There has been a lot of talk about the outfield in LA. Teo and Pages are set, and both are playing well. Michael Conforto on the other hand is not playing up to what the Dodgers expected when they gave him 17 mil for one year. Pages has played well in center after getting off to a slow start defensively and on offense. But most agree, he is better suited as a corner outfielder. Kike, Edman and Kim can all back him up, but none of those guys are what one might consider, an everyday CF. Each brings good defense. Kim has speed, not much power, and we have yet to see how he fares against the better arms in the league.
Edman’s value comes with his versatility, much like Kike. Edman also is a switch-hitter, so no need to pull him late in games. Outman would have been perfect in center except for his struggles with the bat. Had he come anywhere close to hitting like he did his rookie season, he would be on the team. My personal thought is that they need a pure CF out there. Someone like Grisham. Decent power, and a great glove. But that isn’t going to happen.
Many fans on some of the Dodger blogs want Robert Jr. He has regressed badly. He is now hitting just .177. That after a short spurt almost got him over .200. His OPS + is 58. Cedric Mullins is on the IL. He could be a deadline target of the Dodgers. He is a slight upgrade with the bat, but definitely a great glove to have in center. But I seem to think LA will be hunting pitching. That will only change if some of the arms on the IL start coming back.
Even Bellinger was not a pure CF. He was moved there from first base. But once he got out there, he flourished. At this point in the season, rumors of moves are beginning to fill the media. Some are totally without any merit. Others, well, make your own judgements. Jeff Passan has reported that one of the possible teams selling players off might be the Red Sox. Of note on the Sox roster are two highly desirable outfielders, Jerran Duran and Wilyer Abreu. Duran is a pure CF. His numbers from last season are down across the board. His OPS has dropped 100 points, and he has not shown the same power so far. But in LA’s loaded lineup, he just might flourish.
The other young outfielder mentioned by Passan as a possible trade chip is Abreu. Abreu has been playing RF most of the time, but he could easily move to CF with his speed. Hitting .246 at this point in the year, he has 13 homers already, just 2 shy of his career high of 15 last year. He turns 26 on the 24th of this month, thus adding some youth to the aged Dodgers. Boston needs young pitching, and LA has a ton of that in the minors. They might even be able to unload some other non-prospects.
At this point in time, just what moves AF/Gomes might be contemplating would be pure speculation on anyone’s part. But the fact remains that since that 8-0 start, LA is no better than a .500 team. The pitching is in shambles, and almost daily adjustments to the pitching staff have been happening for quite some time. The offense revolves around 5 guys, with some bench players becoming a little more consistent if that offense is going to be hitting on all cylinders.
Yes, the Dodgers have the #1 offense in the majors, but with the pitching staff the way it is right now, they need to score in bunches to win. If they are going to beat teams like the Mets, Phillies and Padres, their pitching is going to have to improve. And the starters are going to need to go deeper. The bullpen is stretched thin, and the two most effective pitchers down there are rookies. Casparius is becoming the most reliable RH arm down there. Dreyer has pitched very well.
At some point, LA is going to have to give guys like Frasso, Wrobleski, and even Bobby Miller, a shot at helping. Just my take at this point. One thing about AF, he keeps things to himself. He will surprise you with his choices. All we fans can do is sit back and watch. Last night’s game looked like it was going to be another train wreck, blowing a 4-1 lead and being shut down by another mediocre pitcher. But Max and Freddie saved them. And Scott finally looked like the pitcher they thought they signed.
They saved the train wreck for tonight. Offense, defense, and Loutos were lousy.
Henriquez with a 1-2-3 inning at OKC last night. Looked good . Good velo and location.He and Kopech should be up soon.
Bobby Miller with a solid outing but the BBs keep hurting him. Just too much traffic all the time against him often followed by the one big hit that ruins his start.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!11111
Center fielders are not born to play CF. No such thing as a ‘true’ centerfielder. You learn the position and you adapt to its needs like everything else in life. Repetition and survival can work hand in hand for success.
But where is this thought of a true CF coming from. Are you unhappy with Pages? If you are, why aren’t you unhappy with Muncy at 3B? All eyes should be on Conforto right now. He got lost in transition. No one should be allowed to be this bad for so long.
Given that Ruiz is in LA suggests that the Dodgers are moving on from Outman. Whether he plays will depend on whether Edman is put on the IL.
Right now, with the current condition of the pitching staff, the Dodgers need to go
“total Badger” in order to give them a chance to win. The recent loses to mediocre pitchers certainly doesn’t help their cause.
Patience, which was the theme yesterday, is what we must rely on right now. If the pitchers can’t get healthy soon then there is no way this team can be successful in the postseason let alone win a championship. I can’t see AF trading for anymore starting pitching at the trade deadline. With so many starters on the IL and their return timeline questionable it puts AF in a difficult position. Damn if you do and damn if your don’t. Same with the BP.
Many of us have spent much of the season piling on the deserved criticism of Michael Conforto. It seemed like a rational signing at the time. I was good with it. AF was putting together a “super team” so why not? He had a good year in 2024 with the Giants. It was noted it could have been better once he got out of the Giants ballpark where he hit .216 with no power. It made sense in that he only hit three of his 20 HRs there. Well, apparently, Conforto doesn’t like to hit at Dodger Stadium or anywhere else this season. So, the question is “what to do with Conforto?” Right now, put him on the bench as a PH. Kim should be playing everyday. Put him at 2B, Edman is CF, and Pages in LF. With the pitching in the state it’s in, the Dodgers can’t afford to play Conforto on a regular basis. The Conforto experiment has ended at the end of the runway in a pile of rubble. Move on. Of course, after this analysis he’ll probably go off tor the rest of the season. And, I’m good with that!
Carry on.
The Mets pitching is the best in MLB. They are built to hang in with anybody. The Dodgers see another good starter again today – Peterson, 2.69 ERA
You know who has the second best pitching in MLB? The giants. SD is 8th. Dodgers 22nd. The dbacks and Rockies are below us. Yay!
Stating the obvious again, this team will have to score to play .500 ball. When the pitching staff is ranked 22nd it would be difficult for most teams to play winning baseball. If you look at those teams below league average in pitching, only the Blue Jays and the Dodgers are above .500.
Maybe we should stop walking Soto and start walking Alonso
If the Red Sox are taking bids for Abreu or Duran, the Dodgers should at least be kicking the tires.
It’s a little surprising to me that AF, who loved Kiermeier, didn’t go after perennial gold glove contender Harrison Bader last winter and targeted Conforto instead. The Twins got Bader for about $10 million less than the Dodgers are paying Conforto. Bader’s bat is also working this season, with a .792 OPS including a .357 OBP.
Oh well.
Bob Nightengale reported that the Dodgers are shopping for left-handed bat. I assume they mean a lefty swinging bat to replace Conforto.
It’s not like the Dodgers are lacking in lefty swingers: Shohei, Freddie, Max, Conforto, Kim, Rushing–and Edman is a switch hitter.
I’d prefer that Outman, who also bats lefty, get another shot; he is probably the best CF defender on the 40-man roster, perhaps the best in the entire system. I’d also be pleased if Ryan Ward, also a lefty batter, came up to play LF with Pages remaining in in center.
Pages, I think, has improved a lot in CF, but Outman is a cut above.
Looks like we’ll see Esteury Ruiz soon. He certainly has speed. If he can get on base and play solid defense, he could stick.
I remain interested in Mullin and Robert Jr, despite the latter’s dreadful stats. Either would be an upgrade over Conforto. If Robert Jr replaced Conforto as the weak link in the lineup, the Dodgers would at least get better defense, more speed and youth.
If the Dodgers can fix Robert Jr, fantastic. If not, move on.
One of the Dodgers possible pitching targets is out for 8-12 weeks as Pablo Lopez went on the IL with a major strain in his throwing shoulder. According to MLBTR, MLB is going to propose a challenge system for next season. I prefer the electronic K zone. Too many bad calls on strikes and balls.
Up next….
Knack pitching, and this is the posted lineup:
Freddie is having a “scheduled day off.” and Edman is back, suggesting his injury isn’t so bad (which is bad news for Esteury Ruiz)….
Conforto gets another chance
Kim remains absent again–and I haven’t seen an explanation as to why.
I’d prefer that that both Kim and Rushing play, with Conforto and Rojas sitting on the bench.
Rushing has a lot of 1B experience, and Kike could shift to 3B.
(Why doesn’t Doc call me about this stuff?)
Prediction: Freddie comes off the bench in the 9th to hit a walk-off slam.
When will Mookie become a superstar again?
Patience.
Lovely to see Conforto patrolling left field again, he said sarcastically.
As I have mentioned previously, Conforto was a celebrated amateur player, on the USA National Team, an All-American at Oregon State, and the 10th overall draft pick in 2014. He got to the show the very next year as he raced through the minor leagues, hitting .270 in 58 games with the Mets.
He had some nice years with the Mets but never quite became the hitter they had hoped for.
He missed 2022 with shoulder surgery and signed with the Giants for 2 years at $38 million. He hit .238 as a Giant.
Now .165 for us.
So since 2022, Michael has hit .226 with a 28% strikeout rate. That is in over 1000 at bats. That’s his production, yet the Dodgers and Giants have paid him $48 million.
I want that job.
He’s on the express elevator to the basement and I see no reason for significant hope. Geez some hopeful fans celebrate him contacting the baseball.
We’ll see how long AF puts up with this. He’s a dead man walking.
Right now he’s a pull-hitter (except for a weak fly to left last night) with NO pop.
Put Edman in center, with Teo and Pages at the corners, and stay with that for a few days.
And while we’re at it, stop the revolving door at 2nd. We don’t need 4 second basemen sharing time. That position seems to be a black hole for the Dodgers again like it was before Lux. Versatility is valuable as will as splits, but so is a more predictable, set lineup. But I’be been skiing that for years and it ain’t never gonna happen. It’s not the Dodger way.
But is seems the one thing we can count on is Conforto in the lineup in left every friggin day.
I cannot remember seeing 4 Dodgers prospect win best pitcher/player in their respective leagues in the same month. But for May 2025, the Dodgers did just that.
Patrick Copen was promoted to Double-A this week and will make his Tulsa debut on Friday, but his parting gift was winning Midwest League player of the month. Copen compiled a 1.59 ERA in five starts, with 44 strikeouts (a 40.4-percent rate) in 28.1 IP. With 11 walks, he still needs to work on his control.
Eduardo Quintero was added to Baseball America’s updated top-100 prospects list this week after wreaking havoc in Low-A Rancho Cucamonga all season. He won California League player of the month after a ridiculous May, hitting .391/.477/.718 with a 214 wRC+, 10 doubles, six home runs, four triples, 15 stolen bases, 28 RBI, and 26 runs scored in 26 games.
Another Rancho Cucamonga Quakes player, Christian Zazueta, was named California League pitcher of the month. In six starts he had a 1.80 ERA (30 IP). Remarkably for the Dodgers, Christian led the Cal League in IP. He also led in strikeouts per nine innings (9.3), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.2).
The Arizona Complex League also honored a Dodgers prospect. Another potential CF prospect, 18-year-old Ching-Hsien Ko, started hot in Arizona and has not slowed even a little bit, and was thus named Arizona Complex League player of the month. In 20 games Ko slashed .455/.548/.667/1.215 with a 212 wRC+, nine doubles, a home run, and a triple. He scored 17 runs with 16 RBI.
Maybe it is time to cut the cord with 2 of Chris Newell, Ezequiel Pagan, Jose Ramos, and/or Damon Keith and begin promoting Zyhir Hope and Josue De Paula from GL to Tulsa, Quintero from RC to GL, and Ko from ACL to RC. BTW, Sirota has been reinstated from the 7-day IL, and IMO he is also knocking on Tulsa’s door.
Why would you throw anything but off speed low and away to Ohtani?
Now we know why Landon Knack should nibble
When I saw Conforto name in the lineup today vs this tough leftie, I knew right away that his leash is about to expire.
This is Doc’s way of getting him one last 7-10day stretch to prove he should be playing. If he continues to not perform by June 15ish, I think then he’s done, and then somebody else gets his job.
And Conforto is one of the two lefties in the lineup against Peterson? What? Please AF, make the pain go away!
Conforto with the big bit.
Scott with the save.
what will the reaction be here?
as Chad Moriyama writes:
Dodgers going 7-6 against the Mets, Guardians, Yankees, and Mets with this pitching staff is basically a miracle.
Michael Conforto has asked me to convey his thanks for all the support he’s gotten here.
He was delighted to justify your confidence in him by knocking in the winning run today.
He also wants to let you know that based on that hit he and Andrew are working on a 3 year extension which they hope to announce before tomorrow’s game.
For sure, major props to Conforto for the clutch game winning hit and Tanner Scott for now back to back appearances showing his big time stuff.
Huge win today, and I agree, 7-6 vs those teams with starters averaging like 4ip per game is mind boggling
Take that all YOU Conforto bashers! Michael, I’ve always had your back!