For the past few years, many of us have complained (myself included) that the Dodgers are an “All or Nothing,” “Feast or Famine” type of team. We have attributed this to the hitting style promoted by Robert Van Socyoc (RVS). Would it surprise you to learn that every other team is virtually the same? I randomly took game logs and went back to last year and many other years, looking at various teams, and it was apparent that this is not just about the Dodgers. It’s every team.
Baseball is a game of averages. In one game, a player may go 0-4, and in the next game, he is 2-4. He looked bad in the first game but looked great in the second. Still, his batting average is .250. This is by no means a scientific treatise, but at first blush, this is the struggle every team has. One night you run into a buzzsaw of pitchers who shut you down, and the next night, you get a few pitches in your wheelhouse!
Understand this: If a pitcher was able to put every pitch where he intended it to be, very few hitters would hit the ball. Hitting a baseball is the single hardest thing to do in any sport, in my opinion. The Dodgers are in a slump, and it is more pronounced. Players slump – teams slump, and sometimes the whole team slumps… pitchers and hitters. This, too, shall pass.
Miguel Vargas doesn’t need just rest – he needs a trip to the IL. He started the season with a broken pinkie, and about ten days ago, he suffered a painful injury to his thumb, which is preventing him from gripping and swinging the bat. It is heavily taped and immobile. Vargas’s struggles have been caused by injury, not just because he is not ready. For some reason, the Dodgers want to keep him in the lineup and let him play through it. For the most part, his defense has been stellar. His skills are evident, and when he gets past this injury, I expect him to pursue the ROY along with Outman, who still looks qualified.
The Dodgers always seem to deliberately “understate” injuries which is why I am concerned with Will Smith. When you start missing games due to a concussion, the odds are you will get more… and quickly, which could be career-ending. I think the Dodgers need to become proactive and move Will Smith from behind the plate right about NOW! To me, Max Muncy is looking more comfortable at 3B and playing very solid defense of late. I think Vargas found his forever position at 2B – he has been outstanding (especially for someone who has played 2B so little). The logical spot for Will Smith is LF… at least right now. Maybe 3B makes more sense next year when Max can move to DH.
When Mookie gets back from paternity leave, he needs to go directly to SS. Do not pass Go, Do not Collect $200. Just do it. I have no doubt that Mookie can play SS. He may make a mistake or two, but he has a high Baseball IQ and will learn quickly. I am all for James Outman hitting leadoff if he can keep his BA up. Remember, this is a very small sampling, and it means very little to people who understand baseball, but I have seen enough to endorse it. This needs to be the lineup:
- Outman CF
- Betts SS
- Freeman 1B
- Martinez DH
- Muncy 3B
- Smith LF
- Peralta/Thompson RF
- Vargas 2B
- Feduccia/Barnes/Wynns C
I would call up Feduccia and carry 3 catchers for a time. CT3 becomes the super-utility player. Barnes can play the IF in a pinch as well. Heyward is the odd man out. That’s my plan. Execute it, Andrew! 😉
Dodger Notes & News
- OKC
- Tony Gonsolin and Jimmy Nelson are both nearing rehab assignments and Victor Gonzalez is hitting on all cylinders (1.29 ERA).
- Mike Busch was back at 3B last night and was 2-4.
- Hunter Feduccia was the DH and hit cleanup for the OKC Dodgers last night – he was 3-5 with his 4th HR and is hitting .438 with a 1.440 OPS – yeah, I’d say call him up.
- TULSA
- Jahmai Jones went 0-6 and is hitting .213. He is who we thought he was!
- Andy Pages – .406 BA/1.270 OPS
- Nick Frasso – 4 IP/4 H/0 R/2 BB/7 K – 1.38 ERA
- Tanner Dodson – Converted OF’er (last year) who throws 100 MPH – 3 IP/0 H/1BB/2 K – 0.00 ERA
- John Rooney – Converted Starter – 2nd Save/ 2 IP/1 H/0 BB/3 K – 1.42 ERA
- GL
- Ronan Kopp – 3 IP/2 H/0 ER/3 BB/6 K – 0.90 ERA – Cut down on the walks, and you have something!
- RC
- Maddux Bruns – 4 IP/0 H/0 R/1 BB/6 K – He is ahead of schedule – GL is next up!
Discussion (35)
Disagree, not disagreeable
The Cubs were Outmanned at Wrigley Field and Sham Diego beat the Snakes in the desert and the Boys in Blue inch closer to first place.
Just caught up with the highlights…. Kinda wow.
There was Mookie at SS (!), turning a nice double play.
And there was the big rally, with Heyward working a walk to set up Outman’s slam.
Early evidence suggests that Outman might be the kind of player who rises to the occasion. A few games back, he delivered the ninth-inning single that led to Peralta’s game-winning hit.
Will Mookie get a start at SS?
It would be quite a story if he turns out to be the solution.
Good for Outman. Chicago seems to be agreeing with Bellinger. Starting to hit a lot more than the last couple of years.
OK…..Duke: if sarcasm was your point, please keep on posting, you are teaching an old man a lot about Dodger baseball….
I liked all the at bats leading up to Outman’s blast. Peralta fought off a tough pitch, Vargas went with the pitch, Betts had a productive out, Heyward had a good at bat to get a walk and Outman delivered big time. Much better at bats when the game was on the line.
Lucky swing.
Don’t strike Out Man. And he didn’t!
I think I would really like to see the Dodgers go after Anderson from the Whitesoxs I know he is injuries right now but look it would solve the shortstop position for us and you just put him in there every day. You then put Will Smith in Left Field I like that. James Outman is the every day centerfield Mookie stays in Right field unless Vargas can’t hit then he comes in and plays second base. And the right field would the be your platoon portion of Taylor Thompson Peralta. And the Feduccia is the catcher he is hitting the cover off the ball. But if you go get Anderson from the Whitesoxs your going to have eto trade some guys away so who would they be. Any way that’s what I think they should do for the shortstop position this year. And the next year Lux is back but if Vargas can’t hit then is Busch at second base or third base and Muncy the DH. I say they go after Matt Chapman for third base look at free agent second and shortstops see what’s out there and maybe Lux just moves back to second base or you keep Betts there and get a legit Rightfielder. But this year we still got before we start talking about next year. This team needs a legit shortstop and a legit outfielder and a starting pitcher. What teams out there that will be out of it have those three things?
Mark as to your title.
2022: 39% runs by home runs
2023: 53%
All or nothing!
And nothing is winning!
DODGERS RECALL ANDRE JACKSON, ACTIVATE MOOKIE BETTS
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers activated outfielder Mookie Betts, recalled right-handed pitcher Andre Jackson, optioned infielder Yonny Hernández and placed right-handed pitcher Evan Phillips on the paternity list.
Betts, 30, returns after missing two games. He has appeared in all 17 games for the Dodgers this season, hitting .266 (17-for-64) with two homers and six RBI. He is in his fourth season with the Dodgers, and he has slashed .271/.356/.518 with 76 homers and 185 RBI in 336 games with the Boys in Blue. He is in his 10th Major League season, and he has a career batting average of .292 (1323-for-4524) with 215 homers and 655 RBI. The 2018 American League MVP was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2011 Draft out of Overton High School (Nashville, TN).
Jackson, 26, returns for his second stint with the Dodgers and posted a 8.64 ERA (8 ER/8.1 IP) with seven strikeouts and a save. In his career, he is 0-1 with a 3.94 ERA (13 ER/29.1 IP) and 26 strikeouts in 11 games for the Dodgers. He pitched with Triple-A Oklahoma City last night, striking out the only batter he faced. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the 12th round of the 2017 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Utah.
Hernández, 24, appeared in one game for the Dodgers, pinch hitting in the ninth inning yesterday and grounding out. In 12 games for the Diamondbacks last year, he recorded two hits in 24 at-bats. He has been in the Majors parts of two seasons with Texas (2021), Arizona (2022) and Los Angeles (2023), batting a combined .196 (33-for-168) with five doubles and six RBI, while playing three different positions and recording a .977 fielding percentage. The Venezuelan native was hitting .308 (4-for-13) with two RBI in four games with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was acquired via trade from the Oakland Athletics on December 15, 2022 for cash considerations.
Phillips, 28, has appeared in eight games for the Dodgers this season, allowing three runs in 7.0 innings and recording a team-leading two saves. He has been with the Dodgers since 2021 and he has posted an 8-4 record with a 1.68 ERA (15 ER/80.1 IP) and 94 strikeouts. He has been in the Majors parts of six seasons with Baltimore (2018-20), Tampa Bay (2021), Los Angeles (2021-23) and he is combined 9-7 with a 4.00 ERA (61 ER/137.1 IP) and 164 strikeouts in 128 games. He was originally drafted in the 17th round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Tarp on the field. Game delayed 45 minutes to an hour.
04/20/23 Los Angeles Dodgers placed RHP Evan Phillips on the paternity list.
04/20/23 Los Angeles Dodgers activated RF Mookie Betts from the paternity list.
04/20/23 Los Angeles Dodgers recalled RHP Andre Jackson from Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Cubs Place Jameson Taillon On IL With Groin Strain
By Darragh McDonald | April 20, 2023 at 4:00pm CDT
The Cubs announced to reporters, including Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, that right-hander Jameson Taillon has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a “mild to moderate” left groin strain. Taillon had been the scheduled starter for tonight’s game against the Dodgers but righty Javier Assad has been recalled and will take the ball instead.
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Max Scherzer has been suspended 10 games and fined for for violating the prohibitions on foreign substances. #MLB
I like Mark’s position changes and new batting line-up ..but with one major concern.
Batting lead-off is a huge responsibility for Outman, and any real or perceived “failures” by the rookie batting there could mentally break him and derail his development at the plate. But it seems a gamble worth taking for this team to consistently win high-scoring affairs, and save this season from what looks like a really bad bull-pen.
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Dave Roberts doesn’t expect Will Smith to play during 4 game series in Chicago, but said he is improving. #Dodgers #Cubs
Fabian Ardaya
@FabianArdaya
Mookie Betts is on his way to Wrigley Field. Dave Roberts said he could be active tonight as long as he gets in here on time.
I like Mark’s projected position changes and new batting lineup, ..but with one major concern. I like Outman, but batting lead-off is a HUGE responsibility and I don’t think he’s ready for it yet. Any real or perceived “failure” to produce at that spot could mentally break the rookie and derail his development at the plate. But the FO may have no other choice but to gamble with this move to save this season. The bullpen is a hot mess and this team probably needs to be consistently high-scoring just to make the playoffs.
Feduccia getting to work with Gonsolin. He has caught Stone and probably Grove as well.
Feduccia is a left hand hitting catcher who would be a nice compliment to Smith or Barnes (would love to get rid of Barnes if possible). He has 4HR and 21RBI thus far. He also had a nice Spring Training this year. Mark, make it happen!
I’m all for bringing in players from the farm system instead of recycling retreads.
It seems odd to me when I see 25 or 26 year olds making a first appearance in the majors. Has this been happening for a while and I wasn’t paying attention?
Thursday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Tony Gonsolin) at Albuquerque (Peter Lambert)
3:05 p.m.: Great Lakes (Ben Casparius) vs. South Bend (Luke Little)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Kyle Hurt) vs. Wichita (Travis Adams)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Peter Heubeck) vs. Fresno (Michael Prosecky)
The first of two planned minor league rehab starts for Gonsolin.
7:40 PM ET
Dodgers (9-10)
Cubs (11-6)
SPMichael Grove R
0-1 9.00 ERA 13IP 14K
SP JamesonJ Taillon R
0-2 4.50 ERA 14IP 16K
Confirmed Lineup
RF James Outman L
1B F. Freeman L
DH J. Martinez R
3B Max Muncy L
CF T. Thompson R
LF D. Peralta L
2B M. Vargas R
SS L. Williams R
C A. Barnes R
Rain
61% Rain
67° Wind 17 mph Out
NO Will or Mookie
Roberts has a hard time putting guys in the OF that he thinks have an iron glove.
Old friend Verdugo looking good!
Love the trades that work out for both teams.
It is crazy to play Betts at SS except in emergency situations. This isn’t little league where you can just put your best athlete at SS and he will perform. He has never played there in MLB and only a few games in the minors when he played poorly. Shortstop is the hardest position in baseball with the possible exception of catcher. Mark and others were concerned with moving Lux to short when he has played there his entire life, but it is smart to put Mookie there with no experience?
And in the short term, you make the team worse in RF and at SS just to put Heyward or Peralta in the lineup instead of Hernandez or Williams?
None of them are hitting so well that you should weaken your defense significantly just to have Heyward hit instead of Hernandez. You can always pinch hit if a key situation arises.
Plus Mookie has been on paternity leave for a few days so he hasn’t even had a chance to put a few hours practice at SS. It is an unnecessary injury risk to put Betts in a position that requires quick throws from awkward positions.
And in my opinion the team is worse playing Mookie at SS instead of RF.
I know it’s early but I would definitely be talking to Colorado to see if they want to get out from their commitment to Kris Bryant?
He’s a good age, and we have a lot of salary coming off the books after this season, and it appears that we are not gonna get under it this season.
A core of Freeman, Betts, Bryant and Smith is a very good starting point.
Mad Bum DFA by the Snakes. Can we find room to claim him? We will see.
Would Smith want to move to left? Would the Dodgers really want him there?
He’s played catcher for a long time, and this may be his first concussion. Aren’t we over-reacting?
Using Betts at short is something I would say and no one would agree with me but now that Roberts has said he will give it a try, it’s acceptable. The funny thing is how many people don’t respect Roberts’s decisions.
Smith is working out but is days away from returning. Maybe his workouts could be at 3rd. We saw how Lux had difficulties moving from infield to outfield. If the Dodgers want to move an infielder to the outfielder then maybe it should be Busch to LF.
When Smith returns:
SS Betts
1B Freeman
3B Smith
CF Outman
DH Martinez and Muncy
RF Heyward/Thompson
2B Vargas
C Feduccia
LF Busch
He was back at 2B last night.
Oakland A’s have purchased land in Las Vegas. Potential move in 2027.
It seems everyone is in agreement about Vargas going on the IL. Everyone but the Dodgers. Is there a reason they wouldn’t want to promote Busch yet?
I don’t post often but I have seen a couple good ideas about our lineup and agree basically with Mark’s ideas today. I predict that Mookie will get excited about playing shortstop and this will be the challenge he needs to really take off. He will then impact the rest of the team as they see him so engaged. My lineup below makes an assumption that if Smith can play left field, he should be able to play right field since most catchers have above average arms. The rest of the lineup is based on phasing out retreads and giving our young kids a chance. Heyward and Thompson are not going to get better. I would get rid of Taylor also if there was another option. I would only keep Peralta as there are not any good replacement options yet (maybe in a couple months). Any we do need some veterans on the bench. I think this lineup is deep and has potential to grow:
Betts SS
Vargas 2B
Freeman 1B
Smith RF
Muncy 3B
Martinez DH
Outman CF
Feduccia C
Bush LF
I think Mookie gets it all started by being challenged at SS.
Bold ideas!
Putting Mookie at SS would be kind of wild, but it would be fun to watch. Might even pay off.
If Vargas is hurting, an IL stint could help. I expect Mookie to play 2B while Williams and Yonny get to showcase their work at SS. Maybe one of them will make a convincing case while Rojas and Taylor are out.
I expect Smith to be “cleared” to catch again, but I worry about the concussion risk. From a selfish baseball POV, Smith is our best catcher by far.
But I do hope Feduccia gets a chance.
I’m not giving up ab’s for Smith so Outman can bat leadoff in your lineup. Outman bats behind Smith. And Thompson and Peralta aren’t good platoon options since neither can hit lefties.
Would I be surprised to learn most teams are modeling the Dodgers? Of course not. Not the good ones. Not the ones with money. I already know they do. They all want to be able to do what the Dodgers do. – lead the league in scoring and pitching.
I would like to move Smith too, and left field makes sense. It’s going to take some roster moves. If he’s out there, what happens to Peralta? Mookie comes to short. Is that for the rest of the year?
This year could begin to look like whack a mole. Smith, Muncy, Vargas and Betts all playing out of position. Who plays center? As you know I was all for Feduccia to replace Smith, and wouldn’t it be great if he continued to thump like he has all year so far. But, they didn’t do that. They picked up a guy nobody else wanted.
This still looks like a mark time year to me. It’s still April, so there is no way of knowing what is on Friedman’s mind but I sure hope it isn’t more of the same. This team looks confused.
One thing I know to be true, if this team is to compete, they need Mookie, Freddie, Will, Max and JD to have solid years, and they need pitching, front end and back end to pick it up.
Will Smith to LF to make room for Feduccia isn’t a dope fiend move; it’s just nope.