What About the Platoons?
It has already been established by Doc Roberts that left field, first base and catcher will be manned by a platoon. Well, actually, catcher is not so much of a platoon but rather a way to keep Barnes from being overworked, so Russ Martin will catch about 3 days a week or something thereabouts. Since Right-Handers make up about 70% of the pitchers, that means that at 1B, Max Muncy
It has already been established by Doc Roberts that left field, first base and catcher will be manned by a platoon. Well, actually, catcher is not so much of a platoon but rather a way to keep Barnes from being overworked, so Russ Martin will catch about 3 days a week or something thereabouts.
Since Right-Handers make up about 70% of the pitchers, that means that at 1B, Max Muncy will play about 70% of the time and he can also fill-in for Justin Turner at 3B, like on Sunday, so Max will likely get close to 500 at-bats and David Freese will get plenty of rest. That brings us to LF and Joc Pederson platooning with Chris Taylor. Again, it looks like a pure platoon to me. Joc plays 70% of the time and CT3 plays 30% of the time as well as filling in for other resting or injured players.
CT3 can play LF, CF, SS and 2B at an above-average level, so he is now the Dodgers Swiss Army Knife! Kike Hernandez holds down the fort at 2B and I see him getting incrementally better… maybe not becoming JD Martinez, but possibly an All-Star.
Joc Pederson has started the season extremely hot (.467/.619/1.133 with 3 HR), after hitting .180 in Spring Training. Many fans were calling for his head at the end of the Pre-Season. Now, many want him to start against LH and RH pitching. I have no problem with that… except for the fact he has never been able to hit LHP. NEVER! Let’s look at his BA against LHP since his rookie year:
- 2014 – .000
- 2015 – .216
- 2016 – .125
- 2017 – .204
- 2018 – .170
- 2019 – .000
For his career, Joc hits .181 against LHP. Admittedly, it is a small sampling (288 AB’s verses 1,309 against RHP), but you have to demonstrate that you have a chance against lefties and Joc just has not done it. That could all magically change, of course, but I am not holding my breath.
I think the smart money is to let Joc hit against RHP, let his confidence build and then stir him in against an occasional LHP. Some LH hitters just cannot deal well with lefties. Andre Ethier hit .303 against RHP and .233 against LHP. His OB% was .382 against righties, but a mere .291 against lefties.
It is what it is. I would occasionally give Joc a chance against an weaker lefty, but for the most part, I want to put him in a position to succeed. He has demonstrated that he is not successful against lefties. Maybe RVS can fix that, but I am far from confident.
Joc looks like he is benefiting from the Dodgers new hitting approach and instructors. Let him do what he does. Don’t push the envelope. Give it time. Maybe he will grow into it, but pushing the envelope right now and allowing Joc to hit against LHP could really backfire. I like his confidence level. Let him play 70% of the time and build up the confidence more. Maybe Doc eases him in later to see how he does against lefties. That’s my take.
Last Night’s Debacle
When asked about Joe Kelly’s execution last night, Dave Roberts said “I’m all for it!” <That’s a sick joke.> The Dodgers are 3-2 and Joe Kelly caused both of those losses. His ERA sits at a cool 18.00. The Dodgers braintrust signed Kelly because they felt they could help him become even better with smoothing out some mechanical issues. That has not happened as yet!
We have to realize that when signing a player, one of three (3) things can happen… actually WILL happen:
- He will be better;
- He will be the same; or
- He will be worse.
So far, Joe Kelly has been horrible. There has to be some concern building as to whether he can turn it around. Right about now, he has to have ZERO confidence. Short term, the Dodgers have to keep him out of high-leverage situations. He is certainly capable of turning it around, but the longer it goes, the less likely it is. He has had this issue in the past, so there is a precedent for hoping for a turn-around. I do not second-guess much, but I thought that in this situation, Doc should not have brought Kelly out for a second inning after giving up a run in his first inning.
The good news is that others in the bullpen are looking better, namely Pedro Baez. The other good news is that the Dodgers have the resources in the minors, namely Gonsolin, Santana and Therrien. Some will suggest that Craig Kimbrel is the solution, but I happen to be of the opinion that his best days are behind him. I think other GM’s believe the same thing, which is why he remains unsigned. I would stay away from him. No “knee-jerk” reactions.
Milwaukee’s bullpen was very good last season with Woodruff and Burnes playing a big role. This year, they have been converted back to starters. I wish the Dodgers would consider that with Gonsolin and Santana.
After the game, Kelly said this:
“I don’t like it as much as everyone else doesn’t like it, especially coming over here on a new team. I don’t put any added pressure on myself, I just obviously feel bad for letting the guys down the first two times. It’s not going to happen 68 more times or however many times I pitch.I know I’m not even close to being myself results-wise. But today I felt a lot better. From here on out, hopefully if I continue with those mechanics and those pitches, the results will change.”
Rants and Raves
- It was good to see CT3 get untracked as part of that LF Platoon. That HR helped his confidence immensely.
- Who says Alex Verdugo has no power? I told you it would come. The Dodgers have confidence that he can hit LH pitching, so he pinch hit against a lefty. I believe this guy will eventually hit 30 HR. Where does he play? I think it will eventually be RF and Cody going back to 1B. There are so many options and possibilities.
- Joe Kelly may have blew the game, but the reality is: you will not win many games scoring just 2 runs. The good news is that it took the Dodgers 2 games last year to score two runs against the Giants. They have to hit better.
- I hate to say it, but if the Giants get lucky and stay healthy, they could be pretty good, like maybe over .500 good. Evan Longoria and Joe Panik look to be re-built and if Belt, Posey and Crawfish can stay healthy, the offense could surprise.
- The best news is that Julio Urias was beyond outstanding. This is why I was against trading him. So was Friedman. He is a potential Ace or with Striker here, “a Co-Ace“. Don’t count Kershaw out just yet, either. He wants that title too. I don’t see how you can put Urias back in the bullpen… maybe you just let him skip a few starts here and there, but he is a starter.
Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (90)
Disagree, not disagreeable
The BP will certainly be better once Hill and CK return. Moving Stripling and Urias (although I’m not sure either belong in the BP) will make the BP dominant. Imagine turning to Urias in the 7th or 8th inning of a game as a bridge to KJ.
KJ has me very concerned. Control, velocity and movement are all suboptimal right now.
How are the Dodgers going to replace the 70 HR hit by Puig, Kemp and Grandal.
Alas, how will they do it?
… asked about the team who just tied the record for most HR in the first 6 games.
Patience on the bullpen. Kenley will be fine. Yimi will figure it out or go. It will be OK.
Giants TV analysts are fixating on Connor Joe in the 3rd inning not being able to double up Ryu at 2nd after the shallow fly ball from Seagar. True, it might have been a missed opportunity and it would have prevented Bellie from coming up to the plate with the bases loaded. But they conveniently forget that Madbum made the error to allow Martin to get on to start the rally. Then when Ryu was trying to sacrifice, Madbum walked him on 4 pitches. So – there was plenty of blame to go around. It seems pretty harsh to come down so much on a kid who is trying to earn his way onto a major league roster. I only mention this because Connor Joe has been discussed at times on this site when he was playing in the Dodgers farm system. I feel for the kid because he has gone hitless so far this season and the Giants fans (and broadcasters) have lost patience with him.
Dodger relief pitchers are just NOT sharp. This is the second spring training in a row where I’ve felt that the pitchers have NOT been built up for the start of the season and it seems somewhat intentional. It’s almost as if Doc et al are basically using Spring training to evaluate all the minor league prospects and then they use April to get the 25-man roster players built up for the season. This year the hitters seem ready and the starting pitchers seem sharp (although not built up to handle higher pitch counts). However, the relief pitchers have performed horribly. I’d like to believe they have the talent, but simply did not prepare enough during ST to be ready at the start of the season.
The team is 4-2 and I feel like they will be in good shape if they can just stay above .500 while the bullpen gets in order. If they can get the relief pitching in order, they will get on a roll. I don’t see it happening for another month because Doc will continue to give the relievers ample opportunities to come in redeem themselves. Meanwhile, fans need to brace themselves for lots of stressful (and occasionally disappointing) endings to games.
Bryce Harper got booed by National Fan. Then he hit a Home Run. I guess they are going to miss him in D.C.
But we have a guy named “Cody Bellinger” who will hit 60 Home Runs this year.
Hershiser hit it on the head with a post game comment about the bullpen the last week or so. He said the biggest problem is that most of our relievers are getting themselves into hitters counts instead of attacking the strike zone, which Honeycutt preaches. Great point
Was that a save or a scare.? Dodgers BP sans Ferguson, Floro has been putrid. KJ doesn’t look dominant at all with his cutter not cutting so much.
Yimi and Kenley were getting squeezed by the ump, but my goodness, neither of them look the least bit confident!
OMG – I Say go back to the old ways of letting the Starting Pitchers go all 9 Innings. These Relief Pitchers can’t even pitch 1 inning without giving up a run. And they get paid bucca bucks to pitch like crap.
good grief. yaye, we won?
Bobby, I did not want Harper to begin with. Spend the money on locking up Seager and Bellinger. Also , Beuhler and Urias.
Does anyone else wonder what things would look like If Harper had accepted our offer and been thrown in the middle of this lineup?
Be nice to see Ryu go a full 7,
and then not have Kelly come in. Sorry, but please not tonight.
Nice play Ryu. Sweet
Or heck, maybe 8 innings.
A change in philosophy. AC cautioned about every batter looking the same…
There’s 3 LH hitters in the lineup. Last year it would have been maybe 1, Zero after Seager went down.
1. Kike 2B
2. JT 3B
3. Corey SS
4. AJ CF
5. Cody RF
6. CT3 – LF
7. MadMax 1B
8. Old Man Martin C
Considering how long it’s been for Corey, I’d be happy to see him getting back to the Real Corey by beginning of June. That’s another two months of just getting back his muscle memory when it comes to hitting. In the meanwhile we just need to hope the rest of the lineup covers for him, not that he won’t have his good days also.
I think the odds of signing both Corey and Cody have gotten better, with the way the market is going.
I would try to sign Corey as soon as it is possible, because he might be more inclined to sign sooner, with what he has dealt with his injury issues.
I felt bad for Corey last night, because he looked a little frustrated.
Dodgertown is no more:
Open on www.espn.comhttp://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26425116/mlb-takes-dodgertown-gives-new-nameTwo more extensions:
Xander Bogaerts – 6 years $120MM (2020-2025); option 2026; opt out after 2022.
Ronald Acuna – 8 years $100MM, plus two options
It continues to look like both player and team are more comfortable with familiarity and certainty.
Trying to guess Doc’s line up tonight. I suspect it will be similar to last night’s due to the L/R thing but wonder if this might be the night that either Pederson or Verdugo gets a start against a LH pitcher. Taylor is only batting .071 against Bumgarner. With Taylor seeming to do better last night in hitting, usual Dodger practice would seem to be to sit him to cool him off a bit. Pederson is .222 (in 9 ABs with 1 HR).
I think Freese may play again as he has hit Bumgarner well past though only 7 AB’s (BA.429). Martin will likely start as Doc seems to be every other day with his catchers. Verduago and Martin have not faced Bumgarner.
Hernandez
Turner
Seager
Freese
Bellinger
Pollock
Pederson
Martin
Ryu
Mark, you might recall that I once noted that I thought Verdugo was capable of hitting 20-25 HRs, so I don’t think that 30 is out of the realm of possibility, especially if maturity kicks in for the soon to be 23 year old. That ball last night traveled 430 ft., at night in Dodger Stadium. In fact, I recall that Verduo’s first HR was to the opposite field, although it was at Coors.
Preliminary OKC Roster
Starting Pitchers (4):
Dennis Santana
Tony Gonsolin
Daniel Corcino
Ben Holmes
Relievers (9):
Stetson Allie
Joe Broussard
J T Chargois
Josh Sborz
Justin Grimm
Kevin Quackenbush
Jaime Schultz
Donnie Hart
Josh Smoker
Catchers (2):
Rocky Gale
Will D. Smith
Infield (5):
Edwin Rios
Matt Beaty
Angelo Mora
Jake Peter
Errol Robinson
Outfielders (4):
Kyle Garlick
Ezequiel Carrera
Paulo Orlando
Cameron Perkins
That is 24 named to the preliminary roster with 1 spot remaining. I would hazard a guess that the 25th spot is being held for the 5th starting pitcher, Brock Stewart. Depending as to what happens on Thursday with Clayton Kershaw’s rehab assignment start at OKC, Stewart could be optioned in time for a Monday (Game 5) start, and Kershaw could be in a position to start for LAD on Tuesday. Once Kershaw is added, Urias probably heads to the bullpen to continue with his innings control.
Once Stewart is optioned, one of the OKC relievers will need to be moved or placed on the IL.
One player not identified as on the preliminary roster is Daniel Castro (SS). I hope he remains in the organization. He has some skills for a part time role.
Did you hear about the three-legged cat who walked into a bar and said “I’m looking for the man who shot my paw?”
For the record, holding Urias to a limited pitch count is not on Doc – it’s an organizational mandate. They want to build him up slowly and not stress his arm. The strings will come off next year. I’m 100% behind it. They will try and limit him to 150 innings in the regular season, in my opinion.
Buehler is behind because he was not feeling good early in the Spring. The Dodgers know this is a marathon and have planned accordingly. Bullpens are so unpredictable as to how you set them up. Last years flavor-of-the-week is on this years’ junk pile. Usually, you can’t buy a bullpen.
Did everyone hear the Giants just traded for Kevin Pillar?