If you Google “1988 Dodger’s Stuntmen” the TOP RESULT is this:
In 1988, the Dodgers won the World Series with a rag-tag bunch of bench players, junkyard dogs, and stuntmen, including Mickey Hatcher, Rick Dempsey, Mike Davis, Danny Heep, and Dave Anderson. The bench was important to the last world championship and I believe that this year’s bench is immensely better.
That was written by yours truly on January 2, 2020 right here in LAdodgerTalk, before COVID-19 was even a thing here in the USA. The 2020 stuntmen of Kike Hernandez, Chris Taylor, Matt Beaty, Edwin Rios, Austin Barnes and either AJ Pollock or Joc Pederson had a lot to do with the Dodgers World Championship run. I see a lot of Micky Hatcher in Kike Hernandez. Both are or were utilitymen, or “stuntmen” and both had a flair for the dramatic. Both were beloved by their teammates and to put it bluntly, both were a little crazy (maybe a lot crazy) – But it was a good kind of crazy!
Of course, Kike was a defensive wizard while Mickey was a defensive liability, thus the large glove. Mickey was a better hitter… for average, while Kike had a lot more power. Both were great teammates and the clubhouse was better with them. In Hatcher’s 12 years in the Majors, he put up 2.9 WAR. In 7 seasons, Kike Hernandez put up 10.2 WAR in half the AB’s as Hatcher.
If Kike is indeed gone, I am going to miss him… and so are the Dodgers, He is arguably the best utilityman, ‘er stuntman in the business. However, not so fast. I am not sure anyone will pay him more than Andrew Friedman will and I am not sure that being a regular is more important than being a Champion… and a Dodger to Kike. So, we wait!
Zach McKinstry is a LH version of Kike and even if Kike is back, Zach will likely make the team. Chris Taylor may be a starter or a stuntman. Matt Beaty will struggle to keep his job and decisions will have to be made on Luke Raley and Zach Reks. Beaty is a great guy, but Reks and Raley may have better bats. They are all LH. Edwin Rios (also LH) may or may not share 3B with a player to be signed later (JT?). Then, there is Gavin Lux who was/is allegedly the “anointed one” who has not yet lived up to his press clippings. In case you don’t know, Lux also hits LH.
I see a Big Problem brewing. Here are the RH bench player options:
- Chris Taylor
- Austin Barnes
These are the potential LH hitting bench players:
- Zach McKinstry
- Edwin Rios
- Gavin Lux
- Matt Beaty
- Zach Reks
- Luke Raley
I guess you could add Keibert Ruiz to that list. While he is switch-hitter, he is better as a lefty. Then, add in the fact that the Dodgers have the following LH hitters as key regulars:
- Corey Seager
- Cody Bellinger
- Max Muncy
I think that it is imperative that the Dodgers get more RH hitters onto the roster. Of course, Justin Turner is still an option and if I had to bet, I would bet on him returning. Part of the reason, I have suggested moving Will Smith is to get another RH bat into the lineup. That likely won’t happen, but you never know. I guess a lot hinges on how Ruiz has progressed.
Kody Hoese is allegedly an accomplished RH hitter, but we have no way of knowing if he might be ready in 2021. Most people say 2022. In a short series, the Dodgers will kill RH pitching, but if the team they are playing is heavily LH, they could really struggle. That’s why they need Justin Turner back and that is why I think Kike Hernandez will be back.
2020 Cy Young Finalists
I thought it was extremely interesting that Shane Bieber won the AL Cy Young with former Dodgers finishing 2nd and 3rd (Maeda and Ryu) while the $36 million dollar man (Gerrit Cole) finished 4th. Bieber made $559,000 in 2020 (well minus the pro-rated part) and if you add it up, Beiber, Maeda, and Ryu made a lot less (combined) than Cole. That should tell you something about constructing a team. The Dodgers got rid of the #2 and #3 Cy Young finalists and still won the World Series. Never doubt Andrew Friedman!
Knee Deep!
Breaking News
So, back in late June, my son and I set out to do some work on our deck. Our house is 40 years old and so is the deck. It is 55 feet long and needed some repair… or so we thought.
But, as we got into it, we found that the main support posts were rotten and we had to tear down the deck.
Then as we got close, I got sick and construction slowed down. But the past 3 weeks have been good. I am close to 100% and the show must go on. We are now reaping the benefits of our new deck.
Now, we are enjoying the deck and I am so proud of my son – at 21-years-old he worked 15 hour days for 2 months and helped me make this a reality. But the point of all this is to announce that I am now scaling back to 25 hours a week at the office. For 25 years, I was the first there and the last to leave. Now, I have a COO and 5 VP’s and I am going to enjoy “semi-retirement.”
By Summer, my wife and I plan to buy an RV and go wherever the wind blows us… most likely to some baseball venues across the nation. LA DODGER TALK is alive and well!
Tomorrow, I see my cardiologist and make a plan to fix my aorta (a dang robot does it). That will be a piece of cake and then the adventure begins. We are ready to hit the road: My wife and I and the Mighty Quinn!
There’s going to be a lot of baseball in the future!
Discussion (58)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Can I hear something for Michael Pittman, Jr.?
“Mickey was a good all around ballplayer.“
Not according to the stats. He had a helluva series against Oakland, but other than that he was not much more than a replacement player.
Gleybar, with an e, is not likely going to end up in LA. He’s better at second than short, but his obvious value is his stick. This year doesn’t count. He can hack and the Yankees would only move him if he’s a clubhouse problem and I haven’t heard that. He’s not even arb eligible until ‘22. Typically you don’t trade arb eligible players who hit 38 home runs and OPS over .800. That said, if they were to trade him it would be for blockbuster starting pitching and international money. I don’t see it.
Bum, Glyber will never be a Dodger…give it up man.
So, just to be clear. I did not have surgery, It was a consult with a cardiologist. When I had Covid-19, they did a CT scan and found an aortic aneurysm. This was to follow up to see what the next course of action will be. Well, it turns out that the aneurysm is close to my heart and cannot be done with a robot. To do it involves full, crack your chest open, 8 hours, open-heart surgery on the heart-lung machine… which is why I am not having it.
The Doctor advised against it and said there was a much larger chance of death by having the surgery. He says that it is stable and I may have had it for years and that due to my body size, he is not alarmed by the 4.4 cm size. He says 6.5 cm might alarm him.
I have no BP problems, low cholesterol, and take no medication and he wants to follow up in a year and see if it has grown. He says there is absolutely nothing to worry about or do right about now. He just said don’t lift anything heavy. So, there you go.
Move on folks, there’s nothing to see here!
But, thanks for your well wishes!
Praying for your surgery to go well.
Beautiful deck.
Jock goes and Hernandez stays.
Mark, you have a very relaxing home with a great deck that overlooks a beautiful back yard. I moved back to the west coast a year ago from New Hampshire where I had a few acres of forested land. Too many mosquitoes though to let me fully enjoy it.
Some can enjoy retirement and some can’t. I can and have. Hope you can let go of the work life and fully enjoy more leisure time. You sound like you are well on your way.
Watford Dodger, I am picking Tiger Woods to win the Masters. DeChambeau should be able to give him a good fight though.
Jerry Reuss and Jay Johnstone were my favorite pranksters.
I love Lux’s quick hands. When he fields a ground ball you always know it is him due to his quick catch and throw. Very smooth. He is no doubt a better shortstop than Seager and some day he might move to the left side but for now, I expect to see him on the right side.
I didn’t think Lux looked relaxed and confident hitting this year at least not as much as he looked previously. Could he be traded for a righty bat? Maybe.
Would the Dodgers trade for Bryant? Probably not but if they did, maybe he could play first base and Muncy would be included in such a trade.
Prediction 1: Hoese will be a Dodger in July and at that time will be the primary third baseman.
Prediction 2: Turner will be signed to a one year contract with Dodgers or a multi-year contract with another team.
Prediction 3: Pederson will be a Dodger next year and Hernandez won’t.
Biggest surprise: The Dodgers will trade May and either Lux or Muncy for Glyber.
Good luck with the surgery tomorrow, Mark, and many happy hours in your RV and on the deck!
Darrel Thomas was one of my favorites. My coaches used to make me run laps when he saw me imitating his basket catches during batting practices.
Damn SoCal…I don’t know if I failed my paper or not!? My writing skills are weak to say the least.
Oh well, I’m rooting for Lux to be our starting 2B.
Well it looks like Mookie has nothing on you with his 8 million dollar digs. Beautiful work by your son. Great pictures of all of you. I think Quinn and I could be buddies. Best of luck on your procedure and enjoy semi-retirement. I look forward to your posts and keeping the site alive and well.
Gorgeous deck Mark! That is a castle right there.
I like your breakdown on all the lefty bats on the roster and coming up in the system. It’s a real problem and one that I pointed out immediately as the offseason started. Like I said, someone needs to be traded. It could be Rios, Lux, Muncy or Ruiz, so don’t hug too hard on these guys.
RH bats and relievers. AF confirmed these needs in a recent interview. It will be interesting to see who he comes up with. I like Kris Bryant as an under the radar move. He had a down year last year and only has one year of team control until he’s a free agent. He had a down year last year so he shouldn’t cost a ton in prospects. He might be the perfect transition to Hoese. I’m not sure if we’re a great trading partner with the Cubs, but Bryant would be a great fit on our end.
Gorgeous deck, Mark. You should be very proud of the job your son did. Wow, it was awesome. Is he the father of your new granddaughter?
Mickey Hatcher and Jay Johnstone, as I have said before, always will be two of my favorite Dodgers. The gave the team excitement, good play, morale boosting, and a lot of heart.
That is pretty impressive. Player development is the backbone of this franchise!
Arguably if Gonsolin had the same FIP and ERA+ over the full year, in the AL.
He would have been in the Cy Young race!
Maeda and Ryu had a combined 1.63 ERA+ while May and Gonsolin 1.76! Thirty fewer innings, though.
The Dodgers traded four of their 2019 starters and won the Series.
Hands down, Mickey was the heart of the Stuntmen… Like Bear I enjoyed what Derrel Thomas brought to the table for the Blue… Heck he even donned the tools of ignorance a couple of times… His basket catches in the OF used to make Lasorda grumble and I loved that…
Extremely happy for Maeda and Ryu. and their accomplishments post Blue…
Once again, I hope Gavin Lux is given his chance at 2B right outta the chute in ST and know it’s his job to win…
Bauer won the Cy Young. I think Freeman will beat out Mookie for the MVP. I thought it was amazing that Bauer became the first Reds pitcher ever to win a Cy Young award. I know they had some very good pitchers in the past who had outstanding seasons. But I did not realize they had never had a pitcher win one.
Congratulations Mark. Sounds like you got your s+++ together. And the deck looks great. Your son did an awesome job. My boy is a wiz on computers and with A/C units. Me, I could not build anything except plastic models. My Lincoln logs rotted from lack of use. I loved Hatcher. He was a character. There were a couple of guys on the 81 team like that also. Johnstone was one. And Derrell Thomas was the other. Tri-MVP’s that series were Cey, Guerrero and Yeager. Steve Howe was nails out of the bullpen. And they were aided in game 6 when Lemon pulled Tommy John in the 4th inning of a 1 -1 tie. Frazier came in and blew the lead and took the loss. His 3rd in a 6 game series. Shades of Cash pulling Snell in the 6th leading by a run. Had a nice quiet Veterans day and got free red, white and blue pancakes from IHOP.
Beautiful deck. Enjoy your semiretirement. You may want to make reservations for your RV. Because of this virus, many are buying RV’s. In Idaho, I hear you cannot pull into a camp ground and get a space without a reservation. They are full. Enjoy Mark.
Mark, I prefer to watch the games from a hot tub! Will that be a problem?
Congratulations on your semi-retirement. I think you’ll really get into the “where the wind blows” thing. We certainly have.
Beautiful deck and you are right to be proud of your son. You seem to appreciate your blessings, especially your family, and gratitude just adds to the joy.
I think we’re all amazed and pleased with your Covid recoveries. I will pray for a successful surgery and rapid healing. I trust that you will be back on your feet soon.
All the best.
Awesome deck. I am inviting myself over to watch next year’s WS and will bring beer! Let me know when u get to California. I’ve got more restaurants for u both to check out! Speedy recovery after your surgery!
Sounds like a great plan Mark. Enjoy your semi-retirement. You’ve earned it.
Your son does fantastic work. I can see why you’re so proud of him.