It’s pretty much official team policy at this point. The Dodgers have two standards for performance: One for Manny Machado, and another for everyone else.
It’s not the way the Dodgers should run things, and in the long run, it ultimately hurts the team.
Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
Follow Me:
I agree. I watched that pitiful performance last night and I was glad that Orel and Joe Davis really ripped into him. Puig got benched for crap like that. BUT< and herein is the problem, they are in a tight pennant race and unfortunately they cannot afford to give his bat and glove a day off. But you can bet that lack of hustle has not gone unnoticed by the front office or Dave Roberts, who this winter will decide whether it is worth a shitload of Dodger dollars to retain the Smirk. For some reason he looks like he is detached from the whole thing. I never see any real emotion out of the guy. He smirks rather than smiles and takes a ho hum attitude after bad at bats. Most of the guys on this team show real anger when they miss something. Not this guy. 26 and it is all too easy for him. I would not spend the money to bring him back, especially if Corey is healthy and ready to go. Pederson got tossed for a 4 letter word tirade against HP ump, Joe West.
Michael,
“The Smirk” AGAIN shows his true colors. Just when we think he has buckled down and contributing positively, he pulls a 180, and goes back to his selfish ways.
He should be benched and fined. It’s not like he has been an invaluable asset to the team… just mediocre at most. “The Smirk” definitely has an attitude problem. He is not at all that, that he thinks he is.
To let him get away with lack of hustle, would be detrimental to the team. I agree, “No Double Standard”. What’s good for the Puiggy, is good for the Squiggy.
He is so self-centered, I do not think a benching will change anything, but it is just the principle. People like him have too thick a skin, and he will not get the message. A little fine, so what… he still “Got His” millions.
Machado is not ”mediocre”. Since joining the Dodgers, he is batting close to .300. The only player who has produced more than him is Turner. So, for me, the question is not Manny’s attitude, which is not a disruptive force for the team, but whether he is worth all the money that he is expected to get, $26M, approx. Comparing the smirk and the pig, both hustle on defense, both make exceptional plays. Offensively, the smirk is much more intelligent than the pig. He knows how to run the bases and makes very few on base mistakes. The smirk is also a much better hitter than the pig.
One incident of sloppy hustle doesn’t define the smirk. The smirk may define his personality and look, but not his baseball talent and IQ. If we want another .300 hitter with power, base running skills, and defensive acumen in the infield, we don’t have to look any further. The question is $$ and only $$. It’s real simple and the rest is made up stuff.
Well Jeff, he is not hitting close to .300. He is hitting .267 with 13 homers and 39 RBI’s. The hottest hitters this month have been Puig, Turner, and Bellinger. Machado has more K’s in less games than he played in Baltimore. For a bona fide super star, he should be hitting a lot higher. His season BA is close to .300, but that is because he was well over .300 in Baltimore. No one questions the fact that the guy is a pretty good ballplayer and has a good baseball IQ, what they do question is the fact that this is not the first time he has showed a lack of hustle. He did the same thing in Dodger Stadium a little over a week ago. Double off the wall that he thought was going out. When guys who played the game like Orel say something about a guys lack of hustle, I believe what they are saying. I would not pay him 26 million when I know that Seager will be back next year.
Slight correction, Michael. I should have said over the whole season. One play doesn’t usually define a player unless it is repeated over and over. Orel is not the authority in my book. In fact, he’s a lousy commentator that should be given a different job. I try to avoid the Dodger announcers when possible as they add so little good information and views, in general. But that’s another story.
As I said, the real question is not Machado’s lack of hustle. It is a straw man as we have images of what a perfect player should look like. The real question is whether the FO will pony up the bucks for a top talent. Kemp will be gone soon, after next season. They need either Manny or someone like him. Seager is not a Manny but I would like to see them play together as each brings something to the table. It will be a defining moment to see how this will play out.
Well in order for those 2 guys to play together, one would have to switch positions. Trouble is, the only spot open on the infield would be 2nd base. Now you could move Turner over there and put Corey at 3rd, but JT does not have the range anymore, so the logical move would be Seager. Not sure how that would work. Corey is pretty tall. Corey may not have Machado’s power, but he has a pretty good arm and is younger. Less expensive too which is what the FO looks at. Seager is also so far a career .300 hitter. As for Machado’s lack of effort, there was a report today in yardbarker that Roberts has spoken to him about that. So if you do not believe Orel, who had a lot more time in the club house and dugout than either of us, maybe you will believe the manager, who must have thought something was there if he took the guy in his office and spoke to him. There have been a lot of guys who display a lack of hustle, and they were super stars. Gary Sheffield openly admitted that there were times when he was with the Dodgers that he gave a lot less than 100% on the field. Orel is a pretty bad analyst, and adds little, but he was not the only one to mention the lack of effort. Too many of todays players sit there and admire their hits. Puig has been guilty of that a lot in his career. It is a part of today’s game that I really dislike. As much as I dislike the lack of hustle that Machado showed, what is more concerning in his time as a Dodger is the rise in his strikeout ratio, the lack of consistency, and the fact that in key situations, he has not produced like the super star he is supposed to be. He still has not had that key moment where he has brought the team back and won a game. His fielding has been great. As for Kemp, I look for the FO to still try and move him this offseason. Especially since he has value. An American league team would definitely be interested in Matt as a DH guy. I also think they will do that so they can get Verdugo on the 25 man and active for next season. The outfield would get a lot more athletic.
If Seager is healthy, I don’t see how they can bring Machado back.
Do SS skills effortlessly translate to 2B?
I’d love to have Machado and Seager, but how?
I seem to remember Machado making several big plays on the basepaths this year. Even sacrificing skin from his palm on a slide at home plate. But that isn’t rock-solid evidence like “He smirks rather than smiles.”
Carry on…
I did not say he has not made some good plays. But he looks like he really does not care that much. Emotion says a lot about a player. His fielding has been very good. But in big situations, he has not come through more often than he has had a big hit.
Shouldn’t Dummy be able fix the Smirk’s attitude? Everyone always says he is a great people person. That is what he gets paid to do. He sure isn’t getting paid for the rotton lineups and pitching changes he does.
Glad to see Package back on his campaign.
It’s funny, I said to myself in the second inning or so once I realized who the home plate umpire was that “let’s see how long it takes for Country Joe Buffon to make this game about him” frikin ridiculous, Joc was wrong but CJB should have just told him to go away. Oh wait!!! That would make the Buffon just an anonymous umpire.
Jeff,
Machado may have decent numbers, but that does not reflect the fact that he has basically been a rally killer. More often than not with runners in scoring position, his soft grounders and GIDP and FC forceouts are something we can count on. Untimely hitting…. that is his problem. That is all I am saying.
If you’ve noticed, he’s had several clutch plate appearances in this latest team rally. This is a young guy who has had to make a major adjustment to a different team, league, and playoff making pressure. Give the guy some credit. We’ll see how this all plays out.
Dozier looks like he’s dozed off the lineup. I’ll be surprised if they offer him anything. Kike is doing a pretty good job at 2B. If they keep Manny, Seager should slide over to 2B. I’d also like them to keep Freese if he wants to continue to play. He can backup Turner at 3B and platoon with Muncy/Bellinger at 1B. This will be the best infield in the majors.
Uh, not so fast. Colorado’s infield is pretty damn good, and if they find a decent 1st baseman, it will be one of the best hitting and fielding infields in the majors. And you and I both know, they are not really going to throw 26 million out there all that easily. They have to wait and see how the off season pans out. Machado would probably be a better player next year in the NL. But he also will have the pressure of a big contract, and sometimes that can really derail a guy. Just look what that 8 year deal has done to a very good hitter like Hosmer.