Just repeating my last post on the previous thread, since it came after this new one. This is not nearly so clear and eloquent as what Jon just said though.

Reasons for Kemp to make the team instead of Loney:

Power, and the team desperately needs power. Does this mean we can expect to LaRoche sooner rather than later?

Less upside with our veteran outfielders. Nomar, when healthy, can carry the team. I think we'll see Loney up when Nomar starts to wear down later in the year.

Kemp has greater upside than all three of our current starting outfielders. He's righthanded, so he could platoon with any of them. Ethier's slumping again, so we might see Kemp in right quite a bit (which will bum me out because I love Ethier). I won't rehash all the reasons for playing Kemp over Gonzo or Pierre, since you all know them already.

Wow. We at least get one kid. The bench isn't entirely full of washed up veterans.

Are we going to be seeing a lot of Kemp and Clark as late-inning defensive replacements in left and center?

1.

I will say this about LaRoche, I know he's got all the upside in the world, but I didn't see all that much out of LaRoche this spring. I know, it's only spring, but are we totally sure he's recovered from surgery yet? I mean, his swing just looked like he could only hit one type of pitch in a certain location, and it seemed like whenever he was up, he just hit ground balls. I don't know, is it just me, or could LaRoche use at least another month or two in the minors?

2 - Is it just you? No, it's you, me, many readers here and the entire Dodger braintrust.

I agree, I think part of the reasoning for keeping Kemp is to give the team more power potential. I'm happy to see it, to see Kemp, if he gets some playing time, but it still seems odd and surprising. Especially after they just traded for a righthanded outfielder. But Kemp still seems better suited for the corner OF slots, whereas Clark plays CF well.

At any rate, I hope Loney doesn't hang his head too much - I'm quite sure he'll be up before too long. Not that I'm rooting for Nomar to get hurt, of course (but it wouldn't surprise anyone), but there could be a trade, and there could be an injury to someone, and he'll be the first called. Hope he can remain a little patient. Still, I would've thought he over Kemp. Glad it's Kemp over Bigbie, though.

As for LaRoche - he can use a lot more than another month in the minors. He's probably a late starting player, never does well in ST, will heat up as the minor league season rolls. But he looks to be a year away from helping at all.

S: Pierre

Pierre is straight left Jon. You probably knew that and it was just a slip of the mind :)

More questions I ponder before heading to bed:

Will mlb box scores will continue to confuse Saenz and Seanez?

Whither Valdez once Furcal comes off DL (and will anyone care)?

Will Bigbie accept minor league assignment or get released? (I assume they won't be trading him to anyone)

I wondered for a second if Kemp making the team over Loney was an April Fool's joke.

How long will it be before Meloan arrives in the D's bullpen (replacing Saenz, I mean Seanez)?

Why am I still here?
Night, and talk to you all on Monday.

Honestly, Nate, and I mean this sincerely and without any snark, I've been reading so long about how great Pierre's work habits were and all the comparisons to Maury Wills, I think I somehow convinced myself that Pierre had to be a switch-hitter.

(oops, minus one "will" in opening line above)

I'm an April Fool, I guess.

7

no apologies needed. even the best sometimes have brain cramps.

6 I think we'll see Tsao before Meloan. We might as well make use of that fastball before he blows up again. Tsao by May and Meloan in July?

Trade looming???

Too bad free agents can't be traded until, what, the end of June?

Please oh please don't trade Ethier ... (No, that's not a rational plea, and I don't pretend that it is)

One wonders if Gonzo has shown them less power than they expected (like that should be a surprise???). One wonders if Ethier's recent slump has them truly worried. One wonders how much playing time Kemp is going to get. One wonders if Ethier is just a two week slump away from becoming the fourth outfielder.

Add Martinez to the infield.

I sort of like the idea of keeping Kemp, as long as he's going to play about 40% of the time or more. He should start every game against lefties, since he can spell LuGo, Ethier, or Pierre. Hopefully he starts the odd game against righties too although I have my doubts about that.

The Dodgers managed the nifty trick of leaving their three best hitters in spring training (Loney, Bigbie, Abreu) off the team, which is kind of weird. Loney and Bigbie did everything that could have been asked of them. It's got to be discouraging to know that even going into camp, you never had a chance no matter how well you played.

I'll say one thing about this team: It certainly has the depth to deal with serious injuries to the starters, which was one flaw of DePodesta's teams (not that I'm necessarily putting all the blame for that on DePo).

This may be the only team I've ever seen that has five positions at which an injury to the starter actually might improve the lineup. (1B, 3B, LF, CF, RF)

Loney is a pure hitter who will have to be placed in the lineup soon. Kemp appeared streaky at the plate last year, or overmatched when he returned, and he had frequent problems in the outfield last season. I guess the Ddogers are hoping that he will provide some power the club now lacks. Before too long, Loney will be at first and Kemp will be a corner outfielder. Here's hoping that Ethier is the other corner. With Pierre an apparent fixture in center, I don't think the Dodgers are serious about turning Loney into an outfielder unless Ethier is about to be traded, which I hope does not occur.

4. At any rate, I hope Loney doesn't hang his head too much - I'm quite sure he'll be up before too long. Not that I'm rooting for Nomar to get hurt, of course (but it wouldn't surprise anyone), but there could be a trade

The problem I have with that is with Nomar blocking him I'm having a hard time imagining a trade that would get Loney on the team. Unless maybe it involved Betemit. I don't really see Loney in the outfield. He belongs at first base. But how in the world is he going to get there?

UCLA swept USC in volleyball tonight at Galen Center.

I'm trying to salve some wounds here.

I kind of had a feeling Bigbie wouldn't make the team when I noticed that Grady used about every other minor leaguer in the last 2 games, but not Bigbie.

Now I'm concerned that Kemp is gonna ride the bench, and just get used as a last-hope, late-inning, right-handed PH when we're trailing by 2 or more runs.

Maybe Ned/Grady just want to lite a fire to let Ethier & Gonzo know that their jobs aren't safe.

Manager Grady Little acknowledged that Loney didn't take the news of his demotion well

Why would he? Who would? What else does a kid have to do to earn a spot? Why am I asking so many questions?

James Loney should just hope that he escapes this madhouse.

Its good that Kemp made the team.
I felt all along that Kemp will learn more fighting through slumps at the MLb level, rather than at the AAA level.

Also good that Colletti recognized the team has no power, and that Kemp is a must have on the 25 man roster.

Loney's just going to have wait for someone to get hurt. His situation would be alot easier to handle if the team would have just cut Marlon Anderson/Brady Clark.

There was in fact a trade looming, as the Dodgers just acquired Tomas Perez for future considerations from the Cubs. Is Valdez, Martinez, Abreu, Hu, Betemit, and Nomar not enough SS protection that the Dodgers needed the one guy who is actually worse than Neifi?

I don't mean to be so blunt, but what they are doing by leaving James Loney off this team is just wrong. Not only does he deserve a place on this team, he deserves a chance to start. If not here, then somewhere else. I would rather see players that deserve to play be traded from teams that won't play them. Hopefully it would result in us getting something valuable back but I hate it for the kid. I really do.

Even though Kemp is ready for the outfield more so than Loney, Kemp would benefit far more than Loney from time in Vegas. Has Kemp shown he can hit the breaking ball yet at all? He has yet to play a full year at AAA and trouble hitting home runs there last year even in Vegas. He didn't have a good Spring at all.

I would love to see Kemp as a corner outfielder in the Dodger's future (or even Center), but where is he going to play now (for Gonzo or Pierre I don't think so). Sadly I agree with Jon, that they must be looking at replacing Eithier.

I don't blame Loney at all for being distraught. You can't hit any better than the guy did over the last 11 months. I expect him to be on the team before June in any case though. Kemp needs more seasoning in Vegas (1/2 year).

I like that Kemp is on the team but I don't feel he deserves to be on it quite yet. Valdez either but that's just my opinion since I still feel Betemit and Marlon Anderson can play an adequate SS still which I'm probably far off base with assuming.

I like that Kemp is on the team but I don't feel he deserves to be on it quite yet. Valdez either but that's just my opinion since I still feel Betemit and Marlon Anderson can play an adequate SS still which I'm probably far off base with assuming.

21 You know, Ryan Howard served the same plight while waiting to start in Philly...

I'm a bit confused by this Matt Kemp business since I just plain don't see him getting many opportunities to play. Pierre will obviously play ever day, but Ethier and LuGo might get one day a week off, leaving Kemp with maybe 2 games a week starting. Although I love his power off the bench, I think it would be for his own good to spend some more time in AAA.

As for Loney, I truly love the guy and agree that he has nothing left to prove, but is he really the savior we all peg him to be? As of now his ceiling seems to be a .300 hitter with 15 HR power which is dangerously close to Hatteberg range. As much as I hate that he's being passed over in favor of a guy that's less major league-ready, it still seems like the correct move for the team to put a guy with more power in the mix.

As I think about it, I think we're going to see Kemp and Ethier platooning in right. When Kemp came up last summer, it was to start. I don't see them changing that pattern now.

I agree with all the above - Loney deserves to be on the team, and Kemp can probably use some more seasoning.

If Kemp was going to make the team anyway, then why did they sign Gonzo and Pierre? Yeah, yeah, I'm preaching to the choir here. I suppose they weren't sure that Kemp was ready, and they didn't know what was going on with Ethier at the end of last year (not to mention the last two weeks), so they wanted some insurance.

20 Tomas Perez was obtained to be the backup infielder in AAA, so of course he's even worse than Neifi. I suspect the Dodgers haven't given up much for him. I'll faint if we actually see him on the Dodgers this year.

Maybe Ned has started getting a little worried about Gonzalez.

Forgive me if anyone has mentioned this on a previous thread: Baseball America right now has teams ranked by the "Total Player Seasons Produced By Organizations Since 1995." The Dodgers rank #29 on the list. Only the Brewers are worse. Ouch! I knew the team was bad during the FOX years, but this is ridiculous!

28 We can hope.

If Gonzales really wants to show some veteran leadership, he can let Colletti off the hook and just retire.

Yeah, not gonna happen.

I do think Kemp can spell him, even more often than Ethier (who hits LHP very well).

I see Loney's ceiling as more like .320-.330 than .300, with a bunch of doubles and a few HRs, and more walks than in AAA. He's a very good hitter.

Google's April Fool's day joke is up. Doesn't do much for me, but ymmv.

http://www.google.com/tisp/

When Veterans like LuGo get upset over playing time, it shows their determination and commitment to winning.

When Youngsters like Loney get upset over playing time, it shows their immaturity and lack of character.

I don't know what Kemp means, but I'm thrilled to see the move. It eases - for now - my fears about The Rug Colletti being a single-cell beast. However slowly, talent is being allowed to rise.

Nice move by keeping Kemp up. They really had no choice about putting Loney down, he has no spots for at bats. I feel more comfortable with Kemp here then Loney because our whole outfield could probably use a platoon partner. We know that Gonzo does and while Ethier had a decent average against LHP last year his power was non-existence and I don't think we can afford to have a RF with no power when facing the lefties in the NL.
I wish Bigbie luck, he had no place on this team but I think his spring should give him a job somewhere. Hard to beleive that a team like Florida couldn't use him. A RF combo of Borchard/Ross and a CF of Anza isn't going to cut it. Hermida very quickly has gotten the injury prone bug.

Loney will be back by May 15th, how the Dodgers make room for him will be the interesting story of the spring. I wouldnt' be very comfortable if I was Ethier even though it should be Gonzo who should be worried. We shall find out soon if this Management is geared to fielding the best possible team or the safest.

Nice April Joke on the word verification. I don't think I could spell his name even with it staring me in the face.

Or, there's a trade looming...

BYKim4Loney

I think that Grady/Ned plan to give Kemp an equal number of ABs as Ethier and Gonzo get through April and go from there.

I assume that the Dodgers do not know when Furcal will be able to play. In the short term Valdez will be the shortstop and in the long term Abreu would be the replacement. Valdez or Martinez will be traded or Valdez will be sent down when Furcal returns.

Loney will be brought up when Furcal returns and in the mean time will be taking fly balls in the outfield.

The starters at the outfield corners will be Kemp, Ethier, Loney. April will decide. Gonzo becomes that left side pinch hitter. Anderson is traded.

Ideally Ned/Grady give in and make Nomar a third baseman and put Loney at first beginning May 1. In the mean time Loney gets outfiled eligibility in fantasy leagues.

Ignoring money and pride, Hendrickson is a good middle reliever from the left side.

Billingsley will be starting eventually this season as will Miller, and when that happens I see the relief staff consisting of:

Melaon, Broxton, Saito, Brazabon, Tsao, Biemel, Hendrickson.

Traded: Tomko, Penny, LaRoche.

I feel that the Dodgers might trade James Loney and Wilson Betemit for a potential power bat at third.

39 - a potential power bat at third

Who has more power potential at third than Andy LaRoche?

Any word from the club on what position Loney will be playing in Vegas?

Do not despair, James Loney. You are not yet 23. People will get hurt, and you will play.

I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but Atlanta, Baltimore, and {gasp} the Giants all have 1B and starting rotation issues. I wonder what a Loney/Hendrickson package would bring in return...

Ignoring money and pride, Hendrickson is a good middle reliever from the left side.

No he isn't. He just gets less opportunity to do bad things as a reliever. Remember when Brett Tomko looked like a future closer those first two weeks out of the pen last year?

After enough innings, he was still Brett Bomko, just like Hendrickson will still be The Giving Tree.

A few notes, and questions:
1. For all the opportunities Loney received to make the roster, what might've doomed him to Triple-A was his poor outfield defense.
2. With Loney beginning the year in LV, doesn't this delay the start of his service clock? This could be a move with the expected payoff in the long run, not during the first weeks of 2007.
3. Bigbie, I imagine he's gone. Thanks for the nice March, and good luck to you.
4. Enders made an excellent point about depth. Boy, does this club have it. When late June comes around, not many teams will have more trading chips than the Dodgers, if they want to go in that direction.
5. Two men who need to worry: Andre Ethier and Luis Gonzalez. I don't recall any talk of competition for their starting jobs, but roster moves speak louder than words.
6. FWIW, here's Gonzo vs. RHP last season: 277/360/459/819. It's OK, and in a platoon won't kill you as would his split vs. LHP: 259/332/408/740. But will he accept sitting twice a week?
7. Subtract Tomko and Hendrickson, and I love the bullpen. The rotation, I like - unless Schmidt's lousy spring turns out to be a bad omen.

wait, so what happened to tsao? does he get released or stashed in vegas?

46 - He's closing in Vegas (or setting up for Meloan). He was able to get sent down without exposing him.

I think Kemp will platoon with both Gonzalez AND Ethier........sometimes one, sometimes the other (maybe just depending on who happens to be playing better at the time between the two, who needs the rest more, etc). Of course, if one of them gets hurt (or if Pierre gets hurt for that matter) then Kemp will get even more ABs (not to mention any additional ABs he'll get as a pinch hitter). Either way, I think he'll get a large enough number of ABs to justify keeping him up on the big league club.

As far as Loney.....

1. If either of the starting corner infielders OR any of the starting OFs get hurt......Loney can be called up.

2. If either of the starting corner infielders OR any of the starting OFs get traded.......Loney can be called up.

The chances of at least one of these two situations happening is extremely high (especially the chances of Nomar getting hurt). As a result, Loney will get his fair share of ABs this season on the team.

Don't forget, there's pressure on Kemp. If he starts the season in the same slump that got him sent down last year, with the ugly fishing fore breaking balls and all that, then I can't imagine he's long for Chavez Ravine.
Thinking about it, the OF could be a big, big problem:
1. We know Pierre doesn't walk, but what he doesn't hit singles either?
2. What if Gonzo's age completely wipes him out?
3. What if Ethier was playing over his head last season?

Because he's become my favorite player, I think Loney is going to be traded.

I think Loney will be up as soon as he learns to play OF decently, as long as he continues to hit well in AAA. If we somehow have an embarrassment of riches and Loney, Ethier, and Kemp can all perform well in the majors, then I'm sure Little will be able to find ways for them to all get ABs in the OF (and 1B for Loney), with Gonzalez getting the short stick if he can't keep up.

More likely, at least one of the three will not stick, or someone else will get hurt, solving the problem for us.

if there are say, 6 games a week, i can imagine kemp, gonzalez, and ethier sharing the 12 corner outfield starts and each getting 4 starts a week. i wouldn't mind that.

[47] thanks. hopefully hendrickson and seanez will be gone before too long and we can see those guys in the LA bullpen.

52 - But would Gonzo mind?

50- I feel pretty good about Loney not being traded, simply because Little said that he did not take the news well. Dodger management might sometimes seem like they don't understand the meaning of the words they say, but even they know a quote like that can undermine a young player's trade value.

It will be interesting to see how the DL gets used this year. If a vet gets a nagging injury or will be "day to day" for a week, it might make sense to put him on the 15 day DL. He gets a two week vacation, which will keep him sharp for the end of the season, and one of the kids gets a two week audition. How to Manage a Roster in the Post-Greenie Age.

[54] 4 starts a week is not exactly sitting on the bench, and regular days off would probably keep him fresh. i doubt even he would raise a stink, and if he does, well, tough.

55 - How does Loney's disappointment undermine his trade value?
Frankly, I'd be looking to collect guys who were upset about not making the big-league club.

Lurkers -- you must login and try the Word Verification today

55 -

I don't think that Loney's being upset would affect his trade value. Just shows he knows he should be up here. If he had torn apart the clubhouse that would be a different story but no mention was made of anything like that.

I don't see him going anywhere in a trade because I'm sure they still view him as their 1st baseman of the future, unless of course, the Marlins decide to offer Cabrera for a package including Loney. That might severely tempt Ned.

Compare Loney's complaining to Guzman's last year. Guzman complained about not being called up when, if I remember correctly, he wasn't exactly hitting the cover off the ball in AAA. Loney, on the other hand, has a real reason to be disappointed. I like this kid. He has a sweet swing, a smooth glove, and a great attitude.

57 - Just a warning: Gonzo hasn't been a part-time player in more than a decade.

Within the context of guys with Bad Character, trade value doesn't really matter to Ned. He just wants to get rid of them.

63 - Is there anyone left to get rid of?

64
Yes: Loney. He'll be a cancer in the AAA clubhouse, negatively affecting everyone else's performance.

And LaRoche is on thin ice too. What has he done, you ask? Nothing yet, but you can just tell that he'll do something eventually. Best to nip these things in the bud with pre-emptive strikes.

63 Plaschke would have us believe Penny must go.

65 You're making me want to post an announcement of LaRoche, Loney, and Penny being traded to Tampa Bay, but that's too scary a thought for April Fool's.

66 -

Penny's bad attitude was entirely due to his low self image, vastly improved now that he's brought his new svelte body to this season.

You'll see. He'll be the model citizen......................until Kemp drops the first fly ball, or Betemit kicks the first grounder. Actually I thought he conducted himself very well last night when the guys behind him were giving their very own rendition of Barnum and Bailey.

Sad news for followers of the Twins and a bad feeling for those of us who treasure Vin: Herb Carneal, the voice of the Twins for 45 years, died today.

69 Yet another reason to watch the games at home instead of going to the Stadium. Vin is a treasure who must be savored while we can.

I was posting something on the Griddle as you made that comment. I was looking for some audio, although it was hard to find.

Would it be too big of a stretch to assume if Loney & LaRoche play the OF in AAA with profiency, and Kemp holds his own that Ethier could be traded in a month or two? If you look 2 years down the road, post Nomar & Kent you could move LaRoche to 1B, re-sign Nomar, or move Loney to 1B. Abreu seems primed to play SS or 2B, and Betemit has played 2B in the past. Of course signing an OF or 1B via free agency would be a disticnt possiblity aswell.

Tx

L. A. Times DODGERS PREVIEW

>>> "Remember last year when I was saying we'd be happy going .500 the first three weeks until we settled in?" Little said. "That's not the case this year. We're coming out of spring training to win every game we play. There is no learning curve." <<<

http://tinyurl.com/3asl7v

The Dodger character in the graphic on the cover of the special section looks a lot like J.D. Drew to me.

72 If we get to the point where we have more good, young players than places to play them, we'll all be extremely happy. Having one of them on the bench part time to fill in as needed wouldn't be terrible.

The local papers here are talking about the bad opening day streak the Twins are on: their long-time PA announcer died two years ago right before opening day, Kirby died last year during spring training, and Carneal this year.

Antonio Perez did not makes the A's...

I see that ESPN is showing the Tampa Bay game and the Kansas City game tomorrow

Antonio Perez did not makes the A's...

Makes you think he probably had no chance going in, given that he had a pretty good spring

>>> Remember me: It's easy to forget that former Dodgers top pitching prospect Edwin Jackson is still only 23 years old. Perhaps rushed to the big leagues before he was ready, Jackson fell into the tra