Last Thursday AC completed a review of all nine Dodgers minor league teams. It was an exhaustive review in terms of its depth and probably a bit exhaustive for the author. AC looked at the players, from his perspective, who are on an uphill trajectory. He included 45 players, some on a seemingly quick ascent and others on a more slow but steady climb. The list certainly included some surprises such as Parker Curry and Connor Mitchell. Surprises in that they might not have been expected to progress this year as they have. Others might be considered as replacements for some on the Top-30 list.
AC and I are of one accord with regard to youngsters that might be on a bit of a downhill slide. This is a rugged hill, perhaps more mountainous than hilly, and neither of us wants to write about the struggles players are having and may be considered to be disappointments. First, it is simply more fun and rewarding to write about risers than it is to write about those that have fallen back or not progressed as expected. Expectations are a bit risky in any event as they are personal for each of us and for the players quite often tied to their drafting position. Certainly, drafting teams have expectations depending on the rounds in which the players were selected or on scouting reports for international signings.
AC didn’t leave me a whole lot of wiggle room as I really wouldn’t remove anyone from his “risers” list. I have only a couple I might add but am looking at another level that contains players that I see that are swimming just below the surface or are at a plateau in their climb up the MiLB mountain. Just think what it could be like if our politicians had the will and determination of these young men and just never gave up or caved to pressures.
Oklahoma City Dodgers (AAA) – I understand this is a level that must be filled with players that have been at or are presently at a level in which they can possibly contribute at the MLB level. Therefore a number of these players might be on that plateau and seemingly stuck there.
Connor Joe (26) has been Mr. Reliability with the Dodgers. Listed as a left fielder he has played more first base than any other position this year. In his minor league career, he has played more third base than the outfield. In 60 games with OKC in 2019, he has a triple slash of .293/.432/.510 and an OPS of .942. His OBP is the 6th best in the entire league while his OPS is tops with OKC. He leads the team with 53 run and 48 walks. His K/BB is almost 1.00 at 52/48. Joe is hitting .288 with RISP and the right-handed hitter has an average of .323 against left-handers and .281 against right-handers. He had 15 at-bats with the Giants to begin the season.
Right-hander Kevin Quackenbush (30) has pitched 207.2 innings at the MLB level. His highlight years were 2014 and 2016 with the San Diego Padres. Now 30, he has been a strong late-innings reliever for the Dodgers. In 41 innings over 36 appearances, he has posted a 2.85 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP with 63 strikeouts and 9 walks. In his last 10 appearances over 9.2 innings, he has an ERA of 0.93, a WHIP of less the 1.00 with 18 strikeouts and no walks.
DJ Peters (23) has been a bit of an enigma but I have been a consistent fan. He is just 23, last December, at a step below MLB. Strikeouts have been the strike against him (no pun intended). His power potential cannot be ignored so in between the K and the HR he has to find a middle ground. It is way too soon to declare victory but his time with OKC is encouraging. In 14 games Peters has a slash line of .380/.484/.700 with 9 extra-base hits among 19 hits with 13 RBI. He has struck out 12 times and walked 11. I suspect the strikeout, which is not a crime of capital punishment anymore, will always be a bit of an issue with DJ. The take away will be what he does with his non-strikeout at-bats as he at least reduces them.
Tulsa Drillers (AA) – AC covered this ground like a bloodhound but I have a couple of players that go mostly unnoticed who have some potential to make it to a higher level (s).
Nolan Long (25) – 16th round 2015 – at 6’10”/255-lb. is one of the tallest players in the Dodgers system so it is difficult not to notice him in team pictures. The big right-hander had an exceptional time with the Quakes in 2018 before his promotion to the Drillers. This year he is 4-0 with an ERA of 3.21 over 24 appearances and 42 innings pitched. He has given up just 27 hits with a BAA of 1.76 along with 57 strikeouts and 28 walks. His K/BB ratio has gone down this year so he must get back to his former ratio.
The invisible man is left-hander Victor Gonzalez (23) who was signed back in 2013 out of Vera Cruz, Mexico. He lost the 2017 season due to injury. Gonzalez outgrew the California League this year after 8 appearances with the Quakes and has been a versatile member of the Drillers staff over his next 12 appearances, eight of them starts. He is 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA over 43.1 innings pitched with 42 strikeouts and 14 walks. In his last 10 appearances, he has an ERA of 1.89. In his last four starts, he gave up four earned runs in 22 innings. Since then he has been used in long and short relief and given up no runs in 7.2 innings.
This is a bit unfair to others perhaps but Zach McKinstry (24) – 33rd round 2016 – is one of my personal favorite players so he gets special treatment although I think it has been earned. He is a grinder having played at four positions – 2B (49 games), SS ( 16 games), 3B (8 games), OF (2 games). His triple slash in 2019 is .270/.338/.472 with a career-high 12 home runs and 45 RBI. He is hitting .301 in 73 at-bats with RISP. The left-handed hitter is hitting .294 against left-handers and .264 against right-handers. This guy will make it to MLB, most likely in a utility role.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A+) – there is one Quake that I think is flying under the radar or swimming just below the surface.
Outfielder Donovan Casey (23) – 20th round 2017 – is a mainstay of the Quakes offense slowly overtaking Devin Mann and is on fire since the All-Star performance. On the season he has slashed .277/.348/.513 with 15 home runs, 53 RBI, 64 runs scored and 18 stolen bases in 21 attempts. The right-handed Casey is just behind Mann is several offensive categories and near the top is some. In league stats he is 2nd in runs scored (64), 2nd in total bases (163), 4th in OPS (.861), 4th in SLG (513), 8th in stolen bases (18),5th in RBI (53), 6th in hits (88). Casey is hitting .329 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI in 20 games since the All-Star game. He has 10 outfield assists playing all three outfield positions. In the post-All-Star game period, he has cut down his K/BB ratio from 4/1 to 2/1.
Great Lakes Loons (A)
My main candidate and a candidate for the riser list is right-hander Justin Hagenman (22) – 23 rd round 2018 – who has been arguably the Loons best relief pitcher this year. He has appeared in 20 games over 45.1 innings pitched and posted a 1.79 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP and a BAA of .178. He has 4 appearances in which he pitched 4 or more innings. His others have ranged from 2 innings to one hitter which he struck out with the bases loaded. In his last 10 games, he has allowed 2 earned runs in 27 innings pitched for a 0.67 ERA and a 0.59 WHIP. He struck out 26 and walked 4.
Great Lakes has several more high profile players as pointed out by AC. I gave some consideration to James Outman (22) and Dillon Paulson(22). However, I settled on outfielder Chris Roller (22) – 30th round 2017. He came to the Loons later in the season so has played only 51 games. He has had a 12-game hitting streak and an 11-game streak. Perhaps it is mostly a coincidence but the Loons took off to win the first half shortly after Roller’s arrival. He has played all 3 outfield positions. His numbers aren’t flashy with a triple slash of .278/.377/.461 with 5 home runs, 22 RBI and 36 runs scored. When things get interesting he seems to be part of it. He currently has a 24 game on-base streak.
Ogden Raptors (Rookie League)
Catcher Tre Todd (22) – 21st round 2018 – has caught my attention. He had 32 at-bats between Rancho Cucamonga and Great Lakes to start the season waiting for the short season rookie league to start and did not have a lot of success. He has been splitting time with fellow catcher Marco Hernandez so could use some more playing time. In 13 games he has posted a slash line of .391/.440/.761 with 4 home runs and 20 RBI.
Melvin Jimenez (19) was rushed in his progression in my opinion so I would include him as one who is treading water ready to make a bigger splash. He actually pitched quite well with the Quakes earlier in the season waiting for the Pioneer League to start up. With the Raptors in 7 appearances over 16 innings, he has posted an ERA of 2.81 and a WHIP of 0.81 along with 36 strikeouts and 6 walks. He is due for another trip to Great Lakes.
AZL and DSL – the DSL is especially difficult to assign a status to players. With so little information, unless a player is a high profile signing, one has to rely on stats. Age level and speed of progression can be used and with pitchers I always like K/BB ratio. For most right now the sample size is very small.
Four young pitchers that are putting up good numbers in the DSL are:
Heisell Baro (17) – First Year 10 G,22.2 IP,0.79 ERA, o.84 WHIP 24 K 9 BB
Axel Acevedo (18) – Second Year 10 G, 23.1 ERA, 1.16 ERA,0.69 WHIP, 17 K, 6 BB
Hendrick Briones (17) – First Year 11G, 16 IP, 0.56 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 9 K, 7 BB
Christian Suarez (18) – First Year 7G, 24.1 IP, 1.85 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 22 K, 3 BB (DSL All-Star)
Among others two players of interest for me in the AZL are:
Ryan Pepiot (21) – 3rd round 2019 – 4 G,5 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 10 K, 4 BB
Aldrich De Jongh (20) – 17th round 2018 – .17 G, 301/.342/.438, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 5 SB
Note: Statistics as of Saturday, July 13
DC’s Minor League Lowdown
DSL Dodgers Bautista 6 – DSL Athletics 7
Andrew Budier started and pitched 4 solid innings giving up one run and striking out 5. Abel Maya did not fare so well, giving up 4 runs in 1.2 innings while Jesus Turizo surrendered 2 more. Carlos De Avila (2.1 IP) and Hendrick Briones (0.2 IP) had a clean slate.
The Bautista Dodgers scored six runs without any coming home on a hit – bases-loaded walk, error, ground out, throwing error, ground out, steal and error.
DSL Dodgers Shoemaker 6 – DSL Rays (2) 9
Pitching did not highlight the day. Starter Yamil Castillo gave up 7 runs in 4 innings and was followed by Luisenyer Perez who gave up 2 more in 2 innings. Samuel Reuben finished up with 2 scoreless innings.
At the plate, the Shoemaker Dodgers scored 2 in the 3rd and the 5th on singles by Nelson Quiroz and Juan Diaz. Frank Rodriguez brought one home in the 6th with a single and another scored in the 7th on a ground out.
AZL Dodgers Mota 1 – AZL Dodgers Lasorda 3
The Dodgers won and lost a close one. Lasorda’s Dodgers got excellent pitching: Israiky Berroa with 4 scoreless innings, Adolfo Ramirez one run in 3.2 innings and Reinaldo De Paula a scoreless 9th.
The 3 runs came in the 8th on a WP, a SF and an Aldrich De Jongh single.
The Mota Dodgers also got good pitching with a slip in the 8th. Jeisson Cabrera pitched 4.2 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts while Huei-Sheng Lin pitched 1.2 with no runs. Daniel Cruz ran into trouble and left with the bases loaded in the 8th. Jacob Cantleberry couldn’t close the gate and all 3 inherited runners scored.
Their lone run scored on a steal and an error.
Ogden Raptors 3 – Missoula Osprey (Arizona) 9
Alfredo Tavarez had another good outing giving up 2 runs, none earned, in 5 innings. Jeff Belge surrendered another in his 2 innings while Melvin Jimenez pitched 2 perfect innings with 5 strikeouts.
The Raptor bats continued to rake. Jimmy Titus had 4 hits and 4 RBI with a 3-run home run in the 2nd and an RBI double in the 5th. Andy Pages (9) and Sam McWilliams (8) had solo home runs. Three additional runs scored in the 3rd on a Justin Yurchak SF, an Andy Pages single and a Ryan Ward single.
Great Lakes Loons 3 – Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis) 1
Pitching was the highlight of the day in Peoria. Twenty-year-old Jose Martinez went 7 innings, pitching 7 innings for his second consecutive start. He gave up 6 hits, one run walked one and struck out 7. Justin Bruihl and Guillermo Zuniga each tossed a scoreless inning with the trio recording 11 strikeouts.
The Loons first run came on a home run by recently promoted catcher Tre Todd. In the 7th inning. Todd got credit for another RBI in the 8th on a fielders choice and a 3rd run scored on a ground out.
Ranch Cucamonga Quakes 4 – Stockton Ports (Oakland) 6
Three Quakes pitchers gave up 6 earned runs in 6.1 innings pitched: Michael Grove (2.2 IP) – 3, Max Gamboa (2 IP) – 1, Wes Helsabeck (1.2 IP) – 2. Austin Drury and Brett de Gues both had 1.1 scoreless innings.
Donovan Casey hit his 17th home run in the 2nd inning while Starling Heredia and Marcus Chiu plated 2 in the 5th with a double and single respectively. An additional run scored in the 8th on a wild pitch.
Tulsa Drillers – the Drillers were not scheduled.
OKC Dodgers 5 – Iowa Cubs 2
Tony Gonsolin (1.2 IP) and Mitchell White (4 IP) both struggled a bit. Gonsolin gave up 2 runs while White gave up the other 3. Justin Grimm and Chris Nunn each had a scoreless inning.
The offense was simple. Zack Reks hit a home run in the 2nd and Gavin Lux homered in the 8th.
Discussion (100)
Disagree, not disagreeable
If Kike was playing second in the last inning he might have gotten to that ground ball single and most definitely would have gotten to the pop fly that fell in front of Pollock.
You win some, you lose some. Tonight we lost.
Buehler – 6 IP – 2 ER…
As Porky Pig would say “That’s all Folks”…
So you really want hit the first guy up??? Bull___j
Verdugo also threw out a runner at home from left field in the Boston series. Pollack was playing deep and had a long way to come in to make that play. Neither Verdugo or Pollock are burners, and certainly not in the class of Lorenzo Cain and some other elite center fielders who most likely would have caught that ball.
And without having looked at that play over and over again, I did have a feeling that Muncy might have been able to make the catch if he hadn’t pulled up just before the ball dropped.
To the best of my knowledge the Dodgers’ defense has been good this year.
No sense crying over spilt milk. It’s done, move on, there’s always tomorrow, the day after, and so on.
Just not gonna win a WS with this bullpen. Plain and simple! Balls in your court AF!
Is Pollock faster than Verdugo? I’m not aware that he is faster. Does anyone else think that Verdugo would have caught that fly ball that Pollock could not get to? Then on the next play, he bobbles the base hit to him and loses the game. Verdugo to CF and Pollock in left?
I’m not picking on Pollock, but I’m acutely aware of how poorly the Dodgers are defensively. It’s almost like they’ve abandoned the concept of locked down defense in favor of their massive hitting attack. The amount of errors the infield is making is mind boggling. It’s costing us runs and games. 6 runs, 2 of them earned, cost Buehler the game. Hopefully, the team will be addressing this.
Earlier in the year, we were winning close games with good defense — preventing lots of runs. In the last month, we have really regressed. I would dare to say we are in a bit of fielding slump. Without the miscues in the 2nd an 9th innings, we win this game by a decent margin. When the bullpen is an issue, fielding definitely gets magnified.
That said, I love the fight! Down 6-1, let’s work our way back in. Down one run in the 9th, let’s put together a rally. This is a fun team to root for!
KJ looks very mortal. Where’s the strikeout pitch?
Watching Bryce Harper celebrate makes me want to puke!!
Time for a new closer.
Horrendous loss. Granted there was a bs chopper and a bloop that fell in, but horrendous loss
Ok, I am big time on board with Mark, and this has been on my mind all season, watching Turner(who we all know crowds the plate), Muncy and other guys get drilled. I totally love Roberts, but my big thing, and I know he is old school, and Nomah and Orel has said this numerous times, you have to PROTECT your hitters when you are on the mound. Nomah said it perfectly, when they pitch inside and hit your guy, next inning, your pitcher throws high and inside cheese just to let the other team know that you know. For some reason, Doc does not retaliate. Lasorda would have benched his pitcher if he didnt throw at him. Just sayin.
Too many Dodger players being hit.
You have to drill someone back!
Nice little Beaty Bop to set the world aright!
Dodgers is a classy team, they will not fall to that level, so they are not going to hit anyone…. At least I hope so!
It’s a good thing I am not the manager of the Dodgers. I would drill the first batter. That’s BS!
Joe Davis: “Rain clears. Lightening strikes!”
CLASSIC Part 2!
Applause to the field crew! Did you see how fast they go that tarp onto the field?
Joe Davis: “Bludgening their way back into this thing!”
CLASSIC!
Joc is looking solid at 1B.
He has learned to come off the bag to catch the ball. That’s a hard one…
I still remember when many of here wanted to take Taylor, Kelly, Pollock and Joc out of the team (Those 3 have been great lately) And some of us think that the season is long and things can and will change, I understand that we all want to win the 162 games, but we have to be smart and have patience, I’m sure there is a plan, which is being carried out, do not worry about Barnes, he will know how to solve things, I personally prefer to have Barnes instead of Smith in the playoffs, at least this year.
Kinda funny, as I watched Harper light up Striker for a 3 run dong, I was thinking to myself, you know what, 6-1 is probably not going to be enough to beat us with the way we’ve been hitting. Son of a gun, I come back in a half and hour and it’s already 6-4. How would you like to be a pitcher facing this lineup for 2 or 3 times through? Good luck man!
Apparently through a weird weather pattern, Colorado air has moved east and is hovering over Philadelphia. Or it could be that the balls are juiced. Perhaps, and not as frequently considered, these players are just really good. Win or lose, this is a fun team!!!
Walker is overconfident. “He thinks he can throw any pitch in the zone at any time and win.”
That’s not a quote from me. It’s from someone who knows Walker well. He also said “He’ll learn.”
Who said Joc can’t play 1B?
Where is all the talk about WB being our ace?
Walker Buehler’s Day Off, or is that Walker Buehler’s Off Day?
umm, I don’t think Buehler has it today
I really enjoyed the ESPN coverage of the game last night. I hung in there the whole game and Fleming, Kurkjian and Ross were very complimentary of the Dodgers, insightful and funny. Kurkjian’s all time initials team was great and David Ross talks a lot but I like him. He is the anti A-Rod for me. The reinvented, repackaged, new and improved A-Rod still doesn’t cut it. Big phony who doesn’t talk; he preaches and gives essays complete with outlines and bullet points. “3 things the Dodgers need to do”……”5 things Rui must do……..”. His new tactic to be more genuine with his self deprecation doesn’t cut it (is it deprecation or def………….nevermind) The SI article on him made we want to put my finger down my throat. Davis Ross is the refreshing, good knowledge and funny. I like Jessica Mendoza on the Sunday night group but that can’t salvage it.
Kurkjian made a great comment about Doc. I love to question and second guess Doc sometimes but is is a baseball guy. Tim pointed out how he sometimes will ban players from the cage and too much hitting. He understands that less is more as a long season wears on. It’s like a pro golfer on the range. When they are in a groove, they use the practice tee to warm up, go through their routines, see what’s working and hits shots for the day. They are not working on their golf swings. When they lack their A game, that changes. Same with BP.
Now back to Joe and Orel today?
Let’s not forget, that you have to match up with whoever you are trying to do a trade. We may say “Trade Ruiz and Gonsolin for Vasquez!” However, we have no clue if the Pirates even like either player.
The Yankees traded Chapman for Torres who was one of the Top 10 Prospects in baseball at the time. The Cubs got two months of Chapman.
Vasquez is signed for three more years after this. On MLB.Radio today, they said that Vasquez was the best Closer in the NL… maybe all of baseball. Signed for 3 more years.
Maybe the Pirates want Ruiz, but I think they probably would ask for Smith (since Cevelli has the concussions) and would also demand Lux and May. If anyone thinks they are getting the best reliever in baseball for 2 months and 3 yers for Ruiz, they are outta’ their rabbit ass minds!
Maybe Ruiz should be traded for a reliever before he becomes a “Lee” although somehow we did wind up with CT3 via Lee.
I would not mess with the catching position now. Bring Smith up in September and let him play a little. Next spring is the time to make a switch. The experts have Ruiz as the best prospect. Maybe they both make it with Smith or Ruiz playing a different position. This whole thing is a process. Look at Bellinger. 2017 he was great. In 2018 the pitchers had him figured out. In 2019 Bellinger has adjusted. Some player adjust and some do not. Bellinger was not going to be a platoon player again. I just wish Joc would of had the same attitude.
Mark, Im a fan of AF but there has been plenty of swing and misses for him. My point is this is the year barring injuries we would be a big favorite to win it all with a big bullpen addition. Don’t settle for being good when we have a chance to be great. Trading for Smith is a must or someone at that level. Let’s not settle for just getting to the WS but winning it! For me it’s worth a top prospect! Like the Cubs and Chapman for Torres
Can somebody smarter than me explain #3 in this article to me.
https://www.mlb.com/news/5-effects-of-new-mlb-trade-deadline
Does this mean that a team like the Mets or D-Backs who may want to dump payroll might consider trading deGrom or Greinke for lower rated prospects to a team that would take on that payroll?
If so, should the Dodgers consider one of them, considering we don’t know if Rich Hill will be available come playoff time and leave Urias in the bullpen this year?
A starting rotation in the playoffs of Ryu, Beuhler, Kershaw, deGrom/Greinke would be pretty dominate in the playoffs and may shorten the games for our bullpen.
When I say lower rated prospects, I mean none of our top 5 prospects and maybe not DJ Peters either.
Today’s lineup:
Joc (1b)
Verdugo
JT
Belly
Muncy
Pollock
Seager
Barnes
Buehler
Did any of you know that yesterday, 2 years ago, Bellinger became the first rookie to hit for the cycle?
With all this discussion about Barnes. This is why you do not trade your top 2 catching prospects (Ruiz and Smith). With all this discussion about needing to trade for pitching, this is why you do not trade your top 2 pitching prospects (May and Gonsolin).
With Turner getting up there in age, this is why you do not trade your best infield prospect (Lux). Speaking of Lux, the Dodgers might want to figure out where he will fit in the infield and start grooming him for that position or put him at SS if he is not there already and let him learn there because I’ve heard if you can handle SS then you can handle 3B and 2B also.
Ugh, I hate saying this because I’m a fan of Joc Peterson, but with Peterson under control for only one more year, we might not be able to keep him around after 2020 (I hope we can). But this is why you do not trade your top outfield prospect (DJ Peters).
Can you tell which 6 prospects are on my untouchable list?
The Dodgers were never going to sign Harper. He had said repeatedly he would not accept a short term deal. The Dodgers knew he would not accept whatever short term offer they made. Barnes fooled me. I thought he was going to hit as he always had in his milb career. He had a good one year but he has shown the past 2 years that he is not a threat at the plate. He is athletic and a team player but seems to freeze at the plate over and over. I believe it is a salary and roster crunch. They don’t want to cut what they have currently with a big lead. They can let Smith work on his game in Oklahoma City and in September he will be called up to battle for the job. AF has said he can be a hall of fame catcher or something to that effect so he is high on him.
All these kids. Most will not ever play MLB. Fun guessing which will play, and mostly that, guesses. For instance Chris Anderson. Watched him pitch at Rancho and thought can’t miss. Well he missed by a mile. Watched Grant Holmes at Rancho and thought wow great heavy fastball and great stuff all around. Oops. As for hitters saw Yusniel Diaz and thought great gap to gap line drive power and good bat to ball skill. Oh well. Watched the mental illness guy and I was right about his speed and hitting but didn’t ever know till later his other issues. Of course I watched Seager and knew he was gonna be a star. And never thought Belli would be the power guy he is now, figured a good for average hitter though. And a lot of theses guys like Garlick I watched and kinda thought, nothing special. So there you go. Might as well go to a psychic . Course it probably says more about my poor scouting skills than anything else.
Will smith has a MILB career stat line of .244/.349/.454/.803
He has played only 80 games in AAA and I watched him have one of the worst slumps I’ve ever seen a player have last year when he was promoted. Everyone needs to temper their expectations, especially in 29 ABs. He is a streaky hitter but he also doesnt have the longest record of being the “elite” catcher every seems to think he is. 29 MLB at bats is nothing, the ball is juiced in the PCL and everyone’s number is are great and the pitching is shit down there. I think Smith should spend the rest of the season in AAA unless an injury occurs and he can come up in September and play for a play off spot, but to be obsessed over a player who was an average minor leaguer and think he is going to be the answer to all of the Dodgers problems is naive and foolish. Sure he could come up and perform, but he can also come up, league makes the adjustments and then he just spirals downhill ruining every sense of confidence he currently has. Sometimes it’s actually a good idea to let the FO make the decisions, look at Verdugo- He was ready to start last year but unfortunately wasn’t able to break thru but look at him now, 9th in all of baseball in BA, 2nd in all of baseball in DRS behind Belly, in the top 15 in bWAR and top 10 in dWAR, there is a method to the FO madness and I think everyone need to take a step back and just appreciate what this team is doing this year.
Good write up DC! In our star driven culture we often lose sight of the undervalued and under appreciated hard working grinders. Every team (organization) needs them. Chris Roller is definitely one of those players. He just keeps “rolling” along. I do like Dillon Paulson also, mostly I suspect , because he is a USC Trojan and I have a an admitted bias towards them. I also attended a USC vs Arizona baseball game a couple of years back and Paulson hit one of the longest home-runs I have ever seen with a silky smooth swing. I think (hope) he’s just a click away from becoming a legit prospect.
Sorry Mark but good hasn’t been good enough the last 2 years. Why not improve your club at the weakest links? Give Smith his shot and trade for an eighth inning reliever! This is the year we should go all in!
Barnes is a black hole unless he’s bunting against a team that can’t play defense! Enough already. Bring up Smith. I don’t understand why clearly the best player isn’t playing!
Harper was thinking, ” those guys don’t make half of what I make, and their all going to the WS “.
Agree Smith should be getting playing time here. Meanwhile, the Dodgers traded Travis d’Arnaud who’s now hitting .252 with 9 homeruns and a.785 ops.
Wonder what Harper was thinking as the HRs kept sailing over his head?
Spell check: “Brett de Geus” and not “Brett de Gues”
I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but do any of the smart folks (AC/DC) know what the staff’s ERA was when Will Smith caught those 8-9 games? I do recall several pitchers saying many positive things about his framing, his game calling, and his leadership.
I also know from the eye test that he looked good behind the plate, looked great throwing to 2b, and looked very comfortable at the plate. Even if he hit .225 from today thru October, that’d still be an improvement over Barnes.
And as far as Kershaw, I don’t really care if he’s still the Ace or not during the regular season, because I already know he’s NOT the ace come October. That fact is indisputable. Of course I’m hoping like hell that something changes this October, but I won’t bet on it.
1. The evidence is clear and convincing that Barnes will continue to struggle. .203 BA and of all NL catchers with at least 180 AB’s he’s just ahead of Austin Hedges ( second to last in offensive production).
2. Fairly certain Smith will exceed the offensive production of Barnes. He is an ascending player and while it might be a SSS at the big league level our eyes don’t lie and Smith passes the eye test (offensively).
3. With all do respect, and I’m not trying to be flippant, does it really matter if the pitching staff are all in? The decision to play one player over another is management’s call and if Doc and the FO think Smith puts the team in a better position to win a WS you do it. You can “sell it” and get the player’s “buy in” but ultimately it’s AF and Doc’s call. I’m fairly certain the pitching staff was comfortable throwing to AJ Ellis but he was traded for Carlos Ruiz because the team needed more offense. The staff was probably comfortable throwing to Grandal but he lost his starting position the last two post seasons.
Being sentimental takes a backseat to winning….and it’s all about winning. Do I like and appreciate Barnes’ game?….sure, but would I like more offense and more competitive AB’s from that position?……absolutely!
Thank you for the interesting write-up DC especially about those players who seem to be either blocked or on a plateau right now. Looking forward to seeing some of them progress in their minor league teams to work their way upwards. DJ Peters is also one of my favorites and hope to see him soon on the big club’s roster.
Mark, if conventional wisdom is wrong, so is hoping for Barnes massive improvement offensively. I doubt you think Barnes’ upside is greater than Smith’s, correct? For me, Smith is the better catcher, offensively and defensively. Barnes has a poor arm for throwing out base stealers, currently 25%. He is not a GG catcher. He could get hot for a spell, but like some others on this team, he will cool to a very tepid temp. Smith is a huge upgrade.
What a great article. First AC, then 2Demeter2, now DC.
This blog just runs itself!
Outstanding piece, DC!
Conventional wisdom is often usually wrong:
CT3 is a bum – get rid pf him – Wrong!
Clayton is no longer an Ace – Wrong!
Trade Joc – Wrong!
Muncy can’t play 2B – Wrong!
Austin Barnes is a blackhole – Wrong!
Ryu is not worth the QO – Wrong!
Cody is slumping – Wrong!
Alex Verdugo doesn’t have enough power – Wrong! (He’s going to get 20 THIS year… 25 or 30 in another year or two)
All players are different and progress/learn differently. Labels are dangerous and conventional wisdom is often wrong. If the Dodgers keep rolling out a player you deem bad, they may have vision while you have sight. They might see something you don’t… or know something you don’t.
The Dodgers are #2 in Team ERA at 3.38 (TB is 3.31). The Dodgers were #1 until the Colorado trip. But, here’s the change that is happening: The Dodgers are #10 in Reliever ERA, 0.08 behind Houston for the 7th spot. Earlier in the season, the Dodgers were 1.10 Runs a Game behind the #1 team (Cleveland). They have cut that in half and are 0.62 Runs a game behind the leader. Yes, I would like to see them get another reliever, but they are trending the right direction. Right now, for any good reliever they seek, the other GM is asking for Kaybear. AF is not trading him. The price will drop at the deadline… hopefully. I do not see AF trading any of the Top 10 Prospects.
I believe that even if the team does not acquire a reliever, they will be Top 5 or 6 in Bullpen ERA come the end of the season. Don’t lose your minds folks.
Kike can’t hit – Maybe Wrong!