Come on, Man!

Disclaimer: What follows only applies to those that say this really silly stupid stuff.

Do you really believe that the Dodgers will have a poor offensive lineup? With Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, and JD Martinez? That also means that you don’t think anyone else will step up, right? No rookies. No non-roster invitees. Not Miguel Rojas. Nobody… because everybody sucks!

Here is what we have heard so far:

• “Freidman and Gomez Adams have destroyed the most dangerous roster in the big leagues in 2 years while allowing the Padres and others to surpass them by light years!!” Are you on or off your meds?
• “The Padres and the Mets have left the Dodgers in the dust yet Fraudman is allowed to destroy the roster!” On what planet? Uranus?
• “I think that Luke Williams might be the utility infielder guy.” Ha Ha Ha and I will be King!
• “If Rojas Taylor Thompson and Heyward all get regular playing time my beloved Dodgers are in trouble” – The Padres beat the Dodgers in the playoffs with Ha-Seong Kim (.251 BA/.708 OPS) at SS.
• “Two names: Oneil Cruz .” So, even though he is still very raw and hit .233 with 17 errors in 79 games, the Dodgers should trade him back with several top prospects so that he can kill a spectator with a high throw with his 160 MPH Fastball? Good drugs there! I am not a believer in Cruz.
• “The Dodgers should get José Iglesias and Johnathan Villar as insurance at SS.” Villar has not started at SS as a regular since 2019 and is not viewed by any baseball people as a SS, Why doesn’t anyone want Iglesias? If AF thinks he can play, he will sign him. Telling AF what to do is like performing brain surgery on yourself without a surgeon… because you think you know more about it. Ha!

I “knew” when I wrote what I did yesterday that Lux had a torn ACL – my only question was whether it was the MCL too. When bad things happen to the Dodgers, it seems like many Dodger fans jump in front of their keyboards, take out their brains, and begin to type… like they’re possessed by an idiot demon!

Every Spring and every offseason, a certain segment of fans (who like to call themselves “realists”) lose all perspective and their collective minds, and I say, “Calm down, he’s got this!” And every year, he goes out and puts a team on the field that wins the division and would have won two World Series were it not for the cheating Asstricks! Then the next season, it starts all over with everyone losing their minds and him winning again. You really aren’t realists – you are delusional… maybe borderline neurotic or even psychotic. Andrew Friedman’s Dodgers have won more games than any other team in baseball during the same time period, and it is not even close!

This is a very ugly game that you play, and it doesn’t make you look smart. It makes you look just the opposite. It’s like saying in January or February that AF should now trade for Adames and Reynolds. Yes, he should have… regardless of whether the other team wanted to or not. He should have just marched right over to that team and made the trade because it only takes one team to make a trade… Right? I am sorry (OK, no, I’m not), but I do not suffer fools very well.

Andrew Friedman is no stranger to trades – in fact, he is not afraid to make really big ones, but I am going to suggest that he knows a lot more about when and who to trade than me or anyone else here. It’s OK to make trade suggestions, but how about putting some thought behind it? Friedman could make a signing or two now, but it would be highly unusual for him to make a blockbuster trade right now.

It would be idiotic to trade Vargas, Busch, Outman, Miller, Stone, or a number of other players without seeing if they are ready this year and if Heyward, Thompson, Rojas, Taylor, Peralta, and others can be high-level contributors. He would be buying in the best Seller’s Market possible, which means he would have to pay a huge premium. How far away are Jonny LeDuca, Andy Pages, Diego Cartaya, Dalton Rushing, and others? So, the Dodgers play on. Roberts mentioned that Mookie is under consideration to play 2B more this year, and some think he is the permanent starter there. That was actually discussed in the offseason as well. Mookie would love to play 2B, and maybe he will some more this year, but remember, he is likely the best Rightfielder in the game.

Someone put Mookie in the lineup yesterday at 2B at the expense of Vargas and then had no one in LF. He only had eight players in the lineup. That’s not called “not thinking it through.” That is called “not thinking, Period!” I could see this as a possibility (at times):

1. Betts 2B
2. Freeman 1B
3. Martinez DH
4. Muncy 3B
5. Smith C
6. Peralta RF
7. Vargas LF
8. Outman/Heyward/Thompson/Taylor CF (pic ’em – they won’t all make the team)
9. Rojas SS

Actually, I think the lineup would be better with Mookie in RF and Peralta in LF, and Vargas at 2B. I could also make a case for Busch at 2B or LF, but that is on him to show he belongs. That can still be a formidable lineup. This is why they have Spring Training. I was not sold on Gavin Lux as a SS, but that is no longer in question. Miguel Vargas has looked solid at 2B, but many of you want to poo-poo what he can do. In 2021 Michael Harris of the Braves hit .294 at A+Ball with 7 HR. In 2022, at AA, he hit .305 with 5 HR in 196 ABs. He then moved to the Braves, where in 441 ABs, he hit .297 with 19 HR. While not as fast, Miguel Vargas is exactly that kind of player.

Vargas is ready. He has put in the work, and he is ready. Most baseball people I know agree with that. In fact, every baseball person I know is sure of that. I don’t know if Busch or Outman is ready. What if Busch and Outman go back to AAA, and Thompson and Heyward are cut? How about this:

1. Betts RF
2. Freeman 1B
3. Martinez DH
4. Muncy 3B
5. Smith C
6. Vargas 2B
7. Peralta LF
8. Taylor CF
9. Rojas SS

Of course, some of you will say, “We can’t afford to have Rojas batting 9th!” What? You had Bellinger with 100 more strikeouts than Rojas did hitting 9th, and you had Gallo and Thompson (both of whom are strikeout machines). When you strikeout, you make an out – pure and simple, but Rojas doesn’t strikeout – he puts the ball in play. What happens when you put the ball in play? Well, you could hit into a double play. You could hit a flyout (but that can advance the runner). You could ground out, but that could move a runner. You could force the Defender into making an error. More good can come from putting the ball in play than from a strikeout.

For his career, Miguel Rojas has hit .290 with RISP and .282 with men on base. Yes, the Dodgers can live with the defense he brings and with putting the ball in play and his clutch hitting. However, this is all conjecture because we have to play these Spring Training games and get a couple of months into the season to see what the team is all about.

I was going to stop right there, but then, some of you were up late last night working yourself into a frenzy and coming up with delusional ideas, such as that Jacob Amaya was a “close to major league ready SS.” Come on, man! On what planet? And then, someone says this:

There’s a big difference in best team in regular season and best all around team built to win playoff games.For those you who think playoffs are a crapshoot and luck are just making excuses for the years dodgers weren’t good when it mattered most. And anyone who thinks asstros weren’t best team out there last year send me some of what your smoking and bear I don’t get how so many are saying Shelby Miller is a lock for to make team. Dude sucks

Well, I can’t let stuff like that go that is so demonstrably false, so here goes:

So, the Astros were the World Series Champs last year, right?  Does that make them the best team? Well, they are in the discussion, and if you believe that, you also have to accept the argument that the Phillies were the second-best team. The deeply flawed, can’t field, journeyman pitcher team with .218 BA Kyle Schwarber as the leadoff hitter. How do you explain how a rag-tag bunch like that almost won the World Series? The Astros won 106 games while the Dodgers won 111 games, but the Dodgers ran away with their division and did not play a meaningful game for six weeks at the end of the season. They were supposed to be neck-and-neck with the Padres, but it didn’t happen, and it turns out that was bad luck because complacency breeds more complacency. 

How did the Astros get there?  Well, a lot of that team was homegrown from when they tanked for years. They won with a Rookie SS who hit .253 and a CF’er who hit .245. Their 1B hit .245. Alex Bregman had one of his worst seasons and hit .259. Their catcher hit .186, but their home-grown pitchers… many from when they drafted high because they tanked were studs. In the postseason, Altuve hit .190, and Yordon Alvarez hit .192.  As a team, the Astros hit .233 in the post-season, while the Dodgers were blown out in the first round as they hit .227. The Astros were 11-2 in the playoffs, and they allowed 2.29 ER a game. They won on the backs of their stud starters, who were mostly acquired as draft picks when they tanked. The Dodgers Ace blew out his arm, and May barely made it back, but he wasn’t a factor. 

Were the 1988 Dodgers the best team?  Hell no! But they won it all on emotion… the emotion that broke the A’s backs. Do you think if they had to play four or five teams in the playoffs, they could have pulled it off? You are the one smoking something if you believe that!  The playoffs are luck and a crapshoot, but I did not say that they were ALL luck and a Crapshoot. There is luck involved. The more games you play, the more you are exposed. The more you are exposed, the better your chance of losing. My 14-Year-Old Grandaughter, who is a Red Sox fan can explain that. If you can’t comprehend that… well, I am sorry. 

There are entire college courses on Statistics and Probability. There are three major types of probabilities:

James Outman hit a home run in his first At-Bat.  Mike Trout did not, so James Outman is better than Mike Trout? You have to believe that if you believe the best team always wins. We all know that’s hogwash, but somehow some of you want to believe that Outman is going to be better than Vargas. That’s OK.  You can have your opinions, but when you somehow think that HR event is based on anything but pure, blind luck, you are crazy! Baseball, probably more than any sport, involves a pretty substantial degree of luck. On a daily basis, the best team does not win. Comprehend that! I mean, really think about that! That also applies in the playoffs. I do not understand how one can be so delusional as to not comprehend that! You can smoke a ball at 111 MPH that a fielder makes a diving stop on, saving three runs, while the next inning, a bloop hit at 48 MPH can score two runs. Some of it is skill, but a lot is just “baseball luck.”

Were the 2021 Braves the best team in baseball because Eddie Rosario was hitting outta’ his mind? I would agree that the 2020 Dodgers were the best in 2020… especially since they had no home-field advantage and had to win an extra round. the 2019 Nats were absolutely not the best team, but they won it all behind Strasburg, who was rewarded with a huge contract and has never been able to pick much since. 

I am not saying it is all luck either. It’s a lot of things, but luck is huge. A bad hop (one that the best fielder ever cannot handle)  can change the game in a wink of an eye.

One final thing: I have never said Shelby Miller will make the team, but he is an interesting rehab project by Friedman. After one game, he has a 40.50 ERA. That’s pretty bad, but EVan Phillips got crushed last season in the Spring and yet was unhittable all year. This is why they play the games. Maybe Mike Busch and James Outman are not ready. What if Jonny DeLuca and Andy Pages show that they are? You never know… this is baseball and as a wise man on this site said yesterday: “In Andrew Friedman I trust.“

Mash Unit Report

From the Dodgers website:

INJURY UPDATES

2B Miguel Vargas (hairline fracture on right pinkie finger)
Expected return: Still playing
Vargas sustained a hairline fracture while taking ground balls at second base early in spring. The Cuban infielder picked up a bat on Feb. 26 and has been swinging off a tee, but is still not cleared to swing in games. Vargas has been able to play in Cactus League games, but has been instructed not to swing at pitches. He’s drawn a pair of walks. Barring a setback, he should be able to play in enough Spring Training games to be ready for Opening Day. (Last updated: Feb. 28)

LHP Victor González (left elbow inflammation)
Expected return: Start of the season
After a season full of injuries, González came into Spring Training healthy and has impressed early in camp. He has yet to appear in a Cactus League game, but could be in the mix for a bullpen spot. (Last updated: Feb. 28)

RHP Daniel Hudson (torn left ACL)
Expected return: Possibly as early as start of the season
Hudson tore his left ACL in June, but was expected to be fully recovered for the start of the 2023 season. During his rehab, however, Hudson experienced right ankle tendinitis that set his recovery back a few weeks. Hudson is throwing bullpen sessions during Spring Training and is feeling healthy. It’s still unclear if he’ll be able to build up in time for Opening Day. If he doesn’t, he’s not expected to miss much time. (Last updated: Feb. 28)

RHP Alex Reyes (frayed labrum in right shoulder)
Expected return: Mid-to-late season
Reyes, who signed a one-year deal with a club option in early February, is still not throwing off a mound, and that isn’t expected to happen for until at least late March. The right-hander has, however, been throwing regularly as he recovers from injury. The hope is Reyes can help the Dodgers by midseason. (Last updated: Feb. 28)

RHP J.P. Feyereisen (right shoulder surgery)
Expected return: Late August at the earliest 
Feyereisen, who was acquired from the Rays on Dec. 14, underwent right shoulder surgery this offseason in a procedure that was described as a “general cleanup of the rotator cuff and labrum.” He won’t be able to pick up a baseball until April and he’ll be sidelined until at least the end of August. (Last updated: Dec. 14)

SS Gavin Lux (torn right ACL)
Expected return: 2024
Lux tore his right ACL in a Cactus League game on Feb. 27 and is scheduled to undergo surgery in Los Angeles on March 7. The shortstop also suffered damage to his right LCL. Lux was scheduled to be the Dodgers’ everyday shortstop in 2023, but he’ll be forced to miss the entire season. (Last updated: Feb. 28)

RHP Blake Treinen (right shoulder)
Expected return: TBD
Treinen dealt with recurring shoulder injuries last season, and while he made it back in time to pitch in the postseason, he opted to undergo surgery shortly after the World Series ended. Treinen hopes to pitch by the end of the 2023 season, but it’s still too early to tell if that’s possible or if the team will hold him out until the ’24 season. (Last updated: Feb. 28)

RHP Walker Buehler (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Possibly late 2023 or start of ’24
Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery a second time on Aug. 23. Because of how lengthy the recovery is, he will likely miss the majority — if not all — of the 2023 season. There’s a chance Buehler could return late next season as a reliever, if the Dodgers and the right-hander go that route. But it’s too early to tell if he will be on a Major League mound next season. (Last updated: Nov. 8)