What the Trends Are Showing

ChatGPT: What MLB Player is credited with inventing the one -hop throw to 1B? The player most often credited with popularizing, and possibly inventing, the one-hop throw to first base is Pee Wee Reese. Before Reese, infielders were generally taught that every throw to first should stay in the air. Reese began intentionally short-hopping throws to first baseman Gil Hodges, especially on difficult plays deep in the hole. Hodges was excellent at picking throws, and the technique reduced wild overthrows while giving Reese a better chance to get speedy runners. The baseball world initially thought it was reckless. Then everybody noticed something annoying: it worked. ⚾ Some historians note that earlier players may have occasionally used the technique, but Reese is widely recognized as the player who turned it into a deliberate, repeatable defensive weapon that spread through baseball instruction. Very “Dodger baseball,” really. Elegant chaos wrapped in practicality.

You seen the Dodgers lose a pennant in May?? I think this organization over the last 13 years has all earned our trust to not freak out over a losing streak…..

He has more control when he does. Pitches also seem to have more movement. His fastballs are too straight.

Not because of the offense. It was pitching and timely HRs. You think Teo is going to hit 30 HR this year? Ohtani 50? Freddie 25? Smith 20+? Tucker 30? I can hide my head in the sand and say everything is going to be okay. I just see an offense that is going backwards.

Not my point. I have seen teams who won the year before blowing it completely with a bad month. LA went through two months last year, July-August, where they went 25-27. They were 15-10 in September. They had a 9-game lead on July 3rd. By the end of the month, it was 3. It was never bigger than 3 the rest of the year. They only won the division because their competition, did not take advantage of their MEDIOCRE play. Those are the facts. They played much better in the playoffs but were just one clutch hit or play away from losing the World Series. Not like they dominated the Jays. With the payroll and talent, they have on this team, they should be playing a lot better. Ohtani is barely hitting over his weight. He hasn’t hit for power in more than a couple of weeks. Sorry, they might be built for the postseason, but they are going to have to show more energy, and a little more spark to impress me into thinking they can three-peat I’ve seen Dodger teams be awful in April and May and never get back in the race. If their pitching holds up, they can stay close, but they need to show some offense, especially against the back end of the league, and they have not done that yet. They are only 6-5 against their own division and they haven’t played the Padres yet.

some of the people here are always looking for something to complain or MMQB over.

I believe he is playing tonight but not hitting tomorrow or Thursday.

Mookie leading off? Heck , schwarber leads off for Phillies, why not try Max in the lead off. His on base would confirm that he would get the job done! You gotta admit, it’s different than anything else they might try! Maybe Call? Let’s shake it up boys!

I’m all for playing the long game and understand the Dodger’s thinking, but I don’t think Ohtani leafing off is best for the team at the moment. It sets the wrong tone. Let’s get back to making the Pitchers work, and get the pitch counts up. Make them work harder for their outs.

Not according to what I read on yahoo sports. Roberts is giving him a 2 day rest., makes sense to me since he isn’t his weight lately.

Mookie has more career leadoff homers, 52, than Ohtani.

And some are happy with mediocrity . Not MMQB. I have been advocating for a change in hitting philosophy for years. At some point slug is not going to be there. Is it this year? Can’t say yet.

I want to return to when Betts hit 1st and Freeman 2nd. After that, rlrlrl So, Smith 3rd, Ohtani 4th, Pages 5th, Tucker

For years Jeff? We won 3 tiles in 6 years….!!!! What more do you want?

Thanks for the information, Mark, on Pee Wee starting the trend.

Bear, Ohtani has actually taken the last 11 games of from “hitting”. .105 / .392 He may be batting but he ain’t hitting.

You don’t normally see Doc get pissed off in the dugout, but you could see that he was after that at bat by KIM. Later you see him reading the riot act to him, using the translator

Batting average be damned. Statistically speaking, you want your best OPS players leading off. Dodgers OPS since 2020: Shohei Ohtani 1.025+ Freddie Freeman .944 Mookie Betts .899 Will Smith .875 Max Muncy .847 Teoscar Hernández ~.820 (Dodgers years only) Andy Pages ~.800 Miguel Rojas .668 Your best OPS hitters should get more plate appearances, which usually means batting near the top of the lineup. But baseball strategy has evolved from the old “fast guy leads off, slugger bats cleanup” template into something much more OBP-and-damage oriented. A lineup is basically a plate appearance distribution machine. The higher you bat: the more times you hit, the more runners you see on base, and the more total value you create over 162 games The leadoff hitter gets roughly 30–50 more plate appearances a season than the #4 hitter. Giving those extra trips to your best hitters matters. Old-school baseball people once treated leadoff like a valet parking position for the fastest guy on the roster, even if he had a .301 OBP and swung like he was late for a bus. #2 hitter This is now often the best overall hitter because: *they bat in the 1st inning almost every game *they hit with runners on *they avoid some empty bases situations *they still get tons of plate appearances Many analytics people think the #2 spot is actually the premium offensive slot. Why the Dodgers hit Ohtani leadoff Because: 1. elite OBP 2. elite power 3. elite speed 4. extra plate appearances matter You’re basically guaranteeing: More total Ohtani at-bats More chances for first-inning runs More chaos for pitchers immediately For example: 1. Betts 2. Freeman 3. Ohtani 4. Smith might create more RBI situations than putting Ohtani first, but over a full season, analytics generally favor: getting elite hitters more plate appearances front-loading offense avoiding weak hitters at the top

I could do that Cassidy, but they have won back to back World Series. But every year I have called for Friedman to be fired and that they all suck and then shortly after the team starts to roll and goes on a winning streak. How much do my complaints make a difference? I dont know you decide. 😉 But if we knew for sure it made a difference, I would tell everyone they suck every day so they start winning games again. I am a total team player and willing to do anything necessary.

3 titles in 6 years, yep, not bad. Beat in LCS in 21 by the eventual champion Braves. No shame there. Had their best record ever in 22. Won the first game of the LDS and then were beaten by the Padres the next 3 games. Why?” Inconsistent offense. Caused by what? Three true outcome approach to hitting might have something to do with it. 23, won the division by 10 games and then were swept by the D-backs in the LDS. They were 17-96 in that series. That is a .177 BA. They hit just .227 in the series against the Padres. If they had better and more consistent hitting, they might have 4 or 5 World Series wins.

Absolutely true.

Yes for years. I have never believed in RVS and his 3 outccome approach to hitting. You like him? Good for you. Allow me to disaagree. The timely HR worked last year. But in 15 NLDS, NLCS, aand WS games, the Dodgers scored more than 5 runs in one game. That was the 18 inning Game 3. They averaged 3.6 runs per game in those 15 games. I am obviously glad they won. But if it were not for pitching, the Dodgers do not win lat year. When the HR is not there, they have to find a way to score runs. If you average 3.6 runs over 15 games, you better thank your pitching.

Some people are never happy….geez….. Win 3 and 6 and now want 5 in 6….. ITS MAY!!!

We all know that more care about OBP than BA. But being able to hit for average is an advantage to raising your OPS. Muncy’s OPS is high because he walks a lot and hits for power. Right now, Ohtani is doing neither. he has struck out almost twice as much as he walks. What fans care about is results, and wins, that trumps individual stats. Ohtani hasn’t looked like the same guy for several weeks. You can see he is visibly frustrated. He swings at way too many first pitches that he cannot drive. If you read the back of his baseball card, he should be able to pull out of it. So far, there have been no signs he is. His hard-hit rate is way down.

So what Jeff you want 4 WS titles in 6 years 5 in 6? how about 6 straight?? Look at the Jays, Sox, Phils, Mets, Guardians, Mariners. 4 teams in the LCS last year, not one lighting the world on fire right now….. Baseball is hard teams are gonna go thru it, we are going thru it now, but trust the process…..