Hmmm, this is interesting:
http://tinyurl.com/yw8dsg

"Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is a member of the Free James Loney Society.

"He shouldn't be in Triple-A," Gonzalez said. "He should be traded or called up and given a chance to play every day."

When the Dodgers returned first baseman Loney to Triple-A to start this season, it raised the old development question: How much time in Triple-A does a prospect need? The answer, of course, is that it depends on the individual.

Two Padres players who spent more time in Triple-A than many of their peers – Gonzalez and pitcher Justin Germano – admitted that it wasn't heavenly but said the prolonged duty proved helpful."

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=971

It seems to me pitchers are challenging Pierre high in the strike zone, daring him to hit the ball in the air. It's up to him to him to make the adjustment. I'm a little surprised that he can't seem to make it. After all, he is not a rookie.

I don't believe Martin making the all star team is a given. The all star manager, Tony LaRussa, has a catcher of his own to consider. I remember years ago when Sparky Anderson managed the Tigers he said that he had to pick the ones who got him there. I don't think that's fair but I suspect Sparky isn't the only manager who feels this way.

The good: 2-2 with a double and run scored.
The bad: 18th error of the year.

Also, you wonder how long he is going to switch hit, his OPS from the left side is double (.960 to .481) that when he hits righthanded.

Then again, he doesn't have much in the way of discernible baseball skill, so it's really not that surprising.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/yrhvh5

both his hits today are coming right handed. I think it might be due to small sample size and his horrible april. He is right handed so i assume batting right handed is his natural side.

i can see white drafting akins again this year somewhere in the later rounds as a mini draft and follow for the summer.

it depends on who else is available. I am not a big fan of his swing mechanics although he has the tools to do pretty well.

well all those variables factor in as well. But if he has inconsistent swing mechanics right now, it could lead to developing bad habits that could be hard to break. I do think Dominguez is a first round pick and if he was the pick at 20, i wouldnt complain about it. But at this moment, i like a couple of other players more.

the majority of the BPA when the dodgers pick will most likely be a prep pitcher; the strength of this years draft class. In my opinion, i think the Dodgers are zeroing on LHP prep pitcher Josh Smoker. In the scenario that he is not there, i think they might take one of the prep infielders matt dominguez or kevin ahrens. a wildcard is Michael Main, exciting 5 tool OF prospect or rhp with mid 90s gas.

3-3 2b 1bb

this is like matt kemp hot from beginning of last year.

hes definately going to see California in the second half.

probably.

This refusal to allow the team to be better than mediocre offensively is growing increasingly frustrating.

M'kay.

Matt Kemp and James Loney are going to play everyday in Vegas unless injuries change the situation in LA, thats the outlook right now and really, though Matt and James are beginning to hit, their play thus far has not forced the Dodgers to reevaluate their plans.

Interesting that Adrian Gonzalez thinks James Loney should be in the majors, but it's a bit disappointing that Loney isn't producing more in Triple-A.

http://tinyurl.com/2d28w9

pgcrosschecker.com is excellent. brewerfan.net is pretty good also. The milb.com/mlb.com coverage isnt bad as well.

I don't think anybody doesn't wish Kemp were destroying the PCL. But it's like saying you can't take a different job because the salary bump is only thirty percent, and not a hundred and fifty thousand percent.

thats not entirely true. his minor league averages are 314/386/458 and his major league line last year is right in line with his 2005 season in AA where he was the Texas League player of the year.

Too good of a name to pass on?

If Pierre had swung, as Pinella and the Cubs argued, is the rule that when the ball struck Pierre, it is a dead ball? Hence: strikeout and dead-ball, no one can advance?

That's the only logic I can think of, but I don't know the rule. If Pierre had swung and not been hit by the pitch, the ball gets away and Martinez scores on the wild pitch.

Does anyone know the rule?

I was told long ago not to go down the road that Pierre isn't going anywhere because we all know that and that be stating the obvious.

But he isn't going anywhere, at least not this season.

I still think if Ned and Grady had their best case scenario, Betemit would be their everyday thirdbaseman, Marlon would be the lefthanded pinch hitter on the bench and LaRoche and Abreu would be playing everyday in Vegas.

So far, this team has been fortunate with their injury situation. With Schmidt possibly due back in the next few weeks, they remain among the healthiest teams in the league.

I think the main difference between this year and the last two, is that there are guys ready at AAA to come in and play. But things could change and this 39 game in 41 days could see some guys break down.

"Can the Dodgers still sign Nick Akins, last year's 13th-round pick?
-- Jim V., Sherman Oaks, Calif.

The new collective bargaining agreement eliminates draft-and-follows this year. They can still sign Akins from last year, but are not expected to because of his bonus demands. The Dodgers did just sign Gorman Erickson, a switch-hitting catcher and their 15th-round pick last year. They were also talking to shortstop Justin Coats, last year's 16th-round pick, but were still apart financially. "

seems this would be just as productive if not more . . about 70 mill. with no real long term contracts...

Furcal
Loney
Martin
Kemp
Laroche
Ethier
Abreu/Meat
Cruz Jr.(or similar player)

Penny
Lowe
Wolf
Kuo
Bill

One technique that some pitchers use if they see a squeeze play coming is to throw a pitch at the batter.

Found a feature on old-time ML pitcher Fred Toney, one of the pitchers involved in the double no hitter between the Reds and Cubs in 1917. Toney won 1-0 in the 10th. Legendary Jim Thorpe of Olympic and football fame played a role in scoring the game's only run.

Toney was reportedly discovered on a hunting trip by a scout who saw a teenager with three dead squirrels but no gun. Questioned, Toney reportedly said he killed the squirrels by throwing rocks and knocking them out of trees.

http://nashvillesounds.com/news/news.asp?newsId=2344

I had no idea the 66ers had a "We'd rather Andrew Shimmin not come to this game" day. Message received, at any rate. Somebody else can go see Schmidt.

I simply constructed the roster as a team with a smaller budget might have.Declining to resign players like Nomar and Gonzales who had guys waiting to take their place.This is the way it should have been done anyway.I didnt use Schmidt bc he wasnt needed going into this year. Again , with my point being that it seems there would be a lot more young talented teams like the Cleavland Indians if teams didnt have the money. and would it benefit?

This team could be more productive after shaving 50 mill off the payroll. In hindsight, as you look at Bal and Sea then look at what the Dodgers could be and what Cle is, does it hurt to sometimes be forced to play cheap talent over vets? . .although it probably speaks more of the GM than anything...

How about lower down? I notice that our Great Lakes Loons (lower A), playing at home, did use a DH, as did San Jose Giants (upper A), but Chatanooga (affiliated to Reds, AA) did not. So AA is where pitchers have to bat playing at NL-affiliated home games? Or is there some other determinant?

>>> In his first full major league season, Martin is hitting .307 with three homers and leads major league catchers with 31 runs, 22 walks and eight stolen bases. He also leads National League catchers with 33 runs batted in and 51 hits. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/3ca8v2

I guess that means that Pinella was arguing that it hit Pierre and he swung, not just that Pierre swung, so it is interesting to hear from others that the ump made no indication of a HBP.

But, the Box Score shows it that way, so the ump wasn't thinking wild pitch...

ha yeah . you basically made my point better than I did, in a sentence

.If you have a below average GM and a farm system a budget limit it might not hurt you as much as you think..

.Its possible a team like Cle gets too much credit for having a competitive roster(give them all the credit for doveloping their players though) . . and obviously every team in MLB would use more money if they had it its just more importiant to use it properly

There's a good chance that Martin and McCann will deserve the starting nod, but I have to believe Russ is fourth in line right now.

Wow, I had just assumed McCann had better numbers mainly due to hype. But,it turns out Martin really is the best NL catcher to date. I guess I should of payed more attention to the skipper Kevin Kennedy, whom I didnt, mainly due to his homerism of thinking Martin should have won the ROY last year. ..which he clearly shouldnt have.

I've just watched this play again. The ump almost immediately removed his mask and pointed Pierre to 1st base. Since the pitch was on a 2-2 count he had to indicating HBP; otherwise, there would have been no reason for him to send Pierre to 1st. This, of course, would not preclude the Cubs from arguing.

If a AA or AAA game matches up two NL affiliates then there is no DH.

I'm sure some of you have seen this shot of Dodger Stadium from Google Maps, but for those who haven't, it's pretty cool:

tinyurl.com/2gtmtw

So the Yankees and Rays are tied for last.

I remember watching one game very fondly. the Dodgers were playing the Braves and were down by a run in the 9th inning. Beltre hit one out to tie it, then a an inning or two later hit another bomb to win. They were both hit off of one of the elite closers in the game at the time, Smoltz. I kept thinking to myself, "this is surely just the beginning of great things to come for him in this uniform." I think he has been a bust since that year, but perhaps others think differently and I won't argue with you. We are all entitled to our opinion.

Abreu has been really disappointing so far this year, we're lucky we didn't go after him a few years ago. I can't imagine a team with two players having OPS'es over 1.0, equaling an offense that struggles that badly. It's probably Doug Mientkiewicz's fault.

Martin is not only really, really good and essential to the team's success, but the fans have fallen in love with him. From a marketing standpoint, he's rapidly becoming the face of the team.

For one example, on Dodgers.com, there's a poll up now on which Dodger will lead the team in RBI's: Ethier, Garciaparra, Gonzalez, Kent or Martin. Martin is swamping the others at 53 percent.

Fans like nothing better than watching a young star emerge. Getting an aging star through a trade or FA can be nice, but growing your own is far more satisfying. If Little sat Gonzalez, Pierre or Nomar to make way for Kemp and Loney, the fans might actually embrace that move, especially because none of those three are more than occasional contributors to the team's success.

Fans are going to be frustrated with Pierre very quickly. He has a lot more rope because of his reputation, I think. I root hard for him during games. But it is horribly frustrating to watch him play.

Nomar is the biggest problem. Fans love him. He's not producing, though, so who knows? I'm not so down on Colletti that I think that if Loney gets hot and Nomar stays cold, he won't bring Loney up and find an excuse to play him.

Excellent profile of Tony Gwynn ran in the NY Times on Saturday. As I read it, I found myself questioning one of the basic premises of DePodesta and Moneyball: That college players are a better bet in the draft.

Reading between the lines of the story, it becomes clear that:

-- A college coach is dealing with the fact that the best recruits get snapped up in the MLB draft. This is another way of saying the universe of college ballplayers is probably inferior to the universe of players in the rookie leagues, so the competition isn't as meaningful a test;

-- A college coach is not single-mindedly focused on developing baseball skills. Gwynn, to his great credit, is also focused on whether his students pass all their classes. A minor league manager isn't distracted by any of that.

Here's the story: http://tinyurl.com/2cez4g

I wonder how often advertising works so quickly.

That's a bit rich for my tastes, but I wouldn't hate that deal with a burning passion. I would totally give up La Roche, Broxton, and a B-Level prospect like a Hu or Abreu.

Or could I interest you in a base-stealing dynamo who wreaks havoc on opposing pitchers and defenses, single-handedly crushing opponents into a spineless jelly with a fear... A fear that he might try to rap? (WORD UP!)

I thought part of the reason Depo/Moneyball liked college players was not just because of what you referenced, but also practical concerns about how much time the player will spend in the minors. A college player is closer to readiness for the majors than the high school player is, and for a team with very little financial flexibility, a team that sheds good players to teams that can afford their services, you have to be constantly re-stocking the shelves, so to speak.

The guy is going to be a free agent at the end of the year and is a Boras client. Colletti still has a Boras knife or two sticking out of his back, and holds a grudge about it. It's not gonna happen.

I'd give up Betemit and Hendrickson. But obviously the Yankees would never do that.

You're correct that with A-Rod we'd be the favorites in the division. Of course, we're the favorite without him also.

If the Yankees bought out A-Rod's option before trading him, it would make more sense, but I don't know why they would do that if they were planning on getting rid of him anyway.

Side note, I think the Angels are more likely than the Dodgers are to deal for A-Rod.

Now in 2001, he was coming off shoulder surgery in 2000 and he had an abdominal strain, he was put on the DL as they left spring training and was not activated until May 12, 2001. He made 4 appearances in the minors on his rehab assignment. He was later traded to the Giants.

In 2002, he had a strained groin and was out until his activation on April 24, 2002. He made 5 appearances in the minors during that time and then went on to start 29 games with no return to the DL.

In 2004 and 2005, he was disabled once each year and spent the minimum time on the DL and came back to pitch the rest of the season with no other issues.

Schmidt can be on his rehab assignment for 30 days and since he had no simulated games, I would think that at a minimum, he would pitch 3 rehab games, which means he could return in time for the Angel series starting on June 15th.

My predicted rehab starts for Schmidt are:
Wednesday May 30th @ Inland Empire (San Bernadino, CA), June 4th @ High Desert (Adelanto, CA) (Jason can see the highlights of Victorville) and June 9th @ Las Vegas (Saturday Night in Vegas).

If they decide he needs one more start, he could start on June 14th (the first Dodger off-day after this road trip and six games into their next homestand) in Sacramento for Las Vegas or they could send him to Bakersfield that day for the 66ers game.

That would line him up to be used during that 20 game stretch to close out the first half. Of course, the main thing will be to see if he has increased his velocity, observers who have watched his bullpens have said he is throwing harder than he had all spring, I think I saw Conte say he is throwing harder than he was last year. So if Schmidt is pain free and does get some velocity back, I do think they would like to get him back if possible by the middle of the next homestand.

But we will know a lot more after Wednesday and certainly by next week after his second rehab appearance.

Any draft that produces a starting player is a good draft. If that player becomes one of the best in his position, that becomes even rarer. But Russell Martin, drafted in 17th round, is only the top of what remains a great opening draft by Logan White.

There are 8 players from that draft that are on the 40 man roster. Martin and Jonathan Broxton are established in LA. James Loney, Greg Miller, Delwyn Young and Eric Stults are in Vegas,while Mike Megrew and Zach Hammes play for the Suns in AA.

There is also James McDonald, who, has just finished a great month for the 66ers in the California League. He was picked in 11th round in 2002, a local kid out of Long Beach and after a community college season, was signed as a draft and follow in 2003.
He didn't pitch in 2004 and wasn't a fulltime pitcher until last season in A ball in Sally League and now he is pitching well in what is known as a hitter's league.

Not sure about that. The Padres' Pythagorean Record is something like 11 games better than ours.

Padres: 99 wins
Dodgers: 88 wins

Grady Little: "But it ended up Ramirez up there against Joe [Beimel], and we trust Joe against anybody. His numbers against righties are just as good as lefties in the last two years we had him here, and we knew Joe was going to throw a strike."

2007
VS LH: .156/.243/.219/.462
VS RH: .295/.365/.386/.752

2006
VS LH: .234/.265/.351/.616
VS RH: .277/.332/.445/.777

Somehow I doubt Grady looks at those stats, but how about this: in 139 plate appearances against lefties in those two years Beimel allowed zero runs.* In 245 plate appearances against righties, Beimel allowed 34 runs (not all of them earned). I hope Grady doesn't really think that, because Beimel is a good LOOGY, but not a great relief pitcher other than that.

*According to ESPN.com, BBreference says he has allowed 9 .

"Nomar swinging an empty bat... If Nomar Garciaparra (1B, LAD) is your first baseman, you're probably not too happy. So far, Garciaparra is hitting more like a middle infielder: a .281 average with just one homer and an anemic .351 slugging percentage. Back in March, HQ writer Joshua Randall raised the red flag on Nomar's power prospects, concluding "there is considerable downside here"... but this far down?

Year AB Avg xBA bb% ct% Eye PX xHR G/L/F
=======================================================
2002 635 .310 .311 6 90 0.65 128 23 33/21/46
2003 658 .301 .300 6 91 0.64 119 22 33/20/47
2004 326 .316 .303 7 91 0.83 101 10 34/24/42
2005 230 .283 .311 5 90 0.50 99 8 40/25/35
2006 469 .303 .312 8 94 1.40 107 17 38/20/42
2007 185 .281 .254 8 88 0.68 55 2 43/21/36
The above table starts with Nomar's last two full years in Boston, and we can see the slow fade in his power skills over the past six years. He's still a good contact hitter who hits his share of line drives, but he doesn't hit as many fly balls as he used to, and they're not going as far. Expected Home Runs (xHR) concurs with the results. Last year, his PX dropped like a rock from April through August until a September outburst saved him.

One of the theories floating around regarding Nomar's lack of pop is that he and wife Mia Hamm became the parents of twins in March, and so he must be a lot more tired now! Well, he's hitting .337 at home, and .228 on the road, so unless the babies have been going on all the road trips, lack of sleep isn't the issue. "

Unless you're:

1. Ned Colletti
2. One of the majority of Dodger fans who attends home games

"San Diego right-hander Chris Young is a Princeton graduate, so it stands to reason that he would understand the value of a stolen base—or its relative lack of value. Thus, Young wasn't too concerned when the Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki stole six bases against the Padres last weekend. Young also isn't bothered by the fact that opponents have been successful on all 15 steal attempts while he has been on the mound this season. "Statistically, you are off getting the batter," Young told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "Occasionally, you are going to get burned, but you are better off focusing on making the good pitch than the runner. Greg Maddux and I talked about it this spring. Less than 20 percent of steals lead to runs that wouldn't have otherwise scored."

Well, I agree with that statement. But it's not really my point. Nomar is hitting over .280 and is on pace for 90 RBIs or so. I think those numbers are acceptable to Ned.

I think the Dodgers will swap Kemp and LaRoche as soon as now and let Kemp rotate into the stating lineup at all three of positions.

I think Pierre will be traded and that it has already been explored and could happen this June. Tomko will be pushed as a potential closer and maybe packaged with Pierre in a trade. Since AROD has been mentioned in this thread, maybe a threeway with Texas and NY involving Mark Teixeira and AROD.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Please Ned? Let's do this now. We don't need to wait until August or even June. Make the move now.

Unless we have a trade brewing, I still don't understand having Abreu and LaRoche both here instead of Kemp. If Abreu, who can switch hit and has speed, can platoon with an improving Betemit, that gives you options late in games that Grady seems to like. LaRoche played one inning in the outfield. He has yet to homer.

Swap LaRoche for Kemp now, let LaRoche play every day, and let Kemp spell all outfielders. When he doesn't start, you have a late inning power threat on the bench to compliment the Tomato.

The Yankees want and need pitching. Broxton and Penny would make sense for them. If we get Schmidt back and Bills moves into the starting rotation and Kuo comes along, then I would say trade Penny at the height of his trade value and go after ARod or Miggy or someone who can pump it up for us.

Imagine what an ARod or Miggy would do for our line-up!

I would be fine with AROD as a 2007 rental if it only were to cost them Pierre and Tomko and Penny.

I also don't think that giving up ARod for a right handed first baseman would do anything for the Yankees. Any move they make I think will include bolstering their pitching ranks. If they think ARod will opt out, they might move him and we are likely trading partner. I would be surprised to see it happen, but I wouldn't be shocked. Penny and Broxton and maybe Loney would get it done. That's a lot to give up, but it is possible.