Texas Ranger Style – Right about now, every Dodger fan wants Bruce Bochy as their “Flavor of the Week Manager.” He has been managing for 26 years and has made the playoffs in five seasons. He has won three World Series, so he must be great, right? Monday was Bochy’s 13th managerial win in a postseason game when facing elimination after he notched his 12th such win in Game 6. He now has two more than any other manager in history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Bochy has a 5-0 all-time series record in the League Championship Series. He’s the only manager to win the pennant in each of his first five LCS visits. This was the 16th round Bochy won in the postseason. That ties La Russa for the second-most postseason rounds won among managers, behind only Torre’s 19.
You can’t argue with success, and he has certainly had his share… in the playoffs. However, his record as a manager is under .500 during the regular season. Is it that he can’t manage in the regular season? Or does he just have another “gear” in the postseason? Don’t be ridiculous! Bochy is a good manager who has had the good fortune of having players who have made him great in the playoffs. That’s it! I’m not taking anything away from him, but with the Giants, does he win without MadBum being absolutely otherworldly in the playoffs? Of course not!
Now, maybe… just maybe… he is the Player Whisperer who (only in the playoffs) can whisper words of wisdom and motivation, and maybe he could have caused Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to hit like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Hell, Miguel Rojas might have been the reincarnation of Babe Ruth if Bochy were the manager. He would have pulled Lance Lynn after the first home run, and Clayton would have pitched a shutout with Bruce at the helm. That’s what Bochy does. Right? More about Lynn later.
How Bochy got to the World Series this season was by the skin of his teeth. Texas fans were actually calling for his head in the middle of September after Houston swept them, and the Rangers looked dead and uninspired. They got into the playoffs right at the end of the season and had a Rookie, Evan Carter, who only had 62 ABs in his MLB Career hit .308 with a .987 OPS, hitting third! He spent most of the season in AA where he hit .284. Of course, Corey Seager was the leader he was supposed to be, hitting .333 with a 1.127 OPS. Corey also hit 3 HRs, but the star was soon-to-be 31-year-old Adolis Garcia. His path to becoming a Playoff Hero is an inspiring story.
He was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2017 at age 24. After playing in Cuba, he started at age 18 and ended up in Japan for a year as a substitute. The Cardinals signed him as a non-drafted free agent in 2017. The Rangers acquired García for cash considerations in December 2019 after he was removed from the roster by the Cardinals. He made his debut with the Rangers in 2020 with all of 7 ABs. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, he compiled a .244 BA and hit 97 HRs with an OPS of .770. He has been a solid player, but because Brue Bochy is the “Player Whisperer,” he has hit 7 HR, drove in 20 Runs, and has hit .327 with a .352 OB% and a 1.102 OPS. All because of Bruce Bochy!
Yes, Bochy is a good manager, but if you really think it’s Bochy and not the players, well then you also probably believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy as well. It’s your right to believe that. I happen to think it’s the “luck of the draw.”
Arizona Diamondbacks Style: I haven’t heard Dodger fans pining for Rob Thompson, but some have openly had a “man crush” on Dave Dumbrowski! This hopefully put that love affair to be for another year. The Diamondbacks would not be stopped. Early in the season, many Dodgers fans thought the D-Backs would win maybe 80 games. Well, they are headed to the World Series.
I happen to think that Matt got it exactly right yesterday:
Its a Postseason tournament now.
— Matt
MLB Has devalued the regular season.
When (3) 100 win teams go 1-9 in the postseason, that’s not a coincidence….
Any team can get hot for a 3 week period…thats been proven.
One of these years coming up will be our 3 week hot streak….
This is the new paradigm. If you are an old guy like me, you should be able to understand that the rules have changed. It is more like a crapshoot than ever before. The teams that sit out the wild card round are disadvantaged. BIG TIME! If this format sticks (and it probably will because Manfred is an idiot) then teams are punished for being elite during the regular season, which is the longest in any sport. A hot team… a Wild Card team can easily win it all. If this format stays, then the Dodgers, Braves, and Orioles will just have to adapt. It’s no excuse for losing, but it is a reason they lost. Grasp it if you can… or don’t!
My son-in-law is a Red Sox Fan, and they have won four World Series in the last 20 years, but he wishes the Red Sox would win more because other than the World Series win, they have sucked… just like this year. They are good one out of five years. I’ll take my chances with the Dodgers.
Also, I think Clayton Kershaw will either retire or be a Ranger next year, and that will take a losing attitude away from next year’s team. If a team feeds from its leader, then the Dodgers have followed their leaders’ lead. Clayton is a Hall-of-Famer during the regular season, but he’s a journeyman in the playoffs. Sorry, Clayton!
Lance Lynn is a Knucklehead
I don’t say that lightly. I know a number of people who know Lance, and while I cannot say all that I know, I will say that he is stubborn, fat, and lazy. Maybe not so much physically, but mentally. Some of it is obvious, and he is not a rocket scientist. He once used to throw 97-98 MPH and could challenge hitters with his fastball. Now, with a 93-94 MPH fastball, he still thinks he can and yet they continually prove him wrong. He’s a slow learner – I never said he was smart! Andrew Friedman thought the Dodgers could help him rely on his fastball less and use it as a setup pitch. He still thinks it’s a wipeout pitch. It’s not!
Lance may be good enough to win 20 games at his age, but he is such a knucklehead that challenging hitters with his fastball is more important than winning. The Dodgers will not pickup his option… thankfully!
I don’t understand why anybody downplays Bochy’s accomplishments.
The Rangers are the third franchise he’s taken to the WS. If the Rangers win–and they should be favorites against the Cinderella Snakes–he’ll join a fairly small group of managers with four rings. For managers. that’s Hall of Fame stuff.
Critics say, well, Bochy’s career winning percentage is below .500. To me that means he usually has had mediocre talent to work with and the titles reveal his excellence as a manager. Unlike Stengel, he’s never managed a powerhouse dynasty. Unlike Alston, he never had the stability of working within a first-rate organization. Could Stengel or Altson have done what Bochy has done? Comes out of retirement and gets the Rangers to the World Series. Impressive….
In other news, I owe the D’backs an apology. I wrote that the D’backs had already “won” their season by getting into the playoffs. I figured that the Dodgers, despite the weakened rotation, would roll through them.
Then the Snakes swallowed our Dodgers whole. Gruesome.
I usually pay more attention to what the front offices are doing than what a manager does. One reason is just easier to see. The Rangers’ front office obviously spent big to build a winner–but also smartly in luring Bochy out of retirement. Adolis Garcia knocked around baseball–he was DFA’d by the Cards–but the Rangers gave him a shot. And the Rangers were pretty bold in snagging Aroldis Chapman early, and later landed Montgomery, who has proven be the best SP on the market. (It would be interesting to know if AF was in on Montgomery and what the offer was.)
The Snakes’ front office also made some smart moves, especially before spring when they dealt Daulton Varsho to the Blue Jays for both Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and rookie catcher Gabriel Moreno. What were the Jays thinking? Or drinking? (My friend’s son is a talent analyst for the Jays. I really hope he didn’t encourage this deal.) And in midseason, the Snakes got better by getting the closer Sewald from the Mariners and a good bat in Pham from the Mets. All of these moves paid off.
What were the odds of a Rangers-D’backs WS?
Quite a rambling, angry column tonight, Mark.
You chose to criticize Bruce Bochy, Dave Dombrowski, Clayton Kershaw and Lance Lynn.
I am not a big fan of Bochy, Dombrowski, or Lynn, although I respect all of them. They have had very successful careers, with Bochy and Dombrowski possible Hall of famers. And Lance Lynn has won 59% of his starts with a career ERA of 3.74.
But your desire to rid the Dodgers of Kershaw’s “losing attitude” is your worst take in my opinion.
Of course, you are entitled to your own views, but I think you underestimate the leadership and sacrifice Kershaw provided for the team this year. He was by far the team’s best starting pitcher this year with a 2.46 ERA while pitching with an injured shoulder. He returned the last month of the season when most players would have pocketed their money and went on vacation. He was terrible in his one start in the playoffs, but he really should not have been pitching at all, and certainly not in Game 1. But he was historically bad, and deserves criticism for that horrendous start. Still, I think Kershaw was instrumental in helping the Dodgers to a division title this year, and if healthy, I would welcome him back for another year.
The players determine the outcome of games and coaches have only a marginal impact on the games. However, the front office and management are also responsible for building the roster. This Dodger team entered the playoffs with an injured Kershaw, an inconsistent rookie, and the MLB HR leader as their starting rotation. The front office chose to sign Noah Syndergard for $13 million this year instead of Nate Eovaldi, Senga, Eflin, Wacha, and Lugo among others who signed for similar amounts and performed well this year.
And given the opportunity to correct their mistake at the trade deadline, the Dodgers only added Lance Lynn, while failing to add Montgomery, Verlander, Scherzer, Cease, or another impact arm.
Texas managed to sign both Eovaldi and Montgomery and those two starters have carried the pitching load to the World Series. Sure, Eovaldi, Montgomery, Seager and García deserve the credit for winning the pennant. But the Ranger front office made the right moves to bolster their pitching needs, and give them a good chance to succeed in the playoffs.
1. “Bochy is a good manager.” His teams have consistently won in the playoffs and have been extremely inconsistent in the regular season.
2. Clayton Kershaw has been my favorite Dodger, but the truth hurts about the playoffs… and it is true. He is the opposite of Bochy – Consistently good in the regular season and consistently unreliable in the post season. I am ready to move on.
3. Lance Lynn could still be good, but he’s a knucklehead!
Per Mark :
“Also, I think Kershaw will retire or be a Ranger next year, and that will take a losing attitude away from next year’s team.”
Kershaw pitched more innings than any Dodger this year, and had the second best ERA of MLB starters, despite pitching with an injured shoulder. That is hardly a losing attitude to me.
2022 MLB standings
Team A: 68-94
Team B: 74-84
Team C: 111-51
Two of these teams make the 2023 World Series!
Life isn’t fair and baseball even more so!
I guess our stars aren’t the only ones who disappeared in the big October moments. Rootin for the DBacks! Great story the past two years
Well, Mark, with the DBacks and Rangers making it into the World Series there is a lot more to put in your pipe and smoke.
I honestly really dislike the playoff system, but I’m guessing it’s here to stay, they believe it brings parity and the more teams involved the merrier. But it does put a hit on the long summer. Winning the most games no longer matters.
Or at least the results seem to indicate that.
But wait, winning the most games and the division actually does matter. I’d rather win the division than finish 16 games behind and runner-up. I wrote this last year, winning 111 games is far more impressive than winning a. World Series. Every year a team wins the World Series, but how many teams win 111 games?
Hey, it’s a long summer and winning lots of games matters. It really does. It’s more fun to go to Dodger Stadium and win than lose. You leave the stadium in a much better mood. You call it a good game. The Dodgers have lots of good games these days.
Can we, for a moment, honestly analyze what happen to the Dodgers? It wasn’t organizational failure. What does that even mean? No idea. It’s a saying that, whether intentional or not, diverts attention from the real issue.
The Dodgers lost Dustin May, which was huge, Tony Gonsolin, Ryan Pepiot (for a lengthy time), Julio Urias and is the case every season, Clayton Kershaw had physical issues. Quite a feat winning the division and ending up with a hundred wins. After Kershaw and Bobby Miller melted down, they sent homer plagued Lance Lynn out to save the day.
Again, moment of truth, the Dodgers starting pitching failed. They failed, they failed, they failed. Organizational failure? Nonsense. It began and ended with the starting pitching. They put the Dodgers in a hole early on. Maybe the hitters were pressing to right the ship. Or we could back to the tired phrase to explain what happened to the high powered offense — “that’s baseball.” Well, the bullpen did well, right?
I suppose that all the type that went with winning this season came into play. This is the year. Don’t worry that you might have to rely on Lynn. Or that Kershaw didn’t look exactly right. Or Bobby Miller, the future ace, might struggle under the big spotlight. All the hype was just hype. Without starting pitchers, who shutdown the other team, the Dodgers were doomed to failure in the playoffs.
It’s not the format. Toss out that as an excuse. Don’t bring it up again. It’s not going to change and if they tweaked it here or there, who says that would make a difference? It is what it is so go with it and win. This winter is an opportunity to create another championship team, but one that takes the Dodgers to a series championship.
Blow up the box thinking, give an extra year if that’s what takes to get the player. The Dodgers have some good young arms, but they need veteran pitching too. Add a hitter or two, Ohtani and another bat that makes contact more and strikes out less.
And remember, even though Harper and Turner helped the Phillies reach the NL championship game, both failed with game on the line. Sometimes you need the David Eckstein’s to get you across the finish line.
Oh and the manager of the Dodgers is Dave Roberts. Don’t spend a lot of time focusing on him. Roberts is not the problem. He’s not a starting pitcher and he won’t deliver with the bat.
That was the most intelligent, insightful, and accurate thing I have read on this site recently posted by anyone… including me!
Thank you!
I do think the owners will be outraged that the Wild Cards got there because they stayed “fresh.” This will tank TV ratings. We shall see what happens… I put the chance of changing the format at 50%. (WAG)
This was enjoyable to read and really makes sense. Thanks for the summary.
Thanks, Mark. Coming from you that means a lot.
The DBacks were an 80 win team, 84 to be exact.
They got hot at the right time, had a little luck (can thank Kimbrel) and stayed healthy.
Are they better than the Dodgers, no way. For 3 games they were….Ill take the Dodgers in 24 and beyond….
the Phillies will regret that Turner contract. Once again he disappeared and the defense is only going to get worse than it is….
The D backs will be trouble again next year. They’ve got a star rookie who should only get better next year. They got another up-and-coming star in Alec Thomas. They’ve got a catcher who could become the next Pudge Rodriguez. they’ve got all the elements of a team that should improve tremendously next year. Let them go ahead and win the division , we’ll go in as a wildcard and win it all next year.
The ‘Organizational Failure’ was that Freddie and Mookie did not hit. And I don’t buy that another type of manager would have changed that. These guys are veterans who have been there before. They don’t need someone in their face to motivate them. As for Kershaw, Just like Peralta, you don’t know how bad injuries are, or even if they exist, until the surgeries are announced at end of season. Whatever Kershaw’s ‘real’ condition was, obviously they thought that he could have at least given them 3-4 innings or else they wouldn’t have sent him out there. He managed 4-5 innings the last few weeks, so no reason to think he couldn’t do it again. So I guess that’s on him. So if that is case then I add him to Mookie and Freddie for MAIN reason for failure.
It’s an interesting question. Is Bochy a good/great manager? Or is he mediocre and once in a while has a great year.
Does he have great teams? Or average teams but someobody gets crazy hot when it matters? Does he push the right buttons, or let his players just play, and someone stands out? Does he know how to motivate guys in October better than most other managers? Or did MadBum really need any motivation to do what he did, and could he have done it without Bochy? Did Bochy press the right buttons with Travis Ishakawa, or Cody Ross, or this year, Aroldis Garcia or some 21 year old rookie who literally just showed up 3-4 weeks ago? Or did guys just stay calm under pressure and perform like they can because that’s just who they are?
And, most importantly, if Bochy were our manager, does that mean Mookie and Freddie don’t chase crappy pitches in October, when they laid off those same pitches during a 162 game regular season? If Bochy is manager, do Kersh/Miller/Lynn not set the record for most pathetic starting pitching in October of all time??
I think it’s yes to all of the above. Maybe Bochy is more like Phil Jackson; he knows how to get guys ready to be their best versions of themselves when it matters most. Maybe Doc hasn’t figured that out yet. Granted Bochy is like 20 years older than Doc, and has managed a long time. Maybe he picked those things up during his early years before getting SF the title in 2010.
Either way, it’s a fun 10 months being a Dodger fan (starting with the first free agent or trade in December, all the way thru end of Sept), and it’s a crappy 2 months after we flame out early in Oct and watch some random team get hot and go all the way.
Oh well, the Lakers started, the Kings have started, and I’ll be at Sofi Stadium Sunday night to watch my crappy Bears at the Chargers.
In Phil Jackson’s case, he also had some of the best HOF Players who were Clutch! I doubt that he motivated MJ or Kobe – they might have motivated him!
100%. I am a Phil Jackson fan. He managed some great Laker teams. But he had Kobe! (And Jordan before that).
Kobe was a force of nature. He tolerated nothing short of perfection and had the work ethic of 5 normal men. By 2000 Kobe owned the locker room. He tolerated nothing short of 100% from the entire team. Which is why Shaq ultimately wanted out. Shaq couldn’t handle that Kobe commanded all the respect and was increasingly being compared to Jordan. It wasn’t Shaq’s team or Jackson’s team. It was Kobe’s team.
Basketball is much different than baseball. One man can completely dominate a playoff series and alter the fate of an NBA team. Baseball just doesn’t work that way.
Jackson was a good coach. Kobe was the leader.
Jackson commanded the respect of his players and also knew how to work the refs. I suspect some other coaches would shrink among stars like Michael, Scottie, Shaq and Kobe.
Come to think of it, Phil also knew how to work with ownership.
It’s rare that we can detect a difference-making decision by a manager or coach, simply because it’s ultimately the player that succeeds or fails. Lasorda put Gibson in to pinch hit. Not really a bold move under the circumstances. I’m frankly struggling to think of a single example in which we can credit a coach with a decisive (and unexpected) move that resulted in victory. The impact of a Lasorda or a Bochy or Gil Hodges with the Miracle Mets is really about thousands of decisions made in the course of a season that creates a winning culture.
But this discussion brings up a happy memory from my days at Cal State Fullerton, which became known as Cal State Who? during it’s improbable longshot run in 1978.
The Titans were a no-name squad that knocked off Bill Cartwright’s USF team, a top seed that included other future NBA players. Later they knocked off a University of New Mexico team led by Michael Cooper. They made it to the Elite Eight to face a University of Arkansas team that featured the “three basketeers” in Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer and Marvin Delph–all future NBA players.
“Bobby Dye is proving that coaching wins games!” crowed Al McGuire during one telecast.
And he wasn’t wrong. Back in 1978, there was no shot clock, and so the over-matched Titans employed an extreme slow-down game, keeping the scores close. It was maddening to teams that liked to run and gun. But Coach Dye played to his players’ strengths.
The Titans nearly made to the Final Four. As I recall it, the Titans had a chance to tie the game (or perhaps take the lead). Guard Keith Anderson drove the lane and lost the ball. The Titan faithful will forever argue that Anderson was hacked on the wrist the ref blew it.
We wuz robbed!
Let’s keep it a buck mark
I’m sure Mamba motivated phil more than phil motivated Kobe. That’s just the way Kobe was. No bullshit attitude, go and get your shit done type attitude.
Good read. Excellent discussion. The LAD problems this postseason were and still remain a lack of starting pitching. We could have certainly used an additional bat or two, but success in the playoffs starts and ends with pitching. Pardon the cliche, but “good pitching beats good hitting.”
Dodger brass has some tough decisions this offseason. Which of the young starters are they going to retain? Obviously, Bobby Miller is a lock. With Walker Buehler destined to be ready to contribute, that locks in 2 of the 5 starters. In my estimation, the Dodgers need to acquire/sign at least 1 starter, possibly 2 if Clayton Kershaw retires. Key questions that will need to addressed by the LAD: will Dustin May remain a starter? Where does Tony Gonsolin fit longterm? In particular, do they acquire/sign a stopgap starter until Gonsolin returns? Is that guy Lance Lynn? Where do guys like Pepiot, Sheehan, Frasso and Stone fit longterm? Are they used as capital to address an area of need?
If the Dodgers intend to contend in the playoffs, we will need at least another dominant pitcher to go along Walker Buehler. Can we expect Bobby Miller to be that guy? Personally, I do not believe that pitcher exists in this free agency.
May probably will not start when he returns. And that is not expected until at least July or later. You can bet Pepiot and Sheehan at least will get extended looks as starting pitchers come spring. I would guess they sign a few reclamation projects, they always do, and at least attempt to bring in one front line guy through either a trade or free agency. The kids get their shot now. It is time to see what those guys can do. Stone is another who will get some serious reps in spring.
I am sure Pepiot is a lock in the rotation
When he came back from injury he was there best starter. He will only get better, dodgers just need to let him loose and let him do his thing
Problem: Playoffs are a crapshoot and often the best team doesn’t win.
Question: In the Olympics, does the winner of the 100m get a gold medal and the winner of a long distance race get only a handshake or fist bump?
Question 2: Why is the post season given so much more importance than the actual season?
Statement: The best team in baseball this year may actually be the one with the most wins during the regular season (Atl) rather than the one who got hot for a few games after the season (Az or Tex).
Proposed Solution: Why not give an award (trophy) to the team with the best record in the distance race (162 game schedule) as well as the award given to the team who wins a short post season sprint (tournament).
Why must I be told I should have tremendous admiration for the team who got into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth and then played very well for a short period of time, while having total disdain for a team who battled for a very long schedule and proved themselves to be the best before having a short term slump?
The baseball playoffs are like choosing the 100 meter finalist in the Olympics from marathon runners.
Good analogy!
Good stuff guys, I love it. As for the structure of the playoffs, there are some changes that could be considered, and probably will be if and when they finally decide to expand to 32 teams thus having an even amount in both leagues, which makes sense and scheduling easier.
Manfred see’s nothing wrong with the system as it stands. But the complaining by many has already started after just two seasons with the system. There are those out there who believe the system is unfair to the best teams. And no, the layoff should not be an excuse. In 22, two bye teams lost in their first round, and the Yankees lost in the ALCS. This year three bye teams lost in their first round.
One solution that has been floated is shortening the season a little, and then having the wild card round start on the Tuesday after the season ends. But then have the Division series start on Friday and make the division series 7 games. What does that change do? It keeps the Wild Card winner from setting up his pitching so his best can pitch the first two games. Which is exactly what happened to the Dodgers. They faced Gallen and Kelly.
But a 7-game series is more of a test. The D-Backs passed that test against the Phillies. Now they face another offensive juggernaut in Texas, but also a team that has had to play games that meant something for more than a month. We will see who the last team is standing, but right now, I think Texas has an upper hand.
Mark I feel bad and wanted to apologize for some of the unthoughtful and ugly comments I made towards you yesterday. I’m am sorry. I could use frustration in being ousted like we were last couple years but that would be a lame excuse on my part. Also wanted to thank you for taking the time to do this site as I really enjoy reading what fellow fans are thinking. Some of the comments are super insightful and dare I say close to brilliant. So thank you once again
You are welcome. No problems.
I respect Bochy. He is a very good manager. His teams have now been to five World Series, and he has won three. We say players are superstars when they are successful say 30% of the time. That gives you a .300 hitter. But nowadays, greatness is measured more by OPS than BA. WAR is also a tool used. So, what is Bochy’s WAR. How many games above a replacement manager is he worth? Well, if you take what the Rangers did last season and factor how much better they were this year than last, for this season, Bochy has a 22 WAR.
We know Bochy is at .499 during the regular season as a manager, now only 8 wins shy of being at .500. With this team he will probably get to that mark next season. We also know that when his teams do get to the post season, he has won the whole thing three times out of four. Very good. Bruce Bochy has been blessed with very good results in the post season. He has had some players do great things in post season play for his teams to win series and get to the World Series. In 2010, Cody Ross was the MVP of the NLCS against Atlanta. He had a clutch home run in game 4 and drove in two of the three runs.
In the World Series, it was Edgar Renteria. He hit .412 against the Rangers. They also had very good pitching from Lincecum, Bum, and Matt Cain. Two of their four wins were shutouts. After a 7 run outburst in game one, they held Texas to five total runs oner the next four games.
In 2012, Marco Scutaro, who hit .150 for the series, was the MVP. Shades of Bellinger against Milwaukee in 18 when he hit .200. In the big show it was the Panda, Pablo Sandoval who hit .500 and pretty much singlehandedly beat the Tigers. And in 14, it was Bumgarner winning the MVP in both series.
So, Bruce’s players stepped up and won for him. But what is a manager worth during those series? How many in game decisions actually affected the outcome of the game?? I doubt Bochy made more than a handful of decisions over the course of those three runs to championships that affected the games at all. His most important decisions were who was starting, and when to bring in the pen or subs. A manager’s actual worth during those types of situations can be debated all day long.
Over the course of his 26-year managerial career, Bochy’s teams made it to the playoffs 7 times. Lasorda did it 8 times in 22 years, Alston 7 in 23. Bochy will most likely be enshrined in Cooperstown. All are considered excellent managers. Great? Best of all time? Those are titles the fans use.
I would argue that Bochy’s excellence as a manager shows clearly in how he has succeeded with three different franchises with three different cultures.
Both Alston and Lasorda clearly benefited from the Dodgers deeply rooted organizational excellence. When the ownership/leadership changed, the Dodgers were adrift for several years with a variety of different managers. The arrival of Kasten and the hiring of AF instilled a new winning culture, with Roberts in the dugout.
AF blamed the latest playoff exit on an “organizational failure.” I prefered hearing that instead of excuses like “it’s a crapshoot,” etc. Yes, there is reason to think the playoff layoff hurt the Dodgers, Braves and Orioles–but that doesn’t explain why the Dodgers were left relying on the damaged Kershaw, the rookie Miller and homer-prone Lynn at the end.
The Dodgers were damaged, and the D’Backs simply had the two best SPs in that series, and an impressive rookie of their own.
19 seasons where you don’t even sniff the playoffs? Sorry, greatness in managers is highly overrated. I think there have been times when Bochy is excellent, and times when he has been outmanaged. Same with any manager. Was Stengel a genius? He won seven times in eleven years. And five of those were in a row. McCarthy won seven and won four in a row once. Was it easier to win then? It is very hard to win now. Bochy will indeed join some managerial legends if his Rangers win. I just tend to not give the managers credit for what their players do or do not accomplish. Lasorda used to say that no matter what you are going to win 30 percent, lose 30 percent. It’s what you do with the other 40 that makes you either a bum or a champion. To words of that effect naturally, not his exact quote. There will be few occasions where a managerial decision will dictate a win or a loss. It is still on the players to get it done. I respect Bochy, I really do. I just don’t think any manager has that much to do with winning.
Bob Melvin was officially announced as the manager of the Giants today. His contract runs through 2026. Zaidi was also extended. Craig Councell is interviewing for the Mets job. Milwaukee granted permission to the Mets to interview him. Weird because it would have not been needed after the 31st of October when his contract expires. Eric Lauer elected free agency, so another name added to the free agent starter list.
Interesting about Melvin.
I bet he’s thrilled to get away from the San Diego dysfunction. He’s going from a team of underachievers to a team of overachievers.
Angels still looking for a manager too. My guess is they’ll pivot to a “name” like Showalter.
Richard Roundtree, the original “Shaft” passed away yesterday at 81. I met him at Country Fest in 1992. Had a pic taken with him. He also appeared in the second Lonesome Dove series. RIP>
David Peralta underwent flexor tendon repair surgery. He is expected to be ready to play by spring training. That could have had a lot to do with his subpar play in the second half.
Some really good Posts today, especially SBuff who really got into what I’ve been thinking about our season and how difficult it is to win a WS. Ultimately only one team walks away every year satisfied with themselves and there are 29 disappointments.
Bobby’s Post too was interesting. For me Bochy is a great Manager because he seems to squeeze everything out of what he has. He seems to have a great feel for the game, pushing the right buttons at the right time. Is there luck involved? Sure. But he seems to be luckier than others. How can that be?
It annoyed me after one game of the season back in April, and it annoyed me at the All Star Break, that people were disrespecting the DiamondBacks, that they were no more than a .500 team and would fade in the second half due to a perceived lack of depth.
If you’d taken care to watch their second half of 22, you would’ve seen a very good, young, hungry and well managed team developing. They gave us problems at the back end and that season so why wouldn’t they continue that momentum into 23, with a year’s more experience and maturity?
It is only now that they are beginning to get any kind of credit, it’s as if they’ve managed to blag their selves a place in the World Series! They are the real deal, and probably more than any other team
have embraced the new rule changes.
Personally I think the NL West is a very tough division, and they finished above SF and SD and their payrolls.
The other thing that bugs me is the constant obsession with Kershaw.
I seriously couldn’t believe we were handing him the ball for game one?
Forget this year’s ailments and lack of velocity, look at his performance in the past in the Post Season – he simply does not produce when it really matters, and he’s now he’s suddenly our Ace again.
Buff is correct – like I said immediately after our exit – the Series was lost in that terrible first inning, or at least it set the tone. I said they should have ruled him out when he was injured because having him around makes the Braintrust lose their collective minds. He is a diversion, a distraction if you will.
He’s my favourite player, but I sincerely hope he retires to take the decision out of Friedman’s hands. Use the money towards signing Snell.
Looking forward to the Series and if be happy for either team to win having backed both before a pitch was thrown this season.
The Dodgers were 14-5 against the Diamondbacks in 22. At no time did they give LA any trouble at all. They won 3 of their last 8 against a Dodger team that had already won 96 games when the Dodgers arrived in Arizona for a 3-game series on September 12th. When Arizona came into play in LA six days later, the Dodgers had already clinched the division and the overall number one seed. The Diamondbacks were disrespected by many and predicted to fold. But if you look at their overall season, they made it in by the skin of their teeth. They beat the Cubs and Reds out by one game. And they had to rely on other teams beating those guys to get into the playoffs. Had they tied with the Reds, they would not have made it because the Reds owned the tiebreaker. Had the Cubs tied them, they would have made it on the strength of beating Chicago 6 of 7 games. The D-Backs lost their last four games in a row. and were 15-12 in September. The Reds lost because of a damaging four game losing streak in late September and then literally blowing their last two games against a pitiful Cardinals team. Had they won just one of those games, they would have been in the playoffs. The Diamondbacks deserve respect now because they have earned it. Back then they had done nothing to be respected for. They got there, and that is what counts. Reds would have been a hard team for many to handle. They led baseball in stolen bases with 190. The only part of their game where they were very vulnerable was starting pitching.
They were barely a .500 team. They won 84 games and barely made the playoffs. Had the Cubs not choked they would not have….
My point exactly. And they did not merit respect then. By the way, they are getting trashed on social media for one of their players planting an Arizona D-Backs flag on the field in Philly after the game. Total disrespect for the Phillies organization. Kind of like the Dodgers jumping in the pool at Az. But not appreciated much by the Phillie faithful.
Unfortunately, the new playoff format is here to stay. I hate it. I hate 3 game series. I hate the bye week. Too many wild card teams.
But it has done precisely what it was designed to do. To keep as many teams possible in playoff contention as long as possible in the regular season. It has increased the odds of any wild card team making the World Series. It’s kept butts in the stands and eyeballs on TV screens up to the last games of the season. I knew Seattle fans that were motivated and engaged right up to the last two games of the season. Under the previous format, Seattle would have been eliminated weeks earlier. That means more to the sport in overall revenue than the Dodgers or Yankees in the series. It has done exactly what it was intended to do.
The problem is it disadvantages the teams that outperformed in the regular season. The more you roll the dice, the more likely you come up snake eyes.
I do not like this format. I’d love to see it changed. Acuna, Mookie and Freddie dominated the regular season. All had epic/historic years. And they didn’t do a damn thing in the playoffs. While a team like the Dbacks gets hot and is carried by players few have ever heard of. Arizona didn’t roll sneak eyes. LA and Atlanta did. This is just how it is now.
The TV ratings will tell part of the story
Ratings have stayed at about the same level as last season. They were down about 12% for the first two rounds. But the average audience is only 5.6 million. With the big markets not having any viewing interest, I doubt they will get much higher. I myself am not watching the World Series. I have zero interest in either team. I just want Az to lose as quickly as possible.
Not that MLB will do this. But how about adding a team to both leagues and create another division in both leagues and put 4 teams in each division?
Wouldn’t that make for more interest all the way to the end of the regular season, therefore more revenue? Wouldn’t 2 more teams create more revenue?
It would solve the stupid playoff format currently. Each division winner goes to the playoffs and the rest after that is easy to figure out.
Keep the name of the west and east divisions in both leagues. Call the other 2 divisions in both leagues the west central division and the east central division.
I didn’t get much sleep last night, so that might be a stupid idea. lol.
Expansion is on the table. Where to is the question. Some think they will try to put a team in Mexico. But I believe it is more likely a city like Nashville, which has a AAA team and a large following or maybe into Portland. They could go with divisions drawn up by regions. If they do expand, they have to change the playoff structure. 8 teams in each league, 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5.
I was thinking Nashville too for 1 of the new teams and Las Vegas. Nashville in the National League and Las Vegas in the American League because there are only 3 truly west teams in the American League.
I have to believe Vegas would be on that list. But they would definitely need a domed stadium.
Am I dreaming or are the A’s just a formal vote of owners away from moving from Oakland to Vegas? So that isn’t an expansion, it’s a move and you’d still need a second new city along with Nashville.
Get a new ownership group with Silicon Valley money to throw around and you can move a new team right back into Oakland. They could finance the stadium on their own without requiring money from Oakland. With a decent stadium and money to spend on players, the East Bay would support that team better than a number of the other cities that have been mentioned for expansion.
Forgot about that. Yes, the A’s will most likely move. But that won’t be for a couple of years at least. They will need a dome in Vegas.
I just read a story on yahoo news that the A’s plan on starting construction of the new stadium in Vegas in 2025.
And by the way with my idea Colorado would leave the west division and go to the west central division. Leaving the Dodgers, Giants, Padres, DBacks in the west division.
Though I’ve only commented once or twice, I’ve been a Dodgertalk reader for years and a Dodger fan since Koufax and Drysdale. Done crying again this year and ready to strategize for next, but lack the knowledge of others on this site so I have questions about the feasibility and fiscal ability of my thoughts:
Obviously the Dodgers want to utilize their youth but need to pick up additional help through trade or free agency and yet still spend wisely. As the Dodger have more pressing needs, this rules out Matt Chapman at third; but I don’t particularly like Muncy there unless necessary. How about Muncy to second with Vargas and Busch platooning at third until one proves himself MLB ready? If both fail, move Muncy back to third and bring Betts to 2nd. If the third base trial works but Lux fails, bring Betts to short. If they both fail, send Muncy back too third, Lux to second, Betts at short, and use the better of Vargas/Busch in left. Sign Rojas either as full time or utility depending on the above scenarios, and the infield is set. Heyward/Delucca platoon in right with Outman in center will provide an adequate outfield once one of Vargas or Busch gets it together in left.
The bullpen is fairly well off, but SP needs some help. Can they pick up 2 of 4 of Montgomery, Yamamoto, Snell, or
Nola (preferably Montgomery and Snell or at least one of the left handers) and still have enough for Otani? That would supplement the other starting kids and the DH. To paraphrase The Godfather movie, “tell Kershaw I’m sorry, I always liked him. It’s just business.”
Lastly, I very much appreciate how much work Mark puts into this site to make it happen and sympathize when despite this he gets abused by some. I can’t believe how petty some people get when their precious ego gets bruised.
I feel the work Mark puts in gives him leeway to occasionally call someone a moron, consider it compensation for the work. It’s only words, and it’s usually true. Feel free to answer my questions or trash my ideas. I am retired and can be neither fired or offended.
Interesting stuff John. But here is something to think about. Snell, and Chapman are Scott Boras clients. Freidman has never given a pitcher more than a four-year contract and that went to Brandon McCarthy. The Dodgers got exactly 11 wins for their 36 million investment over three seasons. He was then dealt to Atlanta when they brought Kemp back. Boras got Rodon, another lefty, a six-year 162-million-dollar deal with the Yankees. Snell is the same age as Rodon with a Cy Young and this year’s ERA title under his belt. No way he signs a deal for less than Rodon did in years or money. Bauer got three-years from AF in what many considered a panic move after the Padres loaded up that winter.
Chapman is a very good defender. But he strikes out more than Muncy and his OPS is below .800. He is a Boras client so little chance he comes to LA. Freidman does not care to do business with Boras on his high-priced players. Lux is penciled in to play SS. Rojas is already signed for next year to be his backup. If I had my way, I would move Mookie to the infield permanently. To SS if Lux fails, and second base if he does not. Muncy can DH or be a backup at 3rd and 2nd. He actually is a better 2nd baseman that he is a 3rd baseman.
The Dodgers have around 100 million to spend. The need is obviously in the starting pitching department. Montgomery will be one of their targets as will the Japanese pitcher, Yamamoto. But at age 25, he will get a lengthy deal and will not come cheap when you add the posting fee. The Dodgers will almost certainly kick the tires on Ohtani. If they sign him, Muncy moves back to third. He isn’t great there, but he isn’t terrible either. He made some very good plays there last year, and he can be spelled by Taylor, who still has two years on his deal.
With Martinez most likely gone, they will need a RH power bat. There are a few that will be free agents. Two I like are Adam Duvall, who can play all three outfield positions and is an excellent defender with a ton of power, and Teoscar Hernandez. Not as good as Duvall as a defender, but he has a lot of pop. We won’t know until after the World Series who they might non-tender or just outright release. Heyward will most likely be brought back. He did a very good job coming off of a couple of awful years.
Deluca, Busch and Vargas will get a lot of reps come spring. Deluca is a contact first type hitter with little power. Busch will be 26 and is getting old to be a prospect. He might be used in a trade to bring a needed piece. I think this is a make or break year for Vargas. He fails this time, he most likely will be trade bait.
They will also no doubt be some reclamation projects. They could include pitchers coming off of really bad years such as Giolito or Flaherty. I think they should try to sign the reliever, Jordan Hicks. 100 plus MPH fastball.
Shoulda signed Trea Turner!!! Oh, well… Ok. Well ,then we shoulda signed Corey Seager…
I would have preferred keeping Seager. Home grown lefty hitter with power. But I did like Turner’s speed on the bases. Both of them are not gold glove fielders. But they are more than adequate. But Turner wanted to go east and proved that when he took a lot less money. Dodgers would have had to pony up close to 400 million to match what Seager got in Texas since they have no state income tax and California’s is massive.
The simple solution to get rid of the shitty format and keep the teams around .500 out of the playoffs is to put all teams in 1 division in each league and the teams with the 4 best records in each league go to the playoffs. But I would assume revenue would drop.
Damn the greed.
Got that right. The system is flawed.
Dave Roberts’ record as a manager in postseason road games.
2023 0-1
2022 0-2
2021 2-5
2019 1-1
That is 3-9. There were no home or road playoff games in 2020.
One of these three things: It’s just luck in the playoffs, managing does not matter. The Dodgers have had inferior talent, and were lucky to win three road playoff games n four seasons. Dave Roberts is a mediocre-to-bad game manager, and was significantly responsible for these embarrassments in the playoffs. I’ll go with choice three. Roberts’ teams have now lost six straight playoff games, and seven straight road playoff games. Bochy’s team has won ten playoff games this year. Roberts’ teams have won seven in the last three seasons. Crapshoot, say the players who walk away losers from the poker table. Some of them finally gain enough self-awareness to stop playing, but not if someone keeps fronting them money.
Every team that won 100 games this season got bounced from the playoffs in the first round this year, and the World Series is being played by two Wild Card teams. The Dodgers were bounced this year for the same reasons as last year.
It is certainly notable that the World Series will feature two wild card teams. One last year. That shows a badly conceived playoff system, though it may make MLB money. However, one has to play under the system. And the franchises are going to have to plan for this, as much as one can. The postseason is so crucial, and the advantage of winning fifteen more games than the wild card teams is so much less than it should be.
The exact answer of how to be built for the playoffs , is obviously not simple, but ii is something that ownerships have to focus on. Certainly a major part is the manager; how adept he is at using his players, and being being strategically astute. That is always open to debate.but from what I’ve seen of Bochy, at least in the seasons when he has a highly competitive team, he has a great sense of what player to use at the right time.,and how to manage his pitching staff That ability is so important, more so than in decades when only two teams made the playoffs.
Each season is different, but to me, in the last two playoffs,we looked outscouted, outprepared, and locked into a predetermined offensive strategy and pitcher sequence. I realize that it is not so easy to know what to change, but something is wrong with our system, based on the massive underachievements of the last two playoffs.