Get Used to Seeing Joc at 1B

Some Dodger fans are up in arms that the Dodgers have moved Joc Pederson to 1B… in the middle of the season, of all things! He has had flashes of good, but mostly he looks like he has never played there before (he hasn’t). The early results have not been great. The Dodgers knew that and were/are prepared to ride through the storm. It makes sense to me for several reasons:

1. David Freese’s leg injury may take longer to heal than expected;
2. With Joc platooning at 1B and Corey Seager and AJ Pollock returning, it allows the Dodgers to get Joc’s bat in the lineup against LHP and keep Muncy at one position (2B) where I believe he will be solid;
3. It allows the Dodgers to field what may arguably be the best defensive outfield in baseball;
4. It allows AJ Pollock to be an everyday player, which was why he was brought in; and
5. You have to find a way to play players who have OPS of near .900 and above.

Now, I have already said that I am not a big Pollock fan and that I would leave Verdugo in CF, but Friedman, Roberts and the coaches know a heck of a lot more than I do, so I will defer to what they do. That’s exactly why I think the Joc Pederson to 1B move will work. The good news is that Joc wants to play there and has been working at 1B for a few weeks, however lately, he is taking hundreds of reps there. Practice is different from “game speed” so the ramp-up will be slow. There will be some pain, like yesterday (no pain, no gain), but the Dodgers have that luxury.

I suggested yesterday that we could evaluate the move after 30 games to which someone said we don’t have 30 games. They are right: we’ve probably got 45 or 50 games! The key words are “Don’t Panic!” Joc will get better every game incrementally. Yesterday was just “one of those games.” Not very many played well. It happens a few times a year.

The Dodgers infield was recently rated the Best in Defensive Infield in Baseball. Of course, that was with Corey Seager at SS, Kike Hernandez, and CT3 at 2B and Max Muncy at 1B. I happen to believe that Max Muncy can be a pretty good second-baseman… IF YOU JUST LET HIM PLAY THERE. Max is not a “super-utility guy.” He is solid and will work at getting better wherever you leave him. His bat plays well at 2B. Give him the stability of knowing where he will play every day and he might shock you as to how well he might do.

Joc is the “work in progress” and he drives some fans crazy, because as Rudy Byrd said: “Joc is a one-dimensional player. He can’t hit for average, he can’t run, he can’t throw, and he can’t catch. Plus, his baseball mentality is minimal, at best.” Probably all true… to an extent which may mean that 1B is his best position. David Freese is an average defender at 1B and I hope Joc can rise to that. However, he has the “want to” mentality that can result in some very good things happening… on both sides of the ball.

I don’t know how long the Joc Movement will last, but warts and all, the dude puts up close to .900 OPS. His struggles have been monumental, but his career OPS is .805. He should only play against RHP and Kike should play 1B until Mr. Freese returns. I am a progressive, outta-the-box thinker, so this stuff is right up my alley. That’s what I love about Andrew Friedman… and it’s what some of you hate. Many people hate change. I embrace it. The running joke at US Water Systems is “Don’t worry about it – it will change.” Change is life and growth. Getting stuck is death and dying. We shall see what happens.

The Bullpen Progress

• If you look at the box score, you might think that Gonsolin and Ferguson need to pack their bags for OKC. In my opinion, just the opposite is true: both are very close to the execution of their pitches. Patience Grasshoppers. Gonsolin is going to be very useful. He is an MLB pitcher and so is Caleb Ferguson.
• The Dodgers are still #11 in bullpen ERA at 4.09, right behind the “awesome, legendary” Yankee Bullpen (4.01 ERA). Before the season, just about everyone picked the Yankees to have the #1 bullpen. They had Chapman, Green, and Betances and added Britton and Ottavino and still have a 4.01 bullpen ERA.
• The Red Sox whose World Series bullpen was ranked #17 last year in ERA were roundly criticized for letting Kimbrel and Kelly walk and essentially standing pat (they signed Eovaldi to be a starter, but he has been injured most of the season), have the #8 ERA in baseball as a result. You just never know with bullpens.
• Stop with the trade talk for Brad Hand already! It ain’t happening. The Indians are #1 in bullpen ERA, thanks to Hand, Tyler Clippard and a bung of “guys.” They didn’t go out and spend what the Yankees did. They grew their own. Kluber is due back, the team is starting to hit and they will likely be “buyers” at the trade deadline.
• Yimi Garcia has his ERA down to 3.90 and if you look at his WHIP (0.80) there is a lot to be optimistic about him). In his last 7 games, he has a 1.23 ERA with an otherworldly 0.14 WHIP. He is suddenly relevant again.
• In his last 15 games, Joe Kelly has a 3.77 ERA and in the past 7 games, it is 1.13 with a 1.00 WHIP. He also is gaining relevance, to say nothing of confidence.
• Pedro Baez has a 2.57 ERA in his last 15 games and a 1.29 ERA in his last 7 games with a 0.86 WHIP.
• Kenley Jansen has stumbled (a little) in his last 7 games, but overall, in his last 15 games, he has a 1.76 ERA with a 0.85 WHIP.
• Those 4 bullpen arms, I just mentioned above are solid ones, in my opinion. Ferguson will come around – he’s close. I wonder when Hill comes back if he won’t go to the pen (voluntarily) to reduce stress on his arm? Floro has been a trainwreck the last 15 games after being outstanding before that, Will the “real” Dylan Floro stand up, please?
• Sometime in mid-to-late July, Julio Urias will return to the rotation. You can bet on it. They are only using him in relief right now to limit his innings. He is part of their playoff rotation, which will be Kershaw, Buehler, Ryu, and Urias.
• The Dodgers won’t trade Rich Hill – he’s part of their heart and soul, but Ross Stripling and/or Kenta Maeda could be trade candidates. Ross really is best suited to starting, but he won’t start with the Dodgers. Maeda wants to start too, so if Tony Gonsolin shows he is ready, which will take a few more starts, then both Ross and Kenta could be trade bait. Two starters could yield a few solid pieces, including a lockdown reliever.
• There are still too many teams on the “cusp” of making the playoffs, that I do not see a trade being made until late July. Just my opinion.
• This bullpen is not far from being much better… internally. Add in some external options and they might become elite.

Minor League Report

The OKC Dodgers were beaten 3-1 by the New Orleans Baby Cakes. How embarrassing is it to be beaten by a baby? Logan Bawcom pitched well enough to win, giving up 2 runs in 6 innings pitched (both on HR). Jake Peter hit his 5th HR for the Dodgers only score. Lewis Brinson hit one of the HR’s – He’s the Marlins Top Prospect (.953 OPS).

Tulsa did not play and as Gavin Lux and Dustin are headed to OKC.

The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes were smoked 5 to Zip, as they only managed 4 hits. Move along folks, there’s nothing to see here.

The Great Lakes Loons game with Bowling Green was suspended tied 2-2 in the 5th inning. No need to report what happened until it’s over.

The Ogden Raptors topped the Rocky Mountain Vibes 12-5 as the Wulff was at the door… well actually the plate. Brandon Wulff hit a Grand Slam for the Raptors, while Jordan Yurchak was 2-3 with 3 BB. He is OPS’ing 1.263. Wulff is OPS’ing 1.400. 18-year-old Andy Pages was 4-6 with 2 HR and 4 runs scored.

The AZL Dodgers Mota beat the AZL Athletics 20-5 as they scored 11 runs in the 5th inning. Gold Diego Cartaya had back-to-back two-hit games and is off to a fast start and hitting .375 through four games in the Rookie-level AZL. The 17-year-old makes hard contact and has a good feel for the bat, especially for a player yet to turn 18. He could make Kaybear expendable, but the Dodgers would have to get a “haul.” Rehabbing Omar Estevez played SS and had two hits as did just about everyone else (23 total hits for the Motas).

The DSL Shoemakers beat the DSL Cubs 5-3 as Luis Izturis had a HR and went 3-5. Brayan Rodriguez was 2-5 as Carlos Duran went 5 innings allowing 2 unearned runs and striking out 5.

The DSL Bautistas beat the DSL Rays 9-8. Going into the bottom of the 9th inning, they were behind 8-2 and scored 7 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win it in walk-off fashion. 18-year-old Axel Acevedo pitched the final 3 innings, allowing no hits to get the win, his 3rd! They did it with just 5 hits in the game to go with 7 walks and 3 errors on the Rays. There were no HR’s in the 9th.