Well, I think I was right that he had excellent bat-to-ball skills and that he had a cannon mounted on his shoulder. I may have been right in calling him “Tony Gwynn-esque.” I do believe that Alex is going to be a star. He may hit 20 HR some years and he could hit more, but this is a guy who will be a career .300 hitter. I truly believe that.
Here’s Where I was Wrong:
Cut to the chase: I said that Alex could never be a Center Fielder. Well, I said he could play there but that he was not someone who could play there every day. That was based upon watching him at Tulsa and OKC the past couple of years. It turns out I was wrong. It turns out that somehow, over the off-season Alex Verdugo actually got faster! I can only guess, but working with Gil Reyes (Andre Aggasi’s former trainer) has been a huge benefit to Alex Verdugo and ultimately, may have made him a faster runner. Maybe it’s maturity or evolution… I don’t know, but he is faster than he was last year or the year before.
If you mix in a little more speed with the fact that he gets good reads on balls, that he gets good jumps on balls and that he runs excellent routes on balls, then you may come to the same conclusion that I have: Alex Verdugo just might be a REAL center-fielder. He’ll never win a Gold Glove there, but he could be very solid… like in that category just below Gold Glove.
For a while there, I thought Cody Bellinger was a better CF and that was because he is faster, but Alex Verdugo gets better jumps and has better reads. I am convinced. Alex Verdugo is the Dodgers’ center-fielder and I am ecstatic that I was wrong. When Pollock comes back, I would not be surprised to see him in LF where Joc is not the long-term solution. Joc is maddening to me. Don’t even get me started!
Write this down: Cody Bellinger RF, Corey Seager SS, Alex Verdugo CF. Moving forward, Gavin Lux, Keibert Ruiz and Jeter Downs are in that conversation too.
I was watching the game on local Cincinnati TV yesterday and the Reds announcers were talking about analytics and the Dodgers. They said, in part:
“A lot of people talk about how much the Dodgers spend on analytics and whether it’s of any value, but the fact is when a ball is put into play they frequently have a fielder in front of it. That’s the value of analytics and also the reality that the Dodgers are one of the best fielding teams in baseball.”
Nice words. I frequently listen to the other teams feed and while other announcers are generally respectful of the Dodgers, this year they seem more envious. Kind of like “That’s why there are there every year.”
Rants & Raves
- Alex Verdugo can hit as well as field, as he drove in 3 runs yesterday with two solid doubles. He is third on the team in RBI’s with 23, but only 7th in AB’s. He’s making the most of his plate appearances. There is no case to platoon him as he is hitting lefties at a .333 clip and righties at a .313 clip. I detect a trend: The kid can hit! Duuuuuhhhhh!
- Most troubling are Kike Hernandez and Chris Taylor. After cutting back his strikeouts last year to 19%, this year he is at 29%. CT3 is down slightly at 28%, but neither one is getting it done with the bat. I would not put it out of the realm of possibility that Gavin Lux could get a look-see… but if that happens, it will be well after the All-Star Break. Omar Estevez has to be in that conversation too.
- The Dodger’s starting pitchers are 21-8 with an ERA just over 3.00, with a lot of the credit going to Hyun-Jin Ryu, who racked up seven more scoreless innings on Sunday to extend his streak to 31 innings without allowing a run. Dating back to last September, Ryu has allowed two runs or fewer in 12 straight regular-season starts.
- Thanks to the starters, the Dodgers are now up to 2nd in team ERA at 3.38. Tampa Bay is 1st at 2.98 (that is unsustainable for them). The Dodgers are 2nd to the Astros in WHIP (TB is 3rd).
- The Dodgers, as a team are 24th in strikeouts. Last year, they were 8th, so RVS and his crew have certainly performed a makeover. Have you watched how the players interact with him? Sheer Respect, is what I see! I just wish Kike and CT3 could “get it.” Maybe they never will. Some moron said Kike was supposed to be the next JDM…
- Brock Stewart is now 0-4 with a 6.61 ERA. He’s a candidate to be cut.
- This is shocking: ” Bellinger isn’t just fast for a slugger. He’s one of the fastest players in the Majors.” I knew he was fast, but that fast? Read more HERE.
- The Dodgers are 31-17, tied with the Astros for the most wins in baseball and have 4 more wins than any other NL team as they get an off day today before playing at TB.
Minor League Report by DC
Great Lakes Loons 11 – West Michigan Whitecaps 9 (Detroit)
The Loons are playing with confidence now and although they are in the middle of the pack with a team batting average of .239 they lead the league in runs and runs batted in. The old adage that a walk is as good as a hit seems to ring true as they also lead the league in walks. They are in the bottom third in strikeouts and are knocking in runs by putting the ball in play.
A case in point, on Sunday they fell behind 4-0 in the bottom of the first inning. By the top of the fifth inning they had tied the score. A hit batter in the second inning scored on a Dillon Paulson double, a single and a walk scored in the third inning on a Jair Camargo double while in the fifth inning a Chris Roller double scored following a productive out by Miguel Vargas and a Hunter Feduccia sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the fifth inning Great Lakes fell behind by four again. In the top of the seventh inning they scored five times with four walks, a ground out, a throwing error and a bases clearing triple by Jacob Amaya. They tacked on two more in the top of the ninth with a walk and James Outman double.
On the mound things did not go well for Zach Willeman. A couple of early errors seemed to unnerve him as he gave up eight runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings pitched. The relief corps of Justin Hagenman, Austin Drury and Nathan Witt did pick him up with 4.1 innings giving up only one run on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 0 – Modesto Nuts 2 (Seattle)
The Quakes had the opposite problem of the Loons being shutout on three hits and striking out 14 times.
Leo Crawford did his part pitching six innings allowing but one run on seven hits and a walk along with eight strikeouts. Connor Strain pitched a scoreless inning while Ryan Moseley gave up an additional run over two innings.
Tulsa Drillers 3 – Arkansas Travelers 8 (Seattle)
Unheralded Victor Gonzalez in his Tulsa debut pitched 4.2 innings giving up three hits and two earned runs while striking out seven and walking four. Marshall Kasowski gave up two runs in his 1.1 innings pitched while Michael Boyle was charged with four unearned runs following two fielding errors by third baseman Christian Santana.
Offensively the Drillers three runs came in on an Angelo Mora solo home run in the bottom of the first inning and a two-run home run by Christian Santana in the sixth inning. Santana now ranks fourth in the league with a .311 batting average and his 47 hits are two behind league leader Anderson Miller.
OKC Dodgers 1 – Omaha Storm Chasers 11 (Kansas City)
To say the Dodgers have pitching problems would be an understatement with a team ERA of 6.02 and a WHIP of 1.62, both near the bottom of the league. Brock Stewart continued to struggle giving up six earned runs in four innings. Relievers Justin Grimm, Adam McCreery, Louis Head and Stetson Allie gave up five runs in their combined five innings pitched all of them giving up at least one run.
The Dodgers lone run came in on a Connor Joe home run. They did collect eight hits with Joe and Cameron Perkins each having two.
photo credit: Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images
Discussion (64)
Disagree, not disagreeable
A glimpse into the future?
Rays lead MLB in ERA (2.98) and ERA- (70). They have the best opponent OPS in the 1st inning (.185/.247/.299) & 2nd best oOPS in 2nd inning (.175/.244/.273)
Tampa Bay has used an opener 68 times in the year since they started doing it, per the Tampa Bay Times..
Do the Dodgers have any input into the situation or is it entirely in MLB hands as to any
Punishment or further suspensions
Julio Urias to return to Dodgers. 7 day administrative leave is up. No final decision made re: punishment, etc.
DODGERS TO WELCOME BACK 30+ FAN FAVORITES FOR ALUMNI WEEKEND JUNE 1-2
Weekend highlighted by Saturday, June 1 Alumni Game and Steve Garvey Legends of Dodger Baseball induction ceremony & bobblehead night
LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers will hold their annual Alumni Game on Saturday, June 1 as part of Alumni Weekend presented by Security Benefit, when the club will welcome back over 30 fan-favorite players to Dodger Stadium.
The Alumni Game lineups will include Dave Anderson, Billy Bean, Nomar Garciaparra, Shawn Green, Kevin Gross, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Orel Hershiser, Lee Lacy, Kenny Landreaux, James Loney, Dennis Powell, Nick Punto, Dave Roberts, Jerry Royster, Steve Sax, Derrel Thomas, Ismael Valdez and Jose Vizcaino. The event will also feature appearances by Billy Ashley, Ron Cey, Tommy Davis, Steve Garvey, Rick Honeycutt, Tommy Lasorda, Davey Lopes, Rick Monday, Manny Mota, Bill Russell, Fernando Valenzuela, Maury Wills and Steve Yeager.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for Saturday’s game to take in alumni batting practice at 4:00 p.m., introductions at 5:00 p.m. and the Alumni Game at 5:15 p.m. prior to the Dodgers’ 7:10 p.m. game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Steve Garvey will be inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball during pregame ceremonies Saturday starting at 6:40 p.m., and first 40,000 fans in attendance that night will receive a Garvey Bobblehead presented by Security Benefit.
Alumni Weekend continues on Sunday, June 2, when fans will have autograph and photo opportunities with alumni at Dodger Stadium entrances on the Left Field Plaza, Right Field Plaza, Club Level, Stadium Club and Left Field Reserve prior to the club’s 1:10 p.m. game. Young fans can also take part in Kids Run the Bases following Sunday’s series finale.
More information on Alumni Weekend presented by Security Benefit can be found online at Dodgers.com/AlumniGame, while tickets for the rest of the Phillies series can be purchased by visiting Dodgers.com/Promotions or by calling 866-DODGERS.
Belli hot now but, .267 in 17 and .260 in 18 tells me odds are he’s gonna cool down. Hope I’m wrong.
If they leave him there, he will get even better. I said that in Spring Training after he lost weight.
Bellinger is staying in RF, but I could make an argument for a Beaty/Freese Platoon at 1B. I think Beaty can hit.
That said, when Pollock gets back, Belli could play some 1B, but i think they want to leave in RF. He seems to hit better there.
Muncy is a much better defender than I thought I have no problem with him playing second.
Dirk I take that bet. Belly isn’t just hot. His approach and swing is much improved. He won’t hit .400 but I think it’s over .320 and Verdugo ends up around .300. Either way both guys r ballin!
I would almost bet that Verdugo will end up the season with a higher batting average than Belli. I say almost cuz I’m really to cheap to bet.
https://www.dodgersnation.com/dodgers-outfield-scores-high-marks-in-advanced-metrics/2019/05/20/?utm_source=DNList&utm_campaign=2ef90269e7-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d4639aeeb7-2ef90269e7-35527811
From True Blue LA:
2018 Dodgers were 14-3 when they led after six innings, 15-2 leading after seven and 15-1 when leading after eight innings
This season, the Dodgers are 18-4 when leading after six innings, 21-2 after seven innings and 22-1 when leading after eight innings”.
While the bullpen has been maddening, it seems that it hasn’t hurt the team much!
Crazy stat of the day: hitters are 0 for 24 with runners in scoring position against Ryu. Wow!
JOC in left, Pollock in center, Verdugo in right, Belly at first and Muncy at 2nd. Whoever is hitting better bw Kiki and Taylor subs in left w JOC against lefties
AC – Spot on with your first comment… Some folks would bitch if they were hung with a new rope…
From the first time I saw Verdugo last season in RF, I saw very quick reactions to balls hit towards him, and his speed both at tracking down balls hit to the OF and his speed on base. They go together. This was my first impression of Verdugo. Where I was wrong was that he couldn’t hit consistently in the MLB. He has proved this season that he can hit, be clutch, and drive in runs. My doubts about him have vanished.
As far as Kike goes, remember that last season, it was the 2nd half of the season that Kike broke out and that was what got him the starting job this season. Kike is still knocking runs in and is a great fielder.
Joc traded when Pollock comes back to play LF???? This sounds crazy to me. Joc is one of the Dodger home boys and I don’t think he is going anywhere. With the blasts that he has had this season, I’m sure he’s won more than a few games due to his power, and power is the secret sauce for this team. The FO will need some kind of too good to be true offer to let Joc go. I know he can be frustrating, but I’ve come to accept this facet of his game.
So Mark what’s your beef with a JOC? He can’t hit lefties but how many guys have a +900 OPS and play a decent left field. And he’s a great teammate and he’s produced in the post season! Give the guy a break! When Pollock comes back I’m putting Belly back at first and Muncy to 2nd. I’d rather have Joc’s bat in the lineup against righties than Kiki or Taylor!
By WAR, the 5th-most valuable player in the NL has been Alex Verdugo. I think many people’s concerns were make-up with Verdugo. Maybe he just needed time to grow-up. Imagine that.
The Dodgers OF of Pederson, Verdugo and Bellinger had (as of last Friday) a higher combined fWAR (6.4) than these entire teams:
Royals, Rangers, Mets, Mariners, Yankees, Athletics, Padres, White Sox, Nationals, Giants, Rockies, Reds, Pirates, Orioles, Indians, Tigers, Blue Jays, Marlins
Saw this from someone who claimed to be a “scout” on Twitter:
Dodgers 23-year-old reliever Joel Inoa (6’2, 210 lbs.) sitting 97-99, t100 MPH for the greatlakesloons. Hottest Midwest League arm I’ve seen so far this season.
Keith Law in a recent chat:
silvpak: jeren kendall is now 23 and still at A ball, with no perceptible improvement in his approach at the plate, other than walking more (which doesn’t really matter, given he’s hitting under .200). two and a half years in – was this a wasted pick?
Keith Law: It was a decent gamble that isn’t working out.
Brandon: Good to see Mitchell White back and healthy this season. Can you see him getting starts in LA this year if he keeps this up?
Keith Law: Yes, or in relief.
Mike: How high are you on the bat of Dodgers Will Smith?
Keith Law: Above average regular if not more. I think the power he showed last year is real, the result of a tangible swing change.
Sean: Gonsolin ceiling?
Keith Law: He and Balazovic were both on this list of : prospects who just missed my top 100.
I know that I have been a strong and consistent supporter of Jose Leclerc and got a lot of grief due to how he started the year. Well, Chris Woodward is about ready to re-install Leclerc as the team’s closer.
Per MLBTradeRumors – “Meantime, Leclerc has been brilliant since the Rangers demoted him. Over eight innings and six appearances this month, the flamethrowing 28-year-old has allowed one earned run on one hit with 15 strikeouts against four walks. Leclerc was utterly dominant in Sunday’s game, during which he fanned five and generated six swinging strikes in a pair of perfect frames.
As I have said all along, I sure would like to see Leclerc in Dodger Blue. He just might be a more dominant pitcher as a bridge than as a closer.
When the team is going as well as the team is going right now, there are not a lot of things to complain about, but some find it necessary. Some here, but more elsewhere were quick to jump all over Yimi Garcia. Yes, he gave up back to back jacks, but in his previous 12 games prior to yesterday, he pitched 13.2 innings, allowing 1 earned run, 2 hits, 2 BB, 2 HBP, and 14 K. That is 7 base runners over 13.2 innings. Even Mariano Rivera, in a save situation, got beat in a Game 7 WS. S___ happens. I do not believe he is a late inning high leverage reliever, but he is a valuable arm for mop up duties. Teams need that pitcher.
I also did not agree with removing Ferguson after the walk, but we do not know why Doc did it. I know that it is fashionable to say that Doc did it because he did not want Ferguson facing RHH Suarez. But yet he was called in to face the SH Barnhart (who batted R) and RHH Senzel, both who he got out. It could be that Ferguson was back in his first ML game after the IL and had thrown 22 pitches. It could also be that even though it was only a runner on 1B, it could have been that Doc wanted Garcia back out with inherited runners, after the last time he came in with inherited runners (3) he walked and hit two batters allowing 2 to score. Get back up on the horse. I have no idea if either of those explanations were the reason, but neither do those who think that it was Doc wanting a RHP facing RHH, after he allowed Ferguson to face two RH batters earlier in the inning. Let’s just take this win and gloat that the team is playing great baseball.
I have read other bloggers post “Yeah, but, where would the Dodgers be without Belli and Ryu?” Who cares, they have them, plus Verdugo. And even Seager’s outs are getting more barreled up. I still think he is going to have a monster 2nd half. There is a lot of baseball yet to play, but right now the Dodgers are on a high, and we should all enjoy the ride.