I thought it would be obvious, but I guess I should explain why I would not boo when my home team (the Lakers) is down 20 points in the third quarter. It comes down to this: I am a hopeful fan. If my team is down, I always think they can come back. Even when the other team has a lead that is so big it seems insurmountable, the irrational part of me kicks in and says -- it could happen. I have seen many crazy things in sports, and so I never give up. My team will go on a 44-20 run. My team will score a touchdown, get the onside kick, and get a field goal in 6 seconds. My team will hit four home runs in a row. My team can do anything, if the magic just clicks in. Booing, for me, is tantamount to giving up, to saying my team stinks and they have no chance. By refusing to boo, I am clinging to hope.
Oh, by the way, I want people to pull back on using "Rule 1 violation" in a way that breaks the rule. Here's an example.
Permitted: "Buzz Bissinger just uttered a rule 1 violation."
Not permitted: "Rule 1 violation to you too."
Also, I wasn't able to get online for a huge chunk of time yesterday, but in reviewing the comments, there was some Rule 2 violating going on. Please dial it back - thanks.
8
I tend to agree with you, and if booing was an epidemic at Staples I would agree 100%, but last night's booing was short and sweet. It may -- and I stress only may -- have contributed to the immediate comeback (a 14-0 run after the timeout), serving as a bit of a wake-up call to the team.
In 30 years, Jon will tell this story to his grandchildren, wearing a grey fedora. (with apologies to The Princess Bride)
The Grandchild: A story?
Grandpa Jon: That's right. When I was your age, personalized televisions were called books. And books have stories. Stories were what your great grandfather used to tell me when I was sick so today I'm gonna tell you a story.
The Grandchild: Has it got any sports in it?
Grandpa Jon: Are you kidding? baseball, fighting, torture, revenge, Giants, Padres, pennant races, true love, miracles...
The Grandchild: Doesn't sound too bad. I'll try to stay awake.
Grandpa Jon: Oh, well, thank you very much, very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.
Jon, I want to give a hearty thanks to you for recommending Carney's. I had a chance to go to the one in Studio City last night, had the chicagoan and the chili dog, and some fries. I enjoyed the chili dog the best. The chili itself is really good, I think better than Pink's and maybe Tommy's chili.
It's also located near a bunch of other Hot Dog Places.
Caught the tail end of the Lakers game at the Bowling Alley next door... and we still got to the Arclight in plenty of time to see the New Indy film. I got interviewed by Ch 7 guy but it didn't make the air.
9 Awesome. We've been getting rain here, but snow up in the ski resorts still. It's not often we get a snow advisory for 12-17 inches of snow in the mountains this late in May. Thankfully, we're looking to have beautiful weather for my hike on Tuesday.
I sing of the man with no arm, who, forc'd by fate,
And despite DT's unrelenting hate,
Expell'd and exil'd, left the Wrigley ivy.
Long labors in center then left field, he bore,
And in the doubtful West, before he won
The Dodger realm, and lifted the destined pennant;
His spurned speed restor'd to rites divine,
And settled sure succession in his line,
From whence the race of Dodger fathers come,
And the long glories of Chavez Ravine.
I've got a new idea for a petition, and this one might actually mean something:
time for MLB to replace those easily shattering maple bats and go back to ash only. I've seen dangerously splintered bats in pretty much every game I've watched this season, and it's only a matter of time before something really tragic happens. Stop cheaping out, Selig!
The Studio City Carney's will always hold a special place in my heart. One night when I was 12 years old, I just happened to be in the parking lot there, waiting in a car with a friend listening to the radio, when Kirk Gibson had a particularly memorable at-bat against Dennis Eckersley.
35
I won't sign that, because there's always a chance someone on their cell phone waving their hands to a camera will be impacted by one of the bat shards. I'm still holding out hope for that.
35 I play in a wood bat league in San Diego and had a maple shatter in my hands this past weekend. The barrel of the bat spiraled toward the pitcher at a high velocity, who jumped over it (thankfully). The barrel became impaled on the backside of the mound and when I retrieved the broken wood it was as sharp as a knife. Needless to say, I'm going back to ash or birch (a more durable hard wood than maple) despite the fact that my bat died a hero (a JP-espue flair into center).
While I understood nothing of what PD and Tom were discussing in the previous thread I sure enjoyed reading it. I know some of you hate long posts but some people here have something to say that can't be said in a few sentences.
Last nights thread was perfect for me, I gained some knowledge and I laughed, which is basically what I come to DT for.
So Underdog is it safe to say that the Buss family can keep the Lakers?
45 Nice, I love it down there (I'm living in Irvine now) you should check out the league northcountymsbl.com, they have several different age and skill level leagues with 2 seasons a year Spring and Summer. The summer season will begin in late June and run through October and it costs about $125 plus $5 umpire fees per game. It's a lot of fun and games are on Sundays.
"time for MLB to replace those easily shattering maple bats and go back to ash only.... Stop cheaping out, Selig"
Actually, the maple bats are significantly more expensive than the ash ones. And even if they weren't, Selig's frugality would have nothing to do with it. Players pick their bats, not the commissioner. If a player wants an ash bat, he uses one. If a player wants a maple bat, he uses one.
Ash may not be a choice for much longer anyway because there's an invasive insect species which has started killing most of the Northern White Ash trees and they are in danger of becoming extinct at some point in the next 20 years.
Anyhow, I suspect the bat shattering has much more to do with the thinness of the handles than the type of wood. Every year bat handles get a little bit thinner as players want more of the weight in the barrel. What we really need is a minimum thickness for the bat handles. That would solve most of the problem.
Thank you Eric! I think players are getting spoiled with the heavy barrels, and to think that a bat like that will hold up defies the laws of physics. I'm glad MLB is coming around on this, and we all know Vin has been on the bandwagon for years.
51 My experience has been that ash splinters and maple explodes. I use the model C-243 which is a thin handled, barrel-heavy bat and haven't seen the ash break dangerously yet but it seems like every time I break a maple, the barrel goes flying in a scary direction.
"My experience has been that ash splinters and maple explodes."
Yeah, that's definitely true. I just think there's a misconception that maple breaks more frequently, which isn't true. It just breaks differently. (And potentially more dangerously.)
51 - Yah, I was just reading about that. My mistake. So why did they switch over to using more maple bats? Was that the players decision? Sounds like Selig is actually concerned about it, though whether he steps in and does something about it is another thing.
Hopefully they won't switch over to endangered redwood or Amazon rainforest wood.
41 "So Underdog is it safe to say that the Buss family can keep the Lakers?" Hmm?
I didn't catch the game til a bit after it ended (via Tivo) so I mostly avoided the previous thread 'til later. :-) But I was a happy camper they came back! Sure, they can keep the Lakers, as long as they stay quietly in the background.
Up on ESPN.com, there's a Jayson Stark piece about all the recent contracts given to pre-FA players (such as Hanley Ramirez, Ryan Braun, etc). Here's a telling quote from Ned Colletti:
"If you know the person, and you know his priorities, and you know what kind of player he is now, and you know what kind of player you project him to be, and all those things are positive, then it's a great idea," the GM said. "But if you have any doubt about any of that, then you're really rolling the dice."
Good thing Colletti is risk averse and has no doubt applied this thinking to his recent FA signings as well.
My maple bats have actually been more durable and I think it has to do with the hardness of the wood, ash flexes more so it breaks more often. MLB should look into birch, I have used them a couple of times and found that it has more pop than maple but breaks in a less frightening way.
57 Maple supposedly goes further, although nobody really knows if that's actually true. I think what happened is Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs using a maple bat and then everybody else started getting in line.
Hall of Famer Willie Wells was well-known for his hickory bat. I don't know if anybody still makes those.
59-Look, I'm as disgusted by our recent FA signings as well, and I'd certainly like to lock up Martin, Kemp and Billingsley at a bare minimum, but there's nothing egregiously wrong with that quote. It's not a guarantee that every player who starts strong will stay strong, and taking into account a player's work ethic and--that dread word--"make up" is not a hanging offense unto itself.
60-The place sounds even more mythical than the pitcher.
73 or 36 million to a washed up bum of a centerfielder...or 44 million to a track star baseball player wannabe...or 47 million to a has been former #1 starter...
73 Its all a risk because of guaranteed contracts.
Now, history has shown that if things work out, locking up your own players through arbitration may save you a few bucks down the road. But its still a risk.
I do think that we'll learn how the Dodgers will play this out when it comes to Martin's negotiation, no point locking up Broxton, Saito always has going back home in his favor. And even Ethier is probably not going to have good enough counting stats to get a big contract via arbitration.
WRT maple vs. ash bats: why not allow carbon composite bats with the same deformation and weight density standards as wood? Pitchers probably wouldn't like it because the bats will stay in one piece and thus allow some hits close to the handle, but it would eliminate the javelin attack that seems to happen with increasing regularity these days.
77 But it really isn't. Even if Ryan Braun completely flames out today, the Brewers are only out six million a year, which is a lot less damaging than your average mediocre free agent bust.
Why is there no point to locking up Broxton? He certainly is going to become a closer before he hits free agency and will demand a closer's salary on the market.
Or is it just that no relief pitcher is worth locking up?
Hmm. If the Dodgers have to spend lots of money paying for Martin, Billingsley, Kemp, etc. in arbitration, that means they have less money to spend on high-priced free agent busts!
Dodgers are going to have a heck of a lot of players to lock up in the coming years. Not a bad thing if they are good players, but you need to clear as much dead weight as possible. Players making $10-$15 mil per year, signed long term that don't produce due to lack of skills or injuries makes it tough.
vr, Xei
71 i think going 24-21 with penny, lowe having ERA+ of 81 and potentially an above average pitcher coming to fill the #5 spot shows me this team will be in it for the long haul
81 I think a lot will depend if the player wants that security or wants to maximize his bargaining potential.
I am not disagreeing with you but for instance, I don't see Dave Stewart giving any discounts with Chad and Matt Kemp.
82 I guess what I mean is that Broxton could be signed for maybe something like 15 million for 4 years if you think he'll be closing next year or in 2010. But you can probably wait until 2009 to negotiate an extension.
85. et al - But think of some of the contracts coming off the books after this year. (Okay, there are still a couple of albatross-contracts after that, but...) As fanerman says, and then locking up the young players means less to then blow on free agents. It's win, win!
90
The discounts will come from the lack of player leverage. The longer the club waits (and I realize it's a two way street, it takes two to tango, and other bad analogies, etc) the more established the player becomes and the higher his baseline salary becomes.
If the Dodgers would have signed Martin in the middle of last season (assuming he'd sign of course), it would have been much cheaper over the life of the contract than if he signed now, especially any free agent years included.
94 ah thanks, and while im at it, does anyone happen to know what the longest distance is from home to any part of the outfield wall in all of baseball
I'm not in favor of the Dodgers ever locking up young pitchers. If ouryoung pitchers perform well enough to earn a high salary in arbitration, then we should call it a blessing. If they produce well enough and are healthy enough to demand a big deal upon free agency, we should call it a miracle.
96 I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing it's the 421 feet to right-center field at Phone Co. Park. That's one foot longer than Comerica's center field.
106
I included Broxton to get the pre-closer numbers discount. I would wait a year or so for Ethier, although maybe it wouldn't be the right message to send to lock up the other 5 without then locking up Ethier. :)
From the something that would never happen department, the Dodgers could also lock up LaRoche to the smallest ever 6-year pre-FA contract ever, since he "hasn't done it yet" in the majors. :)
so, at what point does Kent get moved out of the clean up spot? Does he really get to keep hitting (or, rather not hitting" from what is considered one of the more important spots in the line up (traditionally speaking, any way) when he is clearly the second worst hitter of the starting 8 (including Furcal, not including Jones)?
My place of employment had a lunch for all of us classified employees. Anyway, after the meal, they had a raffle, and one of the prizes was for four tickets to tomorrow's game vs. the Cardinals. The emcee put a different twist on the prize, however, as she asked questions instead of pulling a ticket to decide the winner. So I just had to raise my hand faster than the rest and the tickets were as good as mine.
First to five correct won, and here are the questions I answered correctly:
First question out of the box: Where did the Dodgers franchise begin?
Who is the voice of the Dodgers?
What year did the Dodgers last win the World Series? With a bonus question of: whom did they defeat?
And the clinching question: Who was the Dodgers manager when they moved to Los Angeles?
My seats are in the lower reserved, row G. Not too shabby. The only down side is that the Lakers play tomorrow. I guess I will just TiVo the game and hopefully avoid spoilers.
117
It's going to be hard to avoid the Laker outcome because if/when the score is shown on the scoreboard you will hear the cheers (or possibly boos) from the crowd.
So, if Andruw plays tomorrow night and the Lakers lose, you might not be able to tell what the booing is for if you don't look at the scoreboard. :)
120 Also, the game starts at 7:40 (Dodger game) so they game will end in a bout an hour from start time. So I would avoid the message board (last night they did not put the results on the scoreboard until mid-8th inning break so that was about 30-40 mins after the Laker game ended).
Not saying you can avoid it but with wireless access and radios, I don't think you will be able to.
I like knowing the outcome before I bother watching something I recorded. If we win I can relax and enjoy it even if they fall behind, if they lose I don't want to watch anyway.
68 i play in a wood bat league in nashville (where the old hickory bats are made) they also make bamboo bats (not advertised) which do not break, they just wear out. sometimes it feels like you are hitting with a wet stick though... not as much rebound.
118 It's funny because the only questions I didn't answer were how many years have the Dodgers been in L.A. and who were Garvey, Lopes, Cey and Russell? Someone yelled out 50 years, and I wasn't exactly sure how to answer the other one with anything other than, "Only the best infield ever." But I am lucky none of you were (Murray?) present ... or else she'd have run out of questions.
119 I had no idea it was a fireworks night. That's pretty sweet. Maybe I'll see the Big Tuna finally pop the question.
120 Even if Andruw doesn't play and there are boos around the time a Lakers score might be shown, I'll just tell myself they are showing Giants highlights followed by NedCo fist-pumped on the screen. :)
125 - Garvey, Lopes, Cey and Russell? While I like your answer, I'm guessing they were looking for "the Big Blue Wrecking Crew" or the longest serving infield.
Some of my best memories from going to Dodger games as a kid were following a Laker championship series game during the Dodger game. It's kind of funny when the pitcher is warming up between innings and a huge defeaning cheer goes up in the crowd. The Dodger players probably know what's going on, but I would guess many of the visiting players didn't have a clue.
vr, Xei
126 The winning answer was pretty weak. Something like Dodger infielders in the 70s. I let some other guy answer it to make it seem like a competition. He actually was given a bonus question to that: what were their jersey numbers? He got it but only after the crowd helped him out. I was not among the helpers.
Young established position players I'd have no problem locking up through arbitration.
But there's no way I'd lock up any of the pitchers (Broxton or Billingsley). Too much risk of injury.
And like 100 said---if they perform well enough to win arbitration, then thats great. It's perfectly acceptable to pay market value for good players. I'd much rather give 10 mils to Billingsley in arbitration, than shell out 7 or 8 mils for a Loaiza.
Highlights of late-round Laker playoff games are always shown on the Diamond Vision. Always. They also ruined the 04(?) Masters, the first won by Mickelson, which I was taping at home.
Culling from my Dodger Trivia Book:
Name the ex-Dodger who did this with another team:
Hit two doubles in one inning and exactly one year later hit 3 triples in one game?
136 - I bet Timmerman's would be a lot more obscure and difficult than the questions 117 got to receive his tickets. :) He just had to be quick with the hand in the air. I might have just had my hand by my head for a shorter trip into the air to be seen.
*Finally, Kuroda got a win for his efforts last night and Saito saved it instead of blowing a win for his fellow countryman. zif he had failed again to save, Kuroda would have had a severe case of the "willies", every time Saito would have come in for him in the future.
I just listened to Jon on the LAT Laker/Dodger weekly podcast, its the first time Jon did not mention Juan Pierre when being interviewed for more than 5 minutes. :)
Actually, quite good as always.
He's on the 5/21 podcast near the end since they spend 80% on the Lakers.
142 yesterday my friends and I were thinking of the best ways you could use the "eaux" sound in cheers or sports names and teams....such as "eauxmar vizquel"
I want to back and read through last night's game thread. I'm guessing between the following occurrences -
-Bako's half hearted attempt to block Kemp off the plate on the squeeze play (But I don't want to be a catcher.)
-Baker leaving his 22 year old starter in for 114 pitches in 5 innings of a losing effort, and
-the Reds chasing around wind blown fly balls like drunken sailors.
Anybody getting interested in the up-coming draft yet? It takes place in two weeks. BA posted their top 100 draft prospects list yesterday, with scouting reports. Different mock drafts have been done, with the Dodgers taking different players in different mocks. The only clue I have heard about whom the Dodgers like for their first pick, #15 overall, came in a Keith Law chat last week. Law said that "I know one of their national guys loves Tim Melville." "National guy" probably means a cross-checker. Tim Melville is a HS RHP from Missouri, and I like him too.
148 Yeah, it was understandable, "Dewittian embrace" should soon become as recognizable a term as 4+1 on DT.
153 When I e-mailed Kevin Goldstein last week, he told me that he thinks the Dodgers are going to pick Hicks but he also thought Hicks could go before their pick.
BA's latest mock draft had Hicks at 13 and Melville at 15.
152 He split his faves between his hometown of San Diego and his residence Manhattan Beach. I have probably eaten at the Thai Dishes he frequents with Farmar.
153 -- If Hicks is available at 15, I would hope the Dodgers take him, and as an outfielder rather than as a pitcher. Melville would be my second choice.
153/155 - Given the Dodgers' recent love of things Missouri and HS pitchers, that sounds like a safe pick. I still think Hicks, though. I really feel like this year they take a position player first, to break the trend, but... I know how Logan usually votes so I'll probably be wrong. It's supposedly a deeper draft for HS position players than for pitchers or for college players, or different than usual. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how it goes; seems an unpredictable draft.
161 -- Yeah, everybody would want Hicks as an outfielder over another pitcher because we have a lot of pitching talent already and we never draft center fielders like Hicks early. But that aversion to center fielders on White's part may be what makes it unlikely the Dodgers will pop one in the first round.
159 I exagerrated a bit, sorry. It was probably because they respect Jon a lot and also they had a Spurs blogger on during the Laker portion so probably did not want to go that long with him.
115 Not an issue which ones are on the ballot. No Dodger outfielder is about to go to the all-star game.
First, we would need outfielders that provide more production than other outfielders around the league. Not that it is the ultimate measure, but we have #17,18,31,& 38 by OPS.
There was an ESPN.com article by David Schoenfeld about Lance Berkman's May (.530/.571/.931, 301 OPS+) and how it could be one of the best months ever.
http://tinyurl.com/5frb3r
Of the dozens of months they featured, there were no Dodgers mentioned, which was disappointing. I looked up some memorable months in Dodger history (and I'm sure I've only scratched the surface), and here's what I've found:
Cey, Apr 1977: .425/.543/.890, 289 OPS+
Piazza, Apr/May 1995: .537/.558/.927, 285 OPS+*
Wally Moon, Apr 1961: .417/.485/.883, 284 OPS+
Guerrero, July 1985: .460/.563/.794, 274 OPS+
Guerrero, June 1985: .344/.436/.860, 15 HR, 262 OPS+
Loney, June 2007: .440/.472/.780, 225 OPS+ in only 53 PA
Guerrero, July 1987: .415/.520/.683, 221 OPS+
Murray, Sep 1990: .411/.492/.625, 219 OPS+
Sheffield, June 2000: .384/.472/.798, 12 HR, 30 RBI, 216 OPS+
Piazza, June 1997: .431/.475/.752, 215 OPS+
Piazza, May 1996: .375/.468/.725, 213 OPS+
Sheffield, Aug 2001: .392/.466/.735, 212 OPS+
Sheffield, Apr 2000: .349/.460/.795, 10 HR, 209 OPS+
Piazza, Sep 1997: .406/.447/.719, 207 OPS+ (closing out his 2nd straight MVP award)
Guerrero, Sep 1987: .414/.500/.596, 202 OPS+
Sheffield, July 2000: .353/.509/.671, 202 OPS+
Murray, July 1990: .357/.453/.622, 201 OPS+
Green, May 2002: .316/.433/.694, 10 HR, 200 OPS+
Piazza, Aug 1995: .400/.440/.696, 190 OPS+
Loney, Sep 2007: .382/.429/.709, 32 RBI, 188 OPS+
*I combined Piazza's April & May because he was hurt and only got a combined 43 PA, but .537! C'mon!!!
169- It's in the sidebar, without a label. If I hadn't had to unblock the flash script, I wouldn't have found it, either.
165- Exaggeration in a blog comment? Well, I never!
The lag is appreciable, but not awful. It would have been better if the hosts had figured out that there was one (better still if they'd fixed it); snickering and interjections don't work with lags.
It is, but it seems to me that since the online voting started, the fans have done a remarkably good job of picking the most worthy candidates at each position. (A better job, actually, than the BBWAA does in the MVP voting, which is also a popularity contest.)
174
A perfect addition. I really haven't even touched the 1970s yet, except for Cey's great month (which I didn't know was so great outside of the 9 HR / 29 RBI!!!).
The lag was very noticeable, but seems like it's also pretty standard for all the guests on that show. The same thing happened to Molly when she was on it, for instance.
In fact, I was thinking recently about Guerrero's monster June of 1985, which not only had the 15 bombs, but also an on-base streak of something like 14 PAs. Its surprising, to say the least, that his July was statistically better.
The popular theory at the time was that the tear he went on was catalyzed by moving from 3rd base back to the outfield (was that the trade for Madlock?). The idea was that, by not having to worry about defense, Guerrero just relaxed and went nuts with the bat.
With all the talk about moving DeWitt to second, I was wondering if there's any substantiation to the idea that a player's defensive responsibilities can affect their offensive production.
166 -- Alonzo and Smoak have no chance of being available at #15. In fact, they will both likely go in the top 10, and Smoak may even go as high as #5 to the Giants. Wallace could also go in the top 14, but there is a chance he will be available at 15. There is just zero chance the Dodgers would be interested in him. But of course I knew you would be lusting after him.:)
166 I'll say this for you JoeyP, you are consistent.
The Dodgers have drafted three college players in the first supplemental round, pitchers, Justin Orenduff, Luke Hochevar and James Adkins.
They have never drafted a college player in the first round and outside of Loney, DeWitt, and Mattingly, the Dodgers have not picked a position player in the first round or first supplemental. (12 picks, 9 pitchers, 3 postion players, 9 high school or JC, 3 college players)
With all the talk about how the National League has caught up to the American in quality, it's interesting to note that the AL's best three hitters this year (by OPS+) all played in the NL last season, and the top two played in the NL West. (Bradley, Quentin, and Hamilton.)
2002 - James Loney, starting 1B for Dodgeers; Greg Miller, relief pitcher (3rd Option year), Las Vegas
2003 - Chad Billingsley, starting pitcher for Dodgers
2004 - Scott Elbert, recovering from shoulder surgery, extended ST, not on 40-man; Blake DeWitt, starting 3B for Dodgers; Justin Orenduff, starting pitcher for AAA Vegas (1st Option).
2005 - Luke Hochevar, unsigned.
2006 - Clayton Kershaw, starting pitcher for AA Jacksonville, not on 40-man; Bryan Morris, starting pitcher for A-ball Great Lakes, not on 40-man, Preston Mattingly, starting 2B for A-ball Great Lakes, not on 40 man.
2007 - Chris Withrow, starting pitcher in extended ST, expected to go to Pioneer League next month; James Adkins, pitcher for High A Inland Empire
11 out of 12 signed and all 11 are still with the organization, 3 players are on the Dodgers.
180--Thats true. The perfect guy for the Dodgers to draft would be SS- Gordon Beckham. He'd be raking in the majors by 2010, and the Dodgers would only need a 1yr stop gap between he and Furcal.
However, thats likely not happening.
I've longed for the Dodgers to draft a Ryan Braun, Lance Berkman, Evan Longoria, Alex Gordon type. But it probably wont happen this year.
190 Those players are usually gone by the 5th pick (Gordon, No. 2, Braun, No. 5, Longoria No. 3), the highest pick the Dodgers have made in the last 7 years was no. 7, which where they picked Kershaw.
So, I don't think it is some master plan to avoid drafting good offensive talent, the reality is that they will not get a chance at a polished college hitter any time soon.
179
Guerrero's on base streak was 14 PA, and it stretched from July 23, 1985 (doubles in his last 2 PA to end a game against the Pirates) to July 26, 1985.
190 -- Gordon Beckham also has no chance of falling out of the Top 10.
The type of player you say you've "longed" for the Dodgers to draft are always drafted before the Dodgers even have their first draft pick. What's the point in longing for an impossibility? You have to look at the players realistically available when the Dodgers have a pick. With Wallace you have named one, but even he has a chance to go before the Dodgers pick.
Jon will love this article in which Terry Francona praises the fact that Clay Buchholz hid his injury from him and his coaches: http://tinyurl.com/65aovc
Baseball Prospectus's rundown of the top prospects by position continues today with the shortstops. The best shortstop prospect in baseball, as determined by PECOTA: Chin-Lung Hu.
(At least if you count Brandon Wood as a third baseman, which you should.)
So, what do you with do when the player admits there is something wrong and he still wants to play through the pain? This excludes Pujols because of his overall awesomeness and ability to slowly take down the Padres.
The season is only a quarter over or so, and Ethier is getting irregular playing time. Assuming he only triples his playing time and keeps going at the current rate, that means he's two and a half WINS over replacement, and that's just based on some fairly pessimistic assumptions!
Further: he's tied with Russell Martin and — incredibly — Juan Pierre for fourth place on the team for Win Shares with five each. Ethier is hardly average or "just above average". Combine all that with his age and the likelihood that he'll improve significantly, and his value is even greater.
201 -- I read that, and where was Ivan DeJesus, Jr? Not even in the top 25, and an awful lot of complete stiffs were listed. Somebody might want to e-mail Silver. DeJesus is hitting for average, walking a lot, and playing good defense in a Double-A hitter's league at age 21. He's going to be some teams's everyday SS a couple years from now.
205 I looked for DeJesus too, but the thing is, these lists consist of PECOTA projections using the player's record through the end of the 2007 season. This year doesn't play into it. If it did, DeJesus would be on there, I'm sure.
Another thing to realize is that e-mailing might not do much good, since these lists are not some guy's opinion, but are PECOTA computer projections for the guy's career.
191 - people keep repeating this as though it were true. The Rangers needed pitching MUCH more than they needed a good young outfielder. The real downside is that either the Rangers' front office doesn't know
1) how to develop young pitching, or
2) who to cut bait on
The current success the Rangers are enjoying, such as it is (in third place in the AL West and still a game under .500), is destined to be short-lived. Their pitching is just about guaranteed to collapse in both the rotation and bullpen. As has been true with all post-1999 Texas teams, they can hit all the home runs they want, but if they can't hold the other guys down -- and this Texas team has the second-worst run suppression in the league -- they'll end up with another .500 or worse showing.
Based on limited 2008 playing time I have (in season) WAR for Dodger players as. Pleast note, this is based off of limited at-bats/small sample sizes. It takes offense (wOBA), position, base running and defense into account.
1. Furcal 7.1 WAR
2. Martin 5.0 WAR
3. DeWitt 3.7 WAR
4. Kemp 1.7 WAR
5. Ethier 1.3 WAR
6. Loney 0.6 WAR
7. Pierre 0.3 WAR
8. Bennett -0.1 WAR
9. Young -0.25 WAR
10. Kent -0.7 WAR
11. Sweeney -0.8 WAR
12. Jones -1.0 WAR
13. Hu -1.4 WAR
vr, Xei
Ok, just finished listening to Jon on the podcast. Jon did fine, but I quickly got sick of listening to the two hosts trying hard to be funny (but not).
vr, Xei
203 If Ethier keeps his isolated patience at .075 instead of the .060 or so he's been good for the last couple years he's a much more valuable player. We need to wait for most of the season to see if this isn't just a fluke thing.
202 - I don't think you can have a hard and fast, bright line rule for when to shut a guy down. It really needs to be a case-by-case analysis. You look at what the guy can do at 100%, what type of injury it is, the effect that the injury will have on his game (ie a shoulder injury is less trouble for a first baseman than for a short stop, than for a pitcher), how good the potential replacement is, and how long you will be without the injured player, I think you also have to consider the player's own opinion (he knows his body best). The trouble is, not everyone will come to the same conclusion... not baseball, but how many people were ready to shut Kobe down for a few weeks when he tore a tendon in his hand? If that had happened, what are the odds that the Lakers are still playing right now?
211- They weren't completely unfunny--the "Logan White is overrated" shtick had potential. The lag really worked against them. If it really is a recurring problem, they're crazy for not getting it fixed. Or is this Marty taking vengeance on them, for some reason?
I can accept people having different decisions about when to shut a guy down more than I can accept players hiding information about performance-inhibiting ailments from their teams.
I was quickly reviewing 1st Round draft picks from 2002-2007 and its interesting to see where the Dodgers stand in comparison to other teams.
Arizona does lead with 5 1st Round picks in the majors (4 with the D-Backs, 1 with White Sox), KC is second with 4 players, the Dodgers are tied for 3rd (with Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, and NY Yankees) with 3 players.
The Astros, Cubs, Rangers and Reds have no players that they picked in the first round on their 25 man roster (Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey should change that soon).
One reason the Padres are struggling, no 1st round picks signed since 2002 have advanced to their big league club.
Certainly the draft goes beyond the first round but since it is the round where you are going to spend the most money for bonuses, you should hope do better than a lot of these clubs.
208 that's true their pitching is awful, but wouldn't you say that hamilton seems like a much safer investment? as volquez has struggled in "A" ball (7.53 in 35.1 IP) as early as last year.
221 One thing you have to remember about the D-Backs picks, except for a few picks, they always picked higher and sometimes much higher than the Dodgers and they got lucky when other teams didn't draft certain players like Stephen Drew.
The Dodgers are on track of course to get a 4th player added to their total (Kershaw).
223 Only Elbert (who was on track to advance to the big leagues), Kershaw and Withrow fall under this category for the Dodgers. It is not too big a leap to say all will eventually have a career in the major leagues.
Look at that bullpen: there isn't a one with 50 or more innings pitched under 120 ERA+. Their rotation, on the other hand, was Kenny Rogers, Ryan Drese, Chris Young, and a bunch of filler. Relevant to my second point in 208 , they traded away Young, too, though you could argue that given the results he's getting this year, it was only a delayed problem. OTOH, last year the Pads were fifth in defensive efficiency in the majors at .706; this year, they're 23rd at .695. That's only a percent, but it might make a lot of difference to a guy as dependent on outfield defense as Young — and this year they were sporting Jimmy Edmonds in center for quite a while before they cut him loose. The Pads have a pretty random outfield right now, and I bet it's particularly hurting Young.
Hey, Scareduck, about the whole "Wow, Given Kutz STILL hasn't given up a run" thing on your blog. That's in 3.1 innings in Great Lakes. He was demoted to Great Lakes from Inland Empire, where his ERA was in the mid-4.00 range.
On Great Lakes, however, Miguel Ramirez has pitched over 19 innings without giving up an earned run this season (3 unearned).
221/223/225 - Are you turning into Sybill here? ;-)
No, this info is useful, thanks. The Dodgers track record overall in the drafts of the past 5-7 years is pretty impressive. A far cry from how they did in the 90s.
222 , 227 - Edinson Volquez is playing out his age 24 season this year. Safe? He was always known to have great stuff. Command has been a problem for him, sure, and the minors are loaded with guys who can't find the plate but can light up radar guns at 95. But as with Edwin Jackson (also playing out his age 24 season!), the Rangers had every motivation to find him a place in the organization and let him figure things out. That they didn't is just absurd.
221 - betcha they miss having Jered Weaver in their rotation, warts and all. Man, can you imagine the kind of microscopic ERA a flyball pitcher like Weaver the Younger would have at Petco?
228 - huh. I need to write a streak finder and fix things like reaching on catcher's interference and hit-by-pitches, which I don't now tally. It would certainly come in handy for determining things like the relative impressiveness of Kutz' streak, and dealing with things like level changes. (That's something else I need to do, too -- auto-detecting roster level changes.) Thanks for the catch.
220 - particularly at the professional level, I can understand athletes not willingly disclosing information about ailments. This holds particularly for younger guys, they want to avoid the "injury prone" label, they can't get the big contract if they aren't playing all the time, and from little league on they are trained to "rub some dirt on it and get going", and of course there is the legend of Wally Pipp. I'll also mention that I suspect a lot of these guys For a lot of these guys, it's sort of a don't ask, don't tell policy.
So I guess the question is, how much of it is "hiding" and how much is simply non-disclosure (slightly different, I think)?
230 I can see why the Rangers wouldn't want fly ball pitchers in their organization, but they've been horrible at replacing them with ground ball pitchers.
When they traded Danks for McCarthy is about when I figured Daniels had no idea what he was doing.
229 I had two points, one it is useful to see if White's MO of drafting primarily high school pitchers in the first round was a viable strategy, his reasoning being he believes projecting pitchers is easier than hitting. And two, compare his results with the rest of MLB who each have different methodology than White.
It makes sense that some teams would do as well or better than the Dodgers since the Dodgers have not drafted very high in the first round. Arizona, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay and KC all have had many picks higher than the Dodgers and to their credit have drafted well.
But considering where they picked and White's philosophy, the Dodgers have done a good job too.
224. I will be there 6 weeks later. I will be missing the last week of the baseball season and first two weeks of the playoffs. Last time I went, I missed the final 8 of the ncaa tourney, the year UCLA lost to Florida in the final four and USC lost in the final 8. I tend to go on vacations during important sports playoffs.
vr, Xei
245
Actually, you just missed UCLA losing in the Final Four to Florida, but USC lost to North Carolina in the Sweet 16. USC should have beaten North Carolina though. They had a big lead, but got into foul trouble and fell apart.
247. Details were sketchy, I was deep behind enemy territory and my internet usage was being monitored be two plain clothes police officers. DT was blocked, the site was being redirected to a webpage dedicated to He ZiZhen. vr, Xei
Kershaw is pitching in the first inning and the Jacksonville bullpen has already started warming up behind him. Presiumably this will be one of those scheduled one-inning starts.
He strikes out two in the first, and might be done.
253 Yeah, to limit his innings they'll give him the occasional one-inning start on his normal starting day. Last year we all had a collective heart attack the first time it happened because we thought coming out after the first meant he had either gotten hurt or traded.
They've pinch hit for Kershaw now, so he's out of there after one perfect inning with 2 K's.
I wonder why they would do a 5 inning then a 1 inning start, instead of a 3 inning then another 3 inning start? I have no idea which is better, just wondering about the thought process and what makes the most sense. You want to keep him somewhat stretched so if and when he gets called up he can pitch more than 3 or 4 innings and yet you want to keep his pitch count limited.
vr, Xei
You might want to check out the Baum Bat.
Go to www.baumbat.com This is a c-243 model.
My kids used these in wood bat leagues and for batting cages and practice when they were ages 17 to 21. One bat lasted 3 years, one bat lasted four years, feels and performs just like a wood bat. This saved us alot of money that would have gone to continuously replacing broken wooden bats. :)
So are we going to do a massive ticket buy for DT readers for CK's major league debut? Have to say, that'd probably end up being the most fun I'd have at the park in a long time.
http://tinyurl.com/465sa3
Note the views expressed in his piece don't express mine hah..
I think Paul Lukas is espousing a minority view there.
I thought it would be obvious, but I guess I should explain why I would not boo when my home team (the Lakers) is down 20 points in the third quarter. It comes down to this: I am a hopeful fan. If my team is down, I always think they can come back. Even when the other team has a lead that is so big it seems insurmountable, the irrational part of me kicks in and says -- it could happen. I have seen many crazy things in sports, and so I never give up. My team will go on a 44-20 run. My team will score a touchdown, get the onside kick, and get a field goal in 6 seconds. My team will hit four home runs in a row. My team can do anything, if the magic just clicks in. Booing, for me, is tantamount to giving up, to saying my team stinks and they have no chance. By refusing to boo, I am clinging to hope.
People who are bothered by it don't bother me as well.
Permitted: "Buzz Bissinger just uttered a rule 1 violation."
Not permitted: "Rule 1 violation to you too."
Also, I wasn't able to get online for a huge chunk of time yesterday, but in reviewing the comments, there was some Rule 2 violating going on. Please dial it back - thanks.
I tend to agree with you, and if booing was an epidemic at Staples I would agree 100%, but last night's booing was short and sweet. It may -- and I stress only may -- have contributed to the immediate comeback (a 14-0 run after the timeout), serving as a bit of a wake-up call to the team.
The Grandchild: A story?
Grandpa Jon: That's right. When I was your age, personalized televisions were called books. And books have stories. Stories were what your great grandfather used to tell me when I was sick so today I'm gonna tell you a story.
The Grandchild: Has it got any sports in it?
Grandpa Jon: Are you kidding? baseball, fighting, torture, revenge, Giants, Padres, pennant races, true love, miracles...
The Grandchild: Doesn't sound too bad. I'll try to stay awake.
Grandpa Jon: Oh, well, thank you very much, very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.
Thank you.
You don't realize how long it took me to reread that sentence to make sure that all the clauses were in the right order.
Actually, it is pretty contheivable.
I wonder if Brock will teach Jon's pending story in class one day, in lieu of "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
vr, Xei
(ducks)
It's also located near a bunch of other Hot Dog Places.
Caught the tail end of the Lakers game at the Bowling Alley next door... and we still got to the Arclight in plenty of time to see the New Indy film. I got interviewed by Ch 7 guy but it didn't make the air.
Suzanneou Russelleus.
Is there an extra "by" in the sentence?
And despite DT's unrelenting hate,
Expell'd and exil'd, left the Wrigley ivy.
Long labors in center then left field, he bore,
And in the doubtful West, before he won
The Dodger realm, and lifted the destined pennant;
His spurned speed restor'd to rites divine,
And settled sure succession in his line,
From whence the race of Dodger fathers come,
And the long glories of Chavez Ravine.
Time to gouge out the eyes again.
time for MLB to replace those easily shattering maple bats and go back to ash only. I've seen dangerously splintered bats in pretty much every game I've watched this season, and it's only a matter of time before something really tragic happens. Stop cheaping out, Selig!
http://tinyurl.com/6z9wqt
I won't sign that, because there's always a chance someone on their cell phone waving their hands to a camera will be impacted by one of the bat shards. I'm still holding out hope for that.
Last nights thread was perfect for me, I gained some knowledge and I laughed, which is basically what I come to DT for.
So Underdog is it safe to say that the Buss family can keep the Lakers?
I'm just wondering who will be impaled first, a fan, a player, or a coach?
I'm a little shocked that they have let this go on for so long.
I play in a wood bat league in San Diego
Where in SD?
I don't play, but I've been thinking about it. Softball is more my game though. I'm in UTC area.
Or perhaps a whole sonnet sequence if you truly wish to tell a story ...
Well said Zappala, I love it.
Actually, the maple bats are significantly more expensive than the ash ones. And even if they weren't, Selig's frugality would have nothing to do with it. Players pick their bats, not the commissioner. If a player wants an ash bat, he uses one. If a player wants a maple bat, he uses one.
Ash may not be a choice for much longer anyway because there's an invasive insect species which has started killing most of the Northern White Ash trees and they are in danger of becoming extinct at some point in the next 20 years.
Anyhow, I suspect the bat shattering has much more to do with the thinness of the handles than the type of wood. Every year bat handles get a little bit thinner as players want more of the weight in the barrel. What we really need is a minimum thickness for the bat handles. That would solve most of the problem.
Thank you Eric! I think players are getting spoiled with the heavy barrels, and to think that a bat like that will hold up defies the laws of physics. I'm glad MLB is coming around on this, and we all know Vin has been on the bandwagon for years.
Nomar Garciaparra Tells Wife To Meet Him On Disabled List At 8 p.m.
http://tinyurl.com/5jtc8f
Yeah, that's definitely true. I just think there's a misconception that maple breaks more frequently, which isn't true. It just breaks differently. (And potentially more dangerously.)
Hopefully they won't switch over to endangered redwood or Amazon rainforest wood.
41 "So Underdog is it safe to say that the Buss family can keep the Lakers?" Hmm?
I didn't catch the game til a bit after it ended (via Tivo) so I mostly avoided the previous thread 'til later. :-) But I was a happy camper they came back! Sure, they can keep the Lakers, as long as they stay quietly in the background.
"If you know the person, and you know his priorities, and you know what kind of player he is now, and you know what kind of player you project him to be, and all those things are positive, then it's a great idea," the GM said. "But if you have any doubt about any of that, then you're really rolling the dice."
Good thing Colletti is risk averse and has no doubt applied this thinking to his recent FA signings as well.
I think Vin's wood info guy is the same guy giving him info on Hu's natural position.
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/nomar_garciaparra_tells
Hall of Famer Willie Wells was well-known for his hickory bat. I don't know if anybody still makes those.
60-The place sounds even more mythical than the pitcher.
http://tinyurl.com/52u7jp
$1 beers will do nicely though.
Spending that same money to wrap up Martin or Billingsley for five or six years: risk.
That's the point I was trying to make.
Also, giving someone the opportunity to go to arbitration and make twice as much: not a risk.
Now, history has shown that if things work out, locking up your own players through arbitration may save you a few bucks down the road. But its still a risk.
Or is it just that no relief pitcher is worth locking up?
vr, Xei
You can tell Zebulon is truly friendly because the web page has "friendly" written in italics.
vr, Xei
I am not disagreeing with you but for instance, I don't see Dave Stewart giving any discounts with Chad and Matt Kemp.
82 I guess what I mean is that Broxton could be signed for maybe something like 15 million for 4 years if you think he'll be closing next year or in 2010. But you can probably wait until 2009 to negotiate an extension.
The discounts will come from the lack of player leverage. The longer the club waits (and I realize it's a two way street, it takes two to tango, and other bad analogies, etc) the more established the player becomes and the higher his baseline salary becomes.
If the Dodgers would have signed Martin in the middle of last season (assuming he'd sign of course), it would have been much cheaper over the life of the contract than if he signed now, especially any free agent years included.
Nomar (although he is still owed $2.5m in bonuses over the next 2 years), Loaiza, Lowe, Kent.
In the majors?
1) Martin (arb through 2012)
2) Billingsley (arb through 2012)
3) Broxton (arb through 2011)
4) Kemp (arb through 2012)
5) Loney (arb through 2012)
Notice you don't have Andre on that list.
Consistently dominant relievers are one of the rarest things in baseball, you should make a big effort to keep the ones you have.
I included Broxton to get the pre-closer numbers discount. I would wait a year or so for Ethier, although maybe it wouldn't be the right message to send to lock up the other 5 without then locking up Ethier. :)
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Pro_Player_Stadium
Also, the stadium is now known as Dolphin Stadium.
However, Slappy, Wartknee, and Andre are.
Somebody needs to talk to somebody at MLB.
The Dodgers submitted said lineup to MLB for the all-star ballot.
My place of employment had a lunch for all of us classified employees. Anyway, after the meal, they had a raffle, and one of the prizes was for four tickets to tomorrow's game vs. the Cardinals. The emcee put a different twist on the prize, however, as she asked questions instead of pulling a ticket to decide the winner. So I just had to raise my hand faster than the rest and the tickets were as good as mine.
First to five correct won, and here are the questions I answered correctly:
First question out of the box: Where did the Dodgers franchise begin?
Who is the voice of the Dodgers?
What year did the Dodgers last win the World Series? With a bonus question of: whom did they defeat?
And the clinching question: Who was the Dodgers manager when they moved to Los Angeles?
My seats are in the lower reserved, row G. Not too shabby. The only down side is that the Lakers play tomorrow. I guess I will just TiVo the game and hopefully avoid spoilers.
As you were ...
As an extra bonus tomorrow night is fire works night if you like that sort of thing.
LAT does not like fireworks but he has a good reason.
It's going to be hard to avoid the Laker outcome because if/when the score is shown on the scoreboard you will hear the cheers (or possibly boos) from the crowd.
So, if Andruw plays tomorrow night and the Lakers lose, you might not be able to tell what the booing is for if you don't look at the scoreboard. :)
Not saying you can avoid it but with wireless access and radios, I don't think you will be able to.
119 I had no idea it was a fireworks night. That's pretty sweet. Maybe I'll see the Big Tuna finally pop the question.
120 Even if Andruw doesn't play and there are boos around the time a Lakers score might be shown, I'll just tell myself they are showing Giants highlights followed by NedCo fist-pumped on the screen. :)
It's harder for me to watch if I know the outcome, and if the team is behind I can always fast forward anyway.
That said, I also have a burning desire to know the outcome immediately so I'm often conflicted when not live.
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
But there's no way I'd lock up any of the pitchers (Broxton or Billingsley). Too much risk of injury.
And like 100 said---if they perform well enough to win arbitration, then thats great. It's perfectly acceptable to pay market value for good players. I'd much rather give 10 mils to Billingsley in arbitration, than shell out 7 or 8 mils for a Loaiza.
Nice. Pick me up at 6.
You are probably right. It will be interesting to see how the Longoria and Kazmir contracts play out.
Name the ex-Dodger who did this with another team:
Hit two doubles in one inning and exactly one year later hit 3 triples in one game?
*Finally, Kuroda got a win for his efforts last night and Saito saved it instead of blowing a win for his fellow countryman. zif he had failed again to save, Kuroda would have had a severe case of the "willies", every time Saito would have come in for him in the future.
K.T.
The original Ken Tremendous?
Actually, quite good as always.
He's on the 5/21 podcast near the end since they spend 80% on the Lakers.
There seem to have been a fair number of Dodgers whose initials didn't match their actual names. Landreaux, J.D. Drew, and D.J. Houlton, for starters.
I may not be able to come up with a question. I fear that I'm getting "flu-like symptoms."
Or maybe I just need a nap.
-Bako's half hearted attempt to block Kemp off the plate on the squeeze play (But I don't want to be a catcher.)
-Baker leaving his 22 year old starter in for 114 pitches in 5 innings of a losing effort, and
-the Reds chasing around wind blown fly balls like drunken sailors.
it must have been a doozy.
vr, Xei
Petco Park!
http://theguide.latimes.com/profiles/2761/lists/167633
It won't be long now until there's nothing but baseball for a month or two.
153 When I e-mailed Kevin Goldstein last week, he told me that he thinks the Dodgers are going to pick Hicks but he also thought Hicks could go before their pick.
BA's latest mock draft had Hicks at 13 and Melville at 15.
Here's a link to the mp3 file, if you want to skip the Laker portion:
http://tinyurl.com/4z9akr
Seriously,
1st basemen---Yonder Alonzo, Miami
1st basemen---Justin Smoak, Clemson
3rd basemen-- Brett Wallace, Arizona State
First, we would need outfielders that provide more production than other outfielders around the league. Not that it is the ultimate measure, but we have #17,18,31,& 38 by OPS.
http://tinyurl.com/5frb3r
Of the dozens of months they featured, there were no Dodgers mentioned, which was disappointing. I looked up some memorable months in Dodger history (and I'm sure I've only scratched the surface), and here's what I've found:
Cey, Apr 1977: .425/.543/.890, 289 OPS+
Piazza, Apr/May 1995: .537/.558/.927, 285 OPS+*
Wally Moon, Apr 1961: .417/.485/.883, 284 OPS+
Guerrero, July 1985: .460/.563/.794, 274 OPS+
Guerrero, June 1985: .344/.436/.860, 15 HR, 262 OPS+
Loney, June 2007: .440/.472/.780, 225 OPS+ in only 53 PA
Guerrero, July 1987: .415/.520/.683, 221 OPS+
Murray, Sep 1990: .411/.492/.625, 219 OPS+
Sheffield, June 2000: .384/.472/.798, 12 HR, 30 RBI, 216 OPS+
Piazza, June 1997: .431/.475/.752, 215 OPS+
Piazza, May 1996: .375/.468/.725, 213 OPS+
Sheffield, Aug 2001: .392/.466/.735, 212 OPS+
Sheffield, Apr 2000: .349/.460/.795, 10 HR, 209 OPS+
Piazza, Sep 1997: .406/.447/.719, 207 OPS+ (closing out his 2nd straight MVP award)
Guerrero, Sep 1987: .414/.500/.596, 202 OPS+
Sheffield, July 2000: .353/.509/.671, 202 OPS+
Murray, July 1990: .357/.453/.622, 201 OPS+
Green, May 2002: .316/.433/.694, 10 HR, 200 OPS+
Piazza, Aug 1995: .400/.440/.696, 190 OPS+
Loney, Sep 2007: .382/.429/.709, 32 RBI, 188 OPS+
*I combined Piazza's April & May because he was hurt and only got a combined 43 PA, but .537! C'mon!!!
165- Exaggeration in a blog comment? Well, I never!
The lag is appreciable, but not awful. It would have been better if the hosts had figured out that there was one (better still if they'd fixed it); snickering and interjections don't work with lags.
It is, but it seems to me that since the online voting started, the fans have done a remarkably good job of picking the most worthy candidates at each position. (A better job, actually, than the BBWAA does in the MVP voting, which is also a popularity contest.)
A perfect addition. I really haven't even touched the 1970s yet, except for Cey's great month (which I didn't know was so great outside of the 9 HR / 29 RBI!!!).
In fact, I was thinking recently about Guerrero's monster June of 1985, which not only had the 15 bombs, but also an on-base streak of something like 14 PAs. Its surprising, to say the least, that his July was statistically better.
The popular theory at the time was that the tear he went on was catalyzed by moving from 3rd base back to the outfield (was that the trade for Madlock?). The idea was that, by not having to worry about defense, Guerrero just relaxed and went nuts with the bat.
With all the talk about moving DeWitt to second, I was wondering if there's any substantiation to the idea that a player's defensive responsibilities can affect their offensive production.
The Dodgers have drafted three college players in the first supplemental round, pitchers, Justin Orenduff, Luke Hochevar and James Adkins.
They have never drafted a college player in the first round and outside of Loney, DeWitt, and Mattingly, the Dodgers have not picked a position player in the first round or first supplemental. (12 picks, 9 pitchers, 3 postion players, 9 high school or JC, 3 college players)
As long as Carlos Beltran or Ken Griffey don't get chosen to start, I'll be happy.
I doubt the NL outfielder who presently has the highest OPS will get picked though. Is Ryan Ludwick on the ballot?
http://www.nbc4.com/entertainment/16354440/detail.html
http://tinyurl.com/5vz92n
2002 - James Loney, starting 1B for Dodgeers; Greg Miller, relief pitcher (3rd Option year), Las Vegas
2003 - Chad Billingsley, starting pitcher for Dodgers
2004 - Scott Elbert, recovering from shoulder surgery, extended ST, not on 40-man; Blake DeWitt, starting 3B for Dodgers; Justin Orenduff, starting pitcher for AAA Vegas (1st Option).
2005 - Luke Hochevar, unsigned.
2006 - Clayton Kershaw, starting pitcher for AA Jacksonville, not on 40-man; Bryan Morris, starting pitcher for A-ball Great Lakes, not on 40-man, Preston Mattingly, starting 2B for A-ball Great Lakes, not on 40 man.
2007 - Chris Withrow, starting pitcher in extended ST, expected to go to Pioneer League next month; James Adkins, pitcher for High A Inland Empire
11 out of 12 signed and all 11 are still with the organization, 3 players are on the Dodgers.
However, thats likely not happening.
I've longed for the Dodgers to draft a Ryan Braun, Lance Berkman, Evan Longoria, Alex Gordon type. But it probably wont happen this year.
Its quite possible, maybe even probable, that both will be All Stars this year.
vr, Xei
So, I don't think it is some master plan to avoid drafting good offensive talent, the reality is that they will not get a chance at a polished college hitter any time soon.
Guerrero's on base streak was 14 PA, and it stretched from July 23, 1985 (doubles in his last 2 PA to end a game against the Pirates) to July 26, 1985.
http://tinyurl.com/6n4dvb
The type of player you say you've "longed" for the Dodgers to draft are always drafted before the Dodgers even have their first draft pick. What's the point in longing for an impossibility? You have to look at the players realistically available when the Dodgers have a pick. With Wallace you have named one, but even he has a chance to go before the Dodgers pick.
(At least if you count Brandon Wood as a third baseman, which you should.)
So, what do you with do when the player admits there is something wrong and he still wants to play through the pain? This excludes Pujols because of his overall awesomeness and ability to slowly take down the Padres.
http://6-4-2.blogspot.com/2008/05/getting-ready-for-interleague-dodgers.html
The season is only a quarter over or so, and Ethier is getting irregular playing time. Assuming he only triples his playing time and keeps going at the current rate, that means he's two and a half WINS over replacement, and that's just based on some fairly pessimistic assumptions!
Further: he's tied with Russell Martin and — incredibly — Juan Pierre for fourth place on the team for Win Shares with five each. Ethier is hardly average or "just above average". Combine all that with his age and the likelihood that he'll improve significantly, and his value is even greater.
Another thing to realize is that e-mailing might not do much good, since these lists are not some guy's opinion, but are PECOTA computer projections for the guy's career.
1) how to develop young pitching, or
2) who to cut bait on
The current success the Rangers are enjoying, such as it is (in third place in the AL West and still a game under .500), is destined to be short-lived. Their pitching is just about guaranteed to collapse in both the rotation and bullpen. As has been true with all post-1999 Texas teams, they can hit all the home runs they want, but if they can't hold the other guys down -- and this Texas team has the second-worst run suppression in the league -- they'll end up with another .500 or worse showing.
1. Furcal 7.1 WAR
2. Martin 5.0 WAR
3. DeWitt 3.7 WAR
4. Kemp 1.7 WAR
5. Ethier 1.3 WAR
6. Loney 0.6 WAR
7. Pierre 0.3 WAR
8. Bennett -0.1 WAR
9. Young -0.25 WAR
10. Kent -0.7 WAR
11. Sweeney -0.8 WAR
12. Jones -1.0 WAR
13. Hu -1.4 WAR
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
You were probably booing your computer speakers.
Arizona does lead with 5 1st Round picks in the majors (4 with the D-Backs, 1 with White Sox), KC is second with 4 players, the Dodgers are tied for 3rd (with Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, and NY Yankees) with 3 players.
The Astros, Cubs, Rangers and Reds have no players that they picked in the first round on their 25 man roster (Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey should change that soon).
One reason the Padres are struggling, no 1st round picks signed since 2002 have advanced to their big league club.
Certainly the draft goes beyond the first round but since it is the round where you are going to spend the most money for bonuses, you should hope do better than a lot of these clubs.
The Dodgers are on track of course to get a 4th player added to their total (Kershaw).
Korea will be the opponent.
Set your alarm clocks now!
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TEX/2004.shtml
Look at that bullpen: there isn't a one with 50 or more innings pitched under 120 ERA+. Their rotation, on the other hand, was Kenny Rogers, Ryan Drese, Chris Young, and a bunch of filler. Relevant to my second point in 208 , they traded away Young, too, though you could argue that given the results he's getting this year, it was only a delayed problem. OTOH, last year the Pads were fifth in defensive efficiency in the majors at .706; this year, they're 23rd at .695. That's only a percent, but it might make a lot of difference to a guy as dependent on outfield defense as Young — and this year they were sporting Jimmy Edmonds in center for quite a while before they cut him loose. The Pads have a pretty random outfield right now, and I bet it's particularly hurting Young.
On Great Lakes, however, Miguel Ramirez has pitched over 19 innings without giving up an earned run this season (3 unearned).
No, this info is useful, thanks. The Dodgers track record overall in the drafts of the past 5-7 years is pretty impressive. A far cry from how they did in the 90s.
So I guess the question is, how much of it is "hiding" and how much is simply non-disclosure (slightly different, I think)?
When they traded Danks for McCarthy is about when I figured Daniels had no idea what he was doing.
It makes sense that some teams would do as well or better than the Dodgers since the Dodgers have not drafted very high in the first round. Arizona, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay and KC all have had many picks higher than the Dodgers and to their credit have drafted well.
But considering where they picked and White's philosophy, the Dodgers have done a good job too.
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
Year / Tex / LAD
2008 / 1.126 / 0.894
2007 / 0.979 / 1.053
2006 / 1.081 / 1.046
2005 / 1.076 / 0.901
2004 / 1.217 / 0.909
2003 / 1.216 / 0.868
2002 / 1.246 / 0.825
2001 / 0.997 / 0.810
Only in 2007 was this true.
vr, Xei
Actually, you just missed UCLA losing in the Final Four to Florida, but USC lost to North Carolina in the Sweet 16. USC should have beaten North Carolina though. They had a big lead, but got into foul trouble and fell apart.
And you didn't miss anything by not seeing any of the UCLA-Florida game. Only JoeyP enjoyed that game.
He strikes out two in the first, and might be done.
vr, Xei
Tex 104
LAD 100
for runs scored. vr, Xei
Now the good news. He's still lined up in the 5th starter spot.
They've pinch hit for Kershaw now, so he's out of there after one perfect inning with 2 K's.
He has 6 starts in June so they'll probably do this a few times a month.
Mr. Noah is going to find out soon enough what it's like to have someone who is a true NBA prospect play alongside him.
vr, Xei
Re: wood bats.
You might want to check out the Baum Bat.
Go to www.baumbat.com This is a c-243 model.
My kids used these in wood bat leagues and for batting cages and practice when they were ages 17 to 21. One bat lasted 3 years, one bat lasted four years, feels and performs just like a wood bat. This saved us alot of money that would have gone to continuously replacing broken wooden bats. :)