Blow It All Up!
I was a reading a piece the other day about how some basketball teams are built to win in the regular season, but not the playoffs. Case-in-point: the Toronto Raptors, led by Kyle Lowry, Demar DeRozan and Serge Ibaka. They shine in the regular season but cannot advance in the playoffs. Love or hate LeBron James, he steps up in the clutch. Of course Dodger Fans remember Kirk Gibson s Home
I was a reading a piece the other day about how some basketball teams are built to win in the regular season, but not the playoffs. Case-in-point: the Toronto Raptors, led by Kyle Lowry, Demar DeRozan and Serge Ibaka. They shine in the regular season but cannot advance in the playoffs. Love or hate LeBron James, he steps up in the clutch. Of course Dodger Fans remember Kirk Gibson’s Home Run in 1988, but don’t forget the Dodgers Ace who had a postseason ERA of barely over 1.00. Orel Hershiser had 3 complete games and did not have a loss. Tim Leary and Alejandro Pena also both stepped up in that series, as the Dodgers held the powerful A’s offense to a .177 BA.
Sadly, my favorite Dodger, Clayton Kershaw is not the Ace you can win with. Not only does he not step up in the playoffs, he gets worse. I can’t spin this any other way. In the regular season his career ERA is 2.37, but in the playoffs, it balloons by 2.00 runs to 4.35! To win a World Series, in most cases, your Ace has to step up and deliver. Madison Bumgarner’s career ERA is 3.01, but in the playoffs, it is 2.11 and in three World Series, it is 0.25. That’s not a typo- 0.25! Love him or hate him, he has been spectacular on the biggest stage and that is why the Giants won 3 times in 5 years.
It pains me to write this, but the Dodgers will not win a World Series with Clayton Kershaw as their Ace. Over the last ten years, he has been the greatest pitcher in baseball, but he’s not the guy who can carry the team to a World Series Championship. I think the Dodger Brass know that and I think his teammates also know. It’s demoralizing! Do you see any demoralized players playing for the Dodgers. I see a bunch!
Just about everyone is blasting FAZ right now, but FAZ put the Dodgers in a position to win it all in 2017. The fact of the matter is Clayton Kershaw did not rise to the occasion, in fact he dropped to the occasion as usual. Yu Darvish literally imploded and may never be right again as it appears to have damaged his psyche irreparably. Kenley Jansen also failed to do his part. He failed to do what a superstar is supposed to do in the clutch… and maybe his 218 problems are also mental.
Clayton Kershaw is a very smart guy. So is Yu Darvish and Kenley Jansen and so is Josh Reddick. Do you know where I am going with this? Sometimes the smart ones overthink or over-analyze situations. If you talk to Madison Bumgarner you will realize he’s not a rocket scientist… maybe that’s something to consider. On MLB.Radio they were talking about Chris Archer to the Dodgers or Yankees and they likened him to Darvish – very smart and NO, he would not do well in either city. Their opinion…
FAZ was going to get under the Luxury Tax come hell or high water – I actually thought it would be in 2017, but they were all in to win in 2017. Maybe FAZ has come to the conclusion that the Dodgers will not win with Clayton Kershaw as their Ace, especially with his decline in pitch speed and injury. Maybe it is time to trade him… but maybe the time has passed. Maybe the return will not be great.
Maybe this team IS demoralized. Maybe they know that last year was their best chance and that with Seager out this year and Kershaw still the Ace, they have no chance. Oh, they can be good, but they can’t do it in the clutch because their Ace can’t. At age 30 and in obvious decline, is that suddenly going to change? Maybe the team knows that, feels that… and is demoralized. What else can it be? I see guys who are totally and completely demoralized. Maybe they know their best shot was in 2017 and their Ace, #2 and Closer blew it. It’s hard to recover from that.
I say: BLOW IT UP! The prospects are off limits. Bellinger and Seager are off limits as is Buehler. Kershaw, Jansen, Wood, Hill, Maeda, Ryu, Turner, Forsythe, Taylor, Grandal, Barnes, Puig, Pederson, Kike, Kemp and others are on the block. The farm is loaded… get it loaderer! BLOW THIS DAMN THING UP AND START OVER! This is not on FAZ. They have done an outstanding job – the players have to be changed. If they do it right, they will be back in 2020! I’m on board.
That could net them 7-9 TOP 5 Draft Picks – a lot of talent. Young talent.
Sorry Clayton – I still love you! Just calling it the way it is.
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Discussion (53)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Just read a good piece on minorleagueball on post-hype prospect connor joe on tulsa drillers roster. First round pedigree and could be late bloomer. Wasn’t on my radar before though I remember the trade for him. Sorry I can link. Maybe someone else could.
This mess is largely on FAZ. They could have done what your are suggesting while still being very competitive. Puig, Joc, Grandal and others could have tactically been dealt over the last couple of years to acquire young talent to keep the pipeline full, but they held onto all of them to the point their ROI will be a bag of balls and a jock strap.
The problem with the FO has been their inability to acquire the right talent, the right depth and their overall evaluation of said talent, both their own players and the players they would like to acquire via trade and FA. The Hill, Kazmir, McCarthy, Koehler FA signings were horrible, the offering of the QO to Anderson was abysmal and then the decision to not sufficiently deal with the BP by moving Maeda there are just a few examples of their disastrous leadership and talent evaluation.
They’ve sent Puig and Joc down to OKC for some soul searching, might it be time for some CT3 and Bellinger time in OKC so they can realize just how nice the big leagues are? The strikeouts by CT3 and Bellinger are alarming and bunting for a base hit in the bottom of the 9th with a 3-0 count makes you shake your head and wonder where the basic fundamental baseball knowledge has gone for some players, especially ones that have a dad who played big league baseball.
The sad reality is the FO doesn’t need to do a fire sell as suggested, but instead could have been more strategic in the off season by trading some pieces for talent. The $9 million to Forsythe could have been reallocated to the BP, the $2 million to Joc could have been used on Toles with about $1.5 left over for BP or SP, the $7 million to Puig might have been used somewhere else.
If we’re going to blow this thing up start with the manager love Kershaw but his time has come as a Dodger start with Harper and the kids. Buehler on the right urais on the left.
And while we are at it, if FAZ’s philosophy is just hit a HR, then I think that is rather stupid as well. Baseball is a game of movement. Hit and Run, stealing a base, hitting behind the runner, sacrifice fly, bunt. They are all part of the game. The home run is just one part of that arsenal, not the only weapon in the arsenal. Maybe FAZ needs to go as well.
I think I put Roberts on the chopping block as well. I was sadly disappointed with his game management in the World Series and after last night and his quick hook on Stripling … well I think he over manages. Let the players play.