It’s been almost 24 hours since the Dodgers lost the World Series in five games to the Boston Red Sox. Having time to reflect on the Dodger’s 2018 season has made me realize just how incredible it really was. The World Series loss was painful. Losing the World Series for the second consecutive season stings more than you can imagine. I’m sure you are all going through the same agony that I am going through as well. Watching the Dodgers win the National League pennant for the second straight year was an amazing emotional experience. However the Dodgers fell short of their goal to end the 30-year championship drought. Once again we were forced to watch another team celebrate and hoist the World Series trophy on the field of Dodger Stadium. There will be no parade in downtown Los Angeles and we’ll have to go through another long cold depressing winter until the next season starts.
While the Dodgers have become the Buffalo Bills of baseball, it’s important to recognize just how resilient this club is. Reaching the World Series two years in a row is an amazing accomplishment. We’re suffering and the sting of this loss will linger throughout the winter. But let’s not kick the team while they are down. Instead let’s celebrate their achievements. The Dodgers won the pennant again and it was even more special considering the team was nowhere near as good as they were in 2017.
The Dodgers had so many problems in 2018 and yet persevered through them all. Losing Corey Seager for most of the season and Justin Turner for a large chunk of the early part of the campaign was a huge setback. The Dodgers overcame bullpen problems, injuries, offensive issues, tons of strikeouts and inept game management. Midseason acquisitions like Manny Machado and Brian Dozier were busts, and the team struggled to hit with runners in scoring position all season long.
Yet despite all of these issues the boys in blue captured their sixth consecutive NL West division title. They had to rally defeating the Rockies in a tiebreaker in the 163rd game of the season. The Dodgers then dispatched the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series before outlasting a tough Milwaukee Brewers club in a 7-game NLCS to win the pennant. Unfortunately the Red Sox were just too much to overcome and the Dodgers fell to the Boston squad in a five game World Series defeat.
I realized a lifelong dream of mine when I attended game 4 of the World Series on Saturday night. One of the items on my bucket list has always been to go to a World Series game at Dodger Stadium and watch, cheer on the Dodgers in the fall classic. I did that and while the catastrophe in the late innings was horrifying to watch in person, the experience was something I will never forget. The atmosphere was electric for most of the game. The World Series is the pinnacle of American sports and going to a World Series game, especially one where your team is playing for a championship is a special experience I hope that all of you get to do at least once in your lives. Maybe one day soon the Dodgers will win it all.
It’s incredible that the Dodgers got to the World Series this year. Nobody thought they would make it that far, considering how much they sucked early in the season. The Dodgers started the regular season 16-26, one of their worst starts in franchise history and rebounded to win the pennant. The Dodgers trolled the world and went to the World Series. That is simply unbelievable. As we wait for the hot stove season to begin let’s take some time to look back on one heck of a roller-coaster ride. Check out the video below my girlfriend took of Yasiel Puig’s sixth inning three-run home run in game 4 on Saturday night.
The most vivid memory in my mind is the emergence of Walker Buelher as the new Sheriff in Dodgertown. Kind of ironic that this would happen just as the former Sheriff Clayton Kershaw rides into the sunset and contemplates as to whether his future in Dodgertown is just a memory. His Deputy Sheriff Kenley Jansen may have to hang up his rusty guns too. The search must be on for a new Closer, as Jansen has shown that he no longer can do the job. He can talk the talk, but cannot walk the walk.
There will be a lot of changes necessary to make another run for the World Series title. They will have to give catching prospects Ruiz and Smith a good hard look. May have to give one of them a shot at the big show, or find a veteran signal caller who can gain the trust of the Dodger Staff. Grandal will be on the first stagecoach out of Dodge-rtown.
Ryu might be gone. I am sure he will find more money somewhere. Maeda might be best served in the pen, with an occasional spot start. Dodgers need to restructure his incentive bonuses, since his current incentives are based on him as a starting pitcher. Along with a new closer, they need an eighth inning setup man, and another legitimate front line starter, especially if Kershaw opts out and Ryu leaves.
They need a legitimate second baseman, or give Muncy a hard look. They need to get Muncy more, consistent playing time.
The most disappointing memory was the aquisition of Machado, Dozier, and Madson. A total bust. I do not favor these trade deadline “band aids” at he cost of losing prospects. Also the bargain “Dodger Bluelight Specials” whom the Dodgers pick up and hope they can rehabilitate and resurrect their careers.
DR may have to kick his boy Kiké out of the nest, and find a new kid to take under his wing.
They have to make room for Verdugo in the crowded outfield. Verdugo is ready, and must play every day. Might be stuck with Kemp (nobody will take on his salary). Pederson may be expendable and would bring the most trade value. Keep Puig. Taylor and Bellinger remain as INF/OF options. Bellie must play every day, as with JT and Seager (when he returns).
Freese should be picked up. Need him on the bench.
Even with all these necessary changes, CBS’s Jim Hill said that he Dodgers are favored to repeat as NL Champs, and are favored to win the World Series. I was shocked… we will have to wait and see.
Dodgers have to take Spring Training serious. Players must get in proper condition, and prepare for the long season, in order to avoid preventible injuries. Veterans must work hard and not treat Camelback as a Rest and Recuperation spa. Turner Ward needs to work to improve the offense’s ability to manufacture runs, go the other way, beat the shift, and ween them off of the dreaded launch angle theory….. way too many strikeouts. Starting pitchers must condition themselves to go at least 6-7 innings, before running out of gas.
I cannot wait for 2019!
Sorry folks, but as long as we have Roberts it ain’t gonna happen. Many of us have been seeing this all along, but Roberts won’t be removed as long as this FO exists.
Reflection is good. I do not know where you live Scott, I am guessing SoCal. But I will guarantee you my winter is going to be a whole lot colder than yours! A couple of things. First, Blue, Jansen is not riding off into the sunset. And he has not lost it as you say. He could definitely use some help down there, but the guy saved 38 games and missed some time with a heart condition that he has to have surgery for this winter. You are right about Verdugo needing to be in the lineup. He is a contact hitter and someone who gets the bat on the ball a lot. As for Kemp, I think they will try to move him and will probably have to pick up a large portion of his salary to do so. As for another closer, the ones that are out there on the free agent market are going to be high priced guys. You think they are going to dump 20 million a year on another closer when Jansen is making that the next 2 seasons? As for Kershaw, he would be nuts to opt out after the mediocre year he had. By his standards anyway. With diminished velocity, and the amount of time he has spent on the DL the last 4 seasons, CK is in no position to demand more than the 32.5 he is getting in each of the next 2 years for a longer contract from another team. I think he either re-negotiates his deal, or just stays and gets his millions. Too many question marks for him to leave. Getting a 5 year deal for say 100 mil gives him less money a year. I do not think he will do that. He has his philanthropic charities he and his wife work on in the winter, and the guaranteed money would keep that going. On a more serious note, there is a story today that the feds are investigating the Dodgers over illegal signing practices of Cuban players. Keep an eye on that. The Guggenheim group cannot be happy with that kind of bad PR, so someone’s head will roll and MLB will no doubt stick their nose into the investigation too. Funny, the only Cuban the Dodgers have signed who has been worth the money is the most vilified of the bunch, Yasiel Puig. All the others, totaling well over 100 million dollars have been flops, Sierra, Olivera, Guerrero, and Aruebuenna.
Why does Verdugo need to be in the lineup? This seems like a statement implying the Dodgers cannot be good without him. I really have no clear image of what he will actually bring. The small sample size I have seen of him doesn’t as yet register impact player or consistently clutch hitting. I’ve liked him, but I’ve also thought he didn’t bring what other fans hoped he would bring. I like his attitude, his alertness, his speed, his base running and defense. All good qualities. I just haven’t seen enough of him to know if he fits with this team or not or can improve the team. Will the Dodgers actually replace Puig with Verdugo, who is a RFielder? Probably not, so it would be CF or LF. Replacing Cody in CF? I don’t think so. That leaves Joc. Now that can be seen as an improvement, I believe, but anyone the Dodgers put in the OF has to have a significantly higher BA than .250. Can Verdugo rise to it? He can’t be worse than Joc, can he?
Kemp will block the future development of the OF as he will only be used in a platoon. The Dodgers are not committed to him. His only option is as a DH and we cannot wait for that day to arrive in the NL. We will have him for another season unless some team wants to gamble.
It’s hard to imagine Kershaw opting out. His position has been weakened considerably by poor performances and injuries. He will now have to prove himself capable of staying healthy and working on his present diminished velocity and use tactics that take advantage of what he still has in his arsenal. He’s got more than most pitchers will ever have even in his diminished state, but I don’t think the Dodgers will pony up the max deal or anywhere near it.
Ryu will be an interesting situation to monitor. He showed a lot of comeback this year. He had games that were dominating but he doesn’t seem to be able to go for more than 5 innings. In my view, with a strong bullpen, that’s okay. I think the Dodgers relied too much on their starters who were not very strong this year. 3 of them wound up in the bullpen! The pitching army is a quagmire. They need to sort the chaff from the wheat. Big mistakes made acquiring many of them. Many cannot handle the platooning that the Dodgers use in most games. I like the overall strategy but you need the right players for it.
With a puny offensive output that the Dodgers came up with in the post season and intermittently throughout most of the season sans HR’s, the blame has to rest on Turner Ward. It’s either his system or the inability of the players to play his system that has made this team seem impotent with RISP. It is a major flaw that needs to be corrected.
Dodger’s body still warm and all the pundits want them to circle the same wagons again, I must be going crazy. So far, the majority say, extend Kershaw, extend Roberts, waive bye bye to Machado, give a qualifying offer to Ryu and Grandal and put Seager at SS. Find more junk in the bullpen bin to build a bridge to Jansen, who has been shelled in consecutive World Series.
So basically let’s bring back the same flawed roster with the same flawed decision maker at the helm with Seager in there instead of Machado. Sure that’ll get them over the hump.
As an aside, also remember the national league was terrible this year and bound to be better next year. Dodgers would be the 5th or 6th best team in the AL. The Dodgers did not play well this October, they beat a raw, green team in Atlanta and a flawed team in Milwaukee. Their lineup was badly exposed for the majority of the NLCS and World Series, non competitive for many innings.
This team needs to make moderate to major moves. They need to move their redundant pieces for more established everyday hitters. They need to hit a couple free agents. I will not lose sleep for Clayton Kershaw walking as he at this point is a decent regular season pitcher who is destined to get hit hard in the playoffs, unless he can regain 4 mph on his fastball. Yes, sign me for 130 million of that for the next 4 years.
True Blue,
What needs to be done, is get rid of the FO and their “ANAL”-ytics, and retain Roberts. Roberts is a smart Manager wih plenty of baseball knowledge and experience, but was hogtied by the FO.
1) FO demands Roberts to manage strictly by the spreadsheets.
2) The FO is responsible for the trade “dead”-line acquisitions, and band-aid fixes.
3) The FO looks for “cheap”, washed up, disabled veteran ball players, who are damaged goods, hoping they will miraculously resurrect thier careers and return to their former selves.
4) The FO dictates who will play, and who will sit. The Dreaded Lefty Lineups, the matchups, sitting an All Star (Kemp) for a “Mendoza” caliber player. Who starts, who goes to the bullpen. I could go on and on.
Roberts can only work with what he is given, and what he is told to do. A new FO who gives the Manager the green light to do what he knows best, is what this team needs. A FO that stays out of the clubhouse and lets their Manager do their job. I thought that is what a Manager is hired to do. The current FO will only hire a Manager they can control, and pull his strings. Roberts, being a journeyman Manager does not have the same length of rope a veteran Manager has.
Roberts deserves a chance to prove himself, without being hogtied by the FO.
Kershaw has until midnight Wednesday night to make his decision on his opt out. Gut feeling is he stays, but then again he might believe he can get a really good deal. Friday is free agency day, players can declare. It is also QO day, teams can make qualifying offers. I am beginning to think the Dodgers will make one to Grandal. If for no other reason than he will most likely turn it down and they will get a pick if he signs elsewhere. D-Backs exercised the option on Goldschmidt. What a bargain at 12.6. Bumgarner will get 12 from the Giants. I think the Dodgers should not waste time and go ahead and exercise the option of David Freese.
Michael,
It will be interesting to find out what Kershaw decides. I also think he stays. He would be dumb to turn down a guaranteed $63M, especially after his dismall performance and lingering back issues. If he is lucky enough to get a few million dollars and a few extra years more, is it gonna change his life? I do not think so… he can’t take it with him. I would prefer he leave, free up that money, and recieve a pick. If he stays, I am good to that too. He is a good #3, #4, or #5 in any rotation, whether or not he will accept the demotion from “Ace”, is the question. I would like to see him possibly retire a Dodger. So, with Kershaw, either way, he is a win/win situation.
Grandal should, and probably will leave. He can get more $$$ somewhere else. I don’t care what his ranking is amongst all catchers, I have had just about enough of his innconsistancies. I was shocked when the Dodgers gave him a hefty raise last year. If the Dodgers can get a pick to, that would be a win/win, as well.
Dodgers should pick up Freese. A bargain for his clubhouse presence and veteran leadership.
What do you think will happen to Ryu?
I heard that the hated Gnats are trying to get Farhan to be their new GM. I hope he, and his “ANAL”-ytics go… I could hate him even more.
Blue: I would like to see the Dodgers re-sign Ryu. Maybe a 2 year deal with an option. The guy can pitch, and this will be Hill’s last season on this contract. I do not think Kersh has that big an ego that not being the Ace is going to be a big deal. 65 Mil is a lot of money to just walk away from. Had he been good in the series and not had another DL stint, we would be certain he would walk because some nut job out there would throw a huge mega deal at him. Most analyst’s that I have read have felt that even if he did opt out the Dodgers would offer him the qualifier. That’s a given because that way if he did sign with another team, they would get a pick. That’s why I changed my thought on Grandal. They will in all probability give him the QO, which he will most likely reject, so they get a pick, he gets his money elsewhere and leaves. JT Realmuto has told the Marlins that he wants to be traded. He also told them he has no intention of re-signing with them. I think since the Dodgers and Marlins have been trade partners a lot over the last couple of years that it would be a perfect fit. Kill two birds with one stone, send Hernandez and Barnes back for Realmuto. I know they would never make that deal, but it is fun to speculate. They traded Barraclough to DC on he 10th of October, so they are open to moving some players. I read about the Giants wanting to talk to Zaidi. The Dodgers still have guys in the FO who were GM’s before like Byrnes. Zaidi is not really the big saber guru in the FO, it’s Friedman. They make those calculations together like frick and frack. It will be an interesting off season since their big free agent from last year was a huge bust. If I remember right, Koehler has 1 more year on the deal, so he will be there next year if he can be healthy.
We need a second baseman who can lead off and steal bases and a starter who’s a pure innings eater.
And we need to learn from what the other teams are doing. Our SABRtastic FO is middle of the pack – are they too stubborn or brain-dead to change their ways? That is the biggest question of all for this post-season.
We would have a ring by now if the FO didn’t choke on Aroldis Chapman and Verlander.
Chapman was a non-starter because the team has moral values.
Verlander was a non-starter because the team has financial red lines.
Neither is a result of choking.
One can always make up excuses and the FBZ engage in public spin and justifications no less than other clubs. Don’t buy the moral stances, and how about those Cuban signings that were done when the FBZ first arrived. None of these FOs have higher morals than others.
One person’s reasons are another person’s excuses I see.
Interesting drawing an analog between domestic assault and fleeing a communist country.
Do not know if you saw the list of free agents I posted on an earlier stream. About the only guy on the list who fits that description is DJ Lamahieu. Of course they could trade for someone. They might see Verdugo as the leadoff guy. Contact hitter with speed. Kind of a Brett Butler clone. I am also just guessing here, but, I think they really want to find a permanent home for Muncy and the easiest position to hide his fielding is 1st. So there is the possibility they move Cody to CF permanently, and use Taylor, Verdugo, and who ever else they have to man the corner outfield spots. I also think they will make a concerted effort to move Matt Kemp even if they have to eat a large portion of his contract. He was healthy all year, and did a great job, but he was not even supposed to make the team and they have eaten one before when the just released Crawford and ate the last year of his deal. Since I am pretty sure Grandal will be gone, one big need will be catcher because Barnes has not shown he can be the guy, and they have Ruiz and Smith in the pipeline. But I think they will trade for someone to hold down the fort, or sign one as a free agent until one of those guys is ready.
I don’t like Lamahieu, doesn’t do it for me.
I posted a while back that if they don’t keep a rotation at 2B, then I’d prefer to see how much Jed Lowrie would want for a season or 2 until a longer-term solution (Lux?) is ready. If Lux isn’t that close, maybe see how much it would take to trade for Gennett.
I thought they should have traded for Gennett at the deadline. He would have been a much better, although a little more expensive option than Dozier. But Lamahieu is only 2 years removed from winning a batting title, has great range and the guy can hit. Not as much power as Gennett, but a solid player. Living here in Colorado I see him a lot more than most and the guy is good. I think the platoon thing is bad. Always have, always will. Up the middle you need everyday guys. Yanks won’t go after Harper…especially since the just inked Gardner to a 1 year deal. Unless they trade someone, that outfield is more crowded than the Dodgers is.
Bluto
You will probably quit commenting but I am with you on Jed Lowrie. He fits the mold being a switchhitter. He would be a great pickup if he doesn’t get old quick. He is a team guy and would fit well with the Dodgers.
I don’t like Lemahieu either. If Taylor can fix those two holes in his swing he’d be perfect. Maybe Locastro is the answer if he can learn to control the strike zone like Muncy.
Taylor’s entire swing is a hole……too many K’s. But no doubt Ward will work hard with him this spring if he is still a Dodger. Despite all their depth, too many guys have similar swings. Hernandez, Taylor, Bellinger, Pederson. Muncy lost his way in the playoffs. He struck out more than anyone on the team 23 times. No word on Kershaw yet. Hall of famer Willie McCovey dies at 80. RIP Willie Mac….
In other news, the Dodgers are finally out from under 5-year/$25m contract. Released Arruebarrena in July. Hadn’t played in LA system since 2017
They should never have signed him in the first place. They are under federal investigation because of illegal practices in the signing of Cuban players. Outside of Puig, they have whiffed really bad on the Cubans. Over 100 million wasted on Olivera, Arruebarrena, Guerrero and Sierra, who is the only one still with the team. Guggenheim cannot really like that kind of bad PR.
I think you guys are under rating LeMahieu. He has a career 17.6 WAR. His career OBP is .350. He does not strike out much and he has won 2 gold gloves. You add all of our 2nd basemen’s stats and they pretty much fall short of his offensive out put. This season the guy only made 4 errors.
Kershaw and Dodgers have extended the deadline to 4 PM tomorrow. Sounds to me as if they are working on en extension of his contract.
Oops 4 PM Friday
Michael,
I am an avid Kershaw fan. I was wondering what to do with his jersey after he leaves…. take off the name, and one of the 2’s, and get my blue Sharpy and stencil in “LASORDA”
Ideally, I always wanted Kershaw to be one of the few ballplayers that were Dodgers for life. In today’s baseball, money is more improtant to players than loyalty and commitment.
BUT, is he really worth as much as he is paid, or is he really worth a renegotiation for maybe more money, and maybe two more years? Seems Kershaw is trying to squeeze every single Dodger Blue drop of blood, out of a turnip.
After seeing his body deteriorate, and his performance slip, and two World Series meltdowns, ideally, I do not think he is worth hanging on to.
He has unfortunately become a bit of a liability. He also locks up too much money, preventing a worthwhile aquisition. Are we destined to have a “3-peat” of WS disappointments?
All we can hope for, if he stays, is for Clayton to re-invent himself, and work on improving his back issues.
Ryu officially a free agent, so he is probably gone.
Grandal also elected free agency. The only thing I am afraid of is “if” the Dodgers give him a qualifying offer, he might take it. Even if he gets a slightly better offer somewhere else, I think he would prefer to stay with a first class organization. I just do not think he will do well in the market… enough to get a substantial raise.
Adios To Madson, Dozier, and “The Smirk”!
They cannot declare free agency until Friday. As for your jersey, I have Kersh, Bellinger, Gibson, Koufax, Robinson, Gonzalez, and Seager jerseys. I keep them for the what those guys did as Dodgers and that’s how I remember them. Kershaw is probably the best pitcher of his generation. If he is going to continue to be good, he is obviously going to have to make some serious adjustments. The rumor out there right now, and I believe the extension adds some credence to it, is that they are renegotiating his contract. The reason being to bring his average salary per year down some while allowing the team some payroll room for improvement. Not sure how that will play out since he is supposed to get 32.5 the next two years. They will give Grandal a QO, which I noticed as of yesterday is going to be 17.9 million dollars, simply because they hope he walks and they get a draft choice. If he accepts, that gives them at least 1 more year to get Smith and Ruiz more ready to come to the bigs. Smith will get a hard look in spring, and Ruiz is playing in the AFL right now. They have some players who are eligible for arbitration, so they have that to think about, there will be some hefty raises there, and the one guy they should really consider picking up the option on, Freese. Realmuto will be on the market this winter. The guy is great defensively and a good hitter to boot, so they might even go after him. All in all, it is up to the FO to reshape the team, plus they are dealing with the Roberts contract. There are going to be some changes, and since it is FAZ running the show, I am sure some of them will have Dodger fans scratching their heads. On a sad note, Willie McCovey passed away yesterday at the age of 80. He was a great ballplayer. Tied with Ted Williams with 521 home runs.
From Friedman/Zaidi’s presser today:
Farhan Zaidi said he’s talked to farm director Brandon Gomes about using starting pitchers in relief, and starting position players off the bench, to train them to be flexible in multiple roles.
On the complaint that, “Multiple roles and platoons are so overrated… You get mediocrity with lineups shuffled day to day. ”
Zaidi rebutted this very argument just now. A platoon player won the World Series MVP award. Chris Sale closed the final game. Nate Eovaldi and Joe Kelly were set-up men. It’s the way the game is going.
Andrew Friedman said he anticipates no issues reaching a new deal with Dave Roberts. Farhan Zaidi added that they are hoping to reach deals with the coaching staff in the next week or two.
Zaidi said the Dodgers would like to bring back all their coaches. Friedman said he doesn’t see any obstacles in reaching a deal with Roberts.
Friedman said he’s optimistic shortstop Corey Seager will be ready for Opening Day after Tommy John and hip labrum surgeries.
Friedman said he has “plenty of resources to win a World Series next year.”
Friedman said the central reason for the World Series loss was the lack of offense.
Andrew Friedman said it would be unrealistic to expect Julio Urias to make 30 starts next year. His workload will be carefully monitored in his first full season after shoulder surgery.
The Dodgers will make sure Seager is ready physically for the day in/day out grind first as he spends this offseason rehabbing, but Friedman maintained optimism Seager will be ready for Opening Day.
Bluto
Surely you do not buy into Zaidi saying this and that? It is a bunch of Horses&^t. He is comparing a short series with a 162 game season. He does not mention that the Dodgers do not have a Chris Sale or a Steve Pearce. He also does not have a Eovaldi or a Joe Kelly. As far as Friedman goes, you should know that Friedman is a lying SOB by now. Everybody thinks that bringing back Roberts will solve everything except win, which Dummy has not done. Friedman says he has no obstacles next year. Did Friedman say he has a plan to help the stagnant offense? As far as Seager goes, we will have to wait to see if he can overcome his physical ailments but one thing is sure and that is FAZ is full of it. Give us a plan Friedman cause so far we have no idea what your plan is and so far over the past 4 years we have the same thing we had before you got here.
Of course I buy it, with a grain of salt.
No executive with an IQ above room temperature would ever divulge an off-season plan in public. You have to read around the edges. I think the team loves the idea of depth and position flexibility, so we should expect that to continue and to enjoy the success therefrom.
Nathan Eovaldi and Joe Kelly are very analogous to Brandon MOrrow, Koehler and Cingrani. Live arms at a discount.
if i was a manager i would not take the job if they are going to tell me what to do …dave made lots of money when he played..so he does not have to do what they say …tell them to take a hike he should of said no to that when they told him to follow the new way..
Exactly why it’s silly to assume Roberts doesn’t have freedom.
Well said Jerry
Roberts has freedom as far as in game decisions, but his lineups are dictated by analytics that are provided by the FO and their team. That is one reason most fans dislike his in game moves. He has proved that a lot of times those moves backfire, and in last years series and this years he made decisions that in most people’s opinion cost the Dodgers games. And that’s not just fans, when the analysts and scribes question, there has to be a good reason and sometimes his explanation of the moves are borderline not believable. He is not all bad, that’s for sure, but he damn sure was out managed in the 2017 series and this year also. Fact, not fiction. Of course it is on the players that they did not perform better. It is always on the players.
Michael,
If this is so, and I think you are right, when the starting lineups have been decided by the ANAL-ysts, it could be the reason why the Dodgers have had the slow starts, and late inning comebacks.
So often ths season, the starting lineups (especially the “Lefty Lineup”) have struggled to put early runs on the board, and before you know it, they are 2-3 runs behind. By the time Roberts is able to flush the deadwood out of the lineup, usually by the 5th or 6th inning, they finally start to put runs on the board. Sometimes able to win with late inning heroics, but more often than not, too little too late.
What frustrated me the most were the inability to establish a consistant leadoff hitter, and the ever changing middle of the lineup. 1,4,5,6,7 spots in the lineup were very unstable, inundated with “Mendoza” caliber players, rally killers, and instant outs.
I wish the FO would not meddle with the Game, and let Roberts make her s own decisions.
Here is my point. How many times did you see Kike in the 4 or 5 hole? There were quite a few instances of that. Well, if you check his splits he was awful in the 4 hole. His best spot was leadoff, yet he was not used there much and I think that was partly because of his former dominance against LHP. So what happened? He regressed against lefty’s this year and started hitting RHP better. Puig, who was so good at the bottom of the lineup last year, pretty much stayed where he was and had a decent year. Pederson got most of his at bats as a leadoff hitter. But he only hit.239 in that spot. His batting averages and OBP in the 5 through 8 slots were so much higher. .321 BA to .384. And his OBP in those spots was from over .320 to a high of .462 in the 6 slot. They have those stats readily available. His OBP as a leadoff hitter? .300. That’s not good for a guy in that spot. Kike had a OBP of over .400 as a leadoff hitter. Chris Taylor had a .343 OBP in the leadoff spot and 10 homers. So common sense tells you, and the stats too, that those two guys should have been in the 1 hole more than Pederson. I think they were blinded by Joc’s power in the 1 hole. He hit 18 homers in that slot. So it would seem to me that they were looking for lightning in a bottle and jumping on the opposition quick. Joc did that a few times, but at what cost? How many games did they win because Joc hit a dinger in the first AB? I think he set a Dodger record for leading off games with a homer. But to me, the analytics and stats say he is like Puig and a much better hitter lower in the order. One other thing really bugged me. I believe Roberts can read, but if he can, why when Machado was first traded did he stick the guy in the 2 hole when all his stats said he was deadly in the 3 slot? All you need to know about Machado is that his batting average dropped 42 points after the all star game when he was traded to the Dodgers, his OBP dropped 49 points and his slugging pct. dropped from .575 to .487. So he was not the big deal he was in Baltimore. Yeah he had 13 homers, but from what I watched, he was not the same hitter. He did some good things at shortstop, but between his attitude, lack of hustle and general over all play, I saw nothing that was better than the shortstop we already have in Corey Seager and certainly not a player worth the multi year massive contract he is going to get. The Yankees have already said they are not going to be making an offer. Why? Because of the BS he pulled in the playoffs…good riddance Mr. Smirk.
Michael,
Willie McCovey…. Wow. A great ballplayer. I was lucky enough to see him play. In this day and age of Baseball, we will never see a more dominating and intimidating player like him, again.
May he rest in piece in Baseball Heaven. If there were a Field of Dreams, he would be there for sure…. In the starting lineup. No analytics required.
BTW, I was just being a bit sarcastic about my Kershaw jersey. Definitely a keeper.
I saw Willie Mac play a lot. I remember him as a rookie in 59. Playing the Dodgers in the coliseum. Those Giant teams had some boppers. Mays, McCovey, Cepeda, Willie Kirkland……they were a good team. Willie was the reason they felt they could trade Cepeda. Yeah, I did not need analytics to tell me that guy was a monster. He OWNED Drysdale. He hit a ton of homer off him. Big D was always saying that he never found a way to get McCovey out. Dodgers did not extend Freese, but they did give him a 1 year deal. Smartest move FAZ has made in a while. They also traded Manny Banuelos to the White Sox for some kid infielder.
I forgot, that team also had Leon Daddy Wags Wagner on it. He went to the Angels in the expansion draft.