Ever have a player from another team that you wished was a Dodger? I have. Some ended up playing a year or two in LA. Some never did. But the list is fairly long going back to when the Dodgers first came to LA.
Willie Mays: Willie was simply the best player I ever saw play the game. He could do it all, and he made it look so easy. And he was pretty good against the Dodgers. But I cannot remember ever seeing him make a mistake. He probably did, but I don’t remember it. He was respected and he was one of those guys who would just come to beat you. Sad that he never got to play more games in the World Series.
Willie was and has always been a class act. He was the one who played peacemaker when Marichal attacked Roseboro. He was the Sey-Hey Kid. I marveled at his basket catches and his speed on the basepaths. I also was taken by the way it seemed that he just glided after fly balls. He was just one of those players who you could not take your eyes off of.
Eddie Mathews: One of the better third basemen to ever play the game, and next to Mike Schmidt, the best power hitter. He and Aaron formed a deadly combination. He finished his career with 512 long balls. 493 of those came as a Brave. Exactly the same number as Lou Gehrig hit for the Yankees. Though no Brooks Robinson with the glove, he was more than adequate.
Roberto Clemente: Sad part of this is that if the Dodgers had been a little smarter, he would have been a career, Dodger. Losing him in the rule 5 draft has to be one of the more humiliating mistakes in Dodger history. They tried to hide him in the minors and paid the price.
Roberto was one of those guys you just could not take your eyes off of when he was involved in the play. Whether at bat, or fielding a ball, he was so much fun to watch. He was overshadowed by the stars of Mays and Aaron, but he was probably one of the best right fielders the game has ever seen. And he had a cannon for an arm. There is a push to retire #21 across the league in his memory. He was the first really great Latin player in the majors. I was in Germany when he died on his mercy flight.
Hank Aaron: Hammering Hank. Every move he made on a ballfield looked graceful. He was slightly built, but most of his power came from his wrists. He was lightning quick to the ball and it would jump off of his bat. I saw him hit a homer over the center field fence at the coliseum that I swear never got more than 15 feet in the air. He just was not one of those guys hitting majestic arcing homers. His were cannon shots.
He and Eddie Mathews combined to be the second-best home run hitting duo in major league history. Only Ruth and Gehrig combined for more during their time as teammates. Hank Aaron was not flashy, he just went out and beat you. 755 career homers. Second only to Barry Bonds, and one of only four players to reach those lofty heights. Bonds, Aaron, Ruth and Albert Pujols.
Johnny Bench: I hated the Big Red Machine. I sincerely despised those guys. But I respected the talent many of them had, and Bench was one of them. He was the best catcher of his era. Oh, there were some other good ones, but Bench combined a great bat with superior defense. He was an All-Star 13 times and won 2 MVP awards. He moved to 3rd base later in his career. He also played 1st base and a little outfield.
He won 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards. And how many times has a rookie catcher won a Gold Glove? He also won ROY that year. Bench would finish with 389 homers. He was just one of those guys you had to admire. He hit .255 against the Dodgers with 31 homers and 131 driven in.
Bob Gibson: I was just plain scared of Gibby. He was as intimidating a pitcher as I ever saw throw a baseball. Randy Johnson was that way too, but Gibson, well, he was just plain mean. He came to stuff the ball down your throat. But if you can believe this, the Dodgers actually had the highest BA against Gibson .249, and they beat him 23 times to his 17 wins. He shut the Dodgers out just 3 times. By comparison, he shut out the Cubs 11 times.
He broke Sandy’s World Series K record against the Tigers in game 1 in the 68 Series. He had a 1.12 ERA that year. Definitely the year of the pitcher. McLain won 31 for Detroit that year. The last pitcher to do that. He wasn’t a bad hitter either socking 24 homers and driving in 144 in his career.
There were others. Juan Marichal, Willie Stargell, guys we saw most of the time. I had a great respect and a huge dislike of all things Yankees. But guys like Mantle, Berra, Ford, those guys who went out and just beat you commanded your respect. Ken Boyer, a solid third baseman for the Cardinals comes to mind. He always played well against the Dodgers and for two years was a Dodger.
Dave Parker when he was with the Pirates seemed like he would run over everyone on the bases. He was a monster. Willie McCovey, who owned Big D. I really respected Pete Rose as a player. He played about as hard as I have ever seen anyone play the game. And all Pete wanted to do was beat you. Yes, for his career he belongs in the Hall. But Pete screwed that up himself. I am sure there are more, and somewhere down the road I will probably include more current players. But these guys, well they just commanded respect.
I actually forgot a guy I should have mentioned. As much as Maury Wills did to revolutionize the game with his speed, Lou Brock took it one step further. Lou was one of the most fun players to watch on the field.
That’s an excellent list.
When I was a kid, my favorites were Sandy, Maury and Willie. It didn’t matter that Willie played for our arch-rival. He transcended rivalries. My expanded ist would also salute Willie McCovey because he just looked so cool. And Harmon Killebrew, who had the perfect name for a slugger–and stance for a logo.
Perhaps someday, I’ll add Jahmai Jones to the list.
Yeah, it still bugs me that the Dodgers didn’t give Jones a shot. On one report I read, it was explained that the Dodgers wanted to “go with the youngsters Vargas, Busch and Yonny Hernandez.” Um, Jones is 25, just like Busch and Yonny. And he bats righty! The Dodgers needed that–it’s one reason DeLuca got called up. (DeLuca is 24.) It also bugs me that Feduccia hasn’t gotten a chance–but at least I can understand why Barnes, a slumping institution, is blocking him. Jones was effectively blocked by Vargas, Busch, Hernandez and DeLuca–and he might well turn out to be the best of the bunch.
Again, it looked like Jones might profile as a classic Dodger late-bloomer rehab project, like Muncy and Justin Turner.
Perhaps there’s more to the story. If Jones succeeds with the Brewers–and given athletic ability and OKC performance, he might–I hope some baseball writer does a deeper dive into how the Dodgers let him slip away with zero in return.
Solid 4 innings from Grove yesterday. Badly needed . For him and the team.
Orel yesterday hinted on what I said in a post too: Hudson helps the team shorten a game even if the starter can not give you 6-7 innings. He slipped right in there and takes down high leverage situations, enabling Ferguson and Graterol deployed earlier.
That is why a bona fide closer would help on multiple aspects .
I am all for going after the Pitt closer Bednar. Relatively young, sign longterm and cheap. Would not only help now but in the future as well.
Get to work, AF! And while you at it maybe the pirates expand the deal a bit for old friend Hill to eat some innings until Clayton, May and Buehler hopefully get back.
Vargas is painful to watch at the dish these days. Just can not catch up to a fastball, swinging at balls and looking at strikes.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Agree with the Vargas comment. Now hitting .197 and offers little in the offensive game plan, similar to Barnes. At the deadline if AF swings a trade for an OF with some offensive “pop” I can see the Dodgers making Betts the every day 2B for the balance of the season and letting Vargas watch a bit more, get an occasional Sunday start or a pinch hit opportunity but he cannot be in the line-up as the starting 2B every day. He’s completely lost at the plate, even his body language looks defeated after each AB.
I think Vargas needs a break like Lux did in 2021 when he was sent back to OKC for 17 games. He re-established his confidence and returned to the Dodgers to finish 2021 strong which he continued in 2022…
Good comparison on the Lux 2021 thing. And you’re right, it did help Lux.
I did not expect to wake up and see a victory this morning. Very pleased though. I thought for sure the pitching matchup favored those guys that we would lose another 8-7 game. But looky here….Grove pitched 4 great innings allowing only one run. THANK YOU LORD!
And my man, Marvelous Max gets two hits, including a HR. “That’s the way, ah, huh, ah huh, I like it, ah huh, ah huh!”
The bullpen all of a sudden looks better with the addition of Hudson. Fergy has been pitching lights out, Phillips is still butter, and Grat, even though frustrating, has still been pretty solid overall.
I wasn’t going to go here- why spoil the good times- but is there a reason why Busch can’t replace Vargas at 2B or even Mookie on 2B and insert DeLuca or Outman? It’s so painful to see him struggling. I bet even he doesn’t enjoy being out there looking this bad. His confidence has to be very low. Maybe AAA is what he needs to regroup. I know, I know, “progress isn’t just linear…”
Outman has never played the infield. He is strictly an outfielder. Busch hits lefty, and Vargas kind of even’s out the lineup. He is struggling that is for sure.
Busch could replace Vargas at 2B, but the sad fact is he hasn’t hit well at the ML level too.
Certainly Mookie can and has replaced Vargas at 2B sometimes. AF might trade for a righty hitting outfielder with this fact in mind.
Mike Trout hurt his wrist on a swing yesterday and came out of the game. Maybe it’s minor. Anyway, it puts a damper on one of my trade schemes: Dodgers get Hunter Renfro from Angels for some prospects. Mickey Moniak’s breakthrough could inspire the Angels to deal.
This is highly unlikely with the Angels competing for a wild card spot, but Renfro is a solid, power-hitting veteran with a great arm for RF. He could free Mookie to play SS or 2B as the situation required.
Anyway, don’t be surprised if the Dodgers bring in outfielder because Mookie has proven to be so versatile.
I
Good for Max getting a couple of knocks, including an HR. He can be counted on to get almost 20 hits for every 100 official at bats.
His homers which raise his OPS to almost .800 keep him in the line up. Just imagine how much more he would help us if he struck out less and took fewer pitches and got a few more hits. I’m not a fan of 3 outcome guys.
Hey Bear, another great article…..but what about Mickey Mantle? Imagine what he could have become without injury or alcohol….
I respected all of the Yankees. Mantle was a monster, but to tell the truth, the only times I would see Mickey was in the World Series or when the game of the week was on. Different times. Can you imagine how much air time Mantle would get in this day and age with all the streaming of baseball games. Another guy I really respected was Yogi. He might have been a joke to some people, but three MVP awards, a gold glove catcher and a lot smarter about baseball than most gave him credit for. Yogi was fun to watch.
You can move guys all over the field, but no matter where you put a .200 hitter he’s still a .200 hitter! Awhile back someone suggested using Barnes at 2nd base,why? He’s still awful at the plate! I was wrong on Vargas, I thought he would end up around.260, but it looks more like.160 now! Maybe a trip down is necessary. His confidence at the plate couldn’t be hurt much more. This team needs some help. A starter& a big right handed bat. And maybe Muncy finally hits over 200. He ain’t going nowhere. If you have noticed every time he strikes out, he goes and stands beside doc, maybe he should look at some video with RsvOr maybe rsv is the problem !
Max’s OPS is up to .790, which is way above average. The OPS is best measure for a batter’s production, because it reflects both walks and total bases. Batting average is just about hits, so it misses a lot of the game.
Some of Max’s critics seem to forget how in the first part of the season he and Outman were carrying the offense while others struggled. Max actually lead the league in HRs before his slump and injury. While JDM is a better hitter, Max actually gets on base more because Martinez loves to hack.
Duke – You, Max’s .790 is way above average, which is 720 to .780.
Below .600 is very poor
Below .700 is poor
.800 is above average
.900 is an All-Star season
1.000 is an MVP caliber season
I personally look at OPS but I am not a huge fan of the stat. The criticism of OPS is excessive value on extra base hits and undervalue of on-base %. Perhaps the more important reason not to use OPS is that it treats OBP and SLG the same and gives “extra credit” to players who hit for power.
I’ve put together a list to illustrate what I mean. You can see that I used career stats. I took the liberty to stick Max in there with his 2023 stats. You can see that he fits just below Joey Gallo and ahead of Ripkin, Rose and Ichiro. That pretty much says all I need to know about the value of OPS.
Name / Career Batting Average / Career OPS / Career Home Runs
Ruth .342 1.161 714
Williams .344 1.116 521
Bonds .298 1.051 762
Mantle .298 .977 536
DiMaggio .325 .977 361
Cobb .366 .944 117
Mays .301 .940 660
Gwynn .338 .847 135
Berra .285 .830 358
Rod Carew .328 .822 92
Joey Gallo .198 .793 188
Max Muncy in 2023 .195 .790 19
Cal Ripken .276 .788 421
Rose .303 .784 160
Ichiro .311 .757 117
Thx Bear. Loved Eddie Matthew’s. Hometown boy from Santa Barbara. With the emergence of Heyward and Peralta (nice call Mark) it’s getting pretty tough to give Vargas (oops call Mark) any AB’s against RH pitchers. Can’t just leave him languishing on the bench. AF has to send him back to OKC and reset.
Anytime. Mathews was something to see when he really got ahold of one. I copied Snider’s stance when I played, but Mathews would have been my next choice.
I have always said that progress is not linear.
I think that soon, if Vargas does not hit, they will send him back and call up Busch. Like this week!
Regression may be linear.
Jim Edmonds
DODGERS RECALL MICHAEL GROVE & GAVIN STONE
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Dodgers recalled right-handed pitchers Michael Grove and Gavin Stone, optioned left-handed pitcher Victor González and placed left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder soreness, backdated to June 30.
Grove, 26, will make the start tonight against the Pirates and he is 0-2 with a 7.54 ERA (31 ER/37.0 IP) and 34 strikeouts this season with the Boys in Blue. He has been with the Dodgers two seasons, and he is a combined 1-2 with a 6.24 ERA (46 ER/66.1 IP) and 58 strikeouts. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft out of West Virginia University.
Stone, 24, returns for his second stint with the Dodgers. He made three starts for the Dodgers, allowing 16 runs in 10.0 innings with five strikeouts. With Triple-A Oklahoma City, he is 2-4 with a 6.71 ERA (40 ER/53.2 IP) and 64 strikeouts against 30 walks in 12 starts. Last season, he was named the 2022 Dodgers Branch Rickey Pitcher of the Year after going a combined 9-6 with a 1.48 ERA (20 ER/121.2 IP) and 168 strikeouts between High-A Great Lakes, Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. The Arkansas native has been in the Dodger system since being drafted in the 5th round of the 2020 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Central Arkansas and he is a combined 13-12 with a 3.31 ERA (98 ER/266.1 IP) and 370 strikeouts.
Kershaw, 35, heads to the injured for the first time this season and he is 10-4 in 16 starts and holds an ERA of 2.55 (27 ER/95.1 IP) with 105 strikeouts against 24 walks on the campaign. The Texas native was named to his second consecutive and 10th overall trip to the All-Star game last night, which is now tied with Pee Wee Reese for most appearances in franchise history. The lefty became the 74th player in Major League Baseball history with double digit nods to the All-Star Game and the ninth pitcher ever, joining Warren Spahn (17), Mariano Rivera (13), Tom Seaver (12), Roger Clemons (11), Steve Carlton (10), Whitey Ford (10), Randy Johnson (10) and Juan Marichal (10). In 16 seasons with Los Angeles, the left-hander has a record of 207-91 with an ERA of 2.48 (738 ER/2676.1 IP), 2,912 strikeouts and a 1.00 WHIP.
González, 27, appeared in 25 games (one start) for the Dodgers, allowing 14 runs in 23.1 innings with 22 strikeouts against seven walks. In three seasons with the Dodgers, he is a combined 8-4 with a 3.52 ERA (31 ER/79.1 IP) and 78 strikeouts against 28 walks in 84 games (three starts). The Mexico native was signed by the Dodgers on July 2, 2012 as an international free agent out of Tuxpan, Nayarit, Mexico.
I wonder what they will do with Stone…
Andre Jackson role, i believe
I would like to see that. I think he can be an asset out of the pen with just two pitches.
One I remember was Drysdale killer–Willie McCovey. I think once they showed at an Allstar game when McCovey was batting Drysdale was watching from the bullpen. Like maybe he was trying to learn something
To all the old folks on this board (which I think is everyone):
last night I went to the Hollywood Bowl to watch the Beach Boys; my first time ever seeing them and they were fantastic!
If you’re free tonight, they’re playing tonight as well, and it’s a really fun show!
Long trip for me. Saw them at Ft Huachuca back in the day
I first saw the Beach Boys in 1972 in Columbus, Ohio. The only original one touring this year is Mike Love. Dennis and Carl Wilson both died, and Brian Wilson (who was the genius behind them) walks the fine line between genius and insanity. If you think they are good now, you should have seen them when all the originals were there. Even Al Jardine, who is still alive, does not tour with them, but occasionally you will see Brian and Al together. Brian hates Mike Love (who is not lovable). This is one of the few concerts with all of them (Brian was in the throes of mental illness):
Mark, did you see them at the fairgrounds in Columbus?
It was indoors in some large ballroom. I can’t remember, but I also was them in Clowes Hall in Indy a year after, I think. It was a long time ago!
You probably saw them at the Veterans Memorial. They used to come to the Ohio State Fair. That is where I saw them. Yes, a long time ago. Good memories.
I’m going to once again get on the Dave Roberts band wagon. Today, the team has the 7th best record in baseball, the 4th best record in the NL, are a wild card team, and only 2 1/2 games out in the division lead. This in spite of being decimated with injuries and playing rookies all over the field. Most teams would take this, but not a bunch of spoiled Dodger fans.
And yet many of you want to fire the Manager. Dodgerram wants Joe Madden. All Madden brings to the table is a .532 winning percentage as a Manager, or roughly 10 wins out of every 100 games less than Roberts. Oh yeah, let’s combine that with a .478 winning percentage in the post season across 8 trips. 2 pennants and 1 WS win, all numbers worse than Roberts. A couple of years ago lots of you were calling for the Dodgers to hire Bob Melvin. He doesn’t look so good now. Both Maddon & Melvin are/were good Managers but all you want to do is change for change’s sake.
The Dodgers over their last 70 year history have had a philosophy of consistency in the guy leading the team on the field. Walter Alston was Manager of 23 years and Tommy for 21 years. That consistency of leadership has led to unprecedented success and didn’t give in to the temptation to give in to making long term decisions based on short term information.
All I’ve heard in the past is anyone could be successful with the roster Roberts had. The record of this year absolutely refutes that argument. I honestly don’t know what it would take to make some of you happy but I, for one (although admittedly frustrated at times) am thrilled to be rooting for this team, this front office, and this Manager.
100% agree with you Jayb, no one had ever expressed it so concise and resounding in their comment.
And last night was win # 700 for Roberts led teams.
Thanks for the great article Bear.
Good to see the Dodgers get a win. Grove pitched through a lot of traffic but managed to hold them to one run in four innings. And the bullpen looks much better with Hudson healthy. With Kershaw on the IL, now the top seven starters at the beginning of the year have all been injured, and Buehler was already injured coming in. It is tough to overcome so many injuries to your starting pitching, but the Dodgers are hanging in there.
Peralta has been great the last two months and along with Heyward they are two great additions by Friedman this offseason. The lineup last night was pretty solid, especially the top seven hitters: Betts, Freeman, Smith, Muncy, JDM, Peralta, Heyward. The 8 and 9 holes just need help along with RH hitting. Between Vargas, Rojas, Outman, Taylor, and Deluca it would be nice to find two more consistent bats. I was surprised to see the Dodgers lose Jahmai Jones this week from OKC. He is a 25 yr old RHB who can play 2B and OF who was hitting 293 with 970 OPS in OKC. After opting out with LAD, the Brewers picked him up and put him on their MLB roster. In his first game yesterday, he hit a 3 run double to help win the game for the Brewers.
Happy Independence Day and thanks to our Founding fathers for creating a great country and sacrificing for future generations!
The Founding Fathers may have been more ambitious than righteous. Most of them were already rich land owners prior to the Declaration & the War but expelling the Brits meant no taxes to King George and confiscation of the lands owned by the English Gentry. With the Brits gone the Fathers (which were basically an American Aristocracy of wealth and education) could now make the rules, which allowed them more “freedom” to expand their interests. Washington (The “Father” of our country) owned over 200 slaves and nearly “half of Virginia.” (The cherry tree story is apocryphal and sounds like something Timmons would write). Non landing Americans were encouraged to to go to Kentucky or Ohio and take land from the Indians. Tom Paine, the rebel rouser who got the common man to support the Fathers Agenda (Land Grabs ?) and fight in the War was dismissed after the war for being too liberal. He sourned materialism. And of course Jefferson’s line about “all men are created equal” has been exposed many times for its exclusivity and marginalizations. It was a calculated lie. My take. There was only one extraordinary Founding Father; Thomas Jefferson. More than any one American he created the American Ideology. He “visioned” America and set the higher standards. Years later JFK alluded to Jefferson as a man of unequalled intelligence and noble intentions. He had many faults of course, the majority which were consistent with the time period. The Louisiana Purchase was perhaps the biggest Land Grab of all. Happy Fourth.
It’s a compulsion that you can’t control… isn’t it Original Dodgerman?
Now 3 players I never wanted to don dodger blue. Barry Bonds, A-Rod and Sammy sosa! Although I’ll admit the first two are natural hall of fame players. The word natural * being stressed. I would have taken sa break from baseball if any of those 3 had been a dodger ! I wonder if bonds doesn’t like tv or no one will give him a job because of his sparkling personality. AssRod, I puke when I see him! And soda ain’t worth mentioning. McGuire could also be added to that list ! Good win last night, but sure would be nice to have 9 productive players in starting lineup
I always never wanted to see Juan Marichal in a Dodger uni. But he was with them for a very short time.
Happy 4th to everyone and your families. Happy Birthday America.
Who’s noticed what our 4 veteran reclamation projects are doing? Peralta looks like the Freight Train again, hitting.290, Heyward .257, JDM .255 and even Rojas with a respectable .236 considering his glove. Now if we could get those rookies going.
I’m now in the camp that wants to see Vargas make a visit to OKC for a reboot. He’s under the Uecker Line now and has no confidence at the plate. Back in my day, he would have been fined for taking the fastball strike 3 in the bottom on the 2nd in the middle of a rally. Swing the frickin bat, kid. I don’t think they fine guys anymore for stuff like that. Maybe they should.
Grove needs to like his fastball more and Will needs to stop calling all the breaking balls that gets him behind in so many counts. Causes way too many 20 pitch innings.
Yeah, send Vargas to OKC and bring up Jahmai Jones!
Oh, wait…
Yes, we want the other teams to have those 20-30 pitch innings. That’s something else a patient hitter like Muncy brings. When he’s on his game, he tends to see a lot of pitches, which helps his team in ways that are hard to quantify.
Duke, I know you are a Muncy fan. I slipped in some stats I put together on the subject of Max at the very start of today’s posts. Please scroll up to the beginning as to not miss my thoughts. Thanks
Mike Trout has a broken hand. 6 to 8 weeks. Angels have been on a bad run with Trout.
Let the Ohtani trade rumors begin, once again.
Oh man… Much worse than I had thought it would be. Swung so hard he broke his hand?!?!?
That really sucks.
But I think the Angels are too close to the wild card to deal Ohtani, especially after all of Moreno’s statements. If they were clearly out of contention, that might be different.
Sure, bring on the rumors.
One might turn out to be true.
They are 3 back from the last wild card spot. If they are more than 8 games back at the deadline, they’d have to have eaten lead paint as kids to not get something for Ohtani.
But you’re probably right. They’ll likely miss the playoffs and let Ohtani walk. Because they are a garbage organization. And that’s the kind of thing they do.
Ohtani had to leave with a blister today.
Hi Mark, I’m wondering if my final post yesterday got through to you. The main point I wanted to make clear to you and you alone is that my critical attacks on you are because you treat your contributors like shit. I feel like your overwrought insensitivity deserves karmic retribution. The fact that you’re a hack writer and often times present fraudulent spin isn’t my concern but only works as a means to make fun of you. Yes, “The Book of Moron” (which appears to be your literary legacy) barely scratches the surface of your narcissism. Look up Simon Legree (a character in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”) for a more complete understanding of how I see you. You’re just a mean SOB who thinks he’s General Patton. That’s it. I’ve made my point. Happy 4th.
I wonder why they keep coming back since I am so horrible. There are several thousand readers and several hundred posters. We usually get over a 100 comments a day.
Why do you keep coming back? Why are you stalking me and spending so much time trying to discredit me?
OH, I know – it’s who you are! I could post your real name… but I won’t. However, I have kicked you off several boards where you have used a variety of monikers, including Original Dodgerman.
Your stalking and being so obsessed with me borders on severe mental illness. Seek help, OD! In our past dealings, you have proven to be a very troubled person. Again, I will say, “Get help!”
Simon, er Mark… Weak response and typically egotistical, low brow, cliched, and mostly inaccurate. I told you why I’m trying to discredit you. Because you’re a cold hearted prickly snob who thinks he’s privileged to treat people like shit. It’s that simple. What about that do you not understand? These “hit pieces” were intentionally directed to expose your lack of humanity. And I’m trying to rest my case. You’re not that interesting of a topic.
I’ve never used any other monikers and you know that. Compare the rhetoric for verification. But your M.O. rarely implements but a smattering of truth. You’re a shady guy when it suits you. Your defense mechanisms are comparatively well developed.
I think you need help too, which is why I keep suggesting you go to Bali, learn a few yoga postures and practice unconditional love and contrition. … Learn about humility. It’s like learning a new language. It would be nice to see you sincerely apologize to your readers for pissing all over them without a thought or a care about what you’re doing. That’s it. Breaking free. No more hit pieces. You can put your face back on Mt. Rushmore.
Um……
You do know, this is a blog about baseball? A sport. A kids game. A place where a bunch of old guys shoot the shit about things that, in the grand scheme of things, are really pretty meaningless. Baseball is a past time. Fans are hobbyists. Loving Dodger baseball is our hobby. Like people who collect glass figurines of cats. Only with much cooler related apparel and a far more interesting history. Mark, and those that comment here, have no bearing on geopolitical politics. Nuclear arms proliferation. Fiscal nor monetary policy. Hell, we don’t even have an impact if some pothole gets filled, somewhere.
So, when I hear things like “Karmic retribution” and advice relating to yoga poses in Bali that supposedly lead to “unconditional love” and references to characters from classic American literature; I just have one thing to say.
None of this means anything to anything. Other than a bunch of baseball nerds who enjoy spending time chewing the proverbial cud over something we all enjoy.
So let me be the first to say….fuck right back off to the rabbit hole from which you emerged. And what a sad and lonely hole it must be. Especially if it’s full of yoga poses and passionate discussions of Mark Twain characters. Jesus.
Hi Jayne, I love it. Thanks for playing chess. The thought of Mark becoming a Buddhist is intentionally meant to be absurd and rile him up. Suggesting unconditional love to him (which would imply equality) is a way to put gravel in his shoes. Apparently it put gravel in your shoes. I have no issues with you or anyone else on this site. I’ve enjoyed your commentary over the past few months. Take a shot at me any time you want. But my comments are not religious or promoting yoga, Buddhism or anything philosophical. Special language serves a purpose. Thank you.
“Playing chess” lol
Philip… I’ve met some really sad people in my life. People I really felt sorry for. Not homeless. Not alcoholics. Not drug addicts.
People without friends.
I will be hanging out with mine tomorrow. .
And I know, you will have something clever to say about this. You have command of the language. And you are well read. So I know you will have a comeback. That’s all you have.
Just know I have what you will never have.
I will be talking to friends tomorrow.
Mark, please block this bastard
Nah. I’d enjoy him hanging out a bit longer. 🙂
Thanks.
Patton was good to his troops and was beloved by them.
Hi Ohio, Patton was highly narcissistic but incredibly effective. His men would die for him. Mark is not good to his “troops” and hardly beloved by us. The narcissism is similar and Mark is effective in keeping the site together.
Patton was a tactical genius. His troops loved him because he was always out front. He did not lead from behind. But his nickname was well earned. “Old Blood and Guts” Our blood, his guts.
Mark,
There is something about you that brings out these wackos. This guy I think is the worst.
So, what does that say about me? And you? 😉
I don’t know what it says about anyone. But certainly the board would be better off without him. Lets talk Baseball
Hi David, that “something about him” and brings us “wackos” out is his inhumanity to other people and his arrogance about how he treats people.
Do you really want to defend Mark? There’s a significant loss of credibility if you become one of his disciples.
Somebody didn’t do their yoga this morning.
But thanks for pointing that out. Because I, for one, am greatly concerned with my credibility associated with the comment section on a baseball blog. Can that affect my credit score? Trigger an IRS audit?
I believe I have greatly underestimated the social/legal implications of participating here. Not to mention the Karmic implications.
Does this affect my standing, as an atheist? Because I don’t want this to impact my chances of not going to heaven. I really don’t like many of my dead relatives. Rather not see them again.
Thanks for setting us all straight!
Jayne,
You just never know when someone will pop up clarify life for you!!
My eyes are opened.
P R … You compare talking smack on the Internet to inhumanity?
I think he needs to check out some Philosophy sites and leave us alone
Hmm that manager in San Francisco Kapler he is doing pretty good. They bring up guys from the minors. And they produce. So, what is he doing differently then Roberts. Ohh yeah he came in second to being the Dodgers manager to Roberts. I think Kapler. Is better at in game decisions then Roberts is. And a better locker room guys then Roberts is.
As much as I hate Kapler I think he definitely knows how to motivate players.
That is why Kapler has never won a thing. He failed miserably in Pittsburgh, his division winning team was knocked out of the playoffs by…wait for it……Roberts Dodgers in 21, and last year they were one of the worst teams. His kids are playing well. Speaks for their skill, not his managing. And he has very little say as to who is on the roster. Front office makes those decisions.
It’s becoming quite clear each day Roberts post a line-up that Vargas is no longer the every day 2B with an occasional day off. He’s now the guy who gets the occasional start to spell Mookie, but Roberts probably won’t say as much.
He needs a trip to OKC to gain some confidence, regain his stroke and learn to go the other way rather than trying to pull many pitches on the outside corner.
Sitting on the bench isn’t going to help Vargas. If they aren’t going to start him 4-5 times a week, send him to OKC.
Mookie back at 2B today. With Rojas heating up a bit, and Vargas not, this might be the optimal lineup. When Taylor comes back, perhaps he could play SS or platoon with one of the outfielders.
1Betts 2B .268 22 56
2Freeman, F 1B .314 14 54
3Smith, W.D. C.275 12 41
4Muncy 3B .195 19 49
5Martinez DH .255 19 56
6Peralta LF.290 5 30
7Heyward RF .257 8 21
8Outman CF. 232 9 36
9Rojas, M SS .236 0 8
Smith is slumping some.
Better yet Duke, I will just post my earlier post again so you can check it out.
Max’s .790 is “way above average”, which is 720 to .780. Way above might be a stretch.
Below .600 is very poor
Below .700 is poor
.800 is above average
.900 is an All-Star season
1.000 is an MVP caliber season
I personally look at OPS but I am not a huge fan of the stat. The criticism of OPS is excessive value on extra base hits and undervalue of on-base %. Perhaps the more important reason not to use OPS is that it treats OBP and SLG the same and gives “extra credit” to players who hit for power.
I’ve put together a list to illustrate what I mean. You can see that I used career stats. I took the liberty to stick Max in there with his 2023 stats. You can see that he fits just below Joey Gallo and ahead of Ripkin, Rose and Ichiro. That pretty much says all I need to know about the value of OPS.
Name / Career Batting Average / Career OPS / Career Home Runs
Ruth .342 1.161 714
Williams .344 1.116 521
Bonds .298 1.051 762
Mantle .298 .977 536
DiMaggio .325 .977 361
Cobb .366 .944 117
Mays .301 .940 660
Gwynn .338 .847 135
Berra .285 .830 358
Carew .328 .822 92
Gallo .198 .793 188
Max Muncy in 2023 .195 .790 19
Ripken .276 .788 421
Rose .303 .784 160
Ichiro .311 .757 117
Another way to look at it; If you need a hit to drive in a run would you rather have Rojas or Muncy at bat. I’m sorry to say, but right now, I’d rather have Rojas
What is “average”?
One source says .750. Forty points above that strikes me a considerable. You cite a pretty broad range, of ,720 to . 780, so even if you take the high end then Max has been above average, if not “way.” (Why not call above .800 “good”? Just semantics, but the term fits better with “poor” and “all-star,” especially when several guys in the .800s are actually all stars.
Odd list of stat you cite. Along with all-time greats, you drop in Gallo’s numbers (career, apparently) with Max’s 2023 number. Remarkably similar in BA and OPS! Of course Max’s career numbers would be much better. I’m mostly surprised that Gallo’s numbers are that low.
Surely you remember how Max came on strong in the second half last season. And of course you remember his hot start this year. I don’t like how it looks like he’s gone from stout to stouter, but I see no reason to think he can’t get hot again. A lot of players are streaky.
As for preferring Rojas to drive in runs, that’s an interesting thought, because now Rojas is hot. I guess this scenario works if both were on the bench and you needed a pinch hitter–sort of like how Roberts chose Barnes over Gallo and Vargas to pinch-hit for Belli. But I doubt that you would rather have Rojas bat cleanup and Max bat 9th. I can see flipping JDM and Max based on pitcher match-up– and now maybe move up Heyward and Peralta given their recent success But Max is plainly better at getting on-base than Martinez is–his OBP is below .300– so Max at 4th gives JDM a better chance to drive in runs.
How would you draw up the lineup?
Oh, just looked it up: Max’s career BA is .228, with 163 HRs, an OBP of .352 and an OPS of .824. So yes, he is having a down year. It’s remarkable to me that his career OPS is a tick above Carew’s.
I don’t have enough information to draw up a line ups in today.’s game Line up construction is way different now days. Back in the day, lead off guys were pesky pepper-pot guys, with fat bat handles, who put it in play, steal bases and drag bunt, #2 guys advanced runners with bat control and bunted, #3 guys were the best athletes and best average hitters, #4 guys were power guys as were #5, 6-8 usually right- left – right , if possible and just guys and the 9 guy was usually a weaker hitter or a 2nd lead off type. Totally 100% different now days an I will let the computers and analysts do the line ups for me. I’m not qualified.
My total point about my OPS list was to show how power always boosts OPS and great hitters get dinged. That’s why I have put Max on the list. Go ahead a put up Max’s career numbers. The point is the same. Joey Gallo has a nice OPS. Do you think he is as valuable a hitter as Rose of Ichiro? Many guys like OPS, I’m not particularly one of them for the reason I’ve givenI think it is a misleading stat when it comes to player value. Feel free to disagree.
And it wasn’t me how made the Rojas comment. That was MushersPop
You made a good argument for your case Phil. Don’t know if any of you saw the pregame show with Dave Roberts. i’m paraphrasing here, but he said Max chases the slug, I value batting average. Sometimes you just need a base hit to drive in the run
Dave Roberts has done a great job. Joe Maddon won it all with the Cubs in 2016. That is it. His winning pct. is not as good as Roberts. As far as Kapler goes, he is still behind Roberts in my opinion. And, Kapler’s ego may eventually get in the way.
Vargas going down to AAA could be beneficial. It certainly helped Lux.
I would have loved to have Yogi, Clemente, and Brooks Robinson on my Dodger team, plus Seaver and/or Gibson. And, last but certainly not least the greatest ever, Mr. Henry Aaron.
And, one more thing: #19 is a number the Dodgers retired and justifiably so. Jim Gilliam defines the term baseball player. He really contributed to Maury Wills’ success. The Dodgers were considering moving Gilliam to a full time coaching position , however, when the race would heat up, Gilliam was inserted in the line-up, and always came through. For example, his great play at third base in the 1965 saved at the very least Sandy’s shutout. Gilliam may have been a manager if he had not passed away at a relatively young age. Rest in Peace. Happy July 4th. I know we all know the cost of freedoms we enjoy.
MickeyD –
You know your Dodger baseball like few others here do! IMO, Jim Gilliam is – next to Tommy Davis – the most iunderated LA Dodger – I have seen since 1958. But they are rarely mentioned on LADT.
The 2023 Dodger team could sure use a couple of all around ballplayers like them in their line-up these days. Plus, give me Maury Wills in the lineup stealing bases in 2023 – we have the multi-dimensional offense that is going to be required to win the World Series.
Tom, nice post. Gilliam’s bat to ball skills were amazing. He rarely struck out and could foul off pitches endlessly. Reminiscent of Richie Ashburn and Nelly Fox. Total team player who fit Allston’s management style to perfection.
Tommy Davis was a full on star; he hit for a high average and was an RBI machine, a total shark with men on base and I think the best clutch hitter the LA dodgers have had. A hitting force not unlike Mike Piazza. TD was in the conversation with the likes of Mays, McCovey, Aaron and Clemente for a couple of years. Rico Carty of the Braves was similar, but not quite the masher that Davis was. Short-lived of course with his career changing injury. I’d be interested to hear Bear’s take on TD. I’m sure he remembers him better than I do.
I remember Tommy well. Last pure Dodger to win a batting title and he did it two years in a row. Trea’s title does not count since he did the bulk of his work with DC. I met Tommy at the home I was living at in Highland Park. He came to the opening of our rec center with Norm and Larry Sherry. He gave me a 10-minute batting lesson. When he broke his ankle it was career altering but not career ending. The year after the injury he played in 100 games and hit .313. The exact same number as he had at bats. But he only hit 3 home runs and drove in 27. He was traded that offseason to the Mets with Derrell Griffith for Ron Hunt and Jim Hickman. Bad trade in my book. He had a bounce back year of sorts hitting .302 with 16 homers and 73 driven in. But the Mets traded him and three other players to the White Sox getting Tommy Agee and Al Weis. He then became a baseball vagabond. He was part of Bouton’s Ball Four Seattle Pilots. And he went on to play for Orioles, Cubs, A’s, Astros, Royals and Angels 10 teams in all. He spent parts of 10 seasons in the NL and 9 in the AL. He finished with a career .294 average and 2121 hits. Andre Ethier was pretty clutch too. In fact his nickname was Captain Clutch. He had six walk off hits one season, four of them homers.
Wrong. I mention Gilliam a lot and I did a story on him on this very site. It is in the archives. Maybe Mark can publish it again for those who really have no clue who Junior Gilliam was. One of his many contributions to Dodger wins was being replaced by Sandy Amoros in game 7 of the 55 series. Amoros made the game saving catch of Berra’s drive. Had Gilliam been out there in left where he started the game, he never would have caught that ball.
Ouch, nothing unexpected though.
Dodgers right-hander Dustin May will undergo surgery on his right elbow to repair the flexor tendon later this month, per a team announcement.
Bear: Tony Gwynn, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, any one would have looked good in blue.
Happy 4th of July
Yes they would have. We had a Brett, but it was the wrong Brett.
But still a pretty good Brett
Yeah, Ken was a good pitcher and a fair hitter himself.
Tough one for May! Another long rehab. Tough year of injuries for our Dodgers continues.
Dodgers make minor trade with the Mariners and get infielder Pat Valika.
Could someone please explain to me why Muncy is batting 4th and Peralta is hitting 6th? Muncy is 45-231 =.195 and Peralta is 58-200 =290 or to put it another way Peralta has 13 more hits in 31 less at bats. Peralta has been hot not Muncy. Why not just reverse the both of them??
Does it really make any difference where a player hits?
Wow! The vaunted Dodger rookie class continues to crash and burn!
Looks like another 4 inning or less start tonite. 37 pitch first inning
Okay someone suggested Hunter Renfro from the Angels why stop there get Escobar to they just got him from the Mets he can play second base or third base it be better then Vargas who needs to go back down and learn to hit. But who to trade for those two players it would help the Dodgers playoff chase. These two players you wanted realistic trades that could help.
Age might be a reason they would not want Escobar. He is 34, not hitting with the power he once showed. He is a decent fielder. I just doubt he has a second baseman’s range. He definitely does not have Muncy’s power anymore.
Rough day for the Angels and my October Freeway Series dreams…
First they get the bad news about Trout–breaking a bone on a swing!–and now the Padres manage to get to Ohtani. That Padre lineup is still damn potent and they could still make a big second half run.
I don’t expect Arte Moreno to deal Ohtani in the midst of an epic season and the team in the hunt for a wild card. But if Trout’s injury triggers a losing streak, the offers could start pouring in.
Typical Angels luck. While Ohtani is having perhaps his best season, Trout is having one of his worst–and then he breaks a bone by swinging his bat.
Ohtani left the game with a blister on his pitching hand.
So the Dodgers let Jahmai Jones slip away and have now replaced him with a minor trade to get Pat Valaika.
Remember, the Brewers gave the Dodgers zilch to get Jones, who they promptly paced on their major league roster.
“Valaika had been with Triple-A Tacoma and will join the Dodgers Triple-A team, hitting in the lineup tonight. He was slashing .240/.343/.405 with four home runs through 38 games for Tacoma this season. He also added in one stolen base this year.”
And so the Valaika Era begins!
So, knowing what we know now, did it seem like a smart move for the Dodgers to quickly anoint Miguel Vargas as at 2B? Perhaps going into Spring training, Roberts could called it a competition between Vargas, Busch, Jones and any other middle infielder.
Oh well.
Because Vargas was gonna be the ROY
So, I was wrong that he was going to be the ROY. What if I go back and look up your predictions, such as ““Our problem is that over half our roster stinks!” I could throw that back as well. Vargas is obviously not going to be the ROY, but my view of his future has not changed.
Well it has through the first half of the season! That wasn’t a prediction but a fact.
Quite a record for half the team stinking!
Roberts is a freaking genius.
Well, the Dodgers certainly did their part in hyping Vargas. I certainly expected more–and still do!–but I think Walker Buhler is wrong about that MVP stuff.
But after his dismal performance down the stretch in 2022, you’d think the Dodgers would have been more cautious. They were all-in on Vargas from the start.
But let’s recall how even after Vargas suffered a broken bone in spring training, he was still the chosen one. It was obvious there was no fair competition–no level playing field–and that was extra bizarre because Busch played 2B in OKC while Vargas mostly played 3B. And he, maybe Jones had a chance to be the next JT! Go figure.
Would it have been unfair for an injured Vargas to compete with Busch, Jones and Yonny? Sort of. But life’s unfair. Outman had a steeper hill competing with Heyward, Peralta, Taylor and Trayce–and he made it. Suck it up, kid.
Pardon me now as I’ll indulge in a what-might-have-been: Last season I argued that AF should trade for Drury from the Reds and not let the Padres get him. Everybody knew Drury was on the market, having a breakout season on an expiring contract and the Reds had better guys like De La Cruz and McClain coming up. I thought this was an obvious move in part because Max was still struggling and Drury is versatile
.
Maybe AF tried to get Drury, but he failed to outbid Preller. Maybe he didn’t try at all because of his confidence in Vargas. Anyway, Drury did his part to help the Pads knock off the Dodgers, while Vargas sat with Gallo on the Dodgers bench.
Fast forward to 2023: Drury lands a two-year contract with the Angels with an AAV of $8.5 million. Nice but not exorbitant. He has performed really well, with a BA of .277, 14 HRs and OPS of .822. Manager Phil Nevin has argued that Drury should have been selected for the all-star team.
If the Dodgers had traded for Drury in 2022 and liked him up close, then perhaps the Dodgers would have signed him. Perhaps the Dodgers would be getting that kind of production from 2B.
On the other hand, we probably wouldn’t see Mookie playing the middle infield as much, and that has been fun.
My high school logic teacher, Mr. Guggenheim, would fault me for the fallacy of “hypothesis contrary to fact.” And it is certainly that.
But that’s always what we do here, isn’t it? Wonder about the what-ifs?
If the Dodgers had traded for Drury they could also be outta the race like the Padres. You never know.
Drury went on the IL the other day. Another casualty of what I call, The Halo Jinx. Just bit Trout and Ohtani too.
A couple of weeks ago they also tried to sneak Luke Williams off the 40 man roster only to see him get plucked off the waiver wire. Roster construction and management has been a head scratcher for quite some time now.
Not a head-scratcher to me. He wanted a chance to play and the Dodgers accommodated him. They do that a lot, which is part of the reason many players want to come to the Dodgers – they know they will be fair. BTW, Williams is hotting .200 in AAA Gwinett.
It is and he isn’t
Hindsight is 20/20, and Jones was never considered.
As time goes on, I think everyone will understand that Vargas is a special talent.
“Jones was never considered.”
Um, isn’t that precisely the problem?
They had a 25-year-old former 2nd round draft choice who was tearing it up in OKC. He batted from the right side–and didn’t the Dodgers need that?
He was passed over for Busch, Yonny and DeLuca. Vargas has now compiled more than 300 ML plate appearances–and his batting average is below .200.
Imagine being Jahmai Jones, wondering WTF you have to do to get “considered.” He was obviously smart to opt out and he’s landed in the majors.
Do you think Yonny would have opted out if Jones had been promoted ahead of him ? Would DeLuca have opted out? How about Busch?
Seems like mismanagement to me.
I guess it could seem like mismanagement by people who really don’t understand talent evaluation and second-guessers.
These guys have worked hard to get where they are at, but in the end Jones will probably be released by the Brewers as well.
Jones was brought to LA along with Luke Williams for organizational depth. They never were really considerations.
The way Doc handles a press scrum when discussing injuries he could give Kieran Jean Pierre a run for her money. Although he corrected himself the other day he said May had started to play catch, but now we find out May needs season ending surgery.
Going forward if Doc is asked questions about injury status for injured players and you see his lips move…. he’s lying.
Well, he is not always lying, but he is never going to tell you what is actually happening… sometimes he really doesn’t know and others , he simply will not tell… NOR SHOULD HE!
Who’s the next rookie starter we can call up?
Landon Knack
Yep. Let’s see what Knack’s got.
And I want to see Hurt too, perhaps in relief. (These could just be showcases for a coming trade.)
Hey, maybe our streaky centerfielder is making another run for Rookie of the Month honors. Two overdue HRs tonight. Really good to see after that long power outage.
Fourth of July fireworks at Dodger stadium brought to you by James Outman!
Deluca!!!!!Now who was the moron making fun of our rookies earlier tonight?!!!
What a great feeling for the kid. I am very happy for him. Now all we need is for Phillips to shut it down.
Do you know how sometimes you just got that feeling the feeling that 1 run just wasn’t gonna hold up?
Well, at least we know Phillips can’t go three games in a row
What happened to Hudson? He hadn’t pitched two in a row had he
Nope. I have no clue why Roberts did not go to him.
WTF just happened???
That umpire should be fired immediately. Neither one of those last two pitches were strikes.
I truly believe some umps love to screw over rookies.
Yeah, that shit burned my ass. But to tell you the truth, the way this game started and was going I didn’t expect to win it anyway.
Our superstars better come out loaded for bear tomorrow
I will go into hiding then.
The Dodgers did not lose this game. It was stolen from them. It wasn’t only those last two calls against Vargas. There were several other bad calls against the Dodgers, and in addition to that Phillips did not get several similar calls while he was pitching.
It seems to me that umpire strike calls are getting worse and worse as the season progresses. There is no question in my mind that we need an ELECTRONIC STRIKE ZONE.
Absolutely. The sooner the better.
The players are by far the most responsible for the lost games. Phillips blew the save after walking two batters. Sheehan was not competitive today and Stone allowed a bunch of base runners.
The Dodgers are definitely short handed in the pitching department.
However, this is another example of poor bullpen management by Roberts. He used Phillips in a 9-1 game on Sunday which limited his effectiveness and availability today. He also used Phillips in a blowout loss the previous Sunday which made him unavailable in a 9-8 loss on Wednesday. Today he used Caleb for only one out against two RH hitters in the 4th inning when he knows the bullpen was limited. And he had Graterol available to throw the 9th inning today instead of Phillips for third day in a row.
Outman had a great game and Deluca had a memorable HR that was spoiled by the bullpen.
Another bad loss to a subpar team.
The ump squeezed Phillips on a couple of those calls. But ultimately it falls on the players to perform. Yes, I think Roberts mismanages a bullpen quite often.
You are correct. I didn’t see the game live but the 3-2 pitch to the second hitter should have been strike three. Totally changes the game. Not to mention the last two calls to Vargas were bad.
Yeah, I couldn’t believe the ump calling ball 4 on that 2nd guy….he should punish guys who let pitches that close go by. I was raised to NEVER DO THAT. Are these guys not ?
Plain and simple, no matter what you believe the causes of this loss were, one thing is unmistakable, and that is the total incompetence of the ball/strike calls by umpires in general. I have been noticing this for the past several weeks, and today’s game followed in that vein. The ball/strike calls of umpires need to be a matter that is seriously dealt with this winter. This quality of mediocre officiating needs to be addressed this winter by MLB. I know someone who opposes the electronic strike zone because he says it takes the human element out of umpiring. If so, then such is also the case with instant replay. In fact, the umpiring rules should have as their primary focus only one thing, getting the call RIGHT.
Vargas in both his ab was hosed. Twice the HP screwed him badly on multiple pitches. For a hitter who already is in a huge funk that is demoralizing.
OTOH Stone got squeezed on that ab of Davis . He had him struck out before he got his hit which eventually was the reason Stone gave up a big run.
Nevertheless Stone once again allowed way too much traffic. He just is not MLB ready IMHO.
Time to take a loock at Knack .
Especially with the May injury blow. What a tough ,tough break for the young man. You almost fear this second big surgery in 2 years could be career ending.
Hopefully the Dodgers can catch a break an Striker Buehler comes back in September as he vows.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stone threw 50 pitches in just two innings…giving up 5 hits. That doesn’t sound ready to me. Unfortunately, LA doesn’t have much in the minors to help. So I’m pretty much expecting 9-8 games just about every night because we right now probably have the worst SP in baseball, with Kershaw out.
Miller
Urias (still damaged? Not himself this year)
Sheehan
Grove
Stone
Gonsolin (damaged and ineffective)
It doesn’t get much worse than this. At least with Kershaw you figured we had one guy we could count on.