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 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:

1. Mookie Betts would prefer to play SS over any other position; and
2. 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.