Just Move Mookie to SS Already!
For the record, it was discussed yesterday whether Clayton Kershaw was a #1, #2, or #3. I think the answer is d. Neither – Clayton is a #2.5. There. That’s my final statement on it. How many aces have 33 starts anymore? Only 31 pitchers in MLB had more than 31 starts last…
For the record, it was discussed yesterday whether Clayton Kershaw was a #1, #2, or #3. I think the answer is d. Neither – Clayton is a #2.5. There. That’s my final statement on it. How many aces have 33 starts anymore? Only 31 pitchers in MLB had more than 31 starts last season. So there is that! Of those 31 pitchers who had ERA’s below 3.00, there are only 12 who do and Clayton Kershaw is one of those 12 with the Ace-like Quality of having an ERA below 3.00. He was also one of three that had ERAs below 2.50. Of course, he also had the fewest innings (126), so that part in not “ace-like.” Still I am glad he is on our team and look forward to watching him… a year at a time!
Now… Back to SS
I realize there are good reasons not to make a wholesale change at SS, such as not being beholden to any other team who might be trying to fleece you, but I believe two things:
- Mookie Betts would prefer to play SS over any other position; and
- Mookie can play SS at a very high level.
Mookie has also gone on record as saying playing SS is easier on his back, hips, and legs and would likely extend his career. If the Dodgers move Mookie to SS, it means that they have the position stabilized for the next 5 to 7 years. However, it’s too early to make that move, because the Dodgers do not have the right “mix” in the outfield. It is possible that Jason Heyward could play against RH and LH Pitchers, but he only has 4 ABs against LHP this season and has struck out three times. Of course, Trayce Thompson does not fare better against LHP as he is only hitting .071 against them. Right about now, Trayce’s stats look pathetic but if you take away his three home runs on Opening Night, it is totally pathetic. Sorry, Trayce, but you just are not a baseball player!
Can the Dodgers find a RH hitter who can play RF for a couple hundred at bats against lefty pitchers? It needs to be someone who can platoon with Jason Heyward. There will be some available at the trade deadline, but you are not going to get much now… unless you overpay. So we wait. Hopefully, James Outman does not need a platoon partner in CF and Chris Taylor and David Peralta are starting to make noise like they can handle LF.
Rants & Raves
- We are watching the maturation of Dustin May.
- Dustin May – 2.68 ERA/Blake Snell – 4.89 ERA – Who would you rather have?
- I have came to the conclusion that Miguel Rojas is not very smart with that bonehead botched double play he made when the runner stopped running going to second base.
- Jimmy Nelson is allegedly shut down against and his MLB Career is greatly in doubt (whatever that means).
- Hunter Feduccia hit his 5th HR to drive in 2 of the 3 OKC Dodgers runs in a 3-2 win. He is still hitting .328 with a 1.114 OPS. When Will Smith was there, he hit .268 and then came to the Show. What does Hunter have to do?
- BTW, Jose Iglasias was the SS for the El Paso Chihuahuas last night!
- Andy Pages was 3-4 with his 3rd HR last night (.274/.922 OPS)
- Jonny DeLuca is hitting .296 with a 1.011 OPS
- Nick Frasso – 4.2 IP/3 H/0 R/0 BB/6 K – 1.01 ERA – It’s time for him to move up! Look at this: 26.2 IP/19 H/36 K, 5 BB/0.90 WHIP . Frasso just might pitch for the LA Dodgers THIS season!
- OK, Julio is out of his funk (actually, I think he ditched a new pitch) and ready to go.
LA TIMES, Mike Digovanna on Miguel Vargas transition to 2B:
“The hesitation in his response when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was recently asked to assess the overall defensive play of rookie second baseman Miguel Vargas spoke volumes.
“I think it’s been … OK,” Roberts said, pausing to find the right description. “Part of having him take on this position this year is we knew there would be some growing pains. But there’s also an expectation he will get better. There are some plays I think we’d like to have back, but the bet is on the person, the player and the athlete.”
Vargas, 23, made only 27 starts at second base in five minor league seasons and was not considered an elite defender at his primary position, third base. So it seemed risky for the Dodgers to entrust the spot to him, especially with a new ban on infield shifts requiring second basemen to cover far more ground than they had in the past decade.
At 6 feet 3 and 205 pounds, Vargas is taller, with longer levers, than most big league second basemen, and some talent evaluators wondered whether he’d have the quickness, range and athleticism to handle the position. And though he worked out regularly at second base in the minors, Vargas had very little game experience there.
But one month into his first season at a new position, Vargas has been … well, OK. He is neither an early Gold Glove Award favorite nor a glaring defensive liability.
Vargas has committed only two errors entering Saturday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, one on a bobbled grounder in the hole that led to an unearned run in a 3-2 loss to the Cubs on April 16, but he has looked good turning and starting double plays.
Advanced metrics are less kind to Vargas, who ranks 17th among 19 qualifying second basemen with minus-3 defensive runs saved in 25 games, according to Fangraphs, which appears to ding Vargas for his lack of range.
But the same site rates Vargas ninth with an overall defensive score of 0.5, which measures a player’s total defensive value relative to league average.
If Vargas can start driving the ball more consistently — he was considered the best pure hitter in the farm system, with a .313 average, .878 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 49 homers and 265 RBIs in 410 minor league games — he would likely offset any defensive shortcomings.
“Big kid like this who everybody thought would play third base, and now you get a guy who can hit the ball, drive the ball out of the park eventually, playing second? That’s good value for us and for him,” third base coach Dino Ebel said. “There are going to be mistakes [defensively], and he’s going to have to go through that process at this level.
“But he works hard. He’s mentally in tune. He slows the game down. He’s got a slow heartbeat, which I like. He doesn’t get excited in the moment. So I”m pleased with his performance so far. It’s only gonna get better.”
Vargas is progressing day-by-day, and with Mookie, Freddie, and JDM taking a huge role in his development, I think 2B was a great place to start. Now, move Mookie to SS and the Keystone Combination is covered for years.
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Discussion (100)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Which Yency Almonte will we see?
Peralta just a big disappointment!
Joe Musgrove is considered the Padres Ace. He’s pretty damn good!
It’s not how you start – It’s how you finish!
Dodgers crapping on themselves – awful defense. Bad-this-year Musgrove not really that impressive again, but Dodger bats making him look formidable. Has Tatis hit anything soft this series?
Muncy looks at 3 STRAIGHT curves for strikes. Why??
Vargas should have had that one too!
Musgrove is no hitting us thru four, our hitters need to step up.
Urias with another bad inning. Yeah, maybe Outman and Betts should make those plays, but the one Betts missed was crushed. Keep the other team off of the board, that is the object.
Mookie with a lead off K and what should have been an error on defense sets him up to be a hero tonight….time to start playing like a superstar since he’s being paid to be one.
Urias should demand a trade!
Our defense … leaves a lot to be desired.
Those 2 runs scored as earned. I’m not buying it.
I hope LA scores more than 2 runs tonight…..although if Urias pitches like he pitched his last game, maybe a 2-1 win works too.
Mark makes an excellent point about the dilemma at short and with the outfielders. I agree that Mookie needs to stay in right as long as there is “no right mix” in the outfield.
The club continues to platoon Heyward and Thompson and as Mark points out, Trayce hits .071 vs LHP. That isn’t going to work and Heyward out hits him vs RHP. So basically Thompson doesn’t have a role.
With Mookie in right and Outman in center, what do you do in left?
As I look at who can hit LHP, the answer is no one. Our candidates in left and right if Mookie moves to SS are not good. Based on batting averages – Thompson .238, Heyward .246, CT3 .205, Peralta .197
Put Mookie back in right and play Rojas at SS who’s hitting .178. Jacob Amaya could do that for the minimum.
So there must be somebody in AAA to promote as an outfielder? Drew Avians = .214, Steven Duggar = .238, Mike Reed = .190, Brad Zimmer .198 and Ben DeLuzio = .151.
It sort of looks like we have 2 outfields in the Show and AAA that can hit a lick; Mookie at .254 and Outman at .274.
Hunter Feduccia needs to be up to at least pinch hit and perhaps Luke Williams who’s hitting .366 at SS in AAA. He keeps Mookie in right.
Who goes eventually? Thompson and Peralta for my $.
It’s a big puzzle, exacerbated when your outfielders at the top 2 levels can’t hit.
Mookie Betts. We have only seen brief glimpses of his true ability the last 2 years. Playing SS may provide a spark mentally and apparently he thinks it will help physically. Seager and Turner seemed mediocre in the field. The bar is not set too high. Make the move.
Gavin Lux. I was looking forward to seeing him at SS. Would have saved a lot of money and instead of paying $30 million a year for another SS that money could have paid for an OF. I read that Lux has two different tears and he may not be mobile enough to play SS for some time if ever.
Trace Thompson. I don’t have enough energy to root for the entire team all the time. My 3 guys are Outman, Thompson then Heyward.
I looked forward to seeing if Thompson could repeat his performance from last year. Of course, last year was an outlier. With a roster including 3 left handed OFs, Thompson is being asked to do something he is not good at. Hitting lefties. He is being set up for failure. Each game he looks worse and worse. He will be the odd man out soon.
Miguel Vargas. Looks like the hitting will come around. Defensively he makes some mistakes but it looks like he has the chops to make it work.
Miguel Rojas. Don’t know what happened to his bat. Last year they brought in Hanser Alberto. He didn’t seem to fit the Dodgers style at the plate. He was a free swinger with no discipline. Rojas is very similar.
I agree, hunter should be up in the big show! Barnes is well thought of, but with hunter’s familiarity with some of the younger pitchers make the move. Barnes and Thompson are killing the lineup when they play. I know Barnes had a big hit the other night, but it really was an error by the 3rd baseman. Thompson is toast! Sorry trace but goodbye. Would still inquire about Kris Bryant, perfect fit especially if Mookie moves to short full time. Kershaw crying crocodile tears? Really winners of notta damn thing? When’s the last time Clayton was suspended 80 games? Classless bunch! Never an advocate of throwing at a hitter, but losing your grip on a 95 mile an hour fastball happens sometimes! Wouldn’t that be disgraceful? Nah
ESPN GAME
7:10 PM ET
Dodgers (20-14) 1st place
Padres (18-16) 2GB
SP Julio Urias L
4-3 3.86 ERA 39.2IP 45K
SP Joe Musgrove R
1-0 10.80 ERA 8.1IP 9K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
DH J. Heyward L
CF James Outman L
2B M. Vargas R
LF D. Peralta L
SS Chris Taylor R
Partly-cloudy-day
1% Precipitation
64° Wind 14 mph L-R
While Kershaw is no longer an ace by most definitions he has been the Dodgers best starter so far. I think that whatever they do with Betts they just need to do it. Play him at short and leave him there or leave him in right field. Just quit bouncing him back and forth.
Just a couple of names for right handed batters that are hitting well against lefties this year, Nick Senzel and Victor Robles. Not a lot of power but decent contact numbers. Can’t imagine either would cost much in prospect capital.
There’s filthy then this: HBP/K
Open on www.instagram.comhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/Cr8V_iggmTK/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==Vida was always fun to watch. His MVP year #’s are crazy: 24-8, 24 complete games, 8 shutouts, 300+ K’s, 1.82 era. That run the A’s had was pretty cool. They were the Kings back then. RIP.
Not sure JDM is done with his back injury, not sure Mookie should be an everyday SS, not sure Rojas is an everyday SS, not sure CT3 can reduce his K’s, not sure Nelson is done with his attempt to get back to the big leagues but I AM SURE Trayce Thompson is a terrible MLB player right about now.
I know it has been said he covers a lot of outfield ground with his long strides. but he played the double by Sullivan horribly and looked like he “half-assed” his approach to the ball and his AB’s are terrible. Queue the eventual DFA is 3,2,1………………..
How about a spitball trade? Miller and Cartya for Jordan Walker… We need a quality outfielder and St. Louis needs pitching and catching. We are deep in catching and pitching. I look forward to your responses.
Mark, yesterday’s comments you made on Vargas’ quickness aren’t matching up with your Vargas Post today.
Does anyone else cringe when Graterol enters the game in a critical situation? How many leads/games does Brustar have to blow before we realize he’s not a high leverage guy?
Saturday scores
Oklahoma City 3, El Paso 2
Tulsa 9, San Antonio 2
Great Lakes 7, Quad Cities 6 (10 innings)
Rancho Cucamonga 10, Lake Elsinore 0 (Game 1)
Rancho Cucamonga 4, Lake Elsinore 3 (Game 2)
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Ben Casparius) vs. Quad Cities (Tyson Guerrero)
11:05 a.m.: Oklahoma City (Robbie Erlin) at El Paso (Jay Groome)
11:05 a.m.: Tulsa (Kyle Hurt) vs. San Antonio (Jackson Wolf)
1:15 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Peter Heubeck) at Lake Elsinore (Austin Krob)