More in Dodger Baseball
-
Max Muncy or Nolan Arenado
I just do not understand this fascination with Nolan Arenado. A great player to...
-
LAD Farm System
While we are waiting for AF to acquire Francisco Lindor or Aaron Judge or...
-
The Next “Needle Mover”
While we are in wait mode, waiting for the next rumor to drop, I...
-
Why an LAD Trade Will Be Difficult (IMO)
It takes two teams wanting to make a specific trade to get it done. ...
Jeff, what’s the difference between the GM meetings and the Winter meetings?
At the GM Meetings, typically GMs and their staff spend more time discussing business about the game. In addition to the business meetings, ground work is laid for upcoming trades.
The Winter Meetings involve all baseball dignitaries including, executives, players, managers, coaches, MiLB teams business executives, agents…It includes a job fair. Conferences are open to general public. The Rule 5 draft is held on the last day. Trades and free agent signings are more likely to be made in the Winter Meetings than in the GM meetings, but the seeds are often planted in the GM meetings.
Thank you.
Reports there are quite a few rumors of Ohtani to SFG.
In chat:
James: Dave Roberts did nothing to warrant losing his job, right ?
Keith Law: Right. Really don’t understand the hand-wringing over the Dodgers losing a short series to a very good team. This is the playoffs. We have upsets. It’s not about crowning the best team, but about crowning a champion. You have to accept that distinction or stop watching.
Jeff: I wonder if the Dodgers “failures” in the postseason are more due to approach and strategy towards a short series more so than anything else. They seem to have a bullpen game in virtually every series including the most recent game 3 which was after not playing in round 1 and a day off between games 2 and 3. I know the postseason is a small sample size so its not entirely indicative of who is the best team but when you have so much talent and you lose more than you win, something has to be the cause other than the randomness of the outcome of a baseball game/series.
Keith Law: How could we truly distinguish that from the randomness of a short series? I don’t know if we could. I also kept thinking the series might have been different with a healthy Buehler, although that’s all hypothetical (and then don’t you have to ask the same about Padres/Tatis?).
Mason: So when do we cancel the playoffs and annoiunt the LAD rightful champs?
Keith Law: That was such a bizarre column – the first one, at least – and then someone tried to pit me against that writer on twitter, which I am not interested in doing at all.
Keith Law: And then other people piggybacked on this stupid idea. I think the Dodgers were the best team in baseball in 2022. The best team doesn’t always win – not in the playoffs, not in a series, not in any particular game
The Dodgers were not the best team in baseball. The best team in baseball won 106 games, got a #1 seed, and beat the crap out of every team they faced in the playoffs. The best team in baseball is the Houston Astros. The Dodgers are an afterthought.
What to do? Tee it up again and sell 4 million more tickets, I’d work on a new round of excuses in case, you know, the same thing happens again.
False
And obviously so
I am curious as to why you think what Badger said was obviously false. Because the team that won 111 games, in a lesser division in the lesser league, while their inter league games were against the worst division in MLB, but won 5 more games than Houston is deemed the better team?
So if the best team in MLB is the team that has the best record in a 162 game season, then why have the playoffs? Houston swept Seattle, swept NYY, and went 4-2 in the WS. Houston was clearly unfazed by the short series crapshoot LAD apologists like to cling on to.
Perhaps their management team has figured out how to win a short series.
Or maybe not. The Astros have been in the WS 3 out of the last4 years, winning once. The key for them this year, a bullpen that performed when needed and a timely hit or two. Two things the Dodgers didn’t do against the Padres.
Bluto’s content with 111 wins. That’s what he will remember and of course he’s entitled to remember it however he wants. For me it’s like a football team leading the game for 59 minutes then losing in the last seconds. (damm Rams) For me it’s how you finish. Always.
I watched the end of the Rams game. I couldn’t believe how they put taking seconds off the clock in ahead of making a decent attempt at a first down. Then proceeded to play deep defense all the way to their demise.
In the same vein that a blooper hit looks like a line drive on the box score, the Dodgers proudly held up the WS banner after their 88 win season. What do we remember about that year? Gibson’s home run and a World Championship.
We aren’t going to remember how great it felt to have a 111 win season. If we do it won’t be something like Gibson’s home run, it will be about how many strikeouts they had wRISP.
It was nice to watch the Dodgers set their all time win season. Nice–not a word I want to attach to a season.
Looked to me like Kupp had a shot at a first down and he went down instead. One first down. That’s all they needed and couldn’t get it. Rams and Lakers both lookin less than right now.
Agree Badger. All we have to show for 111 wins is a nice 2022 West Division Champion banner and inclusion on a not so desirable list of teams with the most wins to not win a WS.
Yea, that’s somethin’ ain’t it Ohio? It’s kinda like a third place ribbon at this point. That’s a white ribbon, right? Wave the white ribbon everybody. Hmm. Symbolic?
Yeah, every since Bill Buckner I’ve looked at the MLB playoffs as an exercise in randomness.
Although that one is mostly on poor managers.
I have that picture of Buckner missing Mookie Wilson’s ground ball on my baseball wall. Bill Buckner was my favorite player, and I still loved him after that play. It was not randomness, it was a bad defensive play. Should Buckner have been in the game at that point? Good question, but the decision was not one of randomness. A good baseball man, John McNamara made the decision. McNamara pulled Clemens because his pitch count was getting north of 110. Schiraldi was good for 2.2 innings. He got two quick outs in the 10th and then gave up 3 hits. Stanley was almost automatic during the series. Why not bring him in to face Mookie Wilson. The WP was not random, and it was not a manager decision to throw it. The decisions did not work. It was not random, it was bad baseball. NYM won the game and went on to win Game 7. They were the best team in MLB in 1986. Boston has always been my 2nd favorite team, even before my son played for them.
it’s been a while, but I remember Stapleton usually being the late inning defensive replacement for Buckner.
Doesn’t matter. It’s a fluke. It wasn’t an overly tricky play.
Like I said, Buckner should not have been in the game in the 10th. Yes Stapleton should have been there. McNamara disagreed with us. And as you often like to remind me, McNamara knows far more baseball than anyone of us combined. Bad play. I do not necessarily go with fluke since Buck was not a very good defensive 1B at that stage of his career. Bad error. I just disagreed with your comment that the playoffs are an exercise in randomness. There is nothing random about the outcome of a game or a series. Baseball play defines the outcome.
Sam, isn’t that what makes a good team great…doing the little things? It was the Dodgers that did not put a good bullpen together for the series. The Dodgers knew Kimbrel was a bust at the deadline. Maybe they should have made the effort to trade for Hader. They didn’t thinking (hoping?) that Treinen and May would be ready. They weren’t, and yet they were on the roster. As was a still injured Tony Gonsolin.
The Dodgers traded for Joey Gallo just for the playoffs. There was always a chance that he could run into one. He did not get one AB. Miguel Vargas did not get any time. So that was three wasted pitchers and two wasted position players.
I have no idea what might have happened if Tyler Anderson had gone back out in the 6th. We will never know. We do know the bullpen failed to hold the lead, and worse put the game out of reach due to the anemic LAD bats.
I do not blame Roberts for his continual removal of starting pitchers once they get to the lineup for the 3rd time. That is a directive from above. Why? Because the algorithms say that is what gives you the best chance to win. Regular season, I am all in with that. Pitch 170-175 innings. Start 10-12 different starting pitchers. But come playoffs, I want a baseball man making the decisions. Someone who is actually watching the game and feeling the pulse of the game. Maybe TA gets blasted in the 6th. He looked very comfortable out there, He only threw 86 pitches. He allowed 2 hits and 2 walks in a must win game. Win this game and go back to LA with Urias on the bump. I like those odds. Lose and go home, which is what they did.
What I do disagree with Doc about is that he chastised us fans who feel the team failed even though they won 111 games because we do not know what it is like to put on a MLB uniform. And yet he is going to let a bunch of mathematical model developers who have never put on a MLB uniform dictate how a playoff game should be managed.
I am looking forward to see the progress in Texas next year, because I know Bruce Bochy does not manage that way. And neither does Bob Melvin. Other than Clevinger, Darvish faced 23 batters (99 pitches), Snell faced 23 batters (96 pitches), and Musgrove faced 27 batters and 101 innings. The same game Tyler Anderson was pitching a 2-0 shutout and faced 19 batters and threw 86 pitches.
Melvin was watching Darvish get out of trouble all game, and was still allowed to go back out in the 6th. Melvin was trying to get one more inning out of him. He did not look at the lineup and pull him because Will Smith and Max Muncy were coming up the third time. But only after both singled did Melvin get him. Suarez came in with 2 on and 0 out and finished the inning with 2 batters and 6 pitches.
OTOH, Kershaw was pitching just as was Darvish, but only had 80 pitches. He was sat. Why? Because he faced 21 batters. Brandon Drury struck out twice against Kersh, and Cronenworth was 0-2. I don’t know, maybe Kershaw gets those two before Wil Myers (1 for 2) comes up, and then see what happens. Let the game dictate the moves, not a computer print out.
Because someone who knows a lot more about baseball than all of us combined considers the Dodgers the best team.
That alone invalidates the idea of the Dodgers definitively “being an afterthought.”
No?
There is no banner for best team. No trophy. They did a great job participating last year.
Who cares about banners or trophies?
I’m just happy the team is so consistently good.
Nothing more, nothing less.
World Series titles would make me happier, but the lack of them isn’t off-putting.
I would guess that if we were to ask Houston management who the best team in MLB is we would get a different answer than Stan Kasten. I would guess that if we were to ask SD management who was the best team between LAD and SD we would get a different answer. I would guess that if we were to ask Philadelphia management who the best team in the National League was we would get a different answer. So if you are going to hang your hat on the fact that Stan Kasten, AF, and Doc Roberts believes the Dodgers are the best team, I am glad for you, They have to believe it, but I don’t. And there are plenty of other teams out there with management who know a lot more than any of us combined also believe the Dodgers are not the best team. If you want to be the best…beat the best. Houston did, and they deserve to be called the best team in 2022.
The Dodgers were easily beat by a team that got beat by the team that lost to the best team in MLB. This is why they have end of the year tournaments, to see who this year is made of championship fiber. It sure wasn’t the Dodgers was it. Bluto is content in remembering how good the team was before the tournament started. Good for him. I expected more out of them.
Um. what?
All of those are partial parties. I was referencing Keith Law.
But thanks?
My apologies I thought you were referencing the Stan Kasten comments. Since you did not mention Keith Law by name, I made a wrong assumption. But the premise stands. Is Keith Law the final be all know all journalist? If so, I missed the coronation. It is not something I ever search for, but I am guessing I can find equally qualified journalists who will say that Houston is the best team in MLB. As an aside, I do not need Keith Law to tell me what I should believe. If I do not believe the Dodgers are the best team in MLB, Keith Law is not going to change my mind, no matter how much more baseball knowledge he has. If Keith Law validates your belief, that is good for you. He does not validate mine. That does not make him smarter or less smart than me.
One more thing. Maybe you want to put these journalists on a pedestal. I do not. They may have more contacts and have more knowledge on player valuation, but I am not taking a back seat to anyone on baseball knowledge or baseball opinions. I also have MLB player contacts, scouting contacts, and agent contacts that help me fill the void. Just not a lot of scouts or agents anymore. And all of my MLB player contacts are former players. My opinions are just as right as anyone else’s. Your opinions are right for you. Does not make me wrong.
By the way, one of those former players is my son who told me before the season that the Dodgers were not going to win the WS. He said they will win 100+ games, but when it comes to the playoffs, they cannot hit. He said this in March. We vehemently disagreed. Turns out he was right.
Jeff,
I have no idea what you are driving at. You are coming across a little unhinged IMHO.
Nobody is saying Keith Law is the “final be all” (your words, not mine.)
Nobody is saying there are no journalists that think the Astros are the best team (your supposition, not mine.)
Nobody is telling you to believe what Keith Law says (your supposition not mine.)
I don’t think I ever said anything like that.
I’m not saying anything about my opinions or yours.
My only point is that Keith Law considers the Dodgers the best team. That’s it. I’m not, obviously, saying he speaks for every journalist. Nor am I saying he’s the best baseball analyst.
ALL I AM SAYING:
Is that it’s obvious the Dodgers’ season isn’t an absolute “afterthought”. Obvious because someone who actually get paid to follow MLB thinks something the contrary.
Not unhinged at all. But I take your points as you have expressed. And they are fair.
You wrote:
“Because someone who knows a lot more about baseball than all of us combined considers the Dodgers the best team.
That alone invalidates the idea of the Dodgers definitively “being an afterthought.”
No?
I guess I should have just said, No!. It may be definitive to you. Not to me. How often do you think of the 2001 Seattle Mariners that won 116 games? Are they not an afterthought? They are to me. The 2001 WS between Arizona and NYY was what I will remember about 2001 MLB.
Peace!
That word afterthought really got to Bluto.
afterthought:
a later or second thought
Years (and even days from now) fans will be talking about the World Series of ‘22 and the Los Angeles Dodgers won’t be mentioned. They didn’t even play for pennant. Who was it that made the playoffs that year? Well, let’s think about that for a moment. There were 6 Division winners the Dodgers were one of them…
afterthought
It was and is a silly and stupid word choice.
Just as that hypothetical is silly.
To go back to Jeff’s point.2001 Mariners. They come to mind just as easily as the Yankees who won the series.
Stupid? So someone who offers a different perspective is both silly AND stupid.
That sounds very familiar.
You aren’t stupid in the least, the comment was.
I quite enjoy you!
And I you. I find your take unique. Not silly or stupid, just unique.
I’ve been one to say we should give Anderson a QO and possibly try to sign him for 2-3 years if he rejects it, but Steve Phillips made an interesting comment this morning that made me think about my position.
With the change in the shift starting next year, Phillips says “contact” pitchers (he named Anderson and Stripling as two examples) will be hurt by the new rule. He’s convinced that far more ground balls will get through the infield next year for base hits and balls which were fielded by the player positioned in short right field will now also be base hits. Strike out and fly ball pitchers won’t be affected much but guys who give up lots of ground balls may find their stats don’t look as good starting next year.
Last year was basically Anderson’s best year by far, a real outlier. Maybe it would actually make more sense to bring back Heaney, a strike out pitcher, who would be far cheaper.
Comments?
Interesting. I do find merit in what Phillips said. Anderson pitches to soft contact. I guess I would have to see where the ground balls were hit against Anderson. Also, TA is LH so he is going to be pitching more to RH batters. The shift seemed to impact LH hitters much more. The rover was in RF, not LF. I am sure the Dodgers are looking at TA’s heat map.
There is still going to be placement of players on the infield, just not extreme. If someone hits a lot of balls up the middle, guess how close to second base one of the middle infielders will stand. Like AC said below, it’s the rover missing from short RF that will help lefty batters the most. Anderson being a lefty pitcher won’t be as affected as would a righty hitter.
Read the comments. First, Astros are the Champs and the last team standing. LA won 111 games and 1 playoff game=112 wins. Astros won 106 games and 11 playoff games=117 wins. Seems to me that the best team won. It is a cliche, but the playoffs are a total crapshoot. I think the 5-day layoff between games hurt the Dodgers and it definitely hurt the Mets and Yankees too. The Astros were the only team with a bye that went deep into the playoffs. The bottom line is simply that the Padres outplayed LA when it mattered most. A team they dominated during the season, cleaned their clock. They looked flat and uninspired. After game one, they looked like a beaten team. Especially after blowing the lead in game 2.
“They looked flat and uninspired. After game one, they looked like a beaten team.”
I agree.
In my world the best teams play like best teams when the time comes to do so. Houston prevailed. They were good all year and remained good when it counted. The Dodgers? Not so much.
117 wins vs 112 wins–good call bear.
When the Mets owned the Dodgers in the regular season a few years back and the Dodgers eliminated the Mets in the playoffs, Dodger fans didn’t suggest the playoffs were a crap shoot and maybe should be eliminated.
Different era Fred. They were just happy to win. When the expectations are so high as they were for this team losing is a bitter pill to swallow. Especially when you dominate as much as they did. The playoffs are a crapshoot. Take what Atlanta did last year, and how many times since the playoffs became part of the baseball norm has the best team won. Go back and you will see that a lot of lesser teams popped up and bit the big dog. You outscore your opposition by more than 300 runs, and lose in the first round, you are not the best in baseball.
…”They were just happy to win.”
Are we now in the era that no one accepts loss? Woulda, coulda, shoulda, didn’t. Wait till next year.
Houston was the #1 seed in the AL. They marched through that bracket then disposed of a #6 seed from the NL. They DID what the best team is supposed to do.
Yeah, wait til next year. It could be us next time, says every fan everywhere.
The system is what it is. The playoffs are designed to give teams who get in a chance at the Championship. But no matter what anyone thinks, they are at best a total crapshoot. Best team does not always win. Worst team is not always eliminated in the first round. You look at it, the lower seed won all of the game’s leading up to the World Series except the Guardians who lost to Houston. Then and only then did the higher seed win. Had MLB done what the NFL and NHL do after the first round, the Dodgers would have played the Phillies and the Cardinals would have played the Padres. There will be tweaks no doubt to the system as time passes. They might even shake up the division’s again. Next year all teams play all the teams in both leagues. Only 13 division games against your rivals. Less chances to make up ground.
Everyone knows what happened. They accept the loss but want to place blame. It is always on the players especially when they play as bad as the Dodgers did against the Padres,