There has been a lot of recent discussion as to what the Dodgers should do after 25 games. It is a good thing that Dodger management has the long view, and not over-reacting to struggles and slow starts to the season for some. As bad as they have played lately (and yes it has been bad), they are still only a game out of the NL West Division lead. Again as bad as they have played lately, they are a 104 win pace. The same people who were complaining about the Dodgers last year, and then saying they were behind them all the way when they won the WS, are right back to complaining again.
If you believe that the way the Dodgers have played in their first 25 games is emblematic as to how they will play the rest of the way, I do not share that belief. Does that make me a Dodger apologist? I can wear that, and wear it proudly.
I think the Statcast page for each of the players is a good barometer as to where that player could be at statistically.
For the LAD regulars, Max Muncy seems to be struggling more than the others.
For 2025 – Max Muncy – 85 PA/73 AB – .178/.282/.247/.529 – 0 HR, 4 RBI, 36.5 K% – RISP (21 PA) – .125/.286/.250/.536.
Is this just a slow start? Remember in 2022 when Muncy began implementing a “back-step” in his hitting motion, sliding his left foot back slightly as he loaded up to hit. This adjustment was a result of struggling with his swing mechanics.
For 2022 Max slashed .196/.329/.384/.713 in 565 PA. He improved in 2023, but not to his usual standards: .212/.333/.475/.808 in 579 PA. In 2024, Max only had 293 PA due to oblique injury.
Max Muncy
When Max hits the ball, he hits it hard, but he is not making nearly enough contact. He is in the 2nd percentile in K rate. He still has a good eye, as he does not chase (76th percentile). Combining his very good chase rate with his horrible K rate, it is clear that Max is not hitting pitches in the zone. Not a good metric for a power hitting 3B.
Per Max it is his mechanics again that are a problem. Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates recently said of Muncy’s struggles,
“Max has natural loft in his swing. A lot of lefties do. So I think he doesn’t need to artificially try to elevate the baseball. For him, trying to think more line drive is just going to keep him above the ball longer.”
However, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic noted that it’s caused Muncy to develop bad habits.
“He’d lurch his shoulders forward, restricting his hips from properly rotating and generating power. His contact point has moved ever so slightly closer to the pitcher; instead of that being sharply hit pulled fly balls, it’s been weak contact or no contact at all. By not giving himself enough time, he stopped seeing the ball as well.”
Muncy acknowledged
“That was causing me to be just not on time with any single pitch that was thrown,” Muncy said. “It was kind of just a misunderstanding of how my body works in terms of my swing.”
Max will turn 35 in August. Is age creeping in? Is it mechanics? Are bad habits more difficult to break at his age?
No, his peripherals are not all that encouraging, but before I give up on Max, I want to see what he does after he gets that 1st HR. If the Dodgers do need to make a change Alex Freeland will still be there to pick up.
Another struggling hitter in the LAD lineup is Mookie Betts. After a 3-5 night, in 97 PA/83 AB, Mookie is now slashing .253/.361/.434/.795. In his professional career, Mookie has never had an OPS south of .800. His lowest OPS with LAD was .854 (2021).
I do not buy that it is his early season stomach virus that is the cause of his current struggles. His first 15 games after the illness, Mookie was hitting .304/.400/.554/.954. All four of his HRs were hit in his first 15 games. I think Mookie is just in a funk right now, but I would feel better if his Statcast peripherals were better.
Mookie Betts – 2025
For comparison purposes, here is Mookie’s 2023 Statcast page (last full year). It took a herculean season from Ronald Acuña Jr. to beat Mookie from his 2nd MVP season.
Mookie Betts – 2023
Is it age? He is an elite athlete, but he is 32. Or could it be he is worrying too much about being an elite SS? FWIW, per defensive metrics, Mookie is one of the best MLB SS defensively. He is having a far better year defensively than Willy Adames, the SS many wanted the Dodgers to sign. This year, Mookie is better defensively than Miggy Ro thus far (yes VERY small sample size). Miggy is a below league average defender at 3B and SS.
I would prefer Mookie concentrate more on hitting than his defense. But I am not one of Mookie’s coaches.
Shohei Ohtani is also having a rough start to the 2025 season. In 23 games (106 PA/92 AB), Shohei is slashing .261/.358/.489/.848. He has 6 HR and 5 SB. Last year, in his first 23 games, Ohtani slashed .359/.419/.630/1.049 with 4 HRs and 5 SB. He has 8 RBI vs 11 he had last year. So like this year, in 2024, Shohei came to the plate with little traffic to drive in. The big difference? Last year Ohtani had 11 doubles after his first 23 games, while this year he has 1.
Shohei – 2025
His 2025 Statcast page still shows an elite player. Compare that to his unworldly 2024 Statcast page.
Shohei – 2024
What is the cause of his slow start in 2025. He was supposed to push back his pitching so he could concentrate on his hitting. It did not help. Could it be that his shoulder injury was/is a bigger factor than what we are being led to believe? Contrary to many beliefs, Shohei is still a human being. Could it be that his wife’s pregnancy and birth of his first child is a factor? I am comfortable that Shohei will come out of his early 2025 funk sooner rather than later.
Shohei wRISP – 14 PA – .200/.429/.200/.629 – Not very Shohei like.
One other thing, if I was put in charge, I would listen to Shohei to determine whether he could work on his pitching and hitting at the same time. And I am not saying that the Dodgers do not. After all, he has done it before for multiple seasons, and done it at an elite level.
The Dodgers have not been able to trot out Freddie Freeman as often as they have in the past. It is tough to gauge how well a player used to playing every game has played in only 14 of the first 25 games. Freddie has 55 PA/48 AB thus far. He is hitting .250/.327/.583/.911. His SLG has been buoyed by 4 doubles and 4 HR in his 12 hits. Freddie’s Statcast peripherals give reason to be optimistic that Freddie will get back on track.
Freddie Freeman
One concern, again, is Freddie’s age (35). His ankle is going to be slow to fully heal. Will it keep Freddie out of multiple future games? Will it impact his hitting?
Without these four playing at or near their expected levels, the Dodgers are necessarily going to struggle. None of the four are playing at their norm, and when they do, the offense will take off. And IMO, there is no reason to think they will not after only 25 games. Of the 4, the one I am most concerned with is Muncy. His peripherals at his age are reasons for concern. But not to the point of demanding a change. The Dodgers are already sitting Max against many LHP. If he is still hitting this poorly on May 28, then maybe the team will take a look at Alex Freeland to play 3B.
Other Statcast reviews:
Michael Conforto – 87 PA/71 AB – .197/.345/.338/.683
Michael Conforto’s 2025 Statcast peripherals have fallen way off thus far in 2025 compared to 2024. His swing is too good to not be able to turn things around.
I certainly hope that Conforto moves positively closer to 2024’s numbers. If so, the Dodgers will have another valuable bat in the lineup. IMO, his swing augments such a move. Time will tell if it does come to fruition.
Teoscar Hernández – 93 PA/89 AB – .270/.290/.528/.818 – wRISP (23 PA/22 AB) – .409/.391/.864/1.255 with 3 HR’s and 16 RBI.
Teoscar Hernández’s 2025 Statcast peripherals have also dropped from his 2024 season.
In both cases, a question has to be…are these OF aging poorly? Neither are good defensively or even adequate. That will continue to regress as they age. But my concern is for 2025, and I am hopeful that both will get closer to their 2024 peripherals.
Andy Pages – 81 PA/71 AB – .183/.284/.33/.650
As much negativity as Pages has received from a defensive standpoint, it is his offense that shows how poor his Statcast peripherals have been this year. Pages has been showing improved ABs of late. In his last 6 games, in 22 PA/20 AB – .300/.364/.600/.964 – 2 HRs and 5 RBI.
I have never seen any reason to trade the prospect capital for Luis Robert Jr. I was not sure that Pages was the answer, but the Dodgers do think he warrants a long runway. It would certainly help out the team if they did not have to worry about filling in Pages’ name in the lineup. If he does not, the Dodgers do have internal options rather than giving away a true prospect for someone as dubious as Luis Robert Jr.
I know that some may not believe it, but this year according to some meaningful defensive metrics, Pages has been a better defensive CF than Robert Jr. I am certain that the optics seem to bely that look. I have been a James Outman fan, but I believe that Pages has been handed the position, and he has the right to that long runway.
There are a couple of very positive starts this year.
Will Smith – 75 PA/60 AB – .350/.453/.567/1.020 – 3 HR, 15 RBI – wRISP with 19 PA/15 AB – .733/.684/1.067/1.751. That is not a typo. He has 11 hits in 15 AB wRISP including 2 doubles and 1 HR.
Here are Smith’s 2025 Statcast peripherals.
And Tommy Edman – 103 PA/96 AB – .260/.291/.552/.843 – 8 HR, 19 RBI – wRISP with 18 PA/15 AB – .333/.333/1.067/1.400 – 3 HR, 13 RBI.
Tommy Edman has become a prolific hitter from both sides of the plate. His 8 HRs is #2 in NL behind Corbin Carroll’s 9 HRs. His 19 RBIs rank #10.
Edman is also the top defensive player on the team. He is an elite defensive 2B winning a GG in 2021. He is also the team’s best defensive CF.
Tommy Edman 2025 Statcast page.
Bottom line, I am optimistic that this team will gel and reach the WS. But that is not to dismiss the concerns. The peripherals seem to be going the wrong way for some key personnel, but with only 25 games played, that can turn around. Let’s be patient and see where the players are at the end of May. If changes need to be made, I trust AF will make the right decisions. But I would take a chance on bringing up MiLB players as opposed to trades. If brought up by June 1, that would give the team 2 months to make an impression. If the results are not positive, then trades can be considered.
Just my opinion.
MiLB GAME SUMMARIES
OKC Comets 10 – Salt Lake City Bees (LAA) 7
This was not Justin Jarvis’ best outing. He did get through 5.2 innings, but he allowed 5 runs on 7 hits on 3 BB and 4 K.
Dalton Rushing and James Outman combined for seven hits and four extra-base hits as the Oklahoma City Comets offense scored in double digits during a 10-7 win over the Salt Lake Bees Thursday night.
"Dalton Rushing with a crushing, up over everything and onto the sidewalk!"
412 ft for the @Dodgers' top-ranked position player prospect, who goes deep for the second time this week for the Triple-A @OKC_comets. pic.twitter.com/hr2fx3pkUl
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 25, 2025
Oh my, did James Outman put a hurtin' on this ball. pic.twitter.com/cjeUtMXMxQ
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) April 25, 2025
This was a season-high and Triple-A career-high four hits for Rushing.
Outman set a season high with three hits and tied his season high with three RBI, going 3-for-5 with a home run and a double. He extended his current hitting streak to eight games, during which he has seven extra-base hits while going 11-for-32 (.344) overall. During his 8 game streak, in 33 PA and 32 AB, Outman is slashing .344/.364/.719/1.083.
The Comets (17-7) shot out of the gate with four runs in the first inning, including a bases-clearing double by Hunter Feduccia. However, the Bees scored three runs in the first inning and another in the second inning to tie the game, 4-4. On the first pitch of the fifth inning, Rushing hit a home run to regain the lead. Later with two outs, Outman also went deep. With the Comets leading, 6-5, in the seventh inning, they scored four runs, with a two-run double by Outman and two-run single by Justin Dean.
A big night for James Outman continues as he doubles home a pair! pic.twitter.com/jM4m5tkngn
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) April 25, 2025
Salt Lake scored one run in each of the eighth and ninth innings off Ben Harris, and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning following a two-out error, but Jack Little then struck out Mitchell Daly to end the game and earn his 5th save.
The Comets have won six straight games for the second time this season, joining a previous six-game win streak March 29-April 4. The Comets have now won seven of their last eight games as they improved to a league-best 17-7.
Hunter Feduccia rapped two doubles and a collected a season-high three RBI. Feduccia is batting .356 over his 14 games with OKC this season.
Ryan Ward and Justin Dean also finished with multi-hit games and each notched a double. Dean also recorded his first two RBI of the season with a two-run single.
The Comets set a season high with six doubles, as eight of their 14 hits Thursday went for extra bases.
- Dalton Rushing – 4-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (1), HR (3) –
- James Outman – 3-5, 2 runs, 3 RBI, double (7), HR (5) – season high with three hits and tied his season high with three RBI.
- Hunter Feduccia – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 3 RBI, 2 doubles (5)
- Ryan Ward – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, double (5)
- Justin Dean – 2-4, 2 RBI, double (3)
Tulsa Drillers 4 – NW Arkansas Naturals (KC) 2
During his time with the Tulsa Drillers, José Ramos has had several key hits, including some important home runs, but he has never put together a streak like his current one. Ramos had two more hits on Thursday night, including another homer, to extend his hitting streak to eight straight games and to lead Tulsa to a 4-2 victory over Northwest Arkansas.
It was the second straight win for the Drillers who improved their season record to 7-11. Unsurprisingly, five of those wins have come during Ramos’ hot streak.
#Dodgers OF prospect Jose Ramos is already up to six homers this season pic.twitter.com/oost6Xyvo5
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) April 25, 2025
The big night from Ramos started quickly. After Chris Newell drew a four-pitch walk to open the game, Ramos belted his sixth home run of the season to stake Tulsa to a quick lead.
The Drillers stretched the margin to 4-0 with single runs in both the third and fourth innings.
In the third, Ramos singled and came home on Damon Keith’s double (6).
Ezequiel Pagan led off the fourth with a triple (1) and scored on Frank Rodriguez’s double (2).
Tulsa starting pitcher Jared Karros opened with three scoreless innings before surrendering two runs in the fourth on a pair of two-out hits.
Karros escaped the inning with a 4-2 lead, but his night ended there as the bullpen completed the game with five shutout innings.
Ramos’ eight-game hitting streak matches his longest as a Driller. He also had an eight-game streak in August of last season, but it was not as productive as his current run. In last year’s stretch, he went 10-30 (.300) with one home run. In his current eight-game streak, he is 11-27 (.407) with five of the hits being homers.
The six home runs for Ramos lead the Texas League.
- José Ramos – 2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (6)
- Chris Newell – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs
- Damon Keith – 2-4, 1 RBI, double (6)
- Frank Rodriguez – 2-4, 1 RBI, double (1)
- Triples – Ezequiel Pagan (1)
Great Lakes Loons 3 – Lake County Captains (Cleveland) 1
Great Lakes Loons pitching was sensational, striking out 11 Lake County Captains in a 3-1 win.
Patrick Copen struck out seven Captains batters and stranded five runners. The right-hander worked around a single, walk, and a hit batsman in the second. Copen punched out two more in the fourth and his first of the fifth. The 23-year-old finished 5.2 innings.
Patrick Copen Dominated tonight in his start for Great Lakes.
5.2 IP 4H 0R 7Ks 3BB
Tonight was the 4th start for Copen & he's posted an ERA of just 2.25, an average against of just .161, and has 28 Ks in 16IP.Still mastering the control piece to the equation, but he has… pic.twitter.com/rGO6GAds5V
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) April 25, 2025
In the third, after two Copen strikeouts, Lake County got a walk and single. A Johnny Tincher single was next lined into left field, Kole Myers would field it and fire it home where Nelson Quiroz applied a tag on Jaison Chourio trying to score, ending the inning.
The Great Lakes offense benefited from Lake County’s mistakes. In the second inning, an error at second put Kendall George aboard. He stole second base and later scored on a Jackson Humphries wild pitch.
In the top of the third, Logan Wagner was hit by a pitch. Josue De Paula delivered his first of two singles, and a Jordan Thompson sac fly would bring home Wagner.
Kendall George would get two more swipes in the sixth. Reaching on a walk, George took second and third base. He became the third player in the Midwest League to 10 stolen bases. Joe Vetrano with two outs and a two-strike pitch roped an RBI double (4) to left field, to make it 3-0.
In the bottom of the eighth, Lake County scored an unearned run. Esteban Gonzalez led off the inning with a single, stole second, and moved to third after a groundout. An error at shortstop after a Tincher grounder with two outs let Gonzalez score.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5 – Inland Empire 66ers (LAA) 1
Fresh off his Cal League Pitcher of the Week Award from last week’s work, Sean Paul Linan turned in another gem, as the Quakes beat the Inland Empire 66ers on Thursday night by a final of 5-1.
Linan matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts, surrendering just two hits and one walk over five scoreless.
The California League is very much a hitter’s league, and yet Linan is absolutely dominating. How long before he gets bumped to Great Lakes?
This @Dodgers pitching prospect has 40 K's in 20.2 IP 😲
20-year-old Sean Linan racks up 11 more punchies in 5 scoreless frames tonight for the Single-A @RCQuakes. pic.twitter.com/3HX8kpzasy
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 25, 2025
Linan got all the help he needed in the third, as José Meza smashed his first homer of the year, a three-run shot off Inland Empire starter Francis Texido, giving Rancho a 3-0 lead.
Gio Cueto followed later in the inning with his first career RBI, a run-scoring single to make it 4-0.
Eduardo Quintero ripped a solo-shot (3) in the fourth, as Rancho added to their advantage, making it 5-0.
Inland broke up the would-be shutout in the ninth with two outs, as Logan Tabeling was touched for his first run of the year.
The Quakes (11-7) are four games over .500 for the first time this year and now have a four-game lead over the Visalia Rawhide in the South Division.
On Friday, Quakes Christian Zazueta will take on Inland Empire’s Peyton Olejnik in game four of the six-game set.
- Eduardo Quintero – 2-5, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (3)
- José Meza – 1-3, 2 BB, 1 RBI, HR (1)
- Gio Cueto – 1-2, 2 BB, 1 RBI
For those who were pushing for a Nolan Arenado trade after his first 9 games when he was hitting .371/.463/.543/1.006, in his next 14 games, Arenado is hitting .196/.305/.353/.658. Yes better than Max, but certainly not worth taking on that debt and losing prospect capital.
Also since Hyeseong Kim hit his season high mark with a slash line of .326/.396/.535/.931 on April 9, in his next 12 games, Kim is slashing .208/.255/.458/.713.
Maybe the Dodgers should give Rushing some reps at 3b.
If they think about moivng Smith to 3b why not try Rushing there on days when he is not catching at AAA ?
Still no Vargas sighting at RC. Almost 2 weeks now slnce his last game. Still listed on the active roster with no mentioning of an injury.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Unless I miss something…
The Dodgers aren’t thinking about moving Smith to third, nor are they thinking about moving rushing to third.
Then again, you don’t know that the Dodgers are thinking about moving Smith to 3rd (in was drafted from college where he played in the IF and wasn’t a catcher) or moving Rushing to 3rd ( really how much worse could he be than what we got).
Well, we do know what they say.
And they’ve said they see Rushing as a catcher.
And we know what they do.
And they play Rushing at catcher (with a little at 1B)
Rushing is playing 1B tonight with Feduccia catching.
I know that I run the risk of making a douchebag comeback to you, but I cannot let your “know it all BS” go, because it is just factually wrong. You said Will Smith “drafted from college where he played in the IF and wasn’t a catcher”. That is not an opinion…it is just a factually incorrect statement – At Louisville, Smith was the catcher for 135 games, played part of 1 game at 3B and part of 2 games in RF. So he was a catcher and not an infielder.
Will has played some 3B in MiLB. He played parts of 58 games at 3B. 129 chances and 14 errors for a .891 fielding %. He also played parts of 11 games at 2B where he made 3 errors in 45 chances for a .933 fielding %.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=smith-075wil
Of course it is possible that Smith or Rushing could be moved to 3B. That would not be my choice. But my standard is a little higher than “(really how much worse could he be than what we got)”. I prefer giving Alex Freeland the first shot.
Fans do this every time the Dodgers go into a funk. It happens every year and though I get why they gripe so much, it gets old. Baseball is a hard mistress. There are so many ups and downs, and we think we know better than those who get paid a lot of money to run teams. There has even been complaining about how Roberts handles the pitching staff. Considering injuries to Treinen and Snell, with neither expected back soon. The performance of the pen had been pretty decent up until this little streak that they have had lately. I saw one poster right that they thought Dreyer would take over as the closer based on his performance, well that blew up in Chicago on Wednesday. Of the Cubs 18 runs in the two games, 14 of them came off of Dreyer, Davis and May. Had those guys pitched better, we would be talking about two wins, not back-to-back losses. It won’t get any easier tonight, most likely the Pirates will pitch their ace, Paul Skenes. LA better be ready for him. Ram, Rushing has been learning 1B and LF. I think he has too much on his plate to start learning 3rd. And the ball gets there pretty fast. The reason some say Smith could move to third is because he at least has played there some. But that was when he was in college.
It’s certainly true we fans get cranky when the Dodgers go into a funk.
But the age factor is making me crankier.
It’s hard for me to think that my much-maligned Max, who I typically defend, will age like fine wine. And while I remain confident about Freddie delivering his usual quality, age and infirmity may keep him out of the lineup.
Is Rojas washed? Taylor? Barnes? All in their mid-30s, all well past their primes. Experience is a good thing–but there’s such a thing as too much experience.
I don’t expect any of these guys to be DFA’d or sent off in some odd trade. But at what point does the brass decide it’s time to turn the page… Freeland, Rushing and Kim are all waiting in the wings. Kike isn’t young either–but a good guy to have in the playoffs.
And why is Conforto making me miss Lux? Perhaps Conforto will get into gear. But maybe the Dodgers should have tried harder to turn Lux into a leftfielder. Oh well. Spilt milk.
It’s nice to read that Outman has heated up. He has always been streaky. Perhaps this streak could lead to a promotion if, say, Conforto strains an oblique. (I don’t want to jinx Teo.)
A youth-movement lineup:
Shohei DH
Mookie SS
Freddie/Rushing 1B
Teo/Pages RF
Smith/Rushing C
Max/Freeland 3B
Edman/Kim 2B
Pages/Outman/Rushing LF
Outman/Edman CF
Rushing certainly should be getting reps at 3B. Why not? Joe Torre and Russell Martin were two catchers who learned to play 3B. Both positions rely on quickness and a strong arm.
Rushing has plenty of experience at 1B, dating to college. It’s possible that Rushing will end up being Freddie’s successor–but I still think De Paula should learn 1B. Most likely, I think Rushing will back up Smith but get extra work in LF and 1B.
Being in my 70’s I agree with you about the age stuff.
Pitching matchups for the series with the Pirates. Skenes V Yamamoto, Keller V Sasaki, Falter V Glasnow.
Tough pitching matchups. 2 out of 3 would be just fine with me.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Meatloaf is back on the menu.
I’m not sure why people.complain about people complaining. We all are expressing our opinions, some agree,some don’t. But let them spout off. You know what they say about a broken clock!
Every year the same thing, find something good, and quit being so negative. Is it too much to ask? Gets really old hearing the same old arguments every year. Always about Taylor and Barnes, and now Max is the center of everyone’s displeasure. I have watched the game way too many years to get upset in April, or even May. Lose games like that in July and August, then I get worried.
Or lose games 2 & 3 to Padres in divisional series. Keep the faith!
To be fair Bear, they have been playing pretty poorly over the last 3 weeks, and that 8-0 run, they were losing in every game and it took miraculous comebacks to win those.
Very early indeed, but the complaining is warranted right now IMO.
Fans complain, players explain, and nothing changes over the years. Mookie is defending Shohei, Roberts is defending some and calling out his pitching staff. Same old, same old. Never changes. I am too damn old to get too frippen excited when they struggle.
Homies praise the good and ignore the bad,as if admitting there are flaws means you are (insert word) ,
( panicking,negative,not true fans,upset etc). This whole article was about how our hitters are not performing up to previous years.
Really good piece. Raises more questions than provides answers, but that’s true of all good writing.
Excited about the potential of Rushing & Freeland [not to mention Feduccia!]. Intrigued by the comeback potential of Outman & Ramos [the latter to AAA soon]. Fascinated by the Augers and Linans & Copens of the system.
Also, a homegrown OF of Hope/George or Quintero/De Paul by 2028? Yes please!
I just think many here are overvaluing our positional prospects in Oklahoma. I don’t see any hitting stars. Next year there will be plenty of opportunity. Our entire bench will be gone along with Conforto. It will be interesting to see how AF reacts to filling these spots.
Watch Freeland
I just read a new write-up on him that basically said, bat aside, he has the arm for 3B, the footwork for 2B, and the overall defensive skillset to be an above-average major league SS. He’s an exciting prospect, even if he’s not likely to become a superstar or transcendent talent. The world needs #6 hitters too.
So the stats say both Mookie and Pages are good defensive players.
OK. Guess you can’t argue the stats. I know I’ve rolled my eyes more watching Pages than any Dodger player (including Muncy) and I still cringe every time Mookie sidearms a low off target throw to first. But, numbers don’t lie. Or do they.
I think I’m off the Robert Jr bandwagon. I know he’s in a bad situation there in Chicago but if he doesn’t care enough to improve, or he’s just as bad as his numbers suggests he is, screw it. Good luck in Chicago Luis.
I believe the top of the lineup will start hitting eventually. I don’t believe the bottom will ever start thumping but I do believe they will all reach the Mendoza line. Yippee.
I too was surprised by the metrics for Pages and Mookie. My eyes told me differently. Pages’ arm is legit even if his routes and reads do not appear to be. Maybe the arm and his stolen HR catches have helped him. OTOH, on a recent single, Pages made a bad decision on throwing to 3B and letting the batter/runner reach 2nd. I do not know how that factors in the decisions. He did not make an error, but he did make a bad decision. One I doubt that Edman or Outman would make.
What I found interesting is that Pages and Luis Robert Jr. were basically the same CF defensively, at least based on advanced metrics and Statcast. I have not seen Robert Jr. play defensively recently, so I cannot make any comparisons. I also do not make observations because a player, who has proven he cannot stay on the field, won a GG in a 60 game season.
I would rather have PCA in CF than Pages. I would rather have Dansby Swanson playing SS over Mookie defensively. I think the decisions on defense have moved away from…just make the routine play all the time…to…can that player make the game changing play? Interesting dichotomy.
Great to see Outman waking up. It’d be great for us if he has figured it out, as he’d give us some nice options up here.
I think both Muncy and Conforto will be productive when all is said and done. Max is a guy who is just incredibly streaky and if the plus happens in October then he could be a difference maker. This team if relatively healthy in October is much better than last years team. I’m still bullish on a repeat.
Max was able to keep his bat on his shoulder and get walks in the NLCS but had to swing in the WS and couldn’t get on base.
He seems to do better when he goes with the pitch but I see him only chasing home runs to RF this year.
Less about poor mechanics and more about poor plan IMHO.
Outman’s BA up to .214. His OPS is above .750 now too. He is streaky, and a much better CF than Pages. Shown more power too. I would love to see him get one more shot.
I too would like to see him get one more go-around in CF. The team certainly would be better with a productive James Outman in the lineup, even if he bats 9th.
It would certainly alleviate a problem for the Dodgers. Outman does not have to be a superstar, just a good player. If he OPS’d .750 or better and played great defense in CF it would make the Dodgers much better. It would also be good for 2026. Pages could take over RF and Teo could move to LF.
Exactly, and Keekay could play some too in that spot.
Kike won’t be back in 26.
Great stuff Jeff. Thanks.
Though May didn’t pitch well there was a lot of bad luck involved. I remember three dink hits. The ball hit to centerfield Edman should have caught. It would have been a good catch not a great one. A hit was credited to the Cubs that Hernandez should have easily caught plus the error on Hernandez. May caused a lot of his own problems by walking or pitching from behind in the count but I don’t think his line was an indication on how he pitched. May will be fine.
This fascination with Roberts Jr. needs to stop. Yes he won a gold glove but so did Matt Kemp. Kemp wasn’t exactly Willie Mays out in CF. It happened when Kemp had a great year on offense the same with Roberts Jr. Offense isn’t suppose to be involved in selecting a player for the gold glove but all of us know that isn’t the case.
is all the base stealing on the pitching staff or the catchers? Unfortunately walks have turned into doubles way to many times. For those paying attention the same phenomenon is happening at OKC.
Finally speaking of catchers at OKC, we have three catchers that happen to be very good hitters. I would think one of the three would bring a good player back in a trade. Catchers that can hit don’t fall off of trees. With Smith locked up for a while it would be logical that we could trade one of those catchers for either help at LA or bring in another stud prospects.
Edman 100% should’ve caught that ball.
Feducia could be emergency catcher now and be possibly a great lefty bat off the bench. He could also backup Freeman at first instead of Kike’. Is he not more valuable on the bench than at least one of the current bench?
Move him up and Rushing gets more time at catcher in OK.
I don’t know if he’d [possibly] be a “great lefty bat off the bench” but he has certainly earned the chance to be a major league back-up catcher. I understand the need for depth but I hope he is traded at the deadline if he is not going to be used this season.
Does anyone remember how bad Bellinger became after Kike destroyed his shoulder? It took Bellinger years, yes years to find his form again. I think Ohtani is having very poor at bats due to not really being recovered from shoulder injury and subsequent surgery. I said it before, an Ortho surgeon, who happened to be the Ortho for the Cal Bears football team, told me that big surgeries take at least a full year to recover, strength of the joint is the major hinderance to full recovery. We may just be looking at a very down year for Ohtani. We saw the same thing after Lux destroyed his knee, more than a year to get his strength back in that joint, now he is doing pretty well (started after the AS break)
Pages also had a serious shoulder injury 2 years ago. Hopefully he’s even healthier this year than last.
While his average is still under.200 he is on pace for 25 HRs this season. If he keeps that pace and lifts the average to around .240 I could live with that production.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! is key here.
He hit .243 last year with 13 homers.
Ohtani doesn’t look right to me either.
Good point
Bellinger still hasn’t found it.
I think I lost it
Let me know if you come across it
–Lucinda Williams
You can get a shot for it
That’s good
Very good post Jeff D.
*Dave said “I’m not sure why people.complain about people complaining. We all are expressing our opinions, some agree, some don’t. But let them spout off. You know what they say about a broken clock!”
You know what they say about opinions…………… but posters here usually offer their opinions because they give a shit.
That’s the fun of a blog. If everybody either didn’t express their opinions and sat around and sang “Everything is Beautiful, this site wouldn’t be any fun.
Bear’s complaining that everybody is too negative and that it happens every year is correct. We are spoiled as hell. And it won’t change. It looks to me like he may be a little too close to the sun.
Nobody, as far as I know, is being forced to read Dodger Chronicles.
While being asked to be patient with the team’s performance, similar patience should be extended to the posters who care enough to post their opinions.
People complain because they are frustrated by the teams performance or lack thereof. It is human nature. It is a way to vent. Better than kicking the cat or punching a hole in the wall. People do it all the time not just about their favorite team. Beats the hell out of everyone blowing sunshine up the owners/moderators ass all the time.
You nailed it philjones, I always laugh at the people putting down others for stating their opinion. Enough with the “know it all’ bullshit, let people throw ideas around with out douchebag comebacks.
In all fairness, we’re in a pretty low-stakes corner of the internet. Not sure anyone should be getting out of shape about anything.
No Phil, not too close to the sun, just at an age where I get really tired of all the bickering going on in the world. I just cut a huge portion of drama out of my own life. Gets old reading about it and watching it on TV. The game and music are my main forms of relaxation. I want to enjoy both like I enjoy writing about the history of the team. I see enough of the bad in everyday life. Baseball is entertainment. Patience? I have plenty, that is why I don’t get all hyper when they play badly for a stretch of time. They will either play better or they won’t. Nothing I can say or do will change a thing. No problem at all with people voicing their opinions, don’t call them names or anything like that. They are entitled to speak their minds, that is why I served in the Army, to protect those rights. Doesn’t mean I am going to always agree with them.
Zazueta ranked #10 in new Fangraphs’ list. This is my shocked face.
Most fans have never heard of Christian Zazueta. Not a criticism, but most do not get interested in MiLB players until they at least reach AA. He was the key for LAD in the Caleb Ferguson trade to NYY. The other player LAD got was LHRP Matt Gage who the Dodgers never saw more than a AAAA pitcher.
At 19, Zazueta dominated Dodgers Rookie ACL and was promoted to Rancho where he was challenged. He is back at Rancho this year and is pitching much better. BA listed him as the #36 prospect, and primed for a breakthrough season and move up. He is 31 days older than Sean Linan which makes what Linen has done at RC head scratching.
Christian Zazueta will start for RC today. He will be joined by some other interesting pitching prospects starting today:
OKC – Nick Frasso
Tulsa – Jerming Rosario
Great Lakes – Brooks Auger
Nice. I guess his [Zazueta’s] command is close to the best in the system (I’ll nominate Karros here).
Some other things I noticed: three members of the list are current Dodgers (Sasaki, Dreyer & Casparius).
They make the point about us doing two-for-one deals with players not quite good enough to be on our roster, kicking the 40-man can down the road for another few years.
Expect attrition from the teenage/early 20s toolsy group of prospects. What seems like strength in numbers now is certain to be cut down later.
They really like Henriquez 🙂
I read a few days ago that Betts said Edman has helped him a lot regarding SS defense. Plus the Dodgers first base coach is a great infield coach.
Baltimore needs Rojas more than do the Dodgers.
Diego Cartaya was put on waivers, not claimed, and has now been outrighted to MiLB. He did not reach MLB, but was taking a 40 man spot that Minnesota wanted. For a prospect labeled a can’t miss, he has really fallen on bad times. He was ranked as the #1 LAD prospect as recent as 2022 and 2023 by MLB Pipeline.
I’m stunned actually. Wonder what went wrong.
He busted
The perfect
stormdrainTwins outrighted Diego Cartaya.
Fans are going to complain, I get it. They are just stating their opinion on the play of the team. Some do go way overboard though. Some writers go overboard also. I have seen some ideas for trades that make me scratch my head. Outman for Robert Jr. is out there almost daily on Yahoo Sports. One today had LA trading for Nick Martinez, a starter, from the Reds for either Outman or Rushing. Dodgers claimed Yoendrys Gomez from the Yankees.
Yahoo, SI, New York Post–nothing sources
Sporting News posts a lot on Yahoo sports. And some of their reports are pretty accurate.
Dodgers Claim Yoendrys Gómez
Who? I’m shocked that the Dodgers were able to claim him, lol
Former top Yankee prospect. Had an empty roster spot with Rosario DFAd.
Long reliever incoming
Never forget
I have a bobblehead commemorating that event. Today is also my son’s 44th birthday.
Smith back in the lineup, Freeman back in the 3 hole. Muncy batting 8th and Pages 9th.
Really missing having an extra LHH for a tough righty like Skenes.
One of the weaknesses of this team is the lack of left-handed bat off of the bench.
Put Muncy there.
More eye rolling with both him and Pages tonight. This is Pittsburgh. Tell me it won’t matter.
Outman with another good day going 4 for 4
OVERMATCHED
Conforto to the bench? CT3 is a ghost. He wouldn’t be missed. I doubt any moves will be made. Just ride it out.
I’d sit him and let him figure something out. Like Brayan Bello in that Netflix show.
Interesting
Geat post Jeff. One thing that could be concerning is all the Bat Speeds being so low. Is that age catching up to all our guys? I know, only 25 games so far but concerning. Many posters are criticizing the bottom producers for our team but, as Bear says, too early, you are all complainers. Remember how great we did in 22 and 23, we were able to get to the first round to get humiliated, why criticize, a successful season, right? (Sarcasm alert). I think we should worry and should criticize. Somewhere I read that Roberts is using this time to see how players react to adversity. Sorry, I call bs. Bad play and bad decisions are causing it. We are basing our hopes and dreams on A pitcher coming back from TJ #2 (always works out), pitchers coming back from all sorts of surgeries and starters/ relievers with long time records of injuries. I know, nothing is guaranteed but I worry and criticize. It isn’t all rainbows, unicorns and lollipops on our team. And yes, I have also watched this team for many decades so am considered an old timer as well.
As a player’s age goes up, bat speed generally goes down. Reflexes aren’t quite as sharp. With so many pitchers hitting 95-100 mph these days, if a hitters’ bat speed is off just a fraction, those line drives to right field can become lazy flyballs to left. Or strikeouts. Sooner or later it happens. Smart hitters make adjustments— moving farther back in the box, choking up a quarter inch. Or going with a lighter bat. I don’t see that happening with the Dodgers very much. With all of the 30-plus guys currently in the lineup, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that the hitting has been less than us fans expected.