When I was a kid, Wes Parker was definitely one of my favorites. The guy was absolutely the best defensive first baseman in the game, (Gold gloves for six consecutive years, 1967-1972). In 1970 he came into his own and hit .319 and knocked in 111 runs. He was popular, had movie star looks, and was public relations minded. Heck, he even played the teacher’s boyfriend in an episode of the Brady Bunch. Parker was a good Dodger, a solid ball player. Probably top three on the ball club in his final year which was 1972. He had just turned 32 and he hit .279 that season. He still had years left in him. At least we all thought so. Then “poof,” he was gone, never to play again.
Maury Wills could still pick it at short in 1971. A season when the Dodgers missed out on the playoffs finishing one game behind the Giants. They simply ran out of season as they owned Frisco in the month of September, thanks a lot to Wills’ play. He could steal bags and hit .280. He was that veteran presence on the club and link to the great 60s teams. When ‘72 rolled around and the Dodgers put him out to pasture, they did it to insert a wild arm converted outfielder at the position. This kid was Bill Russell. I couldn’t believe it. Russell was throwing more souvenirs to the fans behind the first base dugout than any concessioner in the stadium.
Bill Buckner was an able first baseman that swung a hot stick in the early seventies. Why were they moving him to the unfamiliar left field position to play Steve Garvey at first? Garvey was a guy that was too short for the position, and he never had really hit that well. I couldn’t figure out the thinking on that one.
Lee Lacy had played stellar ball at second base in 1972, and though I liked Jim Lefebvre, I could accept Lacy, who during a key road trip through the east coast hit .400 (18 for 45). Now they were plugging in this guy name Lopes instead, another converted outfielder learning to play the infield. What were they thinking?
Richie Allen hit .295 for us in 1971 and led the team with 23 homers. He was a bon-a-fide superstar. Known as a trouble- maker before coming to L.A., he seemed to be happy in his new digs. Truth was, Allen was maligned by the press and misunderstood at previous locations. In Los Angeles the writers left him alone and gave him space. He liked that. We had very few stars at the time and 23 dingers was a lot for the Dodgers in an era where the team leader in homers in 1970 (Grabarkewitz) hit only 17. Now they unloaded Allen after the ’71 season for a soft throwing lefty from the Chisox, this guy named Tommy John. What could they be thinking? Allen won the AL MVP the year after he was dealt. I thought we got robbed.
They picked up aging superstar, Frank Robinson, the next year to replace Allen in ’72, only to deal Robby away the following season in a blockbuster move.
One of those players acquired in the Frank Robinson, Bill Singer, Bobby Valentine trade with the Angels was third baseman Ken McMullen, (Starter Andy Messersmith was the main a part of that deal). McMullen was a favorite of mine. An infielder with sock. But he rarely played, and he became the guy that would pinch hit in late innings and hit the game winning bomb. I couldn’t figure why Alston was starting this kid that ran funny that they called Penguin over the seasoned veteran. Didn’t he want to win the pennant?
Russell, Cey, Garvey, Lopes, John, Messersmith on board. Wills, McMullen, Richie Allen, Wes Parker, Bill Singer, Frank Robinson…all unloaded or played sparingly. All those moves were within a 2-year span. It was an era of change. Some of the decisions were fairly unpopular. In the end, they all worked out one way or the other as the team transitioned into one that eventually would overtake Cincinnati to regularly win the west. The 1970-80s Dodgers became a yearly contender and four- time pennant winner and one-time World Series Championship team.
Spring forward 50-years.
The current Dodger roster is stacked. This Dodger farm system is well stocked with prsopects. Even with the loss of Bellinger, Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Joey Gallo, Tyler Anderson, Edwin Rios, David Price, Chris Martin, Craig Kimbrel, Walker Buhler, Blake Treinen and Tommy Kahnle. The Dodgers still win the division in 2023 with all those pieces replaced from within. I truly believe they will.
It is tough losing guys with that emotional attachment. It is so easy to think with the brain and not the heart.
I loved Bellinger when he came up. He could do little wrong. Clutch hitting, gold glove caliber defense, hit for average and with pop, but the injury bug hit. The stubbornness in his reluctance to change habits was frustrating. He has simply gone from being one of the most dangerous hitters in the game to one of the worst.
Justin Turner is a Dodger through and through, and he plays the part both on the field and in the community, but we can’t deny that time has slowed him down. Yes, he can still contribute, but at what cost? He has no wheels. His range is limited. You can’t count on him to score from second base on a single and if he attempts it, you pray that his hamstring Is intact after the play. He was a steady bat that used to be clutch in post season play. Now that has disappeared on the big stage.
The minor leagues have players with credentials, youth, skills and hunger to take on the task of playing in the majors. It is doubtful that all will succeed. Some may not even be in the organization past December 7th when the rule five draft takes place, but out of Outman, Vargas, Stone, Pepiot, Grove, Avans, Pages, Miller, Noda, Cartaya, Busch, and DeLuca – there are players that are bound to stick and contribute. It is time for new emotional attachments to form. It is the cycle of the game. The Dodger organization is among the best at restocking the shelves and inserting new talent from within.
As long as they don’t bring Carlos Correa into the fold I’m good with change. Gotta see how good the new blood stacks up as we’ve been hearing positive things about what we have in house has peaked our interest. So we’ll likely have to put up with a few errors starting the 2023 season, just hope for the best and not allow ourselves to get too disappointed. So show the world what you got kids but be fearless. We’ve seen it all many times before, the ball’s in your hands and as a Dodger!
I find myself warming to Correa for this reason: the chip on his shoulder, the intensity.
He just seems like one on of those hyper-competitive guys with an edge. Some folks here have suggested that the 2022 squad lacked the kind of fire that Kirk Gibson brought to the Dodgers. Not an unfair criticism, I think. “Intense” is not a word I would associate with the latest edition.
The Phillies had a few of those guys, like Realmuto, Harper and Schwarber, known for his epic rant at terrible umpiring. The Dodgers were characterized more by the smiles of Mookie and Freddie, and Trea’s smooth slide. Nice guys, mostly, though Muncy had his great moment with Bumgardner. Joe Kelly was intense–and showed it to the Astros, including his mocking of Correa.
Anyway, maybe Correa has an element that could fire up the team chemistry.
Maybe.
That’s what some say but most Dodgers fans don’t like “intense” players, players like: Puig, Joc, Kiké or Manny Machado called them clowns or that this was not “the Dodgers way”, even Alex Vesia and Graterol some Dodgers fans resent his intensity in the celebrations.
Honestly, I hate change.
Which is, of course, is somewhat strange since I was a big advocate of change when I worked in city government and then in events at the city. We were always in a state of constant change, much of it promoted by me.
But when it comes to baseball, the best days were when you could pencil in the line-up. You could look at the infield and see Garvey, Cey, Lopes and Russell.
A very long time ago during a summer in Columbus, Ohio, we lived behind Frank Howard’s grandmother. It had a huge field, surrounded by houses in the distance. No fences. The neighborhood kids played baseball there. Howard’s grandmother would come out to tell us stories about Frank. He and other kids played ball in that same field. She would point off in the distance to houses where he hit a baseball and broke a window.
I already liked Frank, who was a legitimate home run threat. He became my favorite player. I had a couple of his baseball cards. I still recall listening to Vin Scully and his call of a Howard grand slam.
But then a couple of years later they up and traded my favorite hitter. Eventually, they broke up the magical infield.
Somehow the game just doesn’t seem the same. Players come and go. Sometimes I believe the game is broken. It’s a business they admit. Like everything else, it’s all about money, lots of money.
Good trip down memory lane, Evan. I do remember Richie Allen. I remember all of them.
Absolutely a great read back into Dodger history and we know that history also repeats itself. Get ready!
History doesn’t repeat itself but it rhymes. –dead philosopher
So how did Wes Parker go “poof,” anyway?
Good player, but to be honest, I remember having a bias against first basemen who weren’t classic sluggers like McCovey or Boog Powell… or Frank Howard! I remember wishing that Drysdale would be a two-way player because of his power. And James Loney seemed like Wes Parker 2.0–good glove, good hit… meh power.
While we wait for the Dodgers to make some sort of significant move, at least we can think the odds for an actual Freeway Series in October seem to be improving. The Angels just traded for Hunter Renfroe after a trade for Gio Urshela and of course the signing of Tyler Anderson. Those are three solid, proven veterans–and at a reasonable cost, I think. Renfroe in 2022 had 29 HRs and an OPS over 800. Absolutely great arm, so I suspect he’ll take over RF and Taylor Ward will move to LF.
The acquisition might mean that the Angels won’t pursue Haniger, Yoshida or other FAs who might interest the Dodgers if they can’t sign Judge. (New report has Judge turning down a Dodgers offer. I assume he’ll play various offers against the others… and then the Yanks will overpay to keep him.)
Following the prospects is my favorite part of being a fan. Even more so when our major league team continues to underperform when it counts. This season I expect to see major contributions from Vargas & Pepiot, medium-sized contributions from Busch, Stone & Miller, and nothing from Amaya, Cartaya or Pages.
Put Outman in that first group. I forgot him.
Great stuff Evan. As for Parker, I have some insight to why he quit. I knew Wes, met him at a card show in 1980. He came to see me do a show at George’s Round-Up in Long Beach. I got to have several conversations with him, and one of the things I asked him was why he retired so early. His answer was simple, he said the game was not fun for him anymore. Wes came from a pretty well to do family. His dad owned a printing shop in Santa Monica and did a good business. And I also think at that point in time, Wes wanted to do more acting. He did have more appearances than just the Brady Bunch. We became pretty good friends and whenever I wanted to go to a game, Wes would let me have his season seats. He was the one who was responsible for getting me my National Anthem gig at Dodger Stadium as he took my audition tape in personally. He did post game radio on Dodger Talk in the 80’s. I remember every player you mentioned in your post. I said once, when a player is traded, it is harder to digest because you have no clue that was going to happen, free agency is a little easier because you know when it is coming. The two hardest for me were Duke Snider and Willie Davis. Just did not seem like the Dodgers without Willie D patrolling CF. My fondest memory of Vin calling a Howard homer, was one he hit in Philly in old Shibe Park, It went completely out of the stadium over the left field roof. Vin said it looked like it was going to go into orbit. Great stuff. One other note, when the players went on strike and cost MLB 13 days of the season in 1972, the vote to strike was 47-0 with one abstention. The abstention was Parker, who felt deep appreciation to the team for what they had done for him. In 2001 he became a volunteer teacher of a weekly sports class at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles. Wes actually played one more year after he retired. He played the 1974 season for Nankai in the Japanese League. He hit .301 with 14 homers and 59 RBI’s in 127 games.
Speaking of change. Who would have predicted at the end of 19 that by the 23 season neither Seager or Bellinger would be Dodgers. And we got nothing in return..
For Seager, the Dodgers actually got Sean McLain in Round 5, Pick 165, and he will soon become a Superstar… or he will fade into oblivion….
Like I said. Nothing. My monies on fade! I thought in 19 that both would be faces of the franchise for a decade!
Seager went out a hero. Took the money ala A-Rod but who can blame him.
I watched Bellinger’s debut in 2017 with my dad and it was memorable. Some very high highs but it seems Outman can approximate his production at 1/20th the cost.
Urias is the guy we probably need to lock up. I wouldn’t mind a Will Smith deal either.
Seager went out with a whimper. He faded like an old painting in the 2021 playoffs. He took the money and ran. Don’t blame him, who in their right mind would not take that kind of money? Trea is not going to get Seager money, but he will get a hefty deal. His days as a Dodger are over, same for Bellinger, Heaney, who according to some reports is close to signing a one-year deal with the Yankees. Kimbrel, most likely JT, and some others.
Who is reporting that Heaney is close to a 1 year deal with the Yankees?
First of all, he had a miserable experience there.
I doubt they want him back. I doubt he wants to go back.
Also, he’s going to get a two or three year deal from somebody so why sign a one-year deal with NY?
It was on Yahoo sports
I think it’s likely that Will Smith could get a six-year deal at about $60-70 Million right now. He will be 28 next season and cannot be a FA until 2026. At that point, he will be 31 or 32, and his time will be limited. It could be a good deal for him and the Dodgers.
Julio Urias will be a free agent in 2024 (at age 27), so there is no reason why he would sign unless it would be a
$250 Million Ten Year deal now. In 2024, he can probably get a 8-Year $300+ Million Deal.
When fans say “we should sign so and so”, remember, it takes 2!
At age 30 and in 2021, J.T. Realmuto signed a 5 year / $115,500,000 contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, including $115,500,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $23,100,000. In 2023, Realmuto will earn a base salary of $23,875,000, while carrying a total salary of $23,875,000.
Smith at 5 years and $60M seems low for me.
My thoughts on Evan Bladh’s excellent Post — Greg Brock was not a good replacement for Garvey. Sax was a good replacement for Lopes. Which prospects to trade and which ones to move up to the Show has been the difference between winning and flailing. Bellinger v Outman, Vargas v Muncy, Stone v Anderson, Amaya v Taylor– the beat goes on.
Realmuto was a Free Agent. Smith has to wait 2 years, so sign him now if you can (I said $60-$80 Million, but it could be higher).
That’s why Riley signed for less than Devers is expected to get.
Agree with everything you say, although the Smith number may be a little low and the Urias number a little high. On average you’re dead-on target!
I totally think they should lock up Urias and Smith. But isn’t Julio a Boras client??? Makes things a little tougher in my mins. MLBTR reported that the Rockies are interested in Cody.
Boras isn’t the boogeyman. He’ll take market value [sometimes].
Dodgers have to date, never signed a Boras client. FYI that means any of them. Boras bids all of his clients up.
Well, they haven’t for a while, I think JD Drew and Derek Lowe were Borasss Clients.
Andrew never has.
Yeah, if a player wanted to give a home team a discount or take less from a team he would prefer over the higher offer, why would he sign with Boras?
Are you really gonna give a big contract to Smith in 2 years with Cartaya knocking on the door? Smith’s real value is his bat at catcher. His numbers don’t play as well at third base
The numbers might play up if his body didn’t have to endure the pounding he takes at C.
The DH renders the discussion moot. If you can hit, you’ll have a spot in the lineup. Let’s hope Vargas doesn’t take that bet.
No way I want Correa on my team. I went back and watched some of the 2020 season. Guy is another Machado type.
I agree
This particular group of Dodgers are a special group. Good guys, relatable personalities, and talented players that delivered more often than not. But there is no mistaking, this is the end of their era with Turner and Bellinger exiting. I thought it would be more emotionally painful to see the era come to an end, but I’m actually re-invigorated as a fan. IMO the team as an entertainment product was becoming stale due to combination of deteriorating skills and predictable outcomes. 111 wins should have been twice as exciting and memorable than it actually was. There are definitely indelible moments and achievements from this last season- Kershaw flirts with a perfect game, Lux and Gonsolin realizing their potential, the TA throw down, the NY series – but it lacked in overall suspense and drama. Can only whoop up on the NL West so many times and watch another RISP opportunity whiffed away before it all sort of runs together. I’m ready for new blood. New storylines. New growth. Even it comes with only 90 wins.
When we look back in 10-20 years, I think we’ll view the SF playoff series as their final gift to us. An epic closure for an epic era.