Unconventional Wisdom
Over the past couple of days, I have heard how stupid it was for Andrew Friedman to sign Chris Negron and Tyler White and that they were a waste! I have heard that bringing Tony Gonsolin up to pitch in Coors was a mistake and I heard that Ryu also couldn t pitch at Coors Field. I also heard that the league was catching up to Alex Verdugo. Additionally, I heard
Over the past couple of days, I have heard how stupid it was for Andrew Friedman to sign Chris Negron and Tyler White and that they were a waste! I have heard that bringing Tony Gonsolin up to pitch in Coors was a mistake and I heard that Ryu also couldn’t pitch at Coors Field. I also heard that the league was catching up to Alex Verdugo. Additionally, I heard that the Dodgers would trade Keibert Ruiz and some other TOP 10 Prospects. I called BS on it all.
Well, those of you who predicted any or all of that were wrong – DEAD WRONG! However, I am not happy about it… nor am I sad. I am ambivalent and I am staying the course. I would have liked for the Dodgers to get a reliever or two, but evidently Andrew Friedman felt that what he had to pay was more than it was worth and there’s one thing you need to write down and memorize: TRADING FOR A TOP RELIEVER DOES NOT COME WITH A MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES. If it did, I would trade the entire Top 10!
Last year, Boston had a 75-34 record on August 1st and Dave Dombrowski was castigated for not shoring up the bullpen when it was really, really bad. Craig Kimbrel was ineffective and Joe Kelly was a wreck. All he got at the trade deadline was “Broken-Down” Nate Eovaldi and “Has Been, Never Was” Steve Pearce. We all know what happened, It’s pure, unadulterated fiction that you can just go out and buy these sort of things.
Many sportswriters have tabbed the Astros as the winners of the trade deadline and the Dodgers and Yankees (the two best teams in baseball) as the losers. The witters who make “thousands” are so much smarter than the GM’s who make “millions.” In case, you aren’t sure, I am being sarcastic!
Let’s take a quick look at MY Dodgers Top 10 Prospects. Of course, most prospects don’t make it, but sometimes, they all make it.
#1 Gavin Lux
I would be shocked if Gavin Lux doesn’t seize the day and become the starting 2B in the playoffs. He is a special talent – one that I could not see when he was drafted. I thought he was a wasted pick, but Andrew Friedman and Company accurately projected him. He could be a perennial All-Star and future team leader. He has it all: Power, Speed, Fielding, Athleticism, Baseball IQ. He is the complete package.
#2 Dustin May
Dustin May is coming up on Friday and is a fastball pitcher with a great amount of “run” and “sink” on his fastball. He has hit 98 a few times this year. He has a very good curveball and an excellent cutter. His changeup is a work in progress, but he is a player who I think will be on the playoff roster. His innings are mounting and a great way to limit them this year is to put him in the bullpen, His fastball and cutter are all he needs and if he mixes in a curve now and then, he will screw hitters into the ground. Dustin May might be a #2 or #3 on any other team but the Dodgers. In the pen, he might be “lights out.” You will see him in a Ravine near you soon… like Friday!
#3 Keibert Ruiz
I cannot begin to tell you how special this 21 year-old is, so I won’t. Just watch and learn. I am so glad Andrew Friedman doesn’t make dope-fiend moves because most of you would have. He is VERY, VERY, VERY Special.
#4 Will D. Smith
It’s pretty hard to argue against Will Smith – he has been outstanding, but to me, he’s Steve Yeager with a guru teaching him about “launch angle’ and “staying in the zone.” Will Smith is a 20 HR guy who plays great defense and will hit .230. That’s my opinion. He currently is ahead of Babe Ruth’s HR pace and that simply is not sustainable. I hope he becomes what many of you want him to be. I doubt it… I hope I am wrong, but we shall see. He is an upgrade over Austin Barnes.
#5 Josiah Gray
He has only been pitching a couple of years, but how far he has come! 97 MPH fastball, a beautiful slider, and a curveball that is getting better by the game. Most of all, he’s an athlete and will either be a middle-of-the-rotation starter or a high-leverage reliever.
#6 Tony Gonsolin
You saw it a couple of days ago: High 90’s fastball, devastating splitter, good slider and a really nice hook (well he didn’t show that in Coors). He was a great hitter in college as well as a bullpen guy. There is no question that he can start, but I see him as a RH Andrew Miller… and I see him in that spot THIS year. He can pitch 3 innings, set up the closer or close.
#7 Jeter Downs
It’s possible he becomes a utilityman, but I can see him in the outfield… maybe even CF. He doesn’t have one “great” tool, but he has 5 very good tools. He is a baller, and a junkyard dog and I love that!
#8 DJ Peters
I was lukewarm on DJ… until he moved to AAA and Scott Coolbaugh helped him “Flip the Switch.” He has cut down on his strikeouts. His pitch recognition is awesome and his power is obscene. He can also play CF at 6’6″.
#9 Michael Grove
This is just a rehab year for Grove. Next year, the kid gloves come off. He looks like a starter, but really has only two pitches: a mid-90’s fastball and a mid-80’s slider that moves like a fiend. To me, he another high-leverage reliever.
#10 Kody Hoese
I have only seen him twice, but I anoint Kody Hoese as the Dodgers 1B of the future… like in 2021! He plays 3B now, but that will change. He’s a power-hitting 1B, I expect to see him in 2021.
That is my TOP 10. Some may disagree… and that’s OK. I did not mention Mike Busch, Dennis Santana, Mitch White, Diego Cartaya, Jacob Amaya, Omar Estevez, Edwin Rios, Jimmy Lewis, Edwin Uceta, Gerardo Carrillo, Miguel Vargas, Devin Mann, Christain Santana, Andre Jackson, Robinson Ortiz, Jordon Sheffield or Marshall Kasowski. Some of those prospects would be TOP 10 in other organizations.
Sometimes the best moves you make are the ones you don’t make. In 2017 and 2018, the Dodgers lost because of a lack of hitting with RISP. Andrew Friedman addressed that issue with Robert Van Socyoc and his two assistants and the results have been dramatic. The future is bright, but the goal is to win the 2019 World Series. I still believe the Dodgers are the team to beat. They are evolving… That’s the only solution… EVOLVE!
The Trades
There were only four and none involved big names. Some people call Friedman a “Dumpster Diver” but he’s really so much better than that.
- The Dodgers traded Niko Hulsizer for LOOGY Adam Kolarek who has held LHB to a .180 BA this season.
- The Dodgers traded Tony Cingrani for Jedd Gyorko, cash, and International Signing Bonus Slots. Gyorko is on the IL but has 30 HR power and a penchant for getting big hits, Right now, he’s just depth, but he’s capable of being Steve Pearce. Jedd has a $13 million option for 2020.
- The Dodgers traded Daniel Castro to the Mariners for Chris Negron, who is also just depth, but if he never takes another swing, he has been a great buy.
- The Dodgers traded Andre Scrubb to the Astros for Tyler White who is also just depth, but he has also done his job.
So that’s it. No big name relievers changed hands, most likely because the asking price was too high. Roger Askew had an astute take on all of this trade deadline malaise:
I know Plaschke of the L.A. Times is gonna have Freidman’s ass for breakfast tomorrow morning, but you know what? Every MLB and ESPN baseball writer was tweeting and writing that Friedman was one of the most aggressive guys the last few days trying to get a few lock-down relievers. Call me crazy, but I think he just ran into too many brick walls in this sellers market. The asking price for the relievers were just way high, and NOT ONE elite reliever, Vasquez, Hand, Diaz, was moved. Greene from the Tigers doesn’t really move the needle for me. Too many teams wanted one or all of our top prospects, and I think Friedman just had to back away from the table. I truly truly believe that he gave it his best shot, he knows damn well how special this team is. Don’t count him out yet, he might not be done. I bet he was real frustrated today.
Well stated! It all starts with “Understanding.”
Friedman and Company have two months to put a playoff bullpen together. You can only take 8 or 9 from this list: Gonsolin, May, Sadler, Hill, Maeda, Urias, Stripling, Ferguson, Floro, Baez, Alexander, Kelly, Jansen, and Kolarek. That’s a lot to choose from and two months is a long time. I’m anxious to see Dustin May on Friday. The butterflies got Gonsolin in his first start. Can May crack that code?
It’s a great time to be a Dodger fan and AF insured that they will be relevant way into the future. Once you get to the World Series, the stuntmen, cripples and the unheralded must step up. That’s how the Boys in Blue won the last one!
Other News
- The Dodgers are now #8 in bullpen ERA.
- Yes, 258 Comments are a record. Thanks to everyone.
- I was told about 10 days ago, that Lux would be called up by August 1st. It was from a scout at another organization. It hasn’t happened yet, so I now have no clue, but I would like to see him now and I think it makes perfect sense.
- Do you realize that since his rookie year, Clayton Kershaw has never had and ERA above 2.91? He sits at 2.85 right about now and is still one of the Top 10 Starters in baseball. He is currently #9 in Starter ERA among qualifiers.
- Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, and Gerrit Cole have given up 65 HR this season. Ryu, Kershaw and Buehler have combined to give up just 39. There’s something to be said about keeping the ball in the yard!
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Discussion (126)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Dodgers Notes: Pederson, Gyorko
By Connor Byrne | August 2, 2019 at 1:21am CDT
The Dodgers’ Joc Pederson first base experiment is over for at least the time being, manager Dave Roberts told Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters Thursday. The outfielder has picked up 20 appearances at first this year, and during that 149-inning span, Pederson has made six errors and posted minus-3 Defensive Runs Saved. Right fielder Cody Bellinger will now shift to first against right-handed starters, while Pederson will take left, A.J. Pollock center and Alex Verdugo right in those situations.
Magic number is 37
Tell you what: I don’t know if we’ll win the World Series or not, but we sure can churn out some serious talent!
So that’s why AF won’t trade his top prospects! Don’t need a bullpen with Smith on your team!
Will Fing Smith. He’s already what Grandal wasn’t. Clutch!
Just curious……..how is that Will Smith and team chemistry thing working out?
Who is this guy!!
Will D. Smith: I don’t even know where to begin.
Babe Ruth is dead. Will Smith lives!
Back to a healthy Dodger Team:
If a RH is pitching, the Lineup could be this:
1. Pederson LF
2. Muncy 2B
3. Turner 3B
4. Bellinger RF
5. Seager SS
6. Beaty 1B
7. Verdugo CF
8. Smith C
Against LHP:
1. Pollock CF
2. Muncy 2B
3. Turner 3B
4. Bellinger RF
5. Freese 1B
6. Seager SS
7. Verdugo LF
8. Smith C
If healthy, I cannot see how the Dodgers are better with Bellinger at 1B in any scenario.
Being friedman last year,has he been offered a extension.
Yeah Mark, what about this article?
Open on ladodgertalk.comhttps://ladodgertalk.com/2017/02/15/the-next-tony-gwynn/Who wrote that headline? Way to Cherry Pick all the articles except this one.
Well MT, at least you got the title for today right! How does that Cody gonna play 1B crow taste? I took that to the bank like you said. Is it still in the bank? Is it covered by FDIC?
The Dodgers will cease using Joc Pederson at first base as a regular option. It’ll be Cody Bellinger back there on days when Max Muncy is needed at 2B. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Pederson “worked his tail off,” but it didn’t work out.
Campy had a 10 year career. If Ruiz doesn’t get to L.A. for another two years that means we might have another 12 years or so to see how wrong (or right) MT was with his comment. It might become evident in the first few years that Mark was way off base, but if it’s at all close we might not have a true comparison until about 2030. Considering the age of a number of the commenters here, some of us may never find out how right or wrong he was.
I gathered the troops around the dining table about 45 min’s before deadline and had them fill out their trade thoughts n wishes. Cells not allowed till evening.
7 of 10 had no significant trades…1 had Vasquez for not nearly enough and Greene popped up once. Not bad..
258 comments!! Epic.. Never having the opportunity to go to Israel and sse the Second Temple AKA The Wailing Wall,
MT was a force to reckon with. Wailing, the gnashing of teeth Angst, it was all there..
The only glaring flaw was comparing Ruiz to Campy..Why not Posey and the guy from the STL??
I know its your gig but really??
Today’s lineup:
Pollock
Muncy (2b)
JT
Belly
Muncy’s fat twin brother (1b)
Will the Thrill
Verdugo
Negron (ss)
Kersh
An interesting take on the trade deadline from Ken Rosenthal in The Athletic (excerpts)
“The game on the field in 2019 — from defensive shifts to platoon-based lineups to third-time-through-the-order removals of starting pitchers — is all about playing the odds.
The game off the field, with risk-averse, value-obsessed clubs all using the same analytically driven playbooks in free agency and trades, also is becoming little more than a math equation.
In both aspects, the life is getting sucked out of the sport.”
“But the sport suffers from an overriding lack of urgency. The deadline needs to be as juiced as the baseball. Instead, too many teams place inordinate emphasis on the future, blathering on about discipline and process. Why should a GM play for today when he can delay the evaluation of his performance until some distant tomorrow?
Each market is different, each situation is different, and not every team, as we shall see, acts alike. Still, many of today’s GMs are procrastinators, not dealmakers. They overanalyze, seek 100th percentile outcomes in every transaction, fear their team getting ranked No. 30 in Baseball America’s organization rankings more than they fear last place. While some are downright afraid to act boldly — or heaven forbid, with the emotion of a diehard fan — they essentially are products of the game’s economic system.”
“Still, when even high-revenue behemoths fall victim to what one old-school executive calls a “prospects over parades” mentality, something is inherently wrong with the sport.
The same groupthink afflicts free agency, in which teams are not necessarily engaging in collusion, but simply valuing players the same way. Agents no longer are willing to accept that teams will not spend lavishly on most free agents. Sellers in the trade market no longer are willing to accept that buyers will not overpay. The resulting industry-wide paralysis is a turnoff to fans.”
Silly question: Asdrubal Cabrera was released, if the Dodgers take it, could he be in play offs? There are no trades, but you can still get players via waivers, right? Of course they would be the last team to choose a player for having the best record, but my question is whether it is still possible to get another player? I’m not yet familiar with the new rule.
Colletti mentioned last night on DodgerTalk (Last take on the trade deadline) that the Dodgers actually have an extra hurdle these days when trying to find a trade partner. He said don’t be fooled by all the surface talk with other teams, most GM’s are ruthless when it comes to making a deal, and with the success the Dodgers have had the last few years in dealing prospects in trades, the other teams want to make us hurt when they deal with us. Pretty cool, he said that in all his years in baseball, he has never seen an organization as talented top to bottom as this years Dodgers. He went on to say that it is a tribute to the Dodgers development culture in the minor leagues that so many of these guys that get called up(Beatty, Verdugo, Smith,Gonsolin) are game ready, and immediately produce. He said that it just doesn’t happen these days in baseball, and also mentioned the Dodgers are on their way to becoming one of the younger teams in MLB, with guys like Bellinger, Verdugo, Bueller, Seager, all 25 or younger and not even in their prime years yet.Our window isn’t getting smaller, it’s getting bigger. I know Freidman rolled the dice a bit by going in house with his bullpen, but he has 2 months to figure it out. Looking forward to seeing GingerGaard on Friday. Great time to be a Dodger fan.
Somebody teach that kid a third pitch and make him a starter! Any two of those four was too much for Vazquez! Anybody disagree? Especially Lux!
DODGERS ADD LHP ADAM KOLAREK TO ROSTER
LHP CALEB FERGUSON OPTIONED TO TRIPLE-A
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have added left-handed pitcher Adam Kolarek to the active roster and optioned left-handed pitcher Caleb Ferguson to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Kolarek, 30, was obtained yesterday from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor league outfielder Niko Hulziser. Prior to being traded to Los Angeles, he appeared in 54 games for the Rays, recording a 5-4 record with a 3.95 ERA (19 ER/43.1 IP) and 36 strikeouts. In parts of three Major League seasons, he is a combined 6-3 with a 4.19 ERA (40 ER/86.0 IP) and 59 strikeouts, while limiting left-handed batters to a .209 (29-for-139) batting average. The southpaw was originally drafted by the New York Mets in 11th round of the 2010 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Maryland.
Ferguson, 23, has appeared in 27 games for the Dodgers, going 0-1 with a 5.88 ERA (17 ER/26.0 IP) and 32 strikeouts. The Ohio native is in his second season with the Dodgers, compiling a 7-3 record with a 4.32 ERA (36 ER/75.0 IP) and 91 strikeouts. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 38th round of the 2014 First Year Player Draft.
In case you missed it above, here it is again:
So one year and that’s all I get for a comparison? Again, your reading comprehension is not so good. I said he would be Tony Gwynn-esque, not that he would be Tony Gwynn.
Alex Verdugo is a year younger than Andre Ethier was when he was a rookie with the Dodgers.
Actually, they are pretty comparable, although Alex already has more HR and doubles than Either had all year! Alex’s power will come, like Andre’s did and in time, you will be forced to say that Andre can’t carry Alex’s jock.
The biggest difference is that Andre had a career BA of .233 against LHP, while Alex hits them to the tune of .311. Rookie-for-Rookie, Alex will obliterate Andre’s stats and watch and learn: He will be Gwynn-esque!
In case you don’t know, “esque” means: in the style of; resembling.
Why do I have to keep explaining this stuff?
So raise your hand if we should have given up May and Ruiz for Vazquez or stop complaining!
For those in the know, what’s the latest word on Jesen Therrien?
The Dodgers made a significant offer to Greinke and if not for a last second offer of one or two additional years by AZ, Greinke probably would have been a Dodger. Well, it looks like AZ didn’t have to pay those extra years and instead got added depth by trading Greinke.
In a last-minute trade deadline stunner, the Astros announced that they’ve acquired right-hander Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handers Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas, first baseman Seth Beer and infielder Joshua Rojas. Martin (who is recovering from Tommy John surgery), Bukauskas and Beer are arguably Houston’s three best non-Kyle Tucker and non-Forrest Whitley prospects.