Watching Ohtani, the last few days hit so many monster homers, really makes me look back at some of the longest I have ever seen hit. The two I saw Stargell hit out of Dodger Stadium in the 70’s stand out. Mantle supposedly hit one 565 feet at old Griffith Stadium.
I heard Vin call a game in Philadelphia where Howard hit the light tower above the left field stands. Vin said it was still climbing when it hit. I saw a video of Kirk Gibson almost blasting one out of old Tiger Stadium. But Stargell’s were by far the longest shots I ever saw in person.
Tatis hit one over the left-field pavilion in a televised game. I remember going to a Dodgers-Phillies game that featured one of the most power filled BP’s I have ever seen. Schmidt and Luzinski hit several shots deep into the left-field pavilion.
I watched Frank Howard hit a shot off of Whitey Ford in the 63 series that landed in the loge deck of Dodger Stadium. It went right down the line. I haven’t seen anyone come close to replicating that shot.
Back when Hanley Ramirez was with LA, he hit a ball at Coors that landed on the walkway above the left field stands. I also saw McMahon hit one to right that hit off of the facing of the third deck in right at Coors. Piazza clearing the bullpen in left and the ball landing on the walkway out there.
But I have never seen one player hit so many massive homers in one season. Of the 10 longest homers by a Dodger this season, Ohtani has 7 of them. And we are not even 80 games in yet and the hottest part of the season is a couple weeks away.
Let’s face it, we all really dig the long ball, but we all also realize, there needs to be more to the offense than just pure power. Vin’s homer call was pretty simple, she is gone! Drew Goodman actually has a decent HR call, take a good look, you won’t see it for long.
Giants’ announcer, Jon Miller, Adios pelota. Tim Prince would call homers over the left field wall at Forbes with, get upstairs there Aunt Minnie and open a window. Joe Davis, well I can’t think of him using any one call.
Back in 1998, during the McGwire/Sosa race, I was at the game where McGwire hit one over the pavilion roof in LF.
He hit the ball so high and so far, I couldn’t even see it for a second, but I saw the centerfielder Devon White take a couple of steps and just stop and stare high into the air.
As a kid I too saw Frank Howard hit a laser beam home run down the left field line and land in the loge seats. All I remember is it was against the Cubs. Probably in ‘63 or ‘64. It was hit so hard it only took about two seconds to leave the yard. They didn’t do home run distances in those days so I have no idea how far it actually went, but the loge seats are a long way out there.
I’ve seen several long home runs from a number of players. I saw Frank Howard hit a shot into the second deck, similar to what Bear described, though it wasn’t in a playoff game. The seats he hit were empty and the sound it made was as if an M80 went off. I also saw Piazza put on a one man show in batting practice that was one 400’ shot after another as he was aiming for the pavilion roof in left field. He came close, but none went out. A lot of oohs and has from those of us watching the show.
One of the most memorable displays of power I ever saw happened on Field 2 at Camelback. Puig and Ethier got into a friendly match of home run power that I’ll never forget. Puig went first, hitting 3 over the fence in left, then center, then right. Ethier stepped in and matched him. Then Puig went left, center, right, right, center, left and Ethier followed but missed center on his second round and Puig danced around laughing in victory. They were both laughing and clearly enjoyed the moment as they knew they had just put on a show those few of us who witnessed it would never forget. Timmons might have been there that day. Not sure about that. We met up a couple times at Camelback.
It was not a long homer, but in BP one time when I was at Dodger Stadium, Howard hit a line drive into the pavilion that broke one of those 2X4s they used as a back rest in those days.
Just for grins and giggles, look up Vargas history of hitting right handed pitching in the minors. To save some of you the time he hit.298 and his .OPS was.998. He deserves and honest chance without a broken hand.
Thanx for bringing that up. I dont know why the dodgers all of a sudden see him just as a lefty killer. I rather see him up vs RHP than CT3 or Kike.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!
That being said, it is not the opinion at this point in time of the people who run the team. There has to be some reason we do not know of why the Dodgers are not playing him against all comers. I have no clue because he is immediately out of the game as soon as a righty comes in. Kike and Taylor get the ABs because of experience. Taylor isn’t horrible against RHP. Kike hits about .29 points lower against RHP.
Great stats, thanks for posting!
Reggie Jackson at the all star game in Detroit
That was a mammoth shot. There is a legend about Ruth that he hit a ball that traveled 30 miles. It is actually true. He hit a homer that landed on a freight train. It was found in Baltimore, 30 miles away. Ruth supposedly hit a ball 600 feet in a spring training game.
What is Bear’s opinion on the Home Run Derby? Fun or contrived?
It is fun to watch. Some say it affects those who participate in the second half because they are trying so hard to hit bombs. It is notable that no Dodger has ever won the thing. Pederson came close, lasting into the Championship round. It is baseball’s version of the NBA and NHL’s skills competition. Congrats to Carolina on their first Stanley Cup. Hard to watch the Celtic’s raise another trophy. Oh, it was pointed out to me that the Panthers reside in Florida. Miami to be exact. Sorry, I am not a hockey fan.
So I was at the 2022 HR contest at Dodger Stadium. As a fan, it’s fantastic to watch these guys just crush the ball so high and so far.
And before one hr lands somewhere, 450′ away, the pitcher has already thrown another pitch and and another ball starts its own 400′ flight to the LF pavilion.
Fantastic entertaining event.
CAROLINA??!?!?!?
You mean Florida!
I know we West Coast elitists think the American Southeast is one big wasteland, but….
Joking, yet… Sheeesh.
I got them confused with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse Me!!!
More importantly, thank you to the CAROLINA Panthers for making that fantastic trade with the Bears!!
Now, we have Caleb Williams and DJ Moore while Carolina is horrendous.
Rosenthal reports Dodgers have “interest” in both Crochet and Robert, but Robert may be removed from the market because his value is low and dropping.
The White Sox have the worst record in baseball. Yet, the Dodgers have been linked to 4 players on the team (Pham, DeJong, Robert and Chocet) in order to improve the team. Hmm.
This speaks more to the paucity of “sellers” given the league-wide mediocrity and the expanded playoffs.
As the owners intended.
Exactly. There are haves and have nots, I happen to reside in the latter category.
All Robert needs is 2-3 hot weeks and his value will zoom right back up. I expect him to be traded.
Word is out that the White Sox are having their scouts pay careful attention to the farm systems of the Mariners, Padres and Dodgers. Padres and Dodgers could have interest in both Robert and Crochet. Mariners probably just Robert.
“While Friedman will certainly kick the tires on players with multiple teams, is it possible this year’s deadline features a one-stop shop?”
Former major league general manager Jim Bowden, writing in The Athletic, seems to think a megatrade is possible between the Dodgers and the majors’ worst team: the Chicago White Sox. Here’s the proposal Bowden put forth:Advertisement
If Andrew has always had a crush on Jr and now has a chance to get him, coupled with a Top 5 pitcher, he might very well do this deal. I think it’s all a matter of how much he factors in the injuries (past and possible future).
I definitely think that a deal for Robert Jr would include Pages. The Sox would be nuts not to insist on including him.
I also think that they would start the conversation by asking for DePaula, an ask that I would hope AF would refuse.
Here’s a link to an article by Mike Petriello on 10 teams who could use Jr and why they might or might not get him. My money is on the Phillies and Dumbrowski.
10 teams that could target Luis Robert Jr. (mlb.com)
I handicapped the Phillies a couple of weeks ago because of Rojas and Castellanos, and yes because of Dombrowski. Dombrowski is not afraid to make a deal to put his team in a position to win it all. His resume includes 4 different organization rosters reaching the WS 4 times (Florida, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia). His teams won twice (Florida and Boston). Philadelphia needs a MLB CF and Robert fills that need. The Phillies have 5 top 100 prospects to the LAD 2. Dombrowski can put together a better package than LAD. That would worry me if they were more interested in Crochet, but they prefer Robert, Jr.
Atlanta seems to be focusing on Lane Thomas. They have enough MiLB talent to acquire him if they believe he is the answer. He actually looks to be an excellent platoon partner with Jarred Kelenic.
St. Louis is interested in Crochet and Pham.
San Diego is interested in Crochet and RH shutdown reliever.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Padres have narrowed their priority at the trade deadline down. The team is looking for a right-handed shutdown reliever to help solidify the bullpen.
“While the team is pursuing the White Sox’s Crochet and other starters, a shutdown right-handed reliever is the top priority for general manager A.J. Preller, according to sources briefed on his discussions,” Rosenthal wrote. “In theory, a Crochet-Michael Kopech package could make sense. But additional relievers will become available as the deadline nears, potentially lowering the prices.”
While Baltimore can beat any offer the Dodgers put forth for elite SP, Mike Elias has said he is not interested in depleting the O’s prospects.
Crochet is there, will AF buy?
My money is on Crochet.
Watching Joey Gallo take BP was a sight. One moon-shot after the other.
Hey gang, how about some props for Crochet’s opposite number last night, Mr. Paxton.
No one in his right mind would take Paxton over Crochet if the price was equal but Paxton has been a huge asset for us this year and really is pretty much being ignored. He’s 7-1 and, unlike a great number of our other starters, has avoided injury. Last night, he pretty much matched Crochet’s performance and kept us even so that we could win the game once Crochet was removed. Even if he didn’t pitch another inning for us this year, it was a worthwhile signing.
Three cheers for the Big Maple.
Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip, hip, leg, arm, back….
It’s not sustainable – right? He can’t possibly keep this pace up through November.
He might not be able to sustain anywhere near this performance level even through July, hence my comment about its having been a decent signing even if he now falls apart.
I thought Paxton was an excellent FA signing at the time, and I am not changing my mind. He is not going to win a CY Award, but he has to be the best #5 out there. And he moves up every time one of the others go on the IL and does not disappoint.
Paxton is very un-Dodger-like in the fact that he throws more BBs than any other pitcher in my Dodger memory.
There has been a lot of angst exhibited towards the bottom of the lineup, and admittedly rightly so. But just like a lot of baseball, it can be cyclical, and lately the bottom of the order has been excellent. I did not hear the exact stat of how many games total, but it was reported that the LAD bottom three in the order have MLB’s top OPS over the last XXXX games.
I did my own calculations over the last 10 games (from KC series).
On Monday, Teoscar was not available, and Jason Heyward was in the #9 spot against a tough LHP. J-Hey would not have been in the game and Vargas (Lux) would have been in the #7 spot. But for the bottom 3 in the lineup calculation I did include him. But to acknowledge that Vargus (and Lux) would have been in the #7 spot, I also included them. So yeah, I took a little liberty since they are considered “automatic outs”, and it is my calculation, and I can do with it as I please. 😄
For the last 10 games, the bottom 3 are 31-110 (.282). That also does not take into consideration the positive ABs Lux and J-Hey had that moved runners to 3rd with less than 2 outs on Monday.
I readily acknowledge that the trend will also cyclically reverse as will Will Smith’s numbers. These are MLB hitters and are capable of hitting in MLB even if they are not All Stars.
Individually (See Chart below):
I would not at any time include Pages in a deal for Robert. I just do not trust that he will ever be totally healthy and play consecutive full seasons.
I did not suggest that the Dodgers include Pages in a trade for Robert Jr. I am not in favor of acquiring Robert Jr. I seem to be in the minority. There are more current reports that has CWS pulling Robert from the trade list because the return is too low.
Although I commented on a possible trade for Robert above, I also would rather we not go after him.
That said, if we do decide to go after him I’m sure the Sox would want an outfielder in the package. They’ll ask for DePaula first but I don’t see AF doing that. Next ask would be Pages. They aren’t going to ask for Teo, JHey or probably even Outman. They’ll want someone with lots of control that they can put in their outfield now. Pages seems to be that guy.
Maybe that kills the deal, but I’m guessing if Andrew is gung-ho for Robert, he’ll give them Pages. Most of us agree the risk is too great but we don’t make those decisions.
Not a fan of trading for Robert Jr you just can’t count on him being healthy even though he has a team friendly contract. Definitely a fan of Crochet. The cost of Robert Jr would be better spent in my mind for Bo Bichette. He might not even be as expensive as Robert Jr. I’m still not convinced that AF goes big, just a bullpen arm no one expected kinda like Chris Martin. Maybe a bat like Winker or Pham.
I would consider Pages for Robert Jr.. I would consider Vargas or DePaula too. Robert Jr is 27 year old 4-5 WAR centerfielder. Pages may get there, but he isn’t there yet and frankly I don’t see him as à centerfielder. DePaula is years away.
For sure. Pages is doing quite well and I have no doubts that he will continue to improve. Even Vargas is looking good these days.
Will Smith is in a nose dive. Hopefully, he’ll pull out of it some time soon.
Smith has a stretch like this every year. He is a hitter, he will find it again. He hit some shots that were caught.
I know that it is a pay wall, but if any out there subscribe to the Athletic, here is an excellent story on Mark Prior.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5588893/2024/06/25/greenberg-mark-priors-second-tour-in-baseball-is-going-great-as-dodgers-pitching-coach/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=343446
Can you summarize for those not willing to pay?
I will go back and read it and summarize. Good article.
Not my favorite question, FWIW.
For those interested as to why Teoscar was gone on Monday and out of the lineup tonight:
https://x.com/MikeDiGiovanna/status/1805717814398816314
At least this will give Miguel Vargas a chance at hitting a RHP, even though Chris Flexen is not a top of the rotation RHP. Hope he goes 4-4.
Well, it is almost secure that I will be in a minority, but I was not impressed by Crochet. With his funky delivery and pitches combo, he had been effective lately. Then, with his history of injuries, you are just adding a new kid in the block. But the real issue is, let’s supposed we indeed get him and Kershaw slowly get in shape and is ready in the playoffs. And here come this game that Doc has to decide between Crochet and Kershaw, what do you think will happen?
Crochet would fill a real need at this time. Pitching is our weak link.
And Miller looks awful out of the gate. He’s working too hard to last very long.
The Dodgers (via Roberts) widely acknowledged how poorly his rehab starts went, but they still put him right back into the lineup.
They have such a lead, perhaps they think they can let him refind his groove at the MLB level with little downside?
Maybe?
Yeah, maybe. His starts were against less than teams, the Rockies and the White Sox. Will they do it again? I suspect not.
Either Bobby Miller is still injured or he has temporarily lost it. He needs to go back to OKC to work on his pitchability. For all those who do not want to trade for a starting pitcher, do you still feel comfortable in believing that Miller is sound?
Include Buehler with him.
The Dodgers primary need at this point is starting pitching. And I mean healthy starting pitching. I would think they need at least one starter at the deadline, a back of the bullpen arm, and some depth on the bench who can actually hit the ball.
Not sure I understand this need for the back of the bullpen. Phillips, Hudson, Treinen and Vesia have all been excellent. Isn’t that the back of our bullpen? In an 8 man pen, how many guys can you put in the “back”?
If Graterol or Brasier come back, that’s even more (I don’t really count Kelly).
A “back of the pen” guy is going to cost some good prospects. I would rather spend those prospects on something else. JMO.
Cubs released C Yan Gomes.
A way out there thought is to keep Miguel Rojas at short when Mookie comes back and move Mookie to third base. Betts can play second against a left handed pitcher. Just a thought
Now one would be hard pressed to find a team in the National League that matches up to the Dodgers. Phillies might be close Atlanta would be but their injuries have made them a different team. That is what separates the Dodgers versus the other teams. Personally I like Pages in CF, wouldn’t question the Dodgers if they brought up Outman to platoon with Vargas.Vargas and Freeman can platoon though Vargas is ready for a full time roll. Cartaya versus Rushing in a trade to pick up a stronger third base man would make sense. I would hesitantly throw in Grove or Hurt. As we get closer to the trade deadline teams that are slipping out of contention could want to unload a contract or an expiring contract for whatever catcher and whoever pitcher. I hope we don’t overpay. Winning the Division ever year is fun.
Freeman is not going to platoon with anybody. Vargas certainly is not ready to take Freddies job full time.