Someone asked yesterday if I questioned some of the trades or methods of FAZ (Andrew Friedman and company) and I must admit that from the get go, I have been on the same page as they have. I knew they were not going to sign any big name free agents to long term deals. It just did not make sense and it has never made sense. I have been totally on board with that philosophy. I did criticize Ned a lot – he started on the wrong foot by going after Jason Schmidt. Then there was Fatty Jones and a few others. Ned did some good things however – Urias, Jansen, Kershaw, Turner, Seager, Puig and Bellinger are all from Ned’s tenure.
I can’t argue with his decision to sign Matt Kemp to a big deal, other than everyone knew he was a clubhouse cancer, but signing Ethier was felony stupid as was The Trade. I feel bad for A-Gon – everyone wants to go out like Big Poppy, but it appears that he will serve out his tenure as an expensive pinch hitter and clubhouse presence. I do think he can be a Lenny Harris-esque pinch hitter. At least there is that.
Carl Crawfish comes off the books at the end of the year as does Andre Ethier and Adrian comes off at the end of 2018. However, this year the Dodgers are paying Crawfish, Gonzo and Ethier nearly $65 million for just about ZERO production. Not many teams can withstand that! At the end of 2018, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado become free agents. I believe the Dodgers have ZERO interest in Harper. Machado is an entirely different story. Manny is a Hall-of-Famer in waiting and I believe the Dodgers have their sights on him. He will be 26 when he is a free agent and can likely expect to get a 8 to 10 year deal in the vicinity of $35 million a year. The Dodgers and Yankees are the teams who can afford it.
Bryce Harper is LH and on a team that is heavily LH, he is out of the running. Machado can play 3B or maybe move to 2B. I have no doubt he would be excellent at 2B as well and Turner would have two more years. Looking forward, I see Toles as the CF – I just do not see continual growth in Joc Pederson.
2019 Lineup?
- Toles CF
- Seager SS
- Machado 2B
- Bellinger 1B
- Turner 3B
- Puig RF
- Verdugo LF
- Smith C
The Cubs and the Dodgers both have 16 wins, but if you think the Dodgers hitters suck, look at the Cubs (other than Bryant at .322):
- Schwarber – .193
- Rizzo – .235
- Zobrist – .233
- Russell – .241
- Heyward – .253 (and that’s good for him)
- Contreras – .225
- Baez – .250
Kyle Hendricks has a 3.51 ERA. Jake Arrieta has a 4.63 ERA and diminished velocity. John Lackey has a 5.14 ERA and Jon Lester is at 3.67 and lest I forget, Brett Anderson is sitting pretty at 6.23… and yet some of you still think the Dodger’s starting pitching depth is fiction. The Dodgers are #1 in the league in pitching, so just give it a rest already! What FAZ has done is create massive depth and IT HAS WORKED! You are barking up the wrong tree! The Cubs are going to have to trade some prospects for more pitching… and they have several really good ones.
I know that Roberts thinks hitting Grandal at Cleanup will help him get going, but Cody needs to slide into the #4 spot. He is undaunted by it and Yasmani needs to hit 8th for a while. I took a lot of flack by saying Bellinger was ready now, but I just knew it – like I knew it with Corey. One thing I disagreed with FAZ about was trading for Jimmy Rollins. I believe Corey would have been just fine at SS instead of Rollins. That was a mistake…
This Bellinger kid is absolutely the real deal. Yes, the league will adjust and so will he… just like Corey! Maybe this will help Yasiel.
Minor League Highlight (and Lowlights)
- Trayce Thompson finally broke out with a triple while going 3-4. That’s good to see.
- Tim Shibuya was promoted to AAA and promptly gave up 14 hits in 2.2 innings (how do you even do that?), while allowing 13 ER. Yikes!
- Willie Calhoun hit his 3rd jack.
- Josh Sborz went 5 and allowed just 1 hit in AA.
- Dennis Santana went 5 and allowed 4 hits and 1 run at RC. His ERA sits at 1.26. He will be in Tulsa soon.
- Spitzbarth got his 6th save – 0.66 ERA – he’s headed the same place.
- Gavin Lux is struggling at GL – hitting .133.
- Dustin May isn’t – 5 IP, 3 H, 5 K’s.
Discussion (65)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Well, I apologize to Dave Roberts for calling him stupid. The platoon worked last night!
The defensive play Seager made last night was unbelievable. Then Bellinger dug out the throw. Great play on both ends. Even Kershaw was happy with the play.
The Dodgers beat a left hander. This is happening a little more often.
We have two players who are not producing. They are Utley and Agon. Of course Agon is on the DL. The Dodgers will keep both and I am ok with the decision. Loyalty is a factor in their decision. Baseball is a team sport and they will both contribute in other ways. Before the season started I did not like the decision to sign Utley. A lot of the Dodger players campaigned for his signing. They players know what Utley and Agon contribute.
How Bellinger got his bat on that high fast ball I will never know.
I do not want Braun. Just do not think he is Dodger material.
de Jong went 6 and gave up 1 run.
Well, Joc would not have thrown out Margot at 3B like Kike “The Cannon” Hernandez did!
The difference this year started with the health of McCarthy and Ryu. So far there have only been 7 starters used and that is with Hill on the DL twice and Ryu once. They had Wood as a swing man ready to step in and Urias held back just waiting for an opportunity. That has been huge and the rotation has been effective so far. There are 3 more healthy and waiting at OKC plus Stewart.
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Puig and Toles have made the most of their chances with regular playing time. Toles has surprised me with his defense and is starting to hit. Puig had a hot start at the plate and still has a better approach than in the past. He can also help with his defense and speed on the bases.
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Lastly the spark plugs: Bellinger and Taylor have really given the team a shot in the arm after early call ups due to injuries. Management has noticed their effect and is giving them both playing time. More than in past years the vets are being pushed aside due to performance of the kids.
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16-14 may not seem like much to hang your hat on but like a horse race they are stalking the field and when they make their move will not be caught. The Rockies may hang tough but just don’t have the depth of the Dodgers. Even with Joc, Grandal, AGon and Forsythe yet to hit their stride the team is already dangerous. Utley, Gutierrez, Kike, Avilan, Hatcher are on the roster fringe and are expendable but valuable.
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I still see a deadline deal or two, perhaps a blockbuster but first they will see what they have, where they are and what they need. It’s just a gut feeling that this could be the year they put it all together in October.
Dave Roberts:
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I hope you are not stupid and post this lineup:
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1. Taylor 2B
2. Seager SS
3. Turner 3B
4. Gutierrez LF
5. Bellinger 1B
6. Hernandez CF
7. Puig RF
8. Barnes C
9. Kershaw P
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Kike is hitting .188 against LH pitching. Toles is hitting .400. THIS IS STUPID! STUPID! Stop the insanity!
http://www.latimes.com/sports/mlb/la-sp-dodgers-report-20170505-story.html
Looks like Taylor WILL start tonight.
Roger, I would love Utley to turn it on as well but there is no denying what Chris Taylor is doing right now, he deserves a shot.
Part of me is really rooting for the Silver Fox to start hitting again. So many guys in the clubhouse love and respect the guy, and I am sure alot of them are concerned about his hitting, they don’t want to see him get cut, but unfortunately this is a results oriented business, no matter how long you hang on to the past. Just hate to see another A.J. Ellis thing, where out of the blue he get’s moved. That really set us back for a bit. C’mon Chasey, hit the damn ball! Reach back in that tank and pull out another year! You can do this!
I agree Joc is the only platoon player on the team right now. When we see a lefty, move Toles to center, Gutierrez in left , and sit Joc.
Remember when Turner came to the Dodgers he was a bench player. It did not take long for him to be a regular and a good one. I see the same thing thing happening to Taylor. Taylor got bigger and stronger this winter and he changed his swing. He just does not make many mistakes.
I would love to have Machado, but we need a right handed hitting outfielder. Joc is not cutting it. Our infield is solid with Bellinger, Turner, Seager and Taylor or Forsythe. We have Toles and Puig in the outfield. Is there a good right handed hitting left fielder in free agency next year?
Does Roberts continue to roll out Utley until Forsythe gets back “respectively” or give Taylor his well deserved shot until Forsythe gets back?
Utley 5/50, .100
Taylor 12/32, .375
Mark, agree with the lineup above, let us see TAYLOR!
Toles should play every single game at lead off.
The only platoon I see on this team is Joc/Gutierrez.
How about a dose of cold water here? Just as most who post here caution against too much anxiety after a loss, I suggest that too much euphoria after a win isn’t called for yet either. The team sits at 16 – 14, 2 games over .500. They are 2 – 6 in 1 run games and are below .500 thus far against the Cubs, D-Backs, Rockies and Giants and over .500 only against SD and Philly.
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I am glad to see Bellinger play well and hope that he permanently supplants Gonzalez as the regular 1B, but I’m not ready to count my chickens yet. MLB pitchers WILL adjust and Belly will struggle. It’s how he does after the league has seen him that will tell the tale.
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Notwithstanding the giddiness about the pitching, I am concerned about it. Too many 5 inning starts, too much stress on the ‘pen, too much Romo and Hatcher, etc. I look at the rotation and the only confidence that I have right now are Kershaw and McCarthfy (!).
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The same with the offense. Is anyone here confident in any hitters other than Seager or Turner? I’m not.
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They still have time to turn it around but giddiness is not called for.
If we win, I am fine with Grandal at Cleanup. Shoot, if we win, lead him off.
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But… tonight, do not sit Toles. He deserves to play. He is 2nd on the team in RBI, so leave him alone. Sit Joc.
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Roberts, you better do this:
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1. Toles CF
2. Taylor 2B
3. Seager SS
4. Turner 3B
5. Bellinger 1B
6. Gutierrez LF
7. Puig RF
8. Barnes C
Come on Bluto, look at M.T.’s projected lineup… I’m all in on Machado… Get out of the A.L. – Living in L.A. – Crazy $$$ – A stone cold superhero in our lineup… He’ll change positions or J.T. will say come on over and I’ll move… There would not a member of the team that would balk at the move..
This kid is not Scheff or Manny or etc… Bona-fide Star…
Harper Really???
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/05/injury-updates-hill-forsythe-doolittle-nola-capps.html?fv-home=true&post-id=91611
Let’s see if Roberts has learned anything. Does Grandal bat 4th again today? Does he bat 8th? Does he sit for a day for Barnes? Hell, let Sergio Romo hit for Grandal every time
I would rather see Maeda nibble a bit than throw a fat one down main street. He and McCarthy are key, otherwise the rotation has 4 LHP. Baez and Field get a bit of flak but hard to argue when both have ERA’s below 1. Taylor and Bellinger both are OPSing over 1.000, I think it became evident to Roberts during the game when Utley came out: 0 for 2 vs. 2 for 2 and better defense. Gutierrez is at .979, granted all 3 are small sample sizes. JT is at .979 with an unreal .379 BA, no one else is above .900. Until Forsythe is ready Utley and Kike get some more chances but it is obvious one has to go eventually and it should not be Taylor.
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To me Bellinger is already having an effect on Toles and Puig. Yasiel can win games with his glove alone. If it rubs off on Joc then Seager and JT finally have the help they have needed. This team is on the verge of something special and is the class of this division, despite the early play of Col and AZ. The organizational depth is impressive.
You have to have serious doubts about Machado coming here to play 2B. Why would he? He can get his price to play the position he wants.
Harper’s the white whale for me. He crushes lefties, crushes righties. Plays CF, which Pederson may not for long.
It’s a really good fit bat-wise and position wise.
A little nitpicking: Maeda was so-so last night. Lots of balls, walks. Roberts had him on a sort leash with score 1-2. That was the pivotal part of the game, as it turned out. Good guess by Roberts, except the guys that followed in the inning weren’t that good either. Good win. Come from behind. Best part of the day: giants get hosed again. Reds are playing ok right now. I’m glad we play the Pads. Kershaw tonight because McCarthy has a tender left shoulder. Catching the ball must take a lot out of him.
So old ‘bloody sock’ was saying on tape that the racial slurs against PacMan Jones was all B.S. ?!?
Oh!! It was on Breitbart and he is a contributor… It all makes sense now!!! There’s aot of old and young farts in Boston who were never able to let go the Splendid Splinter/Yaz eras … Just ask Reggie Smith…
Bellinger’s heroics were on display once again, and he is showing that he absolutely belongs. He will undoubtedly hit a rough spot, and he needs to stay up to work it out at the ML level. He understands that the game requires adjustments, and like Corey he seems to be able to make them. The biggest contribution that AGon can give to LAD right now is for him to be Bellinger’s mentor as Utley was to Seager last year, and be a PH in clutch situations. But once again, it was Andrew Toles who was clutch. Down 2-1 in the 7th with 2 runners on, and Toles comes up with a clutch double to score two, and give the Dodgers the lead that they kept this time. This kid needs to play every day.
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There is also zero reason for Chris Taylor (another 2 hit night) to sit with Chase starting. It’s time to recognize that the kids are ready to lead. When Forsythe comes back, Taylor becomes the utility player and Kike’ goes to OKC to work on whatever is not working. I thought it might be interesting to see some comps for the last 10 games played by Toles/Puig/Taylor/Kike’.
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Toles – 37AB/12H/3Dbls/2HR/8RBI/7K/0BB/1GDP/….324/.342/.568/.910
Puig – 40AB/10H/0Dbls/1HR/6RBI/11K/2BB/4GDP/…..250/.286/.325/.611
Taylor – 23AB/7H/0Dbls/1HR/5RBI/9K/5BB/0GDP/….304/.429/.435/.863
Kike’ – 25AB/4H/2Dbls/0HR/2RBI/5K/1BB/0GDP/….160/.185/.240/.425 with a .190 BAbip
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At the beginning of the year, I said that Buehler/White/Alveraz would be the talk at RC, but to watch Dennis Santana. Santana, 21 year old RHP, is a converted SS out of San Pedro de Macoris DR, who converted to pitcher after 1 year as a professional. He was the lone AS for Great Lakes last year, and is continuing to excel this year at RC: 28.2IP/29K/5BB/1.26 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in the hitter friendly California League. He is projected as a power pitcher with good sink. Gets a lot of ground balls. Most baseball pundits see him as a potential late inning high leverage reliever. If he continues to start, I have read comparisons of him to Yordana Ventura as a mid-rotation type.
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Hopefully Josh Sborz has learned a very valuable lesson…Don’t come in to camp and try to impress by throwing a ball through a brick wall. He is looking more like he is the pitcher that ended 2016. Some question as to why there may be more pitching injuries now. I cannot remember which HOF pitcher said it, (maybe Smoltz), but when he was asked, he said that kids at a very young age are taught to go full pedal to the metal from the first pitch and go as long as they can. They dominate at early ages, get noticed, and never really learn how to pitch. But boy can they throw hard. I am not a doctor, and I am not a researcher like Jeff Passan, but just as an observation from a fan, that early training and development seem to be hindered by youth and high school coaches who have no idea how to develop pitchers, but just want to win. The harder they throw at an early age the more dominant they are. But their arms just are not ready to throw that hard, all of the time, all year round.
The Dodgers are in a really good place having won 4 straight division titles, fielding a competitive team this year and loading the farm for the future. They are also about to be out of luxury tax range and will have payroll flexibility. What a great time to be a Dodger Fan!
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I am going out on a small limb here and say Cody Bellinger is Better (potentially) than Cory Seager. Why? The tools: power is off the charts; speed is better than Cory; arm is better than Cory; versatility to play 4 spots on the field; and the same special sauce that some players just have and you know it when you see it. He can be another Rookie of the Year-remember the Karros, Piazza, Mondesi, Nomo and Hollandsworth string of 5 in a row? Next year could be a pitcher like Buehler. Did I mention great time to be a Dodgers Fan?
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I am going to leave the lineups, roster moves and bullpen choices alone for awhile and just watch this team gel, because they will. They are about to go on a run and never look back, this could be the Year.
Great take Roger… Not much to add… Cody had a rough ST, but went down to AAA and as his stats showed, he adjusted and terrorized… Loopy swing!!! I’ll take it…
Toles is one of my favorite surprises, from Kroegers Market bagging groceries to starting in the bigs for LAD … The stuff movies are made from…
I am with you on Bellinger, Mark. Just his body language and the way he carries himself reminds me totally of Seager when he came up. Yes, the league will get a book on him and force him to adjust, but damn, did you see the bunt the kid laid down on the shift a couple of games ago?!? Textbook! Also that triple he had in the left field corner, going the other way after he fouled one deep into the right field seats. I have always had a soft spot for Joc, but he should have been doing this a couple of years ago. Joc seems like he is still stuck in power mode instead of taking what the pitcher gives him, going the other way, or laying down a killer bunt on the shift. I do think the clock might be ticking on him a bit to get going, because Toles and Bellinger dont seem to be afraid of the moment, and one of these days Trace Thompson is going to figure his swing out and start pushing to be called up.