Why Platoons?

This article has 43 Comments

1. If Hayward comes back and even if Dodgers sent Outman down and dumped Taylor, would you bring up Vargas only to platoon with Hayward against lefties?

   1. No, he needs to play every day.

   2. Exactly Cassidy, ..you just highlighted the problem! The Dodgers right now simply don’t have enough QUALITY RHB’s on this roster to offset all the LHB’s they want to platoon in this line-up.

      1. Lux, Outman, and Taylor ..ALL three of them.. must necessarily turn their season’s around and do a 180 at the plate for the Dodgers “platoon system” to succeed in the long run and thru the playoffs.

         And since that scenario ain’t happenin’ this season, then the Dodgers can only make the platoons work if they acquire new faces–via trade or the minors–to make it work.

2. Mark, I believe the DSL started this past Saturday, but I am unable to get any scores on your site.

   1. Working on it.

3. Although I agree with your research. I just want to say that Muncy has been worse since his injury. He seems to finally be getting healthy. I don’t think he is the answer against a guy like Fried? I just think I would trust him more than kike in most situations. At his best he works the count and can change the game with one swing. Kike is a singles hitter who is a dp candidate. But those are the players we have so I agree Muncy can’t play against all lefties.

4. The problems with platoons don’t rear their heads until a short postseason series.

   1. The problem with our post season failures is when our stars don’t perform like stars.

5. Mark –

   Good article on “platoon baseball;” I have hated it doing back to Walter Alston days in the 1960s. This was pre-sabermetrics baseball and platoon baseball always seemed to me to be a way to keep old veterans on teams and stunt the growth of young talent. I think we baseball fans all “fall in love” with new, exciting talent and the old managers just wanted to win NOW because their job depended on it!

   I now begrudingly accept platoon baseball; power pitchers vs. finesse pitchers; home runs vs. small ball strategies; etc. We old-timers just have to accept the 21st century game. I just miss seeing a talent like Willie Mays of the hated Giants – IMO the greatest all-time player! (Happy Birthday Willie!) Maybe this why I am enjoying Ohtani so much because his all around talent is like Willie Mays – something very special to see!!

6. Mike Grove really came through this past series. “Breaking serve” on Friday and a fairly dominant 9th yesterday.

   He wasn’t so great when he was the opener recently and seems to do better when the pressures on. Perhaps it’s greater focus when the game in balance. Regardless, you’ve got to like what he did the past few days.

   1. I think he tends to overthink it if he is starting. He’s better just executing.

7. Grove was supposed to be a bulk reliever. But, he seems to do better with 1 inning and rh matchups.

8. Walker Freaking Buehler tonight!!!!!

   5IP 2 H 1R 5 K’s 1 BB

9. Players coming back after a year off for injuries seem to take time to become the player they were projected to be. Of course there are exceptions both never recovering or breaking out sooner than others. I believe it is way too early to give up on Lux. I’m not sure sending him down is the answer, we have a pretty good front office to figure those things out. I believe that Lux and Vargas will be a big part of the Dodgers future. I hope Vargas gets the call sooner than later but again our front office is head and shoulders ahead of any other front office.

10. Outman actually has a higher career BA against left-handed pitching than he does against RHP. The only knock on him is the lack of power against LHP. His K rate is about the same against both. Ohtani, who cracked two homers off of lefties yesterday, is batting almost 100 points higher than his career average. Max Muncy has a career .225 batting mark against LHP. Considering how his injury affected him, he has held his own against LHP and his OPS for his career against LHP is .806. Of his 172 hits off of lefties, 76 of them have gone for extra bases. 53 of them were homers. Chris Taylor is better against RHP across the board. But this year, he can’t seem to hit either type of pitching. Chris is in his 9th season with LA. If you look at the stats, Kike should only play against LHP. His BA is 30 points higher against Southpaws. Barnes hits RHP better than left. Platoons are here to stay. LA is not the only team that uses them. Atlanta plays the same 8 more than most. But guys like Kelenic get platooned. Alston always preferred the veterans. Usually only the really talented rookies or young players made the team. In the early years in LA, it was easier to break in new players because the stars from the days in Brooklyn were aging, and their play was not as great as before. Just look at the 59 team which had youngsters breaking in all over the place. By 61, only a couple remained in the starting lineup from the days in Brooklyn. As for Pages, he had a bad day. He faces a 24-year-old kid making his third start in the majors. The Dodgers usually have trouble with that kind of pitcher. Lets hope they reverse that trend tonight.

11. I don’t care about platoons, I have my favorite players and I enjoy watching them play, but in the end players come and go and what always remains is the name that goes on the chest of the uniform: Dodgers.
    So what really matters to me is that my team wins a baseball game, that my team is successful and clearly the Dodgers method works, everyone wants to be like the Dodgers.

12. I read a column a couple of years ago about the advantage that left handed pitchers enjoy. (They’re pitching in the majors with stuff that has right handed pitchers selling insurance.) The gist of their advantages was all of the reasons you listed. The column went on to list Mickey Mantle as a hitter who didn’t suffer against left handed pitchers; and, speculated that it was because he hit extensively, as a developing youth, against his grandfather who was left handed. And, yes I know Mantle was a switch hitter.
    (The column may have been in Baseball Prospectus, but, I don’t recall for sure.)

    As always thanks for the thoughtful posting.

13. i see the numbers! But i’m just curious about how guys react in the playoffs when they don’t hit against lefties. I want Max at the plate with the bases loaded and a tie game! the way he works the count makes me more confident than kiki or taylor. i’m not arguing with anyone , just saying i don’t think Max should sit as much against lefties. ————- Walker is back! Hoping things go well for him , especially health wise. ——/—- Great series sweep against the Braves!! Phillies could very easily win that division! They have 3 excellent pitchers at the top. Braves won’t run away and hide this season. ——Outman is on a very short leash!! Like him a lot but numbers matter!

    1. I want Max at the plate with the bases loaded and a tie game with a RH Pitcher on the mound!

       1. I’ll take Freddie especially if less than 2 outs!

14. Here is my prediction on Walker Buehler’s return tonight:

    He is going to throw the ball and they will try to hit it! That’s all I got….

    1. Living on the edge.

       1. 😉

    2. reckless shocking prediction, hehe

15. 10:10 PM ET

    Marlins (10-26)
    Dodgers (23-13)

    SPRoddery Munoz R
    1-0 2.45 ERA
    SP Walker Buehler R
    0-0 .00 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup
    SS Mookie Betts R
    DH S. Ohtani L
    1B F. Freeman L
    C Will Smith R
    3B Max Muncy L
    LF T. Hernandez R
    RF Andy Pages R
    2B Gavin Lux L
    CF James Outman L

    68° Wind 5 mph Out

16. Shohei Ohtani wins NL player of the week

    The 8th career player of the week award for Ohtani, who is the first Dodger to win the honor in 2024 LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani was named National League player of the week on Monday, the first Dodgers player to win the award this season, after a strong week at the plate for the designated hitter

    Ohtani hit .524/.583/.952, going 11-for-21 last week with three home runs, seven RBI, six runs scored, and two stolen bases in five games against the D-backs and Braves. After sitting on Wednesday for the first time this season, coupled with Thursday’s off day, Ohtani was especially strong over the weekend, with eight hits in 12 at-bats in the Dodgers’ sweep of Atlanta.

17. Phillips was injured after he “caught a spike” following a pregame workout Saturday, according to manager Dave Roberts. A scan of the injury determined it was not serious.

    “Putting him on the IL, we just feel that it shouldn’t be long and the hope is that once his stint is up, he will be back and ready to go,” Roberts said. “It was just really freak and random like how (Ryan) Brasier had a really benign incident when he was running sprints and blows out the calf.”

18. Buehler activated. No corresponding move announced yet.

    1. Joe Kelly to injured list.

19. Well if Roberts says it shouldn’t be long it will probably turn into months. Caught a spike is a freak injury. Running for a guy who has had calf issues before is not a freak injury.

    1. I am not so skeptical of what Roberts says about injuries. Here’s why:

       1. Reporters always want answers. What is he supposed to do – Give them the “worst case” scenario? There is a mental aspect to an injury recovery, so it would be really stupid on his part to tell you something like this, “This dude is really screwed. We don’t know when he will be back or if he will ever be back.”

       2. In the case of a hamstring strain, it takes a few days for full bruising to show up, so sometimes it takes a week to see what exactly happened.

       3. Why give other teams “inside information?”

       Frankly, I resent the implication that Doc is less than forthright about injuries. Walk in his shoes and balance what he has to do and you might find out that you don’t have a clue. I have a slight clue… but not on the level of what he operates.

       1. When u have players saying I don’t know where that info came from I never had shoulder problems. If he doesn’t know why does he keep speculating. In regards to the hamstring he said we should get him back after 15. But on Brasier he said he has had it before it will be a long one. Is that inside info?who cares the other teams are not buying what he puts out there. Why can’t he just say he had a calf injury. We are optimistic but we don’t know. He may be forthright but he is mostly annoying and inaccurate.

          1. Both this guy and DodgerDad are hard to read.

20. Bold prediction. Diego Cartaya loses his roster spot this winter. Almost game time. Buehler on active roster. No corresponding move announced yet.

    1. What does this imply Bear?

       Trade? Cut loose?

       What’s your thinking?

    2. Diego Cartay’s talent is so impressive, and his character is so high that I think he will get at least another year… even if he tanks this year. This is a generational talent… the leash is longer.

       1. A little liberal with the “generational” usage there, Mark.

          1. Have you ever sat on the same filed where you watched Diego play and talked to him after that?

             He is/was a generational talent… sometimes things don’t pan out… and sometimes there are bumps in the road.

             However, this does not look good.

21. Buehler hit 98 MPH in the first inning. That will play!@&^%#%%

    This is why I say you never believe the MiLB stats bullshit!

    But, Walker is rusty.

22. Hopefully Yarbrough is ready to go a few innings

    1. It’s going to take Walker a few games after missing two years!

23. James Outman needed that

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