Tis the season for bringing old friends back into the fold. The Dodgers have already signed Joe Blanton for a second stint. Today’s reports indicate the Dodgers are also bringing back former reliever and senior citizen Jamey Wright for a third stint with the club. Ken Gurnick is reporting that Wright has signed with the Dodgers on a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training.
Dodgers have signed RHP Jamey Wright, 41, to Minor League deal w/invite. He didn't pitch last year, was w/club 2012, 2014.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) February 24, 2016
Wright is a 41-year old veteran who has pitched 19 years in the majors for eleven major league clubs. Wright has appeared in 719 games posting a 97-130 record with a 4.81 ERA and 5.3 K/9. He’s pitched three stints with the Dodgers. In 2012 he appeared in 66 games posting a 3.72 ERA and 7.2 strikeouts per nine. In 2014 he returned to the Dodgers again appearing in 61 games and posting a 4.35 ERA with a 6.9 strikeout per nine rate.
Wright signed a contract with the Texas Rangers last spring but was released on March 31 and did not pitch at all in 2015. After sitting out the entire season and being 41 years old it is highly unlikely Wright would make the Dodger’s roster. However he is only two years removed from a very solid campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays in which he posted a 3.09 ERA in 66 appearances and whiffed 65 against 23 walks in 70 frames. Of course he played under Andrew Friedman during his days in Tampa Bay.
Wright was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the 1993 draft. He made his MLB debut in 1996 as a starter in the Colorado rotation. He was 21-years old at the time. Wright has made 248 MLB starts and pitched over 2,000 innings. In his second stint with the Dodgers he was earning 1.8 million dollars.
Anticipating Jansen will test the free agent market after next year, the front office is grooming his successor.
Paging Manny Ramirez.
Dodgers now in the charity business? Why on earth would they sign him? Could it be that he will actually appear in a Dodger game to get his 20 years in? Does he get more of a pension if he has 20 years in? IDK. Does anyone out there?
RichieF I felt that way, when the Dodger GM, signed all of these players, who played for the A’s, when he was assistant GM. I guess we can blame this signing on Kershaw. Because Kershaw called Wright in the off season, to have someone to throw with. And like Scott has written, Wright has a Friedman connection. I don’t have a problem with Friedman, because he hasn’t brought a lot of players over to the Dodgers, from his Ray’s connection, like the GM has brought from the A’s. And Friedman didn’t bring Peralta back. And I know ultimately, that Friedman is in charge, but the A’s players, probably didn’t come on any suggestions from Friedman.
Excellent signing. Next up let’s bring back Kevin Gross and Ismael Valdez
Seems obvious to me – the goal is to get older until next year. Then we will start cutting bait in preparation for 2018.
LOL Some days it does seem like that!
Taking time away from the youngsters. Terrible, terrible, terrible!!! It is signings like these that make FAZ look bad.
He pitched for the Rays in 2014. He didn’t pitch in the majors last year. He won’t likely make the team and will be stashed in AAA in the event that 12 pitchers get hurt, so if the apocalypse befalls the Dodgers then this matters – otherwise, not.
Okay, I have it all figured out now. If we keep signing these old guys it will make the average age of the players in 2016 so old that no matter what we do in 2017 we will be getting younger.
It’s pretty obvious to me that Jamey Wright faces long odds in making the team, but he is also a guy who could easily be a pitching coach. He could retire as a Dodger and go directly into coaching. Also, the youngsters can learn a wealth of knowledge from him and his work ethic as well as his love of the game.
I love this signing…. but he will never make the team!
I hope not either MM but my main question really was : IF he gets his 20 years in, does his pension increase? Not important, just curious. That’s how I learn.
Laughable.
They’ve done it to make the Blanton signing look good.
I repeat. If this was Ned there would be hell to pay.
Like I wrote above, Kershaw had called Wright in the off season, to throw with him, so he probably was part of the reason, that Wright is in camp. Kershaw didn’t make any suggestions, he probably just got Wright wanting to pitch again, but like MM said, he won’t be on the major league team. And hopefully he might just pitch, in AAA, to be a second coach, in the pen.
Another body in camp. Maybe he can teach the young guys something. I don’t know what. Look for him to pitch more innings than any relief pitcher in Arizona. And then be cut.
Bobbie17 I hope that doesn’t happen.
Maybe his role is to fill the innings in back field games so that hitters can hit against a guy that helps them work on things they need to work on and not face a young flame thrower that has yet to master control and wants to prove something. And, he is a guy that young players will feel more comfortable talking informally with than they might be with a coach.
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Are we always going to be sarcastic every time the Dodgers add something short of Hammel?
People who don’t comprehend things ridicule them! That’s what they do!
I watched a little of MLB special on the 100 best players in the majors, and they had Brandon Belt rated higher then Agone, and Turner.
Wright a worst case depth signing “obviously”.
I’ve decided to stop reading about any FAZ signings expecting them to actually mean something. They don’t.
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This however does mean something:
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http://www.ocregister.com/articles/pederson-705429-season-last.html
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I also read something at MLB re Utley OPSn over .800 against RHers the second half of last year. If he’s healthy, and can do that again, he and Kendrick splitting the 700 second base at bats could prove productive. Puig, Pederson and the 70 year old second base platoon could help carry a decent offense this year.
Badger I read that article, what do you think about Joc’s answer? I was suprised with what he said.
MJ, you know I am going to say something. Not sure what it is yet, but I’m thinking.
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I like the pure hitter comment Ward made. I like that Joc is doing what good relief pitchers do, forget about blowing the lead in the previous game and attack the next game your are in. In Joc’s case, attack the next season and not dwell on failure.
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Garciaparra used to try to break every rib in his body when he swung but also managed to go with the pitch and hit the ball up the middle on a pitcher’s count. I think Joc will be more like Nomar this year.
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Joc was mentally tired by mid-season. He could be seen in the dugout yawning in almost every game. For the most part I have only rooted for Joc and have refrained from saying he was going to be great. I never came close to saying about Joc what Mark said about Grandal and Kike’.
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Here goes–I think Joc Pederson will have a tremendous year in 2016.
MJ – I hope he is serious about addressing his weaknesses. A new hitting instructor will help, but only if Joc listens and make changes. McGwire lost him. I’m sure Mac tried, but he didn’t get through.
I think the player has to want to change his approach. I don’t think I’d have waited for a new hitting coach to start working on the swing, either. Ibanez could be a good role model from what I’ve read. Swing about 80% as hard and try to go to left center.
Happy Birthday to the Flying Dutchman, Honus Wagner.
Well said!
Dodgers sign a new ball boy. FAZ haters are upset.
I’m not upset, I’m just wondering why sign a 37 year old ball boy? So he can relate to the players maybe?
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Welcome back ya old geezer……makes sense in a way. There is not really a long man in the pen. None with any experience anyway. I doubt he comes close to making the 25 man roster out of spring, but he will be insurance at AAA. I have stopped trying to figure out this FO’s mind set. They have made moves that baffle at times. Kershaw gave a glowing scouting report from what I read. low risk…..high reward, and most likely a one time thing…..
Doesn’t too much depth eventually give you the bends?
Artieboy good pun.
Too much relish on the Dodger dogs does that
I would like the LAD to hire the Orioles Team Physician
An avian vet? Yeah, sure. Why not.
I was thinking Dr. Carson. Less ligament replacement, more brain replacement. I hear Ted Williams’ brain is available.
Nobody knew more about squaring up a baseball than Williams. I wonder if Carson could extract that from the frozen tissue. You know, without damaging the rest of the brain. I’ll bet he could convince some he could.
Bum Alcor in La Sierra in Riverside, is still looking for members.
I’ll wait for hell to freeze over.
Bum I thought you would know about this company because it is in the Inland Empire. This company started pretty early. I think it was in the early 1980s. I remember when 1999 seemed, so in the future, much like Prince’s song, of the same title.
Do you mean a Bird Brain, Bob?
Do you have a clue?
BOB you like the way, that every proposed Oriole’s player, gets checked with a fine tooth comb?
I am in on this one. Great signing. Really nailed it. This should put the Dodgers over the top. Forget losing out to Chapman. Wright is the right one. Any more out there like him that all of the other GMs have crossed off their lists; they retired from baseball; and now the Dodger brain-trusts find them — and sign them! Now I will get my first good nights sleep since Oct 1988.
I’m thinking there are quite a few like him Roger. Josh Beckett’s available. Jeff Francis. Roy Halladay. Barry Zito. Jeremy Affeldt. Carlos Zambrano. Ryan Dempster. JJ Putz. Dontrelle Willis. Heath Bell. I’m sure we could find more.
Badger you forgot Blanton.
When you are mocking somebody, you are just trying to get rid of something embarassing within you!
As dogs are to bark, some people are to mock.
Psychobabble.
Yep. In this case, inappurtenant babble.
Certainly the easy comment is this is another bone-head signing. But in really thinking about it, there really is no chance for Wright to make the 25 man, but if he is sincere in wanting to continue to pitch, he could be an outstanding player/coach at AAA to work with the wunderkind. Plus, OKC is his home town. He wouldn’t work on the physical, but he could certainly have a positive influence with the kids on their mental approach to the game. If making 20 years is important, FAZ could offer a September call up when rosters expand.
Of course, the cynic in me says that Tim Lincecum is still available. Could the Dodgers be one of the 20 teams who are interested?
A lot of teams are already looking at Tim’s medical reports. He did have surgery and if that surgery allows him to be a better pitcher in 2016, he might be an asset. Another high risk, high reward addition. Some teams like that.
Yeah. Some teams like that. I’d take Lincecum before Wright. But it would cost more. Higher risk. Some teams REALLY like that.
It’s more low risk/moderate reward…..Bolsinger-ish. If his surgery allows him to actually make the team and contribute, great. If he doesn’t make the team…meh.
AC, you may be right. Or this might just be a case of extending courtesy to a former player and good guy trying to make a comeback. Coming on the heels of a discussion of whether the team should consider approaching a player in his prime about extending his contract, the timing seems less than fortuitous. I think many fans were expecting the front office to be more proactive in the offseason and this may be fueling cynicism. Of course I come by it naturally.
I don’t remember if I was a natural cynic, but I practiced a lot!
Can the player help the team win? If so, then bring him in. If not, why take the space? We allegedly have the deepest most talented farm system in the game. If that’s the case, why aren’t those guys being given opportunity? If Jamey Wright is better than Jharel Cotton, I don’t see it as a good thing. Cotton is now 24. He has 344 K’s in 311 minor league innings. Can he pitch in the Majors? If not, how long does he hang around? Trade him for a 30 year old veteran reliever that still has life in his arm.
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What the hell does a dog barking have to do with signing a 41 year old retired pitcher?
Badger, who once said that Jamey Wright was better then Jharel Cotton? Jamey Wright is not going to block Cotton’s rise to ML. But Jharel is now figuring out that in order for him to make that climb as a Dodger (or maybe any team) it is going to be as a reliever, which he says he is open to. Wright was a former #1 pick who began his career as a starter and transitioned to reliever. Do you think Cotton or Chris Anderson, or Frankie Montas might be able to learn something from s 19 year ML veteran pitcher who made that transition. Do you think Wright might know a bit more about how to approach the game better than a AAA bullpen coach? If I were Cotton, or Anderson or Montas I would be picking Wright’s brain. They spend a lot of time down in the bullpen together. Do you think Wright might be able to tell one of the pitchers that he is expending too much energy in warming up?
Can Wright help the team win? If you believe like I do that during a long hot summer, the game can be as much mental as it is physical then the answer is yes. Wright isn’t going to change any pitcher’s delivery, stride, arm angle, etc. But he can teach them how to approach the game and batter. If you believe only physical gets you the win, then you didn’t watch Greg Maddux very much.
Maybe every minor league team needs a Crash Davis.
Do I think Cotton could learn something from a 41 year old veteran? Of course I do. That’s kind of an odd question AC. I also think that is what we hire pitching coaches for. Wright wasn’t hired as a coach. He’s not here to teach. Wright is competing for a roster spot. If Wright is better than Cotton, then Cotton goes back to the minors. If a retired 41 year old is better than a 24 year old prospect, I think we have a problem with that prospect. I can’t be the only one that sees this.
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And to suggest I didn’t watch Maddux much is another strange thing to say. And to suggest Wright might have what Maddux had is laughable. Maddux pitched successfully into his 40’s because he was not only smart, he could do things with spin, pace, and location Jamey Wright can only dream about. Maybe Maddux can teach Cotton how to do those things and in doing so help Jharel earn a spot on this roster. If Wright does it, Wright loses his job.
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And for the record, I don’t think Jamey Wright will make this team.
I know you are knowledgeable, but with all due respect, you give way too much credit to development to coaches and see little value in veterans in the dugout. It is not the coaches who the kids hang around to learn, but it is the veteran player. It was a veteran player sent down that helped my son with the working through the pressures of the game. How he approached each game, each AB. As a catcher, how to help the pitcher set up the game. When to chastise the pitcher and when to talk him up. My son got to the Show because of a veteran player who helped him see the game differently. And learned more from the veteran players once he got there. Coaches helped with the footwork and other physical attributes, but the veteran helped with the mental.
Plus there is no bullpen coach in the Minors. Matt Herges will spend most of his time in the dugout during the game watching his pitcher.
I said…”Wright isn’t going to change any pitcher’s delivery, stride, arm angle, etc. But he can teach them how to approach the game and batter. If you believe only physical gets you the win, then you didn’t watch Greg Maddux very much.” How do you take that and say that I suggested that Wright has what Maddux had? What I did suggest was that there is a physical part of pitching and a mental component. What I did suggest was that Maddux was not gifted with the physical prowess as Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson or Roger Clemens were, so he became HOF on how he approached the game and used the physical tools he did have to get batters out. What I did suggest was that he was a master with mental approach.
What I did suggest was that maybe Jamey Wright can get Jharel Cotton to “learn” from a pitcher who did what he is about to do…transition from starter to reliever. Maybe Jamey Wright can be the veteran player to get Cotton to the ML as that veteran player did for my son. I do not for a minute believe that Wright truly believes he has a shot at the 25 man. But I do hope he considers playing at OKC. Your original question “Can the player help the team win?” Yes, but in the minors.
And to be clear so that you do not misinterpret what I said: Wright is not better than Cotton. Wright is not in the same league as Greg Maddux. Matt Herges will coach up the pitchers. Coaches are helpful to the players. Veteran players do help the kids with mental approach. For the time my son was at the ML level, Nomar Garciapara and Jason Varitek helped my son more than any coach or manager. And the veteran players that were on his minor league teams helped mold him.
Good post. Thanks for sharing that.
Signing Lazarito seems similar to signing a player from Japan. One way or another a Bascone will get paid like a Japanese team gets paid when they agree to let one of their players negotiate with a MLB team. I wish the process to pay a Bascone were as clean and direct as the Japanese team process.
Just read that Kike’ is Seager’s backup at shortstop. I like it. I would think Kike’ should concentrate on backing up the left side of the infield and let Utley and Kendrick handle second base. Whether Kike’ backs up CF will probably depend on whether Thompson makes the team. Also, Kike’ will probably compete with SVS to platoon with either Ethier or Crawford.
Ok. At least he has an assignment, albeit one that guarantees a lot of not being on the field doing that particular job. I trust Seager will be an every day player for a lot of years to come.
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Kendrick for two years. Utley his platoon, also rumored to be Turner’s backup. Crawford Ethier Pederson Puig Van Slyke in the outfield. I still don’t see a lot of at bats for a .285-.300 hitter.
No I don’t think he’ll make the 25… Yes I do think he’ll be able to impart some pitching wisdom to some of the kids…I think Jamey will remain with the club in a coaching role…
Does anyone remember the Jim Palmer saga??? Sort of sad now that I think of it…
As I recall Kike wasn’t a very good SS in his limited appearances!??! We have a kid that can be in L.A. in less than 6(?) hours and has hands as smooth as silk to man the position… Arruebarrena!!!
Good point pete. Arrie can hit well enough to justify being on the 25 of most clubs. Not this one. No room. Too much depth on this roster. Doh!
Just got home from the VA . . . saw Mark’s post on my post:
“”When you are mocking somebody, you are just trying to get rid of something embarassing within you! “”
Mark, I was mocking the Dodger brain-trust, GM, or F&Z. For supposed to have the largest bankroll in MLB — and set a new standard in ownership, and bring home a World Series, first one in almost 30 long years —-
I and others think they have really done a trash job. Hanging on to Clayton, and waiting for the farm to develop, and getting more and more so-so to fill out the lineup. No, not mocking them because of lack in ourselves — I just expected something more.
Listening to Larry King being interviewed a week or so ago (and he is behind home plate for all most every home Dodger game) — he is upset with this mamby pamby approach to leading the Dodgers.
Roger wasn’t Larry King funny in that interview? He wasn’t trying to be funny, but he was. Remember when King said that the Dodgers were raising the ticket prices again, but they couldn’t sign Greinke?
Roger, I’m sure you remember Venice Glen. He’s a very knowledgeable baseball fan. At breakfast the other day he looked right at me and in a serious tone said “it’s possible the Dodgers will waste Kershaw’s best years”. And all I could say was “I hope not”, but we are looking at that possibility right now. He’s not going to get better, and we just pissed away three years of the best 1 2 punch in all of baseball.
A fairly big reason it was squandered was the way Kershaw pitched in the post season. I’m sure Kershaw would admit to it. Just my opinion.
That’s a valid point.
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Clock is still ticking.
If it goes as I think it might go — with the Dodgers falling short again and again — then (and I believe Mark even suggested it) —- do not be surprised if the Dodgers traded Kershaw to Texas (so he can go home and raise his family there) — and get a few pieces from Texas — and re-tool this Dodger team. Could happen.
Fowler has signed a one year deal with the Cubs.
Same thing happened to him as happened to Kendrick. He did reject a multi year offer from Oriels for an $8m deal with Cubs.
Free Agency might not work out for some of these position players.
Maybe Anderson was right to take the qualifying offer?
Anyway, the Cubs just got stronger.
A rumor is floating around that the Dodgers might let Crawford go and give his spot on 25 to a younger player. Having that float around should make spring training more interesting for some.
So Puig is buying a helicopter so he can arrive on time? How about leaving earlier? That works for the other 24 players. Will he be allowed to land in the stadium? If not he may lose his way from any other place he lands.
I just heard Friedman say, that he wouldn’t have traded Andrew Heaney to the Angels for Howie, if he wasn’t trying to win right then, for the Dodgers. That would have been a big haul, for Gordon, Haren, and Migel, One starting pitcher, one bullpen arm, a super utility player, and catcher of the future. And of course Gordon would be a loss, but if they kept Heaney, that would have been a good trade. Heaney, Hatcher, Kike, Barnes.
So we still need a leadoff hitter? OK. How about a swap with Reds? joc for Hamilton? Is that all it would take? Basically the same age and Joc has one more year(2021-2020)than Hamilton to FA.
Reds get more power and a better OBP player and we get a leadoff hitter and SB threat who, by the way, has a higher SB % the Dee. Hamilton is also a better CF than Joc if you go strictly by the stats. What do you guys think?
Joc is a Dodger and Hamilton is a Red. I’ll stay with the guy that came up through “our” organization.
Don’t like Hamilton. He’s fast but he can’t hit.
Hamilton is a much better base runner, then Dee. Running the bases is secret nature for Hamilton, but he hasn’t been able to hit.
Joc does have the ability to be a base running threat. He stole over 30 bases in the minors during his 30/30 season in AlBQ. Unfortunately the Moneyball guys don’t value stolen bases or base running. That’s the reason why they traded Gordon.
Scott I think Mattingly had a lot a impute in what he wanted his team to be, when the front office first came, and that is why Kemp was traded, and I think that was why Dee was traded. Remember all of that talk about getting better fictional players for the team?
I’d like to express 2 opinions. FAZ generally state of the art for MLB execs these days, and, the posters on this site are generally petty irrational.
Petty? Irrational? Which is it or is it both?
Fans are upset because the Dodgers have lost a pitcher which they shouldn’t have lost (Greinke) and have largely stood pat (resigning Utley, Kendrick, Anderson, signing Kazmir and Maeda to replace Greinke, adding Joe Blanton for heaven’s sake). This in the face of the improvement of other teams in the division and the numerous question marks about this year’s roster.
You may disagree with this assessment but it isn’t irrational or petty. You, sir, are name calling and that makes you irrational.
The “Braintrust” may run the team in a de rigueur fashion, but that doesn’t make it right. Many recent World Series winners (Royals, Giants) aren’t run like Billy Beane runs the A’s. There are many ways to build a winning team. And as I have said before, I root for the players and the franchise – not the executives. I have rooted for Koufax et al and for many subsequent iterations of the Dodgers.
Maybe you should buy a Friedman jersey with a $ instead of a number on the back.
I understand that there will be a free Dodgers T-shirt this season on one of the give-a-way-days — with “Dollar General” stamped on the back.
Since 1958,
I agree. I have given up trying to explain what FAZ is doing because there are none so blind as those who will not see.
I saw a team make 300 moves, increase payroll, trade an All Star leadoff man then not replace him, swallow a few olives at the deadline, lose in the first round, then sign nobody of consequence this winter. The lineup looks the same and we’re to believe the team is better – because you say so?
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I’m reminded of something that your favorite comedian, mine also, Jon Stewart, once said:
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“That statement’s not even ignorant. That statement is like ignorant resin. Like, if you just take all the stupid and cook it down, and then scrape off just the pure ignorance. It’s like crystal ‘duh’. ”
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That’s not saying I think you’re ignorant. I just thought of that quote out of thin air and wanted to post it
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We all know the plan. Can you just maybe, oh I don’t know – admit that it might take some time for this plan to come together? I’m giving them 3 years to make it happen in the 4th year. You’re not giving them 2 years. I think that’s just a bit impatient of you. Good teams take time to build. We allegedly have the top minor league organization on the planet and apparently none of them are ready to crack the Major League lineup. This might just take a while. Sorry Vinny.
http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/2016/02/25/watch-joc-pederson-has-a-new-swing/
Bum looks like a much better swing. He is not swinging from his heels, and looking the ball straight into his path. I hope he doesn’t second guess, his new swing, because he is to focused on HRs. Those will come. I guess we will find out, once the season starts.
His hands appear up and back. Still a long, loopy swing.
Mark —— it is not “seeing” the plan —- it is not “liking” the plan, wanting to stop this monster plan of obtaining marginal players, signing two senior players to play 2nd base when there are two on the roster who can play it (and the new guy from the Sox that will in in AAA).
Sorry — but the clock is ticking on Kershaw being here.
And I sure hope that the 2016 Baseball Draft will have better results than the 2015 — that the new Dodger brain-trusts selected.
Well, that’s not even close to what the “plan” is about and the 2015 Draft will likely end up being very good. Walker was rated a “steal” and yes, he had TJ, but he will be back next year and likely be a steal again. Hansen, Sborz, Calhoun, Davis and others are very solid, if not spectacular picks. At least 5 are in the Dodgers Top 30!
The thing is: they have options. I believe Kendrick will be traded if Johnson steps up. There is so much depth. This team is a whole lot better than most people think.
Mark that is what we all want. I think just the change in manager, and coaches, is a very big change for the better.
I haven’t seen Johnson play but everything that I have read tells me that he can’t field. (I know, I’m not supposed to believe this.) Dodgers’ Digest compared him to Alex Guerrero today – he’s that bad I guess.
Dodgers’ draft was not highly regarded by the scouts from what I have read. (There’s that word again), but again, I don’t have an independent opinion on the subject.
As to the “plan” that all of us are just too dumb to understand (and you do because you are so much smarter than we are), it isn’t any secret. Stan Kasten has always talked about sustained success supported largely by the farm system. You won’t find anyone who is against this. BUT
When the Dodgers were in the Series repeatedly in the 70’s, in addition to home grown talent, they traded for Dusty Baker and signed Reggie Smith as a free agent; they signed Burt Hooton and Jerry Reuss. They filled in the gaps with other talent.
The big question for 2016 is whether the Braintrust has done enough to fill in all of the gaps. I am glad they signed Kendrick because 2B was a big gap. If everyone is healthy (Turner, Grandal, Puig) their starting 8 should be solid. The lineup lacks an obvious leadoff hitter and a backup shortstop, but the big issue is that the team didn’t score any runs after May last year and they essentially have the same guys.
The gaps are in a bullpen that has been a weakness for 2 years now and all they did was to add Joe Blanton, and a rotation that has lost Zach Greinke who they really can’t replace.
We don’t know if that will be enough to win in a tougher NL West in 2016. And I don’t really care what we think that the team will be in 2018 – what will they do this year?
Micah Johnson – I watched him in college and while not an elite 2B, he can be solid, I believe. Most of his errors were “the lack of concentration because I’m young variety.” That said, I can see him in LF.
It may not be the players you add as much as the leadership and the continuing maturity of those players. Nothing is static.
If we were to look at the 2016 rotation as a set of match ups, I think it would look something like this:
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Dodgers #1 vs opponent #1 = Dodgers better than 100% of teams
Dodgers #2 vs opponent #2 = Dodgers better than 50% of teams
Dodgers #3 vs opponent #3 = Dodgers better than 60% of teams
Dodgers #4 vs opponent #4 = Dodgers better than 80% of teams
Dodgers #5 vs opponent #5 = Dodgers better than 80% of teams
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Based on a rotation of Kershaw, Ryu, Kazmir, Anderson, Maeda,
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That should allow the Dodgers to win the Division again but they will need one more pitcher to go deep into the postseason. That pitcher might already be in the organization. If they keep Urias’ inning low going into September, he could not only get a September invite, but like Seager last year, stay on the playoff team. If Urias pitches 50 innings for the Dodgers after getting that call up, he would have to be limited to maybe 100 innings in the minors.
If Urias pitches 50 innings that might be as many as 10 starts. I think he will pitch at the ML level but unless there’s a blow-out in one of the four tires following Kershaw (which is absolutely possible) Urias won’t be called on until summer and it will only be for show. I think De Leon, at age 23 (24 in early August) is more likely to get multiple starts if someone is needed.
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In the “might take a while” vein I mentioned to Mark earlier I just read the MLB Power Rankings according to Moneyball factors. The Dodgers are way down the list (20th) as far as “bang for the buck” numbers are concerned. Yep, the FAZ has a lot more work to do. And expecting 37 year old middle infielders (Rollins and Utley) or 41 year old relievers (Wright) to get it done for you is dreaming. Roll up the sleeves FAZ and and get some real Major League talent in here.
Bum I think we have a better 3 and 4 then most teams. And if Ryu is healthy and able to pitch like he did, then we will have a better 2, 3,4 then most teams. If Ryu is just the same, he is close to being a number one, for some teams.