Before the early 1990s, when the Dodgers had a run of 5 straight ROYs, Rookies of the Year, they had a run of four consecutive from 79-82. The first of those was Ted Sizemore who was only around for one season following his rookie year. Then came Rick Sutcliffe, Fernando Valenzuela, and then Steve Sax. Stephen Louis Sax was born on January 29, 1960, in Sacramento, California. He was the third child of John Thomas and Nancy Jane Sax.
The family lived on a small farm, and his father drove a truck until heart problems forced him to stay home. His mother worked as a secretary to help support the family. As a youngster, Steve was always hustling. I just loved to run, he would say. If he were going to run in a race, he would run to the starting line and after walks, he would run to first base.
In little league, he was a pitcher. His brother, Dave was the catcher and his dad was the team’s coach. He loved baseball, but at age 11, he started playing the drums. He became quite accomplished and twice during his tenure with the Dodgers, he played with The Beach Boys.
Sax attended James Marshall High School in West Sacramento. In his junior year, he was league MVP and was named to the All-City, All-State, and All-American teams playing SS and third base. In his senior year, he hit batted .357, was named the MVP of the Golden Empire League, and was named to the All-Northern California baseball team.
He was selected by the Dodgers in the 9th round of the 1978 free-agent draft. He had hoped to be drafted higher but was ecstatic when he heard the news. He did not sign right away as he had one game of legion ball remaining. His father had just undergone heart surgery and was in the hospital. Steve promised to hit a homer for him, and in his first at-bat, he full filled his promise.
Steve passed up a full scholarship to the University of Arizona to sign with the Dodgers and scout Ronnie King. His brother, Dave, who had not been drafted, was invited to a tryout by King and then was also signed. They would play on four minor league teams. They started out at Lethbridge, the Dodgers Pioneer League (Rookie) affiliate. Sax hit .328 in 39 games, and he was on his way.
He spent the next two seasons at Class-A ball but finding him a position was problematic. In 1979 at Clinton, after stints in the outfield and third base, he was put at second and he spent 34 games there. He hit .290 with 25 stolen bases. In 1980 at Vero Beach, he played the entire year at second base, hitting .283 with 61 batted in and 33 stolen bases earning a promotion to AA San Antonio. He put up numbers there that could not be ignored, .346. He was leading the league when he got the call to the Dodgers to replace Davey Lopes who went on the DL with a groin injury.
So on August 18, 1981, Sax took the field for the first time wearing # 52. The Dodgers were at Wrigley to play the Cubs. Baseball had just restarted after a player’s strike. Sax said even the bleacher bums looked good to him. He came to bat for the first time in the third inning. He hit a ball slowly up the middle and beat it out for his first major league hit. He handled 9 balls at second without an error and the Dodgers won, 5-0. Sax was an able replacement until Lopes returned, hitting .277 with two homers, nine ribbies, and five stolen bases. He had one at-bat in the playoffs and World Series and was an observer as the Dodgers won it all.
In 1982 the Dodgers broke up the long-running infield by trading Davey Lopes to the A’s. Sax became the everyday second baseman and played well enough to be named the Rookie of the Year. He hit .282/4/47 with 49 stolen bases. He was the 4th Dodger in a row to earn the honor. Over the next 6 seasons, he would rarely be out of the lineup. Over his 8 years with the Dodgers, he hit a combined .282/30/333 with 290 stolen bases. His high-water mark was when he hit .332 in 1986. 1983 was the year that Sax developed a serious case of the yips. The trying season was compounded by the death of his father at age 47 on June 10th. But Sax rebounded from a slow start and finished with a .281 mark.
Before the 1984 season, he was rewarded with a 5-year deal that would keep him a Dodger through 1988. The yips returned for a time at the beginning of 84, but the problem resolved itself, and he was very steady defensively for the Dodgers. In post-season play over the course of his career with the Dodgers, he would bat a combined .276/0/4 with 7 stolen bases. He would earn rings in 81 and 88.
It came out after the 1986 season that Sax had played much of the season in some serious pain. After the season, he had a bone spur removed and repositioned a nerve. He also got married to Debbie Graham. They would have two children. After the World Series win in 1988, Sax was a free agent. The negotiations with the Dodgers did not go very well. Fred Claire reportedly told him, this is our final offer. If you think you are getting screwed, sign somewhere else. Sax took his advice and signed a three-year 4 million dollar deal with the Yankees.
Sax would play three years for the Bombers, but the Yankees were between dynasties and pretty bad. He also played for three managers in three years. He was a .294 hitter over his time with the Yankees and was an All-Star twice. Before the 1991 season, Sax was given a four-year extension for $12 million. Sax hit .304 with ten homers, his career-high. But the Yankees were bad again. After the season, the pitching poor Yankees traded Sax to the White Sox for Domingo Jean, Melido Perez, and Bob Wickman.
1992 was Sax’s last season as a starter. He played in 143 games for the Sox, but his average dropped to .236. The following season he only got into 57 games, and his BA was. .235. In April of 94 he was placed on the DL with a bruised heel, and while on the DL, he was released. He signed with the A’s. He only played in 7 games and then underwent surgery but was unable to return to the field and was released at the end of the season. Sax would retire with a career line of .281/54/550. He also finished with 444 stolen bases.
Now retired, He was an ESPN analyst for a while. He founded the Steve Sax foundation which is used to help motivate young people. He coached for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013 for old teammate Kirk Gibson. Sax is a member of the Dodgers alumni association and team, which does community relations. He also is the host of Sirius XM radios MLB Network Radio.
Dodger Minor League Notes by MT
- Miguel Vargas was 1-3 with 2 BB and 2 runs scored.
- Jake Lamb was 1-4, a 2 -run HR… his 11th.
- Mike Busch hit his 2nd at OKC. He drove in 2 runs and scored 4 as he also walked twice.
- Caleb Ferguson faced just two batters and struck both out!
- Kevin Pillar was 2-4 with 3 runs scored.
- Tulsa was rained out!
- At Great Lakes, Cole Percival went 5 innings, allowing 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, and 3 K’s. His ERA sits at 2.76!
- Diego Cartaya was 0-1 with 4 BB. They refuse to pitch to him.
- Damon Keith has cooled a little but was 2-3 with 2 BB last night (.318/.986)
Question?
Do you think the Dodgers would allow Buehler to pitch if his arm was injured?
Great post, Bear.
The Athletic has a good piece on Buehler’s fastball:
https://theathletic.com/3322991/2022/05/19/dodgers-walker-buehler-still-searching-for-his-fastball-and-his-dominance/
He says he cannot spin it like he needs to.
We have seen him throw it 95 to 96, but when he does, there is little late movement. Then we think it’s just because his velocity is diminished. No it’s his spin rate. I don’t know if he can get that back…
From the Athletic:
“I have to do some manipulating, and all that, to get to certain spots and throw certain pitches the way that I want them,” Buehler explained last week. “So it’s gonna move your arm and move your delivery a little bit to make certain things more successful.”
And as Buehler put it Wednesday: “When my delivery is correct, I can do both things and that’s kind of the goal.”
Buehler added Wednesday he feels he’s “on the right track” in terms of figuring out his mechanics, conceding that things will continue to evolve. His career early-season numbers suggest it might just take some time for things to line up properly. The shortened spring likely didn’t help, even as Buehler arrived at the club’s facility at Camelback Ranch as stretched out as any Dodgers starter.
He cannot spin it like he needs to. But he’s on the right track.
25% of the season is behind us and he’s saying this.
The league appears to be sitting on Walker Buehler fastballs. Let that sink in.
6-1 with a sub 3 ERA. Let that sink in.
You’re missing the point.
https://tenor.com/4aeh.gif
Patch, I just watched that movie again, one of the best he ever made. You jive turkey!
Not a huge Will Farrell fan, but I do love Old School.
“We’re going streaking!!”
All kidding aside, why isn’t that (what Bulldog posted) the point?
I know I posted, and I firmly believe, that process > outcome.
But we have no clue whatsoever (in this case) what the process is. So we only have outcome.
Oh my goodness!!!! What do the Dodgers do?!!!
Everybody panic!! https://images.app.goo.gl/NLru2YneCvQjXSnK8
In all practicality, not much.
Buehler just needs to work through it and work with his pitching coaches. What else? What are the Dodgers supposed to do?
This is actually good info by Mark. It’s clear that his fastball isn’t effective, and his overall K rate is down from last year even though his fastball velocity is about the same, which is the point B&P has made a few times. It’s the late movement imparted by spin rate that seems to be an issue.
In 2021 his wFB was 22.9, which was one of the best in the league. This year it is -8.6, which is bad, even though he throws his FB a whole lot less and is throwing a cutter a whole lot more.
The good news is that, overall, he’s still an effective pitcher, and his secondary pitches are above average. His ERA and FIP are still good, and he’s 6-1. His fastball troubles are forcing him to be creative. That should only help him if and when he gets his spin rate back.
The last sentence is a point that most wouldn’t consider. He just might be better in the long run.
Ok. It’s sunk in. Now what?
Thx Bear. I didn’t know that he had a brother that played with him. I always liked Sax and his enthusiasm for the game. Boy did Joc have a game last night. Wild win by the Giants
They actually played in a game together a couple of times. If I remember right, Dave was later sold to the Red Sox.
Bear, great background on Steve Sax, yips and all. I had know idea that he played drums for the Beach Boys. What an honor.
Mark, that sounds about right with regards to Walker Buehler. I’d also tend to think that the velo might see a little jump when he does get his mechanics settled as well.
Even if he isn’t striking out people at the same rate as he’s done historically, he’s still a pretty damn good pitcher. 6-1 with a sub 3 ERA is nothing to be “concerned” about. Pitchers have up and down years. If this is a down year, I’ll take it.
It seems that the same people that are “concerned” about Walker, were “concerned” about Mookie a couple of weeks ago. We heard from people who thought they saw with their own eyes that Mookie was still favoring his hip. Much ado about nothing.
The Dodgers just don’t seem to want to spend any bullets in Spring Training. When Walker and Julio ran out of gas at the end of last season, it seems only logical to slow play them during the Spring. Clayton seemed like the only starter to have anything close to a Spring schedule. He started the season like an Ace, unfortunately you can’t control the injury bug. Almost 45 games in and Julio and Walker still don’t look quite right. Could it be that maybe the Spring games are meaningful to pitchers? Mookie had a slow start and we barely saw him at all in Spring. Is there a correlation here?
This isn’t to say that the Dodgers are doing things wrong. They play more post-season games than any other team over the course of several years. They still have the best record in the NL and the second best record in baseball. They’re on pace for 112 wins. Do we need them to be better out of the gate? Especially when you’re playing in a condensed season.
Day game today! 1:05 PM PT. I’m looking forward to it. I need an early bed time tonight. I’m running on fumes after being a little under the weather for a couple of days.
Great article, Bear. Now this is more my era. Sax was one of my favorites when I first became a baseball/Dodger fan
More will be coming Patch. I have to get a new laptop. I spilled coffee on my keyboard and it locked up. This is my nephews computer.
My laptop finally died. I’m on an old backup. I made the mistake of getting a Chinese Huawei, which got good reviews. It overheated to badly, and the battery swelled up so badly that the thing literally burst at the seams.
That was my mistake for buying a product that was made by the Commies. I bet Cassidy has one.
Jack Fimple – interesting story
Scioscia
Dave Anderson
Bob Welch – does anyone know how he died?
Bob died as a result of a broken neck suffered in a fall in his home in Seal Beach June 9th 2014. The fall was ruled accidental. That negated earlier reports that he died of a heart attack. Per Wilipedia
Is there a post of mine in jail? ….or did it just get disappeared?
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/statcast?type=batter&year=2022&position=&team=&min=50&sort=17&sortDir=desc
You aren’t fooling anyone. Where would he have ranked before yesterday’s game?
He had a high average velocity during his hittless steak. Those numbers represent YTD and barrels anywhere during the year count the same, early or late.
If there should be an asterisk it would be that it is against almost all righty pitchers only.
Michael – hope life is good. That is another great piece. Getting into my era now.
Mookie sure turned things round in a hurry. It’s amazing what a little confidence can do for your game.
I think Max will be fine once he gets his back.
Until that time I have to agree with whoever said that he should bat 9th and take the walks (although Badger’s stats on his recent walk rate are concerning) to set the table for Mookie, Freddie and Trea.
I’m enjoying watching the games this year, I think it’s the evolution of our play now the HR is no longer the saviour, that makes things more interesting.
Jo Jo Gray can’t have enjoyed his big night….
Thank You my friend. If you can think of any players you would like profiled just let me know. You guys going to the Quakes game on the 4th I will be there with my brother and sis sitting in section 9. We will be up at the top of the row since Steve is still in a wheelchair when he goes out.
Funny how all the Mookie haters have gotten REAL quiet.
Mookie has not done a damn thing today!
Bear, nice write up on Steve Sax. I always loved the energy he played with. He was the first player I watched that had the yips. It was crazy that a major league player was having trouble making such a short throw. I’m sure there were others, but the coverage wasn’t as extensive as it is today.
Per Buehler, his speed on the FB is about the same as last year but apparently the spin rate is what’s causing issues for him. Regardless, he should be able to make the necessary adjustments and continue to improve on his already successful season. Buehler did crank a strike three pitch past Hernandez that hit 97 mph. So, it’s there when he needs it. I think he is more concerned with going deep into games as opposed throwing hard right from the start.
With the crackdown on sticky substances it seems quite a few pitchers are having to make changes in their pitching approach. This along with the humidor conditioned baseballs are further examples of the most incompetent commissioner in the history of baseball wreaking havoc on a sport he appears not to give two cents about. Manfred needs to go.
P&B, it sounds like a couple of days of downtime are in order. I know it’s hard to believe, but LADT can, and will, survive for a couple days while you heal. Lol. Take care.
Carry on.
You’re probably right.
* Thanks for the Sax profile Bear.
* Is there a way I can apply for David Price’s gig? I’ll give the Dodgers a friendly discount and can pitch about as well and as often as he can.
* Just for yuks, I’ve been keeping a book on umpires this year based on Theumpirescorecard. site. A couple of things have been interesting. One is don’t know exactly how a performance is graded out post-game and how results shared with the ump. But I assume it’s the next day with the good, bad and ugly report. I think at times an umpire’s performance behind the dish is effected by his last eval and performance. (as it should) I’ve seen games where an ump has a thight little zone, missing strikes and the next outing the zone is the size of the great outdoors. It’s almost like a defiant act. “You said I don’t call strikes? Well try this?” Maybe it’s my imagination.
I also thought in Phillie, how the fans behind the dish in the $ seats are given more information than the home plate umpire has. JD and the D-Train were having fun with a young fan in the 3rd row who had a monitor right in his mug so he could critique every call. He was all over the umpire with every close pitch.
* Yesterday Laz Diaz showed why I want the ABS. He called 15 strikes (out of 51 calls) on pitches that we actually balls. And not all that close. That’s 71%. How does this guy keep his job?
* Again, Lux seems to be settling in nicely at 2nd and I’d like to see him be the everyday guy there as things stand now.
* I took a break from the D-Train Show last night and listened to the Nationals broadcast. The had Ryan Zimmerman in the booth as a guest for 9 innings. Practically zero information about the game as Zim answered about 750 questions about everybody he ever played with and what kind of ice cream he likes. It was either that of listen to Dontrelle which like fish begins to smell in 3 days. Nice enthusiasm on his part but too much “back when I pitched” information for me. Too much second guessing of pitch selections. Analysis isn’t shouting “WOW” and “nice pitch”. Nice change up every once in awhile with JD but not every night please.
* Keep up the great work boys.
lol, I really like Dontrelle even if he’s constantly rips off Chapelle. Too much “Wooper Dooper” and “Cold Blooded”. He needs to mix in a few more phrases…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APgrUnNQPQw
I’m not as excited as most about the ABS. The Law of Unintended Consequences is going to rear its ugly head just like it did with instant replay. Will anyone steal a base again?
Maybe they should just take the bottom 20% every year and send them back to the minors and replace them with the top 20% from the minors every year. I’m sure we’d see a unified strike zone with far less errors if pay and better working conditions was tied to performance.
I’m with you. Introduce Statcast throughout the minors and objectively evaluate the umps who are just really good at calling balls and and strikes and promote them.
MLB umps should be the best in baseball, not the guys with lifer union tenure.
Being an ump is hard. Baseball rewards the best in the game. Do the same to the best umps in the game.
I agree that:
* balls and strikes umpiring is not easy. But some make it hard on themselves.
* If I though increased training and evalution including demotions for poor performance would solve the problems, I’d be all in without the ABS. But I don’t think it will happen. Why is Laz still being shitty every 4th day? Like he isn’t already being critiqued but nothing changes.
I’m not sure what unintended consequences would be worse than getting calls right? I don’t love how replay has changed tag plays, turns and slides. I miss the acrobatics once necessary to play middle infield on double plays. That footwork is a lost art.
It will be an adjustment as some misses across the plate and corners on breaking balls will be new and different. That’s okay. Adjustments are part of the game. I’ve seen ABS used and saw no unintended consequences that make me want to scrap the idea. Get it right.
* If ABS is not used, get rid of the superimposed strike zone boxes on the TV screen. That will never happen but otherwise umpires are being done a disservice..
* I’ve heard the idea of challenges used on select pitches initialed by the bench. Now that one is chuck full of unintended consequences. Either use the technology or don’t but no more stoppages and replay and conferences for me on single critical pitches. It’s all or nothing. I say use it.
4:05 PM ET
Dodgers (29-13)
Nationals (14-30)
SP Julio Urias L
3-3 2.63 ERA 41IP 31K
Confirmed Lineup
SS Trea Turner R
1B F. Freeman L
3B J. Turner R
DH Edwin Rios L
CF Chris Taylor R
2B Max Muncy L
LF Gavin Lux L
RF H. Alberto R
C A. Barnes R
Cloudy
0% Rain
67° Wind 7 mph R-L
Mookie is 11 for 27 the last 6 games. Time to get him off his feet.
Cody Bellinger also is out of the Dodgers lineup as he remains under the weather. Betts was originally due to be off Tuesday, but started because Bellinger was unavailable due to illness.
The domino effect has Hanser Alberto making just a second career start in right field.
Dodgers are not perfect, but certainly good enough. It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I do have a few thoughts (10) today that I would like to share with y’all :
1. If Max is not hurt, I’m okay with him taking a few days off and then reinserted back into the lineup. I do believe he will turn it around in due time.
2. I’m going to get stoned for this, but I’m not a big Rios fan. He’s a Dodger so I root for him, but my expectations for him are not pretty high.
3. I’m eating crow regarding one Tony Gonsolin. I didn’t think he would be THIS GOOD. I thought mediocrity was the best I could expect. (Pass the salt please)
4. I figure we will lose him, but I don’t want to lose TTurner. He’s so valuable to our success. I do not believe Lux can come close to replacing him.
5. I miss Clayton Kershaw. I figured he would get injured at some point, but not this soon.
6. We have to keep Austin Barnes- don’t let him leave the roost.
7. If Bauer somehow does return, we win the WS. He will make that much of a difference. Without him, I’m not nearly as confident.
8. Lux is also superseding my expectations so far this year. I hope it stays this way.
9. I don’t miss Jansen one bit. Watching him give up a two run homer last night made me chuckle. Funny, he ends up getting the win. I don’t miss Knebel either.
10. Seeing Mookie become the Mookie has given me the most joy the last few weeks.
Go LA,
TM
>>>>I’m going to get stoned for this
You can read that and what follows it two distinct ways in modern times.
Bluto: genius.
And now I must go be stoned
On Max Muncy, the last time I saw him play 1b he looked like a scared rabbit. When a runner came down the line and needed to be tagged out, he looked very reluctant to tag him. It was like he was having flash backs from the injury play. Even though he’s a decent 1b, I think he should stay at 3b, and 2b. Maybe he would have a “Mooky moment” and start playing with renewed confidence.
Jocs bat still smoking. The next HR.
Wow.
Muncy ? Not so.
Guy looks like the version of himself before he joined the Dodgers.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, that Szapucki guy gave up 4 HRs & 3 Doubles!
NY is falling apart!
Offense is sputtering today.
What offense?
19 runs in the last two games and 0 runs today. Urias deserved better
You are not going to win many games with the starting lineup we put on the field today.
I have an idea. Let’s take our hottest hitter in the lineup and leave our worst hitter in. Taylor, maybe a bunt might help in a one run game. Instead of skipping in almost half you ab’s
Meant to say striking out
Padres just lost and we’re one and half games ahead of them and 5 games ahead of the Giants.
Juan Toribio
@juanctoribio
#Dodgers Andrew Heaney said he’s been feeling good following his bullpen sessions. He’s going to simulate three innings tomorrow. Still no real set timetable on when he’ll face hitters, but he’s progressing well.
1:11 PM · May 25, 2022
No TJ for him?
Today’s starting lineup would win most games. They’d have won this one with a timely hit or two.
But to refer to the cliche: as Mookie goes, so go the Dodgers. Today’s game underscored that. He leads the league in runs scored by a wide margin–and it’s not just because of the guys batting behind him. He gets on base, he’s an excellent baserunner, and he’s knocked himself in 11 times.
The good news is that Julio pitched well again. And Almonte pitched out of trouble.
It would have been nice if Will Smith’s drive in the 9th had banged off the wall…. So do we blame the humidor for this loss?