Stop the Insanity!
Some Dodger fans here think the sun rises and sets in James Outman’s …. eyes! When he burst on the scene last year, he was “otherworldly.” In his four games in 2022, he hit .462, with a 1.409 OPS. Again, he got off to a hot start in 2023. Eric, who vehemently takes exception to…
Some Dodger fans here think the sun rises and sets in James Outman’s …. eyes! When he burst on the scene last year, he was “otherworldly.” In his four games in 2022, he hit .462, with a 1.409 OPS. Again, he got off to a hot start in 2023. Eric, who vehemently takes exception to me calling James Outman a 4th or 5th outfielder (that is what I have said for a year, and I would be an idiot if I let 20 games change my mind.). Eric wrote this yesterday:
“The bottom of the lineup is a black hole besides Outman. That’s why they’re not scoring runs:
Martinez .246/.294/.475/.769
Vargas .222/.431/.333/.764
Taylor .135/.214/.459/.673
Heyward .182/.269/.591/.860
Peralta .200/.226/.233/.459
Rojas .143/.200/.179/.379
3 guys below .200 BA and 2 barely above and 1 below .250. 3 guys below .700 OPS, 2 of them way below. 2 below .800 and 1 above .800 and then there’s Barnes.“
Well, I have news for you Eric. It’s not just the bottom of the lineup. It’s the top and middle too, and your boy James Outman is right there with the rest of the problems. While he has shown in 2022 and 2023 that he is an exceptionally fast starter, he also shows that he slows down after the first few games.. by a lot!
After a fast start this season, he is now hitting .233 in the last 15 games, and in the last 7 games, he is hitting .174! One has to conclude that James Outman is a fast starter and streaky. Eric, in his silliness, likes to compare “his” player to “my” player (Miguel Vargas, who is not really my player – I just think he will be a better player than Outman), who is not doing well either. Vargas is hitting .222 with a .431 OB% – that is the only stat where he is going better than Outman.
However, I believe it is exceptionally dumb to try and compare players after 16 games. STOP THE INSANITY! Right about now, this team is in a funk. Either they score ten runs, or they score 1 or 2 runs. James Outman is not doing his part. Neither are Miguel Vargas, Austin Barnes, Jason Heyward, David Peralta (one walk-off notwithstanding), Freddie Freeman, JD Martinez, and Mookie Betts (and others).
Right about now, this team sucks! I don’t pretend to know how to fix it, but I will say, “This too shall pass!” Just shut up already with the childish rhetoric about “my player is better than your player!” Miguel Vargas is not “my player,” either. I have formed my opinion about him over hundreds of games. The same with Outman. Great, you like James Outman. Well, right about now, James Outman sucks, and so does Miguel Vargas! I like both players and hope they do well. Somehow, Eric is angry that I have rated Vargas over Outman.
This, too, shall pass. I just wish it would hurry up! The Dodgers are 8-8. The Padres are 8-9 while Arizona leads the Division at 9-7, but they have a -2 run differential… as do the Padres. The Dodgers have a +18 run differential. This is “fixable”; however, some of the players may change (give it time). Only a moron would draw a conclusion after 16 games! Play on.
Minor League Notes
- Gavin Stone did not fare well yesterday… again. 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
- Mike Busch played 3B again. Could this be his permanent spot?
- Emmett Sheehan did about the same as Stone.
- Jose Ramos is off to a fast start – .379/.993 OPS. He is playing RF while Pages is in Center.
- Jon Rooney is doing well after converting to the bullpen.
- Rushing and Cartaya are both struggling after jumping up a level this season.
- Jake Vogel can’t hit water if he jumped out of a boat at GL.
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Discussion (105)
Disagree, not disagreeable
And now this Wynns guy is throwing out runners trying to steal. What is AF thinking signing a guy like this!
Joe Davis commented that was Freddie’s first two home run game as a dodger.
I could swear that Freddie had two home runs in a game last year
Anybody know off hand?
I’m pretty ambivalent when it comes to Doc but I gotta give credit where credits due, in his trusting in Muncy
Given the fact that he throws consistently at or near triple digits, I would like to read some sort of explanation as to why Dustin May was relying so heavily on his breaking pitches tonight.
#4 Outman continues to impress (small sample size). JD continues to struggle. Steady Freddy quickly back to all-star form. Muncy healthy, confident and crushing it. Smitty needs to clear the cobwebs and get back behind the plate pronto . Doc needs to spend more time with his grandkids.
Sure glad Doc had CT3 batting cleanup today!
Nobody saw that coming, so iI was a genius move which will surely restore Taylor’s confidence and get him back into All-Star form. Never mind that he went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. That’s irrelevant. The fact that he lowered his batting average to .125 only means he is due to break out of his slump. Ray Charles can see that.
The fact that Outman came in as a sub and doubled , raising his OPS to 1.031, is also irrelevant. Small sample size, people. He’s a flash in the pan and needs to get back to the bench to make sure Taylor get his mojo back..
CT3 just needs a few more weeks in the cleanup spot.
Go Dodgers!
If Taylor goes on the IL, Luke Williams is likely to be called up. He’s been playing SS and hitting well. Busch is just now learning 3B and hasn’t played ss.
At any rate, the injury shows the imbalance of the Dodgers current roster in the aftermath of Lux’s injury Taylor is the only alternative to Rojas at SS. I seriously think Mookie could be the “emergency” SS. I guess Vargas or Muncy could try it, but that’s far from ideal .
A team that values versatility just isn’t all that versatile right now.
The Angels did a smart thing in getting Gio Urshela, who has played all over the diamond. Luke Williams could be the answer both short-term and long-term.
Taylor is dealing with a side issue. He might be heading for the IL> Smith is planning on traveling with the team on Wednesday when they fly to Chicago after the game. Wynns will most likely be cut loose when Smith is activated. He has zero minor league options left.
Just watched the game highlights and just a couple of observations. No, I’m not looking to get “called out” or “labeled” an idiot, but just a few observations….
1. The Dodger BP is not the best in MLB, as proclaimed by some.
2. JDM looks very old, with a slow bat.
3. Rojas was acquired to be a utility guy and might have flourished in that role, but an everyday SS….not so much offensively.
4. KT3 is an abject failure. He’ll pop one out once in awhile, but his AB’s are a black hole with a K the most likely outcome. After a 4 K performance FF comes back the next day and is the offensive star with 2 HRs. That’s a professional. Night after night we see the same KT3. He has no answer and is futile nearly everyday he’s in the line-up. Dodger coaches couldn’t fix Bellinger, not sure they can fix KT3. The bright side is after this year he has two years remaining on his contract at $15 million AAV. Could that $15 million used on KT3 been allocated toward re-signing Corey Seager.
5. Excited for Peralta getting the game winning hit the other night but with Outman establishing himself as the bona fide ML player, could the $6 million spent on Peralta been used for some RP or a better offensive bat?
6. Heyward will not end the season as a Dodger. I can see a DFA on the horizon.
7. This team doesn’t have the SP and RP to go 42-8 and looks to be a .500 team.
8. Who is the tall bespectacled gray haired guy in the dugout? Perhaps a new addition to the coaching staff (hitting) to replace Brant Brown. Listing of Dodger coaches does not include any new names but I’ve seen that guy on many dugout shots since opening day.
It’s a long season and a lot can happen, but right now the team plays uninspired baseball with some serious flaws to the roster. Redundant players who do the same thing to underperforming clutch players. Frustrating indeed!