Up to the 1/3 point of this season, we have seen a slumping Mookie Betts, almost no cody Bellinger, some AJ Pollock and some Corey Seager. That’s kind of like an 8-cylinder engine without 4 spark plugs. Tonight Jimmy Nelson and AJ Pollock return and Alex Vesia and Edwin Uceta go back to AAA. You bullpen doom and gloomers are not going to like this, but both of these pitcher’s development was accelerated by the injury bug. Vesia could be a future closer. His stuff is filthy – he just has to harness it… and he has at times! Just because they did not come to the majors and strike out every batter and allow no runs does not mean they are not very good. Very few of you understand “depth” and I am not going to explain it… it’s a waste of time.
Rants & Raves
- By the way, AJ Pollock can make a huge difference for a LH-heavy hitting lineup. Doc just has to make sure not to “overuse” him. Make no mistake, AJ is a weapon.
- Keibert Ruiz has done a complete body makeover. He used to be a little pudgy, but he is now ripped and lean. He looked visibly faster and more nimble behind the plate last night. He was 2-4 with a double last night and is hitting .298 with a .914 OPS. I predict he’s going to be smoking hot soon. For Friedman to trade Kaybear, he will have to get a haul. Personally, I think he will be the Dodgers catcher next year, Justin Turner will be the DH and Will Smith will be the 3B! Ruiz has better bat-to-ball skills than Alex Verdugo and Alex’s skills were off the charts. Now, he is developing his power. He is still only 22 – Will Smith did not end sniff the Show until he was 24. Ruiz is going to be an All-Star. Write that down. When I saw this season what he has done with his body, I see that he is becoming a man and is determined.
- Rangel Ravelo? What to do? They have to clear a roster spot and who would that be? Hitting at AAA does not automatically mean you will hit in the big leagues… but it’s a pretty good indicator. I think they either have to call him up or trade him…. someone will take a flyer on Rangel.
- Tony Gonsolin will probably get called up next week. He went 3.2 innings and threw 60 pitches. He looked a little rusty but only gave up 1 run. The Bazooka closed out the game by striking out the side. He may get the call-up Sunday.
- Reks and Raley can’t do much more than they are at AAA (.333 & .388).
- Will DJ Peters suddenly just put it all together? His talent is undeniable. It’s his contact that is the issue.
- Sheldon Noisy is going to be a very good MLB player. While not as versatile as CT3, he is a worker (like Max Muncy) and will evolve in every facet of the game.
- By the way, those of you who questioned the trade of Neuse for the great Adam Kolarek need to eat that crow pie. Adam put up an 8.00 ERA and is now toiling in the minors. Yeah, you know how to build a pen!
- And while I am at it, for all you bullpen architects: Dylan Floro’s ERA is now 3.91 and going up faster than the Dow Jones in Bull Market. That should shut you up for a while!
- Andrew Friedman made a mistake in not tendering Yimi Garcia, but most of you were good with that. While not a TOP CLOSER he has 9 saves in 11 opportunities and a 2.86 ERA – he’s a solid piece for the pen… just not a high-leverage guy. I wish we still had him.
- Cody Bellinger is ready to make up for the lost time. Watch and see!
- Max Muncy is the Dodger’s MVP and TOP 5 in NL MVP Ranking at the 1/3 mark! In the process, he has made himself into a near Gold Gove 1B and an above-average solid 2B.
- Corey Seager will likely be back for the July 4th Fireworks. Then he will be on a mission to get a new contract!
- At the 33% Mark, the Dodgers are #3 in team ERA and will soon be #2. They are #1 in Starter ERA at 2.98 and have moved up to the Top Third in Bullpen ERA (they are now #9, after being as low as #20).
- By year-end, the Dodgers Bullpen will be TOP TIER and there will be TEARS by some of you. The pieces are starting to come back and Mookie is starting to heat up.
- You will see the meaning of “depth” throughout this season.
Dodgers Minor League Report
OKC BOXSCORE – OKC won 8-1 and is now 10-15. Reks, Ruiz and Raley all had 2 hits and Gonsolin went 3.2 innings. It was a great game and I watched it all.
TULSA BOXSCORE – Tulsa won7-6. Cuadrado and Mann hit HR and Casey was 2-5 (.315). Kody Hoese continues to heat up as he went 2-4 with a double.
GL BOXSCORE – The Loons were beaten like rented mules 12-1. Andy Pages had the only extra-base hit ( double) and seven Loons pitchers were treated like cannon fodder. Never speak of this again! I never happened!
RC BOXSCORE – The Quakes won 4-3 on just 4 hits including a 2-run HR by Deluca (not LoDuca). LH Franklin De La Paz got the win by going 2 inning and allowing no earned runs.
What’s next? Barring more injuries, this team is about to go on another run. Warmer weather plus a streak of not so good teams on the upcoming schedule will push this team back into first place by the time we play the Padres and Giants again at the end of the month.
They setup Belli’s locker right next to Albert. I’m wondering if Belli got some advice from “The Machine” to convince him to make an adjustment. Belli is going to start carrying the team.
The roster crunch is coming. We’re going to have to say goodbye to someone pretty soon with Gonsolin coming off the 60 day. Knebel will be next to come off the 60 day, probably near the end of the month, or around the All-Star break. I think Dennis Santana is going have a garage sale soon to get ready for a move.
What’s the point of keeping Yoshi on the roster at this point? We have pitchers with better slash lines.
Tonight’s lineup should look something like this…
Betts RF
Muncy 1B
Turner 3B
Belli CF
Smith C
CT3 2B
Pollock LF
Lux SS
It’s starting to look really deep again.
B&P, you’ve posted my favorite lineup. We’ll see if Doc gets your memo. You can use me as a reference.
Well, he listened except he didn’t want 3 righties in a row. We settled on…
Betts RF
Muncy 1B
Turner 3B
Belli CF
Smith C
CT3 2B
Lux SS
Pollock LF
Yes, I think Yoshi would benefit from a change of scenery. There might be some Class A backup catcher that AF could get for him, or a veteran trying to hang on like Drew Butera. If Ruiz becomes trade bait–and again, it would have to be for a big fish (a Marlin, perhaps?–there’s always a need at catcher in case Smith or Barnes get hurt. (And kudos to Smith for gunning down Albies.) … I wonder how whether Smith would be eager to move to 3B. (Also rooting for Edwin Rios to get healthy.)
I expect Muncy will be back in a couple days. If not, I hope Ravelo gets a shot, even though Matt Davidson has the stronger ML track record. Who knows? Maybe Ravelo’s figured something out. Maybe it’s finally clicked.
I am highly skeptical of ERA as good metric for relievers. A guy could start the season with eight perfect innings for eight holds or eight saves–and then give up 4 earned runs in his 9th, making in ERA 4.00. I’d rather have him than the guy with a 2.00 ERA who can’t seem to hold on to a lead.
And in broadcast news, I’m pretty sure Charlie Steiner said Matt Beatty playing first even after Pujols had replaced him. Also, for the second time in maybe 3 days, Steiner repeated that old story about what John McKay said when he was asked about his team’s “execution” after a drubbing.
“I’m all for it,” McKay said. A great line, but Charlie needs more material.
LOL! A lot of trolling going on in this post. That’s ok. I think it’s good. It stimulates lively discussion.
I think you do have to clarify what depth is. To me, depth is when you have a replacement player who plays at a replacement level at least. The substitute can fill in acceptably well for a starter and not detract from the overall team performance until the starter returns. Kyle Garlick played acceptably well. Even better, when you have substitute players who play better than replacement level you have something special. AF has been very good at accumulating talent over the years and finding hidden talent, but he’s not an alchemist. Warm bodies are not “depth.” The Dodgers at one point lost 15 of 20 games and are currently in 3rd place. The “depth” did not perform. Period. Full stop.
I’m hopeful that Neuse and Vesia can develop into bona fide major leaguers, but they aren’t right now. I have my doubts that Peters will ever change the strikeout prone player he’s been in every level of the minor leagues.
“Ripped and lean?” “Smoking hot?” I think maybe you’re a little too enamored with “Kaybear.” Besides. Next week when he goes 0-4 you’ll want to trade him again. If he has even better bat to ball skills than Verdugo, and if you considered Verdugo to be the next Tony Gwynn, who are we talking about here? Do we have the next Ted Williams?
The Dodgers are still firmly middle-of-the-pack when it comes to relevant reliever metrics. They are average …mediocre … not exceptional. No more Santana and Vesia and Uceta will help, but the Dodgers record in one run games does not augur well for a successful post season run. Playoff baseball is a crucible of critical plays and one run games.
I think the Nationals had a losing record in the first half of 19, the year they won the World Series. The Braves were pretty mediocre in the first half last year, exploded in the second half, and pushed the Dodgers to a game 7. If we get our core guys back I see no reason why the Dodgers can’t pull away from the rest of the league.
A lot of folks here have never given Muncy the respect he deserves. All he’s done is perform since he’s been with the Dodgers, and now he’s turning into just a great, all-round player.
I have my doubts about Bellinger long term. I think he had a charmed first half of 19, and then the league figured him out. That swing is just too complicated and disjointed.
We keep talking like Mookie is in a slump and will soon explode. Look at his 2017 season. He’s now performing a little better than he did then. I think his performance last year set our expectations, but he has had mediocre years before. There’s no guarantee he will put up 2018 numbers.
What?
Are you accusing me of stirring the pot?
Depth:
You can’t do what Bill Walsh did with the 49’ers, where he had All-Pros stacked at multiple positions.
To me, depth is where you have a high number of players who have a lot of upside and could be close to the show. Some players come up and just hit or pitch at an All-Star level, but most don’t. Sometimes it takes 2,3,4 or7 callups before they make it. I think that some (maybe 1 or 2) of the players we may think are busts will be on the playoff roster.
At least we have a better chance at repeating than the Lakers!
HAHAHA! YEP! maybe in a year or two if lebaby retires I can go back to watching the team I have followed since the 60’s.
Big fans of King James, I take it? 😉
Not one bit. Never liked him b4 he came, was not happy when he did. Tried to “sort-of” get on board because I wanted to root for my team. But after he started spouting all his political bullspit, I bailed completely. Did not watch a game at all in the “Championship Year” and still have not. Was not surprised at all seeing tons of articles about his lack of hustle & poor sportsmanship last night. Just more time for bball. I have committed to watching AT LEAST 162 reg season games this year. Figure that is all the time I have for sports.
Cheers
I may go to an Indianapolis Indians game this weekend.
They have a new Club Area with Tables for 4 where you can eat and watch a game.
Pacers E-Mail to me:
I wanted to reach out again in regards to your credit that you have from the unplayed games last season!
We can use that credit to secure 4 club level seats so let me know if you want me to secure those for you.
Lastly, I am finishing up my time here with the Pacers at the end of the month so I wanted to make sure that I took care of everything for you prior to my departure.
I hope to hear from you soon!
Me:
We have no interest in any season tickets. We would just like a refund.
Thank you!
Interesting read on various substances used to improve spin rate.
https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2180019
With baseball planning on crack8ng down on its use it will be interesting to see how pitchers such as Bauer perform going forward.
You mention the Nats; last three years after slow starts their winning percentage for the second two thirds of the season was .669. If this trend does not repeat where do think Scherzer gets traded. Are the Giants one of the options?
MushersPop, this article is great. Thanks for sharing it. That info is right up my alley. Really interesting to me. I think it’s becoming more clear that something needs to be done to curb this advantage to pitchers. But as I mentioned yesterday, I don’t trust Manfred as far as I can throw him when it comes to enforcement. I may change my mind but my initial thinking was to clarify the procedures and punishments and start it in spring training next season. Without clarity and transparency, arbitrary enforcement is my fear. Trevor Bauer comes to mind as a target. I’m not ready for strip searches on the mound. But that might be too conservative of an approach and warnings and punishments for violators could start much sooner. That is when baseball finishes their “investigations”
I fully agree with your concerns. This year should be for fact finding not changes on a whim.
I’ve wondered about enforcement as well. What will umps do if they find something on a ball thrown by Bauer but can’t find anything on him or his uniform? Does Bauer just get fined/suspended because he threw a sticky ball? Or is enforcement entirely dependant on “finding” the source of the substance? Seems like a typical Manfred operation and could get ugly. I agree that boundaries should be set in spring training that are then enforced during the season.
I think Tsutsugo has to play before they make a decision regarding him, give him the last chance…
The Dodgers can option him to OKC, and in fact, I think they should do that. He needs to play everyday to get that swing back…
I don’t think they can option him because he was originally signed as a free agent from Japan. I think they would have to DFA him.
I am not infallible on this, but everything I have researched says he can be optioned.
Yoshi could be optioned to OKC, I suppose, but I don’t see him accepting it. My guess is that he would ask to be traded or released.
He was a star in Japan. It’s a matter of pride and also the perception of folks back home. OKC is great spot for a veteran like Sousa trying to get back to the majors, but Yoshi brings a different set of values.
Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a single established Japanese or Korean star who went from the majors to the minors. Anybody?
1. Betts RF
2, Muncy 1B
3. Turney 3B
4. Bellinger CF
5. Smith C
6. Taylor 2B
7. Lux SS
8. Pollock RF
9. Urias P
That’s a pretty good lineup! Julio needs to bounce back. Keep that fastball on the edges!
Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Confirms Tony Gonsolin Will Start in Pittsburgh
by Brook Smith
The days of the Dodgers going with 4 starts and resorting to bullpen games appears to be coming to an end. They’ve made it this long with just 4 guys after losing Dusti May for the season, but they’re getting a big name back. Tony Gonsolin made his 3rd rehab start with the Oklahoma City last night.
Ex- minor league Dodger(2013) 26 year old Victor Arano was FFA’d today by the Atlanta Braves. He was traded to the Phillies in 2014 as the player to be named later and was selected off waivers by Atlanta in January of this year.
He spent 3 ML seasons with the Phillies as a RHRP. His record was 3-2 and a 2.65 ERA, 9.6 K rate and 2.8 BB rate. He is also a FA in 2025
I only mention this because it seems to one of the things AF loves that being small risk high reward situation.
Victor Arano in 3 years of experience in MLB shows good numbers, but would it be a problem if the Dodgers take him? I mean for the 40 man roster
Agreed but doable
https://www.draysbay.com/2021/6/2/22465174/rich-hill-named-american-league-pitcher-of-the-month-for-may
Yeah Hill was great for the Dodgers when he pitched. I will always think Doc mishandled him. He came to the dodgers pitching lights out with Oakland. Doc seemed to keep a leash on him during the Dodger stay. He had blister problems as well. Mb Tampa has been more effective dealing with this. He is better off in Tampa where they let him pitch.
Good for Dick Mountain! Love that guy! How does Tampa do it? That’s one awesome organization!
My goodness. Anderson is just making us look silly with his change up. And Julio isn’t fooling anyone.
… until he didn’t!
Scoreboard!
Patience, Grasshoppers!
I guess that’s why they play more than 3 innings!
What happened to Muncy?
Something with his ankle…
If u can get healthy. I mean pollock batting 8th in the lineup. Best lineup currently. Looks like the World Series champs running up the pitch count with a clutch hit or 2.
For those of us in the Rangel Ravelo Marching and Chowder Society, through 4 innings tonight he has 2 homers and 5 RBI.
Mark my words, if the Dodgers get knocked out of the playoffs it will be because of the bullpen. Unless Friedman goes shopping at the trade deadline for relievers.
Disagree
Albies was the only guy that squared it up. I liked both White’s and Kelly’s stuff. And Nelson looked great. When healthy I think our bullpen will be a strength by the end of the year.
BANG!
Dodgers sign RHP Jake Reed, 28, to a minor league contract. Reed was released by the Angels on June 2. He also pitched in the Twins organization.
Dodgers Roster News: Brusdar Graterol Optioned to Triple-A
A little bit of a surprise from the Dodgers on this one.
by Brook Smith
06/04/2021, 8:00 PM