Watch Those Knee-Jerk Reactions

This team is good enough to win a WS. It’s up to the players to perform and make that happen! To that point I think the key is Seager. He needs to regain his all star form with power and form a big three with Turner and Belli. Those three guys have to be hitting for us to win a WS! Our offense needs to show up this time!

So far, so good with Santana’s move to the pen. He’s already on the 40. I would expect him to put his hat into the ring for a post-season spot in the pen if it keeps working out.

Yes, fans are often quick to get upset at players on their favorite team whom they feel are underperforming. I have not deeply studied the fanbases of other franchises, but from what I have seen, Dodgers fans are more optimistic, more accepting of their players, then those of say, New York, or Boston,. Some of the players in those cities have been booed out of town over the years. Dodgers fans mostly hope for improvement, or put up with what they have. Baez is still here, so is Kenley, and so are Joc and Hernandez. The Dodgers rarely trade anyone now, unless it is minor leaguers, or for a salary dump. They never trade up. So unless some minor leaguer is brought up, or until our player reaches arbitration eligibility, they mostly stay. I don’t like this willingness to put up with questionable performances by some players, but that is how the Dodgers handle things, apparently because the main alternative is to take on more salary. They would be willing to bring up someone and substitute him in, of course, but then we have that learning curve and low early expectations thing, again.

We are either going to win the championship this year, or we are not. If we do not, then the team put together was insufficient for that goal, assuming this is indeed the goal of ownership. Of course it is hard to win one, but one team does every year. if we don’t, then the sum total of what we had, was not enough. Yes, injuries play a part, but the Yankees have had plenty this year. And I will say again, that no one expects an all-star at every position. But is Pederson the best we can do; are he and Hernandez and oft-injured Pollock, and Taylor, and the surprising Verdugo, sufficient for a championship winning outfield? We’ve got just one star outfielder on the roster, the rest are essentially platoon players. I’ve already written a lot about the relief staff, so I will not do it again;; but I don’t think that overall, it is an impressive group. Very fortunately, Smith seems more than ready; because if he were not, or if he regresses to a lower mean, then the Dodgers were not prepared enough behind the plate going into this season, counting on Barnes and Martin.

Ownership and front office put this entire team together. It obviously is a fine club, it is going to win 100 games or more. But if it falls short of the title once again, then it is the insufficiency of somebody. It’s a high bar, but isn’t it supposed to be, for the Dodgers? It is hard for fans to essentially say, “Well, we missed winning the title again, but it is no one’s fault, really; the players all did pretty well; the management is great; no one should be criticized; let’s all look forward to next season.” Of course some fans are going to be frustrated , and want some changes to be made. whether they ever are, or not.

DBMom, I’m also a fan. It seems like you appeared just as MJ left us. Great timing.

Joc Pederson – Bye, bye Joc. He served his purpose, but the team will be more complete without his all or nothing, can’t hit lefties bat. He’ll be traded this off-season.

Kike Hernandez – He doesn’t do it for me. Yes, he makes a great play from time to time. Yes, he’s got some pop. But, he’l like a less entertaining version of Puig Lite. Might be useful to hand onto for another year as a utility guy. His inconsistency keeps him from being anything other than a utility guy.

Chris Taylor – A better option than Kike as a utility guy, mainly because he’s better in the outfield IMO. I see him as a little more consistent than Kike with less mental errors. He simply K’s too much to be anything more than a utility guy. I hate seeing him and Kike in the lineup at the same time. Also, hits same side pitching better than Kike and is less of a goofball.

Kenley Jansen – WTF happened to this guy? It might be a blessing in disguise that he’s having a down year in his option year. With a normal Spring, he might be back on top next year. He’s no longer automatic, but gets the job done better than most. He’s our best option as closer.

Dustin May – One bad outing out of the pen does not change my mind about him. His stuff is wicked. He deserves more pen time to see if he can adjust and be a shut down guy for the post-season.

Clayton Kershaw – He’s reinventing himself. It’s a thing of beauty to watch. The reason people feel he isn’t an ace is because of his own high bar that he set from being so dominant.

Corey Seager – He’s had a very divided year. Every time he starts to get going, he has a setback. Hopefully, he gets it back for the post-season. Has at least another year to prove he can’t handle SS. He goes in the hole at third better than most and still has a cannon.

Hyun-jin Ryu – Best year of his career. What can you say about him? He’s our David Wells. I hope they resign him, he has a lot left in the tank.

When the Dodgers got Negron most fans laughed. How do you like him now? I’m still laughing and I’m wondering what’s to like about him? A couple of Coors homers? A bad dive and faceplant? Sorry, but he’s older and less talented than Kike and CT3, a DFA waiting to happen.

Next year? The only reason Lux hasn’t been called up is because he’s left handed.

1B – Muncy – Still might be trade bait. He’s just not very good defensively.

2B – Lux – I can’t believe how all the shows are talking about him already. People are throwing around Perennial All-Star, Team Captain and HOFer already. Wow! Get him on the team already!

SS – Seager (back in the MVP Race after a full season of healing) I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. In a bad year he’s leading one of the best offensive teams in doubles.

3B – Turner (he might only start 115-120 games) – I hope he gets the Chase Utley treatment and stays put on short deals until the wheels fall off.

CF – Not sure is that guy from Idiocracy. Our CF is AJ. Pollock is going to be a full-time center fielder for us at least through next year. I’m not sure of your distaste for him, he’s still not healthy and he’s producing better than most since coming off the elbow injury. He’s gonna have a revamped off-season and he’s gonna put in two quality years in 2020, and 2021 then we’ll trade his expiring contract to some pretender.

LF – Verdugo – Not really a CF, not enough power for a corner. He might hit 300, but isn’t. He might hit 20HR, but isn’t. He’s a nice piece and does other things to add value. Still could be traded for the right RH bat.

RF – Bellinger – MVP with the ability to provide a Gold Glove in RF or 1B. Extremely valuable, a cornerstone guy. Lock him up!

C- Smith – Johnny Bench. A Godsend. Best defensive catcher in baseball. I’m all in on this guy. Ruiz is gonna have to be V-Mart and Pudge wrapped together to surpass this guy.

A happy team in pics.

Thanks 2D2. Right back at you.

My knees are jerking this morning 🙂

Great article on the hitting coach RVS and his work with the young hitters. Really a good read:

DBMom – – I wholeheartedly agree with PeterJ – – you make this a better place. As does PeterJ and so many others!

Mark, can’t help but think many of your posts are knee jerk reactions to knee jerk reactions. There are legitimate reasons why posters go negative on certain players. Barnes is a good example of many of us knee jerking for a couple of years! And, guess what? We were right!! Barnes doesn’t even deserve to be the backup of Will Smith. He can’t throw base stealers out, and neither can Martin. That is a fact.

Another fact is Corey Seager has been awful at SS. We give him a pass because he is back from a severe injury. Maybe he is not 100%. He’s got way too many errors and he doesn’t look like he is improving there. I like Corey a lot but he is actually replaceable. The RBI machines that are not replaceable are Belli, Muncy, and JT. I’m not advocating getting rid of Corey so let’s put that to rest.

The rest of the Dodgers are the sum of its parts. Many contributors and we need that. Verdugo is a rookie and having a great year. Joc is Joc. Pollock is somewhat of a disappointment but he’s got something to add. I won’t go into the peripheral players like Beaty, but Beaty has a problem hitting LHP. This is why he can’t be platooned in the OF with Joc.

I also think that Negron is a lot more valuable than many may think. He’s helped stabilize the defense while CT3 and Kike have been on the IL. He’s a real hustler and he can even hit. I’m not ready to call it quits on him.

May needs more time to season. Seems obvious to me. Urias is serving his 20 game suspension and we will not see him till the end of September! Maeda is fading and he is the only reason we are seeing May late in the season. I’m really hoping for Hill but methinks he’s not going to make it. The FO will figure it out somehow.

Bum, if you traded for Torres then you would block Lutz. Other than Joc I don’t see any other off season trades for Dodgers

Peterj you made my day. Thank you. My day starts with reading this blog and I really enjoy hearing what you and the other fans have to say even if I do not agree with all of you. I have my favorites too but have always strongly rooted for the young minor players making their journey up to the big leagues. I especially appreciate Mark, AC, DC, 2D2, and many others for their write-ups. Ps hockey coming up soon too.

When M.T comes out with this post and similar ones, I often wonder if I’m one of the knee jerks!!?? Joc, never a great fan… Love his numbers which should (?) make him good trade material… Liking Kike, always have…Versatile and good around clubhouse… CT3, indifferent, inconsistency drives me crazy… Kenley, Kersh and Ryu, loving em… Always loved my Asian pitchers, its a mindset thing… Corey never worry about the kid… Dustin, patience, patience, patience…

I’ll stick with A.J. for the next two years… Love to see Hill healthy enough to pitch in playoffs as a starter wedged in between the boyz..

I’m patient the F.O. is handling the Lux situation well and we’ll see him in Sept…

Our future is bright for sure…

Am I knee jerk or??? I have lost no sleep lately…

Dodger Mom, I’ve wanted to say for a long time, you make this blog better and keep on keeping on…

P.S. College football is coming soon thank God…

Interesting column. But AJ Pollock will be in the outfield, somewhere, maybe center. The Dodgers need Pollock. Gotta like Matt Beaty. Great swing, great at bats. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Joc traded in the off-season, gives away too many at bats. The problem with Kiki is going outside the strike zone, loves to swing at sliders low and away. His value is power and the ability to play a lot of different positions. If the Dodgers don’t clean up the log jam in the outfield, they will take a step back next year. Not enough at bats for all those guys. Maybe, it’s just me, but I never looked at Bellinger as another Joc. Way too much talent, speed, defensive skills and he had always hit left handers in the minors. Not sure I would be so quick to trade Alex Verdugo, many scouts think he’s going to be a .300 hitter and develop more power. Hitting really well this year, great arm, can play any outfield position.

The Yankees need a solid lefty bat and the Dodgers need a solid righty bat. Seems like good trade partners.

I want Glyber Torres and always have. He would cost Muncy and I will throw in Pederson. Yes, other players from both sides would be involved. The Yankees probably would like to have a starter for instance.

To get AC’s Bryan Patrick Reynolds from Pittsburgh it would cost the Dodgers Verdugo and I would do that.