- As I mentioned in my last post, the MLB Draft will be held Sunday, July 14th through Tuesday, July 16th. Jeff asked if I could write a few articles for him about the draft, as well as provide some insight to the players the Dodgers select, which I promised I would do. Jeff has been doing such a marvelous job providing good content for this blog, and I apologize in advance if I bring that quality down a notch. He is so much better at it than I am.
- I know that most of the posters and readers of this blog are pretty sophisticated and that you keep up with Dodger and baseball news from many different sources. The internet can be a real blessing in that you have ready access to a wealth of information. Thus, I fear that much of this is information that you have probably read several times on you own, and therefore, I strive not to bore you to death.
- On May 9th, Sean Burroughs, who was the greatest youth baseball player I have ever seen play in person, died. He was 43, at the time of his death. The same age as my oldest son. Today, I read that Burroughs died from fentanyl intoxication. Making a tragic death even more so.
- I’ve always been a Pony Baseball advocate and over Little League for several reasons. However, I do have very fond memories of taking my sons to the Little League Regional Fields in San Bernardino, to watch Sean play. He was legendary! I did not know this at the time, but the Long Beach Little League team for which Sean played, also had a player who was the son of a young lady that I befriended on my first day of kindergarten. She and I remained friends through my senior year in high school. I moved from that area of Southern California to Riverside County in my senior year and thereafter, we didn’t keep in touch as much. That is until shortly before our 45th H.S. reunion, when we reconnected. She was very close to the Burroughs family and they still live in the same neighborhood in Long Beach as the Burroughs. As you can imagine, the impact of Sean’s death on their families and the Long Beach Community has been very deep and profound.
- I read and hear many complaints about Robert Van Scoyoc and Alan Bates whenever the Dodgers fail to hit with runners in scoring or they get shut out by a second string junior varsity pitcher from Lakewood High School. I don’t, however, recall as many fans calling for Mark Prior’s head whenever the pitching steps into the toilet. Why is that I wonder? It seems that we’re more incline to blame poor pitching on injuries and missing players than we are with hitting. While we can have a ton of expectations and demands for Cavan Biggio, lets face it, while he’s far cry better than you or I were or could ever dream of being, he’s still Cavan Biggio and there’s just not a whole lot juice that you’re going to squeeze out of that orange.
- The old adage that you can’t have too much pitching sure seems to be more true this year than any I can recall in the past. Albeit, I have to admit that at my age, I really don’t recall that much anymore. In spring, who would have thought that we would be relying on James Paxton, Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski and perhaps, River Ryan to fill out our rotation? If you predicted that in March, please come forward and collect your door prize.
- Mind you, I think Knack and Wrobleski are going to be serviceable pitchers. I’m not sure they will be aces, but they can be inning eaters, who throw strikes and don’t let games overwhelm them. When you look at the IL, Glasnow, Yamamoto, Kershaw, Gonsolin, May and Sheehan, at their best, would make a pretty decent starting rotation.
- Speaking of pitching, I don’t fully understand the need to keep running Yohan Ramirez, Anthony Banda, Nick Ramirez and the like out of the bullpen. I don’t intend to begrudge any of them as major league pitchers, and the Dave Roberts hug story is nice, but come October, these are not the folks I want to rely on to keep the Dodgers in a game in a clutch situation. Nor would I rely on them to provide a shut down inning. If they do feel the need to experiment, it would seem to be more prudent to let the kids, Jack Dreyer, Alec Gamboa, Jack Little or Sauryn Lao, etc. have a shot. You never know, you just may find lightening in a bottle.
- There’s been a lot of moaning about the bottom 3 or 4 of the Dodgers lineup of late. So, for kicks and giggles, I decided to look at the lineup for each MLB team for two different games to see how many hitters had a batting average of .250 or less. I also counted the number of players hitting below the Mendoza line and the number of players hitting below .100. It’s definitely not a scientific study, nor did I differentiate between starters and pinch hitters.
| Team | Players below .250
Game 1 Game 2 |
Players below .200
Game 1 Game 2 |
Players below .100
Game 1 Game 2 |
| Orioles | 6 6 | 1 1 | 0 0 |
| Red Sox | 5 4 | 0 0 | 0 0 |
| Yankees | 4 8 | 1 1 | 1 1 |
| Rays | 7 9 | 2 2 | 2 2 |
| Jays | 5 6 | 2 2 | 0 0 |
| White Sox | 7 10 | 1 1 | 1 1 |
| Guardians | 4 4 | 1 1 | 0 0 |
| Tigers | 5 7 | 4 4 | 0 0 |
| Royals | 5 7 | 1 1 | 0 0 |
| Twins | 3 5 | 0 0 | 0 0 |
| Rangers | 4 5 | 0 0 | 0 0 |
| Astros | 3 3 | 0 0 | 0 0 |
| Mariners | 6 9 | 2 2 | 0 0 |
| A’s | 6 8 | 2 2 | 0 0 |
| Angels | 6 5 | 2 2 | 0 0 |
| Braves | 4 5 | 3 3 | 0 0 |
| Marlins | 7 10 | 1 1 | 0 0 |
| Mets | 5 5 | 1 1 | 0 0 |
| Nationals | 5 5 | 2 2 | 0 0 |
| Phillies | 4 3 | 1 1 | 0 0 |
| Brewers | 4 6 | 1 1 | 0 0 |
| Cubs | 5 6 | 2 2 | 0 0 |
| Cardinals | 6 6 | 2 2 | 0 0 |
| Reds | 7 8 | 3 3 | 0 0 |
| Pirates | 7 8 | 3 3 | 0 0 |
| D’Backs | 4 3 | 2 2 | 0 0 |
| Dodgers | 3 3 | 1 1 | 0 0 |
| Padres | 4 4 | 1 1 | 0 0 |
| Giants | 8 6 | 0 0 | 0 0 |
| Rockies | 7 6 | 4 6 | 0 0 |
- Admittedly, Taylor and Outman were not in the lineup on either day the Dodgers played.
- Not sure what this graph proves, other than perhaps there are a lot of under performing hitters this year throughout MLB. On the other hand, maybe Driveline’s pitching instruction is starting to pay off. I shudder to think how dominant Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and J. R. Richard would be if they were pitching now.
- This year the Dodgers lack a second and fifth-round pick. As a result, they have less overall pool money than any other team except the Astros. Seeing how that impacts their draft strategy will be fascinating. It’s been speculated by the pundits, that in order to efficiently use their available pool, they may not take the best player available in the first round. Instead, if they really like a player who’s viewed as a consensus top-three round talent they might have to take that player in the first round to ensure they get him and then save some money on an under slot deal with that player.
- Of course at this time of year, Mock Drafts are prevalent. Other than having more information available to them, the mock draft folks don’t do any better than you or I would. Sure, they can probably get close in selecting the top 10 players to be selected, but after that, throw a dart at the wall and you can be just as successful.
- The various mock drafts have the Dodgers selecting one out of about 10 players: High School Pitchers, Kash Mayfield, William Schmidt, Ryan Sloan or college pitchers Jurrangelo Cijntje and Brody Brecht. Some lean towards position players, Kellon Lyndsey a high school shortstop, Dakota Jordan, an outfielder or Tommy White a third baseman. I have no idea who they will select. I do think that it will be a surprise like last years choice of Kendal George. Unless they are certain the player available is a “can’t miss prospect” they will go under slot. Then again, Jordan Sheffield and Jeren Kendall were “can’t miss players” over whom the Dodgers were ecstatic that they fell to them. Those selections worked out well, didn’t they? Of course I have no idea who they will select. Out of the above names, the most intriguing to me are Kellon Lyndsey, who gives off Corey Seager vibes and Jurrangelo Cijntje (pronounced “Sain ya”), who pitches both right and left handed equally well.
- You can rest assured that Friedman, Brandon Gomes, Billy Gasparino and their staffs are working long hours in the days ahead to be best prepared to select the right player.
- For the player they ultimately select, I suspect that the Dodgers will be as evaluating a kid’s makeup as much, if not more, than his signability. As one writer noted “teams are tasked with gauging the mental maturity, aptitude, work ethic, courage, ability to handle failure, etc. among 18 to 24-year-olds. To add the stressors of quantifying those aspects, the aptitude of that prospect could render the org millions of dollars in the way of winning or cost the org millions based on lost pick value.” In making those decisions, teams now employ mental skills coaches who help in the decision making process. Betting a couple of million dollars or more on an 18 year and then ultimately losing that bet, can make or break an organization for the decade to come. Thus, the Dodgers better have their ducks in a row and be very sure of who the draft pick truly is.
- If you’re interested in this type of background information, Fangraphs has an informative article: “What Goes on in a Draft Room” and Prospects Live, from whom I stole the information in the prior paragraph, has an article “What Wins in MLB Draft Rooms, written by Tyson Tucker that is also worth the read.
- For the first time in history, the Cleveland Guardians will have the first overall selection of the Draft. Previously, Cleveland’s earliest draft selection was the second overall pick, which they did five times. Those picks were: 1970 – selected RHP Steve Dunning, who over an 8 year career produced 1.9 WAR); in 1972 – drafted infielder Rick Manning, who over a 13 year career produced 11.7 WAR; in 1986 they selected LHP Greg Swindell, who pitched for 18 years and produced 30.5 WAR; in 1988 they drafted infielder Mark Lewis, who over 12 years produced a -2.6 WAR; and in 1992 they chose RHP Paul Shuey who in 11 years produced 6.8 WAR. Not really an impressive success story. Let’s hope they don’t whiff on the first selection this year.
- If you’re at all interested, you can watch the 1st round of the draft on ESPN. I think that MLB Network will cover the 1st two days of the draft. Of course, if you don’t want to listen to the commentators babble on how so and so is the second coming of Mike Trout etc, you can just follow on line. I assure you, within seconds of the selection, someone will be posting who it is on Twitter, in the days blog comments, etc.
- Or, if you’re patient, I’ll come back around the day after the Dodger’s make their first selection, with a post that provides as much background information that I can find on him.
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Pretty pretty good
Minor league scores. OKC 5 El Paso 0: Ward hit his 24th homer, and Hoese his 9th as five OKC pitchers blanked the Chihuahua’s. Gamboa started and pitched 5.2 innings of scoreless ball. Joe Kelly relieved him and pitched 1/3rd of an inning. In one of the oddities of baseball, he got the win as OKC broke through for a run in the bottom of the inning. Ward was the only player with multiple hits, 3 and Hoese drove in 2 of the 5 runs. Tulsa 6 CC 5: Tulsa took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, then the Hooks tied it in the top of the 5th. Tulsa took the lead again scoring one in the bottom of the inning. The Hooks scored 3 in the top of the 6th to go up 5-3. Tulsa came back and scored 3 in the bottom of the 8th to lead 6-5. Duran went 4.1 innings and gave up 2 runs. Romero went three innings, giving up 3 runs and getting a blown save. But he also was credited with the win. Wepf got the save despite allowing 2 hits in the 9th. Freeland had 3 hits and an RBI, Young drove in 2. Davis also drove in 2 and had 2 hits. Fernandez scored 2 and had 2 hits.
Michael, for the last several days, the site is loading very, very, slowly. Sometimes I just give up. Are you aware that the site is having problems?
More minor league scores. Great Lakes split a doubleheader with Ft. Wayne. The won game one 4-1 and lost game two, 3-2: Loons only got 4 hits in the opener, but two of them were homers, Nevin and Thompson. Both were 2 run shots. Copen pitched 5 scoreless innings for the win. In the night cap, the Loons got six hits, but only scored 2. Ft Wayne won with a 3-run top of the sixth. Mongelli was the only Loon with multiple hits. Neeck took the loss. Rancho 8 Stockton 7: Stockton scored 2 in the bottom of the second and the Quakes answered back with 5 in the top of the third. Ports got 2 in the bottom of the third, and the Quakes struck back with 2 more in the top of the fourth. Ports scored 1 in the bottom of the fourth, and the Quakes scored their last run of the night in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the sixth, Stockton scored 2 more to make it 8-7. Neither team would score over the last three innings. McLain went 3-5 with a homer and 3 driven in. Rojas and Meza each had two hits. Rojas drove in 3 and Meza the other 2. Day, 5 and Santana, 2, gave up all the runs in 5.1 innings of pitching. But Santana got the win. Gonzalez, Emmett and Brito pitched the final 3.2 innings with Brito getting his first save.
https://www.truebluela.com/2024/7/11/24196900/dodgers-roster-shakeup-needed
Everyone should read this. (Pay attention Bluto)
Excellent article thnx Scott for pointing it out
Yes. This article sums up nicely what many of us have been saying here.
“Admittedly, I don’t even know who would necessarily replace Lux”
I do. Mookie Betts. Get a real shortstop and remove Lux from the lineup.
For a long time I have said the pitching looks iffy. The word I used was vulnerable. I had no idea Yamamoto would go down but the glaring fact that so many Dodger starters were getting injured was yelling at me something is going on here. And with that it’s my guess that some of the minor league guys who are throwing 98 will soon join that injured. This looks to me like an organizational problem.
Offense. Phil said it best yesterday, if the top 5 don’t hit we’re toast. It would appear that Freddie is the only consistent hitter in that group. The others are streaky. When they are all hitting we are .600+ team. When they don’t, well, 14-14 at best.
I still believe in this team. I believe we will win the West. Will we go far in the playoffs? Depends on IF the pitching is there and IF the top 5 are hitting as a group.
And thanks for post Rob. Good to see you again.
I don’t think we need a shortstop though certainly not before the end of the year. Miggy Ro it’s just fine there with Taylor giving him a break once in awhile, because we know Taylor’s not going anywhere this year. But yes, lux does need to go. And maybe Outman and Pages too. It looks like Outman is trying to prove that he’s an AAAA player.
It’s well-written and thoughtful! More of that here!
Honestly Eric says and writes it better than I can. But this is what I’ve been saying for a while. Sorry it comes across as abrasive, or “silly”. But this is exactly what I’ve been saying.
And this is the Dodgers issue this year among a few. This has been a problem for 3 years now. Its going to be difficult to fix during the trade deadline this year.
No Scott.
its not exactly what you’ve been saying. It is light years away.
Unless my ability to comprehend what I read has dropped off, nowhere did I read:
Eric explains his thinking and concludes:
The Dodgers very obviously need to add one or two hitters, at a minimum, in addition to the returning injured players.
in other words, if you cut out the shit-posting and performance and simply wrote thoughtful things (even if not at Eric’s admittedly high level) you would be a contributor.
Actually Bluto, Scott is a contributor even if you do not like his tone. You do not like his shit posting, then don’t read it or respond.
You are a contributor even though I find your tone condescending and patronizing at times.
True. Poorly phrased.
should have read:
worthy contributor for my reading pleasure.
Bluto,
Just FYI, I’ve met Eric, Sat next to him in the press box multiple times. Sat next to Dick Enberg (who was incredibly nice), Met Vin Scully, been inside the Dodger’s clubhouse multiple times, talked to Orel, interviewed players, once watched a game at the sportsnetLA studios with Orel, Nomar, and John Hartung. Dave Vasseigh, etc. Published and managed multiple sites, including LADR for years. I’ve done a lot of things that you have never done, nor ever will. And I’m a nobody.
Most people on this board haven’t done those things, and the only people here who can understand how difficult it is to manage a blog/site is Jeff, and Bear.
My point here is all I’m asking from you is a little more respect. Have you ever managed or created your own Dodgers site?
Who gives a shit who you have met or sat by?
my daughter goes to school with the children of some of the most successful entrepreneurs that doesn’t improve my business acumen.
Are you attempting to make a quality by the people I know/association argument? That’s not how quality writing works. Don’t be happy knowing these people, be happy writing more like them!
Respect is earned not merited by the company you once kept.
My point is you treat and speak poorly to people who have done more than you in this field. I’ve written thousands of articles over almost 15 years of blogging/writing.
How many have you written?
How many professional baseball teams have you run?
How many professional at bats have you had?
Does experience limit what we can speak about or what opinions we can give?
scott. This is silly and a waste of time.
ignore me and keep telling Dodger fans to enjoy losing! Keep predicting losses from a “fan” POV. Keep up the #firefriedman silliness.
or…. Write stuff that (to me) would add to conversation. That adds well reasoned thoughts. That perpetuates give and take.
its your time, not mine.
No but you’re condescending and rude half the time, and tell me how much my writing and opinions suck, yet you have never written anything nor run a site.
As a baseball writer, my job is to critique baseball players/managers/executives. That’s the point here, And everything Eric said in the article, is what I’ve been saying, (and others here as well). The automatic outs in the lineup every game, the walking wounded, the depleted pitching staff (which happens every year now), Friedman’s lackluster trade deadlines, the poor drafts, etc.
Just be nicer to people in general. I have faith in you that you can do that.
Look.
we are in a circle.
You think your writing is all critique and echoed by other writers.
i think you are mostly performing for attention and reaction.
keep doing what you’re doing! I hope it brings you happiness!
after all, who am I to beg change of someone who met Dick Enberg!
I’m not performing for attention and reaction, but keep being ignorant, condescending, and keep living in an alternate reality, where Dodger losing is wonderful. You are super annoying though. Who am I to argue with your delusions.
Get bent Bluto, please get bent.
Well, I think this went well.
Swimmingly
Do you just follow Bluto around this site and agree with everything he says? Are you his relative or something? His cousin?
YOU ARE PATHETIC
Hey it’s not my fault he’s a delusional egomaniac
Word
Scott,
thanks for the article. This is what many of us have been saying for quite awhile.
upon reflection I think the organization should take a long look at their health department whether it be the conditioning, therapy, rehabbing, training, etc. they should also look at pitchers they are drafting, selecting, and rehabbing. They put a lot of money into players who don’t pan out like Feyereisen, kanle, Duffy, and I could go on and on….you look at the Phillies and their pitchers post such as wheeler, Nola and they are workhorses not just this year.
as far as hitters. They can’t trade Taylor but I have said for awhile keep him play him over biggio, lux, Kiké, outman, Barnes, Heyward, etc if they could replace the others I would keep Taylor. He can play most any position and he is starting to hit with less ks. He could hit a homer or steal a base where the rest have no apparent upside.
trade deadline: who would they trade? They can barely field a 26 man now. I think I am in the camp now of getting Roberts. Injury prone but we are seriously flawed in cf. I would rather have Taylor in cf as pages and outman and that is how desperate we are.
I’ve mentioned the health and training of the roster a number of times. With the amount of injuries the Dodgers accrue in a season, something stinks. A change there might help in the long run.
What does Mark Pryor actually do? Can you or someone else tell me? How much Pryority does he get over Doc when making pitching changes or scheduling the appearances.
Roberts is the big prize among hitters. And he’s a high-quality centerfielder too.
In a straight-up deal, the Dodgers could offer DePaula, Cartaya, Outman, Ward. and a young SP prospect like Huebeck or ??. Outman is the only one with ML experience.
If the ChiSox throw in DeJong (a rental) the Dodgers could return Lux (under control for two more seasons). Lux really needs a change of scenery–to a team that won’t platoon him. If the plan is for Mookie to pay 2B–and I think it is–Lux should be on another team.
And AF can ask about Crochet and Fedde too….
I really want Ryan Ward to get traded to a team that will give him a shot. He’s a stud in OKC but seems totally stuck in the Dodgers organization.
And could Austin Barnes turn an ankle so Hunter Feduccia gets called up?
And why not just DFA Biggio and bring Lipcius up? Or maybe Hoese….
I am up at 5:00 AM sitting in a coffee shop looking at the ocean. Life cannot get better…except if the Dodgers were winning. But as bad as they are playing, it really is not bothering me.
The three games against Philadelphia showed a sharp contrast between the two teams, and right now they are not close. During the three games, they were outscored 5-19. They avoided two shutouts because of the solo HRs from their two big HR bats in the lineup…Cavan Biggio and Gavin Lux. Those were the only two runs they scored in the 1st and 3rd games.
The Dodgers actually had more AB WRISP than did Philadelphia. But the clutch hits…non-existent. LAD – 6-28 (.214), Philly – 9-26 (.346). LAD – 2 HRs, Philadelphia – 7 HRs. This is LAD playoff baseball at its finest.
But that lack of hitting WRISP is not just for three days. For the last 55 games, they are hitting WRISP at a .233 clip. That is not a championship caliber offense.
The Dodgers are down to 4 healthy (???) starting pitchers and three are rookies. James Paxton (The Veteran), Gavin Stone, Landon Knack, and Justin Wrobleski (The Kids). Not a championship caliber starting rotation.
The injured that are “supposedly” coming back at some point after the All Star break:
· Tyler Glasnow
· Walker Buehler
· Yoshinobu Yamamoto
· Clayton Kershaw
· Dustin May
We are always hearing about the vaunted LAD pitching gurus, and yet Buehler is now working through his injury at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida, throwing bullpen sessions there while being in communication with Dodgers’ pitching coaches. How much communication? That is open to conjecture. Curious. Does Buehler not trust the LAD pitching gurus to get him back to pitching competitively? He is on the IL, right? Due to a hip injury, right? And yet he is throwing bullpen sessions in Florida under a non-LAD pitching guru? Curious indeed.
Then there is Bobby Miller. After his second start post rehab, I posited that Miller needed to get back to OKC to work out his problems. I then read by someone who is soooooo much smarter than all of us (or so he says), that I had no knowledge or understanding of why he is up on the 26 man in the first place. Another way of calling me a moron. The reasoning? Mark Prior and Connor McGuinness. Apparently they are the only two who can work out problems for LAD pitchers. Of course last year Gavin Stone re-introduced his 2 seamer back into his repertoire once he got BACK to OKC. Apparently AF/BG also have no knowledge as to why Miller should stay with the 26. I guess someone is not as smart as he thinks he is. And now Buehler is working with non-LAD personnel? Not knowing whether the Dodgers have any interest in re-signing Buehler, but I would guess that he has no desire to re-sign. Otherwise, why is he seeking outside help DURING the season.
One more thing. I keep reading that help is on the way. That the team now is not going to be the same team in August. Absolutely agree. But I am not sure that there are the players/pitchers available out there that can help this team become championship caliber, that AF/BG will spend enough elite prospect capital on. Then again, I am not sure how much elite prospect capital the Dodgers actually have. Garrett Crochet alone will cost a bundle, and he alone is not going to get this team over the top. And AF/BG is not going to spend the prospect capital to get him.
For the last couple of weeks, I have been on the Chris Bassitt train. Very doubtful. I agree with those who say that Zach Eflin is the most likely. Pretty sad when LAD fans are hoping for Zach Eflin, and actually believing he is the answer. I too believe that the Dodgers will be shopping in the Zach Eflin section for the trade deadline, and HOPING that everyone else comes back healthy and that once Mookie and Muncy return, EVERYTHING is going to be just fine. That has been the LAD MO the last two years; wait for the injured to return.
Bye for now.
I think maybe we need another 60 game season with nobody watching. We played .717 ball that year.
I have come to the point where I am not counting on Max for anything for the rest of the year. If he makes it back and is actually productive, I’ll consider it a bonus. With that in mind, AF needs to find himself a good third baseman to step in, preferably someone who could play other positions as well.
I’m conflicted as to whether I think Andrew will pay the price for Crochet, assuming we even have the players to do it. Upside, 3.5 years of control remaining so a high prospect price might be worth it. We could use him in a bullpen role until September and then ramp him up to be a playoff starter. Downside, has already had one TJ surgery. We need starters even more than bullpen guys in the immediate future so why trade for a guy whom you probably won’t use as a starter right away.
I could definitely see Kikuchi in a Dodger uniform by the end of the month, although that certainly wouldn’t be as exciting as Crochet or Skubal.
“AF needs to find himself a good third baseman to step in, preferably someone who could play other positions as well”
Bichette to short. Mookie to second Rojas/Taylor/Kiké to third. A 4 point innings eater (or two) a centerfielder and away we go.
How about Bichette at 3rd, Rojas ss, Mookie 2nd.
Bichette has some experience at 3rd mb not mlb. Rojas is a very good ss. I don’t c him continuing his hitting but revert to his norm. Mookie happier at second. Mb Mookie in center? He said he would do whatever the team needs. He would b better than what we currently have.
I wanna be greedy and get Bichette plus a third baseman. Let Rojas start all around the infield 3 times a week, giving each of the other three guys a day off. And if we need it, he can come in for defensive purposes late in games.
I don’t want CT3 or Kike to be starters on a regular basis.
It took you lo0ng enough with Muncy 😀
The difference between us is that I don’t want to trade him, I just want to be well prepared if he can’t make it back.
Considering his current injury status though, we might have been better off if I’d let you trade him.
I was startled seeing the Phillies playing at home in those baby blue uniforms. Those were always the road uniforms. Come to find out to was 80’s Night or something.
Speaking of uniforms those new Nike uniforms were supposed to be some new magical fabric that whisks away moisture better. All they seem to do is retain moisture and change colors. You get 2 separate colors of gray. I heard players hating on them in spring training.
Whatever the Phillies wear, they are a very good team.
The operative word here is TEAM. There feels like there is a cloud over this Dodger team, right now. The Dodgers are obviously in a major funk and they are not playing like a team. Guys aren’t picking each other up. Nobody picks up even a stray RBI.
If the starting pitching is good, we don’t hit. When we hit, the pitching stinks. Doesn’t it feel like every time a Dodger pitcher made a mistake, the Phillies hit it out.
We don’t make errors, recorded by the scorer, but we don’t make plays.
CT3 juggled the transfer on Trea Turners shot. He wouldn’t have gotten him anyway but another bobbled transfer. Freddie has had unusual bobbles lately and Miggy too.
Lux failed to move his feet quick enough and missed that long hop single to center. I thought it was pretty routine and an error.
Knack tips the come-backer instead of letting it go. Base hit.
Outman misread the flair to center in the 6th.
Another catcher interference by Will.
Teo gets doubled off on the liner to 2nd in the 8th. Orel said he couldn’t help that but I say yes he could. The rule “Freeze on a liner” is wrong. You have to start back and read the liner.
I didn’t see the game that was on Apple TV Wednesday, but I guess both Outman and Pages misplayed deep fly balls.
This is stuff that doesn’t show up in a box score but it’s death by papercuts. It is NOT winning baseball.
Meanwhile Johan Rojas made a super catch in left center that looked like an old Mickey Mantle backhand catch. He went a mile for that catch.
I dislike openers. I guess, in theory, the idea is to squeak an inning out of a relief pitcher to extend starters night when he comes in? I don’t get the math here. Why not start the starter and have the guy who was the “opener” just pitch in relief later, in his typical role? Maybe it’s a handicap system, like golf or bowling. We can start a game giving up a run from Banda bring in Knack who gives up a bomb first hitter, and we can settle in, 2 runs down.
To me, this is all over-managing. It’s making moves because you can, not because you need to. It’s not just the Dodgers. Too many GM’s and Managers want to re-invent how the game is played. Maybe they all need to get out of the way and let the players decide the games.
And Nike just make normal uniforms.
I think the reason for opening with Banda yesterday (although I don’t agree with it) was that two of their first three hitters are lefties. They wanted Banda to face Schwarber and Harper that extra time instead of Knack. Exactly the type of move that Doc loves, to show us he understands the nuances of the game.
I don’t like it because you then place a starter in the position of becoming a reliever. Starters have definite routines before games and this maneuver throws everything off.
Of course, we probably wouldn’t be discussing this now if it had worked. But these days, very little works.
On to the draft and the deadline! We now have the Phillies thinking the can roll right over us. We have them where we want them for the post season.
As Badger pointed out, that article by Eric Stephen, posted by Scott, just stated what many of us here had been expounding for some time now.
The stats on out bottom feeder are worth looking at again:
And this doesn’t include Heyward or Barnes.
That’s friggin amazing especially that they’ve accounted for 22.2 percent of all Dodgers plate appearances this season.
Great post Jeff Dominique. You got right to the heart of the problem that many of us were seeing prior to the recent ass-whuppins. I think Beuhler seeking help away from the team speaks volumes.
Analyzing the groups above, what do you suppose Andre Lipcius and Kody Hoese are thinking. If there was ever a time where it would seem they could get an opportunity, it would be now.
Instead they are overlooked are perceived to be not ready for MLB. When, if ever, will they be “ready”. I realize AF loves veterans is our AAA position players just filling out rosters?
But, Outman has been a poor role-model. He was raking in AAA, got called back up, got a hit and then struck out 6 times in a row, and counting.
Good explanation STB. But even if it worked, I’d still be discussing it. I dislike it for the exact reason you pointed out.
The Phillies have to know that the dodger team they would face come October is not the one that they just swept. Or, hopefully not.
Maybe they’ll be so excited to see those Dodger Blues in October that they won’t realize half the roster has changed.
If you believe Friedman will go out and get multiple difference makers.
Looking at all this calmly (if we can) the Dodgers are navigating thru a rough patch of injury and poor play. Okay, most teams go thru this during the season, just ask the Yankees and Braves. The key is how they keep everything together until the cavalry arrives in the persons of Betts, Muncy, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Kershaw, and even Miller and Buehler. That’s a lot of players missing right now. I do not expect AF to make a kneejerk reaction by selling the farm for more of what he already has, so my guess is most of the names being bandied about aren’t coming. The seven game lead in their division should be plenty of cushion to weather the storm. Patience grasshoppers!
You’ve listed 7 names. We don’t really know what the front office knows and/or is thinking about those players being able to contribute in the 2024 post season.
We know we can’t believe anything they tell us with regard to when a player is expected back (and maybe more importantly how much that player will be able to contribute when he returns), but AF will make his decisions based on what he is thinking rather than any PR he is putting out to the fans.
Maybe missing the playoffs would be a good thing for this organization. They have made it for 11 years straight. Missing one might shake up the ownership enough to see that all is not rosy in Dodgerland. You spend over 1 billion dollars and then it all falls apart? Of course, the injury to key players has a lot to do with it. Not having great fallback options has a lot to do with it too. Some of AF’s trades are real head scratchers. I could never understand why he brought both Kike and Kelly back last year. Kike hasn’t been good in a couple of years. Yes, he played better once he came to the Dodgers, but this year. He just does not look like the same guy. Kelly has always been an enigma. I have to believe that the only way they got Lynn was if they took Kelly too. There are going to be a lot of disgruntled fans if they make an early playoff exit again this year.
If they took Kelly to get Lynn then they shouldn’t have re-signed him. Lynn is gone but Kelly remains. Kiké is a fan favorite and I believe he sold AF that he is healthy now so his game would improve. Plus, unlike Kelly he is cheap as salaries go.
Apparently AF overvalued Lux. I think he thought he would be much better as a hitter as I did. We knew Barnes was a bad hitter but he is atrocious in throwing which devalues him even more. I don’t think he expected Heyward, Taylor, and Outman would be as bad as they have been. I think he believes in Vargas as a hitter but like Busch where can he play on defense? Pitching wise I believe he was counting on Sheehan and Hurt to be helpful. Used kid gloves on Yamamoto n he got hurt anyway. Who would have thought Miller would be this bad? He had 11ks to open the season. Looked like he might challenge to b the number 1.
i don’t c how AF can turn it around. Too many holes. Definitely been some overvaluing of players but some misfortune that no one could have expected. We will get in the playoffs because everybody does seemingly. He can make some changes but we have to get healthy. some players we have are going to have to play better. If things do even out then we have a huge streak to look forward to.
Remember during last years preseason how much money the Mets spent on pitching? How did that work out for them? Checkbook championships aren’t all that common.
Adding an Ace won’t help much if the IL list doesn’t shrink. And there is no guarantee that new Ace will last through the post season.
BTW, Outman wasn’t measurably worse than the top 5 hitters in the lineup against Phillies.
My priority remains for a 3rd baseman.
How about Isaac Paredes Fred? Rays might be willing to let him go for the right price. Arb eligible starting this winter so he’ll start costing more.
Plays all over the infield. Good fielding numbers at third. Solid hitter.
Trade proposal: Kopp, Ramos, Cartaya to Tampa for Randy Arozarena.
Is this your idea, Bear, or did you see it online somewhere?
I highly doubt the Rays would go for this.
I think they’re going to want MLB ready player(s) if they trade Arozarena.
Cartaya has been bad for the past two years and after a decent start at OKC is now leveling out there as well. He’s nowhere close to being ready, if ever.
Kopp is walking as many guys as he strikes out and has a WHIP of almost 2.00.
Ramos has basically no trade value.
I’m guessing they would ask for something like Vargas or Pages, and Knack at the minimum. Maybe Ferris or Wrobleski instead of Knack.
Not saying AF would necessarily do a deal like that but he might do the Knack setup if he was bringing in another couple of starters from somewhere.
Was proposed on Google Sports. I thought it was doable.
I look at the Dodgers starters on the IL and presume that Glasnow will be back and at least one of the others (Kershaw, Yamamoto, Buehler). I expect that Stone either has or will hit the rookie wall. I expect for Paxton’s arm to fall off and he’s no better than a 5th starter at this point anyway. No one knows if Miller is hurt or suddenly has forgotten how to pitch. Thing will improve with the return of a couple of the big dogs but they still need a good starter – but one without an innings limit like Crochet or isn’t fragile like Flaherty. I personally like Erick Fedde.
The travails of the bottom of the order is well known. The millions of utility infielders aren’t getting it done. I agree with those who suggest that Rojas and Betts will be the keystone duo for the end of the season, obviating the need for Lux. Maybe Muncy will be back, maybe not. None of Taylor, Hernandez, or Biggio inspire confidence. Do they go get a 3B?
I believe a more critical need is in the OF. They have Hernandez but no one else that can be relied upon. Not a fan of the eggshell CF, Luis Robert. Arozarena has a track record in the post-season and has started hitting of late. Yeah, he’s a bad defensive OF. Maybe Taylor Ward? Maybe Winker as the lefty side of an OF platoon?
Some interesting content out there WRT the Dodgers:
1, The latest Baseball Prospectus podcast starts with quite a bit on the Dodgers. Not overly positive, but interesting. The Dodgers are really putting to the test how much one doesn’t have to care about the regular season.
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/podcasts/episode-389-snakes-on-a-game/
2, Kiley McDaniel has a new mock draft ($$$$)
https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/40539871/2024-mlb-mock-draft-30-kiley-mcdaniel-predicts-top-picks
Kash Mayfield, LHP, Elk City (Oklahoma) HS
Mayfield has long been tied here, with a couple of spots above and below this pick as potential landing spots.
3, Speaking of podcasts, the latest BaseBall America podcast takes a GREAT look at what to expect from MLB drafts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-can-you-expect-from-your-teams-draft/id201539011?i=1000662039318
For example:
“in a normal draft year, how many hitters reach the majors? What’s the average per team?
Like, so if you had one hitter reach the majors from a draft, I would assume that that’s a bad draft. But what about if you got five to reach the majors out of that draft? Is that a all time draft?”
“Well, over the span of that 2012 to 2023 time period, so far, the Houston Astros have graduated the most position player draftees to the majors during that span with 39 total players, okay?”
4, Fangraphs first Mock:
Pick: Kellon Lindsey, SS/CF, Hardee HS (FL)
There are also some prep arms who check the Dodgers’ usual boxes (undersized, athletic dudes with fastball ride and a good breaking ball) like Braylon Doughty and perhaps Ryan Sloan, but Lindsey’s upside is too big to let him slide any further, especially with San Diego lurking a few picks behind and looking for a Trea Turnermulligan.
5, @Dodgers Digest Bruce Kurtz takes a pretty comprehensive look at the upcoming draft from an LAD perspective:
Including:
RHP Brody Brecht, 21, Iowa
Standing 6-foot-4 with massive stuff, Brecht is the easy connection to make when it comes to the Dodgers’ track record. His fastball touches 100 mph and his slider is filthy, forcing a whiff rate north of 50% this spring. As is the case with many stuff-first arms, Brecht struggled with command throughout his collegiate career, an issue that adds relief risk to his profile.
Interesting stuff, thanks.
I wonder if Jeff D has an opinion on who he’d prefer we take. He’s done it before, and looking back, Jeff’s picks would’ve been much better than the guys we took instead.
Well, I would DEFINITELY rather have Bichette than Lux RN.
And that pitcher he liked last year? Looks also like a hit (PUN)
I mean can you imagine if we had taken Gunner Henderson and Volpe, instead of Hoese and Busch??
Henderson doesn’t bother me because the team had him highly ranked.
they did the work, just bad break and went with the other highly ranked one.
Dodgers win!! Nobody can stop Barnes u can only hope to contain him!!
Austin was clutch tonight for sure. Little shaky in the ninth, but Hudson got out of it. Petersen is our new VULTURE. Swooped in and got his third win.