On InsideSocal.com, J.P. Hoornstra wrote a blog on December 30, 2017 about O’Koyea Dickson going to Japan. I took me until today to read it because J.P. seldom posts there… the last time he posted was on July 23, 2017, where he wrote about Clayton Kershaw Leaving the Game With a Back Injury. So, him writing a post there was an actual event. When I saw the post entitled: “Headed for Japan, O’Koyea Dickson reflects on his Dodgers tenure.” I almost didn’t read it. I don’t have time to read every items about the Dodgers, and while O’Koyea Dickson was a First Class Human Being, I admit I almost skipped it because I tend to look forward rather than backwards. As I read it, something really jumped out to me. Read this part and then I’ll talk about it:
Being the eighth-longest tenured player in the organization comes with an iota of perspective. Dickson was a 12th-round draft pick in June 2011, six rounds after Barlow. Logan White was the Dodgers’ amateur scouting director then, Ned Colletti the general manager. Gabe Kapler had just retired after being cut in spring training.
To hear Dickson tell it, the regime change had a significant impact.
“Having (farm director) De Jon Watson and (minor league field coordinator) Jeter Hines was a total complete 180 once (Andrew) Friedman and Kapler came over,” Dickson said. “I felt like we were kind of caged in. I don’t think they were allowing us to be the players that we all could be. Some of the limitations were kind of on us a little bit, whether it was the clean-shaven, wearing your pants a certain way – the ‘Dodger way’ – it felt like we were limiting ourselves. No disrespect to De Jon and Jeter, that’s how they wanted the organization, or at least the minor league side, ran. Some players blossomed in it. Some players didn’t. When Friedman and Kapler came in – ‘you can be the player you want; you know what your strengths and weaknesses are; continue to better your weaknesses but we’re going to focus on your strengths’ – complete 180 for sure. It was kind of an eye-opener.”
While respectful and not throwing anyone under the bus, Dickson said a mouthful in what might be his last Dodger interview. Essentially, he said that the old front office was more concerned with appearances and order than they were with growing the farm. When Friedman and Kapler came in, it was a complete 180! That day was the Day the Culture began to change for the Dodgers’ Farm System.
De Jon Watson and Logan White are first class human beings and I am not writing this to be mean, but “culture” is almost an intangible… except that it’s not! The cover photo is of De Jon Watson giving me a tour of the Minor League Side of Canelback Ranch and he was pure class. I wish him well in everything he does.
Culture is also hard to change. This may explain the sweeping changes in personnel throughout the Dodger coaching and managerial staffs in the first two years of FAZ taking over. It may also explain why the farm system has been more productive than ever and is one of the best in the game – Culture!
In Live Science, it has this to say about culture:
Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.
The Center for Advance Research on Language Acquisition goes a step further, defining culture as shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization. Thus, it can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique to the group.
“Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things,” Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London, told Live Science.
The word “culture” derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin “colere,” which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture. “It shares its etymology with a number of other words related to actively fostering growth,” De Rossi said.
Culture is really an excellent term to describe what a farm system does: “Grow, Cultivate and Nurture!” Evidently, it wasn’t doing that when Friedman arrived. It is now. Any good gardener knows that plants grow quicker, faster, stronger and more robust with proper weeding, watering, fertilizing and nurturing. It’s takes the right culture. Culture is a big deal to everyone and especially the kids on the farm. Past performance may not be an indicator of future results. Watch these kids flourish as the Farm System builds on their strengths. Great careers usually start with one thing – a Belief! The right Culture provides a fertile ground for that belief to sprout and grow.
Discussion (37)
Disagree, not disagreeable
https://thekzonenews.wordpress.com/2017/12/27/the-new-best-catcher-in-baseball/
Nice article on Austin Barnes
I think it’s likely the Dodgers stand pat:
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https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/dodgers-heading-into-2018-with-familiar-lineup/c-264379562
Clarification of early thoughts on Toles. I vaguely (as always) remember him struggling with his defense a bit when the pressure was magnified. I wasn’t all that concerned with the velocity of a thrown ball by him, but more-so with his ability to make an accurate throw, or just gather the ball in the glove cleanly. I like what Toles has done to reach the Show and I like what he has done since arriving, don’t get me wrong.
The Dodgers have plenty of outfielders but marginal depth at first base. Might a trade of Kemp for Hanley Ramirez help balance that depth?
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Hanley breakdown: 19M in 2015, 22M 2016, ’17 and ’18. 2019 22M option vests with 1050 plate appearances in 2017 and ’18 3M bonus. In 2017, Ramirez had 553 plate appearances, meaning he needs 497 in 2018 to trigger the option for 2019. Admittedly, this isn’t a guarantee. Aside from any assumptions about his level of play next season, Ramirez has reached 497 plate appearances in three of the past five seasons. Hanley would not get the 497 PA with the Dodgers so the Dodgers would save Kemp’s cost in 2019.
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The Dodgers owe Kemp $21.5M for each of 2018 and 2019.
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Ramirez can play a decent first base. Is there that big of clubhouse drama between the two?
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Boston needs a big bat and Hanley didn’t give that to them last year. They prefer to use Martinez at DH if they sign him but he doesn’t want to DH. I think Kemp would settle for DH and play some LF in a ballpark that is perhaps best designed to mitigate weaknesses Kemp has more than any other ballpark.
Interesting that no one has commented on signing Zach Neal to a minor league deal, another guy who can start or relieve and has a high ground ball rate. I see Jake Peter is not on the 40 man roster but Alexander is so he will have to earn a bench spot. The 40 man roster is now full again but absolutely no news on the status of Kemp and what their plans are for him and no public statements from Kemp either. Arbitration is around the corner, if form holds true all will settle near the deadline barring a trade (Avilan was one of them.) I can’t help feeling there is another deal in the works that no one has heard about.
A gambler would probably put their money on this lineup starting the season:
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Chris Taylor, CF
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Cody Bellinger, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Joc Pederson, LF
Logan Forsythe, 2B
Austin Barnes, C
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Toles has a chance to bump Pederson if Joc hasn’t slimmed down or comes to spring with yet another swing. But Toles still has to prove he is 100% healthy.
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I don’t think FAZ offered Puig for Bradley. Interestingly, on MLB Network this morning the Boston press guy and the show hosts said they would have done that trade in a heartbeat but for opposite reasons. One liked Puig and the other liked Bradley.
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Forsythe seems to be a better defensive second baseman than Taylor so why would FAZ want to improve the defense in CF at the expense of 2B? Who would play RF for Dodgers if Puig were traded? Platoon Toles and Kike’ until Verdugo is ready to take over?
http://www.dodgersnation.com/buster-onley-not-rank-clayton-kershaw-number-1-starting-pitcher-league/2018/01/07/
I wasn’t anti Ned, although his philosophy quotes all the time did wear on me. I know, I said I would break his job performance down…but to be honest, I’ve kinda moved on. I do wonder if Neds only real plan was just to absorb info gathered around him and make a decision based upon the results. FAZ, at least to me, has an overall plan in place… Having said that, I do wonder what Ned has to say in print these days and will most likely buy his book.
Seems like FAZ chose to overwhelm his counterparts by hiring his adversaries, he even kept Ned around. At the time I wondered what they needed all them guys for? Now, I wonder how many deals they have in place as backups when they finally decide to pull the trigger on something. Having all those qualified resources must be fairly handy when trying to suggest and swing 3 team deals.
Anyhow good reading today, y’all. Keep it up!
Gonna quote from Coletti, pretty good stuff. “I wasn’t managing the team, Donnie was. But it was my job to look from thirty thousand feet. It was my job to see the game and the team, in a different way than the manager. The managers view is rarely longer than day to day. The GM needs to look at today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next season, three and five seasons down the road, And the GM can sometimes see what the manager can’t, and vice versa.” This is what we don’t see when we rag about the moves and non moves that the GM makes. FAZ faces the sames challenges that Colleti faced, only this time they have the people in place (Walters, Kasten, Guggenheim) that can make a GM’s plans happen..
I agree with Dodgerrick about Colletti. He may not have been as thorough on the farm system as FAZ, but him and Logan White did draft alot of talent over the years. I think a great education for alot of you guys out there is to read his new book”Big Chair”. I am about 3/4 of the way through it, and yes, he was totally hamstrung by McCourt when he had a chance to get help. We had a chance to get C.C. Sabathia in his prime, but McCourt kept telling him the money just wasn’t there.We were real close to getting him. Coletti really gets into depth the constant phone calls to other GM’s, the “fishing expeditions” they all take to check out other players, and how much time they truly spend on the job, it never ends. He did say because of McCourt’s lack of finances, our Latin America presence was essentially shut down, although when we got Puig he said that gave us alot more juice. How he got Hanley in a trade was right out of FAZ’s book. The one thing I am on right now is how totally nuclear the relationship between Mattingley and Puig was. He details some arguments between those guys that will blow you away. While I truly think we took a step up by getting Friedman, and we are in great hands, I think we do need to tip a Dodger hat to Colleti for actually surviving and even thriving during the McCourt years. Don’t forget, he did get us to the 2008, 2009 LCS. Not bad.
I am not a huge fan of the Ned Coletti era, even acknowledging that he was hamstrung for much of the time that he was GM (2006 – 2014) by Frank (the crook) McCourt. However, it’s easy to forget that the farm system did produce under Coletti, Logan White, and DeJon Watson.
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Kershaw – drafted 2006
Witherow – 2007
Eovaldi – 2008
Joc Pederson – 2010
Schebler – 2010
Tolleson – 2010
Seager – 2012
Paco Rodriguez – 2012
Stripling – 2012
Cotton – 2012
Coulombe – 2012
Bellinger – 2013
Kyle Farmer – 2013
DeLeon – 2013
Verdugo – 2014]
Stewart – 2014
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Additionally, international signings include, Puig, Jansen, Baez, Urias – and they traded for Ethier as a farmhand.
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I’m not criticizing the Braintrust, but it is simplistic to say that Coletti et al were not successful at drafting and developing big leaguers. Maybe Dickson didn’t like the rules imposed by the prior regime, but that is also an overly-simplistic way of evaluating the team “culture”.
Dodgers Dugout: Who is the greatest Dodger of all time?
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I’m hoping everyone has a better year than last year.
The greatest of all time
Who is the greatest Dodger of all time? Jackie Robinson? Sandy Koufax? Vin Scully? Pedro Baez? The list is endless. So, I am asking for your help.
I want you to send me your list of the 10 greatest Dodgers of all time. They can be L.A. Dodgers or Brooklyn Dodgers. Managers count, as do general managers, owners, and announcers. In short, anyone who has been connected with the Dodgers in some way is eligible. You and the rest of the readers of this newsletter will decide who is the greatest.
So, I need you to email me your list of who you consider to be the 10 greatest. Please list them in order from 1-10. Points will be assigned based on their place in the ballot, with 12 points going to your No. 1 choice, 10 points for No. 2, eight points for No. 3, seven points for No. 4, all the way down to one point for No. 10.
Voting will remain open through Feb. 1, and we will count down the top 20 vote-getters soon after that. So, send me your list!
Culture is now the buzz word. When I am interviewing any potential employee, their first question is what is the culture of the company like. I guess culture was always prevalent, just not the word. Today’s millennials seem to like more freedom of expression and less structure. It seems to be a more of a me thing than we. It doesn’t seem so far fetched that this belief should filter down athletes. How many of us would have thought it was a consideration that athletes would ever kneel down during the singing of the National Anthem. But that is the new culture of self expression.
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I grew up needing structure. Self expression always got me into trouble. I do not welcome the new culture with open arms, but I understand it and accept it. I like tradition, but that also seems to be something that appears to be fading.
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Maybe it is culture, but to me the big change in the Dodgers is their change in philosophy and roster construction. Today’s Dodgers build a 40 man roster, not just a 25 man roster. Starting pitchers going 200-220 innings are no longer necessary to win. Bullpens are now just as important as the starting staff for the 162 game season (not so true for the playoffs). Players who can play multiple positions are sought. Platoons are now considered a necessity rather than an anomaly. The days of 5+ year 9 figure salaries are being phased out, especially for those on the wrong side of 30. Good character is more important than big numbers. Many teams followed these philosophies for financial reasons, but now that the Dodgers, a well financed team, are adopting them as a rule and succeeding, other teams are starting to follow.
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I know that Gabe Kapler believed in exit velocity as a key metric for hitters. Strikeouts were unimportant, but how hard the ball is hit was important. So is nutrition.
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I am not exactly sure what cultural difference existed under Colletti, Watson, and White compared to FAZ, Kapler, and Gasparino, but the changes in farm philosophy and roster structure have sure manifested itself into a first rate run organization, evidenced by being named the #1 organization in MLB. If growing facial hair, growing their hair long, wearing their pants just below the knees or just above the ground are important to the players, so be it. All are unimportant to me as a fan as long as they win.
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Strategy, philosophy, or culture. Whatever it is that is changing, keep it coming. But keep drafting players like O’Koyea Dickson no matter what. He is a tremendous young man who deserves the best. While he may never get a hit in MLB, he will always be a ML player to me.
“Grow, Cultivate and Nurture!” – Preacher Timmons
I like it 😉
Bumsrap said yesterday: Mixed in with the discussion of Puig for Bradlety was mention of a blockbuster with Brewers that included Braun. Might Puig and Kemp have been part of that trade exploration?
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The trade possibility that involved Puig and Braun was in 2016, not this offseason.