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
Speaking of comps, how about Mark and Lasorda.
Hey Neal Huntington. Keep your Felipe Vazquez and we’ll raise you Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin…. AND keep our Lux and Ruiz. See you in the playoffs next year. LOL.
Things are going as desired, fix group B with internal options. Vazquez? Sure, he is a superior talent but by no means giving him 2 or 3 of The Fab Four. I think that with 9 Jansen, 8 Urias, 7 Kelly / Baez, group A is as good as anyone, group B, Floro, Yimi, Chargois, etc., will be replaced by May, Gonsolin, Maeda and Kolorek, I still believe that Fergunson can fix. Houston in 2017 beat us without a left-hander in the bullpen, Liriano I think he only had one game and his giles closer was a disaster, it was Morton who got hot and did the job. In 2018 Marcos has reported extensively on the Boston bullpen. I trust the internal options, they are better than group B, the possibilities are very good. Let the internal competition begin, the audition begin, the casting begin!
@billplunkettocr
Dave Roberts confirms Gonsolin will start Monday. Expects Ryu to miss only one start.
Can someone explain to me why they needed to add Gonsolin to the roster on Friday if they don’t plan to pitch him until Monday? If they really don’t plan to use him out of the bullpen, they’ve just shorted themselves a man for no good reason.
Thank God this trading deadline is done and we can finally move on. My brain hurts from all of the conjecture and speculation, and 99% of it never happened. Aside from Houston making a big WTF moment, the Braves probably helping themselves and Arizona getting Leake and Gallen (who was great against us) and the 3,4,5 and 22nd prospect and a salary dump, the ending turned out to be the Butler Did It. AF confirmed on last nights broadcast what we all suspected; the asking price for any of the top 3 relief pitchers was just too high. He reported that the FO had planned on being very aggressive trying to fill needs but only focusing on the top guys and nothing else. (I guess he forgot about Kolarek) They made some offers that he seemed relieved and glad were not accepted. There’s a reason the top relievers stayed put. We all knew this was possible with the reluctance to part with the top talent.
Now we need to move on. We know there is a lot of talent here (and some deadwood) and we will see more guys get a look. The idea of having a staff versus defined starter – reliever rolls is what we are going to see. AF said the idea is to deploy the best bunch of arms going forward and figure out how to put guys in the best positions to succeed. We’re going to see some pitchers.
Basically standing pat isn’t a bad thing. I heard similar comments coming from the Red Sox FO justifying why they haven’t made deals. They feel the have the same guys who won the World Series and are better than what they can trade for. The pieces are there, they just need to play better. The Dodgers have enough talent to have a winning bullpen. One more time I will say……….. Joe Kelly is a huge key as to how this will play out. One way or the other.
I appreciate the effort that Joc put in to trying to learn 1st base. He was a good soldier. But it made my week to hear this experiment is over! (the Wes Parkers and the Tommy Hutton’s rejoice)
Now we can get to figuring out the real playoff lineup which is complicated due to injuries. Seems to me the outfield plan now is much more clear with Belli back at first against lefties. 2nd is the mess when CT3 and Kike are back. Correct me if I miss somebody but the following guys seem to be trying out; CT3, Kike, Negrone, Gyorko, Muncy and you want to add Lux to the mix? Last i checked they only can play one guy at 2nd at a time. Where’s Beaty in all this? After September call ups, I fear that Doc will have a new line up every day. To me, again depending on health, settling in on a reliable, predictable play off line up as early as possible is a huge plus. It might not be possible but it would be desirable. Doc loves to manage but moving guys all over the place from one day to the next is not good prep for post season. I personally think that that is one of the strengths of the Astros. They have the same basic line up every day and use predictable fill ins for off days. Their line up is not dependent on lefty-righty match ups as much, guys know when and where they are playing, they can prepare accordingly. and just settle in to playing their position every day. (Of course, having a DH helps.) Players like a set, predictable routine and I hope the Dodgers can get to that point in left, 2nd and 1st base so September isn’t a giant try out camp.
Kristopher Negron being interviewed on the pre game show on radio. Sounds like a very cool guy actually.
For those wondering, as I was, as to his ethnicity: his mom is Puerto Rican and dad Dominican (or vice versa), but he was born in New Jersey.
Edit: he grew up playing ss and cf (hence his starting in cf tonight)
#1: The Dodgers have some injury concerns with Turner, Seager, Pollock, Freese, Taylor and Hernandez. You are going to see some lineup changes because of that. They need options for depth. Negron in CF? Fastest guy on the team, can he play CF? We will find out!
#2: The Astros don’t have anyone like Joc Pederson with such extreme splits so they don’t have to platoon as much.
#3: However, they have used a lot of different lineups this year due to injuries.
#4: The Joc showcase is over, It failed. Someone wanted him for 1B – I don’t know who.
For the record I’m glad Doc left May in there to try and close out the 6th. To me Doc gave him a playoff audition right there. Can he come thru in those situations? Hopefully he’s put in more of those situations over the next 8 weeks. Be good to get him ready for Oct
Yes, agreed on leaving May in for the 6th.
My take on May is not as positive as I hoped it would be. I thought perhaps he could fit in at this late stage in the season as a starter, but I am not sure he is ready for the role. He is eminently hittable as we saw him giving up 9 hits in less than 6 innings. He has poise, speed, and intensity, and should break in to the rotation at some point, given the chance. I think he might fit better in the BP at this point.
In comparison with Gonsolin, I would think Tony has the edge on him as a rotation player at this point. A lot will hinge on his performance on Monday. If he can match May’s longevity (6 innings) without a big problem, I would keep him in the rotation for the time being and send Maeda to the BP. If both pitchers fall short, we are right back to the problem of not trading for another starter. Urias will have to be the #4 and Maeda, #5. Not having either of them in the BP weakens the BP.
Cmon Jeff it was his first start and some of those “hits” were pretty weak contact. If he gets Naylor in 6thbwe are all singing his praises. He will learn to bear down and focus more in those situations with more experience. Check out some of Kersh’s early starts. It takes time. I think we have two studs in Gonzo and May!
Dang, totally impresses with May. If not for White’s error hitting the runner to screw up a double play, then the walls caved in, he did great., Before we take out the carving knifes and say this dude is not worthy, don’t forget… HE”S ONLY 21!!! Did anyone notice the nasty late movement on some of his pitches(some of hit 97mph). This guy is Striker Bueller with wild ass red hair. He already has 3 pitches that are legit. Hadn’t seen him since spring training, and now I see why Freidman didn’t trade him, this guy can be a total ace or #2 frontline starter in about 2 to 3 years. Love his attitude also. Don’t care we lost, it was worth it to see May for an extended time. Also love the fact that being a Texan, he wore his trademark cowboy boots into the Dodger clubhouse when he got called up.
I never said May is not worthy or his future was not bright. You guys are too sensitive and ready to defend what doesn’t need defending. He lasted almost 6 innings. By any stretch, that was a success and congrats to him on his first MLB start. Now, on to reality…………………
Personally, I think he’s got the goods. He may not have the control that it takes to deliver them just yet. Sure, if this, if that. The point of playing is to win and shut down the batters. He never did that. White made a boner of a play that should have been a DP. But later in the game, SD kept hitting and scoring. Baez gave up another run and the Dodgers gave him no run support. If you want to blame the loss on the batters, I can go with it. You can’t win a game without scoring runs. I need to see more of him. Anyway, it’s only my opinion.
Dodgers need to keep their focus and not let Doc’s anaemic lineups get out of hand. They need to do everything possible to win home field advantage because the Astros are going to murder them with their pitching and clutch hitting. They are on a roll, and we ain’t.