Rant Rave Friday
I want to clarify a few things: I have never said that Alex Verdugo would be Tony Gwynn. I do stand on my record of saying that he is Tony Gwynn-esque. His bat to ball skills is reminiscent of the late, great Tony Gwynn, but with more power. I also think he will win some batting titles. I do not think Keibert Ruiz is the next Roy Campanella. That was
I want to clarify a few things:
- I have never said that Alex Verdugo would be Tony Gwynn. I do stand on my record of saying that he is “Tony Gwynn-esque.” His bat to ball skills is reminiscent of the late, great Tony Gwynn, but with more power. I also think he will win some batting titles.
- I do not think Keibert Ruiz is the next Roy Campanella. That was said in the context of banter. I do think Ruiz will be VERY, VERY good, but I see no similarity to Campy. I do think Kaybear will be a pillar for the Dodgers, but I have been wrong before (Andy LaRoche).
- A headline on a Blog is there to grab a reader’s attention. Headlines sometimes say outrageous things. If you take headlines as literal then think about these: Here’s Johnny, Dodgertown Still Whispers in my Ear, Orel Hershiser Assumes the Position, etc. A headline is different than the body of an article. Some (one) of you won’t get it but the others do. Thanks for the e-mails and I am fine.
Back to Rants and Raves
- I will not tell the other bloggers here what to write or do, but I am not no longer doing the Minor League Report. If they want to do so in whatever fashion they want to then I am fine with that, I just don’t have the time and there are several other blogs that already do so, like www.TrueBlueLA.com
- Clayton Kershaw has went at least 6 innings in EVERY start this year and he’s not an ACE even though he has a 2.85 ERA?
- Clayton Kershaw has passed Sandy Koufax and is now #3 on the Dodger All-Time List for strikeouts. The Don’s are #1 and #2 on the list: Sutton and Drysdale. Kershaw will be #1 by the end of his career.
- When people compare the Dodger’s farm system to others, they forget that the Dodgers have won 7 consecutive division titles and been to two (count ’em 2) back-to-back World Series. They draft at the bottom of each round. Yet, that they are even a TOP 10 farm system is amazing. The teams ahead of them have tanked for years and amassed draft picks and prospects because of it. The Cubs, Padres, Rays and Astros have sucked while the Dodgers just kept winning. Consider the context.
- Will D. Smith is totally unconscious now. He was supposed to be a guy who had a Gold Glove and a paper bat, but last year, mid-season, he started to evolve. What we are seeing right now is unprecedented and unsustainable, but I hope not. He is simply amazing right about now. Johnny Bench would be his backup. Roy Campanella too!
- The Dodgers are not run by a hedge fund. However, ownership needs to make money. There is also no correlation between indiscriminate spending and winning. Staying under the Luxury Tax is smart. Boston is #1 in payroll and the Cubs are #3 – both are struggling. The Yankees are #2 and most feel they don’t have the pitching to win it all. The Nats and Mets are #5 and #6. The Dodgers sit at #4 in payroll… and are the best team in baseball. Get real!
- There is a connection between signing Big Free Agents and winning. That connection is 180 degrees off for the most part. There isn’t always a “bad guy” to blame.
- The last two teams to win the World Series both had struggling bullpens at this juncture of the season. The Dodgers didn’t lose the past two World Series due to the bullpen – They lost because they couldn’t hit!
- The Dodgers are now up to #8 in Bullpen ERA, right behind Oakland and the NY Yankees. Of course, they are #1 in Team ERA. In the playoffs, the bullpen will look vastly different.
A Different Perspective
I would like to think that we bring a different point-of-view here at LA Dodger Talk. I cannot speak for AC, DC or 2Demeter2, but right now, I am going to speak for myself.
While I enjoy Ken Rosenthal, Jason Stark, Peter Gammons and may other writers, the fact of the matter is that they are simply critics. They have never built anything themselves. They simply exist to write about what others do or don’t do. They don’t know what it’s like to really build something… something great and sustainable.
I think I bring a different perspective. At age 40, due to circumstances which I finally controlled, I had nothing but the shirt on my back. Kind people lent me a car, a travel trailer to live in and I got to work. In 2002, we were still struggling when my wife and I started our business, US Water Systems in our garage. I had a two year-old in diapers and some weeks, it was hard to buy them. I’d like to say it was an instant success, but it wasn’t. We made every mistake along the way and in 2010, we started to figure it out.
Fast forward to 2019 and we have nearly 50 employees and $20 million in revenue, growing at 30% plus a year. That former 2 year-old is starting to buy us out over the next 10 years as he takes the business to the next level. I don’t have all the answers and don’t think I’m the smartest person in the room, but I do surround myself with people smarter than me (that narrows it down to 99% of the population), who do know what to do.
In the subsequent 26 years since I was 40, I have come to appreciate what it takes to build a company. Building a sports team is not unlike that. That’s why I feel a kinship to Andrew Friedman. He has built it the right way. He makes mistakes, but his model is a picture of sustainability. I have found that you can buy superstars, but frequently, your home-grown ones are the best. We have an incredible team and training and mentoring program in place. In my opinion, Andrew Friedman is running the Dodgers the way I would.
His plan is sustainable and is already yielding positive things as the Dodgers are the NL Favorites to get to the World Series for an unprecedented third year in a row. If they win, I will likely take a backseat here at LA Dodger Talk – I have did this for 20 years and probably won’t stop, but I may scale way back. In the meantime, enjoy the ride. I have a feeling, it will be a great one.
Minor League Highlight and Lowlights
- Gavin Lux only had one hit, but it was a HR.
- Rios hit his 24th HR.
- Dennis Santana gave up 12 hits and 9 runs in 4 innings, and is an absolute trainwreck.
- Keep your eyes on Victor Gonzalez – he’s a possibility for a LH bullpen role. He has jumped 3 levels this year… maybe 4! He is 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA in 78 IP with 85 K’s.
- Parker Curry threw 8 innings of shutout baseball as Tulsa won 1-0. He walked zero and struck out 8 while allowing 5 hits. Sheffield pitched the 9th for his 6th save.
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Discussion (86)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Am I correct that we don’t actually know what the Pirates were asking for? Was it two of the four and one had to be Lux? I read somewhere that they actually wanted Smith instead of Ruiz because they need a catcher now (next year). I’ve always been a huge Vazquez fan going back to when he was Rivero, but relief pitchers can crash and burn at a moment’s notice (look at Diaz), so although I’m disappointed I certainly understand AF’s position. Boy will we be happy next year when Vazquez looks like the 2019 version of Diaz and Lux, Smith and May are killing it.
As William said, the deadline is over and time to move on with what we have.
On another subject
I got my season ticket renewal and see there’s a 10% increase in ticket prices. With all the rookies coming up and payroll going down, Why? Because they can and people will come.
I must have missed this whole “player comp” controversy.
As, AC, has mentioned player comps have their fans and adherents, but how and/or why did anyone care who was comped to who.
Anyway, much more important is:
Open on blogs.fangraphs.comhttps://blogs.fangraphs.com/called-up-dustin-may/A blog from FanGraphs on and by the scout who signed, Dustin May
Some stuff from the minor leagues:
Full age 17 comps (so far) then:
Cartaya: DSL/AZL, 172 PA, .276/.331/.449, 12 BB/34 K
Keibert: AZL/Pio, 245 PA, .374/.412/.527, 15 BB/27 K
It is borderline bonkers to compare two 17 year-olds, and I assuredly don’t think we can call Cartaya a lesser prospect than Ruiz because of lesser production at the same age.
On the Dennis Santana, let’s bear in mind:
-The Triple-A ball being juiced applies to the pitchers too, and the PCL was already an offensively oriented league before that.
-The command (and walk numbers) have not been the same as they were last year.
-He’s still just 23 and a conversion arm who reached the majors at 22… really solid spin numbers too. If starting proves to be too much of a challenge long term, he’s still a very solid relief option, and one who could be used for multiple innings.
Post-Deadline, the Astros got the buzz. They’re the new trendy pick and deservedly so picking up two quality arms to shore up their only weakness on an already great team. All the while we failed to get that lock down late innings guy. Lucky we have some options and we’ll see where the cards fall when it’s all said and done. I’m glad they wound up with Greinke instead of someone that’s had better luck against us.
I’m wondering how much Gonsolin’s performance at Coors had to do with our lack of deadline activity. Probably not as much as I would like to think since AF is more pragmatic than I am. However, he was a lock down reliever in college and pitched out of the pen initially after he was drafted. He could be our late inning acquisition. He could be our K-Rod.
Now that we aren’t platooning several positions and have more every day players that hit both arms, left and right, we will be more consistent on both sides of the ball. Less Kike and CT3 starting and more of them off the bench is a good thing.
Today is officially MAY DAY! I’m beyond excited to see his debut. I’m trying to temper my expectations. I mostly just want be memorized by all that hair! Another K-Rod? 4th Starter? Can I dream?
In the Athletic, Molly Knight writes an article called Here comes Dustin May, the rookie that just might save the Dodgers’ season
In part, she says:
“We focused on the top four or five guys and, after that, we weren’t just gonna bring a guy in just to bring a guy in,” Friedman said.
In other words, the Dodgers weren’t going to trade for Shane Greene, Mark Melancon and Chris Martin like the Braves did, or Sam Dyson and Sergio Romo like the Twins did, or Hunter Strickland, Roenis Elías and Daniel Hudson like the Nationals did. And that might be because they believe their own minor leaguers, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, are better than all of them.
Open on theathletic.comhttps://theathletic.com/1112746/2019/08/02/here-comes-dustin-may-the-rookie-that-just-might-save-the-dodgers-season/I don’t study all of the payrolls, but I assume that what made Boston #1 in payroll were the acquisitions which got them the championship last year. And the Cubs won the title three years ago. Having the highest payroll is not going to get you a run of titles, and it might cost you down the line in terms of flexibility, but no team wins titles every year in baseball, and sometimes a major pickup will get you over the top. Boston has had a bit of boom or bust, and they have made some foolish acquisitions, but they have made some great ones, and they do have the four titles in 15 years.. You can’t buy a title in terms of having no minor league system, and just paying for free agents, but you need some of the latter as well, and you need to make a big and even risky acquisition sometimes. “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood leads on to fortune.. Omitted, all the voyage of their days is bound in shallows and in miseries.” Even though the ambitious and opportunistic Cassius said it, it still has a powerful ring to it.
None of that means that the Dodgers will not finally win the title this year. And all of us Dodgers fans hope for that. I believe that some franchises are more concerned with winning titles than our ownership; but the trade deadline is over, and we will go forward with what we have, which is obviously quite a bit.
Great write up Mark, you have been through the ringer and came out on top my friend. I love reading this blog and sometimes put in my 2 cents. This site is the first thing I look at in the morning because I am consumed with Dodger Baseball. I have a slightly different take on hanging on to the prospects vs getting the missing piece. I understand that the Pirates were not going to trade Vasquez unless they were blown away with a great deal. I also understand that the trading deadline was changed this year to make it more difficult to get the missing piece due to less teams moving players for prospects. I also understand that we are in one of the largest markets that can afford to sign free agents on occasions. If Lux was the only piece that broke the deal then I understand why the Dodgers didn’t make that deal but I don’t understand why backup plans were not in place. If May and or Gosselin doesn’t do things they have never done before, it will cost us another chance at winning it all. Do we want to be competitive every year or do we want to win a World Series? If we traded away a few top prospects, couldn’t we have signed a few free agents to make up for the loss? D. Cole comes to mind if he’s available after this season. Anyway, I know I will be blasted for my take in here but I don’t think my disappointment of coming up short at the trading deadline is in the minority either. AF and all of us hope that May is ready for the task. Stay tuned
M.T. – Your success can be best summed up by the song “The Long and Winding Road”… You are truly Steve Jobs-esque who also started out in his garage…
IMO the Stros are now the pick to snatch the Ring.. Greinke, Verlander, Cole and Miley is one hellatious starting group with Osuna with the mop up chores..
ALERT… HOLD IT… You’re gonna get their with health, a little luck and who’s the hottest come October, so lets play em all…
Finally got to see the brawl and as I said early in his career, Puig has the IQ of a fencepost… The pitcher (could be a forward on my team) who charged the opponents dugout is certifiably mad… He did get a solid shot on the run though..
In case anyone hasn’t noticed, no infield errors in the last 3 games.
Espn is reporting that the Joc at 1B experiment is officially over. Belli will play 1B when Muncy is at 2B. Seems like this will make room for Joc in LF with Verdugo taking over RF when Belli is at 1B. It doesn’t mean Belli will be at 1B permanently.
White has done pretty well there, but he doesn’t seem to have much of a bat. That could change with a little help from his friends, Van Scoyoc & Co. But they are going to have send some people down when the hobbled ones return. Don’t think anyone is going to take David Freese from 1B. And, would anyone touch Beaty at this point in the season. The guy is clutch, clutch, clutch, along with another rookie named Smith. Players are stepping up. Now we can really talk about our depth without any doubts. Tonight, may May make Manny miserable.
Belli moving back to first against righties. The JOC at first base experiment is over! Verdugo to right. Let’s see if our defense picks up! Belli will be back n right against lefties. This will produce our best lineup both offensively and defensively!
I’m on board with our new LOOGY and giving others including May or Gosselin (or both) the chance to solidify our bullpen. Let the auditions begin. Time and the divisional lead are on our side.
I apologize if someone already posted the following article somewhere in the recent hundreds of posts. I think it makes sense what AF did and did not do at the trade deadline, and this article speaks to that.
Open on lasportshub.comhttps://lasportshub.com/2019/07/31/los-angeles-dodgers-love-adam-kolarek/Wow that was a moment! We are all passionate about the Dodgers and have differing opinions about them but we needn’t get personal and nasty and I’ve been quilty of that as well. Big thx to you Mark, AC, DC and 2Dem for all your hard work and insight and for providing a forum for all us idiots to rant and rave! And Mark I love the headlines! Keep being outrageous! This is our year!
Sorry for taking it too far MT! I have trouble seeing the line I often cross. Thanks for doing this blog. I mostly think you’re awesome.