Bat-to-Ball Skills
I happen to like hitters who have good bat-to-ball skills. I was reminded yesterday that I championed Andy LaRoche to be a star years ago, and it never happened. Yes, I missed that big time. Subsequent to that, I have been an advocate of Alex Verdugo, Keibert Ruiz, and Miguel…
I happen to like hitters who have good bat-to-ball skills. I was reminded yesterday that I championed Andy LaRoche to be a star years ago, and it never happened. Yes, I missed that big time. Subsequent to that, I have been an advocate of Alex Verdugo, Keibert Ruiz, and Miguel Vargas. They all have excellent bat-to-ball skills in common. Of course, Verdugo and Ruiz have been traded away, but I think that Miguel Vargas has such a unique bat-to-ball skill that the Dodgers need to keep him. The Dodgers have Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, and other players who have a lot of swing-and-miss. Vargas is an excellent complement to those players.
The Yankees have been elevated by Alex Verdugo and his bat-to-ball skills. I would not trade Vargas, as he is what the Dodgers need in their lineup. Verdugo has allegedly matured, and while he is hitting around .260, the season is young. He will not win a batting title this year, but there may be one in his future. Ruiz is struggling to stay around .200 after showing signs of hitting last season. Batting average is down across MLB as pitchers are throwing harder and spinning the ball more than ever before and their arms are dropping like flies.
Yes, I missed LaRoche, but here is the difference: I based my analysis on Andy LaRoche, Alex Verdugo, Keibert Ruiz, and Miguel Vargas based on YEARS of watching these players. I did not base it upon watching a couple of games and saying, “This guy can’t play,” as some morons do. Yes, I am not always right. Thank you for reminding me! You can jump to a conclusion in a small sampling, but years of watching generally is more accurate.
Some of you were down on Teoscar Hernadez because he has been slumping of late. Some even suggested that he should platoon. BULLSHIT! Who in their right mind would say that? Teo Hernandez essentially won the game for the Dodgers last night with two home runs including a grand slam. This is a country where FREE SPEECH is guaranteed (well… unless you disagree with the media narrative), but if you are not aware, Free Speech is not Free. Get it? Got it? Good!
It was excellent to put a good old-fashioned beatdown on the Yankees. It would have been even better if the Dodgers had brought out the brooms today. CT3 even got a hit but struck out three times. In his 88 ABs, he has struck out 41 times. Yeah, he’s close to getting back to what he once was… NOT! His strikeout rate is way up, and his BAbip is way down. That’s a recipe for hitting .100!
Are You a Pessimist or an Optimist?
Ronald Reagan’s favorite story or joke concerns twin boys of five or six. It goes like this:
“Worried that the boys had developed extreme personalities – one was a total pessimist, the other a total optimist – their parents took them to a psychiatrist.”
First, the psychiatrist treated the pessimist. Trying to brighten his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys. But instead of yelping with delight, the little boy burst into tears. ‘What’s the matter?’ the psychiatrist asked, baffled. ‘Don’t you want to play with any of the toys?’ ‘Yes,‘ the little boy bawled, ‘but if I did, I’d only break them.’”
Next, the psychiatrist treated the optimist. Trying to dampen his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with horse manure. But instead of wrinkling his nose in disgust, the optimist emitted just the yelp of delight the psychiatrist had been hoping to hear from his brother, the pessimist. Then he clambered to the top of the pile, dropped to his knees, and began gleefully digging out scoop after scoop with his bare hands. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ the psychiatrist asked, just as baffled by the optimist as he had been by the pessimist. ‘With all this manure,’ the little boy replied, beaming, ‘there must be a pony in here somewhere!’
Some fans are just born pessimists. No matter what happens, they are going to see flaws. Me? I’m looking for the pony! Some Dodger fans are secretly disappointed after the first two games against the Yankees as they have nothing to bitch about and their lives are pointless. 😉
Coming into New York, the Dodgers were ramped up to play what is/was allegedly the best team in baseball, and they turned it up. I still believe the Dodgers are the best team in baseball, and if they need to make a move, they will. I am not advocating moving Mookie back to 2B, but if Bo Bichette becomes available at the trade deadline, I would do that. Lux could be part of that deal. Bo and Gavin could both benefit from new surroundings.
It was rumored yesterday that the White Sox had asked for Josue DePaula, Dalton Rushing, and Landon Knack for Luis Robert, Jr. I would do that in a heartbeat. Yes, that is a lot to give. Robert has an extensive injury history, but his upside is too great to ignore. Bichette is a natural SS, and his bat could come alive with the Dodgers. Outman will be back soon, but with Outman and Pages, we need to realize that Outman can’t hit LHP, and Pages can’t hit RHP. We know that about Outman, but it appears to be the same with Pages. Pages OPS against LHP is .866 but is just .662 against RHP. The difference between him and Outman is that he exhibits power against his same-side pitchers while Outman doesn’t.
Try this out:
- Betts 2B
- Ohtani DH
- Freeman 1B
- Smith C
- Muncy 3B
- T. Hernandez LF
- Robert, Jr. CF
- Heyward/Pages RF
- Bichette SS
It could happen. Vargas and Ryan would likely have to be a part of that deal for Bichette. It depends upon their record as to whether Toronto will be sellers. We won’t know until the deadline.
X-CITES
When are we going to see Lipcuis?
It’s a Fantastic Time to be a Dodger Fan… Unless You are a Pessimist!
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Discussion (104)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Glasnow has got to be relieved. The Dodgers scored and he was pitching!! Way to go Mookie, lux, pages!! Tried to use a little trash talk to get the bats moving. Take over Cassidy.
And in the Captain Obvious department tonight…..Mookie is not a very good defensive SS. AF has to find a good defensive SS and get Mookie to 2B or RF.
His glove will possibly hurt the Dodgers in the post season as much as his lack of clutch offense. Subjective comment!
I am afraid this will be what we c in the playoffs. Lux, pages, can’t make contact to move a runner. Just throw lux an inside fastball or the top of the zone n he will k. That is why we need a bat. Kike n pages weak against righties and lux just weak. Got to get a bat. Platoon pages in the playoffs mb with outman or Heyward if a move is not made. I believe AF will get a bat.
In business you have to determine wants and needs. Sometimes you might gamble if you have a real need but it’s foolish to gamble capital on wants. Like Mark I started a business from ground up. I’d see my competitions with brand new toys and luxuries that I wished I had for our business. I learned to wait a year or two I could buy their luxuries plus their blue sky on pennies on the dollars. I dealt with small budgets and billion dollar budgets, each are the same, every asset counts whether it’s money or infrastructure. You can’t be afraid to expend money, but if you go out and try the get the best new toy out there and not think of what if might cost down the line, you are putting yourself and your entity in a dangerous position. Okay I’m off my soap box.
Sorry but I can’t see the love for Luis Robert’s. He’s a career .276 hitter, he has struck out 404 times and walked 83 times. His on base average is .323, he’s not a threat on the base paths. I’ll give him the.823 OPS. Is that worth 3 top ten prospects? Use those projects in a trade, I’m all in. We can do much better than Robert’s. Currently we have five regulars with a OPS higher than .823
For what’s it’s worth.
Max Scherzer had a rehab start today against our AAA club.
He faced Lipicus 2x’s and struck him out twice using a total of
6 pitches.
He faced Gauthier 1x and struck him out on 3 pitches.
At least Owings who faced him 1x made contact grounding out to 2nd base.
Yeah
Go Dodgers!!
that would be great, that means Bichette would also be available earlier. ….. Haven’t heard from Bradley lately. Hope he’s ok. His trade ideas aren’t always feasible, but they sure are entertaining!! And he also suggested Bichette weeks ago. …. Really shocked Barnes not in the lineup today. I know it’s a night game, but Doc loves sitting Will on Sundays!! lol. …. hopefully Lux can keep his helmet on tonight!! He seems to have a problem with that!!
If the Blue Jays make star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. available this summer, it appears that the Cubs would be among the suitors for his services. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported this morning that Chicago’s brass have “privately discussed” the possibility of pursuing Guerrero ahead of the trade deadline next month.
7:10 PM ET ESPN Sunday Night Baseball
Dodgers (41-25)
Yankees (45-21)
SP Tyler Glasnow R
6-4 2.92 ERA
SP Luis Gil R
8-1 1.82 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
SS Mookie Betts R
DH S. Ohtani L
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
LF T. Hernandez R
RF J. Heyward L
CF Andy Pages R
2B Gavin Lux L
3B E. Hernandez R
76° Wind 10 mph Out
What a wonderful lift these first two games have given us! Our pitching is as good as anyones, and a great defensive game by Kiki! Good d all around. Called third strikes on kt3 are hard to understand. Please, just go away.
Good look at Alex F over at Dodgers Digest:
Open on dodgersdigest.comhttps://dodgersdigest.com/2024/06/09/alex-freeland-is-becoming-a-top-dodgers-prospect/I like this Bruce Kuntz on X, didn’t know he wrote for that site.
Also, today’s Yankee starter is another testament to the idea of trading excess ML talent you are going to lose for nothing in exchange for “lottery tickets”.
Sometimes they pay off. Usually they won’t.
They are slow playing Miguel for a reason. Duh. Subjectively is could be because his first 2 cups of coffee he was so mad because he was failing. Never happened before. He was failing to see the big picture. Fast forward and the FO wants him to get totally acclimated to the players, coaches, and all the small nuances of being in the bigs. Rest assured, Taylor will be dfa’d, subjectively.
Book Em
The Vargas issue, with him not playing while Taylor doesn’t make sense to most of us.
Lately Taylor has been playing a lot – is it because the Dodgers are giving him one last audition before maybe DFA-ing him?
Only watched one of Taylor’s at bats last night – started 2-0, then finished with 3rd call strike with a pitch pretty much in the middle of the zone. To say he is lost would be an understatement.
It will be interesting to see who of us that are subjectively offering our thoughts is the closet to what will actually transpire. Which would then make our thoughts “objective”??
Good call Mark. Robert & Bichette would be awesome. And here’s why. Dodgers FO loves Vargas. They brought him up to get 100% acclimated to the whole big league scene and it’s culture. Be on the bench and learn. In the mean time showcase Outman, Ryan, Pages and hand CT3 & Kike a rope….then
Betts 2b
Ohtani dh
Freeman 1b
Smith c
T. Hernandez rf
Robert Jr. cf
Bichette is
Vargas of
Rojas 3b*
Until Max gets back
Book Em
Another good win by the Dodgers against the Yankees. Teoscar provided the offense, but Gavin Stone deserves some credit as well. His ERA is now 2.93 and he has pitched great all year. He is right there with Yamamoto and Glasnow as the best pitcher so far this season at the bargain price of $700,000 a year! A good example of the Dodgers ability to develop homegrown pitching.
Great game last night
Mark,
Can’t argue with that lineup that includes Robert’s (yes injury concerns) and Bichette.
This makes us younger and more athletic
Talyor, Kike, Lux and Vargas should be included in these trades or DFA’D in Taylor’s case. And yes we are going to lose a bunch of top talent but if not now when?
That’s 4 spots off the 40 man to allow for Robert’s/ Bichette .
Then add to your bench with Lipcius and either Owings or Gauthier.
Only possible concern is that we are Righty dominant, at least until Muncy comes back and replaces one of the lesser performing players.
Pitching is very solid barring any new injures and the potential return of our current injured pitchers over the next 2-3 months.
Andrew, all the posters have done the work for you, make this happen
Go Dodgers!!
I do not like Smoltz too much but he said what many of us here and on other Dodger blogs say too: Need two more bats with high OBP to compliment our sluggers.
If Vargas, Lux , KIke, CT3 can not provide that in the next two months AF has to go the trade route and he will just do that. even if costs some of our blue chip prospects. I agree with the poster who said we are all in this season.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only way I MIGHT do that deal with the White Sox’s is they take Taylor and his salary. SO it would be DePaula, Rushing, Knack and Taylor for Roberts. Opens up a spot on the 40 man roster and gives a graceful end to a good guy (Taylor) who needs a change.
I really enjoy these Twit–I mean, X snippets following that follow today’s essay-cum-rant. The rant is OK too.
It would be great to have a contact hitter at the bottom of this lineup. Actually, it would be great if Lux was that guy, but perhaps it’s time to move on….. to Bo Bichette? Maybe.
It’s been reported that the Guardians want Bichette, but I still think the Jays want to build around him and Vlad Jr. But who knows?
A lineup with both Robert and Bichette? That would scary. And it does seem possible, if costly. What the hell–let’s add Mason Miller too.
It will be interesting to see what Team AF does. There are so many possibilities.
In the meantime, it would be great to see what Lipcius can do. It’s been reported that Dodger scouts had been high on him for years, and so the Dodgers jumped at the chance to acquire him. Did the Dodgers coaching tap his new power? Maybe. The Dodgers have revived the career of several pitchers, but it’s been awhile since they fixed a hitter like they did with JT and Max. Maybe Lipcius is one.
I don’t see Friedman dealing for a big bat, but will look to upgrade the offense on the margins with another utility player.
I said weeks ago, If Bichette is available go get him. He would be reborn!! After the game last night i was thinking as another person said earlier, Taylor was in left field for his defense. If the dodgers dont like him in left, where’s he gonna play? …. Gavin Lux? what to do?? Hate to give up on him, but time is starting to run out for him! Maybe he does need a change of scenery. ……. When will we see Lipcius? soon i hope. ……. Teo? He’s gonna strike out a lot. But his production is huge!! leave him alone!! …….. Personally, i would rather trade vargas than pages! Again, i believe Vargas could use a change of scenery also and Andy is much better defensively………. Finally , if i come home from work and the house is a mess i bitch! If i come home and the house is clean i look for other reasons to bitch! Point? that’s what we do! i’m never gonna be a Barnes fan, but he’s a dodger!! So go Barnes!! Love Mookie , Freddie, Will, and rest of the guys. This weekend has been a great showcase of the potential of this team!! It needs a couple of changes to be special! But the Rockies are looming ! 4 in colorado. Lose 2 games or God forbid 3 and we’ll all need white jackets!! So keep the house clean and we will have to look really hard to find something to bitch about!!
Guys I wonder about their roles:
Vargas–2025 LF?
Lux–Some other team’s 2B?
Outman–Platoon CF with Pages moving to RF?
Another rumor has us getting Robert jun. for Cartaya, River Ryan and Outman/or Pages.
Since I would like to hold on to Rushing and dePaula I like that trade more than the one Mark mentioned above.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jacob Meador) vs. Cedar Rapids (Jordan Carr)
12:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Alec Gamboa) vs. Round Rock (Max Scherzer)
2 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (River Ryan) vs. Visalia (Adonys Perez)
4:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Jared Karros) at Amarillo (Cole Percival)
Sunday will be the second start of the season for River Ryan, the team’s top pitching prospect. Ryan missed the first two months of the season with shoulder soreness, and pitched two scoreless innings in the Arizona Complex League on Monday in his season debut.
You do A LOT of speculating on significant trades and line-up changes for someone who believes the Dodgers are already the best team in baseball as presently constructed.
So why assume the downside risks of making these major personnel moves if everything is already good enough as is?