Rant & Rave Tuesday

  • The Dodgers are still ranked 3rd in MLB Power Rankings and it should not be lost on anyone that the Dodgers were #1 in 2017. What does it all mean? Not much. It’s how it all comes together…
  • So, as the dust settles, how about the big free-agent signings and trades made by Philadelphia? The team is clearly flawed and Gabe Kapler will likely lose his job, when it should also be Amaro.
  • Hyun-jin Ryu has not ben comfortable pitching to Will Smith but I heard from a really good source that one Russell Martin has spent a lot of time with Will and HJ (Hyun-jin) to smooth out the issues. Russell is at least ONE of the Dodger leaders, if not THE leader. His skills have diminished, but his work ethic remains the same one I saw nearly 20 years ago:

I could actually see him coming back for one more year. He is beloved by the team and makes them all better.

  • It was good to see Will Smith break out of his slump with a HR. It would be a big plus to have his bat come alive in the playoffs.
  • We still have no idea what is going on with Andrew Toles, but whatever it is, his teammates support him and so do the Dodgers. The fact is: It is growing more unlikely that he will ever play for the Dodgers again. I’m not saying that he won’t, just that it is growing more unlikely. He was a fan favorite and we miss him. Most of all, we hope he is OK!
  • Some writers picked Colorado to win the NL West this year. At the time, I questioned their sanity. Now, the men in the white coats are ready to take them away. Just like some NFL writers are picking the Browns to win the Super Bowl.
  • The Dodgers are keeping it on the hush-hush, but something is wrong with Joe Kelly and they or he don’t want us to know. We have no clue how it will impact his pitching availability in the playoffs, but when he pitches I have noticed he throws very little heat. Something? Nothing? Don’t know – we’ll see!
  • For those who would like to Rick Honeycutt retire or go to the front office, let me remind you that the Dodgers have the best ERA in baseball (by 0.2 runs a game), the most shutouts (15), the best OPS, the best OB%, and the best WHIP. As some starters become bullpen pieces (Maeda, Stripling, Urias, maybe Hill), the bullpen becomes a different animal… except for the fact that Kenley is sometimes a skunk (smells).
  • I don’t know how many times I warned you about Craig Kimbrel…
  • Corey Seager is quietly (well, maybe not that quiet) assuming his position as one of the best shortstops in baseball. His BA, OPS, and OB% have been going up since the All-Star Break. He is third in RBI on the team and 1st in doubles. He’s not moving off SS for a long, long time.
  • Many people close to the team, think the Dodgers will carry 13 position players in the Playoffs:
    1. Martin
    2. Smith
    3. Muncy
    4. Freese
    5. Lux
    6. Seager
    7. Turner
    8. Pollock
    9. Bellinger
    10. Pederson
    11. Beaty
    12. Hernandez
    13. Taylor
  • The 12 pitchers are a little more unclear, although these are a lock (barring injury):
    1. Kershaw
    2. Buehler
    3. Ryu
    4. Stripling
    5. Maeda
    6. Urias
    7. Jansen
    8. Baez

The final four are problematic as to whether Hill and/or Kelly are healthy. I could see the final four being May, Gonsolin, Ferguson, and Garcia. Not predicting it… just saying it could be.

  • We will all watch with bated breath as Dick Mountain pitches tonight.
  • I am very proud and excited for Cody Bellinger. He has made great strides in his third year – his OPS has been over 1.000 all year. He has cut down on his strikeouts and has 93 walks versus 106 K’s. I look for him to focus on hitting to the opposite field more in the off-season and he will be even better next year. Yelich really became the hitter he is in his 5th year… and he hits in a bandbox. Cody might hit 70 there.
  • Joc Pederson has also improved against LHP to the point that I could see him playing more next year.
  • There were no AFL games yesterday.

Todays Music (think Dodgers)

This article has 42 Comments

  1. Ouch, way too many walking wounded. I sure hope they heal up before the games begin. Kelly, Hill, Turner and Muncy are all a bit banged up.

    Joc and left handed pitching? Are you serious? Did I miss something? With what team will he be playing more?

    Seager’s been pretty good, post all-star break. But, Pollock has been on fire post all-star break. It’s time you give him some love.

    I think you can add Kolarek to the lock list. Hill and Kelly if healthy. Gonsolin probably takes that last spot.

  2. A couple of other Corey Seager meaningful stats (stats that win games):

    RISP – .310/.381/.595/.976
    RISP w/2 outs – .321/.367/.661/1.027
    2 outs overall – .280/.335/.541/.877 (including half of his 18 HRs come with 2 outs)

    NL Player of the Week last week.

    I would like to read again from those that think he should be platooned.

    1. And for those that think 2019 is an anomaly, career-wise Corey hits:

      RISP – .321/.403/.555/.958
      RISP w/2 outs – .326/.402/.563/.965

  3. Mark, you made me a happy camper when you included Lux, Beaty, Smith and Joc on your list of 13. I agree with you on your assessment of Cody, Corey and Joc. Against probably the majority of opinions on this blog, and my inexperience, I feel that Joc makes the best over the shoulder routes to catch fly balls in the outfield, other than Bellinger. He may not have the speed and arm of the others but I feel secure he will catch the baseball, when it is headed his way. There! Will duck now.

    1. No reason to duck. Joc goes back on a ball better than any Dodger OF. Joc’s problem has always been balls hit in the gap. He does not react to those as quickly as those hit over his head. But you are right, he does not have the speed or arm of the others, but overall defensively, he is not a detriment in the OF. Now 1B…

    2. I love Joc, and agree with you about him going back on balls. He seems to like RF much better than LF.

  4. Well, 1B, in my opinion was an experiment gone wrong to say it kindly. Joc tried. However I think he will be a benefit to the playoff roster this year. Look what he did last year.

  5. A lot of comments to look at. Power rankings—Well if we were #1 in 2017 that was quite correct. We went to game 7 of world series.
    Injuries, Injuries–who knows. Kelly clearly hurt.
    Bullpen,–it is what it is and just hope for the best. but starting pitching is what worries me.
    Kershaw, Ryu both looking sad toward the end. Everyone jumping for joy over RYU’s last start. he hit a home run. Gave up 2, Kershaw gave up three, Bueler inconsistent. Are they better or worse than opponents. Well that’s the fun of the post season.

    1. I’ve already stated that I think a healthy Seager is the best Dodgers’ hitter. In fact, and I’ve said this before, I think that he’s ultimately capable of hitting 30-40 HRs. However, I also think that he would be a gold glove caliber third baseman if circumstances called for it. In any case, no matter where he plays, Seager is a huge asset.

      There is no doubt that Joc Pederson has shown some significant improvement this year, but I also think it might be time to sell high. I suspect that he, maybe in a package, could bring back a significant haul in a trade.

  6. Next year’s backup catcher will be an interesting decision if Martin wants to play. There is no doubt that he helps Will Smith with working with the pitchers. All the pitchers. I don’t believe for a moment that Will Smith was an ounce of the problem with Ryu. I was glad that Ryu said so after Sunday’s game. August 11th, Ryu threw 7 shutout innings with Smith as the catcher. I believe his first two starts with Smith were excellent. Look at Sunday’s performance. Ryu was cruising and then threw a cookie down the middle for a dinger in the 7th inning. Was that pitch Smith’s fault? I’m not saying he has the same rapport as he would with Martin, but it was apparent that Ryu didn’t have the same bite on his changeup and was leaving more pitches in the middle of the zone to be hit. Bringing back Martin for next year and moving Barnes would say a lot about how close the Dodgers think Ruiz is from being ready. To me, they would have to be sure Ruiz was going to be ready in 2021. Also, considering they were willing to deal Ruiz makes me think they would hang on to Barnes as the backup next year.
    ~
    I believe Amaro is a first base coach somewhere and hasn’t been with the Phillies for a couple of years now. He might deserve two firings though. Managers are often scapegoats. I think Joe Maddon got too much credit when they won it all and he’s getting too much blame now, but you can’t fire 25 guys. i hope we see Toles back next year. He’s got a lot of talent. I don’t believe Joc will hit against lefties more next year as a Dodger if Verdugo, Bellinger, and Pollock are the other outfielders. I just don’t see how if they’re trying to get guys like Kike and CT3 AB’s too.
    ~
    There was a reason Boston didn’t let Kimbrel close in the postseason last year. What I’ve noticed is these guys who get signed late like Kimbrel have mostly been ineffective the last few year or wind up injured or both. Kimbrel may have been a bust anyways, but the Cubs most likely handled him wrong too. They rushed him to the roster. He took some lumps, started pitching better, got injured, took some lumps, went to IL, rushed him back, and he got hammered. It also sounds like he’s a prima donna. His personal trainer must travel with him and the team. He won’t pitch more than one inning no matter what. Maybe he bounces back, but I’m glad that the Cubs are stuck with him.
    ~
    Those last bullpen spots are going to be tough calls. All eyes on Dick Mountain tonight. I think 10 of the spots are decided. There are two spots left and they will have to choose two among Hill, Ferguson, Goose, and May. I think these ten are in assuming Kelly will be ready to go by the playoffs: CK, Buehler, Ryu, Maeda, Stripling, KJ, Baez, Kelly, Urias, Kolarek. If Hill makes it then I think Ferguson it out for sure. As much as he’s improved he still seems to me that he’s pitching from behind in the count too much. Next to AC, I’ve been one of his biggest supporters so I hate to say that. I hope Hill is honest with himself and the coaching staff where he is with his health and effectiveness. He’s a gamer and someone I would trust on the mound in a big game, but there are plenty of other options if he isn’t ready to go.

      1. He got fired after the owners read that he couldn’t convince the Dodgers to trade Seager/Urias/Joc for Hamels at the 2015 trade deadline. How incompetent can he possible be to not close that deal? He is actually a great guy, who I had the pleasure of meeting while he was still a player with the Phils (1998 ST).

  7. I agree with you, Hawkeyedodger, on Barnes. Is it correct that Ryu is having trouble with Smith or is it an attempted justification for putting Barnes on playoff roster? I remember Kershaw having his favorite receiver, AJ, when he pitched. Guess sometimes the catchers get too much blame when the pitchers have a bad game, right or wrong.

    1. It’s often to do with sample size. Now if the pitcher speaks out to management then there may be an issue, but considering the rave reviews that Smith has gotten defensively his entire life and the way the Dodgers go about game planning it isn’t Smith’s fault when the pitchers throws the ball down the middle of the plate. Pitchers can shake them off too. In the Mets case, they knew they were getting a bad defensive catcher when they signed Ramos. They thought his bat justified the choice. I don’t see anyway Barnes is on the postseason roster. If that were the case he would be getting a little more run right now. I bet he travels and helps with game planning. It’s in his best interest to be a good soldier right now.

  8. I was just watching Intentional Talk. Doc says that closer situation is open-ended and that he has to be loyal to the team as opposed to a particular player. Paraphrasing, not exact quotes. Doc adds that he’s confident that Kenley will get the job done, but leaves enough open to be clear that he’s willing to make a change if he doesn’t.

    I think Doc is doing the right thing and he’s doing a great job communicating what is expected of his players. I also think he’s getting better at in game management. I hope he doesn’t relapse in the post-season.

    I think it’s all coming together this year. Maybe we’ll have some luck go our way this year.

  9. Didn’t get back to you guys late yesterday and spent the morning in the dentist’s chair.
    Mark – yup, you found my brief but exciting career with the Phillies that you posted yesterday. Good job.
    2demeter2 – you asked about the signing procedure way back when so I’ll try to answer. I actually thought the Dodgers were interested. Got Christmas cards and stuff from a Dodger scout who’s name has been lost in my cluttered mind. I did bump into him years later when he was working at a UNLV college game. Anyway, I got drafted in June after high school by the Giants which was amazing because I had no recollection of ever talking the the guy. But in those days the scouts had you fill out these little postcards so I may have met him. The only contact was over the phone and we couldn’t come to terms. Wanting to sign, I went to a JC instead of a D-1 school, as you can sign anytime and not wait until a Junior or 21. In those days there was also a winter draft and damned if the Giants didn’t draft me again. Again, no deal. The next June after a good year of JC ball, I got drafted by the Phillies who made an offer I accepted because part on the bonus was paying for all of my college. I later used that to finish my Bachelor’s Degree. I later asked a scout friend if anybody ever held out for a Master’s Degree which I paid for. He laughed and said less than 10% of kids who get that included in their bonus ever use it. Sad deal. So the scout for the Phillies made a pitch and showed up at the house with the contract. Quick deal and within days off to play A ball. 4 or 5 days of a “mini Spring Training” and the season started. I saw the scout many times over the years when I coached. So, that’s how it all worked. Pretty fun times.

    1. Good for you for using the money to finish your education and you also got to live out your dream.

    1. This definitely looks like a game one playoff lineup to me, at least if we’re facing a right hander.
      I think I might switch Seager and Muncy in the batting order. Want to get Corey as many ab’s as possible right now since he’s our hottest hitter.

  10. Warren (New London):

    I’m a little surprised to see Keston Hiura ahead of Gavin Lux, who is younger and seems far more likely to be able to stay at 2B. How close a decision was that? Is Hiura’s bat that special?

    Kyle Glaser: This was one I really dug in with scouts, managers and front office executives on. Hiura and Lux flip-flopped between 2-3 quite a bit in the process. Ultimately, the consensus was Hiura’s bat is just so impactful it’s going to make up for the difference in the defense, which is significant. So to answer your question, yes, Hiura’s bat is that special.

    Craig (LA):

    What do scouts think about Edwin Rios and his hit tool translating to some type of major league role?

    Kyle Glaser: Scouts have been in on Rios as a hitter for a few years now. He has enough hitting ability to get to his power. It’s just about him getting an opportunity, and it’s hard to see that happening with the Dodgers. If I’m an AL team or a 1B-needy NL team, I’m trying to acquire Rios this offseason. The bat is real enough to play everyday.

    Justin (Tucson, AZ):

    Josiah Gray has gotten me pretty excited this season. If he keeps this up, how will he compare to Dustin May in terms of upside and future value?

    Kyle Glaser: May’s better, but Gray is pretty darn good too. Think of May as a potential No. 2 and Gray a potential No. 3, with the more likely outcome May No. 3 and Gray No. 4. Both are very good pitchers with bright futures ahead

    James (Visalia):

    What has happened to Mitchell White and Dennis Santana this year in AAA? Can they bounce back?

    Kyle Glaser: White struggled with blisters and Santana struggled with some off the field stuff. Santana finished really well once they put him in the bullpen (1.93 ERA in 14 G) and White was better the final two months save for one horrendous outing vs. Memphis. Both are seen as future big leaguers, Santana is just definitely a reliever and White probably is too. Maintaining his stuff has been a longstanding issue. Putting him in the bullpen and letting him loose in short bursts is seen as the best way to go for him to have major league success.

    1. I have to say that I agree 100% with that… even the part about Hiura (although it might be splitting hairs).

      1. Coming into the 2017 draft there were some draft pundits who thought Hiura could last to the Dodgers because he had no defensive position. I actually wrote an article on Keston Hiura before the draft hoping he would drop to LAD. Unfortunately he did not, and the Dodgers selected Jeren Kendall. Those pesky Brewers picking a hitter.

  11. Now that’s the reason you want Dick Mountain as your #4 starter. Don’t write his obit just yet Mark!!!!!

  12. Don’t know what to think about Rich Hill. He looked a lot better in the 2nd inning than in the first. Fastball velocity was up 2-3 mph, and curve was sharp. Didn’t look too comfortable, but I wouldn’t read too much into it. If he pitches on Sunday, the level of improvement or regression may determine whether or not he has a chance to make it to the NLDS.

  13. How many pitchers do we have that strike out 5 of the first 6 hitters they face and then double when they come up to bat. I say Hill should start the first playoff game. So what if he can only go 8 innings.

  14. Just keeping Freese, Hill and Martin around for another year may very well be worth it. They are such good teammates, love the game, and very good leaders. They would be very content to be role players.

  15. The whole league has been waiting for Seager to go on a tear, kinda like waiting for the inevitable other shoe to drop. And man is he mashing right now. Pitchers looking for a place in the zone he can’t reach, and then looking for a hole to crawl into from embarrassment. And the ball is just jumping off his bat. Nice to see. Hope he keeps it going.

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