Professional online marketing consultant, husband, father, completely obsessed Dodgers fan, writer, speaker, and all around sports fan. I represented LADodgerTalk.com in the press box at Dodger Stadium last season. My favorite player is Orel Hershiser. I am currently grooming my 2 and 4 year old boys as avid Dodgers fans. Follow me on Twitter, http://twitter.com/ladodgertalk. Oh, and I hate the Giants.
$7,000,000 Juan Pierre
$3,600,000 Andruw Jones
$2,500,000 Jason Schmidt
$2,000,000 Randy Wolf
$1,440,000 Orlando Hudson
$1,250,000 Nomar Garciaparra
$200,000 Will Ohman
(Manny Ramirez after he is gone?)
I think that 2010 will be Martin’s last year with the cash strapped Dodgers. In my opinion he is not worth the $5 mil that he will make this year and will absolutely not be worth the $7.5 mil that he will get in arbitration in 2011. If he wants to stay with the Dodgers in 2011 he will meet the Wrath of Ng and lose.
If Martin is worth $5 million, O-Rod with his .284 average, gold glove and ability to hit in the clutch is worth what? Torre was an idiot not to come back with O-Rod once Belliard started to cool off last year, or move Belliard over to third and replace the useless geezer Blake who was a waste of physical space in the last weeks of the season last year.
.284 and a gold glove at the keystone ain’t chopped liver
The fact Frankly passed on possibly getting stuck with such an option at $7.9 million when you consider what we’re playing Geezer on third and giving up a chance to restock the farm club is just flat out felony stupid. Same is true with Fox. He was a legitimate #2 last season and our best starter. What’s that tell you? This year we are going into the season with a bunch of #3s, #4s and question marks. Anybody who thinks we’re going to go to the playoffs with this sad bunch is not paying attention.
.283 and a gold glove is certainly not chopped liver. Problem is, a lot of that .283 was built up in the first two months of the season. Broken down by month Hudson’s averages were:
Mar/Apr = .337
May = .328
Jun = .222
Jul = .264
Aug = .295
Sep/Oct = .227
The “geezer” hit .280, broken down as follows:
Mar/Apr = .243
May = .353
Jun = .263
Jul = .281
Aug = .221
Sep/Oct = .362
Blake, however, committed the unpardonable sin of cooling off during the NLCS (but not during the NLDS). That’s just bad timing. Looking at Blake’s career playoff numbers, they’re not all that bad.
2007 ALDS = .118
2007 ALCS = .346
2008 NLDS = .273
2008 NLCS = .263
2009 NLDS = .273
2009 NLCS = .105
Mind you, I’m not a huge Casey Blake fan, and would welcome an upgrade at 3B. However, examining his entire body of work, Blake is a solid, mostly dependable third baseman with some pop, but by no means a star. Blake will turn 37 in August, an age at which it is not unusual to see a player perform well. There is no reason to believe that he will not have a typical Casey Blake year, hitting .260 – .270 with 18-22 HRs.
As for Hudson, I’m in the camp that believes he’s an injury risk, and perhaps even in decline. And while a good second baseman, I don’t believe he has the range he once had, and that the gold glove was as much based on reputation than upon his current skill level. $5 million (and he likely would have gotten more in arbitration), is too much to invest in a player who, in my opinion, has seen his skills diminish. I understand and respect the other argument, but simply do not agree with it.
And while I think that Blake DeWitt will do well, I am not unmindful of the fact that he is a question mark, who needs to prove himself. Since he’s been with the Dodgers, DeWitt has hit 11 HRs in 474 ABs, which proportionally works out to 14 HRs in 600 ABs. In a full season platoon situation, the lefthanded hitting DeWitt would probably see about 400 ABs. With added experience and confidence, and assuming natural maturity has added to his strength(he’ll be 25 in August), I believe DeWitt is capable of hitting about 15 HRs in a platoon arrangement, and more if he plays everyday. He may not be Hudson defensively, but he’s probably at least adequate, and maybe more so. And he should get better as the season progresses. And his significantly lower salary affords the Dodgers some payroll flexibility to add elsewhere.
Finally, DeWitt will likely hit 8th, where his demonstrated patience at the plate (.344 OBP at ALBQ. to go along with his .256 avg) should bode well. And I’m not worried that there will be a problem in the 2 hole, where I think it’s possible we might see Matt Kemp. Furcal, Kemp, Ethier, Manny, and Loney should provide more than enough offense to allow DeWitt to develop nicely at the bottom of the order. Not having to shuttle back and forth repeatedly between ALBQ and LA should also help. And although it’s not a given, I’m still hopeful that the reality of two down years will finally register with Russell Martin, and we’ll see a more controlled hitter willing to hit the ball where it’s pitched.
Casey Blake had a hundred fewer at bats than the “injury risk” Hudson. I don’t share your optimism about him. Third base is one of those positions you would like to see a hitter, and Blake just ain’t all that scary in our lineup. And by the way, Matt Kemp had one bad month, and Andre Ethier had two bad months. They happen. You sure don’t want to see a .100 avg. from your 3rd baseman in the NLCS. Yoiks. I am with ldog on that, Belliard should have been at third and Hudson at second against the Phils.
I will still take Hudson over DeWitt and Wolf over Padilla. I think we couldn’t afford them, plain and simple. We will see who is right and who is wrong about that. If Hudson tubes, well, my bad. If he beats DeWitt/Carroll/Belliard – my good. I think DeWitt will hit around .250. Carroll around .251 and Belliard around .252. I don’t see more than 18 home runs from that position.
I agree with you about Martin. I hope he is ready to take it to the next level.
You guys who want Hudson should take him, because no one else wanted him. One year – $5 mil for a Gold Glove All-Star? Arizona showed him the door and so did the Dodgers. There’s something you are not seeing.
By the way, when should Torre have put in Hudson over Belly (who by the way is a horrible 3b)? He OPS’ed 1.008 in September ( Hudson wasn’t even close) and hit .300 in the playoffs.
He can’t play 3B – defense is important there too…
Brooklyn stated the obvious. Some can’t see it. I’ll restate it: Hudson was nice and maybe at $5 mil, but he would have gotten nearly double that in arbitration. No so nice! Are you saying we should have paid him $10 mil?
Frank. Just said no to T J Simers.
Still on the books:
$7,000,000 Juan Pierre
$3,600,000 Andruw Jones
$2,500,000 Jason Schmidt
$2,000,000 Randy Wolf
$1,440,000 Orlando Hudson
$1,250,000 Nomar Garciaparra
$200,000 Will Ohman
(Manny Ramirez after he is gone?)
How many of these are Jed’s deals?
Jones a 5 year deferral with 3 more years?
McCheap allegedly negotiated $3 mil of the $7 mil into a bonus payable in 2012
Another $15 Mil for Manny after he leaves?
Miguel,
TJ Is actually a nice guy – it’s his writing content that I dislike, but his style is great. He’s nothing like that in person.
I like Simers style. But that piece was boring.
I think that 2010 will be Martin’s last year with the cash strapped Dodgers. In my opinion he is not worth the $5 mil that he will make this year and will absolutely not be worth the $7.5 mil that he will get in arbitration in 2011. If he wants to stay with the Dodgers in 2011 he will meet the Wrath of Ng and lose.
Ng for Pay Czar.
If Martin is worth $5 million, O-Rod with his .284 average, gold glove and ability to hit in the clutch is worth what? Torre was an idiot not to come back with O-Rod once Belliard started to cool off last year, or move Belliard over to third and replace the useless geezer Blake who was a waste of physical space in the last weeks of the season last year.
.284 and a gold glove at the keystone ain’t chopped liver
The fact Frankly passed on possibly getting stuck with such an option at $7.9 million when you consider what we’re playing Geezer on third and giving up a chance to restock the farm club is just flat out felony stupid. Same is true with Fox. He was a legitimate #2 last season and our best starter. What’s that tell you? This year we are going into the season with a bunch of #3s, #4s and question marks. Anybody who thinks we’re going to go to the playoffs with this sad bunch is not paying attention.
Wild Card 86 wins!!
.283 and a gold glove is certainly not chopped liver. Problem is, a lot of that .283 was built up in the first two months of the season. Broken down by month Hudson’s averages were:
Mar/Apr = .337
May = .328
Jun = .222
Jul = .264
Aug = .295
Sep/Oct = .227
The “geezer” hit .280, broken down as follows:
Mar/Apr = .243
May = .353
Jun = .263
Jul = .281
Aug = .221
Sep/Oct = .362
Blake, however, committed the unpardonable sin of cooling off during the NLCS (but not during the NLDS). That’s just bad timing. Looking at Blake’s career playoff numbers, they’re not all that bad.
2007 ALDS = .118
2007 ALCS = .346
2008 NLDS = .273
2008 NLCS = .263
2009 NLDS = .273
2009 NLCS = .105
Mind you, I’m not a huge Casey Blake fan, and would welcome an upgrade at 3B. However, examining his entire body of work, Blake is a solid, mostly dependable third baseman with some pop, but by no means a star. Blake will turn 37 in August, an age at which it is not unusual to see a player perform well. There is no reason to believe that he will not have a typical Casey Blake year, hitting .260 – .270 with 18-22 HRs.
As for Hudson, I’m in the camp that believes he’s an injury risk, and perhaps even in decline. And while a good second baseman, I don’t believe he has the range he once had, and that the gold glove was as much based on reputation than upon his current skill level. $5 million (and he likely would have gotten more in arbitration), is too much to invest in a player who, in my opinion, has seen his skills diminish. I understand and respect the other argument, but simply do not agree with it.
And while I think that Blake DeWitt will do well, I am not unmindful of the fact that he is a question mark, who needs to prove himself. Since he’s been with the Dodgers, DeWitt has hit 11 HRs in 474 ABs, which proportionally works out to 14 HRs in 600 ABs. In a full season platoon situation, the lefthanded hitting DeWitt would probably see about 400 ABs. With added experience and confidence, and assuming natural maturity has added to his strength(he’ll be 25 in August), I believe DeWitt is capable of hitting about 15 HRs in a platoon arrangement, and more if he plays everyday. He may not be Hudson defensively, but he’s probably at least adequate, and maybe more so. And he should get better as the season progresses. And his significantly lower salary affords the Dodgers some payroll flexibility to add elsewhere.
Finally, DeWitt will likely hit 8th, where his demonstrated patience at the plate (.344 OBP at ALBQ. to go along with his .256 avg) should bode well. And I’m not worried that there will be a problem in the 2 hole, where I think it’s possible we might see Matt Kemp. Furcal, Kemp, Ethier, Manny, and Loney should provide more than enough offense to allow DeWitt to develop nicely at the bottom of the order. Not having to shuttle back and forth repeatedly between ALBQ and LA should also help. And although it’s not a given, I’m still hopeful that the reality of two down years will finally register with Russell Martin, and we’ll see a more controlled hitter willing to hit the ball where it’s pitched.
Casey Blake had a hundred fewer at bats than the “injury risk” Hudson. I don’t share your optimism about him. Third base is one of those positions you would like to see a hitter, and Blake just ain’t all that scary in our lineup. And by the way, Matt Kemp had one bad month, and Andre Ethier had two bad months. They happen. You sure don’t want to see a .100 avg. from your 3rd baseman in the NLCS. Yoiks. I am with ldog on that, Belliard should have been at third and Hudson at second against the Phils.
I will still take Hudson over DeWitt and Wolf over Padilla. I think we couldn’t afford them, plain and simple. We will see who is right and who is wrong about that. If Hudson tubes, well, my bad. If he beats DeWitt/Carroll/Belliard – my good. I think DeWitt will hit around .250. Carroll around .251 and Belliard around .252. I don’t see more than 18 home runs from that position.
I agree with you about Martin. I hope he is ready to take it to the next level.
Just checking in and it looks that the same topics as last week. Peace. Even TV is having reruns.
You guys who want Hudson should take him, because no one else wanted him. One year – $5 mil for a Gold Glove All-Star? Arizona showed him the door and so did the Dodgers. There’s something you are not seeing.
By the way, when should Torre have put in Hudson over Belly (who by the way is a horrible 3b)? He OPS’ed 1.008 in September ( Hudson wasn’t even close) and hit .300 in the playoffs.
He can’t play 3B – defense is important there too…
Brooklyn stated the obvious. Some can’t see it. I’ll restate it: Hudson was nice and maybe at $5 mil, but he would have gotten nearly double that in arbitration. No so nice! Are you saying we should have paid him $10 mil?