Let the Young Pups Play

Puppies . . .  who doesn’t love them?   Part of the charm of puppies is training them and teaching them to help them along the way in their growth to dogs.  “Raising a puppy is not necessarily easy, but it’s an adventure that’s full of rewards as you develop a deep bond with your pup that will last throughout his life. A lot of patience and a little extra effort will turn your rambunctious pup into a fun‑loving gentleman that will make all the effort that goes into his development worthwhile.”   Much the same can be said about developing young baseball players.  It’s not easy, but there’s a ton of enjoyment, once they’re trained and able to play.   I have to admit that as long as I have been a Dodger fan, I have always been partial to those young pups that are drafted and developed by the Dodgers.  I love following them as they come up through the ranks.  

June 13, 1973, is a date that not many of you will remember.  Certainly, you won’t remember who the Dodgers played that day or what the outcome of the game was (although I’m sure that some of you will take the time to google it).   The Dodgers played the Philadelphia  Phillies, who absolutely took it to the Dodgers beating them 16-2.   What was important about that day and the game was not the score, but rather that it was the first time that Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron “the Penguin” Cey played in the infield together.   All four had been drafted by the Dodgers and had been developed to take another player’s place in the lineup.

On June 13, 1973, the starting lineup had Cey at 3^rd, Russell at short, Lopes at 2^nd and Tom Paciorek at 1^st.  There’s nothing historic about a Cey‑Russell‑Lopes‑Paciorek infield, but that’s why it was so important that the Phillies beat up on the Dodgers.   Billy Buckner was being groomed to take over first base from Wes Parker.  However, on June 13^th, he had the day off and Paciorek took his place in the starting lineup.  By the 4^th inning, the Dodgers were getting beat so badly, that Walt Alston took center fielder Willie Davis out of the game and moved Paciorek to center.   Steve Garvey was then put into the game at first.  Ten days later, Alston, partially at the suggestion of Billy Buckner, who had agreed to move to left field, started the foursome together.  It would be the first of 833 times that Garvey, Lopes, Russell, and Cey started together. They would be teammates and starters until the end of 1981.   The pups were allowed to play and were the Dodgers ever rewarded for that decision.  

All four players had been drafted by the Dodgers and developed through their system.   Back then the Dodgers had a bunch of young prospects looking to make their mark, and many of them played infield.   The veteran of the bunch was shortstop Bill Russell, at age 24, who had been drafted as a center fielder and then switched to shortstop.  He had gradually taken over the starting position at short from an aging Maury Wills over the previous couple of years.   One week into the 1973 season, 25-year-old, Ron Cey became the starting 3b.   The power-hitting Cey had also been drafted and developed by the Dodgers.   He had taken over 3B from Steve Garvey.  Garvey had been groomed to take over 3B from an aging Dick Allen.   Unfortunately, due to a football injury, Garvey couldn’t make the throw from 3^rd to 1^st with any kind of accuracy to save his life.    Less than two weeks after Cey was inserted into the lineup, Alston started a 28‑year‑old minor leaguer,  Davey Lopes, making perhaps his last chance to stick in the majors. Lopes proved to be an all‑time great late bloomer.   The Dodgers were seeking a replacement for Jim Lefebvre, who was released in 1972, and  Lee Lacy, who had some memorable moments for the Dodgers, but couldn’t quite produce enough as a starter.   At first base, the Dodgers were initially trying another young stud—Bill Buckner.  Paciorek was considered a fallback option for first.  On June 23, 1972, that all changed as Dodger fans got their first glimpse of what has to be considered by far the most stable infield starting quartet in baseball history.   From 1973‑81, they combined for 21 All‑Star selections, with each man receiving at least three. Garvey also won the 1974 NL MVP.  They helped the Dodgers win the National League Pennant in 1974, 1977, 1978, and 1981.   They won the World Series in 1981.   An amazing stretch of success.      

Sadly, despite their remarkable accomplishments, only Bill Russell retired as a Dodger.  Davey Lopes was the first to leave, as he was traded after the 1981 World Series to make room for another young pup developed by the Dodgers, Steve Sax.   The Dodgers let Steve Garvey leave as a free agent after the 1982 season, as they were willing to hand over 1B to Greg Brock, another youngster developed by the Dodgers who had shown prodigious power and hitting skills in the minors.  After the 1982 season, Ron Cey also left by way of trade to the Cubs.   Once again, the Dodgers had another self-developed youngster (although he had played a few years for them in the outfield), in power hitting Pedro Guererro to whom they were willing to pass the reigns at 3B.  Bill Russell stayed with the Dodgers until 1986, however, his playing time started to diminish by 1984, when the Dodgers started to turn the position over to Dave Anderson and Mariano Duncan, who, like the others, were both players developed by the Dodgers.  

I have no doubt that the Dodgers faced tremendous risk when they inserted the young pups into the lineup in 1973.   Moreover, while I’m certain the Dodgers had some idea of how good they could be, they were still young pups, and no matter what the talent level and training, young pups don’t always pan out.  That subject is a post for another day.  

As presently situated, the Dodgers of 2020, are not too dissimilar than the Dodgers of 1973.  They have a mix of older players, and some, like Ryu, Hill, Freese, and Martin have moved on through free agency and retirement.   Thus, a question this offseason, as well as in spring training will be:  are Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Julio Urias ready to make the step forward and take their place in the starting rotation and the bullpen, without skipping a beat?   Can Ross Stripling step it up and be a part of the rotation?   Personally, I think they can.  What about Will Smith and Austin Barnes?   Are they capable of handling catcher at the same level, or better, than Yasmani Grandal and Russ Martin?   Once again, I believe they can.  I’m not unmindful that Will Smith can turn into this season’s version of the “poor hitting” Austin Barnes.   On the other hand, he could be working his butt off this off-season to make himself a better player.  The same is true with Barnes.   How about  Gavin Lux, is he ready to be the next Davey Lopes or Steve Sax at second base?   I think so.  He certainly has the talent that those players had.  

In the past couple of years, Dodger fans have been blessed as we watched Bellinger take over for Adrian Gonzalez(and then the departed Puig).   He’s done quite well and he’s only 24.  Cory Seager took over shortstop from Jimmy Rollins.  He’ll be 26 in April.  Is Francisco Lindor a better player than Seager?   I’m not that convinced he is.  In the past month or so, AC has written a few posts wherein he has taken a very deep look at their comparative statistics, and shown, that statistically, Seager has been the better player (excepting his injured year).   I can hear all the “he’s not clutch in the playoffs” arguments now.  However, even taking that into consideration, it is my opinion that Seager should remain a Dodger.   The only way that I would consider trading him is if I was 90-100% certain that he would not sign with the Dodgers once he hits free agency.   Otherwise, he stays a Dodger.   Joc Pederson took over for Andre Ethier when he was 23.  While he can’t hit left-handed pitching (neither could Ethier), would Nick Castellanos necessarily be better than him in the outfield?  Once again, I’m not so sure that he would.   Alex Verdugo, who is just 23, did an admirable job taking over for Puig in the lineup.   Until he was injured, he had a really good first season.   I expect bigger things from him this year.  Is Mookie Betts a better player than Verdugo?  Today, yes.  However, Verdugo has a lot of growth ahead of him and it’s not that absolutely crazy to think that he could be as good as Betts.  I’m not saying that he will be, but it’s not completely out of the realm of possibilities, as Verdugo is not lacking in talent.   While not developed by the Dodgers, Kike just turned 28.  Maybe he turns into a version of Davey Lopes, who broke out in his 28th year.   They are similar talents, it’s just a matter of Kike putting it all together and becoming more consistent.   And there is still Beatty, Rios, and Garlick.   These three have also shown they have the talent and are capable of contributing.   How much will they contribute this year?  

On the pitching side, Dustin May turned 22 in September.  In a small sample size last year he did quite well.   He has some of the most wicked stuff that I’ve seen.   Is he as good as Gerrit Cole?   Nope, not this year.   But once again, it’s not that crazy to think that May, in a couple of years, could be as good.  Cole was 10-7 in his age 22 year.  I’ll take that from May this year.   That’s a lot better than the 4-1 we got from Rich Hill last year.    In his age 24 year, Cole was lights out.   Perhaps May will be as well, as he gets 2 more years under his belt.  Julio Urias is 23.   Is he as good as Hyun-Jin Ryu?.   Right now, no.   Can he be?   Absolutely.   I would not be surprised if this year Urias pitched at a Jack Flaherty level.  Last year, Flaherty, in his age 23 season was 11-8.   Once again, I would take that from Urias this year.    Tony Gonsolin is 25.  Is he presently as good as Ken Giles?   Nope.  Can he be?   Absolutely.   Waiting in the wings we have some additional young pups in the kennel, Josiah Gray, Mitchell White, Jimmy Lewis, Gerardo Carillo, Marshall Kasowski, and a host of others, who are nipping at the heals of the majors.   

This wasn’t meant to be an exhaustive analysis(obviously) of each of the players discussed.  Nor is was it intended as an exhaustive analysis of the subject matter.   I just wanted to point out that at the end of 1972, Dodger fans, probably hoping for a big trade, or big free-agent signing, had no idea that Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey were about to become the legendary “Garvey, Lopes, Russell, and Cey.”   But even crusty old Alston knew enough to let the pups play and look at what happened.  

I share, with you, some of the disappointment of how the off-season has developed.  Cole or Rendon would have looked nice in Dodger blue.   Now that ship has sailed.   I remember, however, when he was asked how come the Dodgers had traded a certain prospect who was very highly thought of with Baseball America and the like, that former Dodger GM, Dan Evans said: “We certainly know our prospects a whole lot better than others do.”   I expect that the same is true for our current front office.   They have a really good idea about who they have in the young pups.  Therefore, I have no hesitation, whatsoever, about letting these young pups play.   Besides, they’re our pups and I’m excited to see how they do when the spotlight is turned on them.