I am not sure they should be called UFO’s but on the other hand undrafted free agents are somewhat like unidentified flying objects. They don’t get any attention during the annual MLB draft but all of a sudden make an appearance when we least expect it.
Following the 2021 First-Year Player Draft, in which the Dodgers selected 19 players of whom 12 have been signed, they have signed seven UFO’s. (The deadline to sign 2021 draft picks is 2 p.m. PT on Sunday, August 1.)
Of note, the Angels have signed 21 undrafted free agents which by far the most signed by any MLB team. The Phillies are second with ten signings. The Dodgers currently are fourth.
The Dodgers most recent UFO signing is outfielder Gaige Howard who is a 2021 Southland Baseball All-Academic Second Team majoring in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration at New Orleans University.
Howard was born in Carlsbad, California and attended high school at Santa Fe Christian in Solana Beach. Following graduation from high school he headed off to Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio for one year. From there he returned to California in 2018 and attended Cabrillo College, a community college in Aptos.
For the next three years he studied at the University of New Orleans and played baseball with the Privateers. Current Tulsa Driller, left-hander Bryan Warzek, is also a graduate from the baseball program at UNO. He graduated from New Orleans one year before Howard came on board.
With the Privateers Howard played 70 games posting a triple slash of.307/.422/.385 and an OPS of .803. He struck out 33 times and walked 48 times.
Howard, now 23, is a 6’1”/220-lb. left-handed hitter who throws right. Undrafted, I expect he did not know what his baseball future would hold, until three days ago. However, he had not given up on his dream.
“I’m really excited to be a Dodger,” said Howard. “Being able to play professionally is something I dreamed about since I was a little kid and I can’t wait for the opportunity to get to work.”
He feels he made a good choice in transferring to New Orleans and certainly earned his stripes. Like current OKC Dodger, Zach Reks , Howard earned a spot on the Privateers roster as a walk-on. Reks had a similar story with Kentucky.
“I’m thankful I got the opportunity to play at UNO and at a high level because it taught me a lot about how to improve my game and make great relationships with teammates. I’m really grateful to have had Coach Dean who gave me the opportunity to walk on and earn my role. He’s always been in my corner and has taught me a lot about the game and how to be a professional.”
In his Privateer career, Howard had a .422 on-base percentage. During his first season, he hit .330 and was third team All-Southland. Howard also landed on the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List twice.
“Gaige is someone we gave a chance to and he took advantage of it,” said head coach Blake Dean. “He worked relentlessly and I’m glad to see him get an opportunity at the next level. I know he will continue to strive to be the best he can.”
Welcome aboard Gaige.
We have another rainy day so outside work for me is rained out and Elaine has taken a friend for a medical appointment in the city so I will briefly introduce another UFO.
This UFO is perhaps my favorite so far but with bias. He is a Canadian boy from Barrie, Ontario. Having gone undrafted he is not a Larry Walker, Joey Votto, Russell Martin or Eric Gagne. However, Russell and Eric had slow starts so who knows.
As mentioned, catcher/infielder Max Hewitt was born and raised in the Barrie area of Ontario. He began playing T-ball at age five and finished his college career at Oklahoma State University.
Hewitt graduated from Eastview High School in Barrie in 2015 and for a year really had no baseball offers. That did not deter him as he trained and because of his age he was still eligible to play travel ball. During that gap year, he continued training in Toronto and also in New Lowell at Smith Brothers Baseball Central. New Lowell is a small town in Ontario.
In November of 2015 he did get a call. It was from Connors State College in Warner, Oklahoma, inviting him for a visit. Playing as an infielder he slash line was .436/.507/.564 with an OPS of 1.071 and 67 RBI in 60 games. His community college year in Warner opened another door for him, one of his choosing. He chose Oklahoma State University and immediately fell in love with OSU.
“I loved it for so many reasons, one of which was that all the team was in the same hall at the dorm,” said Hewitt. “It was so much fun and I got to do my favourite thing everyday. That fall we were playing scrimmages and inter-squad games that lasted 14, 16 sometimes 18 innings. It’s been awesome, it feels like home now.”
Hewitt, now 23, played four seasons with the Cowboys with a triple slash of .317/.431/.385 and an OPS of .816. He continued to walk more often than striking out.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from OSU and was not able to go home to Barrie for over a year and a half because of Covid-19. In the meantime he continued to train and realistically prepare for the 2021 draft.
“As in life, nothing in baseball is ever promised,” said Hewitt. “I know I won’t get drafted high, if I get picked at all in the 20 rounds, because I’m a senior. But it sounds like things are picking up and that there is a bit of interest from some teams.”
OSU had lost in the NCAA Tournament regional to UC Santa Barbara eliminating them from competition.
“I really wanted to win some more games; we all did,” said Hewitt. “But it is what it is. I just got back from an LA Dodgers camp and will be looking forward to the draft.”
Hewitt wasn’t selected in the draft but did stay on the Dodgers contact list. It will be another difficult climb for the 6’0”/192-lb. left-handed hitter who like the aforementioned Paige Howard throws right.
For his first three years at OSU he played as a utility player and was not able to lock down a starting role. Then to begin the 2021 season coach Josh Holliday needed a catcher. Hewitt, who had never caught, answered the call playing 55 games in his senior year. Both he and his coach were pleased with their decision to put him behind the plate.
“Anyway I can help the team,” Hewitt said. “Even now practice at second, third and short just in case something were to happen. Stay sharp at all those positions. It just so happened that we needed a role filled and I’m glad I’ve been able to step into that.”
“He’s just competing extremely well,” Holliday said. “He plays the pitches correctly, he prepares really, really good and cares a great deal about performing well — because he’s proud and he wants to win — and he wants to play for his team. He’s playing for the right reasons. He’s not scared. It gives him the courage to get up there and deliver.”
Hewitt is one of many young men who love to play, appreciate that they can and see the game as part of a bigger picture. There are kids watching, just as he used to.
I like playing,” Hewitt said with a smile. “I try to do my best every day at this school. To be able to get on the field and contribute like that — it’s a special feeling. It’s been a long time coming for me to be able to help the team that way.”
As for those kids, who chose to watch a non-conference baseball game instead of Bedlam basketball being held just a block away, he didn’t have to give them a minute of his time. He didn’t have to stand there and sign countless baseballs until he was the last player left on the field, but he said that he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Welcome aboard Max.
Feature Picture is of 2020 signed UFO, Robbie Peto
Discussion (52)
Disagree, not disagreeable
The Pads are in trouble with the Reds breathing down their necks for the second wild card and the trading deadline has passed. Darvish has not been the same pitcher since the enforcement of the sticky stuff.
Yeah….we won!
Belli got two hits….
The bullpen was almost flawless except for two pitches.
It’s all good….well, almost….Giants won! Ugh!
Okay, it is now 2:41 Am, I am heading to the lake to get in some line time. And here is my last take until later today. Last night 8 different players had hits, 7 of them had multiple hits. The only starter without a hit, McKinney. Cody ended up 2-5 with a run scored. I know they were infield hits, but it still looks like a line drive in the scorebook. Other than his final at bat where he struck out, he made contact which is an improvement. Long way to go yes, but at least it is a start. He also made a great play in CF and that boys and girls is the main reason he is still playing. The oldest guy on the roster drove in 2 runs and one of those hits barely made it over the fielders head. Albert is a marvel. Now hitting .240 over all and better than that as a Dodger. Cleavenger still has not proved to me that he is ready for prime time. He has some good stuff, but he hangs one now and then, and .210 hitters are not supposed to be the ones you expect to hit one out. Ahmed has been a pain in the Dodgers neck for several years. I thought White did a good job, and I also think Dave should have left him in to finish the inning. If he is stretched out next season, I could see him as a starter easily. Give the opposing pitchers credit sometimes. Gallen and Kelly both did good jobs. Kelly was a little shaky at first then settled down and got pulled when he walked a batter. Unfortunately for him, the reliever hung a cookie and Turner robbed the cookie jar. News on Tatis is not really great for SD. There is a possibility he might need season ending shoulder surgery. If so, that is a huge blow to SD who also lost Paddack the same day. About a week to welcome Trea Day. Coolest thing on last night’s broadcast was watching Scherzer hold court with Buehler, Barnes, Kershaw and Dave and the coaches and also Tio Albert laughing and talking to the hitters. Great time to be a Dodger fan. 3 for sure Hall of Famers on this team, Pujols, Scherzer and Kersh.
In baseball it matters how you finish. They stalled for a couple of innings and then came on strong late. Thank you JT and Tio Albert for the clutch hits and a 8-3 win. Padres lost again.
Twitter had the right idea when it originally limited comments to 68 characters.
Great news for Jorge. That little bitch landed on the IL this time. Can’t just keep getting cortisone shots I guess.
Pray this doesn’t go into extra innings…..
They are the worst team in baseball why can’t we kick their ass?
Another close game with the last team en mlb. Unbelievable. 3 runs in a inning and after that nothing. Be careful to come to the late of the game in a close run, surely we are going to lose. I don’t see passion in this team right now. They must go out to eat the last team but they lost game insted
Nice start by White. Only mistake came after he walked a hitter and boom, a HR. But other than that, nice outing. They are at least getting some hits.
Some really strong comments today as I read through these posts., so I’ll pass on commenting. How nice is it to see Scherzer, Kershaw and Buehler in the dugout chatting it up! Max is such a tough nose competitor and looks great in Dodger Blue. Can’t wait for his compadre Trea Turner to join in, and hopefully a healthy Betts. That would surely lengthen the lineup and produce more runs, you’d think. Gonsolin hasn’t looked good all year, hope if he comes back it’s just bullpen, doesn’t seem like he’s physically able to start.
That Bunt attempt by Mitch White was pathetic. I want the DH.
A good throw gets Vanmeter at second. We probably won’t see a good throw from right until Mookie gets back.
Seager not playing is simply the way Roberts and the Dodgers do things anymore. 4 hour game, first game back They want him for the long haul, not one game. And he can still come off of the bench in a clutch situation. Who would you rather see coming off of the bench, Seager or McKinstry? Tatis to 10 day IL. Mookie will be back tomorrow.
I’m rambling and cranky more that usual today. I don’t usually share medical information on the Internet, but with things the way they are, I will this time.
I got my first Moderna Jab on Thursday evening. I slept like crap all night and it felt like someone punched me hard in the arm. I’m a big guy 6′ 260 on a good day, and don’t normally bruise or acknowledge pain easily. I’m 53 and still bench 300. I’m a fat guy, but not a soft guy.
Anyways, I got up at the just before the crack of dawn with crappy sleep, either from the vax, or from the excitement of the trade deadline with sand in my eyes, chills, muscle aches and all the other symptoms of a mild flu including a super highway from the farm to the sanitation plant. I must have been the side effects from the jab because it certainly wasn’t my Tagliatelle with Genovese meat sauce with beef and pancetta that I ate that night right before getting poked, not in a good way. Is it ever a good way for a man to get poked? I digress.
Although I slept like a rock last night, I’ve had more of the same today.
So, I went a year and half through the pandemic, only wearing a mask when required at the box stores, never got sick and as soon as I do the right thing, doing my part to move towards the goal of herd immunity, against my better judgement, I’m sicker now than I have been since all this nonsense started. Well maybe doing my part, or trying to get ahead of King Gavin’s upcoming restrictions on the unvaccinated. Tomato, tomato I guess.
Just another reason to not trust the government and the bullcrap that the media keeps pushing like how everyone and everything is racist. I can’t believe people will feign outrage at a fellow Dodgers fan, a brother who just likes to express his disgust at that despicable team to the South of us. Jorge is Mexican, as in lives in Mexico. He probably doesn’t get all the brainwashing about fake racism that we get in the States, so cut him a break.
You have to understand, you’re fake outrage and offense is just as offensive to some of us as the offense you claim to have. So who’s offense is more valid? Is it racist of you to assume that your offense is of greater value than mine?
Stop getting so offended and stop letting the media control your mind. Speak to other people and understand that others have the right to their opinions.
Okay, there’s my apology to those I’ve offended the last two days. Next week I won’t have an excuse. And hopefully tomorrow, I’ll be back in the normal routine of having other things to do besides writing long posts on this site.
Well, just my normal amount.
It’s amazing what the Giants produce offensively with their talent level versus us! Posey is the only guy on their team that would play for us!
Helvetica, Arial and Times New Roman walk into a bar…
Bartender yells “Get out of here! We don’t serve your type”.
I don’t know Jorge, but he often seems pissed off. I don’t abide calling someone a monkey.
STB, you are confused. People say hateful things on this site all the time. Everyone opened their mouth when they thought it was racist. Hatred and racist are two different things. Say what you mean and mean what you say. I’ll apologise when you’re right.
Daniel Estrade hats the lack of urgency by Roberts and some players. Are you going to get offended now?
Bullpen, my final comment on this,
I’m not offended, so you can stop insisting that I am. You seem to know everything about everyone, but in this case you don’t. I expressed my opinion that I thought Jorge’s comment was inappropriate. I am sorry you were so offended by that.
I hate the lack of urgency of Roberts and some players
Does Somebody know why Seager is out from lineup?
Tonight’s lineup:
SS Chris
2b Max
3B Justin
C Will
LF AJ
CF Cody
1B Matt
RF Bill McKinney
P Mitch White
Bullpen, I am not easily offended, not by what you said or by what Jorge said. It’s pretty reasonable not to refer to people with such disregard and disrespect as Jorge did with his comment.
If you are someone who doesn’t think so you are certainly in titled to that. I think it’s a bit below the spirit of this blog. That’s my opinion.
I do not read The NY Times, and you probably don’t actually know what Jorge meant when he referred to Tatis as the monkey.
Furthermore, I have never heard of a person called BulldogsandPenguins, but am not going to whine about a name change.
Gonsolin to the IL – more shoulder inflammation
Raley and Graterol optionned
Cleavinger, Uceta recalled
Scherzer activated.
I wish people on this site would stop getting so offended. I guess the term monkey could be used as racial slur towards black people. In case you haven’t noticed Tatis Jr. ain’t black, he’s Latino. Ironically enough, Jorge Valenzuela is probably also Latino. Put two and two together and you can reasonably assume that Jorge didn’t mean it as a racial slur.
Even more ironically, Bobo is the name of a very famous monkey and I’ve never heard of a single human being named Bobo. So change you’re freaking screen name because I think it’s a racial slur.
So stop being offended you bunch of Karens and let some shit go. A couple of days ago someone here thought Cholo was a racial slur. Stop reading the New York times you sissies.
By the way Jorge, Tatis Jr. reminds me of the Angels rally monkey, I just never said so until now. Next time, just refer to Jr. as that little bitch instead.
Just started reading today’s post, got as far as Jorge’s comment regarding
“ the monkey ”. Jorge your hate for the Padres and hate for people who play for the Padres is pretty disgusting, in my opinion. Not that my opinion would matter.
To refer to Tatis as the monkey is a bit over the top and makes me think you are the uncivilized one. Get it together man. Leave those comments at home, please. We get you don’t like the Padres but you don’t have to embarrass yourself every time you mention it.
At the end of the fifth inning, with the score 2-3, Roberts had in the bullpen available and line them up: Nelson in the sixth, Kelly 7, Treinen 8 and Jansen 9, had the best of their bullpen to fight that game but sent again Graterol in the sixth inning and then Vesia, he put the OKC bullpen, in and you know what happened.
For all the Doc Roberts fans, can someone point to an example other than his winning percentage? Is Mattingly a good manager? He was last year when the Marlins were winning and was NL Manager of the Year. Bochy couldn’t win in SD but got 3 WS in SF. Was he a bad manager in SD and then became good as soon as he arrived in SF? Its easy to say “a guy is good because he wins or bad because he loses”. Instead, point to the great decisions he makes that enables his team to win ballgames.
I think Doc Roberts should take Crash Davis’ advice and scare the shit out of his player – “Just a bunch of lollygaggers!”
According to MLBTR, although not naming any particular source, AF when discussing the “big trade” with the Nats was intent on holding on to Pepiot, Miller and Knack.
I guess we can conclude that Andrew valued each of those three more than he did Gray. With Pepiot and Knack promoted today I would guess that Miller won’t be far behind, and possibly Cartaya also.
Corey not in the starting lineup SS Taylor, 2B Muncy, 3B Turner, C Smith, LF Pollock, CF Bellinger, 1B Beaty, RF McKinney, P White. No one in D-Backs starting lineup has more than 8 HR’s. First 5 in Dodger order all in double figures,
Here’s the other two guys to Tulsa Bear.
Brad Tunney – Loons Play-by-play announcer
@brad_tunney
A lot of exciting movement in the #Dodgers system today… here’s what’s happening in Great Lakes:
Landon Knack, Cameron Gibbens, Jose Martinez, and Justin Yurchak promoted to Tulsa.
Hyun-Il Choi, Aldry Acosta promoted from Rancho. Edward Cuello added from Tulsa.
Some thoughts on last night:
* Did I miss the new promo, when Dodgers pitchers walk 10 guys, everybody gets a free Jumbo Jack?
* Orel babbled on early about how sweet it would be to beat the Pads especially with Max on the hill. Win a game first.
* There’s too much scoreboard watching in the booth. Win a game. first
* It was announced that with a bullpen game coming up, no relief pitcher would be extended. Even if they were being effective. Like Treinen. Doc wants to save that pen for tomorrow. So after Gonsolin’s pitiful start only Bickford went 1.1 innings.How about spending some bullets to win this game and let tomorrow take care of itself?
* Bellinger needs to retooling his swing this off season. As mentioned by others, I have seen no adjustments except moving about 2 inches off the plate. I’ve heard all the stats and excuses. He’s hit his way for a long time. But it’s stopped working. He was 0 for 5 agin, leaving 4 critical runners left on base.
* Don’t laugh. I would have strongly considered bunting with Bellinger in the 8th after Smith’s walk and Pollock’s single with no outs to get to McKinney and Albert. Move the runners.
* Muncy is fun to watch hit. He has a great eye and approach. I like his swing, especially with 2 strikes. He took the outside fastball the other way for a single. Just a beautiful swing. He has great balance staying on the pitch. His lack of head movement is something to copy. His head moves forward a little but it does not bob up or down. That keeps his eyes on the ball. I hear that’s important.
* Without McKinney’s great catch the 6th, that inning could have been a back breaker.
* Am I dreaming or are more guys beating the shift? Beaty and McKinney both did. Why would anybody shift on McKinney anyway?
* Back to the 1st and 3rd strategies. Joe and especially Orel needed to talk less about the pitch selection and tell us where the infield was positioned with 1st and 3rd, one out, top 9. The TV didn’t show it. Are they in at the corners, DP depth in middle or everywhere? In all the way to cut down the run? It’s important. If the infield is in, the double play around the horn is practically impossible. so I don’t go on contact and run into an out. Keep the 2nd and 3rd alive for 2 runs. Turns out they were at DP depth everywhere. We had the contact play on as we should have but Smith hit into a 5-4-3 DP to end the inning.
* We certainly make things interesting, I’ll say that.
I have a really good feeling about Danny Duffy and his trade makes a lot of sense for me.
AF knew there was only one closer on the market worth getting and the ChiSox, not learning from their past mistake of trading Sammy Sosa, the future face of the Cubs franchise that shares a city with them. They played Deja vu all over again and traded their own future Jose Altuve clone in Nick Madrigal to their cross town rivals.
The Dodgers did not have a match as the ChiSox were looking into Miller and Pepiot, but ultimately decided on Madrigal and a reliever with a lot of upside. Probably a good decision since Madrigal already has an impressive 317 batting average in 303 career ABs spread across his age 23 and 24 seasons. He is a sure thing with game changing bat to ball skills even if he isn’t too sexy in the power department. Miller and Pepiot have Ace upside, but you never know with the volatility of pitchers that haven’t pitched above the AA level and I’m pretty sure AF wasn’t too crazy about trading either of them.
With the Scherzer deal being discussed, Duffy made a lot of sense. With JoJo going to the Nats in the same deal, we lost our insurance Starting Pitcher and with Gonsolin’s suspect shoulder and lack of command and diminished velocity, insurance for the insurance was needed.
The Dodgers seem to love the idea of having a multi inning lefty in the pen. They’ve seen enough from Andrew Miller, Josh Hader, Drew Pomeranz and Zach Britton to know how valuable they are. Not to mention, it’s trendy to have one, so naturally the geeks upstairs are on board.
They loved Julio in that role last year, but 12 wins as a starter this season fully justifies his fixture in the rotation no matter how successful he was in the multi inning lefty role. You see, a dominant starter inherently has more value than any reliever.
They tried to turn David Price into that guy, but it didn’t work to plan. An inherent problem with Davis is that his first inning is his worst inning like many starters who take an inning to get going. Price’s recent interviews saying that he prefers starting says much more than those simple words. He obviously doesn’t want to go on public television to plead his case to start, but he doesn’t seemed thrilled to have a bullpen role on a team that needs starting pitching. It was one thing when the rotation was Bauer, Kersh, Bueller, Urias and May. It’s a different story now when he’s opening bullpen games.
Enter Duffy. Initial reports were that Duffy could be back mid to late August from his second flexor tendon strain this year. He might be ahead of that schedule if they choose to go the reliever route with him, but building him up until they need him is a solid plan and Knebel coming back soon and adding to the bullpen gives you a little more flexibility. He was excellent as a starter before and after his first flexor strain this year and has plenty of experience pitching in relief.
I would imagine that the plan for the starting rotation will be to have Scherzer, Bueller, Keshaw, Urias and Price continue on as starters with Gonsolin probably headed to the IL to get him to work on his command. Don’t get me wrong, he’s been clearly effective as a starter except for the fact that he never goes deep into ballgames. He’s only pitched through 6 four times in 30 career starts and has never recorded an out in the 7th inning.
Price, on the other hand, was a workhorse throughout his career. He’s just one year older than Kershaw so there’s no reason to think he can’t get back into that workhorse role again after sitting a year and a half and being used sparingly so far this season. He had a very solid season in 18 when the Sox whipped us in the World Series even though he was pitching with a cyst in his hand. The next year he was effective, but the cyst ultimately landed him on the IL and in for surgery to finally address the issue. Now, fully healthy and touching 95, he should absolutely be able to fill the 5th spot in the rotation. Especially now that Duffy is earmarked for that multi inning lefty role.
It’s kismet that Duffy arrives at this deadline to provide us with two roles that AF had the foresight of seeing. He provides the insurance to the rotation that we lost with the departure of Jojo and fills the multi inning lefty role that Price isn’t well suited for. He can also be brought in when rosters expand in September and make a spot start to give our guys and extra day of rest during the stretch run.
If you don’t believe in kismet, check this out…
https://dodgersway.com/2021/07/31/dodgers-danny-duffy-tommy-lasorda-ball/
Pepiot promoted to AAA. Four players promoted to Tulsa. Knack and Gibbens were two of the players promoted.
My 2 cents on Bellinger, the bullpen and Doc.
You can talk all you want about Doc’s record but he has benefited greatly by a front office that has given him superior players. Another words it is the superior players he has had that has lead to his record. Another words a lot of times they win despite Doc.
The bullpen is mediocre and stats prove it. I don’t need to rehash this subject.
As for Bellinger. He will come around eventually, but there comes a time to bench him/send him to AAA when he is clearly hurting the team offense. That time will be when Betts and T. Turner are ready to go.
Meanwhile we failed to pick up a game on the Giants just like we did when we were facing the Giants. Failure to seize the moment.
Hey TM
ESPN give you batter vs pitcher stats.
You can search for a player and on his main page there is a “Bat vs Pitch” link.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/batvspitch/_/id/33912/cody-bellinger
The constant criticism of Dave Roberts absolutely baffles me. Do his in game moves sometimes frustrate me, absolutely. However how can anyone argue with the results. I understand the argument that anyone can win with the talent he’s been given but that disregards the difficulties involved in the game of baseball. Additionally, lots of Managers have been given great talent and Doc’s results place him at the top of his craft. The following list says it all:
Casey Stengel, Yankees winning %, .623
Dave Roberts, Dodgers winning %, .611
Joe Torre, Yankees winning %, .604
Sparky Anderson, Big Red Machine winning %, .596
Tony LaRussa, A’s winning %, .594
Earl Weaver, Orioles winning %, .583
Bobby Cox, Braves winning %, .557
Walter Alston, Dodgers winning %, .558
Tommy Lasorda, Dodgers winning %, .526
I think all of us would admit all the names on this list had great teams with great talent. Doc is at the very top of this list. He will make mistakes of judgement but the results more than speak for themselves, and overall he does a great job or he wouldn’t have the results he has.
A big part of the loss last night is Doc’s propensity to roll out that reliever to start an inning after sitting down trying to get another out out of him. Twice, he sent his reliever out there to start an inning after he finished the previous inning only to pull him after the first batter reaches base. Both times, that guy scored. We don’t even go to extras if he just pulls the reliever and lets a new one start the next inning with a clean slate. He does this all the time and never learns.
The other thing that constantly kills us is all those shift hits. Stop shifting with two strikes! Stop shifting against right handed hitters! Righties have a propensity to go the other way to advance a runner. By shifting on righties, you’re assuming that every other team has the poor strategy of pulling everything no matter what, like our team does.
When there’s two strikes on a lefty, other teams will make contact going the other way like Brandon Crawford did against Price in the first inning on Thursday. When you shift, you are limiting your pitcher by having him pitch into the pull instead of using his full arsenal. When your pitcher just walked three guys in a row, it’s obvious to anyone with a brain that you can’t trust him to pitch into the shift.
If anyone….TM… is hoping Bellinger will be on the bench tonight against Kelly…..think again. Roberts is analytic and probability driven. Bellinger is hitting .333 off of Kelly with 2 HR’s in 9 at bats. He will be starting. Pujols and Smith are the other two Dodgers who have homered against him. Muncy is hitting north of .600 against him. Belli will be in the lineup.,
I think that the focus on Bellinger, while somewhat warranted, obscures the real lesson of this game, which is, we do not have a good enough bullpen, and why did we not pick up a couple of decent relievers??
Gonsolin starts and gives up three runs in two innings. Then (I didn’t watch the game right through) we get to 3-2, and then Vesia gives up two runs. Then we battle back to eventually tie. We put Jansen in, in the eighth, not the ninth, saving Treinen. Jansen gives up a double, a walk, a single, and manages to get out of the bases loaded and one out situation, with the batter striking out on a high 3-2 fastball. After that singularly unimpressive effort by “our closer!,” Treinen pitched a good ninth, and then Nelson gave up the game winning hit. So we lost to Arizona.
How did anyone think that this bullpen was sufficient to win a title? Why did we not get somebody? This has been a problem all year. Now we are going to somehow try to win the division, and then the playoffs, with the worst bullpen of any contender in either league. It is not that our bullpen is terrible, it is just not very good. And imagine Jansen pitching in situations where we cannot afford to give up a run. Friedman did an excellent job in his pickups, but he unaccountably ignored a crucial need. And I don’t see how we can use Urias in playoff series as a reliever, as we only have three other starters, who pitches the fourth game? The only relievers I have some confidence in, in key situations, are Treinen, and to some extent Kelly, and they can only pitch one inning, apparently. What about the rest of the innings? Is it just bad luck that we are now 1-11 in extra inning games? We saw about six contenders make moves to upgrade their bullpens, and we just sat there and did not get one of them.
It’s a new day. So lets all smile and be happy. Nice write up. I love hearing about these guys who never give up on the dream. Never had that chance myself. But would not have mattered, I was not that good. I like most everyone here get frustrated when games like last night come along. But performance is squarely on the players. Putting his players in a position to succeed is on Roberts. It will be a bullpen game again, and my choice to start is easy. White…he did not pitch last night so he is fresh. I have not seen the lineup nor did I read anywhere that Seager was not playing, but I am pretty sure Dave is going to put Bellinger back out there hitting 6th or 7th. Right now my take is that part of the problem is the lack of production off of the bench. But they got 2 PH off the bench last night. Beaty and Pujols. McKinstry continued his struggles and is now down to .218. If anyone needs some AAA time, it is Zach. They used 8 pitchers last night. Kelly, Bickford, Nelson and Treinen were the only ones who did not walk anyone. Jansen will most likely not be available this evening. He walked 2 gave up a hit and struck out 3. But he was all over the place. By the way Badger, the unearned run was the automatic runner at second in the 10th. They played solid defense last night and Seager made a great backhand play and bounce throw to first. I do not know what the solution is to the offensive struggles. As for lack of fire, well I saw some frustration until Taylor’s HR. After that they all looked very into the game. The most frustration I saw from anyone came from Roberts. He was shaking his head while Catman was pitching. They did not expect that kind of performance. I do not know how many of you were watching the game, but I have never seen a pitcher short arm and bury as many pitches in the dirt as he did last night. He was never in control from the first pitch. Kelly pitching tonight for the Snakes. 0-2 with a 4.13 against LA in his career. Has allowed 6 HR to LA in 28 innings.
Interesting write-up, DC. Guessing with the limited drafts, these signings will become far more important to teams in the future.
As to the loss last night, Tony Gosselin, who was lights out Saturday, couldn’t find the strike zone. Created a mess. The Dodgers cannot afford to keep blowing games. They recovered, had a chance to win, failed to produce in the clutch again.
As to Cody Bellinger, I really do not believe that he will recover this year. Hope I’m wrong and there will be moments, but once Trea Turner arrives and with everybody back, Chris Taylor is going to play which means Cody will spend more time on the bench. Got to go with the hot bat and right now he’s hurting the team. The shoulder surgery, a late start in spring, then the leg fracture has a lot to do with his current play. no doubt messing with his head. I expect him to be pretty good next year. Get physically right, work on the swing etc.
The shoulder is nothing new, even last year it was giving him some problems. Now it’s fixed, but it usually takes a while to regain strength.
Basically, no one should give up on Bellinger, but expecting him to recover in the midst of a pennant race may be a bridge too far and somewhat unrealistic. The addition of Turner and the return of Seager and Betts probably changes the way the Dodgers move forward.
Interesting article in the Times today on what trading for Turner means to Seager moving forward. Will the Dodgers seek to retain Seager now? If they do, maybe they want him to switch to third, Turner move to DH. For now Turner will switch to second, play some short and a little center. He offers the Dodgers a dimension they didn’t have.
There’s just something missing with a group this talented and with such a horrible extra inning and one run loss record. It’s the little things that add up.
The more I read the comments on this site, the more I realize that a lot of the people with the most outrageous suggestions don’t actually watch the game.
As far as Belli goes, I understand it’s very frustrating. His “step in the bucket” approach doesn’t look right. But, if you go back to when he was one of the most dangerous hitters in the league and watch the tape, he was still stepping in the bucket.
Back in the 70’s it seemed like most players had a closed stance. In the 90’s everyone had an open stance and a big leg kick. There’s no one right way to get the job done, so I’m not gonna pretend that straightening out Cody is going to be an “easy button” fix for his problems such as not stepping the bucket. You can do a lot more damage than good trying to completely remake someone’s swing. See Joc Pederson.
I remember when Kemp was coming back from his shoulder injury. Now, he was bad by the Bison’s standards, but not “Cody bad” when he returned. But, he didn’t miss all of Spring Training like Belli, which also suggests Belli missed all the offseason as well.
It took Kemp quite a while before the shoulder loosened up and for him to start hitting like himself again. I remember him saying a he felt a pop right before he started hitting like himself again. They said it was the scar tissue breaking down, then his shoulder loosened up enough for the swing to work properly again. Once that happened, he started looking like he was back to his old self until the fateful ankle injury.
Back to Cody, without trying to rehash what’s wrong with his swing, I’m going to point out once again the unusual circumstances surrounding his recovery. You can choose to read and consider the facts, or just keep doing what you’re doing. And that apparently is, not watching the game, looking and the box score and being outraged.
He had no offseason with any sort of baseball activity. He didn’t swing a bat, instead he spent it doing whatever exercises to recover from his surgery that the Dodgers’ doctors and training staff advised him to do. He’s didn’t appear in a Spring Training game until the final week or so and only appeared in 4 games before the broken leg incident.
So, now he’s on the IL with a broken leg and a bum shoulder. How do you think his swing is gonna go? Do you think he was able to work on fixing his swing with his leg in a boot and a tight shoulder? He was out for just under 2 months recovering from the broken leg. He was rushed back with a minimal rehab assignment due to other injuries to multiple players and played in just 11 games before the hamstring goes after having back to back multi-hit games. Back to the IL.
After coming back again, he struggles getting back and as soon as he has a multi hit game, the hamstring balks again. This time no IL stint since the rest of the team is still pretty banged up.
He’s clearly gone through a lot this season, both physically and mentally. Most people that follow closely know that this is not ideal and is not indicative of what kind of player he is. A reasonable person can see that he’s clearly playing through injuries and then add in the frustration that one would experience after every time he starts to feel right, he gets hurt again.
He’s not a bad player, he wasn’t lost it. He’s playing hurt and he’s having a hard time getting his swing right because his legs and shoulder aren’t 100%. This is not his fault.
So what do you do going forward? In case you haven’t noticed, but Mookie is still out and McKinney is our right fielder. If you take Belli out, you’re going to have to put in someone else who probably hits just as crappy as Belli has been hitting, but without that gold glove defense in Center Field. If you watched the game last night you would know that he made another great catch that probably widens the score if anyone else was out there.
From where I’m sitting, I’ve seen Cody look like he was about to come out of his slump twice this year, just to get injured again. When Mookie and Turner arrive, you can send CT3 out there to play acceptable CF, but not on par with Cody’s defense. But, then CT3 won’t be able to spell JT, Mookie and Pollock, all of whom will need days to keep them fresh.
NorcalDodgerFan makes sense. Sit on the bench a couple of days, then roll him out there for a few. Rinse, wash repeat until he gets going.
Or, send him to the IL. Focus on the swing for a couple of days and then send him on a lengthy rehab assignment until he feels right.
You can do that once T. Turner shows up, COVID free and Mookie comes back and is able to play daily in RF. Until then, STOP YELLING IN ALL CAPS!!! It just makes you look like a petulant child throwing a temper tantrum. And stop blaming the loss on the number 7 hitter that makes a gold glove catch in CF when you can just as easily spend your time and ink complaining about Gonsolin, who clearly isn’t right either.
Dodgers: Corey Seager Will Be Out of the Lineup Saturday
by Brook Smith
Corey Seager’s long-awaited return to the Dodgers went about as well as it could. After weeks off due to a broken bone in his hand, Seager was back in the lineup on Friday night in Arizona. Unfortunately, it did not result in a win. The Dodgers dropped the game in extra-innings, .
Cody Bellinger is mired in a horrible slump. No excuses! He may need to sit a couple of games… or maybe he needs to play through it. I seriously doubt that anyone with a degree of baseball intellect thinks that sending him to OKC would be helpful. He knows and baseball talent evaluators know that hitting AAA pitching means very little. I also find it preposterous that he doesn’t listen and is not coachable. He is talking about it all the time with the coaches and Albert. Look at his swing in 2018 and maybe there are slight differences, but it is substantially the same.
I am a big picture person. I do not get sky high when they win and I don’t want to jump off buildings when they lose. Yes, there was a trade, but neither Turner or Scherzer are with the team. Give it time.
I also find it hilarious that a guy who is one of only 4 managers in ALL OF BASEBALL HISTORY to have a winning
of over .600 is so ridiculed. He is .02 percentage points asay from have the BEST winning percentage EVER… and he’s an idiot? Hummm…
I think a lot of people are not speaking from their brain, but maybe with their heart… or some other part of their body?
I just saw the play where the stupid monkey got injured, what a beautiful image, I loved it!
And by the way, keep saying that Bellinger will be fine, as long as he continues to hurt the team by being an automatic out, it doesn’t matter, there’s still a lot of time, right?
I admit I’m hyperbolic on occasion but the Dodgers top of the tenth inning was one of the worst fundamental baseball AB’s I have ever witnessed. Smith on 2B, three pitches later there are 2 outs after both Pollock and Bellinger fly out without even moving the runner to 3B. McKinney then ends the inning.
Do you think AJ and Belli might take a pitch to see how this pitcher who has a 5.87 ERA might perhaps pitch himself into a jam? No, three pitches = 2 outs.
Been saying it for several weeks that Belli looks like a stoned skate-boarder in Venice and not a superstar ML ball player that some still think he might be. As someone posted earlier, either he doesn’t listen to coaching or cannot make an adjustment. .156 AVG, .259 OBP, .281 SLG. Horrible numbers that don’t deserve a start in the line-up. Doc—please sit his butt down and let him watch a game or two on the bench. Enough of the excuses that some post here that he’ll be alright and that he just needs time to work his swing, he missed a complete off season, he’s recovering from a broken bone in his leg……Yada, yada, yada- dude is completely lost and needs to find himself on the outside looking in. It’s time for Belli to find a way and not an excuse……
“ Watch him closely”. You think we haven’t. We’ve been talking about it for weeks. There’s nothing he can do in okc that he can’t do here. He’s not going to change. That is obvious. You know what else is obvious? Hitting at Oklahoma doesn’t translate to hitting in the Majors. I think he’s close.
Thanks for the info DC. I’ll watch for those guys.
Speaking of info, there is an interesting article in the Atlantic regarding the delta variant. I strongly recommend everyone read it.
Losing to the dbacks. Wow. What can you say? Another bullpen game, Gonsolin sucked, send him to okc, and the box score said another unearned run. Again with the defense? I didn’t see it, I bailed. Couldn’t watch some guy named Gallen, with mediocre stuff, continue to mow us down. Anybody notice the umpiring sucked again? Seager back with 2 hits, no runs and no RBI’s. Box score said Pujols with a stolen base? Cant wait to hear the explanation on that.
Another wasted opportunity. Well, maybe with the new players that will stop.
Finally people on this site agree with me on Bellinger. He needs to go to Oklahoma City and completely change his hitting mechanics. You can’t have a slightly open stance and stride toward first base(stepping in the Bucket) instead of striding toward the pitcher. Impossible to hit that way. His swing is under the ball and missing center cut fastballs at 92 miles an hour. Watch him closely when he is at bat. His head is also moving when he does that. He is either very stubborn and won’t change or the hitting coaches are morons not to see this, He is hurting the team by being in the lineup.
I will read the article later, but having just gotten up, first thing I had to do was check the scoreboard, hoping we didn’t lose to the worst team in baseball who have no decent pitchers. Well……we did….another 10th inning loss, as usual. Are you kidding me?
So why didn’t we get one lousy run in the 10th? I see three fly outs with Cody being one. At least he didn’t strike out….but then I look at the box score and I see he went 0-5 again! Sigh!
Yesterday I was called by someone here “semi delusional “ mostly for wanting Cody sent down to the minors not to return until he shows he can hit. Or in the alternative, at least platooned, so we don’t have to see him strike out against lefties. Now I admit, I previously have been on a trade Cody bandwagon all week leading up to the deadline. When I saw that wasn’t going to happen, I went to Plan B….send his stinking butt down. I don’t care how fast he is, CT3 can play CF very well snd CT3 has much better stats than Cody the past 2 years, so yeah, send him down and play the better man.
After last night, I hope I now have some guys who are willing to come out of the closet and agree with me on this. Even if you bat him 8th, his 0-4 can and will hurt you, especially with the pitcher next.
With Scherzer, Turner, Seager, and Kershaw coming back, we need to come in 1st place. We don’t want to take the chance of losing one game and being done. We have to act now and we can’t do nothing waiting and hoping this guy will all of a sudden start hitting. NO MORE EXCUSES…ACT NOW!
TM
President of the “Bench Cody Fan Club”
PS. I apologize for having to vent this early in the morning…..but I am soooooooo angry losing to those bums.