DISCLAIMER: What follows, was written before last nights game.
At the end of May, Corey Seager had a .244 BA with a .350 OB% to go with 4 HR and 18 RBI, and yet, it seems that just about everyone is placing the majority of the blame for the Dodgers 4-14 record in the past 2+ weeks. Virtually every one of you has thrown Corey under the bus. I looked back at Corey Seager’s monthly hitting records by month and here is what they are:
- April 2021 – .255
- July 2020 – .344
- August 2020 – .299
- September 2020 – .301
- April 2019 – .236
- May 2019 – .264
- June 2019 – .425
- July 2019 – .250
- August 2019 – .255
- September 2019 – .291
- April 2018 – .267
- April 2017 – .319
- May 2017 – .255
- June 2017 – .313
- July 2017 – .333
- August 2017 – .333
- September 2017 – .210
- April 2016 – .250
- May 2016 – .301
- June 2016 – .343
- July 2016 – .347
- August 2016 – .330
- September 2016 – .277
- September 2015 – .337
So in five Aprils, Corey has averaged .264. In 2021, he is 9 points below what his career BA is for April. In fact, this is his second-best April. He has three Aprils that were worse. In his 24 months in MLB Corey has hit below .300 12 times and above .300 12 times. It is very unremarkable to see Cory hit .255 in April, but it seems that many of you think it means something! IT MEANS NOTHING… except that he is in a slump! But of course, when you see the team struggling and Corey (World Series MVP) is only hitting .255 in April, it’s pretty easy for many of you to conclude he is in decline, offensively and defensively. It’s easy to place blame and see decline … even if there isn’t any. Defensive metrics are very subjective.
Corey has 4 errors and a .967 fielding percentage which is exactly in line with his career .968 fielding percentage. His fielding percentage is actually 15 points better than in 2020. What do you have to say to that? Really, you shouldn’t say anything because it is simply very silly to castigate Corey Seager right about now. Now, many say he is feeling the weight of his Free Agent year and that he might suck all year. That’s possible, but you don’t have any way of knowing that! It’s silly to assume such nonsense… especially at this juncture. What I do know, is that this is a typical start for Corey Seager and that his fielding percentage is 15 points better than last year.
Corey can be cold and he can be red-hot. We have seen it throughout his career but is hot more often than not. We have also seen Max, Mookie, AJ, Will, JT, and CT3 get red-hot. It is bound to happen again. That and Cody Bellinger will be back! I remain undaunted!
THIS ENDS WHAT I WROTE LAST NIGHT!
We Don’t Know a Damn Thing…
… about a team after a little over a month. So, are you willing to bet that the San Francisco Giants will win 98 games? That’s the pace they are on. Anthony DeSclafani has a 2.40 ERA. Kevin Gausman is at 1.97, Alex Wood is 1.96, Johnny Cueto is 1.80, Aaron Sanchez is 3.18. Actually, it is more likely that they will all be injured than have anything close to those ERA’s! Come on, man!
Here’s my point: After 34 games we really have no idea how the Dodgers or other teams will finish up. Maybe at 60 or 80games, the trends become more clear, but how can you even make a rational judgment when you have ten players on the IL and others hurt to the point they can’t play? You can make a judgment, but it would not be rational. Everyone is losing their minds about Mitch White and Dennis Santana giving up 10 runs last night. They both have major league arms, but not the requisite experience.
They obviously have been rushed, but there was another factor at work last night: When you come into a game ahead by 14 runs, it’s hard for a youngster to really focus and if you are not focused MLB hitters will eat your lunch… even poor hitters. White and Santana need to go back to OKC, but what they have there might not be any better. Then of course, you have to blame someone – after all, it’s Andrew Friedman’s fault! He should have foreseen that he will have eight pitchers on the IL on May 8th. What a dumbass he is! Why is everything always someone’s fault?
We all have perfect 20/20 hindsight, but lest we forget, bullpens are not only built in the offseason but they are built during the season. To say that the bullpen almost blew the game last night would make you Mr. Obvious. Even Ray Charles can see that. The Dodgers are just going to have to suck it up for a few more days… or weeks until some pitchers and Bellinger become healthy. Oh, he might make a signing or two – Shane Greene comes to mind, but I would not expect anything major until at least July. This is not panic time – they are only 128 games left!
The Twins who were one of the favorites in the AL are 12-20 and there are 18 other teams including the Dodgers who are hovering above or below .500. The Yankees, Rays, and Astros are struggling and the Braves, whom many predicted ready to take the next step are below .500. Their vaunted pitching has a 4.65 ERA! We can not like what we see, but what we see will be changing as some of those ten players start returning. Myself? I think it is pretty damn amazing that the Dodgers are two games above .500 and I find it ridiculous that fans think this is not the deepest organization in baseball. No team can withstand such a plethora of injuries as the Dodgers have, but actually the Dodgers have survived it! They are not 13-2 but they are 18-16, 2.5 games out of first place!
This team is built for the 162 and I think it will all end well. You don’t spend what the Dodgers spent and then do nothing, but today is not the day to be making a knee-jerk reaction. Piece-by-piece is what has to happen. That said, it was good to see the Dodgers bats come alive. I cannot remember them scoring that many runs without the aid of a home run. Games like that build confidence in hitters. 50% of the game is 80% mental…. or something like that.
Minor League Report
- OKC was beaten by the Round Rock Express 6-5. Reks was 2-5 with a double, and Christian Santana was 2-3 with a double. Carlos Asuaje hit a 2-run HR and drove in 3 runs. Kickham pitched 3 innings and gave up 3 HR. Yasiel Sierra walked 3 batters in 2/3 of an inning, and Pazos and Quackenbush both pitched an inning without allowing a run and Quack struck out the side.
- Tulsa was drilled by the Sod Poodles again, 5-3. Busch added another hit (a double) and a walk. He is OPSing 1.172. Cuadrado was 2-4, and Kendall also had a hit (he is hitting .417 in a small sampling. Ryan Pepiot pitched 4 innings, allowing 1 run, and Nate Robertson pitched 1.2 innings and allowed no runs.
- The GL Loons are now 1-4 as they were beaten by the Dayton Dragon2 6-5. Vargas has a double, Ryan Ward hit a 3-run homer, and Deacon Liput had two hits. That was all of the hitting by the Loons. Melvin Jiminez pitched 1.1 innings without an event.
- The Inland Empire 66ers Quaked at the sight of Rancho Cucamonga as RC won 7-1. Jake Vogel was 2-4, and 19-year old Alex DeJesus was 4-5 with 2 HR’s. Kendall William pitched 4 scoreless innings, and Franklin De La Paz pitched the last 1.1 innings to close it out.
Cover Photo Credit: MLB and Getty Images
Great post Mark, and all true.
The one glaring elephant in the room is of course the Pen, and I’m not sure we have the depth there that AF imagined.
I don’t see us winning it all with VGon and Treinen as the only reliable pieces.
Time for AF to get creative I think.
Without the pandemic, I would have been in LA this weekend, and heading to the game today, hopefully with Bobby, Pete, Badger and a few more of you LA based fans ( B&P and Patch looking at you).
Still, there’s always next year. Hopefully..
Can’t wait to see you in 2022!
Cheers Bobby – back at you
Wat,
It won’t take much to fix the pen. I am assuming Joe Kelly will pitch better than his first outing. Jimmy Nelson has been settling in nicely. Bazooka and Knebel seem to be a ways away.
Injury Updates from Dodgers.com:
Injury updates
• Price (right hamstring) and Gonsolin (right shoulder inflammation) continue to progress well from their injuries and appear to be getting closer to returning over the next few weeks. Roberts said Price threw a bullpen session on Friday, and while there’s still no definitive timetable, the Dodgers believe the left-hander could be back “sooner rather than later.”
Gonsolin will be built up as a starter to fill May’s spot in the rotation, which is why his rehab is taking a little bit longer. The Dodgers are hoping to build Gonsolin up to at least four innings and 60 pitches, but preferably he returns somewhere in the five-inning or 75-pitch range.
• Cody Bellinger (hairline fracture, left fibula) took another step forward in his rehab, running at “about 60 percent,” according to Roberts. Still, Bellinger is not close to returning from an injury that has kept him out since April 6.
• Zach McKinstry (right oblique) is also still not close to returning, but Roberts did say that the utility man was able to sneeze without feeling any pain, which is actually considered a big step when returning from a strained oblique. Because the oblique is a sensitive area, especially for a hitter, the Dodgers will continue to take it slow with McKinstry.
If you ever get here, we can have a “Rainbow” at Aloha grill overlooking beautiful Huntington Beach. Patch and Badger are pretty close by. Not sure where Bobby lives.
Wow! I have been there. My wife had the “Rainbow” and I don’t remember what I had. We had lunch there.
Just rode by there a couple of times on the way to the Queen Mary and back.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/J2Ao6uuVtmW5gFYk8
Sounds great B&P & Patch – had a look online
Count me in.
And pre game at Philippe’s….
Kendall Williams = sleeper
I would not call him a sleeper… more like a steal!
1 – I said at the beginning of the season that Seager could be MVP this year. He has gotten into some bad habits at the plate but will reverse course and put up stellar numbers. I am more concerned about the defense. Fielding percentage is a smokescreen here. If you only get to 3 balls but field them all your pct. is 1000%, but if you should get to more than you do then it’s not reflective of your defense. Seager’s dWAR is -.2 according to Baseball
Reference.com.
2 – The bullpen depth isn’t very good. I’ve been on that bandwagon all season, even when they were winning. I have no problem with having Santana, White or Cleavinger pitch in a blowout. I have a problem with Roberts leaving them out there long enough to give up 11 runs in 2 innings.
3 – Santana, White et al have not been rushed. Santana is 25 and this is the 4th season that he has pitched major league innings. He just isn’t very good. Cleavinger is 27. White is 26. Vesia is 25. The Dodgers are Cleavinger’s 3rd organization. He hasn’t been good anywhere he’s pitched. White has never lived up to the hype.
1 – Let’s put that to a test by looking at innings played and number of chances, that should give us an idea if he’s really a lot worse than other shortstops at getting to the ball.
Seager 124 changes/270 innings = 45.9%
Lindor 104/225 = 46.2%
Story 119/265 = 44.9%
Tatis 87/202 = 43.0%
Oh, shit. I didn’t expect to see that Seager actually gets to more balls than Story and Tatis and is essentially even with Lindor.
2 – With a 40 man roster and a 26 man active roster, you’re depth is the 14 player difference. On a 26 man roster with 8 relievers, 30 percent of your roster is relief pitchers. Therefore 30% of your “Depth” should be relief pitchers. 30% of 40 = 4. Graterol, Knebel, Alexander, Gonsolin, Price, Kelly were all supposed to be in the pen, 4 guys can’t cover the loss of 6 bullpen pieces, especially 5 at the same time. No team could have had this covered by depth.
3 – No Doubt, White with his 7 career games and .93 career ERA has never lived up to the hype. I think you have to give him a little more time. Blake Treinen started his MLB career at age 26, Liam Hendricks never had a sub 4 ERA until his age 26 season.
Very well reasoned!
Hey B&P. Maybe I’m having a brain cramp, but I don’t get your reasoning on Seager is better at getting to the ball by the number of chances he has had. The number of chances only shows that the ball has been hit to him more than the other players you listed. Is there a stat available that shows balls in play that could have been turned into an out? What am I missing? And be nice. Lol. Thanks.
While I realize Seager will have his moments is it not reasonable to expect him to improve? According to your stats he could spend 4-5 of those months as a league average or less player. It is not his fielding percentage etc. it is the balls he does not get to and never will. I just think AF already knows this and will not give him an excessive contract. All I read is back it up with facts. Well the facts are not the whole story. Anybody can c he is a subpar ss and with turners lack of range positioning will be paramount.
As far as last night. I predicted they would make it close. We can’t worry about what other teams do or don’t do. Even the worst teams when a third right? Well the dodgers are in that group. The defense is awful, fundamentally can’t hold runners, getting picked off at second, we just don’t execute. Bullpen awful lacking Mlb arms. Offense awful, thankfully turner is back or where would we be. I remember someone saying time to move on from turner it’s Rios time.
We will improve no doubt. Can’t be this bad. The current roster will not get it done. We do not have the depth we had last year. We have lost Joc, kike, floro, wood and replaced with peters, neuse, etc. I think AF did what he had to do but we still do not have quality depth. Until the current starters play better and our bullpen gets help expect more of the same.
Should have been a confidence building rout , turned into a doubt magnifying flirtation with disaster. That takes some real doing. And also the absolutely horrendous ball/strike calls are really hurting the Dodgers, prompting good hitters to swing at s*** they know it’s not a strike, or take a pitch they know is outside and get behind in the count or be called out on strikes. Also , the use of the less lively ball this year is hurting the Dodgers who rely so heavily on the home run.
Blame the umps. The strike zone has not been consistent from any of them. And in any game so far you see multiple bad calls. MLB team batting averages across the board are lousy. And hitters are striking out at a higher rate than any other time in history. Not just the Dodgers. But we are Dodger fans, so how they play affects us a lot. There are holes in all of the contenders, not just the Dodgers. They are not perfect, and never will be. And yet it is way too early to panic, but it is easy to see why we are concerned. I have faith that the true professionals, and I put Seager in that category, are working every day to improve their play. Just look at Mookie the last 2 games. He has looked like a different hitter. They scored 14 runs without a HR last night. That just does not happen with this team usually. And the exit velocity on a majority of their hits was under 90MPH. Then the Angels scored mostly the same way. A couple of those hits would not have broken glass and all 7 runs in the seventh were unearned. After this afternoons game they come home for 9. By the end of this home stand we will get a somewhat better picture of who this team with these players is. They still are just () this far out of first and that while missing a huge piece of the offense, some major pitching pieces and their best bench player so far this season. AF will not stand pat if he sees a need.
I’m done ragging on Doc. Doc is what he is. But I did find it rather amusing, watching the water rising on him last night: wet shoes/socks, then up to the knees, uh-oh waist level, chest level damn, then finally neck level look of FEAR. When Treinen first got here, he was immediately trashed in dodgers fan fashion, I said he was going to be a Big ASSSET.
Thereafter has a good point about the balls Seager doesn’t get to. Last night Lux dove and snagged a ball. I was still a hit but from what I’ve seen this year, Seager would not have stopped the ball from going through. Has Seager always done this? Or is it the current team funk that is pointing this deficiency out?
As for the bullpen; price should be back relatively soon, so White goes back down. Alexander comes back, Cleavenger is gone. Santana probably stays. Unfortunately he is inconsistent.
It just occurs to me that Seager’s aversion to diving might not be due to injury, but rather fear of injury or being injured again. He WILL get hot again, and any fielding deficiencies be forgotten.
A lot of talk about Seager again today. I guess that makes sense since he’s the focus of Mark’s post. Did anyone notice that he was 3-4?
Betts was 2-3 with 4 RBI. Maybe he’s coming around?
Kershaw returned to form after the worst outing of his career. You can tell right away what you’re going to get from Kershaw. It he’s hitting 91-92 in the first inning, you’re in for a gem. If he sits 89 in the first, it’s gonna be a stinker.
Can we make it two in a row with Bauer on the bump? Or, are we going to make another mediocre lefty look like Cy Young?
Beaty, Smith, Muncy, Seager and Betts all had multi-hit games. I wonder how many of these guys will have a scheduled day of unneeded rest during a three game series sandwiched between two off days.
Ruiz is suggesting that he can play some 1B and/or Outfield. Barnes moved to 2B yesterday and committed a key error with two outs which should have been a clean inning for Cleavenger, instead lead to a 7 run inning. Does everything still think it’s a good idea to suggest position changes all the time? Wouldn’t it be better to just trade from depth to acquire a player to fill a need?
The offense scored double digits for the second time in a week and handed Bundy his worst start this year. Not bad for a team that’s missing two starting outfielders. Is this finally the start of a turnaround just before a 9 game homestand against not so great teams before we head to the great pretender in San Francisco?
I think position changes have to be in the conversation. The Dodgers have never been afraid to move players: Garvey went to 1B from 3B, Russell went to SS from CF, Ferguson to RF from catcher so Yeager and others could catch more.
Will Smith is a prime candidate. He has a bat – a really good one. He has good speed and he could flourish at another position. The ideal position is 3B, but he is blocked by JT… until next year, when (if) the DH comes back. For some reason, some pitchers prefer to throw to Barnes. Barnes is a backup, but Ruiz is the real deal with the bat and could end up being the better catcher.
Mike Busch could be the LH version of Albert Pujols. I am not yet predicting HOF, but he is damn good. Where does he play? I am not sure he can stay at 2B. He moves OK, but while his glove is not as bad as Delwyn Young, it is not great. He can DH after JT retires.
You made my point for me with your first sentence. Sot a single guy you mentioned were ever considered good defenders at their position. Gavey was the best defender at his position, but everyone held their breath whenever he had to make a throw. Lopes won a GG once, for sporting a -3 Runs Above Average!!! Ferguson in RF was ugly.
If you prep prepare all offseason and commit to it in Spring Training, you at least have a chance. To ask Barnes, Smith or Ruiz to make that change now is disastrous. Remember Joc at 1B?
You can still hide a guy in Left Field, I would suggest starting there. Smith looks to me like he would be able to move to 3rd. But, you would have to commit to it in the offseason and have him log a lot of time there in Spring Training. The better option is to hope a team desperate for catching with a surplus of outfielders and trade one of the catchers. Barnes or Beaty should be able to get you a solid gamble, a young guy with plenty of upside, or a veteran 4th outfielder. Ruiz or Rios should be able to get you a solid everyday starting outfielder we can use as a very capable 4th outfielder when everyone is healthy. Smith/Muncy should be able to get a cream of the crop outfielder that would bump Pollock to 4th outfielder. Any of these scenarios would be a better use of resources. The key is finding a team that needs a catcher or 1st baseman that has a surplus of outfielders like the Mariners.
I would only do a mid-season switch if an injury would keep a player out for a considerable amount of time. Like if JT went down. Smith has already played 3B, so I would consider that.
Albert Pujols the Cardinal version? Let’s wait for his first big league season hitting .350 with 40 homers and 120 RBI’s! Which will be never!
True to form, Beaty sits for the favorable split. Let’s see how Peters delivers against lefty Quintana.
Of course Turner has to DH instead of Ruiz. With a day off before and after this three game series JT can’t play 3 games in a row at 3B? Instead we see Nuese at 3B.
All eyes on Peters and Nuese today.
Let’s talk about relievers. Here are the records of some of the relief pitchers you all wanted:
Alex Colome – 5.68 ERA ,3 Losses, 3 Blown Saves
Liam Hendriks – 3.55 ERA, 1 Loss, 2 Blown Saves
Adam Kolarek – 6.43 ERA (the league is hitting .303 against him)
Sean Dolittle – 3.97 ERA, 2 Blown Saves 1.50 WHIP
Archie Bradley – 6.00 ERA
Brett de Geus – 5.79 ERA
Chris Devenski – 7.50 ERA
Jake McGee – 5.14 ERA – Yeah we needed that! He has 8 saves – not sure how.
Derek Holland – 14.21 ERA
Dellin Betances – 9.00 ERA
Amir Garrett – 10.38 ERA
Kirby Yates – Out for the year
Ken Giles – Out for the year
Dylan Floro is looking good with a 1.42 ERA and 1 Blown Save. He has 1 Loss and the league is hitting .182 against him. Mark Melancon has a 0.60 ERA and a 0.467 WHIP to go with 11 saves. No one predicted that!
BTW, Kenta Maeda has a 5.02 ERA with 37 hits in 28 IP.
It’s really hard to build a bullpen! Some dumb luck is also involved. But, of course, every fan can do it better!
Mark Melancon was on my reliever list this off season and of course Sean Doolittle. I wanted Ken Giles at the trade deadline 2019. The rest of the names you listed I wasn’t interested in.
I disagree that it’s hard to build a good bullpen. It’s no different than building a good starting rotation. The problem is the Dodgers have a few bad contracts (Jansen, Kelly come to mind) that are hard/impossible to unload.
You were pretty smart for a second until Doolittle and Colombe started sucking. 😉
Melancon’s next.
At what point should the Dodgers decide to call up Josiah Gray?
He had 10 Ks in his season debut. While it’s clear the Dodger brass envisions him as a starter, let’s remember that Bob Welch and Dave Stewart both arrived to the majors as relievers and made the transition later. Assigning pitchers certain roles seems overrated to me. Eckersly and Smoltz did both just fine.
Back in the early Spring, I was thinking Gonsolin could be the 5th starter and May could be the lights-out reliever.
It was pretty to think so.
Yeah, it’s a long season, and the Dodgers should turn it around….
Mark reports that “just about everybody” is blaming Cory Seager for the Dodger woes, especially defensively. I will be on record of NOT being one of those and never will be a Seager basher.
I’m going to say it again. Seager’s job is and always will be, to make routine plays routinely and hit. He is not and never will be Lindor, Tatis, Story, or your pick of any latin acrobat defensively. That isn’t his game and a player does not have to be that to be a Big League shortstop now or in the past. Tell me about Bill Russell’s or Larry Bowa’s range. Cal Ripken. Is a human being inputing data into a computer measuring how far a player goes to make a play. Does the computer do it? Shifts considered?
Seager gets criticized for not diving for ground balls. Isn’t that exactly what got Bellinger a ticket to the outfield?
How about we stop picking on the kid for what he isn’t. I personally don’t see him pissing away games with poor defense. Tatis gets to more balls and boots more.
At the end of the season, if all you critics want that type player that Seager isn’t, get ahold of AF and express your wishes. You don’t like his style and range and disapprove of him being signed again. Then you might be happy with Lux at short or shop the market for some expensive replacement with the range you desire. But be careful what you ask for.
Until then, maybe all the critics who I doubt ever played shortstop in their lives past high school, can shut up about Seager. He is NOT the problem. You’re entitled to your opinion but it’s like a broken friggin record.
Mark, I love the MiLB reports daily. I can follow kids I’ve seen play. Keep it up please.
Amen!
Re; Seagers’s defense
B&P’s stats don’t hold up. Per Baseball Reference.com
Seager – Defensive Runs Saved – -3 Range Factor/game – 3.25
Story – DRS – -2 RF/g – 3.5
Lindor – DRS – -1 RF/g -3.78
Tatis – DRS – -5 RF/g – 3.30
As it turns out, all but Tatis have better overall defensive numbers, but even that is a straw man because the comparison isn’t to the best defenders.
JP Crawford – DRS – +6 RF/g – 4.53
Bo Bichette – DRS – -1 RF/g – 4.31
Javier Baez – DRS – -1 RF/g – 4.24
Seager does not compare to elite defenders. The question is whether he is adequate.
My Retort is that no one ever compares to Crawford, Bichette and Baez. He’s always in the same conversation as Story, Lindor and Tatis.
No one knows how DRS is calculated. Chances per Inning is a good indicator of how many balls you can get to. It’s one statistic vs another.
LEARNING LESSON
A straw man is when you exaggerate something in an extreme way and then attack that distortion. Like when you said “If you only get to 3 balls but field them all your pct. is 1000%” I just pointed out that he gets to more balls than other shortstops he’s often compared to using a straightforward statistic that’s easy to understand.
Read this on DRS from Fangraphs and tell me how you can justify using it to compare infielders during a 35 game stretch…
DRS is as easy to read as it is difficult to calculate. DRS tells you how many runs better or worse that player has been relative to the average player at his position. A +5 DRS at third means the player is five runs better than the average third baseman.
There are some reasons for caution, however. First, DRS is relative to positional average so you want to factor in the fact hat some positions are harder to play than others. For that reason we have the positional adjustment, which we add to UZR to get DEF. If you prefer DRS, you could add DRS to the adjustment and get a DRS-based DEF.
The other thing to remember is that DRS isn’t going to work well in small sample sizes, especially a couple of months or less. Once you get to one and three-year samples, it’s a relatively solid metric but defensive itself is quite variable so you need a good amount of data for the metrics to become particularly useful. There’s plenty more to say about this issue, but that’s for another entry. In general, DRS isn’t perfect because it doesn’t factor in shifts, positioning, and can’t perfectly measure everything it needs to, but it’s still among the best options out there.
Learning lesson:
“an intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent’s real argument.”
Like when someone writes that Seager has more chances per inning than 3 other SS who aren’t elite defenders.(As if that stat is particularly meaningful)
I generally like your views and appreciate your takes. Corey looks bad to me, but I don’t think it’s going to last. I don’t think he’s horrible, just a bad spell. He’s never going to be an elite defender, but he’s serviceable with a very big bat.
It’s much more likely that he’s been a little fatigued causing him to be a little slower than usual leading to him missing some plays by an inch. You have to give him more than 30 games to see if this really who he is. Fangraphs says you can’t use DRS to measure 30 games. More conventional statistics don’t back up the claim that he needs a position change compared to 30 games samples from comparable shortstops.
I was never making an argument that Corey is an elite defender, just that he doesn’t warrant a position change. Big difference.
I agree with Mark and others that this is no time to panic. With preseason expectations and the fast start all was good in Dodger land. Right now, except for the starting pitching, the team is doing poorly in every other area of the game. At times it’s almost comical. I was one who thought the BP was finally going to be a strength. It looks like that that might not be the case. But, we’ll see as the season progresses. Injuries have been the main culprit which has lead to bringing up pitchers that aren’t major league ready or don’t have major league talent. Mark has mentioned Mitch White as a future solid BP piece. Initially, I was not impressed and still not sold. Only 25 he can get better. I hope he does. He might need another out pitch.
The hitting has been painful to watch during this slump. Why does Roberts continue to put Muncy in the four hole? OK, I’ll answer my own question. Because that’s what Roberts does…. until he doesn’t. Max is the poster boy for today’s baseball of three outcomes. Max had 81 AB’s in April. He has K, BB, or HBP 53 times. That’s 65% of the time. And this is our # 4 hitter? His OBP is awesome, but slugging only .383. Many times he didn’t look like he wanted to swing at the pitches, He would be a great #2 hitter. And, in May the three outcome percentage is 68%.
With Seager and his defense it’s not the errors that are troubling, but the lack of range. I never thought it was an issue in the past (when he was healthy). It seems if he has to move laterally at all he can’t get balls low to the ground. And, his throws seem to be lackadaisical at times. That can stem from a lack of focus. Maybe, his mind was on his poor offense. I have confidence that by the end of the year all will be good numbers wise. He’s just too talented.
philjones’s comments yesterday on the large number of injuries for the Dodgers and MLB in general is really concerning. What IS the answer? You would think with the drastically improved nutrition and all the ways they have to measure and develop conditioning how does this happen? I have absolutely no medical background, but using common sense it may be because of these advancements pitchers feel they can throw as hard as possible on every pitch without any consequences (especially with relievers). This could be why relievers are so inconsistent. Usually when a person does weight workouts they do so to increase muscle mass and strength. If you do this on a consistent basis, with proper recovery time, your muscles should get stronger and stronger. When a starting pitcher goes to spring training or are coming back from an injury they build up their arm strength. But, once they achieve the results they desire then the building up of arm strength stops. The magic, one size fits all mantra of 100 pitches becomes the standard. That reasoning doesn’t make any sense to me. I have never seen any explanation on who came up with the universal 100 pitch threshold. I have never pitched professionally, but I know some here have or have sons that have pitched in pro ball. So, maybe they would have a better perspective on the subject. In Japan, the starters only pitch once a week, but pitch count isn’t a real concern. And, I believe they throw a lot between starts. They feel that the more you use your arm muscles the better condition the arm stays. But, they aren’t paying SP $20-35MM yearly either. We hear that Bauer wants to pitch on three days rest. I don’t believe any other pitcher studies or knows his mechanics more than he does. I would think it would be difficult for the Dodgers have him pitch every three days, but it would be interesting to have him pitch 120-150 pitches for a few games and see what happens. If he feels it would not be productive or healthy he has the smarts to stop. Pitchers threw well over 100 pitches 30+ years ago all the time. Just ask Fernando.
Lindor has been a disappointment so far. Does not look anything like a player worth the money he is getting….feeling the pressure of a huge deal??? Most likely but he will figure it out sometime. Machado had the same problem his first year in SD. The true greats figure it out. But I believe in Seager. I think his bat will be roaring thunder soon. And when the team is playing better, and the errors do not loom so large in the final line, Corey will be a huge part of the solution to the offensive woes. You cannot predict injuries, and they have decimated a team that avoided major injury losses last year. This too will pass.
I may be crazy and Eric will crucify me but I still believe in Santana. I think his stuff is very good. He just has to trust it and throw strikes. By the end of the year I predict he’s a dependable bullpen piece!
I feel the same way. I also feel that Clevinger and White have the stuff as well. A team should not have to rely on 5 or 6 rookie pitchers , but that is what happens you have 8 pitchers on the IL
So Beaty is not playing because RH Batters have superstar stats against Quintana
So would you suggest that Muncy swing at balls in the dirt instead of walking?
7 walks and just one run
Along with Zeros, Notso is not the answer at third behind Turner!
And the beat(s) goes on! Another wasted great start! But that’s a great Angel pitching staff that shut us down.
I’ve wondered how much of the losing has been caused by the change in the ball. The Dodgers were built to win by hitting home runs. Long balls that would have been homers last year are now outs (mostly). In close games those lost runs would have been the difference between winning and losing. Maybe time for a new hitting approach. The current one isn’t working.
I have been thinking that a lot.I haven’t tried to compare.I wonder league wide what the comparison of the last 2 years would be.
Three rookies at the bottom of the order. All ofers
26 lob!
JT Chargois called up by the Mariners.
Thanks MT for the perspective on Corey Seager. I have always liked him as a player and think he is a great hitter. But he has his weaknesses. He has been adequate on defense but will never be an elite defender and may need to move from SS in a few years. He is a below average base runner for a SS. And his tendency to swing at the first pitch limits the Dodgers ability to work pitch counts. Overall, I would love to keep Seager a Dodger for 10 more years. However, I cannot see paying him $300 million plus like Lindor, Tatis, and Machado. And since his agent is Boras, it is unlikely he accepts less than $300 million. So enjoy Corey this year while you can.
In terms of the Dodgers this season, I will recite a Bill Parcels quote. “You are what your record says you are!”
They are an average baseball team with many flaws. The perception that they were one of the best teams in baseball history was ill-founded, and the predictions of 120 wins were silly. They can still win the World Series, but they can also miss the playoffs. We can point to the injuries, the umpires, the bad luck, the young players, but all teams have to deal with these issues. The Dodgers have many shortcomings that are not likely to fix themselves. In my view they are not built to succeed in close games. The bullpen is inconsistent, the bench is weak, the defense is below average, they give up the most stolen bases in baseball by far, they refuse to play small ball, they seem unwilling to move runners over, and the manager is below average strategically.
The Dodgers have had tremendous starting pitching this year which has kept them competitive in every game with the exception of 2 or 3. Hopefully, the starting pitchers maintain their excellence while the rest of the team figures it out.
It is time for the Dodgers to get rid of the experiment and send Lux, and others back to minors or trade them. We lost hitting and watching today fielding by KiKi Hernandez and bought into a no hit, average fielding Lux. A bus needs to get ready to transport Lux, Nuese, Ruiz back to where they can learn to hit. At the rate they are progressing in the big leagues they will never make it. I also think Seager should be on a short leash and someone needs to train Bellinger how to not upswing to get a home run each time.(also gets hurt all of the time.
Post game press conference – Bauer says he’s pissed! He didn’t come here to lose. He doesn’t want to speak for anyone else, but the team can’t think they’re going to win games simply by taking the field.
Bravo! Somebody needed to say that out loud. Maybe that will offend some of the guys who aren’t producing but feel better after every game because Doc announces that he knows they are trying.
I’m going to predict right now that they win 7 of the next 10 games they play and part of that will be because of Bauer speaking out. You don’t win championships simply by trying and maybe this will be the verbal kick in the ass they need to get going.
Instead of playing like the nice guys they are, they need to start playing mad.
World series hangover. Everyone take a bong toke.
All we can hope for as of now is that all the guys that are injured and are expected back this year, get back and stay healthy and that the Dodgers make the playoffs. I want them to continue the division winning streak too.
Friedman better be looking for bullpen help before the trade deadline.
I still believe in the offense and starting pitching.
By the way, I have no problem with Seager, including his defense.
If your pitching and offense is good, then all you need is adequate defense.
Today was disappointing. Bats are not being consistent. But it was close.
We went to the Quakes game Tuesday (opening day). Then Thursday. Then Friday (Covid canceled). The game last night in Anaheim (Saturday). Crazy game, obviously. My son wanted to go to either the Quakes game at 2:00 or the Angles v Dodgers game (I really can’t keep up anymore. I’m 45 for F*** sake). I’m fat and have a freaking job. For real.
I will say this. The Anaheim staff last night have been trained based on old Gestapo manuals. Going to a game there is like being in some combination of a military boot camp and fascist indoctrination. I don’t use hyperbola lightly. But it was terrible.
I’ve been to hundreds of MLB games. Hundreds of minor league game.
Both my son and I and our friend had close friends on both teams. My friend knows the ushers. We know security. But the the “covid” protocols have nothing to do with covid. They’re just being assholes. By policy.
I will go to minor league games but I will NOT go to another MLB game until these unscientific and ridiculous rules go away. Last night we felt like prisoners. Being directed to “move on” and “you can’t stand here” over and over. My son just wanted to get a video of our friend getting his first MLB hit. That’s all.
MLB and each team needs to lighted the F**k up. It’s ruining the fan experience.
Tickets we bought weren’t cheap. We won’t be going back to an MLB game until this shit stops.
Full stop.
It’s frustrating to watch, but I’m not concerned. Seems par for the course for the Dodgers to have a rough month at least once per season where you openly wonder who are these guys. In 2017 – wasn’t it 17 losses out of 18 to close out August? Maybe it was 18 out 19. We were still under .500 thru early June in 2018. We were a little more even in 2019, but we didn’t exactly close out the season that strongly. Even last August, we were eeking out wins, but the offense was really struggling.
We’ve always had a streaky offense that relies a lot on the HR, but I always used the baseline if our starters are pitching well and we’re hitting HRs, we’ll always give ourselves a chance. At the moment, starters are doing their part, but the homers are down, I think we’re 15 HRs off last year thru 34 games. If our past is any indicator, the HRs should pick up before our batting averages do, but those extra HRs should make a difference in these 1-2 run games we’re losing now that we haven’t in the past. Unless, of course, the league messed with the ball. I thought that thru the first month of last year as well, when we hit a lot of warning track shots. Eventually they started going out.