Yesterday was one of the most embarrassing losses that the Lost Angeles Doggers have ever experienced. A 13-0 One-Hitter which really should have been a perfect game. To say it was an ugly game would have meant being extremely kind to ugly. To add insult to injury, former Dodger Cody Bellinger was 2-4 with hits 5th HR and is now hitting .301with a .381 OB% and a .943 OPS. Some will blame Andrew Friedman for not signing him. I think the blame for not signing Cody was elsewhere. I blame Mark Walter and Guggenheim Partners for not allowing Andrew to do so!
In any business, including the business of baseball, the President is involved heavily in the Day-to-Day Operations while the CEO gives him the budget and direction. Of course, I cannot prove this (at least right now), but I believe that Mark Walter instructed Andrew Friedman to get under the Lux Tax Threshold in 2023. Now, some of you may dispute that (“Nowhere did they say that.”) but if Walter didn’t, why did AF not really get involved with any free agents, and after it was all over and it was apparent that the Dodgers could not get under the Lux Tax, why sign a David Peralta?
I mean, at the very least, Andrew Friedman could have tried to sign Dansby Swanson… and likely would have been successful, considering his close friendship with Freddie Freeman. Tell me how the lineup would have looked with Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson in the lineup, hitting 6th and 7th! Why didn’t Andrew Friedman sign any significant free agents? Even Ray Charles can see that he was under orders to cut spending. When it became apparent that they could not get under the cap without gutting the farm system, they did sign David Peralta, who may ultimately become a good signing.
For the record, I do not blame Mark Walter for wanting to get under the Lux Tax Threshold… but they weren’t able to do it, so they “half-assed it.” I would have been OK with getting under by getting rid of players like CT3 and Bellinger and not signing Syndergaard and Peralta. Make it a full-blown youth movement! Instead, they were more interested in building an office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion than building a baseball team. That’s all I am going to say about that right about now because it will rear its ugly head later!
How would the Dodgers have looked with this lineup:
- Betts RF
- Freeman 1B
- Smith C
- Muncy 3B
- Martinez DH
- Bellinger CF
- Swanson SS
- Outman LF
- Vargas 2B
This is not to say that there is no hope. There is! But I was bummed when the Dodgers let Cody walk, and now that it looks like it wasn’t his swing as much as it was the healing that his shoulder needed, I am even more bummed, and I put the blame directly on Mark Walter. Notice I did not mention Justin Turner (God rest his soul). JD Martinez is a better player right about now, and the Dodgers are done with him after this year, allowing Max Muncy to go to DH. The Red Sox will experience a steep decline with JT next year.
Speaking of the Red Sox, old friend Alex Verdugo is hitting .341 with a .931 OPS and Kike is up to .233 with his usual antics. Kenley Jansen has not been scored upon in 7 games and is 5-5 in save opportunities. I’m just saying!
Andrew Friedman has proven that he can build a team on the cheap… but it means that every three to five years, he is going to get rid of the players you have grown to love. That model works, but fans don’t like it, and this is part of why Tampa Bay doesn’t draw fans as they should. This is not a lost season, but it is more complicated by the fact that Mark Walter wanted to get the team under the Lux Tax Threshold. Don’t shoot the messenger – Andrew Friedman!
P.S. Watford should get a kick out of the title.
Dogger Minor League Notes
- Hunter Feduccia did nothing last night… because it was a day of rest for him. He is still knocking… LOUDLY!
- Jonny DeLuca was 3-5 last night with his 3rd HR (.273 BA/.939 OPS)
- River Ryan gave up six hits in 2.1 IP, allowing 3 BB and only 1 ER as he struck out 5.
- In an effort to get Dalton Rushing more at-bats, he is leading off at GL.
Today’s Game
11:20 AM PDT and 2:20 EDT. Dustin May needs to right the ship.
The Dodgers are the only team in the NL West with a positive run differential. The D-Bags are at -0, the Friars are at – 17, and the Doggers are +10. The D-Bags are still (in my opinion) a .500 team. The Padres are classic underachievers… so far.
Seth Godin – One of my Favorite Blogs
“But what if it doesn’t work?”
“The best way to win a short-term game is to bet it all on one strategy. Someone is going to get lucky and it might be you.
But we rarely thrive in the long run if we persist in playing a series of short-term games.
Instead, organizations, individuals and teams do better when they understand the value of resilience.
In the last year, we’ve seen well-funded and heavily hyped crypto companies hit the wall and fail. That’s because it was easy for them to get funded and grow fast by making a simple bet, and in a bull market, everyone looks like a genius.
But their less flashy competitors are still around. They understood that resilience is expensive and resilience is worth it.“
I did smile at that. Lots of Doggers over here in England.
I don’t think it’s worth dwelling on yesterday. As your banner on Thursday said – “All or nothing”.
I think the most concerning element was a second poor showing from Julio. He seemed angry from the get go, questioning obvious Balls that were not given as strikes.
Still, it’s early and many of the fancied teams are struggling. Let’s see what they’re made of today.
Enjoyed the Patch / Eric conversation yesterday. Proper talk, laying themselves bare. Impressive.
It’s what makes this community special, and maybe some of the newer Posters should take note.
Yeah, I am giving Eric a pass. He has a passion for the Dodgers.
I make you 100% right. Eric’s a good guy. Humble.
Watford Dodger I had that said to me by more than 1 person way back in the past and it always stuck in the back of my head and after each of a few experiences I went through between each times it was said to me back then, it always popped up in the front of my head and I reflected on it each time and I eventually embraced that word.
Thank you for saying that.
I agree that it was a half as.sed attempt at getting under the luxury tax.
I would have been fine with it but then they signed Thor and Peralta. Absolutely perplexing and I said so when the signings happened. Would have been better to go with some more of the kids (Miller, Stone or Pepiot instead of Thor and deLuca or Ramos or Pages for Peralta). Both players IMHO are washed up and do not belong on a contender, at least not for the money they are occupying.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m pretty certain the get under plan was/is still the plan. Big difference going all in and whatever fines paid by slightly over. Reset will happen for 2024 no doubt.
Well, what will tomorrow’s game have in store. May the circle be broken and the streak ‘s start started today.
I have zero issues with not bringing back Bellinger. He still has plenty of time to revert back to his old bad habits and I think he will. Also if they brought him back I truly think Outman would be raking in AAA right now.
Basically the Dodgers swapped Outman for Bellinger. That’s a swap I can live with.
“Even Ray Charles can see that he was under orders to cut spending“
That’s what I’ve been trying to say for weeks…. but then they didn’t do it. Will the dive happen in July? Somehow I doubt it but I admit I don’t know what’s going on.
Get under the cap without gutting the system? I don’t get that. I could do it. Don’t sign a shortstop, they did that, don’t sign Peralta or Syndergaard. Done.
I see your point MP, but I believe we swapped the money. Outman could play left. Peralta wouldn’t be needed in that scenario. Cost of that move? About $10 million. The Dodgers gave up on Cody.
That’s a decent lineup you’ve put up there Mark, not crazy about Swanson, but I don’t think it scores 14 yesterday.
Yesterday was an aberration. They happen. Move on.
We can bring back Cody next year, provided he continues on pace to about 11 WAR and helps the Cubs get to the playoffs I don’t believe he should have left, but we had to do it to get under the threshold, which we didn’t do, or haven’t done yet.
First of all I’m happy for Bellinger but I’m more than a little skeptical that he continues on this pace. Sometimes a change of scenery is beneficial for a player. In LA the expectation for Belli was always MVP. And you could see he got frustrated and lost all confidence. In Chicago the expectation was average and it has allowed him to relax and build up some confidence.
I really wanted to see Cody Bellinger back. Oh well.
I’m not sure if Friedman was under orders to reduce payroll. Apparently the Dodgers made a big offer to Justin Verlander. They lucked out when the Mets topped that offer.
The Dodgers seem intent on moving toward their younger players. I’m guessing Vargas and Outman work out.
Maybe the idea is to make a run at Shohei Ohtani. Yes, he’ll be a lot of money, but he also generates considerable revenue, which most players don’t.
Although, I can see the Dodgers wanting to bring back Julio Urias, the fan base and all. But what Boras wants may exceed his actual value to the team. Plus the Dodgers have some good young arms.
With Walker Buehler back, perhaps Kershaw in for another year and the young arms, it might make sense go big this off season. Ohtani would be that move.
Although Dansby Swanson is certainly solid, I thought the idea of going with Gavin Lux at short made sense. Unless he is physically impaired, it will make sense next year.
Max Muncy is certainly back on his game and is likely to hit 30 plus homeruns. We’ll have a much better picture in June of how this might all play out.
Glad the Dodgers didn’t make a deal for Juan Soto.
At some point in the future someone will write a book about the inside thinking going into this year and then we’ll have an idea. Too many contradictions to draw a conclusion as to what ownership was thinking.
Peralta sucks
How many of us remember watching Don Larsen perfect game in the 1956 World Series? To me that was the ultimate embarassment in Dodger history. To this day I swear the last pitch to Dale Mitchell was high and outside. A lifetime .312 hitter he was known for putting the ball in play and when he retired he had more walks than K’s.
I was 3!
I don’t remember it well… 😉
I do. I was 13 yo
The pitch was obviously a ball. But the real mystery is why were the Dodgers so impotent against him? I mean with that lineup, they should have murdered the bum. It was his one shinning baseball moment. Earlier in that series he pitched 1 2/3rds of an inning and gave up 4 runs on one hit and 4 walks. In the 55 series they hit 2 homers and scored 5 runs in four innings. Larsen was under .500 for his career with an 81-91 mark.
With the present team roster, we will be lucky to make the playoffs this year. As I stated before the season started, the pitching is suspect, starting and relieving and the everyday lineup leaves a lot to be desired with the bottom filled with outs. The bench is weak and as Mark stated there was no clear direction of roster construction before the season started. I’m revising my win total to 86 to 88 wins. Time to bring up more minor leaguers.
1.It was time to move on from Bellinger, Both for his sake and the Dodgers. 2. Lux is young and healthy and nobody could have foreseen him going down all season. 3. The Bauer fiasco was a monumental blunder that still haunts this organization 4. Despite all the handwringing and mood swings, this team will be competitive all season, as the lineup is tuned and improved.
2:20 PM ET
Dodgers (10-11)
Cubs (12-7)
SP Dustin May R
1-1 3.00 ERA 24IP 13K
SP Hayden Wesneski R
1-0 6.23 ERA 13IP 11K
Confirmed Lineup
2B Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
3B Max Muncy L
DH J. Martinez R
RF J. Heyward L
CF James Outman L
LF D. Peralta L
SS Chris Taylor R
C A. Barnes R
Partly-cloudy-day
43% Rain
45° Wind 11 mph L-R
Friday scores
Albuquerque 4, Oklahoma City 3
Tulsa 6, Wichita 5
South Bend 7, Great Lakes 3
Fresno 6, Rancho Cucamonga 5
Saturday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Yon Castro) vs. South Bend (Connor Noland)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Emmet Sheehan) vs. Wichita (Chad Donato)
5:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Gavin Stone) at Albuquerque (TBD)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Luis Valdez) vs. Fresno (Connor Staine)
Bellinger is still beloved by his ex-teammates.
No one has ever questioned his work ethic.
I can’t see that a big change was made to his swing. I just think he is 100% healthy now.
Agree about Bellinger Mark.
I think there was an intended construct Andrew, it included Lux, Gonsolin, Vesia, and Pepiot. And with our #3 hitter now out, and no clear plan for the now (a roster move for Wynns was no doubt not in the discussions) this team has no no clear current identity. When your ace stopper gets clobbered, and a perfect game is pitched against the lineup (that was a perfectly pitched game) then what is next? Is it too late/early for a youth movement? Peralta might have some value, Thompson and Heyward aren’t needed. I have no idea what I’m talking about so I’ll stop typing now
The Dodgers do have the depth. We should start seeing some things happen. Nelson, V-Gon, Hudson, Busch, Pages, Feduccia, et al.
I am deadly serious about replacing Smith behind the plate – NOW! His next concussion could be really serious… not that this one wasn’t!
I’m down with that.
He’s in the lineup every day. What do you do with the plethora of outfielders already here.
Agreed! Smith suffered a career-altering injury and should never play catcher again.
Betts set the tone yesterday in his first AB. He quit running 10 or 15 feet from first. The ball wasn’t there yet.
Off season I was looking forward to Lux at short. Lose a little BA there. Save a lot of money that I would have used on an above average outfielder. I couldn’t sign Bellinger for 17 million. He was MVP of the first half of 2019. For the rest of 2019 and the next 3 years he was cringe worthy at the plate. How long do you wait for him. No he hasn’t changed. A half dozen good games don’t make a season. Good luck to him.
Vargas could not do any more in the minors. Expect him to hit at least .250. Would have kept Turner. Wanted to see him go out a Dodger. Expected a return to form with Muncy and Taylor. Looks like there is hope for Muncy.
Outman would have been my first choice at center. Why put him behind the retreads ? Since we didn’t get the OF I wanted and the current situation of the 4 outfielders splitting the time of 1position isn’t working, I would choose 1 guy, Thompson, to get the majority of time and let him sink or swim. If sinks you try the next one.
I would have called up Fedduccia.
I thought the pitching would be OK. So far it is not. It’s still early.
I would have put Bauer on the roster. They are paying him. I have been hearing for 50 years that what goes on in the bedroom is nobody’s business. I have also heard innocent until proven guilty. He was not charged and I believe the judge in the restraining order said it was consensual.
Well said. Not sure I agree on Bauer. The Dodgers were in a no win situation with him. And the league really screwed the Dodgers on letting that drag on and on.
I’m still wondering what exactly he was guilty of. Being a degenerate? What, they aren’t allowed in the entertainment industry? If he can still pitch, he should be pitching for us.
I would have called up Feduccia too. Said so and took some heat for it.
I didn’t want Heyward and thought though Peralta would be a decent replacement player, not for that much money.
As I’ve said many times, Muncy was not my third baseman, he was my DH back up infielder, Vargas at third. Lux was at second and if we aren’t going to reset, grab Bogaerts. I’m still a bit confused about all that, but ok, Lux at short then Muncy or Busch at second. And why JD? Because he’s right handed? Screw that. I of course prefer players who are not platooned.
We had almost everything we needed. There were top shortstops available, Trea being one of them but I believe he wanted to leave. Ok, go. We’re the Dodgers, we’re rich and we’re smart. We’ll replace you with another 5-6 WAR SS. Nope, didn’t work out.
So now what? If we’re resetting just flippin do it. If not, go get what is needed at the deadline. There’s plenty of season left after that. If needed, we can make up the ground and be peaking by October
One more thing. If Ohtani is the goal, it might be a good idea to start preparing for the team with him as the star.
I believe there are two chances the Dodgers get Ohtani: Slim and None!
So there is a chance.
I am inclined to agree. If he were two years younger I think there would be a much better chance. 2 years of 10 WAR at the front end of that contract he’s going to get would make the last 2 years easier to absorb.
So, if not him, who?
Dodger Dave,
In 2019, Cody Bellinger OPS’ed an “otherworldly” 1.124 in the first half.
In the second half, his OPS dropped to .917. That is still exceptional.
He fell of the cliff the next season.
I guess I’m not too hip on the new stats. I remember him batting close to .400 and then ending around .300 so I assumed he was hitting .200 in the last half.
I do understand. 900 OPS is pretty good. I’ll stand corrected.
Bellinger hit .337 in 88 games in the first half. In the second half, 68 games, he hit .263 with 17 homers. He hit 30 in the first 88 games.
Unbeknownst to most was that he had a shoulder problem in that shortened season that came to light during the World Series and playoffs. The following year, he broke his leg early in the season, and never really had time to recover from his off season surgery. Even though he improved his BA in 2022 by 45 points, that was not enough for the naysayers because of the strikeout totals. Now he is healthy and starting to hit the ball well. He has two homers against lefty’s this season. The same lefty, Urias. But no doubt Cody needed to go to a team where the expectations were not so high.
Bellinger was a big question mark. Everybody knew it could go either way. It’s still early. I’m glad he’s doing well so far, just not glad he’s done so well against us.
If the Dodgers wanted to keep Bellinger they would have had to give him his final year of arbitration. And that would have cost $17m – $20m. That’s a lot of money for a lot of risk. Let’s not forget as good as his defense was, he had a .650 OPS last year. Dismal.
I know on good authority that once the Dodgers non tendered him he was unwilling to resign with the Dodgers. Even if they matched the Cubs. He wasn’t happy the Dodgers didn’t let him go to arbitration. And the Dodgers weren’t going to offer him a 1 year deal for the same amount he would have received in arbitration. The Cubs did. It’s still yet to be seen if that was a good move. Cody had had a good 10 game stretch. On April 10th Belli was hitting .180. Ten games does not a season make.
That said, yesterday might be the worst regular season game in Dodger history. Our Ace got demolished. Our bullpen was obliterated. And the one hit was provided courtesy of the Cubs catcher taking out Smyly like Dick Butkus did many a Greenbay Packer quarterback. I’m glad I didn’t get to watch.
But as bad as this game was, it’s just one game. And it’s still early. The Dodgers have work to do. But I’m not calling the season a failure and handing Bellinger the MVP just yet. It’s still only April.
Typically the Dodger’s depth is an advantage that plays out over the course of the seasons. I think this will be the case again this season, although less so.
Last season, imo, was an anomaly because we had two pitchers (Gonsolin and Anderson) who pitched at Cy Young levels almost all season AND we had one of MLB’s best catalysts in Trea Turner.
Our team feels very mediocre at the moment. We have been spoiled for sure, but it feels like we’re watching another city’s team with a couple of stars, avg pitching, and a bunch of journeymen we hope will catch fire.
We’re fortunate the NL is off to slow start, but I sure hope we don’t fall too far back before trading season.
Go Dodgers!
I just listened to the update on Will Smith. Not good. I do not see how the Dodgers can bring him back as a catcher. He will get more foul tips to the head. In my opinion he needs to DH and play left field with JD. You must protect Will Smith and his concussions. That means another catcher.
We will make will the starting left fielder.That problems solved.We have to use our young catchers,or make some trades.
I meant to say ,we need to makeWill the starting left fielder.
DODGER PRESS RELEASE
DODGERS RECALL VICTOR GONZÁLEZ
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled left-handed pitcher Victor González and designated right-handed pitcher Jake Reed for assignment.
González, 27, was 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA (1 ER/7.0 IP) and 12 strikeouts in six games for Oklahoma City. He has not pitched in a Major League game since 2021 and he is a combined 6-1 with a 2.75 ERA (17 ER/55.2 IP) and 56 strikeouts in 59 Major League games. The southpaw was originally signed by the Dodgers out of Tuxpan, Nayarit, Mexico on July 2, 2012.
Reed, 30, pitched yesterday against the Cubs, allowing six runs on five hits in 0.2 innings. He has been in the Majors parts of two seasons with Los Angeles (2021-22), New York (2021-2022), Baltimore (2022) and Los Angeles (2023) and he is a combined 2-1 with a 7.57 ERA (23 ER/27.1 IP) and 24 strikeouts. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2014 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Oregon in the fifth round.
Stick a fork in Jake Reed!
I think he came with a fork already in him.
Wiffleball mechanics:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRTf797b/
Potential Tommy John wrist op?
That’s what AF likes about him. He wanted to be able to give hitters totally different optics, but it hasn’t worked.
A lot of good comments. Enjoyed the discussion. I would have been fine had the Dodgers more fully embraced a youth movement. In the context of resetting the luxury tax it made sense. It is not my money and the Dodgers have not been shy about spending money these past three years. Agree with many of you who identified the Syndergaard signing and the Peralta signing as head-scratching. They effectively have blocked Michael Busch this year … for what? At some point this year it is assumed that Pepiot Miller Stone will be ready plus Grove will likely continue to improve with innings. Syndergaard blocks that progression. It was an incoherent approach to the off season for reasons we can only speculate.
This current team may not be good enough offensively to carry Barnes, Thompson, Taylor, and Rojas occupying three spots in the line up. Don’t see a role for Thompson if he can’t hit left hand pitching. Barnes is highly thought of for his leadership, handling a staff, and pitch framing but 1 for 25 is a steep price for those qualities on an offense like this. Will Smith needs to be in the line up most every day for this team. Can’t do that as a catcher. So DH him or play him in left. That makes sense.
Outman and Vargas are fine. There are going to be some growing pains – especially Vargas who is just 23 and playing through hand injuries and learning a new position. Neither looks remotely overmatched as rookies.
The bullpen has been bad. Though Graterol seems to be generating more strikeouts. Not sure about the infatuation with Jake Reed. Surely there were better options available. Must be dictated by options or 40 man roster.
As for Bellinger, I agree with Jayne. It is early to say LA should have signed him for 17 to 20 million. I have no basis for this other than what I see and read (some on this site) but to me there was a stubbornness to Bellinger last year. He seemed resistant to some swing changes and refused to learn or try to bunt against the shift. When your OPS is .650 and you are batting near .210, you should be trying to do anything to help your team and using his speed and the shift to get on base seemed a reasonable ask.
I am sure that AF and the front office have contingencies. Fortunately this division has been average to start and the Dodgers will hopefully get Will Smith and Gonsolin back soon.
The last part about Belli being stubborn is 180 degrees wrong. If anything, he changed too much, but people believe what they want, with or without facts!
What about the rest of his post? I thought it was excellent.
I have no opinion on whether Bellinger is stubborn or not. It definitely takes determination to get to this level.
Until May becomes a pitcher rather than a thrower he will struggle even with his stuff. He has to tighten up his command and throw his slurve for strikes. No one is even swinging at his off speed stuff. Command trumps stuff! Makes you appreciate how many swings and misses Kersh gets on his slider out of the zone
We’ll never know, but if Outman was batting ahead of Heyward, we might’ve scored some more runs in the first inning
Write this down: “Bauer has been ‘Blackballed’ by Rob Manfred.”
MLB teams are instructed not to sign him. That is my opinion!
Then, why do the Dodgers have to pay him? Or, more to the point, why does his salary count against the cap?
Because Manfred is a dumbass!@
Well, that may very well be the case. So I would suggest litigation.
Or because AF was a dumbass to sign him in the first place.
First, the Dodgers didn’t need him.
Second, he was overrated as a pitcher. (He won his Cy in a 60-game season,)
Third, don’t the Dodgers value “high character” guys? Bauer was already known to be a low-character guy—but people didn’t yet know how low.
This isn’t 20/20 hindsight. Some folks here seem to forget that the Dodgers courtship of Bauer was controversial among many fans. I was not alone in thinking and arguing the money should always thought the money was better invested elsewhere. Bauer was a lousy investment.
With the DFA of Jake Reed, there is another spot for Hunter Feduccia.
Well I for one have seen enough of Barnes trying to hit this year. But I don’t know if you can hand over our staff to an unproven rookie catcher in mid season.
Dave Roberts is very picky about who he allows to play OF, especially CF. If you remember Beatty would sit on the bench with his .260 BA while a string of sub .200 guys would help form the dead zone at the bottom of the order.
Roberts thought Beatty had an iron glove. Also, recall that after Kike Hernandez left McKinstry started off very strong. Then he was injured. When he came back he was not quite right hitting and he made a couple of errors. At least one in the OF. That was the end for him as a Dodger.
So Roberts will need an attitude adjustment before Will Smith ever sets foot in the OF. That probably goes for Martinez, too.
So how about Smith and Martinez sharing DH and LF. Have Martinez in LF when you think there will be more balls to left. Put Smith there when you think left will not be as busy.
Sound idea. But I don’t want to see Martinez with a glove on.
Barnes and Feduccia work for me. Both Smith and Barnes can sit with Hunter between innings and help him learn the staff. If Smith can swing a bat, we need him in there.
Hunter already knows May, Vesia, Gonsolin, Ferguson, Bruihl, Gonzalez, Grove, Jackson and Pepiot, having caught them in the minors.
the way I looked at it, if CT3 and Barnes are going to be absolutely horrible, I’d rather it be in April than in August.
One guy is near .100, and the other was at .035 before his last strike out. Law of averages says it CANNOT be this bad going forward, so they will wake up soon.
Vesia may be righting his ship!
#NoThanksToTheUmpire
Watching the Mets giants game. Ump there is missing several too. Should we just accept the fact that umps, without the advantage of what we have are not as good at calling balls and strikes as we are?
Yup, this problem must be fixed PRONTO.
Betts coming out of his Nikes , Terrible at bat
Do we still need a third baseman? The guy we have can’t hit singles!
Mad Max picking us up
Outman says , anything you can do I can do better I can do anything better than you
He can’t hit doubles either.
Forget about ROY. How about MVP? Mark you were right about this kid. He is maybe the fourth or fifth best OFer in baseball
I hope he is… he is looking the part, but to say that after 22 games is less than sane.
The guys love to give you,Mark , a hard time about Outman.But I have seen Mark pick out a player that he sees a edge in.Mark will mention him on here and sure enough the guy is a player.I think Mark You would enjoy and be a good scout.You do a great job with the blog.I know it is hard steady work.I had softball paper for 2 years and I loved it.
I think it’s time to permanently let Outman lead off and just leave him there
Wow!
Barnes? Where’s hunter? Outman! Muncy!
hey guys what do you are sad about Billinger’s gone if we have Outman? Younger and Cheaper
Left to right, Outman, Bellinger Betts looks good to me.
Outman makes one wonder, could pages be doing the same!
I doubt it. Kid is in AA. I would wait to see how he handles pitching at AAA first. Outman is much older.
Not bad for the fourth or fifth OF, lol !!!
What a huge psychological come back this was for the team
Seagulls said this game was over.Kudos to Shelby Miller.
Wifey,just said I don’t know who is happier me or you L0L
There is NO WAY that Muncy and Outman should be separated in the lineup. Outman beplaced in the 4th position even if it does mean three LHB in a row. Yes I known there will be slumps but UNTIL THAT TIME……………….
If you don’t need to stagger L/R then why would you do it?
On a cold day in Chicago, after a dismal game yesterday, who would step up? A rookie and Max.
The Dodgers have trouble against lefties and Thompson and Martinez are supposed to be the answer and they are failing.
SS Betts
1B Freeman
3B Smith or DH for now
CF Outman
DH Muncy or 3B for now
RF Pages
C Feduccia
2B Vargas
LF Busch
Thompson has reverse splits – always has. No one expects him to hit LHP. He does better against RHP.
JDM is another story. He generally kills LHP, but this year he is hitting .185. Let me clue you in to what is really happening.
1. His strikeout rate is the same LH or RH
2. He has hit .310 against RHP ( .994 OPS) For his career it is .282
3. His BA against LHP is .087 (.316 OPS) For his career it is .303
4. His BAbip vs. RHP is .417 – meaning he has been very lucky.
5. His BAbip vs. LHP is .125 – meaning he has been extremely, very, absolutely, terribly unlucky.
6. He only has 27 PA against LHP so it is a small sampling that will change.
Not playing him against LHP is throwing triplets out with the bathwater and not smart!
In all of MLB, with players who have over 75 AB’s JDM is 22nd in Exit Velocity!
It probably has to do with the small sampling 23 ABs against LHP!
Has JDM always had such an awful strikeout-to-walk ratio?
Consider the contrast between JDM and Max. Their BAs are similar, with Max at .254 and JDM at .250.
But so far this season JDM has gone down on strikes 28 times, and walked only 6 times. Max, in contrast, has struck out 27 times–but he has walked 18 times.
He’s been a far more disciplined hitter, while JDM has chased pitches well out of the zone.
So while their BAs are close, Max’s OBP is at .419 and JDM’s is only .309.
JDM has had his moments with his bat, but I think we expected a bit better. If he could play a little LF to let Smith DH, that would be nice. But it now seems that Mookie is more likely to start at SS than for Martinez to play a little outfield. Strange.
Fun fact: The huge games today from Outman and Muncy have lifted them to the 2-3 position in OPS in the full MLB. Outman is a 1.121 and Maximum Max is at 1.120. They trail only the Phils’ out-of-his-mind Brandon Marsh, who is far surpassing his previous performance with the Angels. The Phils traded for Marsh, mostly to get his excellent glove, during their successful playoff run last season.
Do not forget that in April, of last year, Bellinger was Player of the Week, what he is doing today he also did in April 2022 !!!
Great bounce back win after Friday’s dreadful performance!
Outman is on fire and has earned his starting/starring role. Muncy has been great also. Hopefully, the Dodgers can put together back to back wins tomorrow with Kershaw pitching.
Need to hang in there until Will Smith comes back.
Don’t know what the total wins will be at season’s end, but Dodgers will outscore the NL west.
I agree…..what a great game after yesterday’s stinker.
I also agree…..Outman should now be an everyday player. At least we should give him a long look against LHP much like we have done with Cody and Gavin. Oh, and for the record, I am okay with the Outman for Cody switch.
Marvelous Max has righted the ship so I guess we can all breathe easier about his bat and his play at 3B.
What was concerning was that Cubs lefty who came in a struck out two good lefties in Freddie and Max. If you put Outman and Hayward in there, that could be 4 lefties in a row. Teams may go out of their way to play their LH starters against us if teams are seeing success with this.
Anyhow, I’m going to enjoy the win and now focus of the Toronto Maple Leafs beating the dreaded Tampa Bay whatever they are called.
TM
So many people want Busch in the lineup when if he was that good he wouldn’t be down in OKC he be up in the majors. Williams was doing better at OKC then Busch and he is here now and yet everyone keep saying Busch and Vargas in the infield I like Williams a lot better the Rojas and Taylor.
Oh, if it were only that simple.
Just see who has the best BA at AAA and call them up.
Hilarious!
Outman has become an everyday player.
With Outman locked into an OF spot and JDM locked in at DH, it becomes harder for Heyward, Peralta and Trayce to get their share of ABs. Putting Mookie at 2B creates an opportunity for them but takes away some of Vargas’s proverbial “runway.”
Outman, it seems, didn’t really need a runway. Just a launching pad.
Mark, if you insist on mocking some people for their opinions–such as sarcastically calling Bradley’s comment “hilarious”– you should expect to be mocked in turn.
Now that he’s on an all-star pace, has Outman graduated past 4th or 5th outfielder status? Do you still think Pages, Ramos, Busch and DeLucia are better prospects?
Hilarious, right?
In other news, the LAT’s Jack Harris had a piece about the possibility of Mookie at SS. He points out that it could affect the front office’s shopping list at midseason–and that quality outfielders are cheaper than quality shortstops. Mookie-at-SS could also make it easier for guys like Busch or Pages to be summoned to the big club.
Right now, I think the Dodgers’ biggest need an ace-quality starter. I like the guy in Anaheim.
Bradley
I like to see at least .280/.370/.580/.950 with a large enough sample from a prospect in AAA before bringing him up.
Last year Busch had .266/.343/.480/.823 in AAA. Far from what I like to see mostly in SLG.
This year so far Busch has .338/.467/.514/.981 in AAA. 3 of his numbers are there, but his SLG is again far from what I like to see and I like a larger sample.
There’s only 3 positions with guys that are doing bad so far. SS, LF, 2B, Busch I believe can’t handle SS. So if LF and/or 2B are still doing bad when/if Busch crosses my .280/.370/.580/.950 threshold with a large enough sample I’d bring him up.
The powers that be have their own criteria though.
Unfortunately, if someone used that method, many players would not make the Show….
Check this out:
Stats, OPS included only tell part of the story (a small part). That’s why scouts and other talent evaluators are so important.
Yeah I know. But didn’t almost all of those teams suck when those guys were brought up? The Dodgers are a contending team. I didn’t mean if you don’t put up my numbers you aren’t going to do good in MLB. Busch would already be on a non contending MLB team.
Actually, most of the teams were varying levels of good to very good.
Busch started a little slow in spring training. About the time Roberts told him he was going to the minors he smashed a few. I’m hoping to see him this year. I think they started getting him some time at third. It looks like the third base problem solved itself.
It’s a fiesta of over-reactions and self-import on this board.
I know a lot of people who post are retired and have time on their hands, but it’s very tiring at times.
My opinion only
Hey Bluto.
I know it can feel that way at times. Best advice I have is to enjoy the season and not take things personally.
No one has a clue how this team or season will play out. So just enjoy the ride.
Yesterdays 0-13 debacle is today’s 9-4 thrill ride. That my friend is the beauty of sports and especially baseball.
Enjoy each game, one at a time.
PS Make sure to get your Max Muncy Home Run App at the google play store. Just grab the app whenever the Dodger’s need a boost and magically Max hit’s a home run. Works every time.
I’m not sweating the players, team or season. It’s the posts.
I love the season, love the team and don’t sweat the losses.
My son Erik is a huge Cubs fan. So I decided I needed to create a gift for him. So I invented The Max Muncy app . Any time we need a home run we just grab the app, do a little magic and it’s a Max Home run. It was amazing how well the app worked today that I decided to create the James Outman app as well.
Not to be out done I also suggested that instead of flying the W like the Cubs did yesterday they should now be flying the L today.
If I remember right the Dodger’s scored 17 runs against the Twins on a Friday night in the Twin Cities about 5-6 years ago. The Twins then won the next two games. So whether the score is 0-13 or 17-2 it is just one game. Forget about it and move along to the game.
Go Dodger’s!
I don’t think with the talent on this team that they are a .500 ball club. They are also not a 111 win team either.
Looking up and down the lineup, Betts is performing below his normal standards, maybe it was concern about his wife being pregnant who knows.
Freddy has had 2 streaks of being hitless in 3 straight games. He only did that once last year in October. Is he worried about his buddy Heyward struggling and letting it affect his own performance.
Smith was carrying the team until his concussion. Is it going to be severe enough to end his catching career.
Muncy was struggling but seems to have figured it out and crushing the ball.
Martinez started slowly and continues to baffle me one game he looks like he’s got figured out the next he looks lost at the plate.
Outman has been a revelation I was worried about his strike rates but I’m a believer. I don’t think even Eric thought he was going to be this good.
Vargas has been struggling due to injuries. I also saw he was working on his pull power numbers. He talked to his dad and was told he would mature into his power and to just hit the way he always has. We’ll see if makes a difference. I’m concerned about he strike outs he’s supposed to be a contact hitter.
The rest of the team Peralta, Thompson, Heyward, Taylor, Williams, Barnes, Rojas and Wynn at this point can be put in a hat and pick names to finish out the lineup.
I would like to see Feduccia get a shot instead of Wynn but I don’t think he will.
I think the rotation will work itself out once it’s healthy but I’m concerned about Urias and his drop in velocity. There are enough arms on the injury list the bullpen should shake itself out and be pretty solid.
If they can find away to start firing on all cylinders they should be fine maybe Max and Outman. Can lead the way.
If was making out the lineup I think I would go with
Outman CF should see plenty of fastballs
Betts RF
Freeman 1B
Smith LF DH
Muncy 3B
Martinez DH LF
Vargas 2B
Feduccia Barnes C
Williams SS
Bench Peralta Barnes Rojas Taylor
The first 7 should be able to carry the last 2. Heyward and Thompson would get walking papers. Taylor Rojas and Peralta can pinch hit and give guys day off like they should be doing and not counted on to be every day players. Feduccia catches 4 to 5 games a week Barnes 1 or 2.
Let the flame fest begin.
For the record when Austin Barnes catches I would like to see our pitcher hit and Barnes sit. Don’t even know if that is even allowed under today’s rules.
At the very least I would have him bunting runners over.
I really, really hope Will Smith gets healthy and Dodger management does what is best for him long term.
Lastly I hope warmer weather helps our team get healthy and stay healthy. Seems like we have had more than our share of injuries this first month.
Outman should be in the lineup until he proves he should not be in the lineup. Smith’s concussion was because he was hit several times in the mask because of foul balls in San Francisco. Maybe it is time for a position change for Will. But in reality the only open spot is left field. Muncy is getting better every game over there. Freddie is holding down first. Vargas is putting his stamp on second base. You move Will to left, move Mookie to SS, where I think he would be fine, and have a platoon in right.
I agree Mookie should be fine at short me personally I would prefer they moved him there next year for a year or two. That way he works on it a little now and he gets all of spring to acclimate himself to being there everyday.
If they have to upgrade what we have now maybe look at Edman of the Cards or Jorge Mateo of Baltimore both are good defensively and have a little speed for the bottom of the order. That’s why i would play Williams ahead of Taylor and Rojas.
Second-half fantasy lineup.
Mookie SS (Because he can)
Freddie 1B (Because he’s Freddiie)
Smith C (Fingers crossed–he’ll be fine)
Ohtani DH (yeah, baby!)
Max 38 (to the max, en route to HR title)
Outman CF (en route to ROY)
Vargas 2B
Heyward/ Trayce RF (platoon)
Peralta/Taylor LF (platoon)
Bench: Barnes, Rojas, JDM (DH platoon?)
The fantasy lineup thinks the R-L-R-L rhythm is overrated, but it would be juggled a bit depending on platoons, and it assumes that Vargas will start delivering on his promise. I’d still rather have an extra UT guy than Peralta or Trayce or JDM, but we’ll just assume for now Ohtani is the only addition.
It will take 4-6 quality prospects to land Ohtani if he is on the market, but the Dodgers can afford it. The commitment will help perssade him to sign a fat but not unfair long-term contract because (a) he wants to play for a winner always in the WS hunt, (b) he likes living in Southern California and (c) he has always admired the Dodgers, with its history and mystique. Plus, he’ll like how Mookie, Freddie, Kersh and the gang welcome him with open arms. Yeah, I’m speculating a bit here…. but it all makes sense to me.
No way I give up 4-6 top prospects for Ohtani. If we can sign him on the free agent market, fine.
He will be on the wrong side of 30 next season and giving up 4-6 top prospects would hurt our depth badly.
I would rather go after that kid Sasaki as soon as he is available and keep our prospects.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!
Totally agree. No trade for Ohtani giving up prospects. Also Angels would NEVER trade with the Dodgers, The Mets are the favorite to sign Ohtani when he becomes a free agent. I’d rather spend my money in acquiring two or three free agents for the money Ohtani will sign for. AF went to Japan recently to scout younger Japanese players that will become available. Our real immediate need is a star studded shortstop who can hit and field. Taylor, Rojas and Williams are role players and not everyday shortstops. Use prospect capital in a trade to acquire one.
Tyler Anderson’s ERA with the Angels 7.20.
Please tell me today isn’t muncy and outmans scheduled day off! I would love Tim Anderson at shortstop! When lux comes back next year he stays at second, with Vargas shifting to 3rd, and max to Dh. Maybe Busch and 2 other prospects get it done. Why wait? White Sox ain’t going nowhere!