All or Nothing Teams
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…
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!
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Discussion (67)
Disagree, not disagreeable
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.
Mark as to your title.
2022: 39% runs by home runs
2023: 53%
All or nothing!
And nothing is winning!
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?
Don’t strike Out Man. And he didn’t!
Lucky swing.
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.
OK…..Duke: if sarcasm was your point, please keep on posting, you are teaching an old man a lot about Dodger baseball….
Good for Outman. Chicago seems to be agreeing with Bellinger. Starting to hit a lot more than the last couple of years.
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.
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.