FAZ Believes Strikeouts Are The Same As Any Other Out

Do you Seriously believe that? If you really think that FAZ is really that stupid or if you believe that because it fits your own personal narrative, then you should probably stop reading right about now… because what I am going to say will really piss you off! My 9 year-old grandaughter knows that moving a runner, productive outs and sacrifices are most generally better than strikeouts.  Only hitting into a double play is worse than a strikeout… unless there are no outs with a runner on 3B.  Any person with half a brain knows that and even Ray Charles can see that!

Do you really think that FAZ believes it OK to have 5 players with more than 100 strikeouts? Guess what, the Red Sox had 6 players with more than a 100 strikeouts?  They almost had 7 as Betts ended with 91 strikeouts.  Chris Taylor and Max Muncy struck out 33% of the time.  Cody Bellinger and Yasmani Grandal struck out 27% and 28% of the time respectively.  Matt Kemp and Joc Pederson struck out 21% of the time. Kike Hernandez struck out 19% of the time. As a team, the Dodgers struck out 25.7% of the time (based upon at bats). Do you think FAZ is happy with that? That’s  silly question…

Boston’s strikeout percentage is 22.2% as a team.  JD Martinez struck out 26% of the time.  Jackie Bradley struck out 29% of the time while Devers struck out 27% of the time. Benintendi struck out at about the same percentage as Kike, but it’s what he did when he didn’t strike out that changes everything. Are you starting to catch on?  Yes, I would like to see the Dodgers cut down on their strikeouts… and so would Roberts, FAZ and everyone associated with the organization.  However, strikeouts happen to every player.  If the Dodgers cut down their strikeouts by just 10%, they would be about the same as the Red Sox.  However, all of those would not be hits.  Assuming the MLB average, that would have added just 36 hits to the team stats.  which might have raised the batting average by 1 point… or less. It’s not just the strikeouts.  It’s what they do (or don’t do) when they don’t strikeout.

Yes, I think the Dodgers should cut down on strikeouts, but it’s the bat-to-ball skills that the Red Sox do better than the Dodgers.  TRANSLATION: They are better hitters!  Hernandez and Benintendi strike out about the same percentage,  yet Kike’s BA and OB% are considerably lower.  And… while I am on this rant, why in the hell is Kike playing?  Do you think it has anything to do with the fact he hit over .350 in August and September and was one of the hottest players in the NL?  He has sucked in the post-season, but so have a lot of others. He might go 4-4 today.

Chris Taylor is striking out at the same rate as in the regular season, but he is hitting .300 now because he is getting more hits.  Is it FAZ’ fault that the Dodgers have six players on the roster who hit .232 or below against LHP?  The Dodgers were second in plate appearances this year and first in the number of pitches seen. They struck out 22.5% of the time, while the Red Sox struck out 19.8% of the time… per plate appearance.  It’s not the strikeouts… it’s the hits.

The Red Sox had 9 more sacrifice flies than the Dodgers and hit into 11 more double plays than the Dodgers.  That’s pretty insignificant. You just keep coming back to the fact that they hit better than the Dodgers… PERIOD! The Dodgers led baseball in walks, but the Red Sox were only 80 behind them.  That’s less than 1/2 walk a game.

Realize this:  The Dodgers, Astros and Red Sox are at the forefront in the use of analytics.  All three teams have rooms full of analyists who comb through and analyze data… data that they all keep to themselves.  They all share it with their managers and they don’t have managers who don’t buy into it.  That’s part of the reason Mike Scioscia no longer manages.  The use of analytics gives managers a plethora of stats, some of which are conflicting, but all of which will help you make wiser decisions that will hopefully work.

Of course, nothing works all the time. One fan may say “It was totally insane to bring in Julio Urias” while others say “Bringing in Julio was brilliant.”  It is so subjective and usually depends upon your perspective. That’s why I seldom second guess.  Just because it didn’t work, doesn’t mean it’s the wrong decision.  However, when Roberts brings in a pitcher who gives up a run or a pinch hitter  fails to execute, many often blame Doc.  “His stupid moves lost the game.” When someone says “Everybody knows…. blah, blah, blah,” usually means it’s just their opinion… and opinions are like… well, you know what.

I was on the “Fire Roberts” Bandwagon for a while, but I wised up and realized that while I don’t agree with everything he does, he is one damn good manager and has the teams’ respect to a man. I heard David Freese praising him a couple of days ago. Most moves Dave has made in the first two games have not worked… but that does not mean they were the wrong moves.  Players have to execute, but it’s easy to blame the manager when  they don’t work.  It’s human nature to want to villify someone when something goes wrong, but that’s not what we have here. It’s back to that same-old lack of hitting with RISP.

I think FAZ will attempt remedy the situation next year.  Write this down: Manny Machado won’t get what many predict and the Dodgers will be players for him.  JD Martinz got $110 Million.  Is Machado a better hitter?  Is he worth $200 million more than Martinez?  I think not! He’s younger and a shortstop, but he will fall in the $200 million range. I think there will be major changes this offseason… especially if the Dodgers lose the World Series.  You have to wonder what role the hitting coach plays in this.  Will Turner Ward survive? The fact that the Dodgers don’t hit as a team with RISP is somewhat systemic!

I could see a scenerio whereby Pederson, Wood, Maeda, Puig, Kemp and Gandal are all gone. I can see a lineup like this:

1. Verdugo  RF
2. Seager  2B
3. Turner  3B
4. Machado  SS
5. Bellinger 1B
6. Realmuto  C (I really think he should be on the Dodgers’ shopping list and they have the prospects)
7. Hernandez  CF
8. Toles  LF

Who knows what will happen, but right about now, there’s a World Series to try and win!  I guarantee that FAZ is not happy and there will be changes… especially if the Boys in Blue go home without a trophy.   Right about now, Striker Buehler needs to put this team on his back and show why he is the Dodgers Ace-in-Waiting!