Shawn Green Throws his Batting Gloves into the O’Malley Suite
by Michael White on Feb 5, 2010 10:44 AM PST
Email
Print
Shawn Green was not the most exciting player in recent Dodger memory. He didn’t look the part of a slugger. His frame was slender, his left handed batting stance was a tad awkward, and he definitely didn’t have the "eye of the Tiger" when he played right field for the Dodgers. But man, the dude could hit. In 2001 and 2002 Shawn Green put up OPS+ of 154 and 154 respectively and this was done whilst playing in 319 out of 324 games. Manny Ramirez will likely be remembered for being the best hitter in a Dodger uniform in the 2000’s, but at this point Ramirez has only played one full season in a Dodger uniform considering he arrived at the deadline in 2008 and missed 50 games to suspension in 2009.
We got to experience Shawn Green in his prime, and the time he spent in Los Angeles could not have been more necessary to the Dodger club. Consider that in 2002 the Dodgers won 92 games (generally good enough for a post-season appearance.) While Green was hitting to the tune of .285/.385/.558, the only other Dodger starter who posted an OPS+ north of 100 was the brittle Brian Jordan with an OPS+ of 118. The remaining Dodger starters posted an OPS+ of less than 100 with the starting second baseman and shortstop posting an OPS+ 81 and 51 respectively. That Dodger team could pitch and play defense to be sure, but a team doesn’t win 90+ games without being able to hit. Almost all of the heavy lifting in that department was done by Shawn Green, and as opposed to Manny Ramirez who was in a lineup with other sluggers like Ethier and Kemp, Green was the only batter opposing pitchers needed to concern themselves with. The fact that he was able to slug .558 whilst being the only above average hitter on the team makes the accomplishment all the more impressive.
While its easy for me to focus on the two outstanding seasons Green had in the middle of his Dodger tenure, it’s not to suggest that the other 3 seasons spent at the Ravine were poor. Of the 5 seasons Green spent in Los Angeles, the fewest games played during a season was 157 in 2004 and the lowest OPS+ earned by Green was 113 also in 2004. Green was simply a reliable player who rarely missed time who spent 5 years in Los Angeles with above average production. That’s not to say his time in L.A was without controversy. He angered teammates Paul Lo Duca and Odalis Perez for failing to dive for a ball which would turn out to be the lone hit in a Perez complete game effort (I blame Lo Duca’s belligerent reaction to the media afterwards to roid rage.) And, despite missing relatively few games, Green is perhaps unfortunately best remembered for 1 game in particular he did miss. During the 2001 season, Green elected to sit out a game in observance of Yom Kippur (it broke a streak of 415 consecutive games played.)
On a personal level, Green (and Kevin Brown; I think I have a soft spot for baseball players with colors as last names) was really my first favorite baseball player for when I was old enough to actually make an intelligent decision on the matter. During the height of the steroid era, Green’s two outstanding seasons in the Ravine will be looked upon favorably. Green was simply the best hitter to wear a Dodger uniform in the 2000’s, and for that reason, I believe he should be inducted into the O’Malley Suite.
(Photo by AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
140 comments
|
2 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
IDK
five seasons, admittedly 3 great ones, is that enough to sit in the top suite of the VSLR, with the likes of Koufax, Drysdale and Wills?
Best hitter of the decade
The most recent decade at that. If the Dodgers sucked all those years (a position I am attempting to make) instead of being contenders how much more muted is the fan base now. Teams need to be good to stay relevant, I’d argue Shawn Green was the most important factor for the Dodgers staying relevant in the early part of this decade. As somebody who was really becoming an “adult” fan at this time, his contributions to my “fandom” are meaningful. Personally more meaningful than Drysdale or Wills because if I didn’t care about the Dodgers I certainly wouldn’t care about their history.
My basic premise is that Green needs to be the representative for 2000’s because after a while it doesn’t matter how good the Dodgers were in the past.
by Michael White on Feb 5, 2010 11:52 AM PST up reply actions
you make a good point
and I was just raising the question. i certainly enjoyed watching him play and if he had a bit more time at the top of his game while in LA I would be more inclined to think he is an O’Malley Suite guy, I am just not sure but i am open to the idea.
by MammothDodger on Feb 5, 2010 12:27 PM PST up reply actions
I completely forgot about the batting gloves thing
That was so great that he did that. He went through a ton of batting gloves in 01 and 02.
I remember thinking
that if the record setting game was in LA as opposed to Milwaukee that he likely would have run out of batting gloves.
by Michael White on Feb 5, 2010 1:54 PM PST up reply actions
I met Shawn Green once at Pauley
Standing in the concessions line, very cordial.
And certainly, legendary DT commenter, LAT and his daugher would vote for Green.
Also
He had probably the finest individual offensive game in MLB history, May 23, 2002 in Milwaukee. Four dingers (tied record), six hits, six runs (tied record), seven RBI, 19 total bases (record)
I liked Shawn Green quite a bit
but it seamed like he took too long to get going each season and his tenure with the Dodgers ended somewhat awkwardly from what I remember. However, He was a good guy who led the team with class during his time, there’s no question about that. When we are talking about free agent or other aquisition busts, I wouldn’t put Shawn Green in that catagory as he was pretty productive.
I think the biggest thing though would be that as a leader there was no post-season success for Green.
Woohoo, I get to look forward to another 7-6 season ("at best") in 2010! There's nothing like going to Idaho for a bowl game.
He had an OPS
over 1.000 in the only playoff series he ever played in for the Dodgers with three home runs in four games. Not his fault no one was ever on base when he hit them.
Good point, sorry I overlooked that
and as I think back over it again, the dysfunction of the Dodger organization during his time here was probably a bit much to handle.
Woohoo, I get to look forward to another 7-6 season ("at best") in 2010! There's nothing like going to Idaho for a bowl game.
Did he ever get to play in the postseason with the Dodgers? I can’t remember if he was on the 04 team for the playoffs or not.
For the first part of the ride
he did have Gary Sheffield as batting order support.
My biggest memory of Green was sitting behind the dugout in May of 2002 at this game
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN200205130.shtml
in which Green went 0-5 and was hitting .246. I was asked by my host if Green was missing Sheffield and if he would be able to hit on a team where he was the only hitter of note. That 2001 team didn’t just have Sheffield it had seven players with double digit home runs including four with over 20. Contrast that to the 2002 team one year later that Michael wrote about. I had no answer if Green could do what he did in 2001 in 2002 but Green answered for me several days later.
In what was probably the greatest stretch of hitting by any Dodger over a five game period he hit 9 home runs, and drove in 17 runs from May 21st to May 25th.
Years from now
Will we look back on Kemp/Ethier/Manny as our best #3/4/5 of the last x years? And if so, should we start appreciating this season before it even begins?
I think so
And I’ m expecting this to be our best OF (at least hitting wise) ever. This year could be historic. Wow, I am all of a sudden very excited for this season to start.
by CarolinaDodger on Feb 5, 2010 1:31 PM PST up reply actions
I have the spreadsheet at home but I believe last year’s OF OPS+ was the highest for the Dodgers since 1956 or so.
by Eric Stephen on Feb 5, 2010 1:36 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
You could be right. Bonds’ OPS+ that year was 259!!! The total for the three starters was 448.
Our guys would have to average about 150 just to top that. Which is pretty unlikely.
That 259 OPS+ is ridiculous
He had four consecutive years
with an OPS+ of at least 230. I’ve never been a supporter of the asterisks being applied to the era, but that is damn silly!
Mathematically, the sum of the OPS+ isn’t meaningful. Barry is at most 1/3 of the OF PAs, so the total OF OPS+ comes down farther. Eyeballing it, the total OF OPS+ is probably between 135 and 140, which is outrageous.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Great point
So that 75’ Red Sox team has to be up there if not the highest in total OPS+. Just from a quick eyeball it was probably somewhere around 148.
My bet
70s Red Sox… Yaz, Fred Lynn, and Dwight Evans. Also Jim Rice thrown in there to split time.
by CarolinaDodger on Feb 5, 2010 1:53 PM PST up reply actions
Wasn’t Yaz a 1B by Lynn and Rice’s rookie seasons?
But the ’75 and ’79 Rice, Lynn, Evans OFs are good candidates.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Yep...
I just checked quickly and they all weren’t in the OF together. Highest I could get was 445 combined in 1979 from Evans/Rice/Lynn. Just missed the Giants.
by CarolinaDodger on Feb 5, 2010 2:01 PM PST up reply actions
Eyeballing that ’79 OF, I think that OPS+ is in the 145 range. (Yaz added a .957 OPS in 141 PAs as a LF also.)
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I was trying to just consider the starting three, but that is pretty solid. I think the 1990/1991 Pirates are pretty high up there also. Bonds/Van Slyke/Bonilla…
1990 looks like mid 130s, 1991 lower, like in the 120s. Maybe the bench OFs in ’91 really sucked.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Lofton seems to be holding the group down
1994 was his best year with the group but in 95/96 he didn’t top 120.
My favorite
non Dodger team of that era. Amazed that collection didn’t get one WS. Thome was a beast then also so you just had an amazing level of offensive talent.
For peak
you might be right. Career OPS of 143, I wonder how many have that and are not in the HOF. I’ll check back in a 2nd.
The first thing I think of when I think of Albert Belle
is him flattening Fernando Vina.
by Michael White on Feb 5, 2010 2:38 PM PST up reply actions
Reading Albert Belle's Controversy Section of his Wikipedia page is like reading about a cartoon
[Belle] also had unpleasant interactions with the public. He also chased down rowdy trick-or-treating vandals who were celebrating Halloween by throwing eggs at his home; Belle ended up hitting one of the vandals with his car.
by Michael White on Feb 5, 2010 2:40 PM PST up reply actions
Gotta say
I remember when that happened thinking what a bunch of ballsy kids to be throwing eggs at Albert Belle’s home.
I hang my head in shame when I think of the cars I ruined on a few Halloween Teen Age nights of egging.
Lots of company.
Dick Allen says hi
Player OPS+ PA From To Age H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Pos
Barry Bonds 181 12606 1986 2007 21-42 2935 601 77 762 1996 2558 1539 .298 .444 .607 1.051 *78/D9
Albert Pujols 172 6082 2001 2009 21-29 1717 387 14 366 1112 811 570 .334 .427 .628 1.055 *37/59D64
Joe Jackson 170 5690 1908 1920 18-30 1772 307 168 54 785 519 158 .356 .423 .517 .940 798/3
Mark McGwire 162 7660 1986 2001 22-37 1626 252 6 583 1414 1317 1596 .263 .394 .588 .982 *3/D54967
Frank Thomas 156 10074 1990 2008 22-40 2468 495 12 521 1704 1667 1397 .301 .419 .555 .974 *D3
Dick Allen 156 7314 1963 1977 21-35 1848 320 79 351 1119 894 1556 .292 .378 .534 .912 357/46D8
Manny Ramirez 155 9437 1993 2009 21-37 2494 531 20 546 1788 1283 1748 .313 .411 .591 1.002 79D
Charlie Keller 152 4604 1939 1952 22-35 1085 166 72 189 760 784 499 .286 .410 .518 .928 *79
Gavvy Cravath 151 4645 1908 1920 27-39 1134 232 83 119 719 561 514 .287 .380 .478 .858 *97/83
Jeff Bagwell 149 9431 1991 2005 23-37 2314 488 32 449 1529 1401 1558 .297 .408 .540 .948 *3/D9
Benny Kauff 149 3564 1912 1920 22-30 961 169 57 49 454 367 313 .311 .389 .450 .838 *8/97
Lance Berkman 147 6354 1999 2009 23-33 1575 359 25 313 1041 980 1051 .299 .412 .555 .967 3798/D
Alex Rodriguez 147 9611 1994 2009 18-33 2531 445 27 583 1706 1060 1738 .305 .390 .576 .965 *65/D
Edgar Martinez 147 8672 1987 2004 24-41 2247 514 15 309 1261 1283 1202 .312 .418 .515 .933 *D5/3
Jim Thome 146 9463 1991 2009 20-38 2138 412 24 564 1565 1619 2313 .277 .404 .557 .961 3D5
Mike Donlin 146 3698 1901 1914 23-36 1106 159 85 35 468 281 39 .334 .389 .465 .854 789/361
Vladimir Guerrero 145 7826 1996 2009 21-34 2249 420 44 407 1318 685 869 .321 .386 .568 .954 *9D/8
Jason Giambi 143 8135 1995 2009 24-38 1871 376 9 409 1330 1262 1388 .282 .405 .527 .932 *3D7/59
Chipper Jones 143 9273 1993 2009 21-37 2406 472 37 426 1445 1343 1231 .307 .406 .541 .947 *57/6D9
Albert Belle 143 6673 1989 2000 22-33 1726 389 21 381 1239 683 961 .295 .369 .564 .933 *79D
Lefty ODoul 143 3659 1919 1934 22-37 1140 175 41 113 542 333 122 .349 .413 .532 .945 *7/918
George Stone 143 3668 1903 1910 26-33 986 106 68 23 268 282 0 .301 .361 .396 .757 *7/98
Ryan Howard 142 3145 2004 2009 24-29 750 136 11 222 640 406 878 .279 .376 .586 .961 *3/D
Mike Piazza 142 7745 1992 2007 23-38 2127 344 8 427 1335 759 1113 .308 .377 .545 .922 *2D/3
Kevin Mitchell 142 4696 1984 1998 22-36 1173 224 25 234 760 491 719 .284 .360 .520 .880 *75/D9638
Player OPS+ PA From To Age H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Pos
Frank Howard 142 7353 1958 1973 21-36 1774 245 35 382 1119 782 1460 .273 .352 .499 .851 793/D
Jack Fournier 142 6033 1912 1927 22-37 1631 252 113 136 859 587 408 .313 .392 .483 .875 *3/7981
Miguel Cabrera 140 4441 2003 2009 20-26 1220 253 12 209 753 446 825 .311 .383 .542 .925 5379/D
Travis Hafner 140 3383 2002 2009 25-32 803 191 10 163 553 447 678 .281 .387 .526 .913 *D/3
Todd Helton 140 7761 1997 2009 23-35 2134 509 34 325 1202 1130 883 .328 .427 .567 .994 *3/79D
Gary Sheffield 140 10947 1988 2009 19-40 2689 467 27 509 1676 1475 1171 .292 .393 .514 .907 975D/63
Larry Walker 140 8030 1989 2005 22-38 2160 471 62 383 1311 913 1231 .313 .400 .565 .965 *9/387D45
Babe Herman 140 6226 1926 1945 23-42 1818 399 110 181 997 520 553 .324 .383 .532 .915 *937
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 2/5/2010.
Pirates front office after the '92 season:
“Hmmm. We just can’t seem to get over the hump. We’d better start making some drastic changes.” And the rest is history.
Moral of the story: If the Dodgers end up losing a 3rd consecutive NLCS, let’s hope our front office doesn’t follow the lead of the Pirates.
The teens Tigers were awesome…they’ve got to be up there. You had HOFers Cobb and Sam Crawford, and when Bobby Veach was around they were the shit.
1915
Crawford 134 OPS+
Cobb 185
Veach 142
1916
Crawford 124 OPS+
Cobb 179
Veach 136
1917
Crawford 120 OPS+
Cobb 209
Veach 159
How about 61 Yankee's with Mantle/Maris/Berra
by meercatjohn on Feb 5, 2010 2:13 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
1st base and catcher
were also awesome in 61. Elston Howard putting up a career year. That team was awesome yet the Pirates took him out in one of the weirdest WS ever as they clobbered the Pirates but still lost the series.
Yup
clicked on the wrong year. Still an amazing team in 1960 and they still clobbered them in three games by a combined 38-3 score. And lost the World Series.
tOPS for a position is different from what the OPS+ of a player on the same team with the same OPS would be, isn’t it?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
You are right…
tOPS+ is relative to overall performance of team (not 100)
sOPS+ is relative to overall performance of lg at position
1927 Yankees:
Ruth 226
Combs 142
Meusal 136
Plus some guy named Gehrig, 221
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Just wondering what Mantle
could have done healthy or used Steroids just to stay healthy like Mac (wink wink). From the age of 20 on he never had an OPS below 137. Ever
With five seasons over 195.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mantlmi01.shtml
Even his last year looks awful until you put in perspective of it being the year of the pitcher.
Still remember watching on National TV when McLain grooved him that fastball so he could hit a home run in last ab.
I looked at some starting 3 OF (per B-R). Here’s how I figured it:
1917 Tigers OF (Heilmann, Cobb, and Veach) combined for .328/.392/.473. Their lgOBP* was .326 and lgSLG* was .330 (these are adjusted for park), so their OF OPS+ was 163.
Here are some of the teams we talked about:
1927 Yankees (Meusel, Combs, Ruth) 167 OPS+
1917 Tigers (Helimann, Cobb, Veach): 163 OPS+
I was at the Odalis Perez complete game
and I remember being pissed off that Green didn’t dive for it, because he had a very good shot at catching it.
Even with that though, Green is one of my favorite Dodgers, and he was just a great player for us. It’s too bad we got him out of town like we did.
Outside of that huge 2001
it seemed like Green was either homering, doubling, or grounding out to second. I’m sure my memory is a bit skewed, but I seem to recall wondering why pitcher’s ever threw anything other than off-speed down and away to the guy. He was sure to either walk or ground to second that way. Every time they threw a fastball anywhere over the plate, it looked like he would crush it.
I actually wish
that Green swung at more first pitch strikes. He crushed fastballs but after a while pitchers realized that he almost always took the first pitch so they would get a quick strike over on him.
by Michael White on Feb 5, 2010 1:57 PM PST up reply actions
I saw him hit some monsters
but at this game in Oakland he crushed a laser beam Grand Slam.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK200107130.shtml
Other great OF
Here are the outfields in history to have three players all with 150 OPS+ (min 400 PA):
1884 White Sox (Abner Dalrymple 150, George Gore 150, King Kelly 184)
1893 Phillies (Sam Thompson 151, Ed Delahanty 164, Silding Billy Hamilton 167)
1894 Phillies (Thompson 177, Delahanty 159, Hamilton 158)
1895 Phillies (Thompson 177, Delahanty 187, Hamilton 154)
1925 Tigers (Al Wingo 151, Heilmann 161, Cobb 171)
Those Phillies were almost certainly the best extended run of outfielders. All three are in the HOF.
Lowering the bar to 140 OPS+, we add five more teams:
1892 Phillies (Thompson 144, Delahanty 158, Hamilton 152) — damn what a great run
1926 Tigers (Heinie Manush 154, Heilmann 153, Bob Fothergill 140) — Cobb was hurt, but put up a 137 OPS+ in 237 PA
1939 Yankees (Joe D 184, Charlie Heller 143, George Sekirk 148) — probably the greatest team ever, outscored opponents by 411 runs!!!
1972 Astros (Bob “Mr. Millionth Run” Watson 141, Cesar Cedeño 164, Toy Cannon 146)
1978 Brewers (Larry Hisle 153, Gorman Thomas 142, Ben Oglivie 143)
FoxSports reporting that the Clippers are talking to Isiah Thomas for both GM/Coach position.
Are they trying to dominate the Not Top Ten list?
Bogus Rumor
Thomas already denied it.
The same rumor floated around last off-season, it seems people love having the “Clippers are idiots” story-line going.
by Michael White on Feb 5, 2010 3:16 PM PST up reply actions
I just read that and immediately came here to see what some true Clipper fans think of that. How in the world does this guy still get taken seriously for any NBA leadership role? He’s a disaster. That really blows my mind.
As a Laker fan, even I can’t fathom having that idiot run the Clippers. It would be just so damn sad.
As part owner? Good choice but no chance he dumps Lakers for Clips.
Full owner? Not enough cash but he’d go for it if he could find backers (and he could).
Coach and GM? I don’t think so. Great players aren’t always the best talent evaluators (see Jordan, Michael and McHale, Kevin), and certainly not great coaches (see Johnson, Magic). I don’t think this would be a good move for your beloved Clips.
I had forgotten about that. What’s next? Lance Rentzel references?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I'll never forget
that Shawn Green moved to first base with nary a peep of protest, and he played it well. In fact, I read that he would’ve stayed there full-time if the club elected to keep him there. He was such an unselfish star. He was a hometown kid who played the game the right way without saying a word or causing a stir playing in the nation’s 2nd largest market.
It is worth nothing that every single candidate for the Dodgers’ bench, including Berroa and Green, has at least some experience playing at least three different positions.
Unintentionally funny.
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/columns/story?id=4888295
But eventually he’ll succeed to the point to be able to donate $1M to Sikeston, Missouri schools.
Broxton likes the hobby too, eh? Interesting….
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
DeWitt and Broxton should get Padilla to join them. It’s a lot harder to shoot yourself with those!
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
please
dont encourage Padilla to use weapons around others… especially important others…
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Feb 6, 2010 5:57 PM PST up reply actions
Ethan Martin
If he was born one day earlier, the Dodgers would’ve had to protect him during the 2011-12 offseason instead of ’12-13.
His D.O.B. is 06/06/89 and I believe a player must be 18 on the June 5 before signing his first pro contract (in order to wait 5 years instead of 4 before being placed on the 40-man for Rule 5 purposes).
I found this:
Under the Rule, teams must protect (by adding them to the 40 man roster) minor league players within three or four years of signing them. Three years for players who are 19 on June 5 preceding the signing of their first contract. Four years for players who are 18 at the same time. If a team does not add a player to the 40 man roster within the prescribed time period, that player can be drafted by another team.on a Sons of Sam Horn wiki page. If that is current, you are partially correct. The Dodgers get an extra year, but it is four years instead of three, but since he was drafted and signed in the summer of 2008, I think your conclusion is right, the decision comes in the 2012-2013 offseason.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Right. So in Martin’s case, he must be protected no later than November 2012 (in advance of the 2013 season — 5 years from his draft date).
Ethan Martin has to be protected after the 2011 season actually.
The cut off for the 4/5 years doesn’t depend upon the players age at the draft, it depends upon their age when they signed. Because Martin signed on 7/10/08, he was already 19 years old. So he only has four years before he has to be protected…2008 (they count that year as Eric mentioned above), 2009, 2010, and 2011. So after the 2011 season he has to be protected.
“Players that have been professionals for four or five years must be added to their club’s 40-man roster or be exposed for possible selection by one the 29 other clubs in the Rule 5 draft. Organizations have five years of exclusive control of players that signed their first professional contract at 18 years old or younger, but it drops to four years for those that signed at 19 or older. The relevant date for this calculation is when the first contract is signed, not when the player initially takes the field.”
For 2011 Rule 5 draft, all 2008 college players, and all 2007 high school drafted players are eligible. Also, foreign players signed in 2007 or before, and 2008 drafted high school players who were 19 when they signed.
by Brandon Lennox on Feb 6, 2010 3:51 PM PST up reply actions
cool guy
when is your next prospects post?
Monday
I’m pretty much posting once a week…generally on Mondays
by Brandon Lennox on Feb 6, 2010 4:22 PM PST up reply actions
oh
i forgot your last one was only 5 days ago…
Thanks for the clarification. This is from the wikipedia entry on the Rule 5 draft.
Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft who are not on their major league organization’s forty man roster and:I wish “The Official Professional Baseball Rules Book”, where “Rule 5” is defined, were available on-line from mlb.com, just like the MLBPA makes the collective bargaining agreement available on-line as a pdf file.
- were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years; or
- were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in the organization for five years.
The exemption periods were extended by one year in October 2006 as part of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The change took effect immediately, exempting many players from the 2006 Rule 5 draft even though they had been signed in some cases more than four years before the new agreement came into effect. Prior to the rule change, players were exempt from the first two or three Rule 5 drafts held after their signing (regardless of the year they were drafted), rather than from the first three or four Rule 5 drafts after their signing.
So Martin’s birthday works the other way then. If he had been born six weeks later, the Dodgers would have one more year, although I could imagine agents telling the kids born in June and early July to wait until after their birthday to sign.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Yeah like you said, I’m sure when possible, draftees wait to sign until after their birthday so they can get on the 40 man roster quicker. In Martin’s case, this probably isn’t an issue since he is a legitmate talent and the Dodger’s won’t mind having him on their 40 man on year earlier than normal. If this were a marginal prospect, this would be a bigger issue I’m sure.
by Brandon Lennox on Feb 6, 2010 8:57 PM PST up reply actions
it also wasnt Martin's fault
He signed within a month of being picked and it would have been almost impossible for him to sign before his birthday…
Anyways, having to put him on the roster in a few years probably wont be a bad thing… given that it has been said that he could be the right handed Kershaw…
(Man, I cant wait for a 1-4 of Kershaw, Billz, Withrow and E. Martin, with Gould, Miller and Elbert, among others, fighting for a 5th spot.. we are stacked with with high power arms… :)
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Feb 6, 2010 10:06 PM PST up reply actions
Green was my favorite player
It seemed every game I ever went to during the Green era, he always had hit a HR. I also read that his favorite band was Metallica, which was also a plus for me at the time.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on True Blue LA
Related FanShots on True Blue LA
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Shane Victorino lands role on ‘Hawaii Five-0′
- Have you criticized Hanley Ramirez on Twitter? Your name may be on his bat!
- U.S. senator cries foul over Nationals plans to take back park from Phillies fans
- Photo: Comerica Park readies itself for Hockeytown
- Podcast: Dirk Hayhurst talks about Italy, the reality of the big leagues and his new book
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
