Lamb continues to hit the ball hard.
Can Lamb play CF? Asking for a friend
You are trying to pull the wool…
He has a major in BS. I predict Lamb will make the team out of spring training and Lux gets sent to AAA.
You may be spot on. Lux’s star is waning
I saw improvement from Cody tonight, no K’s, 1-3. Cardinals scored 29 runs today against the Nats. They scored 15 runs in the 8th inning and they had 26 hits in the game. Pujols went 1-3 and Goldschmidt 4-4. They hit 5 doubles and 3 homers.
Lux came on strong at the end of last season.
Why do you worry about him ? With other players you righfully point out it is only ST.
IMHO LUx will have a breakout season.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!
Is this where we include Lux in every weekly hypothetical trade scenario?
We can’t wait to get rid of that guy here.
What frustrates me about Bellinger is his year end stance was showing good progress. He had the same struggles last year after returning from his bone break, lots of strikeouts, lots of tweaks. When he finally hit rock bottom, he stripped it down to a little leaguer stance: choking up, bending the knees and his strike zone, and holding the bat more vertical with hands level and back elbow up. That’s basically the first stance we’re taught. Plus, he started two strike protecting for seemingly the first time in his career. If I recall correctly, he introduced that swing on Sept 11th and would hit around .225% the rest of the way. Not earth shattering but significantly better than .158% he had prior to the square one stance. Then he hit .353% in the post season and brought the same swing to spring training and had two hits thru the first two games before going down this road of daily tweaks.
Maybe the stripped down approach isn’t comfortable to him and he couldn’t live with it. Presumably, it’s the stance he worked with all winter so I guess he’d know by now. I’d argue any change to your motor patterns are going to be uncomfortable for awhile, but worth the aggravating adjustment period if it gives you a better chance for success. Or maybe he determined he’d use spring training to try a variety of approaches since it’s just practice. Fair enough. I’m not sure why he’s still trying to crush with two strikes while in a slump, but, again, it’s just practice I guess. I see he’s slowing going back the more vertical bat over the last two games with marginal improvement, so maybe going full circle was always the plan.
Dodgers are going to need a productive, at peace Bellinger to win a WS. The lineup is still predominantly hot/cold hitters and they can’t afford Bellinger to be an instant out all season, but more than that, the team needs his personality-the fun going one who brings energy and life to a veteran team. That was a missing component to last year’s team, as they often looked beat up and listless. Guys like Puig, Verdugo, Kiki, Joc all brought a certain energy and life to the team, and Bellinger does too when he’s content. He’s basically the last of the Mohicans in that respect, until we start graduating some prospects. Maybe our new bench unit can insert some of that this year.