Dynamic Duo: Kemp & Ethier Each Win Silver Slugger
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 3:35 PM PST
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PrintComing into 2009, it was not unheard of to expect a Dodger outfielder to win a Silver Slugger award. In April, I would have pegged Manny Ramirez as the favorite, but instead his two outfield mates, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, each captured the honor today, which recognizes the top offensive performances at each position.
Each Silver Slugger captured his second award this season: Kemp won a Gold Glove yesterday; Andre Ethier won the Pepsi Clutch Player of the Year award last week.
Kemp hit .297/.352/.490 with 26 home runs, 97 runs scored, and 101 runs batted in. Ethier hit .272/.361/.508 with 31 homers, 91 runs, and 106 RBI. Kemp & Ethier were the first Dodger teammates to knock in 100 runs since 2001 (Shawn Green & Gary Sheffield).
Kemp and Ethier become the fourth and fifth Dodger outfielders to win the award, which began in 1980, joining Dusty Baker (1980, 1981), Pedro Guerrero (1982), and Kirk Gibson (1988).
The last Dodger to win a Silver Slugger was Russell Martin in 2007. The last pair of Dodger teammates to win a Silver Slugger were Mike Piazza and Eric Karros in 1995.
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Ryan Braun was the other NL OF
interestingly, each league ended up with a LF/CF/RF winning the award, which is not a required distinction:
AL
LF Bay
CF Hunter
RF Ichiro
In the back of my head
i have the Dodgers pulling off some miraculous trade (post Manny) that brings hometown hero Braun into LF and gives the Dodgers an outfield of Braun/Kemp?Ethier all in the prime of their careers.
That would be sweet
but I think Milwaukee has Braun locked up. The guy the Brewers might actually trade is Fielder.
by Michael White on Nov 12, 2009 4:15 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah I don't expect it to happen
I just think it would be awesome. Obviously I would love to have Fielder, but I have a lot of faith in Loney – not to have 50 HR seasons, but to be a really solid ball player for a long time.
We’re going to need a power hitter and a left fielder after Manny is gone and Braun seems like just the guy.
Dave Stewart is going to go to the dodgers demanding more than $4 million for Matt Kemp next year unless the Dodgers rents him some transvestites.
Has to take place in a LA downtown alley
& don’t forget goodies for the bullpen.
by 68elcamino427 on Nov 12, 2009 4:54 PM PST up reply actions
I thought based on the transvestite comment above it was going to be “You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me, Lucille.”
by KellyStephen on Nov 12, 2009 3:55 PM PST up reply actions
“Am I bugg’in you? … I don’t mean to bug ya” …
Just move that fuck’in trashcan outta my way!
by 68elcamino427 on Nov 12, 2009 5:01 PM PST up reply actions
Two Dodgers winning Silver Slugger
2009: Kemp, Ethier
1995: Piazza, Karros
1993: Piazza, Hershiser
1988: Leary, Gibson
1981: Baker, Valenzuela
ethier was the best hitting right fielder in the NL this year??
wow i never knew that… who were other candidates for Right field?
Close call by OPS+
http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/Nvstv
Ethier 132
Hawpe 128
Werth 128
Upton 126
It appears that list (from the B-R play index) hasn’t yet updated all the 2009 park factors, as the team and individual pages have done.
But they are all close and I’m sure Ethier got extra credit for the 6 walk-offs
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 4:01 PM PST up reply actions
Wow
Manny plays the entire season and it could have easily been a sweep.
Best outfield in NL last year.
Even the worst case scenarios this off season are tempered by this fact.
Bison in Anaheim, July 2010
Previous two Dodgers to win Gold Glove and Sliver Slugger in same year (Dusty Baker, 1981 and Russell Martin, 2007) each made the All-Star team the following season.
I hope that is where the Kemp/Martin career path similarities end!
Congrats Either and Kemp
Both are Silver Slugger award winners. Next season they can set their goals a little higher and win the Gold Slugger awards. :)
vr, Xei
Heh
I was eagerly awaiting the announcement of the Bronze sluggers, but to no avail. :)
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 4:17 PM PST up reply actions
Sort of 25
Kemp turned 25 on September 23, but his “baseball age” (age on June 30) for 2009 is 24.
Ethier is 27.
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 4:39 PM PST up reply actions
I really should know better than to actually post numbers on this site :)
by LA Taco on Nov 12, 2009 4:46 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
What's wrong with this picture?
Screencap of dodgers.com main page.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I do love that you have not one, but two tabs devoted to True Blue LA!!! :)
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 4:38 PM PST up reply actions
I assumed at least one was a Google search of “Carrie Prejean” :)
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 4:56 PM PST up reply actions
We could start a new game
find the least used desktop folder.
“James Loney Silver Slugger pics” has to be near the top of the list, right?
Maybe behind “Otis Nixon Oil of Olay ad layouts”
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 4:41 PM PST up reply actions
“Guillermo Mota Cy Young pics”
“Mark Loretta being useful pics”
“Russell Martin hitting a home run”
“Ronald Belisario not drinking”
hopefully this is a picture of the future...
cuase that means james loney is gonna win the silver slugger over albert, ryan howard, adrian gonzlaez and prince fielder..
Random stat of the day
Will Clark, himself a Silver Slugger in 1989 and 1991, was five for 22 in stolen base attempts in 1987!!
I heard it in passing while listing to a bio of Roger Craig, via one of my growing favorite downloads, the Baseball History Podcast. If you have 10-15 extra minutes a week, those mini biographies are worth a listen. Lots of cool info.
Worst SB% ever
minimum 20 SB attempts:
1) Larry Gardner (1920 Indians): 3 SB, 20 CS, 13.0%
2) Tommy Griffith (1915 Reds): 6 SB, 24 CS, 20.0%
3) Will Clark (1987 Giants): 5 SB, 17 CS, 22.7%
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 4:54 PM PST up reply actions
Oscar Robles was 0-for-8 for the 2005 Dodgers, tied for the 2nd most CS without a SB (with Jose Offerman of the ’00 Red Sox). Pete Runnels was 0-for-10 for the 1952 Senators
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 4:55 PM PST up reply actions
I always felt those
were busted hit and runs for Robles. Slowest middle infielder ever.
I wonder how many of Will’s were busted Hit an Runs?
Is there an award for stealing, baserunning, etc?
Copper Cleats? Kemp could pick up that too.
by berkowit28 on Nov 12, 2009 5:35 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
They were going to do the Silver Spikes
but that metal was already taken and then everyone would have to debate about Juan Pierre, so they just said, “fuck it”. :)
Copper Cleats, I liked that.
i listened to a few of those last year but the announcer sounds like a doofus.
by KellyStephen on Nov 13, 2009 8:05 AM PST up reply actions
Agreed
if there was an ice cream more plain than vanilla, that would be his favorite
by Eric Stephen on Nov 13, 2009 8:10 AM PST up reply actions
Rob Neyer of ESPN.com says Matt Kemp was not deserving of the GG award
Speaking of which, I’m not sure what to say about Matt Kemp and Shane Victorino. Kemp gets bonus points because he’s a good hitter and he’s fast and he’s got a good arm, with the only problem being that Kemp doesn’t make a particularly large number of plays, which is sort of the point of the thing.
http://espn.go.com/blog/SweetSpot/post/_/id/1326/nl-gold-gloves-2-out-of-9-aint-bad
he fails to mention who he would pick instead of kemp and victorino and provides no evidence… The article is basically a joke..
He has written many blog pieces basically outlining his processes for determining his choices over the last two weeks. Although you are right, he doesn’t name who should have been the NL OF. But his opinion has been well stated.
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 5:03 PM PST up reply actions
From BTF
GGs v. Fielding Bible Award winners:
P – Adam Wainwright (#17)
C – Yadier Molina (#1)
1B – Adrian Gonzalez (#2 Pujols)
2B – Orlando Hudson (#2 Utley)
3B – Ryan Zimmerman (#1)
SS – Jimmy Rollins (#4 (or 3) Wilson, Tulowitzki, Escobar)
OF – Shane Victorino (#7 CF Bourn, Gwynn, Cameron, Beltran, Young, Rasmus)
OF – Matt Kemp (#8 CF)
OF – Michael Bourn (#1 CF)
Beltran missed half the season due to injury. Gwynn didn’t even play in the majors until he was traded to the Padres in late May, and spent a good deal of time in Right field, Short Chris Young was sent to Triple-A for a month, and Rasmus was constantly benched for Rick Ankiel. All of these guys have SSS issues.
I believe the only person really jobbed this year in the OF was Cameron, and we all know the reason why(small market, doesn’t hit like he used to.) Unless Neyer thought some RF/LFs should have won a Gold Glove this year?
by Tripon on Nov 12, 2009 5:08 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I know someone else
who compared the GG to the Fielding Bible award winners but the name escapes me right now.
who did he pick?
instead of kemp and victorino?
Although you are right, he doesn’t name who should have been the NL OF
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 5:11 PM PST up reply actions
oh i thought you said
His Opinion has been well stated
and
He has written many blog pieces basically outlining his processes for determining his choices over the last two weeks
I meant, his opinion on how he chooses, not the choices themselves.
by Eric Stephen on Nov 12, 2009 5:14 PM PST up reply actions
Not in that article it wasn't
And then we’ve got the rest of them. As usual, Albert Pujols was the best first baseman in the National League. But he made (gasp!) 13 errors, and I suppose some voters simply can’t countenance a first baseman who makes 13 errors. So instead of Pujols with his 13 errors, we’ve got Adrian Gonzalez with his seven errors. That’s right, folks: six errors probably cost Pujols the Gold Glove.
The only statistics he showed was that Pujols committed twice as many errors at 1st base, but his only proof stated was “AP was the best first baseman”.
Dismissing 2X more errors with nothing is obnoxious. The quality was piss poor. This reminded me of the Dodgers are going to get swept in the 1st round against St. Louis article.
Neyer could have done a better job in that specific article pointing out why errors are dumb, but he has been writing about such things for something like 13 years, and really we all should be past the point where we use errors or batting average or RBI as a main judge of players.
by Eric Stephen on Nov 13, 2009 8:40 AM PST up reply actions
Dodger pitching
Second in the league in K% and league average in GB/FB implies less plays available for the OFs to make.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Also highest Infield Fly to Fly Ball %, reducing opportunities for OFs.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
And the lowest XBH%, 6.7% compared to a league-wide total of 7.8%. Gold Glove level OF defense? Less plays available for OFs to make?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
All of these are reasons why
defensive metrics can’t be tossed about like OPS+ or wOBA . It would seem that the composition of the team has to be taken into account.
Those metrics
have nothing to do with how plus/minus or UZR are measured. It matters how many balls they to that ARE hit to them above or below the average fielder.
It’s not like zone rating or range factor in the sense that making a lot of putouts and being a ball hog gives you extra credit.
by Chad Moriyama on Nov 13, 2009 1:17 AM PST up reply actions
RE: "national writers"
to quote the always quotable Ozzie Guillen: “Pssh. Get out of here.”
Watching the evil-four-letters baseball coverage has become so insufferable over the years. It rankles me whenever they attempt to speak authoritatively on matters that require the close observation of a beat writer.
Why does a beat writer have any more credibility?
by Chad Moriyama on Nov 13, 2009 1:16 AM PST up reply actions
beat writers
I give more credence to the writer who follows the team on a daily basis and see the games with his eyes. The beat writer knows the daily trials and tribulations of the team. When a national writer like Neyer states that “Kemp doesn’t make a particularly large number of plays,” I have to question the basis of his assertion. Unless he’s tivo’ing Dodger games, I don’t know how box scores, MLB.com highlights, or even ESPN highlights can give him authority to make such blanket statements.
The beat writer sees the balls in the gap Kemp runs down without the flair needed to earn him a web gem top play and appreciates that only someone with Kemp’s ability is able to make that play appear routine.
But then the issue of perspective comes in. The beat writer sees Kemp far, far more than other CF, so it is right to question his ability to put Kemp into some sort of relative comparison to other OF.
by Eric Stephen on Nov 13, 2009 9:48 AM PST up reply actions
honestly
No. I would expect the writer to concede that he has more knowledge of Kemp and is not an authority on other outfielders. It’s a fantasy, but the right thing to do. I understand that national writers have a job to do and because of that they have to say things like Kemp doesn’t deserve the award because he doesn’t make a particularly large amount of plays. It’s the nature of the business. The same goes for whenever Rosenthal has to make up the latest trade rumor, right?
Neyer’s error was that he didn’t dig deeper. Kemp didn’t make a large amount of plays, in total. But Kemp did well relative to his opportunities, as El Lay Dave and others have pointed out.
That Neyer is a national writer has little to do with it, especially given some of the analysis put forth by local writers in LA and everywhere.
by Eric Stephen on Nov 13, 2009 10:08 AM PST up reply actions
Conversely
How is a beat writer supposed to know anything? Kemp is only valuable if he is above the average. If the average center fielder makes all the plays that the beat writer deems wonderful, then it no longer is wonderful in reality, but the beat writer will say he’s the greatest center fielder ever.
by Chad Moriyama on Nov 16, 2009 3:59 AM PST up reply actions
Why is it a joke?
Mine would be Morgan/Cameron/Werth or Morgan/Cameron/Bourn.
Kemp would be fourth. Victorino would be like sixth.
by Chad Moriyama on Nov 13, 2009 1:15 AM PST up reply actions
Law>Neyer>Every Other Baseball Writer At ESPN
Though I think Rob gets caught up in older sabermetric thought from time to time. :o
by Chad Moriyama on Nov 13, 2009 1:20 AM PST up reply actions
If it means anything to you guys
Keith Law said in a recent interview for one of the ESPN radio affiliates that he would have chosen Furcal as the SS Gold Glove winner instead of Rollins.
yes yes
very good choice… i agree 100 percent.. i totally forgot about him..
espn fail
2 silver slugger winners are
Ichico
and
R. Bruan
im not saying that ichiro should not win the SS
im saying his name on my TV is ICHICO. lol
is rob neyer gonna write another article about how
kemp should not get the Silver slugger??
because he struck out over 100 times and didnt advance the runner to third in that one game against the dbacks..
thank goodness his OBP in the first half was over .380
otherwise matt kemp would suck
I don't get this
he’s a sabermetrics guy, why would he say that?
Ethier I would argue against and I already have.
There’s no grounds for not giving Kemp a silver slugger. There is a lot more for not giving him a gold glove.
Dunno.
by Chad Moriyama on Nov 13, 2009 1:21 AM PST up reply actions
Unless someone did in ‘08 (don’t think so), Russell Martin in 2007.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Only happened twice before
2007: Russell Martin
1981: Dusty Baker
by Eric Stephen on Nov 13, 2009 1:49 PM PST up reply actions
Donny Baseball
Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly deserves a lot of props working with these dudes. I thought it was cool that he gave his guys props on lockerblogger.com. Dodgers continue to rise.
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