LADodgerTalk.com – Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers

2011 was an aberration for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  For those of you who think the 2012 version of the Dodgers is not a very good team, I say:  “I beg to differ.  In fact, I will go as far as saying you are crazy if you think this is a bad team.” It’s popular [...]

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We don’t know: If Mark Ellis falters, could Alex Castellanos be his replacement?  Alex will start the season at AAA, and he needs to play 2B everyday, but could he be a long-term solution?  His glove isn’t Gold (at least not yet, if ever), but he has some “pop” and he’s a mature player.  Could [...]

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Several bloggers and some of their followers are lobbying for AJ Ellis to hit at the top of the Dodgers lineup, instead of near or at the bottom.  They point to his .360 OB%.  Wow!  Here’s the deal – it’s a small sampling – he has 244 AB’s in parts of 4 years, so opposing [...]

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Let me make something perfectly clear.  If Andre Ethier could quit being his own worst enemy, I would be his biggest supporter, but if I have to keep Andre Ethier as he is, I would trade him in a heartbeat.  The Dodger Beat Writers can’t and won’t say much about it, but Andre Ethier wears [...]

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Well the pitchers and catchers reported and we know who the Opening Day Starter is already.  Three guesses… Jon Weisman writes another excellent summary of the Dodgers Roster possibilities for ESPN/LA who recently fired him.  By the way, Jon, ESPN don’t know jack.  Your writing defines you, not the schmucks in the suits, and the [...]

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OK, it’s almost time for pitchers and catchers to report.  I’ll make some predictions for the 2012 season.  This is from the gut, not from any empirical evidence: Fed-Ex will be the Dodgers starting catcher before the season is over. Javy Guerra will be supplanted by Kenley Jansen as the Dodgers closer (in fact, I [...]

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I spent a couple of days last week going back several years and reading what the blogs who focus on baseball sabermetrics predicted about Dodger players, and what I predicted about those same players. Without getting into a pissing match, what I found was that our batting averages were pretty much the same.    I [...]

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Once a Dodger, you are always a Dodger,  and Gary Carter was a Dodger in 1991.   While he was just a shell of what he once was, he never lost his love of the game which he always played like a little kid, trying his best on every play to beat the opponent.  Gary [...]

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He may or may not ever hit 20 home runs, but based upon a 162 game season, James Loney will deliver the following stats: 32 Doubles 4 Triples 14 HR 87 RBI .288 BA .346 OB% .432 Slg % .788 OPS Near Gold Glove Defense While none of that is astounding, it is solid.  James [...]

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The devil being Scott Borasssss! Back on December 19th, 2011, I wrote this: According to Bruce Levine of ESPN/Chicago ”The Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly the main suitors for Fielder at this point, with the Cubs still in the running.” At the same time, Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times reports just the opposite: “With six days until [...]

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It’s on the Radio and in print all around the blogosphere that Andre Ethier could be a “man on a mission.”  In part, he said: “It comes down to the security part, too, but it also comes down to unfinished business and I feel like, yeah, I’m facing that decision now where hopefully it doesn’t [...]

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It only took him five weeks to figure out and write what I wrote on December 13, 2011: If Prince Fielder really wants to come to LA, and I think he does, he and the Dodgers can still make it happen.   Two of his best friends play for the Dodgers, namely Matt Kemp and [...]

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I want you to consider a few questions and how you would have answered them on January 20, 2010: If I had told you that James Loney would hit more home runs than Andre Ethier in 2010,  would you have probably felt pretty good about the 2010 season? If I had told you that RDLR [...]

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It’s time to face the facts, Dodger fans -  James Loney and Andre Ethier are both “platoon players.”  Now, wait!  Before you get all bent out of shape, this is not a slam on either player – it is just stating the obvious.  Last year, both players hit .220 or below against LH pitching and [...]

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Most Dodger fans are not too excited because it seems that the Dodgers didn’t sign any of the big Free Agents.  They argue that the Dodgers should have spent the money on Prince Fielder instead of the same amount on Juan Rivera (4.5 mil), Tony Gwynn, Jr. (.85 mil) Jerry Harriston (2.25 mil), Mark Ellis [...]

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If Prince Fielder really wants to come to LA, and I think he does, he and the Dodgers can still make it happen.   Two of his best friends play for the Dodgers, namely Matt Kemp and Tony Gwynn, Jr. The Dodgers have been “one-upped” by the Angels with the addition of Albert Pujols, and [...]

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I think that the Dodgers success, or lack thereof in 2012, will depend upon the Rookie at Short Stop.   Will Dee Gordon be a 40/40 guy (40 SB’s and 40 errors or a 70/25 guy (70 SB’s and 25 errors)?    If he gets 70 stolen bases, it will mean that he is playing, [...]

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Now that Frank McCourt has been give the go-ahead by the bankruptcy court (barring reversal upon appeal) to negotiate a new TV deal, he might just have given Ned the go-ahead and sign Prince Fielder. As near as I can figure, I think it will take probably the same amount Albert Pujols received. He’s 5 years younger [...]

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The Yankees players typically have the best stats, the highest payroll, the best OPS, the best of everything, but they don’t win it all every year.  In fact, they have won the World Series twice since 2000 despite having many of the best players and being able to get any of the top statistical performers [...]

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Too many cooks spoil the stew is an old saying you often hear. Who thinks these old sayings up, anyway? However, if you really analyze that saying, it is sooooooo true.   You have to have one guy in charge of the stew -  whether it’s good or bad, so that you know who to commend [...]

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