Anchors In The Outfield Sank The 2010 Dodgers
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 7:00 AM PDT
in Dodgers History & Records
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PrintHere's a look at the Dodger outfielders since the All-Star break, sorted by most plate appearances
| Player | OF Starts | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | K | BA/OBP/SLG | OPS |
| Ethier | 46 | 200 | 180 | 18 | 42 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 55 | .233/.305/.389 | .694 |
| Kemp | 46 | 197 | 176 | 12 | 41 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 16 | 49 | .233/.299/.364 | .663 |
| Podsednik | 33 | 152 | 142 | 17 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 23 | .268/.316/.338 | .654 |
| Paul | 8 | 39 | 36 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | .167/.205/.205 | .455 |
| Gibbons | 4 | 34 | 31 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 4 | .323/.382/.613 | .995 |
| Johnson | 3 | 26 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | .269/.269/.423 | .692 |
| Anderson | 3 | 23 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .190/.261/.238 | .499 |
| Manny | 5 | 16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | .154/.313/.308 | .620 |
| Totals | 51 gms | 687 | 625 | 60 | 150 | 27 | 17 | 66 | 54 | 146 | .240/.301/.368 | .669 |
These stats include all at-bats, not just those as outfielders. Jamey Carroll also started five games in left field, but I didn't include him because he has basically been the starting shortstop for most of the time. In those five starts, Carroll is 5-for-15 with a .722 OPS, which would make him a star out of this group.
What a truly awful performance from the outfield. The two media guide coverboys, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, have led the charge to mediocrity, which has been a major reason the Dodgers are 20-31 since the All-Star break. For all the criticism Kemp gets for striking out, Ethier has been even worse in the second half in that regard. Ethier, in 68 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers in the second half is hitting .148/.221/.279, while Kemp is hitting .199/.258/.331 against right-handers in 151 plate appearances during the same period.
All the energy Scott Podsednik has apparently brought to the team hasn't translated into his own performance, as the Dodger leadoff hitter has a .316 on-base percentage. Everyone in the outfield is a slap hitter, save for a small sample stretch from a journeyman who has been out of baseball since 2007.
Heading into this season, I expected to write about what might have been the greatest outfield in Dodger history. Instead, this is one of the most disappointing.
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Comments
I really didn’t know that Andre has played as bad as Kemp since the AS Break. I am wondering if either is going to become an elite player. Kemp has the bigger upside to me. Ethier will always fail against LHP.
Thanks for starting my day off shitty, Eric.
:)
KEITH!!!!!
Glad I could help. ;)
I was surprised myself about Ethier/Kemp which prompted the post.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 7:31 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
That's no high five
That’s Kemp and Ethier responding to Eric’s question, “Okay, who’s responsible for wasting another great pitching performance?”
"There’s no reason I can give you that makes sense. A lot of what I do is a feel thing."
by Little Blue Bicycle on Sep 8, 2010 7:23 AM PDT up reply actions
If you rearrange the letters in Gibbons name
You get Gibson [nevermind the extra b]. Maybe he should be our left-fielder next year.
SS-Furcal
2B-Theriot/DeJesus
RF-Ethier
1B-Konerko [given the Jeff Kent two-year contract special]
CF-Kemp
LF-Gibbons
3B-Blake
C-Martin/Barajas/Ellis/?
I always carry a fork and knife in my truck in case i want a corn dog.
Things that make me uncomfortable
-Talking to my co-workers
-Hipsters
-Thai Food
-People who like more than one baseball team
I can agree with #’s 2 and 4.
I’m the boss, thus forced to talk to co workers all day.
Thai Food is okay.
Not shocked by the fork and knife comment whatsoever.
Things that make me uncomfortable
- people who don’t like to talk to their co-workers
- people who categorize complete groups
- people who don’t like cats
- people who don’t like people who like multiple baseball teams
- men eating corn dogs. It is the gayest thing in the world.
I had assumed going into my job
as a software engineer at least a few of my coworkers would be awkward annoying jerkfaces, but have been quite pleasently surprised.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
If you had told me we would not have one single outfielder
with an OPS over .700 after the all-star I would have figured that Manny, Kemp, and Andre had all been injured.
This is so much like 1992 when the terrific trio of Eric Davis, Brett Butler, and Darryl Strawberry were the poster boys of the next great outfield. Only Butler lived up to the promise so even that dreadful 1992 team had more going for it then this team.
Andre without Manny continues to be just a run of the mill hitter. This is quite bizarre. Pod is not doing any more or less then what should have been expected.
Nice analogy with BB, Straw, and Davis. While I didn’t think of the OF that started this season to be on the same level expectations wise as the 92 lineup. I thought it would be easy for them to perform better than them.
Can’t believe there are like 25 games left and we have 0 shot.
More Oasis please!
The worst thing about the 1992 team
is getting the #2 overall pick in the 1993 draft.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
High Hopes dashed
Ned gets a fair share of criticism but if the boys (Andre , Kemp, Loney ) had not become the whiff sisters the pitching staff he built at the trade deadline should have enabled this team to do some serious damage. Ned made one trade to many, but on July 31st, did anyone really expect the offense to continue to be this awful? What had been a slump has now turned into a serious concern for the future of the franchise, because if Kemp & Andre are not the future, then Ned is going to have to be incredibly skillful on how he parlays them into a new future.
This will be a winter of discontent not knowing if our big boys simply don’t have it, or if simply can’t do it on their own, of if they need a change of scenery.
I would say Kershaw is a lock for next year’s media guide cover. If I had to guess, he & Bills will replicated the Drysdale/Koufax righty / lefty pose.
yup
The irony here is that we were all (or most of us, anyway) screaming about how pointless those trades were, since it didn’t matter. Well, it didn’t matter, but not for the reasons we thought it wouldn’t. At the very least, the trade with the Cubs seems to have been pretty justifiable, even if DeWitt continues to improve. It’s not Lilly’s fault that most of his new teammates didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. Even the trade for Pods may not have been so bad, if he had been able to replicate his first half performance, and not caught whatever horrible anti-hitting disease has been going around in the Dodger clubhouse the past two (three?) months.
Podsednik had an OPS
.032 over his career average when he was with KC, so maybe his “anti-hitting disease” is called “regressing to the mean”. Hopefully that is not what ails the young core.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Sep 8, 2010 1:34 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Why do I get the feeling Torre will not start any of these call up guys any for the rest of the season?
Because he won't?
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
What good has come of 2010 that will help in 2011
Kershaw for sure
Billingsley has had an okay bounceback
Jansen
Kuo
Jamey Carrol is the only thing from the position players I can take as a positive headed into 2011 and he’s a utility player. For the first time in a long time I now understand what a Giant fan has felt like this decade.
It sucks
John Lindsey faced tonight’s Padres starter, Cory Luebke, on August 15 in Portland; he walked & struck out twice in 3 PA vs Luebke
Kershaw
Has quietly turned into a freaking elite pitcher…his K/BB has been getting better, no?
by robotmadeofnails on Sep 8, 2010 8:28 AM PDT reply actions
He makes me happy…
I just hope we have a team that can score runs while he is still here.
by robotmadeofnails on Sep 8, 2010 8:46 AM PDT up reply actions
Would have been nice
If Joe the hunch player would have pinch hit Lindsay for Loney with the two guys on. Loney’s night was pretty abysmal, 2-k’s and 2 grounded back to the pitcher. The word on Loney was he was a cool customer who didn’t flinch under pressure. He’s got to be pressing at this point. I wonder if he’ll hit over .270 and if Kemp will fall into the .240 range.
No manager would PH for his starting LH hitting 1B
with a AAAA RH hitter with a RHP pitcher on the mound.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
So the next 5 years for the Dodgers hinges on Sands?
That’s pretty fucked up
Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man
May hinge more on Ned which might even be more
fucked up. If the core is not very good then he will have to replace them? What are the odds that works out? It is pretty will agreed that Loney and Martin need to be replaced. So he either needs to think about replacing Andre/Kemp or supplementing them with a real hitter so they both have a comfort zone since they don’t seem to be able to stand on their own four feet.
This could be quite the winter for Ned. If he trades low on Kemp/Broxton and they flourish he will look bad. If he stands pat and the terrible trio continue to succumb to suckiness, he will look bad. What is apparent is that this team as it stands now needs a big hitter (like Manny) and I don’t see where that guy is coming from.
I blame Humma for predicting all this gloom and being dead right.
If nothing else
at least the offseason will be interesting.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
The curse of unknown origins
May you live in interesting times.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Dont forget the big unknown
The divorce, plus the apparent appeals if there’s no settlement ahead of time. If a wounded (and drained) Frank survives the initial hearing, but still faces Jamie’s appeal, Ned may have little choice but to go as cheaply as possible for years, with all of the obvious ramifications. If Jamie wins, there’s obvious turmoil and confusion. A settlement would be best, but even then Frank will need to acquire partners with cash, and who know what that will mean. But whatever happens, it will push Ned in a certain direction, and we can’t know that direction until it all shakes out. Does Ned even want to be part of any of that?
"There’s no reason I can give you that makes sense. A lot of what I do is a feel thing."
by Little Blue Bicycle on Sep 8, 2010 9:07 AM PDT up reply actions
I wasn't all that right
I thought the team would be competitive this year, and I encouraged the Dodgers to put more money down on one last bite at the apple before the down years.
They didn’t and I thought that the result was a borderline playoff team — a team that would contend and maybe make it and maybe not. That was correct for half a season and wildly, morbidly, perversely incorrect since the ASG.
Honestly, I don’t know what to do about this team at this point. They bet everything on the current core — that they would all be, at worst, serviceable, with one becoming very good and another becoming a superstar. I supported that plan, but it has not come to pass so far, and the Dodgers are getting to the point that they are going to have to cut bait on that plan.
Kemp taking a step backward is the worst of all. If we could at least point to Kemp as becoming a superstar, then you lock him up and Kershaw and you start building the next great team around them. I think if I were in charge, I would plan for next year to be a down year, and the five-year plan would assume that Kemp would bounce back. I would stick with this plan for now, hoping that the CF is just having a down year. But I might be wrong, and if I am, I’d lose my job.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions
Also this:
When I predicted that the Dodgers would not be competitive in 2011, I thought it was probably that they’d be a .500 team. Right now, the Dodgers are playing significantly below that level — since the break, they’re playing at a 100-loss pace.
Actually, that’s a lie. I’m using hyperbole. They’re actually playing at a 99-loss pace since the break. I apologize for the hyperbole.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions
Well said
Remember this though, Kemp could just as easily take a step forward again next year. He has the talent, he has clearly regressed in some ways. It’s possible with some better coaching next year he could be nudged back into the player we all hoped he’d be, if not better than that. (I’m betting against “better than that” btw, but could see him getting back to last year’s production). They have some talented young players who regressed or didn’t get better as hoped this season and I don’t know what to do about it either except wonder about why that happened. They may not be who we thought or hoped they would be but I can’t help but feel it can’t all be as bad as it feels this year. The Dodgers won’t be able to afford to replace all those guys with upgrades anyway so all we can do is hope some of them, whoever they hold on to, do get back on track.
They have more than just Jerry Sands in the minors, there are other guys who could come up and help, too, the cupboard isn’t bare. If they don’t keep trading them away for stopgap vets that is.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
There is no one who projects
to be any thing more then an average player. The idea was that you could mix in these players with above average talent and make a competitive team. If the core is nothing but ordinary, adding more ordinary = ordinary.
They have more than just Jerry Sands in the minors, there are other guys who could come up and help, too, the cupboard isn’t bare.
I don’t know anything about how prospects are ranked, so I need some help with this. I’m trying to get a sense of how the Dodgers’ prospects look compared to other teams. Yes, there are a few guys down there, but it seems — and please correct me if I’m wrong — that there are fewer guys, and with lower ceilings, than other teams might have. If that’s true, isn’t the cupboard bare? Where is the next superstar to lead the team?
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions
We'll find out June 15 2011
when we have the #11 pick.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
I maintain that the cupboard is not bare
but I recommend reading the excellent minor league recaps and write ups here, and on Kensai’s blog, as well as Baseball America, for a better sense than I can give. Some of the guys we had high hopes for (young pitchers like Martin and Withrow) have been farther behind than we’d hoped but there are a lot of other good young pitchers and other hitting prospects that excite me. We won’t know what that’s worth for 1-3 years. Maybe it sucks more than I think. Lack of superstars but some good depth at least. The Great Lakes Loons have some players to watch. (of course that won’t help next year.)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I've read those
and they don’t make me excited. Well, that’s not quite true — I can get excited about individual players… it’s a great story when a Sands or a Rubby makes the most of his opportunities, and it’ll be fun to root for them when they make the big club…
…but what I mean is, back in 2005, the ML team was so bad, but the Suns were so good that it was still a fine time to be (or for me, become) a Dodger fan. Better days were ahead.
I don’t see that now. I see fun individual stories, but not the kind of talent that can remake a team.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
We don't have a Buster Posey in our system right now that's for sure
(It would have helped if the Dodgers had been terrible for a year or two and held a top 5 or 10 draft pick, which would have Logan White salivating.)
But he’s done, they’ve done, pretty well with some non 1st rd picks. Just remember, fans of most other teams are also wondering these same things, who is our next superstar, I am not excited, etc. OR they are busy overhyping certain prospects who more often than not end up not panning out.
So who the hell knows is what I’m saying.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
And the Zach Lee signing certainly got me more excited
It feels like they had a good draft this year, but again, who the hell knows, and for those of us worried about next year that won’t help much anyway.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
they are busy overhyping certain prospects who more often than not end up not panning out.
As I wrote below, this might describe the Dodgers pretty well.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions
It does indeed. But there are other failures going on that
have less to do with hype vs unhyped. (And as I said, this goes on with many other teams, too, but of course we live in Dodgerland so understandably we are fixated on our own team’s issues.)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
A few more questions
1) Why has the core failed? Did the Dodgers get their ceilings wrong, or is it the Dodgers’ failure to develop the players to reach those ceilings?
2) Why is the current farm so lousy? Yes, there have been trades, but that damage right now is limited. Santana (assuming he didn’t get injured) would look good on the Dodgers. So would McDonald. But LaRoche, Bell, Guzman… there are a lot of players who were highly ranked prospects, touted guys, who have been busts (or busts so far). Why? Again, is that a failure of drafting or a failure of development?
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions
1. Good question and I have no idea how one could answer it.
2. The farm system is not lousy, it just does not have the superstar you want. Very few farm systems do and the one’s that do, still have to wait to see if said super star will play. I think the system has great depth, and expect quite a few major league baseball players from the current group, I just don’t expect any greatness. If Sands or Rubby or even Gordon pleasantly surprise then cool.
It could be neither failure of drafting or developement
or it could be a little of both. That is the nature of prospects. Very few pan out. There are at least 15 teams with worse systems than ours and have less hope than we do.
Our top prospect is either Sands, Trayvon, or Gordon. Aside from the teams with completely dead systems is there any team that has a worse top prospect than us?
by regfairfield on Sep 8, 2010 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions
I guess it depends on what you like, but at least for me having one A- prospect is worth more than a bunch of B- C+ ones.
by regfairfield on Sep 8, 2010 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions
If we have a bunch of good prospects
couldn’t they eventually be used to get that star player though?
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
With the market as weak as it is for good players, probably, but most of the deals do involve at least one top 100 prospect which I personally don’t think we have a lot of, but people will disagree there.
by regfairfield on Sep 8, 2010 11:02 AM PDT up reply actions
A- prospects are quite rare
and I’d rather have some very solid depth than one player we’re all counting on who could fail or get injured. Having several top flight prospects we could count on would be better, mind you…
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I disagree
the general pattern of success of minor league prospects is that first round picks have the best shot and then the numbers decline greatly after that.
The one caveat is the international market where it is about the money and that is where you can make up for that draft equation.
Even first rounders tend to never make the majors though
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
I think it depends on how you look at the prospect grading system
When I saw A prospects are rare, I’m referring to how guys like John Sickels hand out grades. Where it is literally rare to see someone get that high a grade. Having a lot of B graded guys is quite good. We had too many C guys in his Dodger top 20 before the season started. Now there are more guys getting Bs. So my point is not about draft position, it’s more about getting value for that draft position, and how rare it is to have an A graded player, especially if you aren’t drafting in the top 10.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
the general pattern of success of minor league prospects is that first round picks have the best shot and then the numbers decline greatly after that.
But how much of that is because they get promoted to justify the team’s investment in them? I don’t know where I would go to look this up, but I get the impression that first round picks are given a bunch more money than anyone else, and thus are moved up the ranks faster and into MLB to see if the team can get any value for their sunk cost.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Right, I’m not saying they grow on trees, I’m just saying I’d much rather have a farm system that has a couple great players rather than a bunch of depth like we do.
by regfairfield on Sep 8, 2010 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions
So would I
but not having those guys doesn’t mean we suck either. That is all I’m saying. When you draft in the 20’s, it is very hard to get those impact hitters.
Then again if you don’t trade away your impact hitter, you might not have to look for that “big bat and a catcher”. See how it always comes back to that?
We had a farm system that ranked somewhere from 20-25 coming into this year, and it sure as hell didn’t get better.
by regfairfield on Sep 8, 2010 10:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Sure it did
unlike other teams we had precious few promotions that mattered (Jansen) and we had a decent draft. Some of our prospects like Sands/Rubby were not on the radar and both will be top 100 prospects. Trayvon will be a top 100 prospect. Gordon still is. We might not be in the top 30 but we will be well represented in 30 – 100.
I guess since Gordon is still considered a top prospect for whatever reason you’re right. Sands and Trayvon are probably even with where Withrow and Martin were last year but slips from Elbert, Lindblom, DeJesus, Miller and losing Lambo cancel out a lot of Rubby/Webster/Magill.
by regfairfield on Sep 8, 2010 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions
This is no different
than what has transpired in most other clubs’ systems. There are only a few like the Royals and Braves for example that are really ahead of the rest, and there are many far worse like ChiSox or Astros.
Good points
not sure I’d agree that DeJesus slipped. DeJesus was so badly hurt he missed not only the whole minor league year but the winter league as well. He really came on at the end of the year. When I look at who is starting at 2nd base in the major leagues I still see DeJesus as being able to make that jump.
Fuck Elbert
Fuck Dunta
no wait, wrong website
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
I still dream of a successful 2013 rotation of Kershaw, Billingsley, Rubby, Withrow and Zach Lee. Granted, we’d have to resign Billingsley for that to happen and I think Dave Stewart may push him away from us. But, if that happens Kershaw and Bills would be the only expensive ones.
I also hope that this is the rotation because all of them have developed as planned as opposed to this being our rotation because we couldn’t afford a third starter.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Kemp is not someone I'm very interested in betting my job on
it will be curious which way Ned goes. Wouldn’t you expect that someone is taking some serious heat right now for the outstanding job that McDonald has done since leaving? Pitching coaches, managers, general managers, scouts?
Toe to toe with the inferior team behind him, and he beats Tim Hudson in a game he had to be perfect in until the Pirates finally scored. Everyone has a right to say “where was this” and “why didn’t we get this performance”? Is it the Dodger environment? From what I understand they did not change his mechanics, simply told him to throw his arsenal.
Yeah and what you're saying about McDonald is kind of what I'm wondering about the young Dodger hitters too
Again, I don’t want to point fingers solely at the coaching staff but you have to start to wonder… What are they there for? And will we see a young position player leave and then blossom again for a different team with different coaching? Don’t know the answers but hard not to think the whole coaching staff could use an upgrade, too.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Honestly I don't think its that complicated
we just bailed on him too soon. He got a chance to start what 4 games last year? Went down to get right, then got the chance to start one game that he didn’t look that bad, before we dumped him for Monestarios. I think if he gets 4 or 5 starts with us this year we see similar results. Its the part where they chose to start monk over him that makes almost no sense to me.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
I may still write something along these lines
but I think the carrying of Monk instead of trusting our own has been a huge mistake this year and I think we will pay that price in a big way.
I do not know if Monk was the problem. I guess I would have rather had him on the team at different stages over the season over somebody. Ortizii, Weaver, Troncoso, Taschner, Haeger, Elbert all were worse.
From what I overheard from Danny Darwin in ST
I think the coaching staff in the entire system felt both McDonald and Elbert needed to pitch there way onto the big club this year and to be fair, neither really did.
Again, I would have gone with McDonald in Weaver’s role and hoped that he could have taken the Billingsley route (middle reliever) to a starting role.
But I also don’t think he was never given a shot.
You’re right that McDonald didn’t “pitch his way onto the big club.”
The question is: why did the Dodgers put McDonald in that position? It has been suggested that he has a somewhat fragile ego. Why not give him the job, support him, and only cut ties after he has pitched his way OFF the club? Why tell him that his future with the club is in jeopardy?
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 10:59 AM PDT up reply actions
Agree
Why does Monk get to stay, he didn’t pitch himself onto the team but got it strictly because of his situation, while the pitcher who had a good season in relief was banished to AAA. Then the guy with the biggest upside had a terrible spring and was also banished to AAA. When he comes up and we badly needed a left handed relief pitcher with the struggles of Sherrill he’s sent back down to AAA and quits. If he had been left on the major league roster would Elbert have been better then Sherrill? I don’t know but what I do know is that the decision to keep Monk and send Elbert down resulted in us losing our top pitching prospect for the year.
My general sense about those two
was that it was as much mental as physical and because they had options, that was the choice they made.
Also, they did want them to start, if they had been projected as only relievers, you might have seen a different plan.
Once again, I don’t really know why the staff fell in love in Monk (and the Oritzes) for that matter but that is what happened.
I know he had an injury, but it is crazy to see we only gave him 7.2 innings this year.
by robotmadeofnails on Sep 8, 2010 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions
It is beyond creepy to me that this story reflects exactly what I was thinking last night in the 8th inning as Ethier and Kemp both struck out.
I expected both guys to dominate this year, and early in the year it appeared they might.
Such lost opportunities.
by runningwiththedevil on Sep 8, 2010 9:02 AM PDT reply actions
2008 “black hole” period, after Furcal got hurt and before Manny arrived: 3.66 runs/game in 76 games
2010 since All-Star break: 3.27 runs/game in 51 games
They were bad enough
they claimed Jose Cruz off waivers.
And he proceeded to have a 142 OPS+
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Nothing like briefly turning on Jim Rome this morning
in time to hear him mock the Dodgers “the slumpbuster the Padres needed.” etc etc. Cue Ed McMahon style “Hey-ohh!”
{{click}}
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
he was actually saying that Heath Bell sacrificing some KFC was the slumpbuster. He let the Dodgers off the hook.
but as his lead in at the top of the hour he also
pointed to the Dodgers as the cure for what ailed the Padres, then came back with more as you mention. Anyway, hard to argue with it, really. It’s just… meh, would be easier to be a Royals fan right now. Just for a week tho. ;-)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
because as a Royals fan you’d be used to feeling this way by now?
I don’t know. I’m perfectly fine with media members talking smack as long as they give us our due when we’re going strong. I don’t follow Jim Rome enough to know if he does or not.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Yeah, because no one in SF would care about the Royals ;-)
(I’m just kidding of course, I wouldn’t trade all the fun history of being a Dodger fan for being a Royals fan, no offense to them)
I only listen to Rome enough to know even tho he’s national he’s based in LA, mocks the Dodgers more than he praises em (but sure, at their peak late last season he gave them their due), and mocks a lot of things so it’s true what goes around comes around.
Let’s just say I’m even less likely to listen to local sports talk radio right now.
But that’s okay, I was in the mood for music anyway.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I definitely feel your pain
Lived in Rohnert Park for two years. Imagine playing college baseball with a bunch of Giants fans in Giants territory. At least I played in 2006-2007 so I got to rub the WC in their face.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Rome was a Dodger fan
so he is a little harder on them than most. But he is fair. When they are good, he gives them love.
Was? :-(
But cool, ok, I’ll ease up on him ;-) As I said, it’s not like it was unfair. I just was trying to avoid Dodger chatter.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Help is on the way
Jeff Hamilton is playing slo-pitch softball in Sheboygin and is listening to offers, Jason Grabowski got laid off at 7/11 in Fresno and has no plans, and Carlos Perez is trying to shut down his meth operation and go straight. Ned can get creative and build a dynasty.
OT (you're welcome) but hilarious new twitter feed
@English50cent
http://twitter.com/English50cent
Soulja and Fab have reconciled their differences, but have run out of meat. Warm regards to my homosexual followers. laughs
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Ned says he wants a big bat and a catcher?
here’s hoping he isn’t think of making a Victor Martinez run.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
you mean our defense shouldn’t get worse?
by StolenMonkey86 on Sep 8, 2010 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions
If by horrible you mean amazing
then sure
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
No, when I eventually kidnap and convince a woman to marry me, I will not do this
(I mean the lip syncing part)
the term "shotgun wedding" comes to mind
one that makes me want to use one on the wedding party
That which is in constant motion contains all possible forms.
It will be curious to see
the divorce rates in ten years from those who had singing/dance weddings and those who went the traditional method. Not sure which one I’d bet on. I could be wrong but they seem a bit narcissistic, but then again big weddings where the bride is the central figure always seemed a bit narcissistic to me in the first place. Look at me……………….
I wouldn't call them narcissistic
they might be, but these women are told their entire lives that this is going to be the biggest day of their lives and that they are supposed to be the center of attention.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Part of the problem is telling them that
getting married is the biggest day of their lives. If wives spent as much time working on their marriage as they did on planning their wedding then…………
If my wife had wanted a big wedding we simply would not have gotten married. Just me. Remember I’m the same bloke who considers jewelry one of the silliest concepts in human history.
by meercatjohn on Sep 8, 2010 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I do think women look silly when they decide to poke holes in their ears so they can have big dangling pieces of metal hanging out. Course, that goes for any tattoos, jewelry or piercing for me, but it’s a personal preference.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Men look just as silly,
it is not specific to a gender. For all our advances we still aren’t far from the natives who sold Manhatten for trinkets.
rec'd
wow, interesting marriage thread. As a bachelor looking in from the outside, I think the failure to manage expectations is a big part of why many marriages go south. Like you said, too much emphasis on the beginning, not enough on the journey.
Also, there are just a lot of lonely people out there who get flung together because they don’t want to be (read: can’t survive being) alone or single, but that’s not the recipe for long-term stability.
That which is in constant motion contains all possible forms.
I would also be a big advocatee for pre-marital counseling
by robotmadeofnails on Sep 8, 2010 11:35 AM PDT up reply actions
Big fan of the cruise wedding. Let them take care of it and your wedding is your honeymoon. Or you just honeymoon wherever the cruise destination is.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
My greatest coup thus far in life
I got married in Sandals Regency St Lucia Golf Resort and Spa. We spent 10 days there. Everyone was invited!
However, I paid for no one. My bro in law and sis in law were the only ones that came. It was awesoke.
Here's my problem
she has 39 cousins and 11 aunts/uncles on one side and wants them all to come. I fully endorse having a destination wedding and closed bar so I can watch as a hundred people send us gift certificates and notes saying how much they’d love to go but can’t.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
That was the beauty of it.
They will reserve upto 24 rooms for your wedding party and won’t fill them up with other people until you get a month out.
I sent errrrr, The wife sent invites to everyone. If you want to go, please do. I want you to come….But you have to be a couple. No singles and no kids.
All the food and drink you could want. Now it will run you about a dime a day. So if you can get the mom in law to pay for it, it is awesoke.
I’m going to end up paying for everything, but her parents are pretty old so when they retire we may get their house at the beach. I’m keeping my fingers crossed on that one.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
My mom in law married a dude that has a huge house on the lake around here. He owns about 10 different properties. The cool part about it is that he loves my daughter and really doesn’t like any of mom in laws other grand kids.
All of his kids hate him. He is a pretty odd dude. He likes me and my daughter. I am using him as my daughters trust fund hope for now. My dad now lives in a 1 bdrm apt. No trust fund coming from his $2000 per month!
39 cousins and 11 aunts/uncles on one side
neighbor of keithc13’s?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Filipino?
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Keep it simple
Invite them all and keep it to an affordable level. There are lots of inexpensive rooms for rent. Shell out for kegs, bottles of two-buck chuck, a Costco case of 1.75 l tequilas and limes. Some of those aunts/uncles might love to cater the thing. Hire the mariachis. These are the best events!
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Consensus says...
Catholics!
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
but I told you they were mexican catholics. A consensus wouldn’t change what the answer is.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
The common consensus here
was that no matter the ethnicity they are probably catholic, be it Irish, filipino or mexican.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Catholics
Catholics. Love the protestant couple that is featured in other parts of this scene as well.
MR. BLACKITT: Protestant, and fiercely proud of it.
MRS. BLACKITT: Hmm. Well, why do they have so many children?
MR. BLACKITT: Because… every time they have sexual intercourse, they have to have a baby.
MRS. BLACKITT: But it’s the same with us, Harry.
MR. BLACKITT: What do you mean?
MRS. BLACKITT: Well, I mean, we’ve got two children, and we’ve had sexual intercourse twice.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Given the offense's struggles
How has Don Mattingly not been fired? Or was Jamie the one who was always firing people?
Because
a) hitting coaches don’t really matter
b) he was also the hitting coach for last season’s 4.81 runs-per-game offense
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions
Correct me if I'm wrong
but Raffy at 3.3WAR according to B-R though he’s played in 81 games means that if he was just healthy and played everyday we’d theoretically have about 3 more wins just from him?
Blame Don Mattingly?
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
I do blame Raffy's balky back more than the hitting coach
for their struggles. But with all the young hitters on the team I still wish he’d been able to help them more this season. I guess that’s asking for too much.
Hitting coaches may not matter but I still don’t get why he’d be #1 in line for the next manager since results and experience do seem to matter somewhat…
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I blame Ethier’s broken finger. That’s when the wheels started to fall off.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions
They did?
because they didn’t seem to fall off to me until he got back. If you remember when his finger got hurt we went on a tear.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Mainly because of Furcal. He carried the team up until the break. But once he stopped hitting it just all fell apart.
Now it seems like everyone is trying too hard. Everyone is trying to be the guy who gets that big hit, who can hoist the team and carry them to glory. That’s why we’re seeing so many strikeouts. Nobody is relaxed.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
So the wheels fell apart when Furcal got injured then
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Ethiers injury might have loosened the lug nuts
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
I blame Larry Bowa
And Mark Sweeney.
And Tommy Lasorda.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I blame Frank McCourt
Just because I can. :)
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Assuming Furcal could keep up his career-high pace over a full season, yes.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions
This is probably a good thing, but
You just refuse to believe that the people running this team are complete idiots.
by StolenMonkey86 on Sep 8, 2010 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions
To clarify,
If you just think “What Would Plaschke do at this moment?” he would probably say to do what you always do: fire the hitting coach when the whole offense goes down the drain.
by StolenMonkey86 on Sep 8, 2010 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions
To clarify further
I know hitting coaches don’t matter and are mostly figureheads, but isn’t the old theory that they are “hired to be fired” in that sense? Or is that just done as a PR move, and everyone has rightly given up on this year’s team anyway? It just seems like when things fall apart, you wait for the team to fire the manager/hitting coach.
by StolenMonkey86 on Sep 8, 2010 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions
It just seems like when things fall apart, you wait for the team to fire the manager/hitting coach.
How do you fire Joe Torre, Don Mattingly and Larry Bowa when you have made them a bigger face of the franchise than anyone on your team? The biggest problem with firing any of them is having to wipe the egg off the FO’s collective face. It’s much easier to get the fans to rally around hating slumping players.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Those guys could just as easily make it easy on mgmt
by leaving. In Torre’s case, I consider that likely. Which imho means Bowa’s gone, too. (Either to some team stupid enough to hire him as manager, or just to be a coach for another team with Torre, or take the year off.) Mattingly could either be their next manager, or, if not chosen, I’d imagine him gone as well.
I’m not even saying all this to blame those guys for what should be shared blame, shared by management and shared by the players themselves. But this is how I’m predicting things will shake out.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I do think we need a new coaching staff. The Dodgers just don’t seem to be responding to anyone they have currently. I would keep Duncan and jettison the rest. Especially Honeycutt. I’ve never been a big fan of his anyway.
But if we get a new manager most likely we’ll get a completely new coaching staff as well.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Especially Honeycutt.
The starting pitching is the only thing the Dodgers have going for them right now.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions
I know but I still don’t like Honeycutt. He seems to bring pitchers along really slowly. Billingsley is just now finding himself and he’s already 26. I think he would have gotten better results under a different coach.
But that’s just me.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Just now finding himself?
Did you not watch the Dodgers in 2008?
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions
Of course
But then he collapsed in the NLCS, and while he made the All-Star team in last year, he had an absolutely disastrous second half.
With the exception of a few early season starts this year he’s been terrific. But his inconsistency before was holding him back. And I think a lot of that was due to Honeycutt.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 11:04 AM PDT up reply actions
A bad game in the NLCS does not negate the rest of the season
sorry, math doesn’t work that way. And yes he had an undeniably bad 2nd half last year but some of that was slow starting due to injury recovery. I think his progress has been pretty close to on schedule. And Kershaw’s has been ahead of schedule if you ask me.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
So if the 2008 Dodgers were as shitty as the 2010 Dodgers, you would look on Billingsley’s season more fondly?
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions
I didn’t say that. I just found his inconsistency maddening. But I think he has found it now.
And I agree with you about Kershaw underdog. But he’s kind of a special case. He’s got so much talent it’s unbelievable. As far as Bills, I just can’t help feeling that he should have been so much better than he currently is by now.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions
How many teams in the league have a guy they can say the same
about? Most of them? Thats just the reality of player development. To ignore every other pitcher and all other results because Bills has struggled at some points in his career makes no sense and reeks of selection bias.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Bills has been terrific this year so it feels more like a case of
unrealistic expectations (the next Pedro Martinez or Sandy Koufax) then how he’s actually been. But yes Kershaw is indeed a special case. If we could just clone him once over our staff would be set for years :-)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Billingsley is, at worst, the fourth best right-handed pitcher the Dodgers have ever developed, in the mix with Drysdale, Orel, and Sutton.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
Definitely. I’m not knocking Bills in any way. I’m thrilled with the year he’s having. I was just using him as an example of why I don’t like Honeycutt.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions
We get that
and we are saying that our reasoning for using him as an example of not liking Honeycut might not be all that stable.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
I think with the help of Honeycutt, Bills got a better sense of the pitcher he should be rather than what he wanted to be. He’s not going to produce K’s like he did in ’08, but to see his walk rate drop is the biggest thing for me.
Sure, he helped himself with his control problems, but I think Honeycutt also helped him out along the way.
by Julio Nievas on Sep 8, 2010 11:30 AM PDT up reply actions
I should note I was only thinking LA here.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
as you should
though I’m not sure if the Dodgers have been here long enough to warrant the right to consider them part of Los Angeles.
Did you also only mean starters?
Otherwise, I guess we should talk about that guy Gagne. We traded Pedro from the dark room and developed Gagne in a back room, does that count?
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
He developed using something
from a lab
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Even at his best he was still just a reliever, and for only 3 (albeit GREAT) seasons.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions
Real pitchers start
Those that fail, relieve.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions
And those who can’t relieve are relieved?
Is that like the ‘Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. Those who can’t teach, teach P.E."?
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Exactly
Gagne is probably wearing tight shorts and a whistle as we speak.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
I’ve been thinking of taking my talents to education administration. I just have no idea how one qualifies for such positions.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
I’m not willing to go re-learn geometry, pass the CSET, then forget how to teach it later.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Most administrative are former teachers who decide they either need to be administrative or leave the profession.
Gotcha
I mostly just see how much they can make and drool a little bit.
Mostly, I’m trying to figure out what business I want to open. I don’t really have a passion for anything outside of baseball, and I love all aspects of business, so I’m looking to open a business and run it from the top and don’t necessarily care what it is as long as I can morally support it.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Once upon a time
near the same age Astacio, Welch, Valdez, Singer, and Rhoden would have been on that list.
Agreed
There is still quite a ways to go, obviously. He’s essentially at the Valdes spot right now; hopefully Bills has a better 26-30 period than Ismael.
Sutton’s ERA+ through his age 25 season was 95. Then the 1970s happened.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions
I think Bills will be great from this point on. I’m just afraid we’re going to lose him when he hits free agency. I want him and Kershaw fronting the rotation for years to come.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 11:31 AM PDT up reply actions
I was surprised to see
Singer at the top of the leaderboard of the home developed RH pitchers other then Orel and Don Sutton missing the cut of ERA+ > 100 age 26 and youner, 40 starts.
Rk Player ERA+ G From To Age GS W L W-L% IP SO ERA HR OPS OPS+
1 Orel Hershiser 150 89 1983 1985 24-26 54 30 11 .732 437.1 312 2.33 18 .560 64
4 Bill Singer 119 133 1964 1970 20-26 123 53 43 .552 901.2 744 2.66 51 .592 81
5 Chad Billingsley 117 155 2006 2010 21-25 126 58 38 .604 794.0 710 3.55 61 .703 91
6 Ismael Valdez 115 185 1994 2000 20-26 158 61 57 .517 1065.0 785 3.48 109 .689 88
7 Bob Welch 114 170 1978 1983 21-26 147 66 47 .584 987.1 691 3.11 71 .642 85
9 Ramon Martinez 107 171 1988 1994 20-26 168 74 56 .569 1121.1 832 3.44 95 .666 90
10 Stan Williams 106 181 1958 1962 21-25 129 57 46 .553 872.0 657 3.83 85 .687 87
11 Rick Rhoden 105 118 1974 1978 21-25 91 42 24 .636 670.1 325 3.40 59 .684 95
12 Pedro Astacio 105 113 1992 1995 23-26 76 32 30 .516 521.1 353 3.66 45 .684 92
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/8/2010.
Seems like that has been the case for a very long tom
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Yeah I can't see Honeycutt being jettisoned
He certainly can’t be blamed for much given the pitching has been surprisingly excellent this year. Perhaps McDonald would be one case that could be used against him (why was he mediocre in LA but looks good in Pitt?) Not saying that’d be totally fair either but that would be one argument.
He could also just say screw this, I’m done with LA, and leave, too.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
(not all of the bullpen has been excellent mind you)
(not sure how much of that Honeycutt should or will be blamed for…)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
This is an interesting thread
And it relates directly to Eric’s above post in trying to figure out who exactly is to blame for this mess. So far, we’ve narrowed it down to:
1. The McCourts
2. Ned [and his assistants nine]
3. Torre/Bowa/Mattingly
4. The Core
5. Humma
My vote goes to #2, but it’s probably a combination of a few. I personally won’t be optimistic about the direction of the organization until Ned is gone, but that doesn’t appear to be in the cards. The more I think about it, the more he strikes me as a McCourt lackey.
I don't think Colletti is the problem
He’s made some bad moves, but overall he’s done quite well operating with the restraints Frank has given him.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't see how Ned
has any blame for what has happened to the core other then the fact he stuck with them.
Not my point
Ned doesn’t deserve blame for the core, but he does deserve for what he surrounded the core with. Dead horse.
I blame Hilary Swank
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Aww now why do you have to get The Core involved????
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 11:12 AM PDT up reply actions
People keep referring to it above!
not my fault! ;-)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I don't really see how it's Torre's fault...
…but 1, 2, 4, and 5 all share the blame.
The McCourts’ high leverage of the team put the Dodgers in a position where they had to leverage the future for the present. It almost worked, but didn’t, and because of that, the team is likely to be disappointing in the near future.
Ned has made some poor choices in which parts of the future to trade away that has put the team at a significant disadvantage in the years to come.
The Core’s failure to develop could have countered both of these points, but the fact that they have sucked means that there was no room for other errors, and there were a lot of other errors.
I am a total bastard who should probably get banned from this site forthwith.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 11:20 AM PDT up reply actions
done
and done.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
I still lay a big chunk of blame for Brox
on Torre.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Yes
Didn’t think about Broxton. You’re right — his usage pattern was criminal. Or criminally insane. Your choice.
He is another guy that I’m hoping bounces back big next season. We need to get good picks for him when he goes.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions
Even with the year he's had
I’d be shocked if he was anything but a Type-A after next year.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Don't forget: 6. True Blue LA
We have only had two TBLA nights this year. If we would have had 81, the Dodgers would have been undefeated at home, and surely would have had the best record in baseball.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:46 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm afraid to risk our undefeated record
with this team. Maybe I can find a game where Clayton goes against Enright
Why this comment?
Didn’t everyone uniformly support backing of the core? Now that the core has failed management is complete idiots? Maybe we are the idiots for not moving the core instead of trusting it?
Wouldn't that make management the idiots
for not moving the core? :-p.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Then that would also make
those of us who supported not moving the core idiots, so if we need to wear that hat put the same hat on everyone.
I absolutely abhor the idea that everyone or anyone is an idiot. I see that way too much from people who don’t know what the hell they are talking about, so I have grown to ignore it.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
Indeed and I respect that
I’m glad that in your position as mainstream blogger with media credentials, you’re more level-headed. I’m just saying it’s odd that when the season has gone so disasterously, the PR move of firing the manager/hitting coach seems to be rendered unnecessary by the divorce.
by StolenMonkey86 on Sep 8, 2010 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions
I have two responses to this news
My first response is “Andre’s not great he’s just above average? NO! Say it ain’t so Eric, say it ain’t so.”
Then the second response is, well the Galaxy put the team celebrating their Western conf championship on the media guide cover, raising the trophy and everything. Then I remember its been a long time since the Dodgers hoisted a trophy, and I get sad inside.
and this is my soundtrack for the morning
by Josie Becker on Sep 8, 2010 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions
it’s more on the nose about this blog then about the Dodgers. Gary Numan “Are friends electric?”
by Josie Becker on Sep 8, 2010 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions
The 50 walk club
Jamey Carroll leads the team in BB, and is one away from being the first member of the 50 walk club on this year’s team.
Matt Kemp is 3rd behind Martin and is 3 BB away.
Ethier, Blake and Loney have 44. They could hopefully walk 6 times in September.
Furcal has 34. Getting 16 BB in a month seems like a stretch, except he’s had a good year.
Theroit has 32 total on the year (13 with LA), and Podboy has 39 total (10 with LA).
So even more than 10 RBI and 4 HR from Loney, I’m rooting for 18 walks from Theriot, 11 from Podsednik, and 16 from Furcal.
Also
By September 5 of last season, the 50-walk club had 7 members already! (Kemp was #8, on September 18)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions
More likely
“Looks like Matt Kemp found the only 47 guys in MLB who don’t throw a slider”.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
by G.Scott on Sep 8, 2010 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
It's a sad year
When you have to resort to rooting for players to walk.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm Rooting for Podsednik to walk
at the end of the season too
by StolenMonkey86 on Sep 8, 2010 11:08 AM PDT up reply actions
At the end of the day the best news from 2010 is that
Kershaw and Billingsley are still pitching.
by meercatjohn on Sep 8, 2010 11:12 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
And for the Dodgers!
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Kershaw was once on pace for 17 wins this season
Now he’s on pace for 13. So many opportunities wasted…
In the second half, the only two games Kershaw was awarded the win were the two games in which he gave up zero runs.
The lesson here: give up runs, don’t win.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 11:23 AM PDT up reply actions
Yah. If he had the yankees lineup he could've won 17 already
and so it goes…
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
A 2.76 ERA over 4 starts should still translate to at least one win.
But instead he’s 0-3. What an offense we have.
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions
It is interesting when you look at the top teams in baseball
none of them are having a good year with their OF group, and certainly none had as much promise in the OF as the Dodgers.
Yankees, Swisher (very good year), Gardner (a better OBP and good fielder), Granderson (pass).
Rays, Crawford (solid), Zobrist and Upton (downward trend)
Twins, Young (better than last year), Span (hmmm, no), Cuddyer (down)
Rangers, Hamilton (MVP candidate), Borbon, Murphy (really)
Phillies, Werth (yes), Ibanez and Victorino (down)
Braves, Heyward (ROY), Cabrera (no), Diaz, Hinske, Mclouth (next)
Reds, Bruce (coming around), Stubbs (I see a trend of non-batting CF), Gomes (glad he hit is 100th HR)
Padres, Unless Aaron Cunningham plays, there is not a single OF above .800 OPS on that team
Believe me
I wish to hell that Kemp had played better so that we could blame missing the playoffs on Garrett Anderson.
We laugh about “blame Kemp,” but when it really is his fault (and the other guys in the core), it’s no fun.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't get it
There’s just a picture of Larry Bowa there. CUT AND PASTE FAIL ;-)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Maybe he thinks torre is coming back?
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Dodger's Outfield
It’s about time someone said something about the cruddy play and attitude of this crew of Dodger players. These guys have all the charisma of a lump of dog crap. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team full of guys that strike out on the same pitch time after time. And I don’t think I’ve seen them get mad, sad, unhappy or pissed about anything that happens on the field. The triple hip bump hasn’t been seen for quite a while, has it? Only Furcal has shown any desire on the field.
The management must keep the players separated from Bowa until game time. He’s the only one on the staff that has any fire to win. He obviously won’t be here next year. I imagine it’s killing him.
These guys couldn’t carry Don Drysdale’s jockstrap.
Speaking of pitchers: The starting pitching has been marvelous for most of the year, but early removals by a guy who has not a clue about pitching has kept the starters from winning. The 100 pitch limit is killing the team. What a joke! If I was a starting pitcher on this team, I would sue for non-support.
The relievers have been the worst enemies of the Dodgers. They pitch like it’s batting practice, and they get a bonus if they can hit the opponent’s bats!
This the most disappointing season I’ve watched in twenty years.
And I don’t think I’ve seen them get mad, sad, unhappy or pissed about anything that happens on the field.
I’ve also never seen Ethier get pissed off.
Seriously
he is SOOOOOOO calm. Martin also never jawed at the ump. Loney never got in trouble for arguing strikes or balls, and Manny didn’t get kicked out of any games for it either.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Are you ivdowns predecessor?
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
While I respect that the cause of autism awareness is noble, the commercial in which Curt Schilling calls himself “a fastballing philanthropist” makes me want to puke.
Or more Fox News
depending on your persuasion
by Josie Becker on Sep 8, 2010 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions
I find MSNBC is trying to get the Liberal politics market. CNN is the bland version that pretends people don’t watch news networks by their politics.
I know, just funny you used the Fox News slogan
by Josie Becker on Sep 8, 2010 11:57 AM PDT up reply actions
I find it more depressing
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
I would be just as aware
just sadder that I didn’t have him to make me laugh about it.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Admiral Obvious says
there is very little fabric covering her breasts there, in that picture
by Josie Becker on Sep 8, 2010 11:54 AM PDT up reply actions
who lines a tub with velvet by the way? this photo shoot is absurd
by Josie Becker on Sep 8, 2010 11:58 AM PDT up reply actions
That's not even the weirdest tub-related photography happening today.
Witness the Cialis ads. What man says, yes, I am going to take that drug so that my wife and I can sit in our matching bathtubs and hold hands?
I mean, what the fuck? Who even has two bathtubs side-by-side like that? And why does that say romance? It says fucking weird is what it says.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 12:00 PM PDT up reply actions
I really dislike
those commercials as well. The tubs are always in a remote forest or a beach or something which makes even less sense. I would love to see those old lovers dragging bathtubs out into the woods.
mental note
don’t buy dingers’s house
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 12:16 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't know
a velvet-lined tub doesn’t sound terrible.
Tripon!!!!!!!!!
Where is a moderator when you need one, because I’m just not up to taking this down.
This is why the Dodgers are losing
They’re too busy staring at this picture!
by Michael Kieser on Sep 8, 2010 11:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Since Elf
I thought she was perfect casting as Trillian.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Jon Heyman
Just tweeted this:
no shot yankees let the great jeter leave
I dunno what fancy school he went to, but the noun in that sentence is Yankees, the verb let, the object Jeter.
So when I first read it, I thought, the Yankees stink and are letting Jeter walk?
But of course, that’s not true, Heyman just needs a grammar lesson.
the problem is the word "shot" and a missing "that"
if he had written
no chance that yankees let the great jeter leave
he’d still be imperfect, but good enough.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 11:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Jon Heyman’s new book on grammar, “Let Your Participles Dangle,” expects to be on bookstore shelves in May 2011.
http://www.dingersblog.com
One thing that I am not sure how this reflects on Matt's year
Is his lower numbers of hitting the first or second pitch of the at bat. Now his numbers are okay when he does, though down a bit for first pitch swings. Now, I don’t have the splits when he swings and misses on those pitches so that might be what is happening.
Outside the Lines talking about the fallout of the 2004 and 2005 USC football team.
Would you take two great years and find out years later that you’re going to be hammered for them?
I guess the Dodger equivalent is that they win the World Series, and find out that because of the Divorce the entire team has to be dismantled and the team has to basically play their AAA team for the next 3 years due to having no funds.
That is what happened in Florida
Fans probably don’t care as much but as a business, that is not the way to run a team since you then can ruin your base sales of tickets and sponsorships.
I guess the Dodger equivalent is that theywin the World Seriesget unceremoniously tossed from the NLCS by the Phillies two years in a row, and find out that because of the Divorce the entire team has to be dismantled and the team has to basically play their AAA team for the next 3 years due to having no funds.
Fixed that for you.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 12:10 PM PDT up reply actions
You are supposed to yell the ftfy part
gramps
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
I don't know what that means.
I’m oooooooooold.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions
but mostly because I don’t think the down years will be that down.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 12:16 PM PDT up reply actions
High five for optimism!
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
for USC, that is. The Dodgers, I have no idea.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 12:17 PM PDT up reply actions
ahhhh
I was about to comment about this… the Dodgers are all about the down years with no championship to show for it!
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 12:17 PM PDT up reply actions
I'll say this
USC will probably be good and competitive but they won’t see the likes of their dominance that they had for a 3-4 year stretch. Which is good for the conference but bad for any Pac-10 (12) school getting a shot at the BCS title.
I can’t agree with that. Sooner or later the Pac-10 will have the “respect” they will have. Chip Kelly, that ass of a coach at Stanford, and Tedford are really good.
It helps that they schedule with “harder” non-conference games. Like UO-LSU next season.
by Julio Nievas on Sep 8, 2010 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions
I think Tedford is overrated as a head coach. Chip and AssWipe are solid; so are Stoops and Sarkesian (so far). Erickson, Nuheisal, and whomever the fuck is at Washington State aren’t that good. (Joking on the WSU post…no one could win there right now). We’ll see about Lane.
Yes he did. And that’s about all they are. There was talk about him turning them into a juggernaut or him jumping to a better gig, but none of that has happened. Could be the lack of dough, but he got them to cough up a new training facility so i don’t think that’s the problem. I just think he hasn’t lived up to the potential of what he was 8-9 years ago.
I partly believe that Cal’s biggest football problem is its terrible, terrible stadium. God what a dump.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Exactly
USC knows they’ll at least get better prospects than other schools in the Pac-10, even during sanctions while the Dodgers… Wait, they have prospects?
by Julio Nievas on Sep 8, 2010 12:29 PM PDT up reply actions
Final Minor League Hot Sheet
Some good news, some good news, and then some bad news:
Alfredo Silverio has been hot and he made the notes of the hot sheet:
After being slowed by injuries in April and May, Dodgers LF Alfredo Silverio has had a productive second half at high Class A Inland Empire. While the 23-year-old hasn’t changed his free-swinging ways (he’s drawn just 18 walks all year), he’s hitting .327/.368/.538 with 10 home runs in 266 at-bats since the Cal League’s all-star break. This week, he went 13-for-26 with a homer and five doubles for a .500/.536/.808 line
Then Andrew Lambo made the ice cold list:
• Andrew Lambo, lf, Pirates: Lambo made a nice first impression with the Pirates, after coming over in the Octavio Dotel trade. But he was ice cold this week, hitting .056/.056/.105 over 18 at-bats with seven strikeouts. It’s been mostly a down year all together for Lambo, who was suspended 50 games in the season’s first half for his second positive test for a drug of abuse.
But then so did Ethan Martin
• Ethan Martin, rhp, Dodgers: Pitchers have bad games. It happens—especially when they’re subject to pitching in the California League. But having back-to-back bad games in the same week is an easy way to make the Hot Sheet for the wrong reasons. That’s exactly what Martin did this week, going 0-2, 37.80 over the two starts. In his first game this week, Martin didn’t get out of the second inning, while giving up three runs on four hits (and five walks) against Bakersfield. On Sept. 2, at San Jose, Martin lasted just three innings, while allowing four runs on three hits, with three more walks. Martin has been the poster boy for why teams have reservations about sending pitchers through the California League. On the season, he’s 9-14, 6.35 with 105 strikeouts and 81 walks over 113 innings
And then our boy John makes the
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Dodgers 1B John Lindsey has hit over .300 once in a 14-year affiliated minor league career. So to say that it’s a little surprising to see the Rockies’ 1995 13th-round pick getting ready to wrap up a batting title is a more than mild understatement. Of course, it helps that he plays his home games in Triple-A Albuquerque’s bandbox. Lindsey’s average never has dipped below .350 all year. And by hitting .469/.500/1.031 this week, the 33-year-old raised his averages to .364/.411/.677. It may not get him to the big leagues, but if nothing else, it definitely should ensure that Lindsey can play many more years at Triple-A, and that’s a feat in itself when you consider that he didn’t reach that level for the first time until he was a 12-year minor league veteran.
Why is Lambo going ice cold good news?
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 12:18 PM PDT up reply actions
We traded him
remember? Its on of the many reasons the Dotel trade sucked so goddamn hard.
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
yeah, i got the memo on that
but it’s neither good news or bad news if he does well or poorly. it’s no news to us. it makes no difference.
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 12:20 PM PDT up reply actions
True that is only good news for me
While I wanted Santana to succeed because I had faith in him, I’ve been one of Lambo’s biggest detractors so I’d just assume he suck. I can only take being wrong so often, and I’ve used up a good part of my quota.
In his defense
1) he told them before the trade that he couldn’t play/wasn’t healthy
2) he did have that one 380ft single
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
I am not qualified to write this story
but as I look at the stats of players 25 and under, to me it certainly seems like there is a school of thought that although the ceilings are higher for drafting high school hitters, if you have a choice with a mid-to-higher first round pick between a very good college hitter and a high school hitter, go with the college hitter.
Dodgers don't move players fast enough though the system though.
If you’re a college hitter drafted in your 21 age season, you need to move fast to make any impact on the club. The Dodgers though like to sit on players moving them through one level at at a time.
If you’re drafted in college, and it takes you 5 years to make it out, I rather take the high school player and control his development from 18 year and on.
Cue ivdown in five... four... three... two...
The Omar Moreno of this blog
by Humma Kavula on Sep 8, 2010 12:26 PM PDT up reply actions
he’s busy fixing iPhones. and has been demoted from IVdown to IIIdown.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Until recently
can we call him VIdown to refer to his corndog consumption capacity.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
I’m sure if they drafted a good enough hitter, they would move him through the system accordingly.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 12:27 PM PDT up reply actions
We shall see how
Jonathan Garcia – High School incredibly young
Blake Smith – College Hitter
move up.
High School hitters
Kemp, Loney, DeWitt
Kemp and Loney made it fairly fast. Dewitt also but he got there through bad circumstance.
4-5 years for a high school player is fairly fast, but we just seen two players in Jason Heyward, and Mike Stanton just shot through the system.
Losing Mike Stanton hurt since the Dodgers apprently heavily scouted him and took Adkins instead.
Yes big mistake
on Stanton regarding the draft. Not sure how you can compare the time lines of Heyward/Stanton to the normal high school path. They are special hitters.
The Dodgers really did whiff on Stanton. Would love to know which scout was his advocate and which one advocated Adkins and if the said scout who advocated Adkins over Stanton is still being listened to because I’d have fired him if he didn’t have any other successes as backup for such a screw up. Might have been Logan White for all we know. What we do know is that we missed a local kid who is going to hit 400 home runs.
It was incredible when Stanton hit that bomb in Philly. He won’t be 21 until November
by Julio Nievas on Sep 8, 2010 12:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Marty Lamb signed
Adkins, he also signed Billingsley, Wade and Mattingly among others. My hunch is that it was the same scout who advocated for Lambo that year but I don’t know right now who that was, could be Bobby Darwin. But then again, Logan White still looks at the final candidates.
Aren't most of these guys regional?
How would Lamb know if Adkins was really better than Stanton if he never saw him play? they must get in some heated discussions.
If anything, shouldn’t you give preference to the guys who are scouting in the hotbeds of baseball? A scout in SoCal or Texas is going to see much better talent than guys in the midwest or Tenn.
Most we can say about our 2007 draft
is that Michael Watt got us Greg Maddux.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
If I’m drafting hitters, I only want college guys who hit .400+ and HS guys at .500+
Sounds simplistic but I think it’s a decent guide for future success.
Does sound simplistic
I’d think .500 in Montana doesn’t mean the same thing as .500 in Granada Hills.
Well sure, but we always tend to pick the High School pitcher. Also, Blake Smith is a disappointment.
From T.J. Simers who was in San Diego yesterday:
Someone suggests starting over, the Jacksonville Fab 5 of Andy LaRoche, Joel Guzman, Russell Martin, Broxton and Chad Billingsley never amounting to as much as the Dodgers promised, and go ahead and throw in Matt Kemp.
So many questions. The middle of the lineup with Ethier & Kemp went bust too often. Will they ever consistently deliver? Someone in the organization says the team must add a hitter better than Ethier and Kemp to be successful, but if it costs money, then what?
The current state of the Dodgers and chances for future success ought to scare the heck out of anyone who finds great pleasure in rooting for this team.
The beginning of the column has Simers slamming Steiner and Monday for not paying attention to the game.
Pretty vapid column
Sorry I wasted my time. I should have known better.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Things needed to go perfectly for the Dodgers to succeed this year:
Some things that went wrong:
Belisario does not show up – 6th, 7th, innings in turmoil.
Has beens used to fill 5th starter slot, The Ortizi, Haeger, etc.
Ned Jumps Kemp’s ass for too much swagger after hitting 10 HR’s, Kemp disappears – CF
Sherrill can get no one out, Torre vows to stick with Sherrill till he ‘works things out’. – Co – Closer
Manny gets hurt – The Power Bat
Ethier gets hurt – Power Bat 1a
Furcal gets hurt – SS
Martin gets hurt – C
Broxton Flames Out – Closer
Coaches in disarry, fragging players in the press
Team Ownership in disarray
Just too much to overcome for this group, obviously.
The journeymen fill ins are just that and produce predictable results.
Frank McCourt, what can you do?
What can you afford to do to make this team a contender again?
by 68elcamino427 on Sep 8, 2010 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, immediately after the AS Game, the
air came out of the balloon
wheels fell off
shit hit the fan
light at the end of the tunnell disappeared
the team played sub .400 ball
by 68elcamino427 on Sep 8, 2010 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions
I had the same reaction to that email. Just more bloodsucking nincompoopery by TMZ
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions
nincompoopery is an awesome word
and if people wouldn’t freak out over me changing my handle again, I’d use it.
They were talking about this yesterday
on the site but didn’t quite get it until you posted the photo. Man, I would expect a newbie to slam on their brakes. I hope they don’t make brown ones in Arizona, people will just speed up to waste the anchor babies that are ruining our world.
It is just me
or does anyone else keep getting drawn back to the Zoey photo to see if the moderators have left her in place?
Is David getting any work done?
It was funny
i have my ipod on at work, and when I hit Z earlier it took me to that picture and “Use Me” by Bill Withers came on almost at the same time.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
I've been very busy today
but I’ve seen that pic before, and chose not too post it here, although I believe those are shadows and not nips that one sees there.
But I ain’t gonna be the guy that deletes it.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
rec’d for awesome
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
by G.Scott on Sep 8, 2010 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
This adds to my Ron-ron man love. the dude is straight hilarious.
by UCLADodger32 on Sep 8, 2010 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm sure
Jerry Buss didn’t think that was hilarious.
Being pulled over for an out of date registration is about the least of anyone’s concerns. Here’s hoping this gets a chuckle and then gets brushed aside as it should.
It’s not like he was going 150mph down Wilshire. He was driving a kit car with no tags. Big deal.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
by G.Scott on Sep 8, 2010 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
yeah seriously
Its not Tyreke Evans going 120+ on the freeway
by SeanMillerSavior on Sep 8, 2010 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don’t know. The thing supposedly had a top speed of 152mph. Something tells me he was opening it up, even if he didn’t get caught doing so…
pretty sure I saw this fool on santa monica and sepulveda at like 1145 yesterday.. it was either ron or someone else driving one of these goddamn things.
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on Sep 8, 2010 2:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Lemmerman rules the late nights of Ogden
LATE NIGHT WITH LEMMERMAN – Rookie-advanced Ogden shortstop Jake Lemmerman was named Pioneer League MVP after leading the Raptors to a franchise-record 44 wins and the playoffs with a division title. The 21-year-old was the Dodgers’ fifth-round selection in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of Duke University and ranked among the league leaders in batting average (.367, 2nd), doubles (24, 1st), home runs (12, 6th), RBI (44, 9th), on-base percentage (.436, 2nd) and slugging percentage (.622, 2nd).
►Raptor pitchers Shawn Tolleson (0.65 ERA, 17 saves) and Red Patterson (6-1, 3.33 ERA) joined Lemmerman on the All-Star team, while catcher Michael Pericht, infielder Blake Dean, outfielder Nick Akins and left hander Greg Wilborn all received honorable mention for the All-Star squad.
Nick Akins didnt make the all-star squad?
What a joke. . . wheres Leon also?
by SeanMillerSavior on Sep 8, 2010 1:50 PM PDT up reply actions
That's freakin awesome, I hope for at least a .750 MLB OPS from this guy at SS
Don’t let me down!
"If we hit that bull's eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate"
Nice stat pick by Jon Weisman
at Dodger Thoughts:
Since holding the best record in the NL with a 36-24 record on June 9, the Dodgers are 33-46, 26th in the majors.Nearly three months of a pace to lose 94 games in season. No wonder we get grumpy around here.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Would be interesting
when the last time a team had the best record in the league sometime after 50 games played and ended the season below .500 and/or fourth or worse in the division
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Best record in the NL, at 55-43 after games of July 21, 2007 (which was Dodger Thoughts day BTW).
Finished 82-80, 4th place.
Honestly, this is just mind-blowing to me. Did anybody here have the Dodgers pegged as a 90-loss team? They won 95 last year!
The Omar Moreno of this blog
I’m hoping for 85+ wins so I can smugly point out the irony of celebrating the 2008 team and hating this one.
Theres something to be said
for finishing strong
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
David Young had Kuroda pegged
“The Dodgers went 93-69 in 2010 with strong offense from the outfield, somewhat of a comeback season from Rafael Furcal, some power increase from James Loney, and Russell Martin being just barely on the right side of a .750 OPS. Blake DeWitt’s .775 OPS for a division winner garners a rookie of the year vote despite his ineligibility. The starting pitching gets a replacement for a shell-shocked Vicente Padilla with a deadline deal for a recovered Ben Sheet and $3.3M, but the quality of the Dodger prospects involved cause the ESPNLA blog software to melt down. Kershaw and Billingsley continue to progress and impress, but the key is Kuroda staying healthy all year, recording 200+ IP of 116 ERA+ pitching.”
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Needless to say, just about EVERYTHING I said was wrong
but I did pick the Braves to win the wild card.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Outside of the three starting pitchers
everything else was dead wrong.
Marty Leadman in that thread is close:
The Dodgers go 77 – 85, but still finish second in 2010 as just about everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. The only player that significantly improves is Chad Billingsley who posts a 2.99 ERA despite only 9 wins.
Marty_Leadman (3/29/2010 at 1:56 PM)
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Kuroda is at 170 IP and a 114 ERA+
So that is pretty close. Go Hiroki!
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
wow
that’s pretty much what happened. the type in bold anyway.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 8, 2010 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Hell yeah
AJ Green will be required to miss 3 more games as punishment from the NCAA for selling an autographed jersey.
That is awesoke news for me. My fav team plays his squad next weekend.
I don’t have a link as I received a text from ESPN. Sorry for those that require a link.
Ryan Phillippe
is available to be eaten for lunch? Wow that’s rockn.
Happy Birthday Josie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy birthday Josie. For some reason I thought you said it was yesterday, but then again I didn’t wish you happy birthday yesterday either. Andre will hit a combined two home runs and/or bat racks tonight in your honour.
Plus, the Giants are coming to Petco starting tomorrow, so why not let them have a fucked up bat rack for a day or two
by Eric Stephen on Sep 8, 2010 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Happy birthday young'un
I think I got a quarter-century on you!
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
awkward like other men eating corn dogs
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Is it twice as uncomfortable for delias man
if it is hipster men eating corn dogs?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
they might be found
here, somewhere in NY. A place you would likely never enter.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Almost
my five-oh birthday is almost three months away.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
9/11
My friend, best man at my wedding, is also that day. Hard to forget now.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Damn terrorists ruining birthdays! My gf’s sister’s boyfriend’s birthday is the 11th as well.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/
Yea, I remember that morning, thinking to myself “I am not going to expect anyone to remember my birthday today”
by robotmadeofnails on Sep 8, 2010 2:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Happy b-day Josie
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 8, 2010 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Maybe a better run after New Years
Am late to the New Year’s Party. Maybe after today which begins Jewish New Year the Dodgers will show a bit of life. But the question I have what are the critics of Ethier and Kemp advocating for next year. While both will finish below their averages in the power departments of doubles, HR and OPS, Kemp will only be down slightly in HR’s. Ethier more so, but his doubles will get closer. When you factor in his injury, a case can be made he is down, but not off the cliff.
A recent fanpost here asked "[Ned] Colletti has a heart?"
Here is a [propaganda] video that may prove that he does. (Ned comes on at 1:10.) Houston will start two lefties against LA – JA Happ and Wandy Rodriguez on Friday and Saturday – so maybe the long-awaited John Lindsey start will occur in one of those games, with some VIP invited well-wishers in attendance.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Since Loney is out of favor
thought I might post this blurb I saw on MLBTR. The line was behind the pay wall, so this is all I got.
•If Eric Hosmer continues to develop, ESPN.com’s Jason A. Churchill suggests that Kansas City might trade Billy Butler to avoid paying him a significant contract. Butler is a first-time arbitration candidate this offseason and could make 10 times his current $470K salary in 2011.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
link* behind the pay wall.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 8, 2010 2:23 PM PDT up reply actions
I would be ok with this
Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them?
Where would he play in LA?
Isn’t he pretty terrible defensively, just pure hitter? Could we stash him in left field in Dodger Stadium? Just askin’…
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
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