Tuesday, April 9, 1963. The Dodgers were in Chicago to face the Cubs and open the 1963 season. I was a little over 2 months away from my 15th birthday. JFK was the president. Eight days earlier, on the 1st of April, the Dodgers had sold my favorite player, Duke Snider, to the Mets for cash. I was not very happy with the team at that point. Duke was one of the last Brooklyn stars on the team. They still had Jim Gilliam and Johnny Podres from the 55 World Series winner. Don Zimmer had been traded by the Reds to the Dodgers in January, this after he had been traded to the Cubs for three players in 1960. LA would deal Zim to the Senators for cash in June after he played 22 games. So, Jr. and Podres were the last men standing from 1955.
Big D, coming off of a Cy Young winning year in 62, was the ace of the staff and the opening day starter. Drysdale had won 25 games. He led the league in games started, innings pitched, Strikeouts and batters faced. The #2 starter would be Sandy Koufax. Koufax had won his first ERA title. He won 14 games, but because of a circulation problem in his finger, he missed significant time. A condition that for all practical purposes, cost the Dodgers the pennant in 62.
The team had made a couple of trades in the winter. One brought former Yankees first baseman, Bill Skowron to the team. The Dodgers had sent Stan Williams to the Yankees in exchange. Williams had lost game three of the playoffs after the Dodgers had gone into the ninth, leading the Giants 4-2. The starting lineup had Roseboro catching, Fairly at first, Gilliam at 2nd, McMullen played the most games at 3rd, 79. Wills at SS. Tommy Davis in left, Willie D. in center and Frank Howard in right.
Drysdale, Koufax, Podres, and Bob Miller were the starters. Richert, Perranoski, Sherry, Roebuck, Rowe and Calmus the relief corps. Skowron, Moon, Tracewski, Oliver and Camilli were the main guys off of the bench. Lee Walls, Al Ferrara, Daryl Spencer, Marv Breeding, also saw some action. Dick Nen, a reserve first baseman and September call up, would have one of the most important hits all year in a game at St. Louis in September.
Drysdale squared off on opening day against Larry Jackson. Jackson had come to Chicago from the Cardinals in a six-player trade in October of 1962. George Altman and Don Cardwell were the center pieces of the Cubs part of the trade. Lindy McDaniel was the other main piece for the Cardinals. Drysdale would pitch a complete game, allowing 11 hits and 3 walks, but only 1 run. The game was tied after 5 innings, but LA scored 1 in the 6th, 1 in the 7th, and 2 in the 9th for the 5-1 win. 
The 63 season was underway. In game 2, Koufax out dueled former Brave ace, Bob Buhl for a 2-1 win. Dick Ellsworth shut LA out 2-0 in game 3, beating Johnny Podres. By the end of April, the Dodgers were 10-11, 4 games behind the leader. By the end of May, they were 27-20 and had trimmed 1.5 games off of the lead. The offense was being led by 1962 batting champion, Tommy Davis. Davis hit .323 in May and drove in 20 runs. Frank Howard hit 6 homers in May and drove in 13 runs, but he hit just .117 for the month. Pitching wise, Koufax was 5-1 in May with a 1.52 ERA and 3 shutouts. One of the shutouts was a no-hitter against the Giants at Dodger Stadium on May 11th. 
From the 30th of May to the 3rd of June, they lost 5 straight games. They then won 5 in a row and moved into first place by one half game. By the end of June, the team was 43-32, 1.5 games back. Koufax again went 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA. He walked 17 and struck out 69. 17 walks would be his highest total for any month that year. Along with August 11, it would be the only month he walked batters in double figures. Davis had a stellar June, hitting .355 with 5 homers and 16 driven in. Wills hit .373 in June. Most of the Dodger offense was struggling in June.
A five-game winning streak at the beginning of July put the Dodgers up by 3 games. Drysdale lost on July 6th to the Reds, 3-1, but Koufax started another streak by shutting out the Reds, 4-0 the next day. LA went on to win 7 in a row and expand the lead to 6.5 games by July 14th. They lost 2 of their next 3 before reeling off their third winning streak of the month with 4 consecutive wins, from July 17th to the 20th. They lost 6 of their next 8 games, then finished the month winning 2 of 3. They were 64-42 at the end of July. Their lead was 4.5 games. 
Koufax was 5-1, 1.76 ERA with three more shutouts. Drysdale was 4-2 with a 2.89 ERA and 1 shutout. But the star pitcher was Podres, 6-1, 1.49 ERA and 3 shutouts. by far his best month of the season. Wally Moon led the team with a .345 average in July plus he hit 3 homers and drove in 16 runs. Ken McMullen hit just .224, but the kid hit 3 homers and drove in 19 runs.
They opened the season in Houston against the Colt-45s and lost the first game, 4-1 to Dick Farrell. Koufax and Podres then shut out Houston on consecutive days. They won the first two against the Cubs for a 4-game winning streak and were up by 6 games. They lost 5 of the next 6 games and on the 14th of August, the lead was cut to 3. They won the final game against the Braves, 7-5 in Milwaukee and then swept the Mets in a 4-game series in New York before coming home and beating St. Louis, 7-5, and 2-1 in the first two games of a 18-game homestand at Dodger Stadium. They went 4-6 the rest of the month and finished August with 80 wins and 56 losses. Frank Howard had been the hitting star in August. He hit .348 with 8 homers and 18 driven in. Koufax was 3-1, Dysdale, 4-4, but Perranoski was 3-0 with 2 saves. 
They won 5 of the next 6 at Dodger Stadium before hitting the road to San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and St. Louis for a 13-game road trip, their last of the season. They left with a 5.5 game lead over the Cardinals. They would win 9 of the 13 games. But they went into St. Louis with just a 1 game lead after dropping a 6-1 game to the Phillies. Podres won game 1 of the series, 3-1. Koufax won game 2, 4-0 to put LA up by 3 games. The next game was a nail biter.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 5-1 lead after 3 innings. they chased starter, Pete Richert, scoring 4 runs off of him and 1 off of his relief, Bob Miller. Miller would then pitch 4 innings of scoreless relief before turning the game over to Ron Perranoski in the 7th inning. LA meanwhile chipped away at the lead scoring 3 in the 8th inning off of starter Bob Gibson. LA now trailed, 5-4 heading into the 9th inning. 
In the 9th, with one out, rookie Dick Nen came up hitting in what had been the pitchers spot. He had PH for Miller in the 7th. Nen homered to right tying the game. It was his only hit of the year. It sent the game into extra innings. Perranoski would pitch 6 scoreless innings of relief, and the Dodgers would score in the top of the 13th inning on a ground-out by Wills off of Lou Burdette scoring Willie Davis, who had singled to start off the inning. Perry got the Cardinals out 1-2 3, striking out Jerry Buchek to end the game. LA’s lead was now at 4 games with 9 to play.
They came home to face the Pirates in a three-game series. Drysdale shut out the Pirates for his 19th win. They won game 2 of the series 5-3 on a 9th inning walk-off 3-run homer by Willie Davis. Koufax started the game, went 7.2 innings giving up all 3 of the Pirates runs. Miller got the win, his 20th. Veale shut them out 4-0 in the final. They were 5.5 up with 6 to play. The Mets came to town and LA swept them. Drysdale with a 4-1 win in game 1. Koufax pitched just 5 innings striking out 8. Bob Miller pitched 3 shutout innings, and Perranoski 1 for the 1-0 win. Craig lost his 22nd game, and Koufax won his 25th. Perry got his 20th save. Rowe got the win the next day when they completed the sweep, 5-4 for their 99th win. Drysdales win clinched the pennant.
Philadelphia came in to finish the season. The Dodgers lost all three to finish at 99-63, winning the pennant by 6 games. Tommy Davis hit .340 for the final 26 games with 3 homers and 18 driven in. Howard hit 4 homers and drove in 11, Willie D hit .313 with a homer and 12 driven in. Wills hit .304, Roseboro had 3 homers and 11 driven in. Koufax was 5-0, 1.65, Dysdale, 2-2, 2.00, Podres,3-2, 4.32 and Perranoski, 3-1,1.24 with 8 saves. They then would face the New York Yankees in the World Series.
Game one was on October 2nd, at Yankee Stadium. Whitey Ford against Koufax. With Ford pitching, Skowron got the start against his old mates at first base. Ford shut LA down in the first inning. Koufax did the same to the Yankees. He struck out 2, but that was just the beginning. Howard doubled off of Ford in the second and scored on a single by Skowron. Tracewski singled Skowron to second. Johnny Roseboro then hit a 3-run homer deep down the RF line to put LA up, 4-0. Skowron would single in Willie Davis in the third to make it 5-0. Meanwhile, Koufax kept the Yankees off of the scoreboard and he kept striking out hitters. 
Finally in the bottom of the eighth, Tresh hit a 2-run homer off of Koufax scoring Tony Kubek who had singled. But that was all the Yankees would get with Sandy throwing a complete game, striking out 15 for a new World Series single game record. Game two pitted Johnny Podres against Al Downing. Downing gave up singles to Wills and Gilliam. Willie Davis then doubled scoring both. Podres shut the Yankees down in the bottom of the inning.
Downing got the Dodgers out in the second and third innings without any scoring. Podres did the same. In the fourth, Bill Skowron led off the inning with a long homer to left. LA was up 3-0. Downing was gone after the 5th inning, replaced by Ralph Terry. The score stayed 3-0 until the top of the 8th inning. Willie Davis doubled off of Terry and came home on a single by Tommy Davis. Podres got the Yankees out in the 8th for 8 shutout innings of work. 
The Dodgers went quietly in the 9th. Podres went back to the mound. Hector Lopez, playing for Roger Maris, doubled off of Podres with 1 out in the 9th. Perranoski relieved Podres. Elston Howard singled off of Perranoski, scoring Lopez. Perry got the next two outs for the 4-1 win. For Podres it was his 4th career World Series win, 3 of them against the Yankees. The series shifted back to Dodger Stadium for game 3. 
The Dodgers faced 21 game winner, and soon to be author, Jim Bouton. Big D made his first start of the series. This game would be a pitcher’s duel. After the Yankees went down in the first, with one out in the bottom of the first, Gilliam walked. He went to second on an out by Willie Davis. Tommy Davis then singled Gilliam home. It would turn out to be the only run of the game. Drysdale was masterful allowing just 3 Yankee hits. Kubek had 2 of them. He walked 1 and struck out 9. The Dodgers were up 3 games to 0 with Koufax set to pitch game 4.
Sunday, October 6th, 1963, was a beautiful fall day in LA. The stadium was packed with over 55,000 fans. Many in white shirts. Sandy Koufax vs Whitey Ford. Classic World Series matchup. The Chairman of the Board against the Left Arm of God. The Yankees were without star RF Roger Maris. He had been injured in game 2. Hector Lopez was his replacement. The game was scoreless through the top of the 5th inning. In the bottom of the 5th, Frank Howard connected off of Ford for a massive homer into the Loge level at Dodger Stadium.
Koufax set the Yankees down until the top of the 7th when Mantle hit his only homer of the series to left center field. LA came up in the bottom of the 7th. Gilliam hit a high hopper to Clete Boyer, Boyer leaped to make the grab and fired an accurate throw to first. But Yankee first baseman, Joe Pepitone, lost the ball in the white shirted background. It caromed off of his leg down the right field line. Gilliam scrambled all the way to third. He then scored on a sac-fly by Willie Davis. 
Koufax then shut down the Yankees over the last two innings, and the Dodgers won the series in a sweep. Koufax was named the MVP of the series. LA pitchers held the Yankees to a .171 BA and allowed only 2 homers. The Yankees never led a game at any point in the series. Perranoski, who saved 21 games during the season, was the only relief pitcher used by the Dodgers in the series, and he pitched just 2/3rds of an inning. Koufax won 2, had 2 complete games, and struck out 23 in the series. LA had only 2 hits in game 4, both by Frank Howard. It is to this date the only title the Dodgers have won on their home field.
It was definitely Sandy Koufax’s best year to that point. He earned his first Cy Young, the MVP award, he was MVP of the series. When Sandy was given the Award at a dinner in NYC, he was also given a new car, presented by Sport Magazine. While the luncheon was taking place, a New York City policeman, put a parking violation ticket on the car’s windshield. 1963, to me it is still the sweetest win of all. Sweeping the Yankees, who had never been swept in four games. There was one tie in the 22 World Series. The 4 runs scored by the Yankees scored was the second lowest total ever. The A’s had scored 3 in 1905. A new low would be set in 1966 when the Dodgers scored just 2 runs while being swept by the Orioles.
No Dodgers baseball until Sunday when they play the Angels at Dodger Stadium. If you guys have any ideas for stories or players you would like profiled on here, just let me know. My schedule is pretty open right now, no doctors’ appointments until the end of April.
All time greatest Dodger defensive players by position and runner ups.
That would be a cool story.
How about all-time worst fielders too?
Joc at 1B!
Yep, that would be a fun one. Dick Stuart, Dr. Strangeglove played a few games at first for LA.
Thanks, Bear for another great trip down memory lane. I was 9 during the ‘63 Series and didn’t get to see games 1 and 2 since they were during school days. I also missed game 4 because I had to go to a pool party with my parents in the Valley. So I enjoyed your write up. Willie Davis was an interesting guy on those teams— would you be open to writing a story on him?
I would be more than happy to do a story on the 3-Dog.
Great post today Bear. Well done.
Badger posted some interesting information yesterday on Roki and his past arm troubles. One fact that is missed when talking about this generation of young flame-throwers is the fact that for a very long time and up to the early 2000’s it was believed the velocity was pretty much God-given and a pitcher couldn’t significantly increase their velocity. The Tom House, Ron Wolfolk instructions focused on efficient and healthy mechanics. With clean mechanics, training and maturity, velocity might increase a few miles an hour for an adult pitcher. But generally big velocity jumps were not viewed as possible and it wasn’t their goal.
That all changed with pitch labs and modern technology provided upstarts like Driveline to become a thing. Driveline was founded by Kyle Boddy in 2007. With the new technology they discovered that it was possible to get big jumps in velocity out of a kids arm. And that became a major goal.
It changed everything.
1974-1994: A total of 12 MLB players had the procedure done. 2012: A record 69 MLB pitchers had Tommy John surgery in a single year. The number of overall procedures increases about 9% a year. One-third of current Major League Baseball pitchers had Tommy John surgery at some point.
And we all see the average MLB fastball has increased about 4 mph to close to 94 now. And of course guys throwing 100 are falling out of trees.
And this is Tommy John, UCL injuries and doesn’t include other arm and shoulder injuries.
And it doesn’t appear that despite all the lip-service given the problem by organizations, that much has changed. The radar-guns are still out first thing, guys still max out every pitch and as one kid blows up, another takes his place. Next Man Up.
TJ surgery has saved some careers. It looks like the second one has worked for Walker Buehler; he has pitched well in spring for Boston. But they need to find out what the root cause is of so many injuries.
Old pal Alex Verdugo is no longer homeless.
Has signed a 1 year deal with the Braves for 1.5 mil.
I expect this to be another good signing for Anthopoulos.
Agreed to go to AAA Gwinnett to open the season.
I repost this because it was at the tail end of the last blog and I was curious about what others thought —
I’m glad we are 20 to 30 pitchers deep, we might need them all this season. Injuries are impossible to predict and just as impossible to plan for, except for getting a bunch of very good players and just go “next man up” approach.
Regarding injuries, I have never heard anyone mention the future injury problem possibly facing Ohtani. He has already had major elbow surgeries which halted his time on the mound, yet thru his rehab he has been able to sustain unbelievable stats as a DH during his recovery time from TJ. Has anyone given it any thought that we actually are risking a ton of troubles if he returns to the mound and damages himself and thus knocks him not only off the mound but out of the batter’s box? To tell you the truth, we have a helluva lot of good pitching, we actually don’t need Ohtani as a pitcher, he is much more valuable to us as a devastating batter. Putting him back on the mound runs a totally unnecessary risk.
I’ve thought the same thing about Ohtani. I think it’s a gamble being that he’s now had two TJs. And if he blows out his arm again, that could ultimately lead to him not being able to hit. I guess we’ll find out,
Ohtani needs to pitch or find a position to defend. Maybe he can pitch until Freddie retires and then try his hand at first.
I could see him doing that when Freddie retires. Outfired would require him making throws. But he is being paid as a two-way player.
I want Shohei to pitch and hit. He’s done it for years with success, and several pitchers have recovered from two surgeries.
I don’t want to see his greatness diminished by over-caution.
Hell, I want to see him throw a perfect game and his 4 HRs on the same day.
Too much to hope for?
Yes, Shohei could take over 1B when Freddie retires. His contract runs through the ’27 season. Shohei at 1B is a fine idea.
And he could still pitch every six games–and sure, he could get a few more days off too. (Helluva pinch-hitter coming off the bench.)
Speaking of Freddie, there are signs that, at age 35, his body is no longer indestructible. (Maybe he should see Max’s chiropractor about that rib.) In recent years, before last season, Freddie played more games than anybody except Marcus Semien.
But let’s say Freddie’s retires after the ’27 season….
Dodgers’ 2028 lineup:
Shohei 1B
Mookie 2B
De Paula DH
Hope RF
Rushing C
Smith 3B
Morales LF (converted from SS)
Quintero CF
Lindsey SS
Bench: Freeland, Kim…Ching-Hsien Ko?…and Old Man Feduccia.
(Note that De Paula should still learn to play 1B. If he succeeds, let’s keep Shohei at DH.)
Announced today that both he and Betts will be ready for opening day.
I am working on an editorial on pitcher injuries. I am focusing on elbow injuries for this effort. I am working on MLB in total, not just LAD. Hopefully this weekend.
This, to me, is just like the Will Smith to third conversation. Players have agency. They have wants and they have things they don’t want.
ohtani just signed a major deal, he’s coming off an MVP season, and he drives a fabulous amount of revenue for the club. Who wants to be the one who starts telling him he can’t do what he was promised?
I expect Shohei to scale back at some point–but not for about 4-5 years.
Who knows?
He could be an all-star first baseman who picks up 30 saves.
The Braves announced Thursday that they’ve signed veteran outfielder Alex Verdugo to a one-year, $1.5MM contract.
Just read that. 1.5 million is not much, but the Braves outfield situation is in flux. One knows Harris and Acuna will be out there most of the time.
$1.5M? Tat’s all.
Verdugo will be heading to AAA Gwinnett to ramp up. Braves also out righted former Dodger, Luke Williams to AAA. He had cleared waivers.
MLBTR just posted a list of 36 MLB players who signed MiLB contracts and have opt outs. The Dodgers do not have any, including David Bote and Eddie Rosario.
So Bote and Rosario will both be in OKC?
As I understand it. Of course there could be an obscure clause in their contracts that are not picked up by MLBTR. But neither are going to make a MLB team now, so why not stay with the World Champs, and hope that their contract is purchased by LAD.
If mookie is so ill right now and losing weight does that meaning when he gets better they might move him to the outfield until he gets his strength back so Rojas would be shortstop and Tommy at secondbase for a couple weeks so does mooki play centerfield since conforto and Teoscar aren’t centerfielders just saying because a shortstop moves around constantly then a player in the outfield. Mookie is centerfield for a month I could see that.
No, he will not be moving back to the outfield at all. He won’t be playing second base either. They are going to give Mookie every chance to prove he can play SS every day. The season starts a week from today. Mookie might play in the last two games of the exhibitions against the Angels. Mookie has played CF before, but not a lot. Pages will be out there against left-handed pitching. Kike or Taylor or even Edman vs RHP.
Thanks for another great read Jeff.
Basebsll has never taken off in the UK.in the way the NFL has. Back in the early 80’s when we only had 3 TV channels, a fourth was born, the imaginatively named Channel Four, and they picked up the rights for the NFL and had Sunday nights all to themselves as there was no other sports offerings. We all watched and picked our teams. It was the Marino, Elway, Riggins, Montana, Rice and Fridge era. A European League soon followed – the London Monarchs bring our team.
There is no Baseball following here as it’s never been marketed or shown on the TV, although these days you can follow a little if you have ESPN on Canle.
However all the 2 match London Series have been hugely supported and successful. There have been large crowds over from the US – the games are in mid June not before the season starts and it’s a perfect time to visit London, which is one of the best cities in the world. Plus the exchange rate is good for you guys.
Make no mistake though, everyone has heard of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and also the New York Yankees. I’m not sure you’re ever gonna grow the game here. Soccer is king, followed by cricket and rugby, but the games sell out easily but are very expensive. A LAD V NYY matchup would be the perfect sell.The only caps you see are these two teams, but plenty of them.
Agree on your Roki assessment, and sadly agree re James Outmsn. Personally I would have moved him at the last TD while he had small value. Pages has won that battle.
Im guessing Roki was very nervous because obviously he wouldn’t walk 5 on any other day. I liked Doc leaving him after he walked the first run in. He then struck out 2 to get outta the innings, and would certainly have felt better about things when reflecting on his performance.
All in all a great couple of games, and the boys are off to a flyer.
Pages did not have a great spring either, he did marginally better than Outman, but his .214 average wasn’t much better than Outman’s .214. By the way, I wrote this post.
I do not agree that Pages had a better Spring, marginally or otherwise.
Outman – .207/.333/.483/.816
Pages – .214/.313/.321/.634
So Outman’s BA was .007 less than Pages, but his OPS was .182 greater than Pages. Outman’s OBP and SLG were both greater than Pages’.
Outman had 2 SB compared to 0 for Pages.
Pages was at best an adequate defensive CF. Outman is a far better defensive CF.
I cannot explain why Dodger management has graduated Pages over Outman. Age???
Could be. I did not dig into the stats deeply, so I did not realize that Outman’s OPS was so much higher.
As I recall Outman struck out a significant amount. Not sure what Pages did wrt strikeouts. If Pages made more contact that could explain the preference for Pages.
Outman got on base and slugged more than Pages. Is it okay to get on base less, slug less, run less, and play poorer defense as long as you K less? Honest question.
one issue with spring training stats is who was the pitcher? Did Outman get more hits against AA competition? I have no idea. I didn’t see every spring training game but I do recall Outman getting some nice hits against less competitive pitching (I concentrated more on his at bats because, if successful, he brings more to the team in terms of defense and a left hand bench piece). I also saw Pages stroll after a ball that went to the wall allowing a white Sox player to get a triple.
I checked. Both Outman and Pages started 11 games. Outman batted for Ohtani in the last game in Arizona for his 12th ST game. They both started and played together in 3 games. In those games Outman was 2-9 with 1 BB and 4 K. Pages was 0-8 with 1 BB and 2 K.
For the month of March, both Outman and Pages started 6 games with Outman off the bench for 1. For March, both Outman and Pages had 16 AB:
Outman – .250/.381/.688/1.069 – 1 DBL, 2 TPL, 1 HR, 6 RBI
Pages – .250/.294/.250/.544 – 0 DBL, 0 TPL, 1 HR,4 RBI
YES small sample size for both. IMO, baseball is a results game, and Outman outperformed Pages in that small sample size as well as all ST. Not to mention there really is no argument that Outman is a FAR superior defensive CF. He is also a better baserunner.
All that being said, everyone has the right to their own opinion as to who should stay with LAD and who should go back to AAA. I cannot and will not fault those who believe Pages has earned the CF job. AF/BG agrees with you, and that is what counts most of all.
Time for Outman to get his agent on the phone. He clearly has no future in LA. He could probably at least be a 4th outfielder on a lot of MLB clubs.
He can also start for several teams. Miami. Tampa Bay. CWS corner OF until Robert Jr. is traded or a FA. I went through this exercise a while back, but I have lost my written notes. But yes, he can be a 4th OF for most MLB teams.
Thanks for taking the time to provide the additional information. I actually like Outman better than Pages. Both seem to be a reserve outfielder. It’s the K’s that bother me about Outman. As game 5 in the WS showed anything can happen if you put the ball in play (of course game 5 also showed what can happen if your defense lets you down).
I don’t get it, but it appears the organization, currently at least, has more confidence in the younger Pages. He’s been in the system since he was 17 so he certainly is well known. But with him being the choice the Dodgers are now without a Major League centerfielder. But we kinda knew that already didn’t we. With Kim also demoted Edman is going to be busy.
Does anyone know Mookie’s diagnosis?
Ohtani. Second TJ. If anyone can beat the odds I guess it would be him. But once a week and on a pitch count. Throw strikes and you can go 5 innings on 75 pitches. You want to pitch? Fine. 20 starts, pitch limit, 100 innings. That’s it. He’s too valuable to gamble with.
Mookie is supposed to be ready for opening day, along with Freeman. They both might miss the Angels series.
It’s probably has something to do with Outman not being able to hit water if he fell out of a boat, and that body of water was the pacific ocean. But I agree that Outman is a far superior defender and centerfielder. Not sure if his base running is all that much better than Pages. It’s not like Outman is some kind of Vince Coleman/Dee Gordon speedster on the base paths. No question he is a far better defender, by a wide margin.
Not sure if I wanted him stinking up the lineup all year though. I think he’s fine as a fifth outfielder off the bench, or as a late inning defensive specialist.
I agree that Outman is not a Vince Coleman but he is also not an Andy Pages. Pages has 1 SB and been caught twice. Outman has 18 SB and 4 CS. And what makes Pages .407 SLG and .717 OPS scream hitter. Everyone seems to agree that Pages is not a CF, so his offensive numbers do not constitute a plus corner OF. Neither Outman or Pages is a regular, so I take the better defensive player and one who can come in late in the game as a defensive replacement and as a baserunning threat. He would also give the Dodgers a LH hitter off the bench.
The debaate is over. Pages has won the job. I just hope there is not too much dissension when Pages misreads a ball hit over his head and he jogs to it. He catches way too many balls over his right shoulder meaning he is not reading the ball well.
Outman is redoing his swing, and they probably feel like the swing needs more work.
That will be better accomplished nearly anywhere but Dodger stadium.
I hope so. Roberts can get down on a player and when that happens, it is hard for that player to get back in Roberts’ good graces. Where did I read that? I didn’t but you can say you read it here.
I see a lot of Joc in Outman. There was a time when Joc couldn’t make contact but he is now a hitter. Age might be Outman’s boat anchor.
Hi there Michael – sorry I copied my post from the last thread which Jeff wrote and forgot to edit the name.
Glad to here you’re doing well.
By the way, he was seeing to Jeff’s previous story. Jeff had asked him this.
My bad, no big deal.
Cubs optioned RHRP Eli Morgan. Morgan had a very good 2024 with Cleveland, 32 games, 42.0 IP, 1.93 ERA, 0.976 WHIP. He also faced 5 LAD batters in the Tokyo Series, retiring 4, one on K.
They also optioned RHP Jordan Wicks.
Gotta disagree on the Pages v Outman argument.
The eye test tells me Pages has been taking better ABs than Outman this season and definitely last. You don’t need figures to see that, especially small sample sizes.
The people who work with them every day seem rather good at identifying the right players
Outman is not the future for the Dodgers in CF, and I expect AF to pony up some of these Prospects (before he loses them or their value diminishes), to acquire a CF – probably Robert.
Seems that Outman had a slightly better spring than Pages statistically, but the eye test favored Pages.
My guess is that the brass just considers Pages as a better fit in the overall lineup. It would shock me if he turns out to be more than a role player. He’ll take the thin side of a platoon in CF, and be a lefty-masher off the bench. (I suspect they crunch a lot of numbers to assess his value as a pinch-hitter.)
Assuming he doesn’t suck in OKC, Outman should be the first outfielder called up. With Mookie at SS, Outman plays the best OF defense on the team.
And yes, Luis Robert could still be the CF of the future…
If he bounces back but the White Sox still suck, the Dodgers could make a very nice offer.
No future for either guy on consistent Dodger playoff teams. Water czar was right. Both are 4th and 5th OF options for Dodgers.
I assume Outman will tear up AAA. Won’t mean much as he is a soon to be 28 year outfielder who’s already done that. Unfortunate for him. Centerfield was his position to lose and it appears he’s lost it.
It was reported in the Times this morning Mookie has a stomach virus. He’s lost 15 pounds. He may start the season in the lineup but I suspect it will take some time for him to get up to speed. And Freddie? Rib issue. Those are tricky. Depending on exactly what it is rib injuries can last a while.
If everyone is healthy this roster is loaded. Will everyone remain healthy? Doesn’t look like it does it.
If Freddie needs time to get well might Bote get a chance at 1B?
With so many utility players on this bench I don’t see room for Bote. If Freddie can’t play it’s probably Hernandez at first base. He can play anywhere. That’s why he’s here. Same with Taylor. We might see him in center.
Nope. Not a chance.
When most of your starters are on the far side of 30, remaining healthy for an entire season probably isn’t going to happen. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of Kike’ and Taylor again this year.
Totally disagree that he will go after Robert Jr. Dudes trade value is at an all-time low. He needs to show he can stay healthy and produce. If he does that, the Sox are going to ask for the moon. Pages is no MLB center fielder that is for sure. Dodgers future CF is most likely in the lower levels of the minor leagues.
That’s why I think they make a play for him – because his value is low, and the Dodgers have a great record of fixing these guys.
He has a great upside, far higher than Outman and we do have a lot of Prospect Capital.
His value is low now, why would they want him when the Sox are not going to trade him unless his value increases? Robert is having a good spring, not great but good. He is healthy so far. If he stays that way and produces, then the Sox can get a boatload of talent for him. The guy is 27, but he has to stay on the field, which so far, he has not done. Fixing a flaw in a swing is one thing, it is much harder to fix injury prone players and the Dodgers do not need any more of them. He has is a free agent after this season if the Sox do not pick up his 20-million-dollar option. I think he might get traded at the deadline, but I am not holding my breath that LA is his destination. Other teams can offer better prospects than LA can.
Getting into the way back machine… I know you remember Jayson Werth. With the Dodgers, and his first year in Philadelphia, he too couldn’t stay on the field. Then at age 30 he became an All Star. Not saying Robert Jr is another Jayson Werth, but it’s werth considering. I think he’s a great fit in LA. He’s been an All Star, he’s won a GG, and he’s won a SS. Chicago is going nowhere with him and he’s a FA next year. Now is the time to go get him, though the Sox may choose to wait til the deadline.
I wonder if Kim can play center. I’ll bet he can. He’s probably the fastest guy on the team and he looks like a wizard with the glove.
I still say he is too much of an injury risk, Sox have already said he won’t be dealt. He is the only star player on the team.
Kim can play CF, and likes the position. The Dodgers have enough hitting to offset Kim’s offensive shortfalls. That would probably move Pages back to OKC. That would leave Edman as the primary 2B. Kiké can play CF, and so can Taylor. But both are more valuable as guys who can play all over the field.
Werth missed all of 2006 with LAD due to a torn ulnotriquetral ligament and was traded to Philadelphia for 2007 where he took off at 28. He had three more fairly significant injuries:
The injuries did not distract from his very good career in Philadelphia and Washington.
The Dodgers need a full time CF, and they do not have anyone at all close to MLB, other than James Outman, and LAD has already decided he is not in their plans.
I agree but like you said, the Dodgers have enough offense to carry Kim’s or Outman’s bat. I see Kim as a replacement for Taylor next year.
We didn’t get to see what Outman was doing on the back fields when he was not in the game.
I have no concrete evidence. Just a gut feel. James Outman was never going to get the starting CF job with the Dodgers. His best chance is to get traded where he can start again.
Kim can probably play CF. It’s his hitting that’s the issue. If he can do anything with the bat he would also provide a left hand bat for the bench.
Julio Urias is suspended by MLB until July 17. He will be reinstated following the All Star Break.
Will anyone sign him? Certaintly not the Dodgers
Someone will pick him up. I hope he gets a second chance and makes good on it.
He won’t get a third chance.
Interesting that comments are closed on that announcement.
He will get signed. He has been out of baseball since September of 23. It will be almost two full years by the time he is in shape and ready to go. He fulfilled all the requirements of the court. So, he should get signed. There will no doubt be some kind of clause in any contract he signs saying the contract will be voided if he does something like that again. He is still just 28 years old. He does not turn 29 until August. Only 717 innings on that arm. No, LA won’t sign him, but I could see the Yankees or Angels taking a chance.
Lots of fun stuff at Fangraphs (not $$$$, but you should give)
Positional rankings have the Dodgers:
#1 at DH (wow.)
#12 at RF
#15 at CF
#22 at LF
#13 at 3B
#3 at SS
#23 at 2B (ALERT: They have KIM there)
#3 at 1B
#12 at C
Longenhagen had a chat:
Jace, the Mind Sculptor: Is Jack Hostetler going to be a thing? Any other totally off the radar guys popping up this spring?
Eric A Longenhagen: Watched Lucas Wepf sit 94-97 at Dodgers camp yesterday, heavy split. Lower lev RP look.
Lord Thunder: Is Thayron Liranzo a better bet to be a catcher long-term than Josue Briceno?
Eric A Longenhagen: No, Josue is more skilled back there, Liranzo has the hose and freakier size/power
Mike Tyson: Designated Hitter: unabashed fantasy question. Trying to future value Schwellenbach versus Roki and Jobe and Painter. Are the latter three potentially much better than Schwelly? Bonus question. Sounds like Roki not fully developed. Fastball shape may require a third pitch. How likely do you judge his ability to add a new pitch and how long until the Roki Death Star fully operational?
Eric A Longenhagen: Roki’s heater has lost some vert compared to Japan, he’s going to have an adjustment period to the different baseball. He’s been more in the 15″ vert area. But the guy has a freaky split (it’s basically an 85 mph knuckler), his slider is better than it was in Japan already, he’s reaching back for 101…he’s gonna be fine
12:42Lord Thunder: Tough camp for Edgardo Henriquez. Do you think he’ll pitch meaningful bullpen innings for the Dodgers this year?
Eric A Longenhagen: Maybe late, it’s his foot not his arm.
GA Blood: Are there any guys who are just fun and you want to see them succeed? I’m thinking of Cijntje, but he’s an extreme example.
Eric A Longenhagen: Definitely him, Chandler Simpson, Jose Rodriguez (Dodgers), Jusin Crawford, Endy Rodriguez, Zyhir Hope, Amador…so many guys are fun
Dodgers Blue: In your opinion, is the return on a trade for Coby Mayo diminishing by the day for the Orioles?
Eric A Longenhagen: Yeah, if he can’t hit these in-zone sliders then he can’t hit enough to be a 1B
Fangraph way too low on Smith and too low on Teo. Conforto will be ranked much higher at end of season.
Wow, I’m dizzy after following all of this blow by blow. Phew! But I did it….great stuff again, Bear….always look forward to reading any historical piece you deem worthy.
Thanks, I really appreciate it.