Right now Dodger catcher Will Smith is the talk of the town and perhaps rightfully so. Just a few short weeks ago he was being thrown on the scrap heap by some Dodger faithful. I for one am not surprised that he has stepped up to claim the starting role as the Dodgers’ catcher.
It was mentioned the other day that there was nothing to suggest that this transformation could happen with the 25-year-old Smith. I believe there were signs along the way that he could evolve into an everyday catcher and that is exactly what the Dodgers were expecting him to do. He has been on a path for the past couple of years that had encouraging signs leading to his current situation. Call it unexpected, maturation, confidence but it is not surprising, at least to me. Obviously he will not always be as hot (17 for 36) as he is now having gone through a cold period but he has demonstrated he is a MLB player at the most demanding position in all of professional team sports. He has demonstrated he can hit with two strikes and with two outs. He has committed no errors in 75 MLB games and has allowed three passed balls. He has thrown out only 25% of would-be base stealers after having thrown out 37% in the minors so that is something to continue to work on.
What were the signs he could develop into the Dodgers primary catcher?
The 5’9”/ 195 lb. Smith was selected by the Dodgers with the 32nd overall pick in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft following teammate Gavin Lux who was selected by the Dodgers with the 20th overall pick.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, following graduation from high school he took his trade to the University of Louisville after the Cardinals coaching staff pursued him and transitioned him to catching.
“He was the star shortstop, the star pitcher, the star catcher,” says Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell. “But you can only play one position at a time.”
His freshman year did not go as well as he might have hoped and expected and at that point he might not have been on any MLB team’s watch list.
His transformation started in 2015 in his sophomore year. Louisville hired Eric Snider as its hitting coach from the University of Illinois. From his freshman to sophomore year, he raised his batting average 21 points while hitting the first two homers of his college career. Then came the colossal leap offensively in an All-ACC junior season that saw him slash .382/.480/.567 with an OPS of 1.047 along with seven home runs and 43 RBI in 55 games.
His hitting coach, to whom Smith gives the credit for being drafted, was impressed with the young catcher’s development. What Snider remembered first from seeing Smith was his natural throwing action behind the plate. But what he remembers most was his willingness to learn.
“I think a lot of the reason why I got drafted and the reason why I’m a pretty good hitter now is because of him and the work he put in with me,” Smith says.
Next came the draft in 2016. His draft stock had soared as his offensive season exploded.
“I guess it really hit about halfway through his junior year when they were thinking 10th, 11th round,” Will’s father recalls. “All of a sudden, every Major League team has interviewed him, and it’s like, ‘Oh, wow, he might actually do this.’ Then the last two weeks were just nuts, as far as before the draft.”
The Dodgers selected Smith earlier than he had expected and why not coming off his junior year. He is athletic, had been an infielder proving his versatility, was a hard worker and always looking to learn from wherever he can.
“We always thought Will had a very high ceiling in the game,” says University of Louisville director of baseball operations Brian Mundorf, who’s been with the Cardinals program since 1996. “Can I sit here and say I thought he would be a first-round draft pick? Maybe not. But if you watched Will Smith at practice every day and watched his growth as a player and watched him get better each and every day over the course of his three years, we knew the sky was the limit. We knew that Will had tons of ability, and his desire to be great I think is what separated him.”
Will Smith signed with the Dodgers very quickly and began his professional career on June 23, 2016 with the Ogden Raptors. After seven games he was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons for 23 games and then on to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes for 25 games. On the season he posted a triple slash of .246/.355/.329 with four home runs and 24 runs batted in. Not eye popping numbers but moving through three levels in his first season perhaps was a sign of the Dodgers expectations for him.
Smith returned to the Quakes for the 2017 season playing in 72 games and slashing .232/.355/.448. Again not eye popping numbers but something was happening. He hit 11 home runs and drove in 42.
It could have been argued that the power numbers might have been risen due to the hitter friendly California League.
He followed up that season with an assignment to the Arizona Fall League in which he hit .371 and drove in 16 RBI in 18 games. He posted a .452 OBP and an OPS of 1.017.
He opened the 2018 season with the Tulsa Drillers playing in 73 games with a power surge continuing. He hit .264 with 19 home runs and 53 runs batted in. A later season call up to the Oklahoma City Dodgers did not go so well as he hit .138 over 25 games. But something else happened in September that again indicated the Dodgers expectations for him.
The Dodgers brought him to Los Angeles following his season in Oklahoma really in an apprenticeship role although they never activated him. His assignment was to watch and learn but never get into a game.
“Invaluable,” Roberts says. “He conceded a month at home to be with the Dodgers and be in the clubhouse and be a part of meetings, engaging with players in the clubhouse, seeing how the mechanics of the day worked. The language we use, scouting and advance reports.”
“It was awesome,” Smith says. “It was good to get a little taste of the big leagues in September, to go about the daily routine without actually having to perform and meet those expectations. It made the transition here way easier because I knew what … exactly to expect, so when I did get called up for the first time it was: All right, I’ve kind of done this before. Now let’s do all that and go play and perform.”
Smith opened the 2019 season back with the Oklahoma City Dodgers and quite the season it was. In 62 games he had a triple slash of .268/.381/.603 and an OPS of .984. Of note, he hit 20 home runs and drove in 54. He played nine games with the Dodgers in May and June before a permanent call up beginning on July 27th.
Smith’s MLB debut actually was on May 28, 2019 in which he had two hits, one in his first MLB at bat and the other a double.
About an hour before his major league debut in May in Los Angeles, veteran catcher Russell Martin recognized the moment. How could Smith’s walk-up song not be the theme to the hit television series, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, which starred…the now other Will Smith?
“We had a little conversation,” the young catcher said. “He told me he’d take care of it.”
Martin took care of it and Smith still often uses it as his walk-up song, which elicits big smiles from both the Dodgers and their fans.
On the season, and perhaps this was forgotten, Will Smith hit 15 home runs with the Dodgers in 54 games, drove in 42, had some very significant hits and slashed .253/.337/.571 with an OPS of .907.
Now on to the current season. That is, the one where Will Smith was almost drummed out of town after a slow start and an injury. The one where he now is batting in the middle of the Dodgers order and deservedly so.
“He’s shown me enough of consistency with the at bat quality,” Roberts said. “The simplified approach, the plan, the mechanics. He hits to all fields, hits right and left. He’s earned it. As we look to finish the season, performance and my trust in players will matter. Will is taking every at bat and making it a good at bat. He’s earned this opportunity to hit in the middle of the order.”
Something else has happened with Smith following his progression through the minors and the development of more power. For me the big difference was his command of the strike zone as a hitter again walking more than he is striking out. He is not chasing and seems to be confident enough to hit in all counts. Perhaps that is just maturity and confidence at work but those who look at different types of analyses speak of the nature of his hitting. That is, hitting the ball hard and to all fields.
According to Bill Plunkett Smith’s strikeout percentage has dropped virtually by half – from 26.5% last year to 13.5% year. His walk rate has increased from 9.2% to 21.6% this year – better than MLB leader Paul Goldschmidt, who has more plate appearances.
Smith simply doesn’t swing at pitches outside the strike zone – an elite 12.7% (Betts is at 19.8%) that also cuts last year’s rate in half (24.9%).
His recent surge is not the result of making changes at the plate. It’s the result of sticking with what he knows what must be done and how to do it. Dave Roberts said this back when Smith was in the midst of what appeared to be his struggle at the plate.
“He was one of the unluckiest hitters in the big leagues. Quality of contact, at-bat quality, exit (velocity) off the bat – all that stuff,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Smith, who has seen more hits fall in during his current 7-for-25 stretch. “I just applaud him for not changing. Because a lot of times, certainly young players, when they’re not getting results they start to change and chase results.”
According to Statcast and Baseball Info Solutions, Smith’s average exit velocity of 94.3 is third in the majors behind only Miguel Sano and Fernando Tatis Jr. His barrel percentage of 16.7 is tied for 20th in the majors with some guy named Mike Trout and a few others.
I am not big on analytical stuff but these might help explain why Will Smith has taken another step up as a MLB hitter. He now is able to join the big boys because of his plate maturity and commanding the strike zone.
He entered last Tuesday batting .303/.432/.618 (182 OPS+) in 95 plate appearances this year. His 178 wRC+ (FanGraphs’ catch-all offensive metric that adjusts for ballpark) is the highest among catchers with at least 90 plate appearances, and it’s the best by a wide margin — second-place belongs to Kansas City’s Salvador Perez, who has a 140 wRC+. Independent of position, Smith ranks fifth in the majors in that metric, ahead of the aforementioned Mike Trout, Fernando Tatis Jr., Tim Anderson, and nearly every other notable hitter who isn’t named Juan Soto.
Between his exit velocity and his in-zone contact rate, he’s a part of what can be called the 90-90 Club. It boasts a small but productive membership that, as of Saturday, included Mookie Betts, DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Rendon, Robinson Cano, Yuli Gurriel, and Nick Solak. Everyone, save for Solak, had an OPS+ of 100 or better, and three of the seven were over 150; Smith is at 182. As it turns out, hitting strikes often and hitting strikes hard is a good recipe for success.
Smith uses the whole field. So far this season 36.5 % of his hits are pulled, 39.2% are straight away and 24.3% are to the opposite field. His use of the middle of the field has not changed from 2019 but this year he has pulled the ball 9% less and used the opposite field 9% more.
So what else does Will Smith do to help his game? He has made it a year round enterprise.
Professional players are encouraged to return to the University of Louisville as often as they like. The gym, the weight room, the batting cages and even the indoor football field are available. Smith continues to take advantage of the space, along with about five to 10 other pro players each offseason. A fingerprint gets him access to anywhere he wants at the Louisville facility.
The main cages are known as “the hack shack.” He spent hundreds of hours there in college — a total he’s still adding to in the off-season.
“There were countless times I came in at 10 o’clock at night and just hit on my own on the machine,” he says. “Now in pro ball, I spend probably 10 hours a week in here in the offseason hitting — hour and a half at a time, six days a week.”
In closing, here’s a look inside his locker.
Hopefully Lux will blossom next year as Smith has this year.
The 2016 draft is ridiculous.
At least 16 of the 40 players taken will make it to the Majors… 9 already have.
It’s beyond belief in goodness. Even before you count all those late rounders who never signed.
Great article Harold. Catching was my position in HS and college. Roy Campanella is my all time favorite. I think his eye for the strike zone is superior.l love to see him come to bat with runners on. Right now Mookie, Corey and Will are very good with runners in scoring position. He just seems like a very good young man. He may become my second favorite player.
And a pretty clever title.
I do not mind saying that I was wrong about Will Smith… and I am glad I was wrong. So were a lot of other people. BA’s Kyle Glaser wrote this a year ago:
You’re going to be looking at low average, solid power from Smith now with the way the Dodgers have reworked his swing. .230-.240, 18-22 home runs is probably fair. He might get to .250 in his best years. I don’t think Smith will ever be the true everyday 3B. He’ll be more catch two days a week, play 3B two days a week, fill in at 2B a day or so. Kinda of bounce around but get enough ABs that it’s a full-season’s worth. He’ll hit plenty to do that.
I also hear that Kaybear Ruiz is making a lot of progress (especially as a LH hitter) at USC. Cartaya is probably 2+ years away, but it looks like the Dodgers should be set for a while.
CYA? Your defense of you missing on Will Smith reminds me of the apology that so many give nowadays, “I sorry if you took offense to what I said” instead of “sorry I said that” . Hey we all make mistakes and misses, just own it, don’t excuse yourself with the “others missed it too” rationalization, you undermine your future comments you might make.
Peace
I think this is the third time in the last week, I have said that I was wrong about Smith. I don’t need to justify it – if I was wrong, I was wrong. Player evaluation is not an exact science and I was reading BA this AM and saw Kyle Glazer and many others felt the same way. That’s all that is about.
I also admitted I was wrong about Lux last year and now I am thinking about retracting that. 😉
Of course, progress is not always incremental.
One player I have always felt was a bad pick was Jeren Kendall.
A lot to like about Smith’s hitting; short to the ball, seldom pulls off pitches, uses the whole field, and puts a charge in the ball. He is so athletic (a plus runner) I can see a position change in his Dodgers future — IF Keibert Ruiz lives up to his catching potential. Ruiz and Barnes take on the catching duties in 2021 with Smith moving to third base, or second base. Smith becomes the third catcher when / if needed. Barnes is under team control through 2022, and hopefully Cartaya is ready for the majors in 2023. Team still has catchers Steve Berman, and Hunter Feduccia in the pipeline and last year signed another well regarded, teenage catching prospect Yeiner Fernandez.
I have only briefly seen Smith play 3B and was not impressed or unimpressed, but that could be a possibility.
He would definitely have to put in a lot of work to play either position, or even a move to LF. But that is predicated on Ruiz being as good as he was projected a couple of years ago.
Where does Rios play?
There are many potential options that will manifest over the next two years as so many terrific players reach free agency. I’m still thinking Friedman will do what he can to get Lindor here as he is a Betts-like player and the more of those we get the better. Obviously we can’t get them all but one or two now and then is the Friedman M.O. Without any free agent pick ups or trades, a scenario I see as unlikely I might add, I can see Smith at third, Seager, Lux, and Muncy, Rios, Bellinger and Betts with Ruiz behind the plate. I can also see Smith and Ruiz behind the plate, Rios, Seager Lux, Muncy, Pollock, Bellinger and Betts. Turner DH and playing and occasional third, Pollock DH, playing LF, Rios DH …. with everyone healthy the options with this current group are many. Heck it’s just days away from the playoffs and we don’t really know who is on the post season roster.
The Dodgers, and their fans, are extremely fortunate.
Good question about Rios. Smith at third, Seager SS, Muncy 2b, Rios 1b, Lux in LF? JMO – only way Friedman trades for Lindor is if Dodgers are convinced that they cannot re-sign Seager.
Mitchell White was throwing the ball well last night; range from 82 mph breaking pitch to 95 mph fastball. Neither he, nor Josh Sborz will make the post season roster (barring injuries) but will have a great chance to be part of the 2021 bullpen.
Are post season rosters fixed?
No, I don’t think either White, or Sborz will make the roster
The reason I ask is this:
“Originally, teams were to be at a 30-player limit for the start of the 2020 season and then shrink to 28 on Thursday. Then the rules called for teams to be down to the standard 26-player limit by Aug. 20 and to stay at that level through the postseason. In essence, that final step down has been eliminated, and teams will be at 28 players on the active roster for the remainder of the 2020 season. “
Sounds like post season rosters have been expanded to 28, which may have been done to help teams who may have to go 5 straight , then 7 straight. But I’m not clear on this.
Good point about expanded roster size. Wonder if Dodgers will go with 3 catchers so they can pinch hit for Barnes?
Barnes is hitting .273 with a .374 OBP. Not bad numbers really.
They also happen to be better than Bellinger, Muncy, Hernandez, Rios , Lux and Pederson.
DC, I loved , loved your write-up on Smith. Watched the video and enjoyed that also. All that snow and frozen fields made me forget the summer heat here for a while. Thank you. As, Idahoal says, he could become my second favorite player.
Everyone, had a great hitting night yesterday and got at least one hit, some more than one, especially Bellinger. Nice to see Lux come through. I did not realize he was as speedy as he was until I watched him run to first base to avoid a double play. Glad to see White get some innings in and he was very good.
Hoping all is well with the Pederson family.
Let’s give Lux a chance next year before we bury him. He could have a Smith breakout as well. Also if we get to the WS can we ask the Yankees if they would wear the Rockies uniforms?
Who’s burying Lux?
The Undertaker..he is one huge dude
I have no doubt that Lux will hit, and with power. My worry is his infield defense. With Pederson’s career as a Dodger likely coming to an end perhaps Lux moves to LF?
That is a possibility! He has the speed to play CF too, if you want Bellinger at 1B!
Had not considered CF, but that may be a better position for Lux. Yes, I think Bellinger at first base makes the infield defense much better.
Bellinger at 1B! Amen.
Good questions, and frankly good ideas. I hadn’t put Lux in the outfield but he’s certainly athletic enough to do it.
Ideally I still have Lindor at short and Seager at a corner infield spot. Rios’ bat plays well enough to place him at whatever corner spot Seager doesn’t take.
I can see Pederson and Hernandez gone, with Taylor becoming the Super Utility or the starting second baseman. Smith stays behind the plate with Ruiz and Barnes is moved. If Muncy stays, I try to trade him, he’s DH and also backup utility. Turner? DH.
We shall figure it all out.
For what the Dodgers would have to trade for Lindor, then sign him to an extension, I would pass.
Thanks badger I was wondering about Taylor until you mentioned him as a super utility player or 2nd baseman
I wouldn’t give Lux any more ab’s. He’s overmatched, he’s not ready, he’s not the player we thought he was, we should have traded him for ….. I think the kid will be a star and he’ll figure out his throwing. 2nd has been a position of need for a long time for the Dodgers and he could solidify it for years to come!
Maybe Mookie goes to 2B?
Please no. Gold Glove RF’er stays put.
Maybe. He and Lux trade spots. Not sure what Lux’ arm looks like from the foul pole to third base. My guess would be – nothing like Mookie’s.
I see Lux just now grooving his swing, which he has admitted to being complex. Give him as many at bats as possible in the remaining games. I am convinced that Lux will be a tremendous offensive player, but I have seen too many players (Sax, Garvey, Dee Gordon, for example) who never over come their throwing issues.
I’m with you on that SCBum. Lux will hit. Maybe even this year, but certainly within the next few.
Garvey did not have too. Alston moved him to first so there would be no law suits from the fans behind first. Sax never fully fixed it, but he did cut them down. Gordon also got moved, and was better from second than SS.
Yeah Bear, old Steve Garvey was an adventure at 3rd for Spokane in 1970 (and later with the big club.) Tommy Hutton and Bill Buckner were at 1st and Cey was in AA Albuquerque. Stevie had like 25 errors at 3rd. They finally moved him to first in 1973 when Cey took over 3rd.
Anybody feel the earthquake last night?
Nope, but it would have had to be pretty strong for me to feel it here.
Well I sure did. 4.5 in El Monte. Shook the house pretty hard.
Good morning. Great write up on the Fresh Prince! Last year when I was out in California visiting my family, one of the games we went to was against the Phillies. In the bottom of the 9th with the game tied Smith came up and hit his first MLB homer, and I got to see it. A walk off for your first dinger? That’s special stuff. He later in the year hit another against the Rockies when the Dodgers had 3 straight wins on walk off homers from rookies. The other two came off of the bats of Verdugo, and Beaty. The official scorer gave White the win last night. Probably because he was the most effective reliever and went 2 innings. I went back and read some of the comments at the end of yesterdays blog, and there are a couple of things I would like to address. First off, I live here. And the city I live in is at almost the same altitude as Denver. The air is thinner, so yes, the ball will travel a pretty well if it is hit hard. But, you still have to hit it. The thin air does keep the breaking pitches from having as much break as one may like, but you still have to hit it. So when I see something said like, oh he got 3 hits, but it is Denver, it makes me laugh. The Rockies, who play there all the time normally hit well there because they are accustomed to living here and the thin air does not affect them as much. But a visiting player here for only 3 or in this instance, 4 games, they do not have the time to get used to it. And, since the balls are now kept in a humidor, the amount of HR’s has dipped. Also, the Rockies are actually playing awful at home this year. And it won’t get much better today. The guy starting, Chi Chi Gonzalez, got lit up in his last start. Smith won’t catch tonight either because Dave is sticking with the Kershaw/Barnes tandem. Compound the thin air with the smoke that has been hanging over Denver for a week, and the Dodgers can not be loving it too much. We have had significant wild fires here too over the last few weeks. As for Smith, I have felt from the times I have seen him that he was going to blossom into something special. I also think his drop off in the playoffs was more because of the workload that he had never had before, than a lack of skill. I think Lux is still in a learning curve. He looked more confident and relaxed last night than he has. Bellinger has moved off the plate a little and last night he was not pulling off of the ball like he had been for quite a while. Lux’s HR, was the longest by a Dodger this year. 453 feet. I was very happy to see Rios just take the ball where it was pitched, and Pollock did the same with his RBI single. Betts is tied for the HR lead as Machado hit 2 in SD’s win over the Mariners. So he also has 16. Tatis’s slump continued.
Verlander to get TJ surgery.
Seems like I remember a successful MLB catcher who converted to 2nd base and did fairly well, but some stuff that happened in 2017 has made my memory of it a bit hazy.
It’s pretty uncommon but not unprecedented. Smith has a good arm, so I doubt that making the necessary throws would be an issue, and with all the catching talent the Dodgers have in the system he might turn out to be the answer to a long term Dodger need. Especially if Lux were to become a productive corner outfielder.
It is also likely that Smith loses his speed quickly if he stays behind the plate long.
Craig Biggio was originally a catcher. But I am pretty sure he is not who you had in mind. 2017 is fuzzy? Wow…One thing I am really glad off, even as my body has broken down over years of misuse, my memory has remained pretty solid. But that is for long term stuff. Sometimes I cannot remember the easy stuff, like why the hell I went into the kitchen in the first place. Saw that about Verlander. That is going to hurt the Stros since he will be gone all of next season. 28 is what the roster is set at. And I also believe that they can have about 6 other players in the bubble in case of injury. Jeff might know more about that.
I feel once again compelled to point out Smith has 304 plate appearances at the big league level. He’s been impressive with them but that’s only a half season worth of work. As for second base, I don’t know what his footwork looks like out there, but my guess is it’s not Major League.
I based my early predictions on what I read for Fantasy projections, figuring those guys know a whole lot more about those things than I do. The Composite score there had him with a split of .230/.313/..444/.757. Zips had him with an OPS of .854 so I figured somewhere in the middle was reasonable to assume. But there is no way to project a 37% season. That short a season could have an MVP hitting 6th in a lineup and Smith OPS’ng over 1.000.
Weird year. Outlier year. I wouldn’t base the future on what we see in this year.
I think Dave was referring to 2017 made his memory of Astros history fuzzy. Altuve was the 2017 2B and he was never a catcher. I am sure he was referring to Biggio.
The Playoff rosters are set at 28, with a taxi squad that will travel. Currently the taxi squad is set at 5, but it could increase to make sure that once in the bubble, there are no changes. MLB is not going to come this far and then have an outsider come in, so they may increase it. Not set yet that I know of. The secondary sites are going to stay active during the playoffs, but there is no indication that someone from the secondary site can be added to the playoff roster once in the bubble. Playoff rules are still a bit of a moving target. There is a lot of angst about quarantining families, and do the players have to quarantine before the playoffs begin, even in their own city? If so, does the family get to move into the quarantining hotel with the player? The Wild Card series starts Wed. Sept 30. Does that mean the players (and families) need to quarantine beginning Sept 23? MLB and MLBPA have agreed on the format, but there are other unsolved questions remaining.
Thanks Jeff. That clears some of it up for me.
Taxi squad is for injuries, right. And I think I read somewhere that squad cannot be used as a revolving door. Is that correct? In a 5 game series, a pitcher can’t be used for 7, sent down, and then be used in the next series… right?
Yes, the taxi squad is for injuries. Although just like in normal years, the rosters can change from series to series. Following normal year playoff rules, once an injured player is replaced, that player is no longer eligible for the remainder of the playoffs. MLB rule:
“A club may request permission from the Commissioner’s Office to replace a player who is injured during the course of a series, but that player is then ineligible for the rest of that round and the subsequent round, if there is one. A pitcher may be replaced only by another pitcher, and a position player only by another position player.”
I have not found out if the IL rule stands as it was, but it certainly seems prudent that it does.
Gonzalez has an ERA over 8, BUT, he has good numbers across the board against Dodger hitters. No HR’s, and only Seager has an RBI against him. This Colo group has 9 homers off of CK. His career record at Coors is 10-5 with a 4.60 ERA> He has also allowed 19 homers there. Second only to Dodger Stadium. Lets hope he keeps the ball in the park tonight.
Granted we have week to go, but as of right now our 3 game 1st round matchup is against Bauer, Gray, Castillo and the Reds.
That matchup could change every day this coming week but the Reds starters certainly look a lot more formidable than the Giants.
* Great video on Will Smith. I learned a lot about the kid. As I suspected, the video showed what a mature, grounded young man he is. His likable, unassuming personality is very refreshing. Interesting idea to move him to 2nd in the future if K-Bear becomes MLB ready. Whether it is he or Lux or CT3 or whomever, I’d sure like to see this black hole filled in 2021.
* I had no idea Lux could hit a baseball 453 feet.
* During his rehab and suspension, Kelly has become Sergio Romo.
* I don’t remember White from Fall Ball or ST, but I sure liked him last night.
* What does Wood bring to the playoff table other than being another left arm? I have him on my post season roster, assuming they carry 15 pitchers. He would be 15. And I’m not sure why.
* I think I would reduce the number of pitcher, especially round 1, to 14 and add K-Bear as a pinch hit bat.
* We all know how K-Zone has changed baseball and has led to the inevitable use of the ABS System. Watching the blow out last night I had a flashback to the old days. Back in the day the strike zone became as the big as the great outdoors in a blowout. It was known by all that anything close was a strike in a blow out. Get the game over and get to the favorite watering hole. ABS will change that too. We will grind out every close pitch in a 9 run game. Another unforeseen change to the game based on technology.
I agree, Phil, Will Smith seems wholesome, with good character and mature with a good head on his shoulders. Hoping good things happen for him.
Do you know how Lux compares in speed to Cody, CT3? Would he be third? I was surprised at his power and length of the home run and his fast feet.
The Dodgers not only knocked Davis out of the game last night, they also knocked him off of the Rockies roster. Davis was DFA’d today and AJ Ramos was called up to replace him.
Tonight’s lineup.
1 Betts RF
2 Muncy 1B
3 Turner DH
4 Bellinger CF
5 Taylor SS
6 Pollock LF
7 Rios 3B
8 Lux 2B
9 Barnes C
P Kershaw,
I don’t understand all this talk about moving players to other positions and it’s coming from people who value defense a lot. I constantly hear about moving Seager, why? That offensive production from your SS that Seager gives you is awesome. Same for Smith, his offensive production from the catching position is awesome. Maybe I’m wrong correct me if I am, but it’s easier to find good offense production from corner infielders and outfielders than SS, 2B, C positions.
it makes no sense to me either. Since Lux isn’t a gold glove 2b right now we’re done with him at 2b, and yet we think he can move to an entirely new position and become really good there where he cant’ work and become good at 2b.
Let the kid grow and play and improve instead of moving him all over and creating 8 Kike’s and CT3’s .
I’ll never understand or agree with the defense firsters around here.
Lux is going to be good, it’s just a matter of time. Time is running out for this season. Maybe he puts it together in this short of time. If not then next year. He’s 22 going on 23 in November.
Eric, it’s about Wins. Specifically, it’s about Wins Above Replacement. Until you understand the value that baseball execs put on WAR, you won’t understand why people like me want an upgrade at shortstop. I’ve given the dWAR numbers, Lindor 9.5, Seager, 2.1. Those figures must not resonate with you, but trust me, they DO resonate with Friedman.
There is no doubt that Lindor is a better defensive SS.
However, according to Fangraphs, both have a 1.7 WAR, even though Seager has a -2.0 dWar and Lindor has a 5.9 dWAR.
There is not enough difference to justify the same kind of war chest the Dodgers gave for Betts.
To get Lindor next winter, it would take Lux, Gray, and Hoese. I do not think AF would consider that!
Lindor has 28.6 WAR in 6 years. Seager is not close to that in the same 6 years.
Somebody will pay what that guy is worth. If it ain’t us, I sure hope he stays in the AL.
Any stat that has defense and wins together in the same stat is flawed.
Have you talked to Friedman or any other baseball executive? I’ll be honest I haven’t. Will you be honest?
Seager career .296/.362/.500/.863
Lindor career .287/.346/.490/.837
Have I talked to Friedman? Of course not. But I don’t need to talk with him to know what he values. I listen, I watch, and I read. It just isn’t that complicated.
I’m surprised you are still resisting the reality of Wins Above Replacement.
Seager: 17.5 WAR
Lindor: 28.6 WAR
According to Baseball Reference Hernandez has the best dWAR on the team even better than Betts. It is a seriously flawed stat.
Now if you are talking WAR, It has Hernandez better than several Dodger players. It is another flawed stat but certainly better than dWAR.
2022 Lineup:
1. Betts 2B
2. Seager SS
3. Lux CF
4. Bellinger 1B
5. Smith C
6. Busch DH
7. Thomas RF
8. Hoese 3B
9. Vargas LF
W.A.G.
You had me there until Busch! I thought wow Doc does read our blog!
On Busch: OK, get back with me in a couple of years. DH is Busch’s best position.
He is a “stone-cold” hitter!
On Lux: Name the last guy who has had the yips on several occasions who became a good infielder!
Sax
What happened next: Sax went on to overcome his defensive issues, and, in 1989, had the highest fielding percentage (.987) among second basemen in the majors.
Change happens much slower than this.
ESPN has tonight’s lineup hitting just .061(2-33) with JT having the only HR(1) and RBI’s (2). Like Bear said he has good(great) numbers across the board against us. Hopefully that means nothing.
Most of that was before his TJ surgery several years ago.
A seeing eye single becomes a double? No. Where was Bellinger? I guarantee you he did not break in on contact. That’s a base given away. And THAT is why defense is important. It’s not “defense first”, it’s defense alongside of offense.
Nice throw Barnes. About 8’ off target.
We gave that run away.
It’s often the little things.
Without making too much noise CT3 is having a very good season, he is third in WAR only behind Mookie and Seager and he is tied with Smith for third place, he is a very valuable player does everything well.
CK’s slider is pure poison. I don’t know what you think guys but maybe that decision by Roberts to take out CK against the Padres and then receive 2 runs in his account took away the Cy Young from him
How much fun is it to watch Mookie Betts play baseball!
And watch Kersh pitch! Two very special players and people!
It is true that Sax was cured (for a while), but it resurfaced again in 1992 when he had 20 errors.
I beg to differ, but I think it is something very hard to overcome… and a position change to the OF may be just what the Doctor ordered!
Muncy has a typical, for this year at least, night for him. Ofer again. At least he wasn’t striking out. Pollock and Taylor go deep. 100 HR’s for the team on the year. Kersh pitches 7 strong. Betts keeps hit streak going with a infield single, Turner has 2 hits, and McGee and Kenley shut them down. 38 wins and counting. 4 up, depending on what the Pads do with 7 to play. 5 game winning streak. Who their opponent will be changes every day it seems. Both the Giants and the Reds lost.
Gavin Lux he has a dWAR of 0.6 this season.
In 37 total career games, in MLB, he has 1.1 dWAR. by Baseball-Reference.
Exe Padres coming back to bite them tonight. Torrens and France, who were part of the Nola trade have had big hits tonight to help the Mariners take a 4-1 lead in the 7th. If they lose, they will be 5 back with 7 to play. The Dodgers would be able to clinch the division at home on Tuesday. Ron Gardenhire, the manager of the Tigers, announced his retirement today effective immediately. He was replaced in the interim by Lloyd McClendon who formerly managed the Pirates and the Mariners. Gardenhire is retiring due to health issues. Because of concerns on air quality, the Mariners are the home team while the series is played in San Diego. Tatis has 2 hits tonight, but his average has dropped all the way to .281. Machado has 2 hits tonight but no homers so he and Betts still tied for the league lead at 16.
Reds are .001 ahead of the Brewers for the 8th and final playoff spot with a week to go. Difference is the Reds have 7 games to play, and the Brewers have 9 left. Reds are 26-27. Brewers are 25-26. The Giants are 25-26 also. 4 of their 9 games left are against the Padres the final weekend. They are also missing their best hitter so far, Yaztremski who has a sore calf. St Louis, because of games lost to the pandemic has 11 games left. They right now are in second behind the Cubs. But only 1 game in front of the Reds. Expect things to get real interesting the last week of the season. The Dodgers look like a lock to win 40 or more games. They can win # 39 tomorrow and sweep the Rockies. Gonsolin is pitching against Senzatela. Padres lose. Lead is 5 with 7 to play. Magic number to clinch is 2.