True or False?
1. Kenley Jansen is Fixed False. With his 8th Blown Save last night, he again demonstrated that he was lacking command and in order to get a strike, he throws some very hittable pitches. I was against the re-signing of Kenley Jansen and this is why. Big contracts to relief pitchers seldom pan out, but here we are and the Dodgers have to make do with what they have and
1. Kenley Jansen is Fixed
False. With his 8th Blown Save last night, he again demonstrated that he was lacking command and in order to get a strike, he throws some very hittable pitches. I was against the re-signing of Kenley Jansen and this is why. Big contracts to relief pitchers seldom pan out, but here we are and the Dodgers have to make do with what they have… and that includes Kenley. However, it does not mean that he is the “sole closer” anymore.
I have been extremely supportive of Kenley… until now! with a little over 10 days left in the season, it’s time for Dave Roberts to say that it’s now “closer by committee.” Kelly (if healthy), Baez, Floro, Urias, et al are in the mix. You could just see the team get totally deflated last night when Kenley blew the save. He’s not a bad guy, he is beloved by his teammates and he deserves to be on the playoff roster because of his work THIS year, but he’s not the closer anymore.
If it makes him mad, so be it. Maybe he can turn being upset into a “stepping stone” not a “stumbling block.” It has to happen and it has to happen now. We all know the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results! He has to earn that closer role back, but right about now, he has lost it. It’s not fair to him, his teammates and the fans! In case you didn’t realize it, the Dodgers would have 103 wins right about now were it not for the 5 games the Dodgers lost after a Kenley Jansen blown save.
2. Julio Urias is a Potential Closer
True. The “kid gloves” are off Julio Urias as he just pitched in back-to-back games for the first time. Next, he will be inserted into some high leverage situations. He struck out the side in his second of the back-to-back games. This is new to him and it will only be the rest of this season. He knows he is a starter and will be in the rotation next year, but he has the pitches and control to be the Dodgers’ closer… or at least one of the closers now. All is not lost.
3. The Dodgers Don’t Have Anyone Else Capable of Closing
False. Kenta Maeda is already there and Pedro Baez or Dylan Floro can also be that guy, at least on occasion. For those who want to discount Floro, in his last 7 appearances, he has a 2.45 ERA. In his last 15 games, the ERA is 1.84. He’s not your everyday closer, but he can be on that “committee.” Since he returned from the DL, he has been very good.
4. This is the Pitching Staff
False. We really don’t know yet… but we can guess.
- Kershaw
- Ryu
- Buehler
- Urias
- Maeda
- Stripling
- Floro
- Sadler
- Kolarek
- Baez
- Jansen
- Kelly, Garcia, May, Ferguson, Hill, Gonsolin
Ross Stripling is also a fixture in the pen for the playoffs. Add in Casey Sadler to go with Adam Kolarek, Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen and it is likely there is only room for one of Joe, Kelly, Yimi Garcia, Dustin May, Caleb Ferguson, Rich Hill, or Tony Gonsolin… unless they keep 13 pitchers. Then they have their pick of two. I have no clue who will make it and most certainly, an injury may play a big role. Also, Joe Kelly has an unspecified injury. It remains to be seen what happens with him.
Pedro Moura of THE ATHLETIC weighs in on what he thinks the NLDS Roster will look like.
5. Will Smith is an All-Star
False. Will had quite a run as he simply exploded onto the scene with 12 HR and 31 RBI is like 3 games! However, we knew it couldn’t last. In the past 15 games, he is hitting .106 with a 33% strikeout rate. In his last 30 games, he is hitting .196. The fact that he has only played 48 games should not be lost on anyone. The league has adjusted quickly and he didn’t. If he stays on this path, he may not make the playoff roster. I’m being serious.
I wish Will Smith were the guy we saw when he first came up, but he’s not. I said he is a great defensive catcher who will hit 20 HR and bat .240. Those guys are valuable and he has a lot of value to the Dodgers… just not maybe in the Post-Season, unless he can fix this funk. So many of you were willing to trade Kaybear Ruiz because Smith was destroying NL pitchers in a small sampling, but I warned you and here we are… right where I thought. Ruiz is a rare talent… and a switch-hitter. Remember that. Will Smith will be a very solid player, but not Johnny Bench.
6. Joc Pederson Should Play Against LHP
False, but Wow! I am impressed. Last night, after just missing a 3-run homer, he shortened up with 2 strikes and went the other way to plate a run. Joc is really turning it around. There’s not much reason to think he can hit lefties, but he’s a real asset and plays a mean RF in Alex Verdugo’s absence. I was not sure he was capable of adjusting, but I have seen it several times now.
7. The Dodgers Should Have Traded for Chris Archer
I know a lot of Dodger fans and bloggers who wanted Chris Archer and I always wondered “WHY?” Well, the Pirates wanted him too, so they traded Austin Meadows (.289 BA/.926 OPS/32 HR/88 RBI), Tyler Glasnow (2.03 ERA/0.94 WHIP) and Shane Baz ( 20-year-old prospect who looks pretty good at A Ball). Dumb trades like that are why the Pirates are crap. If the Pirates has Glasnow and Meadows they might be in the playoffs this year. The Dodgers would have been dumb to trade for him as well.
While I am at it, I think the Pirates had an idea that Felipe Vasquez wasn’t about the right thing. Teammates and/or coaches just turned the other way. Neal Huntington and Clint Hurdle need to have a roadmap packed in their last paychecks. It’s just like the writers who knew the guys doing steroids and kept their mouths shut. Deplorable!
8. Dodger Fans Should be Worried About the Playoffs
True and False. I guess you can always worry about the injuries, slumps and such, but Atlanta was read hot and now is 4-6 in their last 10 games. Milwaukee is the hottest, but I don’t see them making the playoffs. The Dodgers are 6-4, and would be 7-3 if not for Kenley’s “meltdown.”
There are a lot of things to be decided:
- Who will be on the NLDS Roster?
- Is Joe Kelly healthy?
- Will Rich Hill pitch?
- How is Justin Turner?
- Will Gavin Lux Make it?
- How is David Freese?
- Smith or Barnes?
- Will Gonso or May make it?
It does seem pretty likely that Alex Verdugo will miss the playoffs… at least the NLDS.
9. The Arizona Fall League Started Yesterday
True. The Glendale Desert Dogs lost 4-2 as Jeren Kendall hit leadoff and went 1-4 and also reached on an error. He played RF and scored 1 of the Dogs runs. Devin Mann started at 2B and went 0-3. The only other Dodger to play was Gerardo Carrillo who pitched 3 innings of shutout ball, with 2 strikeouts and no walks.
10. This is the Greatest Song of All Time
False!
Rolling Stone said it was, but I think they just like the song title.
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Discussion (71)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Thx Dodgerrick as usual some great facts and thoughts. I don’t feel I am any less of a fan because I am critical more then I am complimentary. I do appreciate the winner our front office has put out year after year. They definitely have put their massive resources to good use, though I don’t prescribe to the notion that the playoffs are an absolute crap shoot, Atlanta teams of the 90s would have won more titles if that was truly the case. Maybe I am in the minority but I would take SF 3 titles anyday over Atlanta’s 15 straight division titles; even if it meant being not good for a lot of the other 12 years. Just like players play for championships , some fans do also.
The bullpen choices for the playoffs are extremely tough, so though I don’t agree with the open tryout, I understand why they have felt the need to do it. Not only are many spots still open for the taking, roles in the postseason are as well. I understand matchups and metrics will play a big part in determining who comes in, but sometimes your eyes have too be used especially in a long series. Does Roberts have that ability or does all his decisions come literally out of his book?
I do think Kelly, Turner and Freese are more hurt then we know, how hurt I think will go a long way to determining our success. Those three have had far more individual postseason success then anyone else and the importance of that cannot be understated. Muncy’s health will also be a huge factor.
As Bobby said October cannot come soon enough, I know we are a really good team but the last few months we have had entirely too much time as a fan base to pick this team apart and no way to truly know if the negative assessments are accurate. Meaningful games will change that, games 1 and 2 of the NLDS will answer a lot of burning questions.
DODGERS NAME INF GAVIN LUX BRANCH RICKEY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
RHP JOSIAH GRAY NAMED BRANCH RICKEY MINOR LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE YEAR
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have named infielder Gavin Lux as the Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Josiah Gray as the Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
Lux, 21, started the 2019 season with Double-A Tulsa batting .313 (81-for-259) with 13 home runs and 37 RBI in 64 games. He was selected to the Texas League All-Star Game and appeared in the 2019 Sirius XM MLB Futures Game. Lux was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on June 27 and went on to hit .392 (78-for-232) with 13 home runs and 39 RBI in 49 games. Among Pacific Coast League batters with at least 200 plate appearances, Lux ranked second in average (.392), first in OBP (.478), fourth in SLG (.719) and third in OPS (1.197). The Kenosha, Wisconsin native was named the 2019 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year after hitting a combined .347 (159-for-458) with 26 homers and 76 RBI in 113 combined games between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was the third Dodger to win the award since its inception in 1981, joining Mike Marshall in 1981 and Paul Konerko in 1997. In four minor league seasons, Lux has amassed 79 doubles, 29 triples, 48 homers and driven in 193 runs while slashing .305/.383/.483 in 396 games.
The Dodgers first round selection (20th overall) in the 2016 First Year Player Draft out of Indian Trail High School (Wi.) joins Billy Ashley (1993-94), Paul Konerko (1996-97), Chad Billingsley (2004-2005), Joe Thurston (2000, 2002), James McDonald (2007-08), Zach Lee (2013, 2015) and Joc Pederson (2010, 2012) as two-time Branch Rickey Award recipients. He made his Major League debut on September 2, going 2-for-5 with three runs, becoming the first Dodger in franchise history to score three runs in his Major League debut.
In 26 games (25 starts) combined this season between Single-A Great Lakes, Single-A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa, Gray finished with an 11-2 record and a 2.70 ERA (33 ER/130.0 IP) and 147 strikeouts against just 31 walks. The 21-year-old started his season in the Midwest League, posting a 1.93 ERA (5 ER/23.1 IP) in five starts before being promoted to Rancho Cucamonga. In 12 California League starts, he went a perfect 7-0 with a 2.14 ERA (16 ER/67.1 IP) with a 0.97 WHIP and a .209 opponents’ batting average. After earning a promotion to Double-A Tulsa on July 17, Gray pitched to a 2.75 ERA (12 ER/39.1 IP) across nine games (eight starts) for the Drillers.
The New Rochelle, New York native was selected in the second round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft by the Cincinnati Reds from Le Moyne College. He was acquired along with infielder Jeter Downs in a trade from the Reds on December 21, 2018. In 38 career minor league games (37 starts) over two seasons, the right-handed pitcher is 26-7 with a 2.37 ERA (48 ER/182.1 IP) and has struck out 206 batters against 48 walks.
Lux and Gray will both be presented with their respective awards and honored in a pregame ceremony at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21 prior to the Dodgers’ game vs. Colorado.
Branch Rickey Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year: 1989-2019
Year Player of the Year Pitcher of the Year
1989 Mike Huff, Albuquerque (OF) Jim Poole, Vero Beach (LHP)
1990 Henry Rodriguez, San Antonio (OF) Jamie McAndrew, Bakersfield/San Antonio (RHP)
1991 Eric Karros, Albuquerque (IB) Pedro Martinez, San Antonio/Albuquerque (RHP)
1992 Mike Piazza, San Antonio/Albuquerque (C) Todd Williams, Bakersfield/San Antonio (RHP)
1993 Billy Ashley, Albuquerque (OF) Kip Gross, Albuquerque (RHP)
1994 Billy Ashley, Albuquerque (OF) Greg Hansell, Albuquerque (RHP)
1995 Adam Riggs, San Bernardino (IF) Gary Rath, San Antonio/Albuquerque (LHP)
1996 Paul Konerko, San Antonio/Albuquerque (IF) Billy Neal, Vero Beach (RHP)
1997 Paul Konerko, Albuquerque (IF) Dennys Reyes, San Antonio/Albuquerque (LHP)
1998 Angel Peña, San Antonio (C) Luke Prokopec, San Bernardino/San Antonio (RHP)
1999 Chin-Feng Chen, San Bernardino (OF) Eric Gagné, San Antonio (RHP)
2000 Joe Thurston, San Bernardino (IF) Carlos Garcia, San Bernardino (RHP)
2001 Phil Hiatt, Las Vegas (IF) Ricardo Rodriguez, Vero Beach (LHP)
2002 Joe Thurston, Las Vegas (IF) Edwin Jackson, South Georgia (RHP)
2003 Franklin Gutierrez, VB/Jacksonville (OF) Greg Miller, Vero Beach/Jacksonville (LHP)
2004 Joel Guzman, Vero Beach/Jacksonville (OF) Chad Billingsley, Vero Beach/Jacksonville (RHP)
2005 Andy LaRoche, Vero Beach/Jacksonville (IF) Chad Billingsley, Jacksonville (RHP)
2006 James Loney, Las Vegas (1B) Mark Alexander, Jacksonville/Las Vegas (RHP)
2007 Chin-lung Hu, Jacksonville/Las Vegas (IF) James McDonald, Inland Empire/Jacksonville (RHP)
2008 Ivan De Jesus, Jr., Jacksonville (IF) James McDonald, Jacksonville/Los Angeles (RHP)
2009 Dee Gordon, Great Lakes (IF) Scott Elbert, Chattanooga/Albuquerque/Los Angeles (LHP)
2010 Jerry Sands, Great Lakes/Chattanooga (IF/OF) Rubby De La Rosa, Great Lakes/Chattanooga (RHP)
2011 Scott Van Slyke, Chattanooga (IF/OF) Shawn Tolleson, Great Lakes/Rancho/Chattanooga (RHP)
2012 Joc Pederson, Rancho Cucamonga (OF) John Ely, Albuquerque (RHP)
2013 Scott Schebler, Rancho Cucamonga (OF) Zach Lee, Chattanooga (RHP)
2014 Joc Pederson, Albuquerque (OF), Julio Urias, Rancho Cucamonga (LHP)
Corey Seager, Rancho Cucamonga/Chattanooga (IF)
2015 Alex Verdugo, Great Lakes/Rancho Cucamonga (OF) Zach Lee, Oklahoma City (RHP)
2016 Edwin Rios, Great Lakes/Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa (IF) Brock Stewart, Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa/Oklahoma City (RHP)
2017 Keibert Ruiz, Great Lakes/Rancho Cucamonga (C) Walker Buehler, Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa/Oklahoma City (RHP)
2018 Gavin Lux, Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa (INF) Tony Gonsolin, Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa (RHP)
2019 Gavin Lux, Tulsa/Oklahoma City (INF) Josiah Gray, Great Lakes/Rancho Cucamunga/Tulsa (RHP)
Jo Jo Gray
He ain’t far away!
I’m a poet laureate…
Last night Joe Davis mentioned Garcia auditioning (trying out) for a roster spot. One of 9 pitchers and 15 position players last night. For me there are way too many questions remaining with this team after 153 games. What was Yimi supposed to show the brass that hasn’t been shown in his other 61 appearances? For a number of reasons, I don’t like where this team is going into October.
My concern with Kenley last night was his heart more than his stuff. Not physically, but mentally. The one non-call (which frankly could have gone either way) and he seemed rattled. That was not the first time I have seen that this year.
I’d pick Floro over Garcia for the last spot right now. Can’t give up hr’s of n playoffs
So the conversation today is mainly about Jansen and the closer spot, plus the overall bullpen. First thing I would say is that in my opinion Friedman needs to blow up the bullpen in the off-season by subtracting several relievers via release/trade/sent to the minors, kinda like what he did with the Puig trade, addition by subtraction, and get 3-4 statistically good relievers via free agency/trade.
So now back to this season and the post-season. If Jansen is not a guy to be trusted in the post-season (and I don’t disagree) then lets take a look at Jansen’s OPS stat. For the people that don’t care for pitchers OPS stat for whatever reason, any other stat will paint a similar picture, not the same picture, but a similar picture.
Jansen’s 2019 OPS sits at 659 as of today. So which Dodger pitchers not name Buehler, Kershaw, Ryu have quite a bit better OPS this season as of today.
Baez 543
Kolarek 552
Gonsolin 601
Urias 614
That’s it and Kolarek’s splits not only this season but also his career splits suggest he is a loogy. Urias this season as of today has reverse splits 571 vs RHB, 695 vs LHB and his career splits tell the same story. Baez this season as of today also has reverse splits but not as drastic 572 vs RHB, 509 vs LHB and his career splits also tell the same story. Gonsolin same as Baez, has reverse splits that are not drastic 623 vs RHB, 582 vs LHB and Gonsolin’s career splits are the same as his 2019 splits because this is his first year in the big leagues.
So there you have it. Make what you will with that.
In the post-season I believe in throwing your best at the opposing team. Unfortunately as of today the Dodgers best relievers consist of a loogy (Kolarek) a borderline roogy (Urias) and 2 solid relievers (Baez Gonsolin).
For the record, when I say borderline roogy about Urias I’m only talking about his OPS stats so far in his so far short career. He can get better as time goes by and I’m predicting he will.
I know Kelly’s overall numbers aren’t good but he’s been much better in the 2nd half and if he’s healthy he can be a force in playoffs. It just comes down to stepping up in the big moments. Winners do and losers go home!
According to the LA TIMES, the Dodgers sold the team!
The two new owners are two L.A. businessmen who are longtime Dodger fans. No other details but the blurb I saw made it seem as though they don’t have a large stake in the team.
Kasten says he is “certain” that Friedman will be back next year. Again, no details.