Some people think that I believe everything Andrew Friedman does is wonderful and that I worship at the Church of St. Andrew. Of course, that’s not true because he is Jewish and I am not. I do happen to think he is very astute and has a plan which he executes. However, I do have one major issue with him and the Dodgers Organization.
That issue is I believe they stick with pitchers as starters too long… and I am not talking about “game level” but rather “career level.” Case-in-point: Brock Stewart should have been converted to a reliever three years ago. Since then he has lost 3 or 4 MPH on his fastball and has no future as a starter and now also has no future as a reliever.
Yadier Alvarez is another name that comes to mind, although he just may be a headcase, as he has been rarely seen this season. I also thought that Tony Gonsolin would make a great reliever with his gas and curve. He started out as one, and this is a guy who just might be able to be a two-way player as he can hit. I mean he can REALLY hit.
Dennis Santana is another pitcher whose stuff should play well in relief. We live in a world of video games, short attention spans, instant gratification, and ADHD. It may be that the mental skills to be a starting pitcher are more important than the physical skills. Some pitchers are more capable of long attention spans than others. Clayton Kershaw is a classic case of someone who has the mental makeup to start. The same is true with Hyun-jin Ryu. Kenta Maeda sometimes loses focus and focus is something that Walker Striker Buehler needs to find consistently.
To their credit, the Dodgers did convert Jordon Sheffield to a relief role this year, and they have Marshall Kasowski in that role as well at AA. It would seen that both are possibilities next year. The thing is, the Dodgers are looking for relief NOW.
Some pitchers can ride an adrenaline rush 9 innings while others may lose it after 1 inning. Anyone who has played any sport at a high level can testify to the existence of that rush. I’m sure the adrenaline rush played a strong role in the success a hobbled Kirk Gibson had is his only at bat in the 1988 World Series.
I bring this up right now, because the trade deadline, which is just over one day away, the Dodgers have to decide who (if any) Top Prospects they have to give up to get relief help, when the answer could be in their own system.
Everyone wants Felipe Vasquez and Dodger fans are foolishly offering up Kiebert Ruiz (because they have no idea how good he will be), when the Pirates want Lux and May. Personally, I would not give up any of those players and I have seen enough of Will D. Smith, Jeter Downs, DJ Peters and Josiah Gray (” Josiah Gray, RHP (No. 5) — 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (Double-A Tulsa) – That’s back-to-back starts without an earned run for Gray, who threw 54 of his 82 pitches for strikes and has a 1.56 ERA through 17 1/3 innings (three starts for Tulsa). The 21-year-old, whom the Dodgers acquired in the offseason Yasiel Puig trade, began the year with Class A Great Lake, where he went 1-0 over five starts, before moving up to Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga, where he went 7-0 over 12 starts. Gray has a solid fastball-slider combo and has used it to amass 119 strikeouts through 108 innings this season that I would not give them up either.) I could go either way on Tony Gonsolin, and I would be down with trading Estevez, Grove, Amaya, White, both Santanas, Rios, Carrillo, Uceta, Wong and others.
It would seem to me that the Dodgers could have offered more than the Mets for Marcus Stroman, but we have no idea who the Mets targeted or how they valued the Dodgers’ prospects. Getting Stroman would have sent Maeda to the pen and I think he would excel there. I still think the Dodgers pen can be fine in the playoffs and there is no guarantee that any reliver you acquire will live up to his press clippings.
I have no idea what Friedman will do, but I do not believe he will trade any of the Top 8 or 10 Prospects. We shall wait with baited breath.
Last Night’s Game
Move on, there’s nothing to see here folks! Is the Joc Pederson experiment nearing it’s end? Maybe, I think they were “showcasing” Joc for a team who wanted to see him at 1B. I doubt they have been convinced. On August 1, Max Muncy should go to 1B and Gavin Lux should go to 2B. What do they have to lose? Tonight may mark the end of Julio Urias in the bullpen
Discussion (146)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Diaz had 2 BB, 2WP, HBP, and blew the save tonight
Remember, it is Group B that needs to be fixed, it is Gonsolin, Sadler for Yimmi and Floro, it can still be May and Shefield for Strilping and Chargois.
Still need some BP additions but if we don’t acquire anyone (or don’t get multiple pieces) Gonsolin might be a nice addition. He’s got a nice strong FB that will get hitters out in high leverage situations and he seems to have good control.
Lux got tossed by the ump tonight after he K’d for the 3rd time.
My eyeballs like what I’ve see of Gonsolin for the most part, but the 9th inning raises some doubts. However, he threw an impressive change to get the last out. All in all, a very nice outing.
Sadler on the order hand does not inspire confidence. He’d need to do a lot more to win me over.
I was impressed that Gonzo threw so many off speed stuff. Urias can take note. He relied way too much on his fastball!
Screw the trade deadline.
NO TOP 10 PROSPECTS TRADED!
Who was that guy who said Gonsolin might pitch well in Coors?
Maybe the Dodgers just got their two bullpen pieces: Sadler and Gonsolin.
Tell me your eyeballs say otherwise!
Amir Garret, who Dodgers had been reported to be interested in, was just involved in a huge brawl between Cin and PIt. He ran into a crowd and threw a punch, so expect several game suspension!
I am also starting to like Stadler.
I don’t get that trade at all!
RHRP Chris Martin to Braves. This could be a good pickup for them. One little hitch is that Martin had a stiff back a couple days back, and was not able to go yesterday.
Trevor Bauer to Reds. Reds send Puig to Indians and Taylor Trammel (Reds #1 prospect – OF)to Padres, and Indians get Puig, LHP Logan Allen (Padres #7), and Franmil Reyes (Padres OF). I will be glad to see Reyes gone.
I have been watching Sadler and am starting to be impressed…
It looked like a routine DP, but those have not been in abundance lately. Until Kike’ and CT3 get back, or Lux gets called up, it looks like Negron should help tighten up the Dodgers D. Welcome to the Dodgers Tyler White.
Negron + Martin back to back. Who would have thunk it? I even waited until Urias finished his at bat, just in case he made it back to back to back.
I have read some really abusive and ignorant stuff said by some really abusive and ignorant Dodger fans about Negron. TAKE THAT!
I hereby nickname Tyler White “Pilsbury” for obvious reasons.
Taylor White looks like Max Muncy is up there trying to switch hit!
The Pedersen 1B experiment was not fair to him or the infield or the team or the fans. Roberts has a stubborn streak but he should have reaiized after 5 games that Joc is not built to play First. Too short to handle the high throws and not mobile enough for throws in the dirt – two types of throws that Turner often makes. Its gotten into Joc’s head after coming off an All Star Homer high where the Yankees (who are lacking in power hitting lefties and have an abundance of relievers) might have been interested, but after Doc told the world that Pederson was dogging running to first, teams that were interested are surely less interested. Really dumb Doc, Pedersen does not dog it, he’s not himself because you are embarrassing him at 1B. So was announcing the wheels are coming off of Jansen. What purpose does that serve come playoff time?
LA Thinking Men who supposedly broke the Dozier trade and Machado trade last year tweeted out that the Dodgers submitted and offer to the Pirates this morning that was Ruiz and 2 other prospects. They also said that the Dodgers are in the lead to get Greene from Detroit, but Detroit is holding out hoping for a better offer before the deadline.
Seems to be a real shit show in Pittsburgh these days. They’ve been playing like crap(2-15) since the break. Today they suspended their bullpen coach for two games. Kela was recently suspended for two games and Lyles was dealt back to Milwaukee.
Everyone talks about the problem being the bullpen, but is the offense really enough to beat teams like Houston, Boston, New York? Or are we always going to wait for the ninth inning up for 1 run? Then Jensen will come and we all know how this story will end!
I read today from one of the talking heads that the Dodgers would only consider Lux if it were a 1 for 1 trade with Pittsburgh. As much as I want Vasquez, I’m not doing that deal either.
Negron and White in the same lineup tonight against a lefty…
Pollock
Seager
JT
Belli
White
Verdugo
Negron
Martin
Urias
Do you think this would be a good lineup?
CF Pollock
SS Seager
3B Turner
RF Bellinger
1B Abreu
2B Muncy
C Smith
LF Verdugo
P Ryu, Buehler, Kershaw, Thor
Go get Abreu, Thor and McGee from Colorado.
It doesn’t matter if Dodgers gets Vazquez or Yates or Giles or whatever, as long as Jensen is still closer …. Why not try Urias or hill as a closer? I don’t think it will make it worse!
Just FYI:
ESPN will be on 2-4:30PM EST to give the latest updates on the trade front tomorrow.
Then Morosi is more willing than most here to give up some valuable prospects for the bullpen and a WS!
I interrupted my usual boycott of sports talk radio to listen to 570, and David Vasseigh, whom I do not like very much, but who is close enough to the Dodgers to likely be right about things like trades. He said that there is no way that the Dodgers are going to give up Lux, May, or Smith. He says they might be willing to give up Ruiz. He further said that he doubts that we get Vazquez, we might get Shane Green or Iglesias. We might get a starting pitcher, with the idea being to move a starter or two to the bullpen. Maybe Syndergaard or Bauer. He is pretty sure that AF will do something tomorrow.
I don’t think that Stripling to the bullpen gets us much, he is not reliable there. Urias more so., but he is not a closer, at this stage. Vasseigh said something about Urias maybe being a good setup man for Jansen. My thought is that we need a new ace closer, if we want to win the title. Alternatively, two people who have decent closer ability, to combine with Jansen in late-inning situations, and maybe that would not upset him too much.
DODGERS RECALL RHP TONY GONSOLIN
RHP JOSH SBORZ OPTIONED TO TRIPLE-A OKLAHOMA CITY
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have recalled right-handed pitcher Tony Gonsolin and optioned right-handed pitcher Josh Sborz to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Gonsolin, 25, rejoins the team for the second time this season. In his only previous action, the right-hander made his Major League debut in a start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 26. He pitched 4.0 innings, allowing six hits, six runs (four earned) with three strikeouts in a losing effort. With Triple-A Oklahoma City, he has made 12 starts, posting a 1-4 record with a 4.95 ERA (20 ER/36.1 IP) and 41 strikeouts.
Sborz, 25, has appeared in two games in two stints with the Dodgers, allowing six runs on six hits in 3.0 innings of work. On the season, he is 3-3 with a 4.54 ERA (19 ER/37.2 IP) and 51 strikeouts in 34 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, including a 2-0 mark with a 2.61 ERA (3 ER/10.1 IP) and 14 strikeouts in his last 10 games
Morosi says:
Felipe Vazquez and Shane Greene are two names that the Dodgers have been linked to frequently over the past few weeks and it remains possible that the club acquires not just one, but both.
Vazquez remains one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball and is not a free agent until 2024 with team-friendly options for 2022 and 2023. Greene is having a career year and is not a free agent until 2021, so he would be in the back-end of the Dodgers’ pen next year as well.
Eric Karros on trading prospects…
“If I’m in that clubhouse, I’m saying ‘I don’t care, go get whoever’. I don’t care about minor league guys, or prospects. I played in an era in the mid-90s where we made a Pedro Martinez trade in 1993. For the next five years, we kept every prospect we had. We didn’t want to make the same mistake. Reality is, not everybody is going to pan out, and most of the guys didn’t pan out. We could’ve gotten a boatload for some of them at the time. Do I feel like it guarantees me a World Series? There are no guarantees, but it sure strengthens things. As a player, I’m ready to make the trade because I want to win now.”
For those of you who wonder, Cody got platooned last year because he hit .225 against LHP.
Joc took it to another level – he hit .170!
I can do better than that!
Mistakes are inevitable when I post from my iPhone. That “Uriah’s” guy that I talked about remaining in the pen, was, in fact, Julio Urias.
Even though I live in NY, I don’t have time to watch both the Dodgers and the Mets. Consequently I don’t watch the Mets, except when they play the Dodgers. When I kept hearing Seth Lugo I conjured up some 30 something wily veteran without much in the way of stuff. Then I checked out Lugo’s stats and it brought back to me when he first came up with the Mets a few years ago, when I remember hearing very nice stuff about him from Met fans.
I now have a completely different perspective on him, and it occurs to me that he might be more than a useful piece in the pen. I’m not endorsing him as the guy I prefer to acquire, but if the Dodgers make an offer, who am I to object. And if Uriah’s remains in the pen, maybe our pen gets significantly deeper with the addition of Lugo or his like.
And Mark isn’t wrong. Players like Ruiz don’t grow on trees. If we can keep him, and hold onto our farm system depth, it could bode well for the Dodgers going forward, including this upcoming post-season.
That said , what the Dodgers do in the next 24 hours could change my thinking completely.
Don’t tell me the reliever market isn’t heating up. Blake Parker to the Phillies, Adalberto Mejia to the Cardinals, and David Phelps to the Cubs. That is some significant bullpen movement.
I think we should trade Ruiz. After all, what value is there in a (barely) 21 year-old switch-hitting catcher already in AAA who has more walks than strikeouts? Those guys grow on trees!
I like Vazquez, but not at the cost of Lux or May. If I am AF those two are off the table. If the Pirates cannot accept that then move on. Two years ago, The Dodgers were in on Darvish, and then an hour before the deadline, talks stopped. I do not know what the hang-up was, but it was clear that Texas was asking for a player AF was not willing to trade. Then a minute before the deadline Daniels blinked and Darvish was a Dodger. This is different to a degree in that Pittsburgh does not have to trade Vazquez. But the Dodgers do not have to overpay either. There are other ways to improve the bullpen.
In addition, say AF gets Vazquez at a reasonable overpay. Then what. It is easy for us fans to say that Jansen (or Vazquez) now have to accept a lesser role. Jansen has already made it clear that he is the closer. How would he accept being a setup guy? Or how would Vazquez accept it? The Dodgers have been very careful to building a cohesive clubhouse absent of a lot of turmoil. Would there be a potential rift and sides taken if a Jansen or Vazquez choice. Secondarily, I am not as enamored with KJ since the 2017 WS, but it isn’t that he is a bad closer. He has only blown 4 saves all year. Jansen has 5th most saves with 4 blown. Chapman has 1 more save and 1 more blown save. Doolittle, Diaz, and Osuna all have 4 blown saves.
Post All Star: This is important to me as I care about how they are pitching this year, not next year or the year after. By that time, hopefully the LAD bullpen will be chock full of home-grown relievers. Hopefully how they are pitching now will carry forward into the post season.
Ian Kennedy 9 for 9 in saves
Carlos Martinez 7 for 7
Edwin Diaz 4 for 4
Mychal Givens 3 for 3
Kenley Jansen 2 for 3
Will Smith 3 for 5
Aroldis Chapman 2 for 4
Kimbrel 5 for 6
Carlos Martinez is doing it with smoke and mirrors has his post all star ERA is 6.48 with a WHIP of 2.04 and BAA .333.
Ian Kennedy has taken to relief very well, but his salary is out of line, and thus far KC says they are not willing to pay down his salary. Shane Greene has pitched well but has blown the only save opportunity he has had (not his fault he can’t get save opportunities with the worst team in baseball). But the most impressive pitcher post All Star, is Seth Lugo – 9.0 IP, no rune, 1 hit, no walks, 13K. That is where I start looking. Another former starter who is taking to relief very well and who has been particularly good post All Star is Michael Lorenzen (Reds). As has Aaron Bummer and Alex Colome’. Besides Givens, LH Paul Fry is quietly having a good year.
Seth Lugo/Michael Lorenzen/Aaron Bummer/ Alex Colome’/ Mychal Givens/Shane Greene/Edwin Diaz…Every one of those guys would improve the LAD bullpen and none would cost any of the top 5 prospects. I would even include Kennedy in the process. Start with Seth Lugo and work down. I am quite certain that AF knows every one of these guys and has either inquired or passed depending on his scouts’ observation. And knows a lot of others. AF knows the big weakness on this team is the bullpen, and he will address it without any dope-fiend moves.
I’m doing my best to not express my real feelings about Joe at first base in hope that I won’t need to and he gets traded and this experiment will come to an end. He is being a good soldier and trying to play 1st but I can’t imagine he is having any fun there. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to see, from the start, that Joc isn’t cut out for the infield. Amount other skills, he doesn’t have the feet for it. Just like Muncy last night on the ball he booted. His feet never got him in the right position to make the play. Young infielders, early on, learn footwork to get in position to field balls (and throw). It’s obvious Joc never got that. And he NEVER WILL. A-Gon was a perfect example. No foot speed or drop-dead athleticism but he knew how to use his feet and play great defense. Joc doesn’t have the skill set for the position.
For the life of me, I can’t understand all the to-do and bother caused by trying to keep this bat in the lineup while trashing the defense and all the many problems caused by that. The guy can only play against right hand pitching (only 33 AB’s versus lefties with 12 K’s) and while he’s hit 23 homers he’s hitting .236. I guess the 23 homers cancel out all the other problems this experiment has caused. Big lead or not, this is painful to watch and not the direction this team should be taking. Does anybody actually think that “showcasing” Joc at 1st, with his righty only .236 is going to entice anybody to trade for him as an infielder? Please, trade his a** or sent him back to the OF and platoon him. This experiment didn’t work.
Everyone seems to think Maeda would make a great reliever. I know he’s had some great games out of the pen but do the stats really back that up? It seems to me that he is inconsistent out of the bullpen just as he is inconsistent as a starter. Given a binary choice, maybe putting him in the bullpen is the right way to go, but maybe the better answer is to include him in a trade for a Syndergaard, Diaz or Vazquez. His contract is very affordable to whomever would get him.
Please, one of you stat geeks, let me know if I’m just imagining that Maeda isn’t as great out of the pen as everyone seems to think he is. I very much hope to be proven wrong.
AC, DC, 2D2 who are the rule 5 eligible players after this season? I ask because these are the type of players that are included in deals to add quantity and some quality. We’ve already seen Scrubb who fits the description get moved.
The current players are the ones that put the Dodgers in command of their Division. They need to add a co-closer. Madea could be that person and Hill might pitch 4 innings of relief several times in the post season several times.
A post season rotation of Kershaw, Ryu, Buehler, and Urias is very strong.
I totally would put Bellinger at first and think the injury thing there is total BS.
If one of the current players that are getting the bulk of the playing time is traded or benched, it will take wisdom and great analysis to decide which one goes. July has been unkind to a number of hitters. Verdugo had a great first half and has yet to have a strong second half and is trending down. Muncy is still a strong trade asset. Joc has stopped hitting home runs. Bellinger showed us how great, HOF great, he can be and he has showed how bad he can be.
I think we would be surprised and amazed at all the discussions Friedman has had with his FO. They have no doubt considered trades that would totally shock us.
Just a thought but, how do you get a Home Run off a left hand pitcher if you seldom if ever, bat against them?
I write here rarely basically because I don’t have the knowledge most of you have. However, the issue for me is, is it possible that if we hand some more prospects to get the right pieces, we will win now? That is, regardless of waiting another 30 or 31 years more without being champions, will you hand the prospects to get the players you need right now? Because until now, it seems to me, taking care of our prospects has not made us win the world series. What does it matter to become a team like the current Giants if we can win the WS now? Does it really matter? I don’t think so. Bring the right guys now. The beef is there.
Let me introduce a novel idea to you all about Joc Pederson. He lives and dies with the long ball but only against RHP. Joc does not have a single HR against a SLHP this season. He is batting .219 on the road. To sum this up, he is a player that cannot play everyday against most of the competition. This in itself, is causing the complications of platooning and trying to find a position for him just to hit a HR. Joc hardly hits anything else but HR’s but he’s good at drawing BB’s. Power is his game and I believe that this is one of the weaknesses that hurts our team because he is not a complete player and gums up the works to try to get a complete player who can play an OF position or1B or 2B, and hit both RHP and LHP. He is a perennial slumper who can barely get 100 hits a season! This is god-awful for a starter. What is the attraction to a player like this in the big picture? He causes us to use replacements for him and we rely on other slumpers like Kike to fill the gap. It ain’t working.
I hearby call for his head by the deadline. It’s official. Until Joc and Kike are sent packing, we will not win a WS. We need solid positional players who can hit and defend their positions. Joc and Kike are not them. Pollock needs to prove he belongs. So far, the odds are against him. The Dodgers are not where they are because of Pollock. Even Puig is a better contributor but I’m happy they traded him. The FO is a super-conservative group and i don’t believe that super-conservative FO’s who can’t field a complete team can win a WS. If they don’t win it this year, what will be the excuses that the fans will come up with? Look at the excuses of 2017-18. Have they changed?
Trade Joc for Bauer !! Trade for Jose Iglesias and Amir Garrett for Strippling and prospect ! Get Edwin Diaz and Seth Lugo for prospects not named Lux, May, Peters. Get Castellanos , Abreu , or Puig for RHB. (Team does not really need but would be nice ), I know Puig wont happen but would be nice to have the wild horse back hitting a bomb in playoffs , Wont happen.. Maybe get Rojas from Miami for Infield if Iglesias cannot be had. But that is my wishlist.
I think I’ve been on the record for many years now in favor of trading top prospects for ELITE players who can help us win a title that year. Since 2016, I’ve wanted a Sale, a Hamels, a Hand, etc.
I’d never trade Seager, Buehler, Urias (and now Lux/Ruiz/May) type of prospect for a #4 starter, or a middle reliever. But for an impact guy? I’d consider it.
HOWEVER, even though I might overpay a bit, I’d never overpay a lot. Overpaying now may get us a title, but it may not. But what it does do is put every other team in MLB on notice that the Dodgers are a desperate group, and that you can make a trade with them and they will always overpay. No team will strike a fair deal with us again, because our reputation will be that of a poor, desperate negotiator.
I want Vazquez as much as anyone, and I’d include Ruiz in a deal to get him. But I won’t give up Lux. And if we give up Lux, plus others, it will haunt us going forward in any future deal we try to make (not because we don’t have Lux anymore, but because other teams will always demand the moon from us in any future deal).
Be strong Andrew. If you can’t get the Rolls Royce, go get a few Audi and Mercedes for much cheaper. Just don’t settle for the 1999 Toyota Corolla again.
If Cody goes to 1B, then Muncy either moves to 2B permanently, or plays only when there is a DH. That weakens 2nd base defensively, and also leaves no room for Lux this season.
I like Cody at 1B a lot, but that move has consequences elsewhere. And while Verdugo can easily replace Cody in RF, do we really want Muncy to be our full-time second baseman?
If everyone is done with JOC at first then we have four outfielders for 3 spots. Who sits? No way ZPollock only plays against lefties and platoons with JOC. Best for the team is to move Belli back to first and have Verdugo play rf. And if no one wants to trade any of our top prospect talent for a reliever then stop complaining about our bullpen!
If the Dodgers do not trade any of their top prospects, they will not meaningfully improve this year’s club, and they likely will fall short of the title again, because the bullpen is average at best, and the starting staff is showing holes. So then we can look forward to next year, and try again. And again.
I know that I’ve said this before. I think that Friedman is to a large extent constrained by the ownership’s agenda, which was to have gotten payroll substantially down, keep it there; do not pick up any high-end long-term contracts. They want a team full of mostly cost-controlled players, and that means keeping virtually all of the young players, and picking up odds and ends who perhaps have some upside potential. I think that this is not conducive to winning more than perhaps one very occasional title, but I also think that the ownership doesn’t care that much, as long as the teams have good years, and attendance is strong. I would like to be wrong about this, but I think the evidence supports it. So when it comes to trade deadlines, we are always passing on anyone who requires giving up top prospects, and/or is in the middle of a longer-term contract. I think that is largely why we passed on Stroman, and will pass on Vazquez.
We all like upcoming prospects. But they are just prospects. Other clubs more readily trade them. Other clubs go after big free agents in the offseason. We do not, so that means that the only way we can have big-time stars is to hope that the prospects turn into them. In our case, we’ve got Bellinger and Buehler, but then a team mostly full of lesser but versatile players. The limits of this show up. To me, the key aspect is that Friedman behaves as if his hands are tied to some extent. I don’t think Cashman’s or Dombrowski’s, or Epstein’s are, beyond the obvious, that there are some monetary limits. So I am never exactly sure what Friedman’s philosophy is, but I think that the Dodgers are more apt to hold on to players, so as to avoid having to pay for different ones. Yesterday, we saw a very comprehensive list of all the players we have picked up at the trade deadline during the Friedman years, and there wasn’t one high-end reliever in the group. Mostly, you get what you pay for, even if you are astute at occasionally finding diamonds in the rough. Keep all the prospects, and we’ll likely lose another year of our championship window. One would think that the fan base would eventually get tired of prospects rather than stars.
No use in making any plans for the remainder of the season until Thursday. We won’t know what or who we have to work with until the dust settles………..if there is any dust to settle. I think there will be but we just have to wait and see.
That said, I am done with Joc at first base and if he isn’t traded he needs to go back to the outfield. The team cannot play it’s best defense without Cody at first. There is not a more talented defensive first baseman in the league, never mind the team.
Isn’t it a lot easier to convert a pitcher from starting to relieving than the other way around?
I suspect that the Dodgers have a lot of pitchers begin their careers as starters simply to get them enough innings to develop secondary pitches. Maybe they wait too long to make the conversion, but that’s another question.
Mom,
You don’t need anywhere near the help that I do. 🙂
The end of my first paragraph above should read “Best at this stage, I think, IS for the Dodgers…. Left out the word “is”.
Also, I’m impressed with Lux’s family baseball background, and his dedication to the game.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-draft-pick-gavin-lux-20160611-snap-story.html
I believe every game is important so stop with the experiment at 1B with Joc. Something that has not been brought up is Home Field Advanhttage throughout the playo AND World Series.
Right now we are nip and tuck with NYY and Astros for best record in the majors. So where would you have our team play the majority of WS games. Houston, Yankee Stadium or LA?
That’s why every game we play is important to WIN.
I also feel sorry for Joc. However, he brings some of this on himself by not being able to hit left handers. I am against platooning. Always have and always will be. Find eight players who can hit both left and right hand pitching. Put them out there and let them play every day.
I have been advocating developing relief pitchers in the minors like you develop position players and starting pitchers. Stewart should of been told after 2-3 years in the minors that his best chance to the majors is as a relief pitcher. If he balks, trade him. I can guarantee that if I was told I could maybe make it to the majors as a relief pitcher, I would be a relief pitcher the next day. They are only trying to help him. Look at Jansen and Baez. Both position players and now relief pitchers.
I think you and I have been in lock-step for a long time on the conversion of some of the #4 and #5 ceiling rotation starters into relievers. We would have had Brock Stewart into the pen had not Bums convinced AF that Brock was a good starter. Caleb Ferguson seems to be getting more comfortable in the reliever role. While even his biggest fan outside of his family loved what he saw last night, I am not ready to say Caleb has turned the corner. He is on his way to being a good Andrew Miller type reliever (any high leverage any time – multiple innings if need be). From the year after he was drafted, I was for Sheffield being converted, and he was finally convinced late last year that his path to a career in MLB was as a reliever. I know we both have believed for some time that Dennis Santana should be converted. I am not yet willing to say that Tony Gonsolin cannot be a quality starter, I would not object if he was converted to a reliever, or if he is packaged in a trade for a difference maker. It is way too early to make any assessment of Michael Grove, but I would not object him moving into the bullpen.
Dustin May and Josiah Gray are the top two starters in the organization, and are both #2 or #3 level starters. Maybe John Rooney and Edwin Uceta. Andre Jackson is 23 and in High A pitching well. He has two plus pitches (fastball/change) which screams reliever. I would give him another year to fully develop the curve or slider before I would convert him, but he is getting close to that age that he could become another Brock Stewart.
Two of this year’s draft picks are getting to start, but I believe that they will end up as relievers…Ryan Pepiot and Jack Little. Logan Boyer, Mitchell Tyranski, Braydyn Fink and Jeff Belge are all relievers that I believe have a shot at ML. I am looking forward to seeing Jimmy Lewis pitch. And I am hopeful that Braydon Fisher can come back.
I have supported the Joc experiment at 1B. And honestly, I don’t think it has done irreparable harm to Joc or the Dodgers. However, given that it’s apparently taking Joc longer to adjust to 1B than was probably expected, and that the experiment is not likely to help the Dodgers going forward this season, I am actually in favor of putting an end to it for the remainder of the season, since it’s one of the elements in the Dodgers’ breakdown in defense recently. Best at this stage, I think, for the Dodgers to return to what was working before the experiment, and start preparing this team for the post-season, especially since I think it will take some time for the Dodgers to re-acclimate themselves defensively.
I tend to think that in spite of what AF said about the Lux, that it is possible that he might get the call before September. I don’t watch Lux play everyday like some people here, but I have seen enough highlights to convince me that he would be successful if called up. And I say that even though I don’t generally trust highlights to inform me about a player, since highlights only show a player at his best. But it seemed from what I’ve seen, that Lux has superior bat control. I can’t speak to his defense at 2B, but I trust that the Dodgers’ braintrust has a handle on that. And I simply trust Muncy at lot more at 1B than at 2B, although for the most part I don’t believe he has been atrocious at the latter position this season.
And this is not criticism, but Mom, I imagine that you didn’t look up the Dodgers record at Coors this year. Prior to this series they were 5-2 at Coors. That included a sweep of a 3-game series in April, and a split of a 4-game series in June.
I would definitely like for the Dodgers to latch on to a dominant arm for the bullpen, but honestly, I would be speaking from ignorance about who the Dodgers should give up in a deal. Even without seeing much of them, I tend to think that Lux and Dustin May are off limits, and maybe the same can be said of Ruiz. In the case of Ruiz, we do have Will Smith. However, as good as he has looked, Smith is no sure thing, and it wouldn’t hurt to keep both catchers, to give the Dodgers a superior duo going forward.
Maybe I’m not paying enough attention to the Mets farm system, but I agree with Mark, I think the Dodgers could have offered a much better package for Stroman. Maybe they didn’t believe he’d make a difference and the focus is strictly on the bullpen. I expect the Dodgers to pick up multiple relievers. I don’t see Friedman tossing Lux or May into any deal. Maybe the Pirates are motivated to trade Vasquez because they not only like Ruiz, but need him since the system has a catching issue. We’ll all find out tomorrow. Then there is Joc and first base. That isn’t working.
What’s up with all the circus music playing last night? I can’t get it out of my head.
I’m with you Rudy, they’re really messing with Joc and everyone else on the team by keeping Joc at 1B. I couldn’t believe my eyes when Turner’s throw hit him in the glove and cam out. Then the grounder he deflected to Muncy. This isn’t working and there’s no reason to continue this experiment.
Is today the day? I can’t believe how slow this deadline is.
Me too Rudy.
Not a fan of Joc, but the FO is really screwing around with his career by playing him at 1st. Put him back in LF where he is comfortable or trade him to a team that will utilize his defense better. I feel sorry for the guy.
We have to learn to win at Coors, and I think we will today, I hope.
Lux isn’t being called up until September. Hernandez will be back sooner than later and we haveNegron to spell Seager in the interim. This FO does move players up until they’ve established themselves both physically and psychologically.
Pederson playing 1st allows 4 outfielders play when only3 positions are available. Are several players out of position, without a doubt. But as long as Bellinger is in right we have to live with it. In the meantime All for get to stay current If there lead dropped below 10 games I see the experiment ending. Otherwise for better or worse we have what we have until post season
We have to learn how to win at Coors and I think we can, starting today I hope.
Agree. Call up Lux now. Joc experiment a failure unless we trade him elsewhere. Also defense better with Muncy at first instead of 2nd