Well folks, you asked for it – nay, you pleaded for it, begged for it, and demanded it. The day for Julio Urias to take the mound for the Dodgers is just around the corner.
Urias will start tomorrow, Friday night, against the Mets, in New York City. It may not be Yankee Stadium, but it is Gotham, and there is perhaps no bigger baseball stage than Los Angeles in the game.
Urias will be taking Alex Wood‘s slot. Wood is suffering from arm soreness, so his start is being pushed to the next series against the Cubs.
Nineteen-year old Urias has been pitching in AAA, Oklahoma City, and is coming off a 27-inning scoreless streak. He has an ERA of 1.10, WHIP 0.78, and 44 stike outs.
Urias will be the youngest Dodgers starter since Dick Calmus in 1963. His fellow countryman, Mexican-born Fernando Valenzuela was also 19 when he joined the Dodgers, but El Toro began as a relief pitcher, and did not start for the big club until the following year, 1981, when he was 20.
Many Dodger writers and fans have been chomping at the bit for this one. The youth movement in Los Angeles is about to take one more step. Look out NYC, here come the Dodgers!
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.
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Strange move for a team not trying to win now. (sarcasm)
JULIOMANIA!!!!
I have been clamoring for him most of this month! This is going to be exciting. I’d fly Vin in on Friday to call the game.
He’s just toying with the hitters at AAA. You can’t keep him there, no matter how many innings he hasn’t pitched. They just have to keep him around 150 innings. I can see him being DL’ed for a month in July or August, but he has to pitch to MLB hitters.
I often suggested Urias start 4 games in June. Can’t criticize FAZ when we are of like minds.
And Bum I said, then they can use him in the pen, to control his innings.
Mark that is a very good idea, to have the Dodgers get Vinny to NY, to call Urias first game!
I was thinking that it would be great to have Vinny calling Urias first game, just like he did, when Fernando pitched his first game.
They got to keep Vinny’s chain to history alive, if that is ok with Vinny!
Damn now I need to alter my plans Friday at 4pm!
Can’t wait
Keep him around for 150 innings? That’s crazy. He only threw 80 last year and he’s already got 41. He might be able go 150 total, but in my opinion that’s pushing it. There is no reason to rush this kid. Just because we are desperate for starting pitching does not mean we should do something reckless. I’m sure management will show restraint.
I said 150 innings. Do that math – that’s 109 more!
It’s not rushing it. He’s more than ready.
You can have him pitch to a bunch of stiffs at AAA all year or that can hurt his progress as well.
Say what you mean. You said “keep him around for 150 innings”. Keep him where if not “here”?
He may be ready to pitch to ML hitters. I don’t think he is ready to throw enough pitches to go very long.
It sounds like they will use him out of the bullpen, to control his innings. when he isn’t starting.
Badger
Remember Ryu only needs two more rehab games. And he will be close to his 100 pitches.
Ryu – I’ll believe it when I see it.
And I’m not sure about keeping Urias in the pen. I just don’t know. Maybe he’s ready, but he will be the youngest to start a ML game in over 50 years.
Are we looking at a 7 man rotation?
Kershaw
Maeda
Kazmir
Wood
Strippling
Bolsinger
Urias
Actually I’m happily for the kid. Hope he does well. Finally a little drama in this otherwise mediocre team.
And yeah Bum your June prediction fell short by just a few days. Cheers!
I don’t think that young Julio can be more ready. He has 27 consecutive shutout innings in AAA and his ERA is 1.1. The only things that he needs are more innings to build up arms strength and experience and he can get both of these at the major league level. This is an automatic upgrade in the rotation that won’t cost the team anything (now – but may cost it later if he is a “Super two” guy and also if it results in losing a year of team control) and bodes well for the future.
I expect that the team will carefully restrict his innings. The only downside here is that if he is only allowed to pitch 5 or 6 innings it will further tax the bullpen.
I think he COULD be more ready, but I see the reason they are doing this. A 19 year old, with 263 innings in the minors could very well be our #2 in short order. He threw 64 pitches in his last outing, 82 in the outing before that. This will be interesting. You’re right about # of innings, and that will be determined by pitch count. I doubt they let him throw more than 80. How many innings will this represent for him? And for the bullpen?
Badger
It doesn’t sound like Tony La
Russa, is a happy man, right now.
He went in and challenged the Pirates announcer, a couple days ago, while a was on air.
And that announcer finally
made it public today.
Because La Russa said some quotes to an Arizona newspaper, that the Pirates announcer, felt that what La Russa said, was in accurate.
This was about La Russa, retaliating on hitters, when his hitters, got hit.
When he was the manager of the Cardinals.
La Russa said those statements, by the Pirates announcer, were just not true!
I didn’t realize that the Dbacks, were seven games back.
Things are tense around the Dbacks team right now. They aren’t really drawing and Miller is floundering. If he doesn’t get it turned around La Russa and his posse are going to be on the hot seat. They need Miller to pitch like an ace or they won’t contend. As for that incident I didn’t hear about it. I don’t follow them that closely.
Badger I was watching the Dbacks playing against the Pirates. And there announcer told the story, and he sounded like a was really surprised that La Russa came in to the booth, and confronted him. He said he wasn’t going to make it public, until what he saw La Russa say to the press. Maybe they will want to get rid of Greinke, evetually if it doesn’t work out. Of course they would have to pay some of the money, for the Dodgers to do that.
Shades of Kevin Malone!
You guys are expecting that he will be successful. I want to look at it like this: I hope he goes 6 innings tomorrow and doesn’t get beat up too badly. Then, depending on the quality of his pitching in that game, go from there. If he gets Zack Lee’d tomorrow, he will get sent back down to lick his wounds. That will be an important scenario: to see how he responds to failure. Probably for the first time in his life. Zack Lee responded well to his failures, but the suits just don’t think he is good enough, no matter what. Probably not so with Urias.
I think everyone expects him to be successful – eventually. But you’re right Bobbie, success in your ML debut can be measured differently. We just saw Daniel Wright make his debut and go 5.1 on 87 pitches. But he’s 25 with 384 innings of pro ball and a few years of college. I think Julio is on a strict pitch count. Hope so anyway.
I’m a little scared for him too. But if he is anything like Fernando, he will be ok.
Correct B17.
With the utter failure of LAD trainers, and most MLB trainers for that matter, for decades I would put Urias on a short leash. Too many Biceps, Triceps, and TJs on this LAD staff for me to have any confidence in the ability of LAD trainers to properly diagnose any health problem, or the current and certainly past player development department. Did DeLeon really go on the DL because of overwork in the gym?
Urias is not a sure thing to dominate in NY just like he bombed at AAA last summer. But of course we all hope for the best.
Roger has become one of the funniest people in the world!
These are my opinions.
Let the self centered arrogant ones with no issue issue recognition skills misunderstand what I wrote and continue their criticism.
BOB
De Leon is suppose to have a sore shoulder. And by the way, you crack me up too!
I think everyone here wants to see the kid pitch, but I also think it is unrealistic to think that this kid who has never thrown more than 88 innings in a year is going to be the savior of a mediocre ball club with a questionable bullpen, and a woeful offense. His innings will be limited. I would be totally surprised if he goes 6 or more. I also read that he will most likely be put in the bullpen after this start so the team can better monitor his innings. On a better note, Ryu went 4 scoreless at OKC, so he is another day closer to rejoining the team. Also, who gets DFA’d when he gets called up? Are they going to keep playing with a short bench? The offense needs a spark badly, and this is the wrong opponent to have a short bench against. A lot of people, who I consider NUTS, have suggested the Dodgers need to send Puig to AAA and call up someone from there. Well, none of the OF’s in AAA is hitting above 270. None have any power, and even worse not one of them has Puig’s defensive skills. He is in a slump……slump’s pass…..the best Dodger OF prospect is at AA…Alex Verdugo. All of the guys at AAA are other teams castoffs…….another feature brought to you direct from Fried Brains and Zilcho.
Well said Michael.
Verdugo is hitting .292 at AA. That’s good of course, but if any of our outfielders were there, they’d probably be hitting a lot better than .290. Well, maybe not. The point is there is no offensive help coming from our system. We hit with what we have seen or we don’t hit. I still expect more, but who knows. Maybe this is who they are.
Bellinger, Calhoun, and Verdugo had great weeks and are progressing rapidly. I think Calhoun is the Dodgers best prospect for second base and could get the job in 2018. I think Bellinger might be ready now.
I am not expecting Urias to pitch more than 5 innings in his first game and maybe by his fourth game maybe get up to 6 innings. Depends on how much trouble he has to pitch out of and pitch count, but 5 should be the plan. They still have 13 pitchers on the 25.
Calhoun has stone hands and doesn’t appear to be an answer at 2B, even though he can hit. Middle infielders have to be able to field – anyone here remember Jose Offerman?
RE: Willie Calhoun, courtesy of Dodgers Digest:
“Because defense matters, Calhoun’s overall ranking suffers a bit. He’s a second baseman, but really only in name. He’s clunky out there and doesn’t have the strongest arm — even for second base. He seems to be better ranging to his left than his right, but everything about his second base defense needs improvement. The Dodgers will keep him there as long as possible. The theory is, “If Jeff Kent can play second base, anyone can (except Alex Guerrero).” Calhoun will test that theory. If he has to move to left field, that puts a dent in his future outlook. But he isn’t getting to the majors based on the strength of his defense. “
Okay, I will give you that and still say Calhoun is the Dodgers best second base prospect. He only has to beat out Johnson for that honor. Kike’ is no longer a prospect, at least not technically.
Scavuzzo is not a castoff, though I wouldn’t rank him with Verdugo. Bellinger could play right, but his trip to the DL set him back. Either way, I wouldn’t expect any AA players to be called up before September.
From ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/dodger-report/post/_/id/19773/dodgers-youth-movement-will-continue-in-earnest
I have a hard time believing FAZ really wanted to call up Urias, it is just so out of character for them. I wonder if Guggenheim “suggested” this?
Good point. The excuse was sore arm. That is usually dealt with by bringing up a reclamation project for one game and then back down. This sounds like someone else’s methodology. Interesting. I wonder what is going on?
No one here expects that Urias will be a savior. He will immediately add talent and should be an improvement, even if only temporarily. Even if he doesn’t pitch well right away, he will learn from the experience and it will help him to become successful down the road.
There is no downside to Urias coming up. And if it means that he is a placeholder until Ryu is ready to pitch, then great.
Well he could have his confidence shaken on a day he gets bombed. It happens to all of them. Hopefully he can overcome that.
Dodger rick
I agree with most you have said. You can’t keep someone down, because of there age. He has worked hard for this chance, and this will be a learning experience for him.
Like I said above, I am scared for him, and I hope this day off, doesn’t give him to much time to think to much. But if he is one of the special ones, like Cory is, he will be just fine.
I know that Urias has not been pitching much beyond five inning, but it isn’t going to hurt him, to throw six or seven innings, if he is not doing it, all season long. It will just build his arm, up farther. And shouldn’t he be trying to work up to 100 pitches this year, to be able to pitch in the majors, by next year, or 2018? And really, no one knows the exact amount of pitches, that cause injuries, do they?
I think you will see Urias throw 80-90 pitches and then get pushed back 6 or 7 days at times. When he gets to 125 or 130 IP, I believe he will go to the pen the rest of the year. He ain’t going back down to AAA. He’s not Zach Lee! Lee needs a new home. I think we will see De Leon take his place in the rotation in August.
I am sitting here eating some deviled eggs. I know they must come from possessed chickens…
Mark, do you add avocado to your deviled eggs? I understand they are good that way. I haven’t tried it yet.
I don’t think Urias will pitch more than 120 combined starter and reliever innings this year. Max 180 innings next year.
I have enough trough getting them to lay deviled eggs…. I’d probably have to contact an exorcist to get avocado !
Bum I make deviled eggs with best foods, mustard, and a little vinager.
I put in one of those small cans of deviled ham..
Motel Clerk: “We have two rooms, one at $100 and one at $80”.
Customer: “What is the difference between the rooms?”
Motel Clerk: “The $80 room doesn’t have free TV.”
Dick Calmus was promoted from the midwest league and made 21 appearances (all but one in relief) with the Dodgers in 1963. He only made one more start in the majors, in 1967. Anybody remember seeing him?
I have seen his name in a box score – that’s it! He posted a 3-1 record and 2.66 ERA in 1963, but then developed arm trouble in the minor leagues; later traded to the Chicago Cubs, he never won another game in the majors
Yes, he was in a game that was broadcast on TV. Came in for an inning of relief.
My dog used to chase people on a bike a lot. It got so bad, finally I had to take his bike away.
What is the difference between a snowman and a snowwoman?
Snowballs.
But seriously… folks!
Let’s say Urias doesn’t get out of the second inning. Who comes to pitch? Strippling?
Stripling was sent down to OK City. They can’t recall him for 10 days unless another player goes on the DL.
Not Stripling. I would say Bolsinger.
I fail to see why calling up Urias is any kind of problem. The dude has to pitch and he has no competition in AAA. He can’t grow and adjust there. If anything, it would have hurt him more to keep him at AAA when he is ready for so much more.
You can keep him on a set number of innings or pitch counts in the majors just as easy as the minors. He’s ready – it would hurt him, not help him, to keep him in AAA. There’s nothing sinister or convoluted here, folks. He’s just ready. So be it!
Here’s another possibility: He has a no-no at the end of 6 – do you lift him?
HELL YES!
Yes, excited to see the kid pitch, finally something to be excited about…..
I look forward to seeing him too. It’s just that we all know – this IS NOT how it was planned. This happening in May means something has gone wrong.
But, right or wrong, it is, so, go Julio. I’m thinking 5 innings would be good, 6 would be great and anything more than that would be a mistake.
PS – that motel joke was funny. Took me a second, but I laughed.
Badger
Roberts is very conservative with the pitchers. I think he won’t pitch him more then six innings. Look how he has used Maeda, and Stripling.
Many times when a young, new kid comes up to the majors and pitches their first game — I think of that movie a few years ago — Talent for the Game (1991) with Edward James Oleos and Lorraine Bracco. He finds young kids with great arms, only to have most of them run home out of fear of playing that first game in the majors . . .
I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.
A year ago! Even if things had not gone wrong, he would still be here, because he belongs!
I agree 100%. Urias is a stud – he has done nothing but succeed at every level. With his performance this year, all he needs is arm strength and experience and he can get these at the major league level – he can’t get major league experience in the minors.
Let him pitch! If he has a few bumps and bruises, so be it – he can learn from them. But maybe he won’t…
This has nothing to do with how the team has performed. In 2008, Kershaw was called up. The team only won 84 games but finished 1st. The pitching was iffy (Billingsly was the ace with 16 wins – then Lowe with 14, then Kuroda with 9). Kershaw was called up to help. This was in part because he was ready and in part because the team needed pitching help, but that’s why you have prospects.
Nice to agree – Peace!
I agree. Let him pitch.
But it has EVERYTHING to do with how this team is performing.
“It’s absurd that a supposed championship contender with a $230-million payroll is thinking of calling up a teenage pitcher this early in the season.
The Dodgers created this problem when their front office constructed their rotation and bullpen largely out of spare parts. The predictable dysfunction that has resulted from that strategy is what has inspired the conversations about whether Urias should be used as a reliever to fortify the wobbly bridge to closer Kenley Jansen, with the aforementioned veteran offering the opinion that Urias is already the team’s most viable eighth-inning option. Now Urias’ future is in the hands of the same executives who made a series of questionable trades and free agent acquisitions over the last year.” Dylan Hernandez, May 19, LA Times.
That sums it up, only it’s a bit more ludicrous because they aren’t bringing him up to pitch one inning. They are bringing him up to start against the reigning NL Champs and on their home field.
The team the front office geniuses cobbled together is middle of the pack in the National League. Time to shake it up. This is going to be very interesting.
No. It is partially due to the fact that he’s thrown 27 consecutive scoreless innings, has a 1.10 ERA and has nothing left to prove or to challenge him in AAA. He’s toying with AAA hitting. At this point leaving him down there probably stifles his development.
The likely scenario is that he pitches a few pitch count controlled starts and goes back down to control his innings. That makes Hernandez and his postulating already irrelevent.
Bager
So you did read that article in the Times, about the veteran pitcher saying that about Urias.
No. But I did read Friedman said he would limit Urias’ total innings count to 115 this year, no where near the 150 what’s his name said he would do. I was glad to read that. Hopefully, no matter how desperate the Dodgers may get, he sticks to that schedule. Urias’ health is too important to have it f’d up.
This is not just “a teeange pitcher.”
This is Julio Freakin’ Urias.
Fernando was not called up because of “circumstances.”
He was called up because he was ready.
Kershaw was a year older. ONE YEAR! That’s it!
BTW, Dylan Hernandez is also a moron who does not GET the PLAN, so when you quote him, well I know you don’t either.
I’ll explain it soon. Don’t be surprised if you don’t get it either!
Your insults have become as boring as you are.
Hernandez is spot on. The plan wasn’t to turn to a teenager to spark the team. The plan was to sign fringe players and hope for a freakin miracle.
Fernando is a totally different animal. He came up at the end of 1980 and made a couple of relief appearances. Then in 1981, he was supposed to be pitching out of the BP again, but Jerry Ruess got hurt, and Fernando was named the emergency starter……..the rest is history, and Fernando pitched way beyond his years. Comparing Urias to Fernando is dumb…..totally different pitchers.
You don’t know that – you don’t if Urias has the maturity to handle it like Fernando did or like Kershaw did. Each pitcher is different. Why not see what he can do?
That is what has been said about Urias. That he is mature beyond his years. And I think that that was said, even when Urias was only 16. And that is how Fernando was.
Plan = “a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something.
Today nothing is being achieved.
Therefore there is no current Viable Plan.
Maybe next week real achievements will begin to be observed.
Then maybe there will be an observable objective quantifiable viable plan
A non-viable plan is a meaningless plan and in most of our opinions the proof of the non-existence of a plan.
Tomorrow is another day.
There is always a plan to develop and bring up prospects when they are ready. This is not unique to the Braintrust.
If the Dodgers had a rotation of Kershaw, Cueto, Greinke and Zimmerman, there would still be a good reason to bring up Urias if he was ready – and he is.
He will be better from pitching in the majors. If he is brilliant, great – if not he will still get something from the experience. I predict that he will do well.
The riches of the farm system have been in the pipeline for a while. Whether Ned Colletti was the GM or Farhan Zaidi, they would still bring up the best prospects sooner rather than later.
While I frequently disagree with the machinations of the Braintrust, and agree that it has done a poor job of constructing the pitching staff this year, bringing Urias up is the right thing to do period.
The crazy thing is that for weeks, several who post here have been arguing for the Braintrust to bring the kids up and let them play since the veterans have underachieved. Now that Urias is coming up, people want to argue against it? That’s a little crazy and certainly inconsistent.
Well….some like listening to the sound of their own critiques.
I think it’s funny that anyone questions why the #2 prospect in all of baseball was called up. Who cares if he’s 19 or 23.
I’ll tell you why he’s up. BECAUSE HE’S THE NUMBER 2 PROSPECT IN ALL OF BASEBALL!!!
The Plan:
1. Stockpile as may prospects as possible;
2. Do not trade TOP PROSPECTS;
3. Sign high-risk, undervalued players to short-term deals;
4. Sign few, if any, long-term deals past 2018;
5. Don’t sign Free Agents who require giving up draft picks; and
6. Build the culture.
To say there is no plan is ludicrous. There is obviously a plan because you can go back and see the pattern over-and-over. Now, you may not agree with the plan and that is perfectly OK. FAZ has built the farm. It’s deeper than we can even imagine. I mean, it is loaded! It is loaded because the team will not trade their top prospects. PERIOD! They do want to win now, but they will not deviate from that – like it or not!
So as to not get locked up in more bad deals (Kemp, Ethier, Crawfish, Gonzalez) they have to take risks on players like McCarthy, Kazmir and Anderson… even Maeda. If those guys weren’t injury-prone, they would command $90-$100 million dollar deals… but they don’t and it’s a risk.
The current deals (except Clayton)all run out in 2018. If the Dodgers didn’t want to win until 2018, they would not sign guys like Utley, Kendrick, McCarthy, Anderson and others.
In 2018, Alex Verdugo, Cody Bellinger, Walter Buehler, Julio Urias, Jose De Leon, Willie Calhoun, Kyle Farmer, Austin Barnes, Grant Holmes, Frankie Montas, Jharel Cottoin, Yadier Alvarez, Yusneil Dial, Starling Heredia, Micah Johnson, Omar Estevez, Chase De Jong, Brendon Davis, Julian Leon and a bunch of others you have never heard of will either be vets or in their rookie year.
It’s then that you blend in a long-term deal to a superstar or three. Not all of the above players will pan out – thus you keep as many as possible because you often don’t know who will or who won’t. By then, it should be clear if it makes sense to sign a Bryce Harper after 2019 to a 10 year/$400 million deal.
That’s the plan – Kaz fit the mold. It’s a risk. He can pitch like a Number 2 at times and a Number 7 at other times. FAZ has signed enough so that hopefully they will have 5 solid starters. If FAZ didn’t sign guys like that, they would have to sign guys like David Price and I am convinced that will be a horrible deal the last three years.
That’s the plan – will it work is the question. They got to the NLCS last year and made the farm into the #1 system. Is it a failure if they don;t go that far this year? Some will say yes – I say no. Lately, the Giants have shown how easy it is to be great one year and horrible the next. That’s just baseball.
That said, I’ll still take the over on 92 wins!
Bobby said: I’ll tell you why he’s up. BECAUSE HE’S THE NUMBER 2 PROSPECT IN ALL OF BASEBALL!!!
Well said!
Nobody said there wasn’t a plan Mark. Once again, the only point you are open to is your own.
Try reading what others say, only for once in your life do it with an open mind. Read Artie’s first, then read it again. You can ignore mine as I know there is no longer any chance of our finding common ground. And frankly I don’t care anymore.
Everyone wants to see Urias pitch. THE PLAN was to build his arm strength this year. What he has done in AAA is irrelevant. Everyone knows he is a great pitcher. No one doubts that. The issue is simply by bringing him up this early, before June 1st, against the Mets on the road, is an admission that their “now” plan is clearly not working. We started with at least 7 Major League ready starters to put out there at the beginning of the year and before June 1st we are so desperate for good pitching we are bringing up our best prospect way ahead of schedule. A few get the importance of this. It appears most posting here do not.
All that said, I wish him nothing but success. This team, as it is currently constructed, needs a lot of help.
MM
Don’t get carried away with MCCarthy. He would not command that much of a salary, even if he wasn’t hurt. But that is it.
No one quarrels with #s 1 and 2 in “the plan” that you cite. The problem is with #3 and 4.
Signing high risk guys and signing undervalued guys is not necessarily the same thing. If the guy is high risk, he doesn’t have the same value. Case in point is Brandon McCarthy. Really, 4 years/$48MM and for what? That isn’t undervalued, but it is high risk – but not a smart use of $48MM.
With all of the wailing that goes on around here about money being spent on players like Crawford, they at least have gotten their moneysworth out of Gonzalez so they have gotten more out of “The Trade” for their money than they have gotten out of signing McCarthy!
Dodger teams in the past have filled in the gaps by signing real major league stars – Reggie Smith comes to mind. Or they traded players and prospects to get the likes of Andy Messersmith, Tommy John, and Dusty Baker. I have not seen the current management team sign or trade for a real good major league baseball player – one who can make an impact for more than a year or 2.
They are running the Dodgers like they are a small market team – “The Plan” is essentially Tampa or Oakland with a few extra dollars they can spend on Cubans.
So what happens after 2018? Who will wear the Blue? They can’t fill in a 25 man roster just from the farm system (not if they want to win anyway). Kershaw can opt out after 2018 – Gonzalez will be gone as will virtually everyone else on the 25 man roster. Roster churn of this sort is what Oakland A’s fans have had to get used to. I have no confidence based on the Braintrust’s track record that “It’s then that you blend in a long-term deal to a superstar or three”. They haven’t signed one yet – not even close. They won’t even extend or keep their own stars (Mr. Jansen and Mr. Greinke, come on down!).
Finally your statement that “if the Dodgers didn’t want to win until 2018, they would not sign guys like Utley, Kendrick, McCarthy, Anderson and others” doesn’t bear scrutiny. If they wanted to win now, they wouldn’t have signed the likes of McCarthy and Anderson – they would have signed Cueto or Zimmerman instead.
The Giants may only have been good every other year, but they have won the Series every other year. The Dodgers can’t even get there – not close – not with this bunch. How long will Dodger fans have to wait? The current gap in Series appearances is the longest in franchise history.
Well said.
Most fans, certainly not all, looked at the McCarthy (and Anderson) signings with surprise. I watched MCarthy pitch in person, and on tv, here in Arizona. I posted immediately what I thought. So his going down was no surprise to me. Anderson did pitch better than I thought he would, but predictably faded, and getting stuck with paying him more than other pitchers would have cost, and for doing nothing, is not all that surprising to me. As for getting stars in here, like Manny, Hanley, AGon, well, honestly after watching how these FAZ guys started out it didn’t surprise me they double clutched at the deadline, and did it again to start this year. So, the trouble we see now was indeed predicted by a few, and therefore not surprising. Bringing Urias up now is not how I would have scripted it, and of course it isn’t how Friedman and Zaidi scripted it either. They had McCarthy, Anderson, Ryu, Wood, Maeda, Kazmir, Stripling, Bolsinger, made an attempt to re-sign Greinke, even Latos and Lee were on the list at one time. Their plans unraveled. So we get Urias. In May. In New York.
It will be interesting, for me anyway, to see how this roster shakes out when the surfeit of walking wounded reappear. Hopefully somebody in the group can hit, hopefully somebody in the group can pitch 7 innings, and another can get 3 outs without drama. I reckon we’ll see when those bridges are crossed. Hopefully those bridges don’t collapse.
I don’t have objections to the signings that don’t pan out. If McCarthy was pitching and giving Samardija numbers, we wouldn’t be talking about it. With risk comes risk, but they also sometimes pay off. Overall, in the grand scheme of things, 12 million a year isn’t a disaster.
I understand the rationale for what the front office is doing most of the time. I think it’s good to play the acquisition game a little smarter; to look for overlooked value. Sure, you can overthink it and be too cute for your own good. My annoyance with the front office is Cueto. The Giants signed him to a front loaded contract with an opt out in a couple of years. The fact that he’s 7-1 and the Giants are in 1rst and the Dodgers aren’t is evidence the the Dodgers missed the boat on that…..if the objectives are to really field a playoff team this year. I’m ok with letting Greinke go. I’m ok with not wrapping up a Zimmerman or a Price to a huge long term contract. But the Dodgers could have had an ace level pitcher for a relatively short duration if they had been willing to pay for two or three years what they originally allocated to a Greinke contract.
I don’t know if there is pressure to get payroll down immediately and by how much, and if this influenced the decision not to open up the check book. No one else does, either, nor does anyone know the particulars of the decision making that has Urias pitching tonight. It is frustrating to see Cueto him help our nemesis when the Dodgers really could have and should have made a legit play for him.
good article by Bisbee at the blog of the Dodger nemesis club. He’s a slick writer….witty….and he’s not nearly as critical of his rival team as lot of the folks here.
http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2016/5/27/11792986/dodgers-julio-urias-edwin-jackson-reference-in-url
Well said. A lot of info there.
I agree with you about Cueto. I don’t agree with your take about $12 million. That’s a year and 2 of them will be up before you know it.
Let me say, again, I’m glad Urias is getting his chance to pitch.
I also disagree with the belief that it is because he has thrown 27 scoreless innings or because he is the #2 prospect. That’s all irrelevant.
I doubt FAZ’s supercomputer calculated today as the optimal day to give a 19 year old his first major league start. And anyone who believes that is, well, [fill in the blank].
It would seem this decision came from someone else, which is the fascinating part because it means FAZ’s plan gets overwritten. But if it’s overwritten then what does that say about their plan to begin with?
Anyway good luck to the kid. As TBLA noted, don’t be surprised if he finishes his first season with more walks than K’s.
Yup.
Actually the FAZ supercomputer (and their really is a supercomputer that spits out lineup cards. It takes up an entire room and makes all of these whirring sounds) calculated August 17 as the optimal day for Urias to start based on a myriad of factors, not limited to but including the cycle of the moon and the relative gravitational pull. However, Mr Guggs, who no one has actually seen, but is rumored to sit in a big chair and wear a bit, blue hat, decreed that Urias should start.
not much evidence for your theory, but it is interesting. This is how these things start…speculation becomes rumor, which then gets repeated.
Obviously I agree with Artie’s point. It’s been written about several times, by many knowledgeable writers. Building arm strength was the goal this year. Urias is a bit behind schedule because of the eye surgery. Maybe you heard about that? Maybe not, doesn’t matter. You can google it if you’re interested.
As a fan I was looking forward to his Major League debut in August, with Vinny calling it, in LA, in front of 54,000 screaming Dodgers fans. Now? Gnu f’n Yourk fans get the privilege. Oh well, best laid plans.
the condescension needle edges into the red.
Yeah, I heard. You can’t build arm strength in the major leagues? As mentioned, there’s nothing more to challenge him down in AAA.
His performance forced the issue. Woods biceps strain created the opportunity. If he helps the team and gives it a boost, …icing on the cake.
Mind boggling that his promotion is a cause for griping.
It’s not about challenging him. I never said it was. It’s about sticking to the plan. Ok, desperate times call for a change of plans. I get it. But his performance is only part of it. If the fortyleven pitchers who FAZ picked ahead of him had succeeded, his performance wouldn’t have forced anything, management would have stuck to the plan. There are some who see it like I do, some that see it differently. Like I’ve said repeatedly, I prefer it was later, in Los Angeles. I’ve stated the reasons why. You disagree.
Mountainmover well said I agree 100%.some of the readers here are going bye big name players,I totally disagree.doesn’t matter what guggs and co. Put on the field butts will still fill the seats.It’s a business entertainment ,let’s not forget that.
Mountainmover well said I agree 100%.some of the readers here are going bye big name players,I totally disagree.doesn’t matter what guggs and co. Put on the field butts will still fill the seats.It’s a business entertainment ,let’s not forget that.
I think I’ll create a new poster to agree with what I’ve posted…. If a guy has two identities on this board, who’s to say he can’t have three… or four… or… Maybe Scott should limit all posters to one identity so we’re all on equal footing here.
One of the greatest hoaxes of the century would be for Mark and Badger to be the same person with two user names.
Could be, Fred. You do know Mark and MountainMover are one person, right? It could well be that Mark has other identities as well. Heck, maybe you and MJ are the same person.
Wondering that is funny!
You can say that again
I think some are getting caught up with Urias’ chronological age. But everyone’s chronologically age, is not there biological age. Everyone has a different life history, and that makes a big difference, in people’s biological age.
I think that a lot of kids, that come from outside of the U.S., usually have more obstacles in there life, so they can handle, a lot more, then kids in our country. And the fact that Urias had to deal with his eye looking like it did, before he even had that surgery last year, also made him a stronger person. I hope he takes a look at the pitching plate, and mound, before the game.
But other then that, he has been doing everything he can, to be able to pitch in this moment, in his life, so he is more ready for this, then we all think. So let’s just wish him the best, and hope for the best.
I might have mentioned this before 🙂 FAZ has so much pitching talent in the organization that to compete with other teams to sign huge long term contracts for aging pitchers would be crazy. They have three pitchers that probably will be available in the second half in Anderson, Ryu, and McCarthy plus young pitchers like Urias and DeLeon that can give them starts in June and July, plus guys like Lee, Stripling, Bolsinger that can fill in for injuries.
FAZ acknowledged that the Dodgers would be better in 2016 and maybe 2017 if they signed Greinke by offering him a 5 year contract near $30MM per year but were not going to give him 6 years to fill a one or two year need at a salary that would be hard to trade away.
Cueto has elbow issues and had a 4.76 ERA with the Royals, and Samardzija a 4.96 ERA with the White Sox. Just saying.
Did anyone read the article with Friedman, in True Blue LA? Some won’t like what Friedman said, but everyone should read that short article.
Is this the article?
http://www.truebluela.com/2016/5/26/11794064/julio-urias-development-plan-mlb-debut-dodgers-andrew-friedman
Wondering
Thanks for doing that! I haven’t figured out how to do that on my IPhone yet. I know that that square on the bottom, with an arrow in it, you can text info, and do other things, but that is it.
To reference an article like this or a tweet, just Copy its URL and Paste in the comment box here.
Bum
I think it is scary for people to see that the Giants, have three viable pitchers, because they were able to win a World Series, with just one viable starting pitcher, the last time they won, the series.
But I also think that the Giants have got away, from what they have done in the past, to win the series, so they are going to have a fall, because of this, with one of those two starting pitchers.
I just want our hitting coaches, and our players, to be ready to hit Cueto, the next time they face him.
When Cueto has runners on base, he doesn’t mess with his delivery that much, and he only has a 90 fastball, so I hope the Dodger hitters, will knock him out, of the line up, the next time they face him.
I have no respect for anyone that does not understand the plain English meaning between the word “Plan” and the phrase “Viable Plan”. The Reds have a Plan, the Astros have a plan, so do many other failng teams.
Seattle obviously had a Plan to reform their bullpen and it worked. Phillies, Red Sox, and a few other had a plan to retool and so far they are working. Other teams have plans and some are working while some are not working. Nonworking plans are not currently viable and should be changed. The LAD Plan is not working and should be changed.
One of the most obvious signs of a a person who does not understand the English language is a person who does not understand tenses. Past. present. and future. Any person who negligently or intentionally confuses the tense pf another person’s sentences, and then uses that grammatical bastardization, is either Felony Stupid or Amazingly Abusive.
Is this another one of Mark’s on line ID’s?
Bob, you shouldn’t post while intoxicated.
A plan can only be evaluated when it has a clearly stated goal.
Does it need to be stated publicly? The Dodgers, with a payroll somewhere north of $234 million, loudly state they are competing for a World Championship. Unless of course privately they aren’t saying that at all.
It looks to me that ownership said enough! with the high priced losers and brought the young sabermetrics guys in for a rebuild. It seems obvious to me, as every move they’ve made screams it. Why is it so difficult to accept that? I’m actually fine with it and look forward to the day the $200 million Cubans mature and Urias, De Leon, Holmes, Cotton, Bellinger, Montas, Thompson, Buehler, Davis, Verdugo et al are all on the roster at the same time. Seeing those guys step in is indeed an exciting prospect – but it isn’t going to happen this year. And it isn’t likely next year either. And I’m ok with that.
Howard Uhlman at Think Blue had an interesting piece comparing Urias’ rise thru the minors with Kershaw. When his pitching coach says he can’t teach him anymore in the minors, I tend to think he can build up arm strength as easily in the majors as at AAA. But Kershaw was just league average in his first season with the Dodgers, great for 20-year old rookie but hardly a savior. I’m not looking for Urias to make a huge difference on the season, especially if his innings are going to be limited.
What is the expected roster move to get Urias on the 25 man roster?
already announced sending Avilan back down
Doesn’t there have to be a move to add Urias to the 40 man roster?