Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Jon's other site:
Screen Jam
TV and more ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
And Aybar Too
In some respects, it was the same old young Chad Billingsley. Singles - some seeing-eye, some with 20-20 vision - instead of strikeouts. Pitches here and there not only missing the bull's-eye, but the entire target.
But as tonight's game went on, those moments came less frequently, and a mix of fastballs and curves pitches found their spots - on the corners, in on the hands - and you realized that the Arizona Diamondbacks were not getting good wood on hardly anything.
Billingsley was foolin' em, and suddenly the uphill battle that has been his career up to now leveled off into a cruise. He finished with seven shutout innings, allowing six hits - all singles - walking two and striking out four, on 103 pitches. In his final three innings, he got one double-play grounder and what should have been another, and he struck out his final two batters.
This is just one step for Billingsley. One neato step.
* * *
The first at-bat I saw live tonight by Willy Aybar produced a 360-foot opposite field flyout. Aybar did not get all of the pitch and to a large extent was just going with it, yet he came within shouting distance of a home run. Keeping in mind that we just haven't seen many Dodgers hit the ball very far - it's not as if their home run drought has featured many near-misses - it was really a sight to see. And it was not a surprise, therefore, to then see Aybar get his second double of the game, a booming shot to center field.
Aybar basically hit non-stop for the first two months of his Dodger career (September 2005 and May 2006), then went into a slump and didn't get the chance to come out of it. When you're a veteran, you get a long rope, but when you're a rookie, you get a Q-Tip. Life goes on - Aybar went down to Las Vegas and Cesar Izturis returned from his long absence, and we found out what Izturis could do. He's still got the great glove - with an all-too typical .679 OPS.
It's not as if Aybar will hit two doubles every game, but I'm not sure we've found out all he can do. Maybe he's only good against National League West pitching for now, or something like that. But watching him work the bat with authority tonight, it's hard to believe the Dodgers could send him down again.
No, it's completely believable that they would send him down again.
Must remember who is running the show now.
My personal punchbowl is free of ... um ... you know ... those things....
When given a chance, Wilber has proven that he can hit. Today, he was a lot more aggressive than usual. He was getting his pitch early in the count and making the pitchers pay. That's what good hitters do.
Props to Lofton. He wasn't taking a lot of pitches today, but he was swinging at strikes. Like Aybar, he was waiting for his pitch. He was limping around the bases on the Hudson aided double. The Dodgers should consider putting him on the DL soon because when he can't go Kenny speed, there's not a lot that he can do and it limits his effectiveness.
Aybar stays up for two weeks, and, just when Kent is about to return from the DL, Danys Baez is out for the year with an injury. Dodgers win the World Series, despite having 3 closers on the DL.
I agree. Alomar will be on the DL for August most likely and then back when the rosters expand. Assuming Aybar doesn't tank, he'll stay. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if he was traded.
4 - I agree on Lofton. He looks terrible running, and it seems like he is going to injure himself further. I wonder if he can get his legs back to normal this year.
Izturis lofton martinez alomar cruz ledee are all dead weight.
But beyond that, this comment features the kind of relentlessness that I find so troubling lately. The Dodgers just called Aybar up, for crying out loud. They're on a five-game losing streak, at a fairly critical time in the season, and they put him right in the starting lineup in place of Jeff Kent (who probably could have continued to play through his injury if desperate enough). The Dodgers could have called up Oscar Robles, traded for Aaron Boone, whatever. Instead, they went straight back to Aybar. The comment in 1 sort of falls under the umbrella of "no good deed goes unpunished."
It's not that 1 is inaccurate. But subjectively, it's just too much. Should every good Dodger moment be punctuated by "don't expect it to last - remember who's in charge?"
I would say Martinez and Lofton are valuable subs. I think it would be better if we could trade Izturis. It might be possible if a contender has their shortstop get hurt in the next week or so. Either Cruz or Ledee is likely to be gone when Repko comes back. Grittles apparently says they are anxious to get Repko back, so I take that statement to mean that he won't be left at AAA once the rehab assignment ends. I imagine it would take him another week or so to get back his timing.
Outfield, yes he's been playing in the outfield this season in the minors.
Have you seen Kemp lately? He sucks.
He's tearing up AAA right now.
yeah, Last I checked he had a .391 avg.
It's called the league finding his weaknesses and exploiting them. Kemp does not suck. Like a lot of young hitters, he had a difficult time adjusting after some early success. What he did in his first 15 games shows what kind of potential he has.
Do we know how good Loney is at playing the outfield? It is a little different from playing a few games out there in the minors to being thrown into a major league outfield. He has 10 errors at LV. I wonder how many of those are in the outfield. For that reason I don't think we'll see him out there even when he is called up when the rosters expand. I think Kemp clearly needs a little time in AAA. He not only wasn't hitting at all after his hot start, he looked very bad at the plate, especially on the 55 foot curveball that was a few feet outside. He will be back at some point soon, but I'm not sure now is the best time.
That was grady's fault for being in love with lofton.
But i agree that kemp having consistent at bats is more important than being in the bigs.
I would like to take the time to thank prior commitment for making me miss the game.
You might be right and i might be wrong.
I'm bad with spelling.
What are you talking about?
I highly doubt drew opts out, 11 million per year is a lot and he's not tearin it up this season.
I wouldn't mind seeing that outfield and then we could spend some big money on Zito and some bullpen help. However, I don't think Ned would have enough confidence in that outfield to let it be. Also, if Drew only hits 15 homers, which is what he is on pace for, no one is going to pay him more than we are paying him, so he would be pretty dumb to opt out.
You mean the organization that has produced koufax, veneuzuela, herisher, pedro, etc, etc, etc?
Well, yeah. I wont disagree with you. I've been one of Aybar's biggest fans.
But I dont think management feels that way. If they did, they wouldnt have chosen Lucille, Izturis, and Mueller at different parts of the season to replace Aybar before. When Kent comes back, I think Aybar will be sent back again. Its not an overstated opinion. I'm actually surprised that you feel management should be given some sort of credit for not doing the dumbest thing possible (signing Aaron Boone, recalling Robles).
Have our expectations sunk so low, that its time for celebration when the GM doesnt do something completely stupid?----dont answer Steve.
How long until we start calling it "God's Brown Earth"?
I agree 100%. It amazes me, after one of crown jewels in the organization has an awesome night on the mound, and people are still criticizing him. Why can't people ever be satisfied and enjoy the moment? Compounded with that fact that we also won, and our young players in AAA also had decent nights, savor the moment. stop worrying about the future so much.
Of course, it could be that there isn't a common bad guy to root against anymore.
Huh?
how can somebody who saw what happened to Edwin Jackson declare that Billingsley will be an ace as if it's inevitable? Cause Billingsley is white?
Is this the Twilight Zone hour of DT?
Based upon Billinglsey's record so far, I think its much too early to declare him a future ace or a flash-in-the-pan. My thought is that is that perhaps luck is helping him so far.
And, my preference is towards veterans as back ups as opposed to kids, I just think they are better prepared for it.
Also Willy did not play well in Winter ball nor as I recall have a bang up spring.
It wasn't until he went out and hit the ball consistently and with some power in AAA, did he go back on the radar and he was brought up when Mueller went down.
Everybody forgets that after last season, the Mueller signing was not seen as disaster and the battle was between Ramon Martinez and Oscar Robles for the last spot, which even the most cynical person here would say that he has done a good job.
Once again, all I am trying to say is that there were valid reasons why Aybar started off in AAA, when the vacancy opened up, he came up and he played. It took the return of Izzy to send him down and now with Kent's return to DL, he is back.
What was the point of bringing race into this discussion? Just trying to stir the pot?
If you just looked at this board you'd think that Lofton, Martinez, and Repko were all hitting way below 200 based on the extreme negative comments, but they are all above 300. Not saying these players don't have some flaws and they should start all the time, but I wouldn't cut them. I think that some of posters here would clear them out as soon as possible. I'm all for bringing up the rooks, but a few veterans are nice to have even if they won't all show a ton of improvement. They are better suited as part time players.
Billingsley hasnt done anything yet in the majors to be like "Wow!". He hasnt had Verlander, Liriano, Johnson type of success yet. I'm not really concerned with the base runners bc with time pitchers can develop control. I'm more concerned with the low strikeout numbers. Most #1 type of guys have blow you away type of stuff. So far, Billingsley hasnt shown that at the MLB level. But, thats why he's so interesting to watch pitch. You're just waiting for that breakout game. I wouldnt consider tonite it though.
I don't normally feel that way. I'm not saying you have to celebrate them making a rational decision.
I just think one could take a break from criticizing them.
You said in 1, "Must remember who is running the show now."
Have we been allowed to forget for five minutes who is running the show now, and that that person has flaws? That's the part that I'm calling relentless.
Guess I was wrong.
How about just watching every game that Aybar played in last year in September? Thats a really weak excuse. Its not like they couldnt see tape of Aybar's ABs, or just look at the stat sheet to see how he did. You put up a .900 OPS over a month, doing it the way Aybar did it (lots of plate discipline), I think you should be given a shot. I just dont think management thinks much of Aybar. They were wanting to make him a utility player in spring training IIRC some of Gurnick's pieces.
If Aybar wasnt even considered by them for a spot on the 25, then thats just a mis-evaluation of in-house talent.
Yes, I'm aware such a thread would only have 17 posts. Many of us are just plain tired of the nonsense.
Particularly on defense.
I still can't believe that I can come up with that many names of solid prospects in 90 seconds of work.
And broke the page width while you were at it. So much talent, so little time...
I'm assuming this was directed towards my post, if not sorry.
But anyways, a few veterans?, what do you call penny lowe drew kent nomar.
Selling some mediocre veterans like lofton izturis martinez cruz ledee and any other i mentioned in my post doesn't mean we won't have any veterans on the team.
Why not sell who is not in our future when we have replacements for them that will at least produce as good and probably better.
Heck we need power and most of the guys i listed don't produce any power and a couple do but not much.
The Dodgers are playing with the roster they'll have in September, because the deadline has been killed by the wildcard (everybody thinks they're in it) and GM's want the moon for three month rentals. What does everybody want? What do you think the Dodgers can get? The team we have is the team we'll play with from here on out.
Stand pat and sell some mediocre veterans like lofton izturis ect. i listed more earlier in the thread.
And bring up prospects to replace the mediocre veterans that were sold.
What the heck happened?, i have to slide the window back and forth to read the posts.
I didn't think McCourt did the right thing firing DePodesta. But: He was nothing like a "great GM." He was deeply flawed. Maybe he would've "grown in office." But I don't think the Dodgers are really going to miss him all that much.
Colletti deserves to be evaluated on his own terms, and in the same patient way DePodesta's admirers wanted him to be evaluated, which as I recall would be for "at least three years." Colletti's moves also need to be seen for their results so far: Marginal improvement on the record of the terrible team he inherited.
It is irrational to be calling Colletti names like "stupid." It is disconnected from reality. But no matter what he does, there will be a small segment of Dodger fans who look at Colletti and only see Not-Paul. And they're never going to get over it.
Martinez, Cruz and Ledee are primarily bench players, Lofton has probably played more than they thought he would and Izzy has barely been back a month.
Ideally, they could get something for Izzy this year but if not, I see him dealt in the offseason, the other 4 are only signed through this year.
Thus the importance of beginning the season with a good roster.
I messed it up with my long list of prospects.
It is disconnected from reality.
Trades with Tampa Bay are disconnected from reality. All else is merely red herring.
75 Steve didn't leave any spaces in his list in 70
Dodgers could have hired Epstein, Josh Byrnes, anyone that actually thinks logically.
Its more tradition vs logic.
I favor logic.
Anyways, one of my friends quit about a year ago. You have to do things to take your mind off of cigarettes. My advice is exercise. You can do it with friends or alone. It also relieves stress (which makes smoking cigarettes pointless). Good luck.
Interesting tidbit from Al Gore's movie: his father was a tobacco farmer, and his older sister smoked from a young age. His father was unconvinced by the (cigarette-company thwarted) efforts of scientists to convince the world that tobacco led to serious health problems, until Al's sister died of lung cancer. Her death compelled her father to quit growing tobacco.
Al likened the efforts of cigarette companies to convince the public that tobacco was not harmless to current efforts of oil companies, etc. to convince the public that global warming is a hoax.
I don't have a swear to spare...
We wouldn't get much of anything for a backup like Martinez or a 39 year old with bad legs like Lofton. Since Martinez does not start, I assume you just mean that Kemp should be starting instead of Lofton. There is some argument to that. However, it was abundantly clear that Kemp needs to work on some things such as laying off the breaking ball in the dirt. Major league pitchers had really started to exploit his weaknesses after his hot start. He'll be back, but that doesn't mean that only a month and half above A ball is too little for him. He may rip up Vegas in the short term, but that doesn't mean he would be at the big league level right now. We are still in the pennant race, so we aren't at the point of just letting kids play for their development. They need to produce for them to stay at the major league level right now. Otherwise it is better for them to play every day in the minors until they are truly experienced and ready. Rushing guys is a risk and can screw a kid up. Some would argue Edwin Jackson would be an example of rushing a kid too early and he has never been the same.
76 I liked Paul and I like Ned, both have different beliefs but there is no one way to build a ballclub. To some extent, both of their teams have suffered injuries, two big differences for Ned, he had guys in the system to plug in and he seems to have a good relationship with Grady. I give Grady credit too, he was not afraid to move guys around in the pen, he played the young guys while they are here.
I can't comment on whetere there is a disgruntled non-Paul faction but I do think that for many of us (me included) it was exciting to think that perhaps some new methods were being used to put together a team but we never got to see it pan out. So, it was like we never got to see the new car and how it works, production was halted and we got a "baseball guy" back in charge, whose moves are generally pretty clear to understand but he does not come from an outside perspective.
And maybe that's it too, I know that I don't know how to scout a player, I do know how to look at numbers, and there was some belief that by looking at the numbers, you can get an understanding of that player was going to do and when the rug got pulled on that possibility and we were left with a baseball guy, I think that hurt a little bit because now we don't think there is anyone inside who looks at things that way.
Interesting take, but I am going to go watch the replay of Chad's first win.
Thats it. Sink or swim with the kids playing the final two months (Ethier, Kemp, Martin, Aybar), and Billingsley in the rotation.
And the rest died from other smoking-related infirmities before they got the chance...?
Yes, my tongue is planted firmly in cheek. Calm down.
I don't care what we get for the guys i listed.
Ned overdid it with the mediocre veterans and he needs to dump some to open roster spots for prospects that are ready.
Aybar probably gets sent down when kent returns.
Repko is coming back soon and who is going to get sent down for his return?, the only outfielder currently on the team that has options is ethier.
Loney is tearing up AAA but there is no room for him because no roster spots available, and yes he can play in leftfield.
So bringing up kemp is not necessarily my point.
My point is we have prospects ready and no roster spots for them because ned overdid it with mediocre veterans.
Anyone > lofton
Anyone > izturis
Anyone > martinez
Anyone > alomar (by the way why carry 3 catchers)
Repko and loney are ready, cut/trade a couple outfielders (lofton and either ledee or cruz).
Aybar is ready trade izturis.
The addiction to nicotine is broken in two days. The rest is all habit, environment, and psychological factors that we should probably not discuss on DT.
I ate a lot of carrots. I chewed a lot of gum, till my jaws were sore. After about three months, I didn't need those things anymore. Also, since I associated smoking with drinking, I cut way down on my drinking, and never went back up. I was hardly drinking at all...until JoeyP came into my life....
I miss it more after I'm doing some yardwork or housework. I sort of used to "reward" myself by having a cig after say, I'd get done mopping the floor or putting away the dishes.
I've pretty much decided that I am always going to want to smoke. I just have to resist the temptation. That and reminding myself that cigs did actually taste like they smell.
Just open some roster spots for prospects that are ready.
Just get some minor leaguers in return, it doesn't matter what we get in return.
Roster spots need to be opened for prospects that are ready.
Those of us at the acceptance stage dont really find the answer to be of relevance.
It's nice to see Chad pitch a good game. I'm sure most of us figured we'd see one sooner or later, but it's a bit of relief to actually know it's done. May he have many, many, many more.
Like most people, he is probably disapointed in JtD's performance this year. But he still has 2 months or so left to lift his numbers up.
If ned doesn't want to cut/trade a mediocre veteran then ethier will get sent down because he's the only outfielder with options.
Bringing up loney in my opinion gives your outfielders plenty of days off and gives nomar some days off.
sending down Aybar was a good choice at the time. He even struggled in Vegas before finding his stroke again just recently.
It was a slump everyone goes thru a slump.
I agree. We have really solid depth all the way down to 30-35 or so.
I posted this in that thread, ill post it here.
next years top 20
graduations
Billingsley
martin
broxton
ethier
kemp
players who shouldnt be on next years top 20
denker
raglani
wall
new additions to next years top 20
Clayton Kershaw
Preston Mattingly
Bryan Morris
Ivan Dejesus
Mark Alexander
sergio pedroza
Josh Bell
Steven Johnson
Fair enough. Lets see if Ned will pull the trigger on a deal for him if he can get value. Sometimes it is good to be a seller. I just think Izzy at third is wrong.
There is also the alternative of making Alomar a coach and then activating him again once the rosters expand, similar to Manny Mota in the early 80's.
Does MLB have strict rules about a guy retiring and then returning within the same season?
It may not be a serious injury, but I don't think there's an issue of getting a legit medical diagnosis that he needs to rest for two weeks.
You may be right on the waiver thing. I'm not sure. I'd rather see Hall get traded to solve the whole problem. Alomar was fine as a backup before. Not sure why we need an obviously unhappy Hall now.
And Raglani is batting .345/.424/.586 in 29 ABs during his return to AA.
Gurnick: "With Russell Martin solidly the regular behind the plate, an unhappy Toby Hall would probably remain active, while veteran Sandy Alomar Jr. could qualify for the disabled list due to the fragile condition of his knees."
I want you to stand up and say that you think that Rafael Furcal is an excellent defensive shortstop. Once you realize you're not that good a liar, stand up and say that defense does not matter. Finally, remind yourself that Paul Depodesta actually thought that Jose Valentin would be a good third baseman, and smack your forehead and proclaim "what an idiot!"
Izturis is 26, he's a top-notch defensive player, and constantly improving at the plate. But, we have Furcal, which really just makes Izturis seem more valuable.
I think the best thing to do from here on out is to go with a 5 man infield rotation of Nomar, Kent, Izturis, Aybar, and Furcal, so everyone gets an off day every 5th day. Every one of those players can be useful off the bench, and this would keep them fresh enough so that Olmedo Saenz can stick to being a pinch hitter with runners on late in the game, where he's the most effective.
Many baseball people believe that A's left-hander Barry Zito will sign with the Dodgers or one of the New York teams as a free agent, reasoning that Zito's passion for music would only increase the appeal of those markets.
Fine by me, ante up!
Imagine -- sore knees for someone who has caught for over 20 years in pro ball! It sounds totally made up, but maybe they can get away with it. I don't even remember the last time Alomar played. I think it has been almost 2 weeks anyway, but I suppose that is beside the point as long as they can get away with it. Finally, I doubt if Alomar would agree to the Coach thing even in the short term as he thinks he can still play in the big leagues, which I wouldn't argue with. I think he still contributes.
Wall is an interesting case to me because with him, its all about projection. He is suppose to fill out and gain velocity but until then I can't really rate him in the top 20 with our farm system. While his era is good right now, his component ratios leave a lot to be desired for.
Jesus Castillo could push himself on the list but he is 22 and still in Odgen. He is also coming back from TJ and is still a health risk because of that. I would like to see another strong year from him next year, possibly ending up at AA by the end of 2007.
Raglani IMO was overrated last year, I didn't view him as a top 20 talent in our farm really. But if he rips it up in his second AA stint then good for him, I will have to re-evaluate my stance on him.
I'm not going to say that Valentin was a good 3rd baseman, but I'm not going to say he was horrible either. Any evaluation of him either way is based on 216 innings of total play at 3B last year.
To put it in perspective, he who shall not be spoken at DT played 664 innings at 1B last year. Shoot, Jason Werth played 345 innings in LF last year.
someone's gotta go eventually . . .
Defense doesn't concern me.
Strong offense is more important than strong defense by far, but it would be nice to have both.
Izturis is constantly improving at the plate.
No he isn't.
Oops, that would be Jayson Werth.
Meanwhile, Dodgers scouting director Logan White said negotiations have reached an irreconcilable impasse with 10th-round pick Andy D'Alessio, and that the first baseman is expected to return to Clemson University for his senior season.
Sorry nate
That un-named 1st baseman is only hitting 207 in well over 250 plate appearances in AAA. I was shocked at how bad he is doing down there. I had no idea.
Yea ive come to terms with that for a while now. Not really a huge loss IMO. Hopefully we can ink one of Akins or Alex White. Those two are the late round prizes.
------------------------------
The Dodgers' biggest need is pitching, but the team isn't ruling out a move to improve its offense, especially now that second baseman Jeff Kent is on the disabled list with a sore muscle on his left side.
The Dodgers inquired about Royals right fielder Reggie Sanders, but the team's interest has faded "big-time," according to a source.
Nationals left fielder Alfonso Soriano is a more logical target; the Dodgers would need a better hitter than Sanders to justify benching left fielder Andre Ethier and his .340 batting average. But paying a high price for Soriano would limit the Dodgers in other pursuits.
The injury to Kent should only increase the Dodgers' reluctance to trade infielder Cesar Izturis, who has filled in at third base and temporarily could move to second. The Dodgers, however, are deep enough in prospects to make multiple moves.
--------------------------------
And if you want to talk about his offense, he had a .170/.326/.265 batting line.
123 -
"remind yourself that Paul Depodesta actually thought that Jose Valentin would be a good third baseman, and smack your forehead and proclaim 'what an idiot!'"
What is this even supposed to mean? Valentin was injured last season and played only a little bit. This season he's playing excellently for NYM. Is this a quip about his defense, or what? I don't think your subjective appraisal of his defense in fewer than 30 games counts for a lot, and certainly doesn't justify a "what an idiot!" remark. Valentin was, by nearly all statistical metrics, one of the best defensive shortstops in the game while in Chicago, and I know of know convincing evidence that he couldn't have been an excellent 3B given sufficient playing time.
2006 Valentin: 197AB .284/.325/.528 17FRAR
Clearly, DePo is an idiot, and Minaya is a genius.
If that is true, then that is proof positive that the dodgers management is in love with lofton.
I just don't get it, and apparently never will.
With Sanders, Ethier, and Drew, no one would be able to play centerfield then, except possibly Drew who is really too slow to cover center well.
I am just going to assume Rosenthal is wrong.
That's an example of worrying about defense so much that you subtract offense for it.
I don't subscribe to that philosophy.
And while his offense was lackluster last season, that sample is limited and doesn't account for injury. Arguing simply that he was 'done' flies in the face of his excellent 2006, and if the argument is that DePodesta should have realized that Valentin was set to slump in 2005 only to rebound in 2006, you may be holding reality to an inappropriate standard.
Renteria signed a huge contract with Boston and played the same position he had for his entire career (save 1 game at DH and 1 game at 1st). He was healthy the entire season. And he was essentially the same offensive player that he was in '04. It looks like he played worse in the field.
Valentin signed a small 1 year contract and moved positions. He was hurt and played very few innings at the position.
I really have no idea what bringing up Renteria and Valentin have to do with each other except that they switched teams and they were both shortstops the prior season.
144 Ok, thanks. Scott Van Slyke was signed on July 16th last year, and I believe he was in a somewhat similar situation (Steve Johnson too, but I'm not sure when he signed).
Actually the Red Sox did, bc Renteria played the whole season there.
Judging Valentin on a few games as a Dodger just screams out "sample size".....
Will you remember Bill Mueller as a horrible defensive 3rd basemen, and proclaim Ned Colletti "what an idiot", for his poor peformance at 3rd?
Mueller's Rate2- 93
Valentin's Rate2- 91
Not much of a difference, both below average, but both didnt play enough games to label each other as ineffective. They both had good defensive careers as Tom pointed out.
It doesnt really matter if Izturis is improving with his bat. He's started out so poorly, he's entering his most prime years, and he's still not a 3rd base caliber bat. He's not even a SS or 2nd base caliber bat.
Why would Rosenthal suggest the Dodgers acquire Soriano, if they are only going to bench Ethier? That makes little sense. If someone's benched, its gotta be The Hole.
Kenny "the hole" lofton.
LOL!
Maybe Drew's defense wouldn't be any worse than Lofton's in center. However, would Sanders be any better than Lofton on offense? Lofton has the higher OPS this year not to mention that he has stolen 16 out of 17.
Sanders wont make a difference.
I will concede that a lot of this is emotional, particularly with Valentin immediately replacing Beltre (who was a plus defensive player, peaking in that even, in 2004). I also admit that based on the fact that he hit 30 homers the year before, and put up similar numbers for years before that, he looked like a good power option. I can't help but wonder if the guy who's regular playing time Valentin took over, Kaz Matsui, was an easier act to follow. I did take satisfaction in watching him make 2 errors in a game against the Dodgers when the Mets were in town, though.
What I will stand by, though, is my idea from the last line of 123, going with a rotation of Nomar, Kent, Furcal, Izturis, Aybar, with everyone sitting 1 out of every 5 days. Aybar's the only guy who's not an injury issue, but pinch-hitting is part of the game, and he could probably benefit from developing in that regard.
penny 3.26
sele 3.34
hendrickson 3.57
billingsley 3.66
lowe 3.98
Lowe's been pitching terrible lately. Hopefully he can turn it around.
Yet, he is still 35th in VORP.
And this is true. I bolt awake at 5 am today from the most bizarre dream. Wife and I are at some AppleChiliFriday's type place down in Florida (wierd enough, we don't end up in such places or w/out kids very much). We're eating at a table. Host is calling people off a waiting list to be seated. "Kershaw." Tall guy with a couple of superbeautiful girls goes up. I hear girl #1 call him Clay. Tell my wife, "hey that guy pitches for the Dodgers." So I go up to him and introduce myself and say something like, "I'm really sorry to interrupt, but I'd really like to get your autograph for a guy I know who's your biggest fan." Can't dreamember the exact words. He starts signing a piece of paper and I say thanks, it's for Nate Purcell.
And he says "Dude -- that's my agent."
Anyhow, you'll be shocked to hear that my wife suggests I may be spending a little too much time on the internet.
Again, good luck with it.
Our observations:
1. Billingsley looked very smooth, didn't let things get to him, and pitched great. My wife was rather angry they didn't leave him in to either finish it or prove he had nothing left. His 103 and last pitch was still 95 mph (about the top of where he was all night) and struck out 2. We were dissappointed to see Ricky Ledee come in to pinch hit--grounding into a double play to squelch a rally. We were even more dissappointed to see Danys Baez come in to pitch.
2. Baez made us uncomfortable. Sure on paper it looked good, no runs and a K, but his motion is halting and it just made us nervous.
3. Lofton looked hurt. He didn't want to run out the double that he got, but did it anyway. Otherwise, he limped around.
4. Willy Aybar was great, 2 doubles and an RBI. It will be fun to watch him develop. Really, all the young players will be great to watch and did well.
Does anyone know if the Dodgers are listed as one of the possible suitors for Kevin Mench? I think if the Dodgers are going to acquire another bat, it would be along the lines of a good player that isn't a star (and isn't that old) in which they'd have to give up something good for, but not give up the farm for. Mench, or our dream guy from yesterday, Casey Blake...
Meanwhile, I wonder if they may just end up not acquiring any starting pitching just because the pickings are so slim, and try to fix things from within and from the farm? (Or give up.)
Unless Maddux wants to come here, and the Cubs stop asking for the moon for him.
Even more importantly... I need to get to work.
I was thinking of Franklin Delano Bluth, as in "Franklin Comes Alive."
"It ain't easy bein' white"
"It ain't easy bein' brown"
"All this pressure to be right"
"I got children all over town"
(Hey: where'd the guy go?)
I was on a pack a day (literally one pack every 24 hours) and it seemed like I smoked a ton.
Anyhow, I'll second the "don't hang around smokers" thing for a while. My bro and I quit at the same time. Neither of us were able to sabotage the other one. There was no easy outlet to get "just one".
The visiting Post 39 had well-rested ace Alex White ready to roll, and he was all business as White and his team struck early and steadfastly held on for a 9-4 win, eliminating neighboring Post 160 to advance in the playoffs.
White almost perfectly hit his target number of 110 pitches, and most of those pitches were hitting their targets as well. White dealt out 12 strikeouts and threw almost exclusively fastballs in the latter stages of his seven-inning outing, in which he issued just one walk.
"Alex was Alex," said Post 39 assistant coach Rodney Harris, who has filled in for coach Mike Mullis this week after Mullis left to be with his ailing mother in Atlanta. "He went out and did his thing, threw the ball hard and stayed around the strike zone all night. That's doing the job."
He also can hit (as most high school pitchers can do) My hunch is that it will take a nice sized signing bonus but I am sure that Logan White and the rest of the scouting staff is on it.
https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/419522.html
I LOVE THIS TEAM!
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_4068049
First baseman Kyle Orr, the Dodgers' fourth-round draft pick, will spend the next few weeks preparing for and playing in the World Junior Championship tournament in Cuba, where he will suit up for Team Canada.
That will put negotiations on hold until after the event ends Sept. 27. It probably also means that when Orr does sign, he won't play until next season.
Not if, but when? Is this merely poor word choice, or is it all but a done deal?
I thought there was a little more doubt as to if he would sign.
Unless I just dreamed it.
That said, more and more I'm starting to agree that this board has becoming overly negative and caustic. It was sad to me that it was grating to read through the comments today. Not just because of overly hashed out arguments ala Choi but more because of the sarcasm and lack of constructive input. I agree that to make only positive comments would be silly, and that some of the best humor around here is biting. But just as we would ask the LA media to be more measured in their evaluations of Depodesta and many of the players we favor we must do the same. I'm as guilty as anyone of ragging on Colletti and honestly I don't think I'll completely exhale until after the 31st. But until he actually makes a bad move that seriously cripples our team we should cut back on our vitriol and try to appreciate a really good night for the Dodgers. I know I'm just rehashing but I thought I'd add my vote to Jon's camp.
When Paul Depodesta was hired, he was the flavor of the month, I had about him from Baseball Prospectus and it was exciting to think that perhaps some new methods were going to be used to put together a team.
Now the 2004 team was pretty much set when he got here but he made some small deals and you could see that some of the philosophies of OBP, power and pitching were being considered, one big thing that happened just as he got here was the arbitration hearing for Gagne, this is where Bill P. and Simers got off on him but it wasn't like he was runnnig, though it was known at that time that there was a belief that SABR guys don't want to pay big bucks for closers.
Even with the division title in 2004, there was some excitement going into the off-season because this was when the true makeover was to begin, however but again PR wise, Finley, Lima, Cora, and Beltre were let it go and then perhaps Paul tried to do what Ned did this year, get some fill in guys while we wait for the prospects.
Due to injuries and lack of playing time for certain players, we never got to see it pan out.
When he got rid of Tracy, there was a thought that okay, he will bring in his guy and then we will see what happens, but no, weeks later, Paul was gone too.
In the end, it was like we never got to see the new car and how it works, production was halted and we got a "baseball guy" back in charge, whose moves are generally pretty clear to understand but he does not come from an outside perspective.
And maybe that's it too, I know that I don't know how to scout a player, I do know how to look at numbers, and there was some belief that by looking at the numbers, you can get an understanding of that player was going to do and when the rug got pulled on that possibility and we were left with a baseball guy, I think that hurt a little bit because now we don't think there is anyone inside who looks at things that way.
Plus, our starters are good now, we'd need a reliever more.
Glad to hear other DT readers were at Chad's 1st win. I didn't realize how good he was throwing until I looked up at the scoreboard in the fifth and realized he was under 80 pitches. After giving up those first two hits I was afraid it would be a long ride home since I went to the game with 3 Snakes fans. Anyway, the Snakes fans I was with were sure the game was over in the 8th and I had to remind them Baez was coming in so no win was secured. However, he looked pretty good last night - agressive, not falling behind to hitters.
Probably going tomorrow night as well and hoping for more of the same but not expecting much with Webb facing Hendrickson.
Excellent posts.
The gist appears to be that being so young worked against Aybar, that a "veteran" would have been allowed "to work his way out of a slump."
My view is that Aybar, someone I've followed for some time, was done a favor when he was demoted, because further playing time in the majors would have deepened his pain and made a "cure" all the more difficult down the road.
My definition of "cratering" is a brutal downturn that will continue unless the player -- usually a young player -- is given a significant respite. In Aybar's case, the best repsite was a demotion that would allow him to assimilate what he's gone through and piece himself back together in a less pressurized setting.
Pitchers, belatedly, had figured out that Aybar had a good grip of the strikezone and had gotten around to attacking him, as it turned out, with impunity. Evaulating the ABs, Willy was unable to counter in a meaningful way. His confidence appeared to wane, his swing got longer. His ability to draw walks, a core skill, was greatly eroded. Against lefties, he was utterly at their mercy, just hoping to serve the ball into play. His defense may have suffered for it as well.
In 12 games with Vegas after his demotion Willy went 6-for-44 (two homers) and posted a .240 OBP. He came back with 2-3 pretty good games before his recall.
My belief is he needed to become more of a threat early in the count, because when he got back to the majors, teams would come after him.
It's encouraging that Aybar punished the Diamondbacks right out the chute. If it he did so early in the count, it dovetails with his need to become more of threat. Too early to know if he made an adjustment that had to be made. One reason I've been bullish on him is the broad skill set and ability to adjust he showed in the minors -- he's not always rapid about it, but he's usually found his way.
The bigger point here is the Dodgers gave him the best opportunity to succeed when they sent him down for Izzy.
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.