I was out with friends scheduling our upcoming cruise Thursday evening, so I did not have a chance to watch the game and prepare any commentary. Thus I thought it might be interesting to look at the Dodgers Arizona Complex League (ACL).
I said before the season started that this was a group I was very interested in. Most of the key personnel were instrumental in the Dodgers championship teams in the 2023 Dominican Summer League.
Not considering Thursday’s games, the Dodgers ACL team has the best record in the League at 16-7. They have scored the most runs in the ACL and have allowed the least. They have scored 174, with Seattle scoring the 2nd most with 156. They have allowed 88 runs, with Arizona having the 2nd least scored against with 104. The Dodgers have the best run differential with +84. Arizona has 2nd best at +41.
Team wise stats:
- HR – #1 with 23; Mariners #2 at 22
- BA – #1 with .299; Rockies #2 at .276
- OBP – #1 with .406; Brewers #2 at .384
- SLG – #2 with .462; Cubs #1 at .466
- OPS – #1 with .868; Cubs #2 at .821
Individually:
Batting Average:
- Jose Meza – .380 – #1
- Joendry Vargas – .357 – #2
- Alexander Albertus – .347 – #7
- Eduardo Quintero – .338 – #11
- Eduardo Guerrero – .320 – #16
OBP:
- Alexander Albertus – .495 – #1
- Jose Meza – .477 – #4
- Eduardo Quintero – .473 – #6
- Joendry Vargas – .456 – #8
- Eduardo Guerrero – .455 – #9
SLG:
- Jose Meza – .592 – #4
- Joendry Vargas – .554 – #9
- Eduardo Quintero – .500 – #18
OPS:
- Jose Meza – 1.069 – #3
- Joendry Vargas – 1.010 – #7
- Eduardo Quintero – .973 – #12
- Alexander Albertus – .962 – #13
Austin Barnes is a player many like to criticize. I was researching some stats and I started to look at backup catchers. Don’t know why, I just did.
I was surprised to see that Austin has better OPS than the following starting catchers:
- Keibert Ruiz – Nationals
- Miguel Amaya – Cubs
- Nick Fortes – Marlins
- Henry Davis – Pirates
Austin has better OPS than the following backup catchers:
- Yan Gomes – Cubs
- Yasmani Grandal – Pirates
- Christian Bethancourt – Marlins
- Luke Maile – Reds
- Tucker Barnhart – Rockies
- Kyle Higashioka – Padres
- Garrett Stubbs – Phillies
- Tom Murphy – Giants
- Curt Casali – Giants
Also better right now than just returning Sean Murphy.
What does that mean? I guess appreciate that the Dodgers have Will Smith and that the Dodgers could do worse than Austin Barnes as a backup.
Onto NYY.
Barnes is unfairly maligned. I think it’s just a symptom of us Dodgers fans being spoiled by the team’s success.
The biggest disappointment now, of course, is Taylor. What to do, what to do??
I’d rate Lux second, who is getting thoroughly outplayed by 35-year-old Miguel Rojas. Lux is a former top prospect–SS of the future!–who has been relegated to a platoon at 2B. Yet he’s only hitting to a .590 OPS versus righties, with .277 OBP. Rojas is at .762 and .327.
Kike has also disappointed, but at least he’s versatile and is outplaying Taylor.
If the playoffs started tomorrow, this would be my lineup card:
Mookie 2B
Shohei DH
Freddie 1B
Dills C
Teoscar LF
Heyward/Pages RF
Outman/Pages CF
Rojas SS
Kike 3B
Sure hope Max comes back healthy; he’d slot between Dills and Teoscar, bumping Kike to the bench.
Rojas is better than Lux now and it isn’t close.
You got me with Dills. Had to look it up.
Jose Meza has played in the basement since ‘21. Time to move him up.
I agree that the team is better with Rojas at short. For a couple of reasons actually. Lux has 162 at bats. He’s OPS’n .713 in the last week, .615 in the last month. I know he has a long leash but it’s time. The Dodgers need offense out of that position and if they don’t start getting it from Lux they must move Mookie back.
The powerful Yankees on their home turf. This is going to be interesting. If this series was being played in a month it might be more telling. But even in June it will let us know how we look against the best.
Looks like Soto will be out. Forearm problems.
I think if we want Rojas’ bat and glove in the lineup it should be at 3rd where he replaces weak hitting and older player. Kike’ isn’t getting it done any more than Lux.
Bring up Outman.
You know Bum, that’s a pretty good idea. It appears Doc/the Wizard, is committed to playing Lux with Mookie at short, so let’s get the best glove of all of them and his current bat in the lineup with Rojas. Both Kike and CT3 need to be spot starters, giving guys rest. Or gone.
I guess you could say Barnes is better than Bill Bergen.
Who is Jose Meza?
Jose Meza could be a late bloomer. While most of the ACL team is made up of 18 & 19 year olds, Meza is 21. This is his 2nd year with ACL, after playing well in the ACL in 2023. He is very slight at 6’1” 160 pounds. A player can only control what he is given. The organization has chosen to keep him at ACL rather than Rancho. Nobody has called to tell me the reasons. But he has accepted his plight and is playing very well. That is what he can control. So Jose, keep playing hard, and see where it takes you.
Trade talks.
Rather than add to yesterday’s busy and spirited trade strategy discussions, I will pick it up here.
Jeff, my reasons for waiting another 5-6 weeks or so to make a move: you don’t know who might be available yet, and, you may not know exactly what is needed by the end of July. Lux, Kiké and CT3 may snap out of it, Outman may return banging, Buehler, Muncy and Miller all could go either direction, and there could be unexpected injuries. It’s my opinion patience and analysis is needed at this time.
That is why they do wait. I totally understand the reasons. But there are teams now that know they are not getting to the playoffs. Miami already traded Luis Arráez, so you know they are open for business. Can Tanner Scott help the bullpen? I am not convinced that Luzardo is healthy, and I doubt the Dodgers have interest in the other starters they may be shopping. But don’t you have to talk to Miami about Scott? Why wait if you believe that Scott can help?
CWS has pronounced they are open for business. I have huge reservations about Luis Robert Jr. He just cannot stay healthy. One season of 100+ games? AF is not going to trade the prospect capital on that gamble (IMO). I agree the one bat I would truly want to explore is Kyle Tucker, and have said so consistently for the last month. And I understand that Houston is still in the Wild Card hunt and is not going to trade Tucker until they believe they are not. That is why I hyped the opportunity the Dodgers may have to go out and pick up 27 year old LHP Garrett Crochet. No, the Dodgers do not need another pitcher. But yes, they can use a pitcher like Crochet. Crochet is controlled thru 2026. By getting the pitcher now, that will free up one more of the multiple MLB pitching prospects the Dodgers will have to dangle in front of Houston. Who here is convinced Walker Buehler will be his pre-September self THIS year? Is everyone convinced that Bobby Miller is going to be fully back? I guess we will know more later tonight. And of course we all know that #22 will be his CY self when he returns. Right? I do not know what it would take to get Crochet, but would you rather wait until San Diego trades for him, and then learn that there will not be any pitcher the equivalent of Crochet available at the deadline? And then the Dodgers are going to need to trade additional top pitching prospects for a bat that everybody seems to believe the Dodgers do need.
I don’t even know if Crochet is available now. But we do know that Arráez was, and wouldn’t he look better for the Dodgers at 2B than Gavin Lux? I know, not defensively. But where on the list of Dodgers concerns does defense sit with that management team. As an aside, I like Miguel Vargas’s bat, but do we really need to see more of him in LF? I think the next correct route he takes to the ball will be his first. 1B/DH is Vargas’ best position. Andrew Vaughn has been a bust thus far CWS. The last time CWS had a Cuban 1B, he lasted there 9 years. Just sayin’.
If there is an opportunity…jump on it.
Ok. Sounds reasonable. If the guy the know they want is available now, make the call. But I still believe you don’t know who might be available until the last minute.
Great analysis. If the Dodgers do another early exit in the post season I see you as a good option when AF is canned 😁. The only thing I would add is to cut bait on Taylor sooner rather than later. He’s had more than enough time to “snap out of it”. Give Vargas more at bats and see if he’s got it or not.
It seems like a no brainier to swap Vargas for Crochet. I assume he would be a reliever until a rotation need was warranted.
Here is what I would like to see prior to a trade other than a Vargas for Crochet and yes, I realize that trade is probably not a one-for-one.
SS Betts
1B Freeman
C Smith
DH Othani
LF Pages
CF Outman
RF Teoscar/Heyward platoon
2B Lux
3B Rojas until a trade is made for a younger player.
Teoscar and Heyward will most likely not be on the team next year and I prefer giving playing time to a young potential core that includes Pages and Outman. I would like to add another young core piece at third base.
It would take a lot more than Vargas to get Crochet. San Diego will make sure to increase the cost, as they are the current front runners to acquire Crochet (if CWS makes him available). We know that Preller will outspend AF, so for those who do not want the Dodgers to trade for Crochet, I do not believe you will be disappointed.
A potted plant would look better than Lux.
I might prefer Tucker to Robert, but I doubt the Astros will deal him. The upside for Robert is 3.5 years at a relatively decent cost, and the fact that he’s a quality centerfielder. Not sure when Tucker is an FA, but I bet he makes a lot more that Robert over the next 3.5 years.
Yes, the question with Robert is the injury risk. I expect the Dodgers will do a deeper dive on those factors. Is there a chronic issue? Poor conditioning and preparation that can be addressed? I was wary of Glasnow but it seems the surgery fixed his main problem…at least so far.
AF may be more likely to go for a rental, but it’s rare that a position player like Robert comes on the market. With Acuna out, I assume the Braves will pursue him. Could be a few suitors.
Really nice 11-inning win today. Yamamoto’s best game yet. Nice to see Teo get the clutch hit.
Fun fact: Dodgers faced three former teammates from Yankee’s pen: Victor Gonzalez, Caleb Ferguson and Dennis Santana. And all did their jobs.
Hey Scott Andes, check out the production from the bottom of the order for the Dodgers. You’ve got to give credit where it is due.
Pages – .265
Rojas – .287
Heyward – .269
Vargas – .250
Although Lux (.210), Kiki (.200), and Barnes (.216) haven’t joined in and are still struggling. CT3? Why is he still with the team? Why not give a utility player in OKC a chance? I don’t get AF’s strategy of hoarding position prospects, but refuses to get them an opportunity to play for the Dodgers. I’m sure there’s a good reason, but I sure don’t see it. Does he know most are overrated and are AAAA players?
DFA Chris Taylor, play Vargas (until traded?), bring up Lupcius, and trade for Kyle Tucker.
Without any major injuries the pitching should be more than adequate.
Carry on.
Heyward has had a couple of good games, but he’s still unproductive. Rojas has been good. Pages is still learning. Vargas sucks.
How can you say Vargas sucks , he has not been in the every day.
Hey Phil! How did Ella Parker look yesterday with Oklahoma? It sure looks like she is a superstar as a freshman. It’s too bad softball is not an olympic sport this year. It would have been nice seeing her in Paris with the great USA softball team.
What a shame. Softball is not an Olympic sport this year, but France has chosen this instead.
Jeff, I too would like to see Women’s softball ad Olympic Sport this year. I’m unsure why sometimes the sport is in and other times, it’s out?
Ella Parker is a beast. She reminds me of a young Jocelyn Aho, but from the left side. See will put up some impressive power numbers before she is done at OU. Pretty impressive for a freshman to hit in the 3-hole for this senior dominated lineup. Kasidi Pickering is another impressive freshman.
Oklahoma’s senior class won 4 straight WCWS titles. An amazing feat. And they did it this year without an absolute dominate pitcher. In fact this series was unique. The game is changing. Pitching used to completely dominate the game. Not so much anymore. These women can really hit, as you know Jeff. I loved the comments about your son’s chops as a hitting coach. I’m sorry to hear his career was cut short by a stroke. Very sad.
Oklahoma won the final game using 5 pitchers. It was like a bullpen game. Texas used 4 in a losing effort. There were 19 hits in the game and Texas only had 2 strikeouts and OU 6K’s. And the defense throughout was spectacular.
Women’s softball is fun to watch and in a great place. And Ella Parker is going to hit some bombs, in the coming years.
Check out this play by Jake Gelof..
If the Dodgers are willing to move Taylor and Kiké, one bench roving utility infielder they could use in their stead is LAA’s Luis Rengifo. I believe it was Duke Not Snider who mentioned this a few days back. I cannot say I have been anywhere near the forefront of this possibility, but I do like it.
Believing that Arte Moreno will not trade with the Dodgers, another option is Baltimore’s 3B former GG Ramón Urías. Urías started very slowly this year but is playing well right now. He is not the big bat they need, but he would be an improvement over CT3 and Kiké. In addition, he is a plus plus defender at 3B, a plus defender at 2B, and a competent SS. I would prefer that they go bigger and see what it would take to get Jordan Westburg, but that is a personal preference, and I am certain Baltimore has ZERO desire to trade him.
The Dodgers do need a big bat, but they also need a better bench. A much better bench.
I would absolutely love to see Westburg in blue. Unfortunately the O’s need starting pitching and bullpen help. I don’t think the Dodgers could give up enough pitching to get it done. Maybe Knaack,Feyerisien and a lottery ticket. Just don’t think that would be enough to get it done.
I do not know what it would take, but I agree, that Knack, Feyereisen, and a lottery ticket would not be enough. I think they would start with Stone.
20 year old RHP, Payton Martin, has been promoted to Great Lakes from Rancho. Hopefully he can continue to impress at GL and get to Tulsa to start 2025 as a 21 year old.
AAAA OF Lolo Sanchez was released by LAD. Sanchez, a former Pittsburgh prospect, was one of two AAAA OF that were signed to play at Tulsa. The other is Austin Beck who is still playing good baseball at Tulsa. With Outman, Ward, and Avans in the OKC OF, there really is no room for him there.
Elieser Hernandez was outrighted to OKC. He has apparently accepted the outright assignment as he is listed on the OKC roster as active.
Ben Casparius continues to pitch well at OKC. In his 6th start for OKC last night, he was not able to get deep into the innings, but in his 4.0 IP, he allowed just 1 run on 1 hit, 3 BB and 3 K. It was a good bounceback game after his last start. He outpitched the much more heralded Jack Leiter. Ben threw 82 pitches in the 4.0 innings which is why he did not go 5.0. He still walks too many (4.59 per 9 innings). He needs to get his control tightened up, but if he does, he should really become a fixture in the LAD top 30 prospects. He is currently in the top 30 for Baseball America (25). His biggest drawback (other than control) is his age (25).
Another reason to push the trade envelope a little early. Last year the Dodgers needed SP and more SP and more SP. AF/BG spent a lot of time on Eduardo Rodriguez only to have him pull the trade away from reality as he invoked his no trade clause. I was not there. I have no insider trading info on this. But I still wonder how does AF not make sure, before the negotiations, that E-Rod was willing to waive his no trade to come to LAD? It certainly was not the first time AF has come across a no-trade scenario. Was it the naivete of Scott Harris (Detroit GM), or falsehoods told by Rodriguez’s agent? . Makes no difference, AF should never have got to the end of the deadline only to be told 10 minutes before the deadline that Rodriguez would not waive it. It also makes no difference why he did not waive it. He should have walked away without getting assurances. We heard family reasons. We heard he was trying to force the Dodgers to guarantee more on the back end of his option. If they had done that early enough, they might have been able to pivot to Jordan Montgomery. BTW, I do think E-Rod was the best option for a SP out there. But if you cannot close the deal, and your next best option is Ryan Yarbrough…
Of course we will never know, but anyone who does not believe that AF whiffed on that one is drinking way too much of his Kool-Aid.
Yeah, that was an odd set of circumstances. But once again, it wasn’t the pitching that let us down, it was the hit and miss offense that didn’t hit. And there is no cure for that. If 1 through 5 don’t hit in October, the Dodgers don’t win.
I have to admit, I do not understand this. The Dodgers IFA bonus $$$ were more than anyone else (and still are), and were in a great position to sign Rōki Sasaki if he chose to come out this year. He would be subject to the IFA rules, subject to maximum available bonus $$$ and not full free agency. The Dodgers have now committed $700K to a 17 year old Taiwanese OF. That will drop the Dodgers IFA budget to $2,452,500, providing more opportunities for teams like SF to trade for more IFA money to become competitive. It really is not that hard to come up with trades giving $1MM in bonus $$$.
The Dodgers are still in great shape, and I do not believe they should lose any of their IFA $$$ by not spending them. They cannot be carried forward. But why give any team an opportunity to compete for Sasaki?
I have no kernel of knowledge as to their thinking. But it is a question I sure would love an answer to.
Teams remaining IFA bonus $$$ per Francys Romero:
Dbacks $614,300
Braves $32,500
Orioles $1,917,300
Red Sox $1,015,000
Cubs $257,200
Reds $70,000
Cleveland $139,300
Colorado $1,027,800
White Sox $995,000
Tigers $995,000
Astros $1,082,500
Royals $594,800
Dodgers $3,152,500 ($2,452,500)
Angels $262,200
Marlins $1,725,000
Brewers $110,500
Twins $17,500
Mets $334,000
Yankees $737,200
Athletics $1,863,000
Phillies $29,200
Pirates $124,800
Padres $2,200
Mariners $214,500
Giants $1,420,000
Cardinals $867,200
Rays $20,000
Rangers $22,500
Blue Jays $824,700
Nationals $177,500
Francys Romero is a sportswriter with deep ties to the foreign market for baseball.
If needed, couldn’t the Dodgers trade for more IFA money?
Yes. They did that last year to be able to sign Hyun-Seok Jang. I imagine they are in a position to do so again this year. I am selfish. I do not want anyone believing they can sign Sasaki over the Dodgers.
That is entirely possible. And I certainly have no speculation on that.
Maybe the Dodgers have received information that Sasaki will not be available this winter or that he won’t be signing with us.
This is interesting:
https://x.com/tecochicago/status/1730010706387321308
See above
After 7 0 for 2 WRISP. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Ohtani; Betts. Yankees aren’t any better. Yet.
Good grief, I thought Stanton’s ball was on its way to New Jersey.
He JUST missed, thank god
This has to be one of the most predictable shutouts of the year.
Lux, Kike, Taylor have gotta go.
Maybe they can squeeze a run in extras. No adjustments at all. Just an entire game of routine outs.
Good call Scott.
Lux’s leash has to be getting short. Another pathetic night. But, there were others too.
I believe you said we would lose the next 4 games on the trip after starting 0-2 Scott.
Would you care to revise your prediction?
I was wrong about the losses. For sure. No question there. I have no problems admitting I was wrong.
I think I may have underestimated the Dodger’s determination.
I’m happy to be wrong in this case.
Scott you said Vargas sucks how did you determine that when he hardly played.
Take a look at his numbers last year, and in 2022.
Wow. What a sweet win..