Rant & Rave Sunday
In 2021, 51% of all MLB Pitchers went on the IL. Let that sink in a little. Now, what pitcher do you want to trade for? Lane Thomas of the Nats is the latest “flavor of the week,” but a 27-year-old outfielder who is hitting over .300 with a .851 OPS and two more years of control…
- In 2021, 51% of all MLB Pitchers went on the IL. Let that sink in a little. Now, what pitcher do you want to trade for?
- Lane Thomas of the Nats is the latest “flavor of the week,” but a 27-year-old outfielder who is hitting over .300 with a .851 OPS and two more years of control is going to cost a lot… a whole lot! Is this his breakout year (he has a .257 career BA), or is it an outlier? I do not know. The Nats would ask a lot. He would be nice in RF, which would allow Mookie to move to SS and/or 2B.
- The Pirates are not going to trade David Bednar unless someone would make a dope-fiend trade, and we all know that AF won’t do that. The Pirates have a core that could contend next year, and Bednar is controllable through 2027! No way they trade him unless you want to include Cartaya or Rushing and a couple of starter prospects like Frasso and Ryan! What are you smoking?
- Arte Moreno is not going to trade with the Dodgers and especially is NOT going to trade Ohtani to them.
- Milwaukee’s pitching has failed them… Woodruff hurt, Burnes 3.94 ERA, Peralta 4.70 ERA, Eric Lauer 5.48 ERA, Wade Miley is their Ace at 3.36 ERA.
- Christain Yelich is not the player he once was, but he is solid: .285 BA, .379 OB%, .834 OPS, 11 HR, 21 SB. Not MVP-like, but good! Kind of like Cody Bellinger’s year (.298 BA, .353 OB%, .846 OPS, 9 HR, 11 SB… although he has been injured for a substantial time. He hit a HR in his first at-bat in Yankee Stadium! Both players could be available at the deadline for different reasons: Belli will be a Free Agent after this season, and Yelli is under contract for six more years with a lot of money still owed. Belli is unlikely to be traded to the Dodgers, and as for Yelli: NO WAY!
- Michael Grove pitched his best game ever last night. If he had not hung that curve on Ohtani it would have been outstanding. Michael learns slowly… but he learns. He is much better than his 6.89 ERA indicates. He might be ready to step in as a #5!
- Two things that are extremely silly (the first is overrated, and the second is underrated): Batting Orders and Robert’s Bashers!
- Our company purchased 50 tickets to the Indianapolis Indians vs. Memphis Redbirds last night and today. We had a great time last night, and it’s a 1:00 game today. The Indy Indians are the best ticket in town, and they are not changing their names like the Gutless Karen team in Cleveland!
- The Indianapolis Indians announced in February that the club is partnering with the Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana. The partnership will include a land acknowledgment, recognition of Miami veterans during Native American Heritage Night at Victory Field, support of the Miami scholarship program, and fan educational opportunities. The team’s name, which has been the Indianapolis Indians since 1902, will remain the same. “We are grateful to the Indianapolis Indians for the opportunity to share our story with Hoosiers throughout central Indiana,” said Brian Buchanan, Chief of the Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana. “When the history of Indiana is studied, the major influence of Native American people is seen in the names of Indiana cities, state parks, rivers, food, celebrations, and other cultural points of interest. We have encouraged the team to remain the Indianapolis Indians.” — Sometimes all it takes is a little perspective and not being an idiot!
- Miguel Andujar (remember he was the runner-up to Ohtani for ROY a few years ago?) is tearing it up for the Indy Indians: 249 AB’s, 9 HR, .361 BA, .421 OB%.995 OPS – You would think the Pirates might call him up or trade him?
- I still believe in Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch!
- Do not underestimate what David Peralta has brought to this team.
- No real Dodger baseball until next Friday!
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Disagree, not disagreeable
And 3rd baseman of the future?
The Dodgers took third baseman Jake Gelof from the University of Virginia with their second-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, at 60th overall and the final pick for Los Angeles on the first day of the draft.
Gelof hit 44 home runs in his last two seasons for Virginia, including hitting .321/.427/.710 with 23 home runs as a junior in 2023, with almost as many walks (48) as strikeouts (50). His 48 career home runs is a school record, and he set Virginia RBI records in each of the last two seasons, driving in 81 runs in 58 games in 2022, then 90 RBI in 65 games this season.
What jumps out is that Gelof sort of “fell” to 60, if we are to believe the various prospect rankings:
No. 35 at MLB Pipeline
No. 37 by Keith Law at The Athletic
40th by Baseball America
50th by Kiley McDaniel at ESPN
We head into the break with percentage points lead over Arizona. Arizona has faltered some lately. What I find interesting is that they are a better road team than they are at home. They are 26-24 at home, 26-15 on the road. By contrast, the Dodgers are 29-16 at home and 22-22 on the road. Being in first changes some things if they are still in first come the deadline. I still think any trades they might make are more on the peripheral rather than major trades. If they make a move for a name player, it would probably be a starting pitcher. Even though I would love to see them get a power hitting right-handed outfielder, it won’t happen. A bullpen arm and maybe some sort of depth in the middle infield because they have not been getting a whole lot of production there. Vargas being sent to AAA is a good thing. He can clear his mind without the pressure of a pennant race. He will be back, but not as soon as some might think.
The offensive surge against the Angels pushed the Dodgers up to No. 3 in team OPS at .785, trailing only the Braves (.831) and Rangers (.801). The ten HRs pushed the Dodgers’ total to 149, second only to the Braves.
A lot of folks here wish the Dodgers would swing the bat more. And they have a point: the mid-season stats show that team has only 733 hits, ranking 20th in baseball.
But the team coaches discipline and patience–and the Dodgers’ 366 walks are second only to the Pads’ 374.
Overall, the stats show the obvious:
The offense is doing fine, but the pitching not so much.
I’ve been wondering about whether playing infield has somehow improved Mookie’s offense. He doesn’t buy it, but Dodgers Nation says this:
“When he plays second base, he has a .347 batting average with 7 home runs, and as a shortstop, he has a .304 batting average with 3 home runs. While playing infield, he smiles all the time. His natural athleticism is evident in the infield. If the Dodgers didn’t have Gavin Lux’s injury and Miguel Vargas performed as expected, the Dodgers likely wouldn’t have given Betts much opportunity to play infield.”
One Dodger yakker suggested that Mookie is “more engaged” in the infield. Seems possible.
Your first place LA Dodgers…..