The 2017 version of the LA Dodgers has nearly 40 players who have shown that they deserve to be on the Opening Day Roster, but many won’t. I am not going to include Willie Calhoun, Alex Verdugo or Cody Bellinger because they will be ready soon enough, but I am talking about players who have demonstrated that they belong on the big league roster. I am not even considering Charlie Culberson who is something of a Cult Hero, but has not earned a spot this Spring, and Josh Fields who has had a bad Spring. Brock Stewart did not make the cut either. I am listing the deserving players in alphabetical order with the ones I think will make the team in BOLD:
- Luis Avilan – .159 ERA and 0.71 WHIP – he’s on the squad
- Pedro Baez – If healthy, he’s on the team, but he’s not (although he is set to pitch today), so it’s the DL and AAA Rehab
- Austin Barnes – Despite hitting .194, he will make the team – sorry Bobby Wilson (you are a good dude)
- Grant Dayton – 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP – Another LH
- O’Koyea Dickson – .333 with 2 HR and 4 RBI – he could play for the Padres – maybe he will get a chance with someone -AAA
- Brett Eibner – .306 with 2 HR and 10 RBI and playing great outfield – he is a solid player – AAA
- Andre Ethier – Has not played a lot but is making the best of it. He will platoon in LF with Gutierrez… for now
- Logan Forsythe – .440 BA – 1.000+ OPS – Starting 2B
- Adrian Gonzalez – The highest paid 1B in baseball has to be on the team and start. $43 million is what he is making this year
- Yasmani Grandal – .400 BA with .946 OPS – In the best shape of his life and healthy – Monster year ahead
- Franklin Gutierrez – Slow start but he has the team made out of Spring Training
- Kike Hernandez – The WBC has hurt him, but I think he has a shot
- Rich Hill – He had a bad Spring last year and was unhittable. He’s the #3
- Tyler Holt – .429 and OPS over 1.000 – AAA
- Kenley Jansen – 8.10 ERA and it doesn’t matter… Because he is
- Scott Kazmir – They owe him $34 million so he deserves it but he is injured and can’t play – DL
- Clayton Kershaw – Duuuuuhhhhhh
- Adam Liberatore – Has no ERA – It’s 0.00
- Kenta Maeda – He’s there and ready to go
- Brandon McCarthy – His 1.04 WHIP is better than his 5.14 ERA – He is the #5 unless they can trade him before the end of Spring Training
- Brandon Morrow – 6.00 ERA – so far, I have not seen enough – AAA
- Trevor Oaks – He has been very good, but to make the team he would have to go to the pen, but he still is a starter who pitches deep into games – I don’t think he makes it because I see him as a starter – AAA
- Joc Pederson – Trying to improve over last year – has 4 HR
- Yasiel Puig – Not having a great Spring, but he will start the season in RF for what is Puig’s Last Stand
- Sergio Romo – Only has a couple of innings due to back issue. Possible DL
- Hyun-Jin Ryu – 1.80 ERA and 1.00 WHIP – If he can build more innings, why waste him in AAA? I think he’s ready
- Rob Segedin – .500 with 2 HR and 5 RBI – boy, I would like to find a spot for him – He can platoon at 1B – I like him better than SVS
- Russ Stripling – He’s the long man… or one of them
- Darnell Sweeney – .313 BA but he is using Calhoun’s glove – AAA
- Chris Taylor – .464 BA and 1.202 OPS and he has played a lot. You can’t keep him off the team
- Trayce Thompson – .267 and OPS of .930 – late start but is making a bid – barring injuries or trades he starts at AAA
- Andrew Toles – .281 is not great, but he can play all 3 OF sports and he’s fast – Probably needs a half season at AAA
- Justin Turner – Because he is Red-headed and Superman
- Scott Van Slyke – only hitting .226 and has cooled off. It’s possible he goes to AAA as he has options but the fact that he can play 1B is a plus for him as the Dodgers could use a platoon partner for A-Gon – AAA
- Julio Urias – Yes, he earned a spot, but I am all for keeping him on ice until later – Extended Spring Training
- Chase Utley – .310 BA and .767 OPS. Yes he can still play! But his intangibles are off the charts
- Alex Wood – .318 ERA and has pitched solidly – he’s either in the rotation or the long guy
If I counted correctly, that is 24 players. 12 Pitchers and 12 position players. If Segedin makes the team (he can play 1B, 3B and RF) then Kike gets the call over SVS. If Segedin doesn’t make it, SVS and Kike both make it… or they could send SVS down or trade him and keep Thompson. Are we clear? No, no we are not!
Then, as I have been telling everyone for months: Watch out for Walker Buehler – I think he will pitch for the Dodgers THIS year! Maybe in the pen or maybe as a starter. He will probably only log 110 or so innings.
So, I almost hate to bring this up, but some teams need starting pitchers and Alex Wood has shown he is healthy and wise. He’s also LH and the Dodgers have a plethora. If ryu keeps progressing, I would consider trading Wood and Hatcher to Baltimore for Brad Brach. Would Baltimore do that? They need another starter. Wood might be their #3. I’d throw in another player if I had too. Why would they want Hatcher? Because of his arm – maybe Pittsburgh could fix him. Ray Searage has that effect on pitchers. I really, really want Brad Brach. He would solidify our 8th inning.
When you look at Chris Hatcher’s pitches and the results he gets, the two do not add up. If FAZ were nothing but sabermetrics, then he would have been off the team long ago. But then, you look at his stuff and at times, it is outstanding with a high 90’s fastball that sometimes moves and other times says “hit me!” Yesterday was a typical Hatcher outing: he got the first batter out and then Sweeney made an error at SS when he threw the ball 17 feet over Bellinger’s head and that was the beginning of his 4 runs allowed. Of course, only one was earned, so his ERA actually came down to 10.50. I’m not saying he’s a bad pitcher, but he just has bad luck when he throws a ball. I think his confidence is shot and he needs a new start… maybe as a Pirate.
Darnell Sweeney is a player I really like, warts and all, and his warts are his glove and his arm. He just has bad luck when it comes to defense. I feel bad for him at times because he is such a good guy. I see other blogs bad-mouthing players and I used to to do it (especially on Jon Broxton) but one day when the Dodger’s let Jason Repko go, I applauded the deal and said something derogatory about Jason . It was just talk and I meant no malice, but his dad was a reader of the blog and wrote back that I had no idea how hard it was to make it to the majors and all the injury issues Jason had. I felt really bad, so I try not to do it. Us fans sometimes have no clue!
I took that to heart and try not to bad-mouth these guys because they are so much better than we think and what they do is extremely hard. One thing I will caution you is not to make sweeping determinations during Spring Training because you have no clue (neither do I) what these guys are working on or where there heads are. For instance, if Urias comes into the game in relief and gets lit up, it would be ignorant to think he needs to go back to AAA to learn more. Why? I guarantee he is upset that he is not going to make the team out of the gate. Yes, he says all the right things, but he’s human and his head may not be completely in the game… and that is totally understandable.
Use your eyes, but also use “reasoning.” If Chase Utley were having a bad Spring, people would really be bad-mouthing FAZ for signing him, like they are with Gutierrez. Both are GUARANTEED roster spots, but you saw Chase on display yesterday: he can still play and boy can he run the bases! I’ll be the rest of the team emulates him. What he does is such a motivation factor for the youngsters. Gutierrez has shown flashes, but he is there to kill lefties – time will tell. He probably won’t see an AB against a RHP.
Today, here would be my position players:
- C Grandal
- 1B – Gonzalez/Segedin (Platoon)
- 2B – Forsythe/Utley
- SS – Seager
- 3B – Turner
- LF – Ethier/Gutierrez (Platoon)
- CF – Pederson
- RF – Puig
Today’s Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XSaKQlBZuE&list=RD0XSaKQlBZuE
R.I.P. Chuck Berry.
Discussion (47)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Wow! No Ethier? The problem with so much depth is that people get buried. If they have options or they aren’t on the 40 man roster they can truly get buried and you end up with guys blocking them because they are getting paid millions. I only want people on the Dodgers who are hungry.
Mark,
On your list of 13 you don’t have Seager. Do you think he won’t be ready for opening day?
Mark,
Yep, I’m in a place I can call mine. My hours. My peeves. My boxers. Black bread, peasants bread, it’s good to be home! Though I do miss my dear friends of where I was staying but they’ll like me even more as a visitor. Sure wish I’d of thrown out most of the garbage instead of hauling it around, storing it and bringing it along only to find toilet paper not. I’ll get it together by opening day…….I hope. Thanks for asking and CHEERS!
BIG NEWS:
–
Mitch White pitched 2 shutout innings and struck out 3 with 1 hit and 0 BB.
–
They gave him #13, which means they expect him in the Ravine soon!
Here’s my 13:
1. Austin Barnes
2. Andre Ethier
3. Logan Forsythe
4. Adrian Gonzalez
5. Yasmani Grandal
6. Franklin Gutierrez
7. Joc Pederson
8. Yasiel Puig
9. Rob Segedin
10. Chris Taylor
11. Andrew Toles
12. Justin Turner
13. Chase Utley
–
Subject to change tomorrow!
It really bums me out that neither Oaks or Dickson will probably not make the 25 man roster. I definitely don’t think SVS should be on the team. How many position players will the Dodgers carry? Mark your list only had eleven players. I am assuming Barnes makes the team would the 13th player be Taylor?
I hope A-Gon wins the NL MVP this year.
–
I would love it, love it, love it!
Hey Mark, I totally get the AGon $43 million thing, and even though Crawford was a great team guy, we basically got the broken down version of him in The Trade. Like anybody else, I am rooting for AGon to rebound this year along with my way out on the limb dream of Puig becoming a monster this year. But don’t you kind of get the feeling that FAZ is going to ride some of the vets (AGon, Chase, etc.) for chemistry reasons this year, knowing full well that some of these guys will be replaced by the young studs coming up in 2018.. They did a departure from the norm this year by keeping the nucleus together and bringing some older guys back. Maybe they are going out on a limb themselves to see how far this camaraderie thing that Roberts has built up will take us. We just have so many options right now that I don’t really see them stressing about alot of stuff. FAZ is dealing with alot of GOOD problems right now, which I am sure makes alot of other GM’s jealous. I’m sure alot of teams would kill for our depth across the board.
OK, MJ and DDM – you are in “Time out”
–
Let’s play nice from hereon.
😉
Haaaaaaaaa! Pretty funny in here today! But don’t discount all the facts that Mark has made when it comes to AGon….like how AGon is aging and in decline. Mark has been telling us that for years and that is a fact. We’re all aging and in decline. A watched pot boils just as quickly as one in the other room. Agon has newer RBI crowns than Marks digs against him. Marks cheers for AGon but against ‘the trade’ regardless of what he says he’s a fan of my hero manning 1B. In the past Mark has even admitted ‘the trade’ had other motives aside of on the field. He only wants to appear stubborn.
Is anyone watching this game?
–
I can’t get it!
–
This sucks!
Enrique Hernandez is a very good utility player that was far more valuable in 2015 than 2016. Which year was the outlier? I am sure FAZ has an idea, and we will know how they feel come April 3. But Kike’ is not a difference maker, and he does not deserve a reserved spot on the 25 simply because of 2015, or because he is a more experienced CF utility player, or because he has more power (Dodgers are not lacking in power). He needed to earn it or lose it to someone deemed more valuable.
.
I am glad that Kike’ is enjoying his time on the Puerto Rico WBC team, and should be very proud to represent his country. But when he made the decision, IMO, he opened the door for Chris Taylor or Charlie Culberson. While it can be argued that both Taylor and Charlie made arguments to pass Kike’ on the organizational ladder, Chris Taylor has gone above and beyond; offensively, defensively, and base-running. I believe in open competition for non difference makers, and again IMO, Chris Taylor has won that competition and deserves the spot on the 25 man. I am not convinced that Kike’ is that much better defensively than Taylor in CF (more experienced – yes), but I am convinced that Taylor is a far better defensive player on the infield, especially at SS.
.
Kike’ has one option remaining, so he can go back to AAA . He can either prove at OKC that he belongs on the 25 over Taylor, or he can perhaps increase his trade value.
.
I feel the same with Hatcher. He may have a very good arm, but I doubt that he will ever be effective with LAD. I think his $1.25M scares off most teams and he will pass through waivers. If that happens, I think that FAZ will keep him and send him down to hopefully find himself again and increase his value. And when I say value, I mean a project that may be molded like Aneurys Zabala. Maybe they can move him to ATL and try to get back Philip Pfeiffer or Caleb Dirks.
Great post Mark! You outlined many things I was also considering for the final cut downs for the 25 man. There are also options, injuries, rust, ST performance and roster fits to consider as Bum pointed out. These will be the most interesting final cuts in recent memory and also the final 40 man spot for the shuttle. I don’t think Morrow can be sent down without his permission or there is an opt out date. Several are early DL/extended ST candidates as well. Hatcher is a guy who might clear waivers if designated for assignment. This will be a fluid situation throughout the season, and Faz utilizes the entire 40 man better than most all teams. A quantity for quality trade makes a lot of sense but as Boxout states finding a trading partner will be a challenge. Roberts will have to manage the egos of all involved.
Mark
Agone is not the highest paid first base man in baseball, and I have already told you that, and that can be easily looked up.
Pujous, Joe Mauer, Votto, Cabrera, and Prince Fielder, are making more, then Agone.
And we could have done worse, and signed or traded for someone, like Fielder, or Mauer, so let it go!
Agone isn’t making 43 million dollars this year, either.
Kershaw is the highest paid player on this team, and he isn’t making that much money, for this one year, either.
I think it was Pete who said this, you have Tourette’s syndrome, when it comes to this trade, let it go!
Agone has only two years left on his contract, and he might have at least, one good year left.
He has came back and had a better year, after
having an off year, for him.
And he just did that, before last year, so you just don’t know.
And Bellinger isn’t ready yet anyways, he needs more seasoning.
He needs to play at least one year in AAA, where he will face better pitching, then the pitching he faced last year, in AA.
And your words about Kazmir, are interesting too.
You said the Dodgers owe Kazmir 34 million dollars, so he deserves to be on the forty man roster.
I wouldn’t use the word deserves, when it comes to Kazmir, and making the forty man roster.
But everything else you have said, seems right to me.
I saw a video highlight of Forsythe involved with a spectacular double-play. It was from a game on Friday and I noticed Kershaw was on the mound (with a green St. Patrick’s day cap). Wow. It will be fun to watch him at second base this season.
.
I like Sweeney but he hasn’t look good making throws from the left side of the infield. Any thoughts on whether they should try him at second (a la Dee Gordon)?
.
Trevor Oaks will start today against team Japan. I really like this kid. I hope he has a good outing and turns more heads before he heads off to AAA OKC.
.
It doesn’t look like there’s a place for O’Koyea Dickson but I’m really hoping he at least can get called up to the big leagues for a game or two. He’s a great kid, he’s worked his tail off, and he deserves a chance to play in the big show.
Thanks Mark, good way to present where we are today with the roster. The FAZmasters are going to need all their roster manipulating skills to keep all this depth somewhere. I like your Brach deal. It is exactly the type of deal the Dodgers need, quantity for quality. Problem I see, is that most teams are afraid of dealing with FAZ. The number of “little” deals where FAZ made out like bandits is mounting up.
The players that are on the bubble have four challenges. 1) Perform in Spring Training. 2) Convince decision makers that they are not too rusty from lack of play the previous year. 3) Have fully recovered from injury. 4) Have options.