The Dodger’s exhibition schedule is rolling right along. The calendar has turned to March and we should start seeing the opening day roster taking shape soon. Most of the roster is set with only a couple of exceptions. We know that A.J. Pollock is the new center fielder. Cody Bellinger is moving to right field. Chris Taylor should see a lot of time at second base and Corey Seager and Justin Turner will be patrolling the left side of the infield. There is one Dodger that doesn’t have a permanent position yet, and that’s Max Muncy.
Muncy was one of the Dodgers most productive hitters in 2018. He slashed .263/.391.582 with 35 home runs, 79 runs batted in and a 161 OPS + over 481 plate appearances. Muncy led the club in home runs and early in the season last year was one of the few Dodgers that they could count on to drive in runs with runners on base.
The problem with Muncy is he is not the fleetest of foot, nor is he the best defensive player. The Dodgers primarily used him at first base in 2018 but he also saw some time at second and third. The Dodgers even tried him a few times in left field. The third base experiment was a disaster and the Dodgers only did that when Justin Turner was out recovering from the broken wrist he suffered in spring training.
You want to put Muncy where he can do the least amount of damage with the glove. With Bellinger moving permanently into right field we can say that Muncy’s best spot is first base. He’s put up negative defensive numbers at almost every position he’s played but he has the most experience (107 career games) at first. So First base may the best position for Muncy.
On the other hand, surprisingly Muncy has posted the best numbers as a second baseman. In 34 games and 250 innings at the keystone, Muncy has 6 defensive runs saved and a +1 fielding rating. Even more surprising is the fact that he’s made just one error there in 125 chances.
The Dodgers may still move Muncy around in 2019. We know how much they love platoons. Muncy may see time at first, second and maybe a few games in left field. Muncy is a bat first player. The Dodgers have to keep his bat in the lineup. The safest and most comfortable position for him is first base. Where do you think Muncy should play this season?
I would like to see Muncy at 2nd. Bring Bellinger back in to 1st base, and CT3 can man one of the OF positions. I would prefer to see CT3 in CF, but seems Pollock is granted that spot.
IMO, the key to fewer errors, is to stop “Over-Platooning” and let the infielders (especially up the middle) gel into a solid defensive unit. Repetitions at any position is better than shuffling around. A fielder must feel confident and comfortable at his position to eliminate self-doubt. It will also have a positive affect on their hitting, as they will have less things to think about.
You hit the nail on the head here, Bluefan4Life! That “Over-Platooning’ is and WAS the issue last year and a big reason why Dodgers went home in October WITHOUT a WS ring. People may not like me saying this but if Dodgers can fill a need somewhere, Muncy’s best position is as a DH in the AL. Cody back to 1st, as we have the other OF to solidify those spots.
My opinion is you don’t abandon the approach that has gotten the team to two consecutive World Series after 28 years of never having a sniff at one.
That said, there is validity to managing the post season sprint SOMEWHAT differently than the regular season marathon.
I wouldn’t give up Muncy to DH thoughts after he dropped out of nowhere to give the team 35 bombs. Also concerned about too many moves but Verdugo supposedly has a plus-plus arm. IF true, having him in RF, Pollack in CF and another CF – Bellinger in LF would potentially give us a dominating outfield
First base, no doubt. Freese as back-up. With Bellinger always available. Team needs to cut back on its platooning. What looks good on paper, we are finding out, does not necessarily sell well in the club house.
Muncy is a defensive nightmare at first. He has little range, and being a lot shorter than Belli, does not present a good target. With Seager coming back off of injury, they need the best fielder possible at 1st. Bellinger is a gold glove caliber guy. He is more susceptible to injury playing the outfield and his bat and glove are better served at 1st. Muncy would be a great DH. They should have shipped him to the other league, unless they try him at second, he really is not good anywhere.
I just got through saying basically the same thing and totally concur on all points ya made, Michael!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, Michael,
Hate to lose his bat, but they could have traded him, Puig, and Kemp to AL to get a decent starting pitcher, as insurance for Kershaw’s situation. Too late now. Kershaw may have a very short, or limited 2019 season.
Too bad.
Hell we lived with Grandmal, put Muncy at catcher, he can’t be any worse, probably an upgrade.
LOL But in a way very true!
Bear and I have been around and back a few times this off season regarding importance of position. We aren’t going to agree on it apparently.
The rankings of positions has been understood for decades. Sabermetricians have an answer for this:
“the defensive spectrum (from easiest to hardest):
Designated hitter – First baseman – Left fielder – Right fielder – Third baseman – Center fielder – Second baseman – Shortstop – Catcher
Generally, players move towards the easier end as they age – obviously this is not perfectly true linearly and individually, but as a general rule. If a catcher’s knees aren’t too shot, he may go to third base, but more often to left/first/dh. And a center fielder often moves to left or right field, not third base. First base is where your least athletic infielder plays.”
Is that Muncy? In my opinion, yes.
Bellinger has played first base until now likely because he’s tall and left handed. What makes him different is his impressive athletic ability. Moving him to right field is a 2 position promotion for him. I think if he threw right handed he’d be a shortstop. If he threw right handed he’d be Corey Seager.
You are so right Badger, we never will agree on this one. I watched Muncy botch more than a few plays at first and miss some throws Belli would have easily fielded. I for one am of the mind that Muncy is not going to slash anywhere near what he did last year. I am also of the mind that I want the best defense that I can get on the field. I do not want to see the Dodgers lose a game in the late innings because a ball that Belli could have gotten to easily gets by Muncy and they get runs in or someone in scoring position. I played first. It is not all that easy. I got pretty good at it, but it took a lot of work. Book this, Muncy will come no where near the offensive output he had last year because A. He is not unknown now, and B. Teams will be ready for him. He says he is more comfortable at second, so let him play second.
Michael, what thus has to take place are an example or examples of balls Cody would have handled and ones that Muncy will miss playing 1st base. It may take a few games lost as a partial result of this but it is what it is..
Let’s do some comparisons and see if Muncy is a defensive liability.
At 1B, Career stats:
Muncy- 107 games, 7 errors
Freese- 99games, 6 errors
Bellinger- 203 games, 6 errors
At 2B career stats:
Muncy- 34 games, 1 E
Taylor- 45 games, 7E
Kike- 85 games, 2 E
OF career stats:
Muncy- 27 games, 0 E
Taylor- 171 games, 4E
Kike- 217 games, 5 E
First off, Muncy is not slow. As far as positional playing goes, 1B may be the least athletic position but it is not the easiest. To me, this is a fallacy. The skills needed for 1B are more demanding than LF or RF, and possibly CF. Most OFielders don’t have many errors when compared to 1Bmen. The amount of exposure at 1B is much greater than any OF position during a game.
Clearly, Cody is our best choice at 1B. Muncy & Freese are just average, defensively.
At 2B, Kike is clearly advantaged, but Muncy should be able to get it done if they want his bat in a game. Taylor is the biggest liability at 2B.
Muncy has never made an error in the OF. It’s a small sample size, but LF is a much easier position for him and for the team to fill. I believe it all comes down to how much the Dodgers want to use his bat. No one can predict accurately how Muncy will fare this season. Guesses are not reality, but who in their right mind would deny him the opportunity of repeating what he did last year? He was a major force for us. Why the Dodgers are not considering Verdugo for RF is a mystery to me. Watching him last season, I saw a very capable player in RF. He’s alert, speedy, and has a good arm. And, why the fascination with Taylor in the OF? It is only because of his breakout season of 2 years ago, something that he did not repeat last season but he did attain SO king of the league!
Sigh
You buy them books, you send them to school.
There is ample evidence that proves the list posted is accurate. Choose to ignore it if you will, but it does not change facts.
Badger, do you believe sabremetrics is an exact science? Isn’t it more reasonable to say it is a predictive tool that could help management with decision making? Take the shift, for example, we know it works, but not every time. There are always elements in the game, in the players, etc., that cannot deliver certainty. No one can predict how a player reacted to their breakfast or what an argument with a wife could produce in the mindstream of that player when he took the field later on that day. Fans want certainty but they will not get it. They get probability, at best, and probability you cannot take to the bank as collateral.
Las Vegas odds are predicting the Dodgers for the NL winners, but not the WS winners. Yankees and Astros are tied at the moment to win the WS.
Sabermetrics is math, not science. Algorithms are formulas, and baseball admits those used are evolving. The process is used to evaluate.
Predictions are by their very definition a guess. I’m familiar with what the odds are saying. As I did last year and the year before, I agree with what Vegas is predicting. And you?
Hate to change the subject but I am sure you have heard….
Somewhat bad news in Dodgertown. Kershaw’s shoulder inflammation may delay his season start. Once again the overly optimistic FO banked their chips on a healthy return of Clayton, and it now has apparantly backfired. Shoulder stiffness is one thing, but inflamation…. that could be serious. I would not be surprised if he eventually needs surgery. Kershaw will no doubt be spending a lot of time on the DL. With the slow progress of Buelher, as well, the prosectively strong Dodger rotation is looking vulnerable. They might regret not looking for a solid FA starter. Now it is too late. A trade will end up sacrificing a few top prospects. We have not seen too much of Jansen or Kelly, so who knows if they will be ready. Only bright spots this spring have been Maeda and Urias.
What also is disappointing is their failure to find a decent backstop, once again relying on a old veteran catcher to get second wind, and fill the void. Ol’ Man Russell’s back is failing him. Back injuries are serious and hard to overcome, especially for a catcher. There were a lot of FA catchers out there early on, but now they will be lucky to find a decent one to carry the load for a couple of years while the Kids are sharpening their trade in the minors. Well, time has come to promote the kids to back up Barnes. Austin has shown som bright spots during spring training, but can he keep it up? Barnes is going to have to up his game, and carry the load…. This is not entirely impossible, but a stretch.
Instead of being aggressive early on in the FA market, the FO chose to zip their wallets shut. FO preferred to roll the dice, and got snake-eyes (more like snake-bit).
So, the Dodger Saga continues…
It is not too late, Kuechel is still out there. Buehler is not having any problems, they are holding him back and have said that since the start of spring. They have 2 catchers in camp besides the kids and Martin, Thole, and Gale. Both have decent skills behind the dish and Gale has been hitting better than advertised. So, catching is not a huge worry. They are not going to rush either of those young catchers. Ruiz has not even played at AAA level yet. Smith is not on the 40 man roster. Martin does not have a back injury, he merely strained the muscles, and at his age it takes a little longer to get over that, as for Kershaw, I just shut him down and do what ever is needed to find out exactly what the problem with his shoulder is. They are deep in starting pitching and they won even with Kershaw out for an extended period last year, this year Urias is available to fill the void. Oh by the way, and in a ways I am being facetious, Kershaw will not spend a single day on the DL because there is no DL anymore……it is the IL now.
How true, Michael, with that new name IL instead of DL. I didn’t think before that Gale even knew what a bat was used for, LOL
All very on point, Bluefan. FO and Roberts are yet not that concerned about CK but obviously they should have been more prepared this off season to have back up plans for CK. It is what it is so wss. Correct, the FO rolled the dice and as of now anyway, they have come up on short end.
They will be fine. They are loaded at SP, have a bevy of catching prospects. If there’s a single year of mediocrity at catcher, it’s no biggie.
At the best, it’ll show those Grandal haters how good he is/was.
Grandal is good with a bat…..in streaks. He is one of the better pitch framers in the game, but he is terrible at blocking pitches in the dirt and over all his defense as a catcher is mediocre at best. He has power, but strikes out a lot and is a DP machine. He is also a lousy hitter when the game is on the line. All those stats are irrefutable. And the capper is he turned down 17.6 million to sign a 1 year deal for 18 million. That ends the argument right there. He is the Brewers problem now.
Which stats are irrefutble? I didn’t see one number, except for salary, which isn’t a stat.
irrefutable!
Just go on baseballreference.com and check his splits there Bluto. All the irrefutable stats you need are right there. I am not doin your frippen research for you. The guy sucks.
Well…
Now that you pointed me in that direction, let’s see what is irrefutable.
For catchers with more than 100 Games played, Grandal was:
The most durable, played in the most games.
#1 in Base on Balls
#1 in OBP
#2 in SLG
#1 in Game Winning RBIs
7th in fielding percentage.
Only tied for 8th (with Lucroy, Posey and Plaweki) when it comes to strikeouts.
Oh, we know he gets walks and hits homers. His BA with RISP was a paltry .236. Over a 2 month period, May-June he hit about .170. He also slumped really bad in August. He is not consistent, and finally he is one of the worst post season hitters in Dodger history. When they really needed his so called offensive prowess this guy totally dissapeared. His BA in the post season is .107. You can have this bum. He isn’t a pimple on Steve Yeager’s ass as a catcher. He had long stretches of no production over his Dodger career.
I agree about his streakiness being the most infuriating.
I've lost course.My point is simply that I think many fans will realize how good Grandal was (when he was) this season, but the future is bright at C for the Dodgers
Hey they signed Kershaw to an extension, what’s new, this FO is known for signing broken down pitchers. LOL
Muncy, you have to hide him at 1B, that has always been the hidee-hole, and it will continue to be. I don’t agree that Muncy maxed out last season, he may actually be a better hitter this season. However, if he is bounced around the line-up, in one day and out the next, he will regress like so many of the Dodgers have done with this stupid shit platoon debacle. Evaluate your players, assign positions and let them play. These fn rocket scientist Sybermatrics fools just don’t get it.
LOL. IL, DL… what is the difference.
What is IL? Injured List? Invisible List? Inept List? Incompetent List? Impostor List? Impersonator List? Inability List?
Where’d you get those Rose Colored Glasses? I need a pair, real bad. The Dodgers should have a promotional day and hand out free Rose Colored Glasses…. that’s the ticket!
Just kidding, Michael…. but am I, really?
Don’t take me too serious.
… All in fun, I think. Go Dodger Blue!
I NEVER take you seriously and as I said I was more or less being sarcastic about the IL thing. Rose colored? Sometimes, but I do not wear blinders either. I doubt they get 31 million in pitching value out of Kersh this year. I doubt they get the 93 million value over the course of the contract. When you come down to it, had Kersh walked, it would have been a PR nightmare for the FO if they had not tried to re-sign him. People ranted about the Ethier and Kemp contracts. But look at the time-frame in which they took place and they were perfectly understandable. Ethier was coming off his best year. Captain Clutch got a little over what would have been considered market value. He performed well over most of the deal until the last 2 seasons when he was injured. You just cannot predict those things. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the same thing happened to Matt Kemp, but it happened right after he signed the big contract. Kemp should have won the MVP in 2011. He was on his way to an MVP season in 2012 when he crashed into the CF fence in Denver. It ruined his shoulder, and the season. He tried to come back, but was no where near the same player. And has not been since then. He was a plus defender before that. If anything my friend, I look at this team with a more discerning and jaded eye than most.
I don’t know… if Kershaw had walked…. to be honest I don’t believe I would have blamed our FO for not extending him. He’s shown a lot of frailty the last few years. I agree with you that he isn’t likely to be cost effective over the next 3 years. I don’t think anyone should be surprised we are looking at more IL time this year.
I don’t know how many fans share my opinion on this but if he would have actually exercised his option and walked I would considered him an ingrate and said “ef you very much and goodbye”. Go home to Texas and let them pay you $93 million. At this point it seems to me we would could do a whole lot more with $93 million than Clayton Kershaw.
AMEN, True Blue
The last I looked we have surplus outfield depth. If we are paying for all that depth we should use it instead of playing someone out of position (and if we have to play someone out of position despite all that depth, what does that say about our depth and maybe that depth is not really all that deep).
So I am in favor bringing Bellinger back to first base and make it a competition between Muncy or Taylor at second. Whoever produces consistently gets to keep playing. If neither produces consistently well then we have a natural platoon there.
I agree that first base is not an easy position and just because you don’t need to be athletic there doesn’t mean it is easier to play than positions where athleticism is a premium. I think whoever made up those SABR stats stating 1B is the second easiest to play needs to re-examine their stats.
I am not sure how meaningful are errors stats when it comes to defensive measures. Yes errors matter but when it comes to first base, you also look at the number of chances and rest of the infielders who are throwing to you. Other factors such as range and arm come into play at other positions. I think Taylor would be a far better 2B defensively than Muncy. And I think if Muncy had more changes at LF he would show to be a very poor LFer. Finally I think Taylor and Pederson may have better a year than Muncy, but that’s just me using my hunches.
First of all, you don’t “make up” stats. Who are we, Breitbart? You gather them, you organize them, you collate them, you analyze and anoligize them, you verify them, then you present them.
You guys can have your own opinions, but you can’t have your own facts. First base is the least demanding position in the composition of a defense. It’s fact, supported by decades of collected data and subsequent algorithms.
Muncy and Freese are 1&2 in the depth chart at first base. They are there, and Bellinger is in right field because the Dodger coaching staff, thank God, know wtf they are doing.
Even though they are an easy target, no stealing my Breitbart jokes!
Breitbart is an easy target, there for everybody to laugh at.
Badger, where are the stats that say 1B is the least demanding? From what do they accumulate these facts?
From my observations of 1B, many who play there are not athletic. They can get the job done, but not as well as someone like Cody, who is athletic, limber, and young. Cody. like the other infielders playing different bases, is capable of the horizontal dives that we see infielders often make to stop balls from getting through for base hits. Jumping ability is also a factor in high line drives. Stretch catching is a feature of only those who are stretched out in the groin area.
“Badger, where are the stats that say 1B is the least demanding? From what do they accumulate these facts?”
On the internet. Try a google search for “ranking baseball defensive positions according to value”. You’ll get about a million hits. Start reading what decades of sabermetricians have said about it, including Bill James in the 80s. Even before that it’s been common knowledge you build your defense up the middle. Also, outfielder errors are more likely to cost 2 bases and often put a runner in scoring position. Infield errors are less costly. As far back as I can remember teams I played on, and later teams I coached, always had the best athletes up the middle with the least athletic, or left handed, infielder at first base. The list I posted above was put together by sabermetricians based on DRS stats.
This isn’t just my opinion. Those rankings are based on UZR and DRS adjustments for each position, with a degree of difficulty element as well.
All that said I do agree that Bellinger is a better first baseman than Muncy. But that isn’t the question that we should be addressing. The question that should be asked is how do we get more DRS out of our defensive spectrum. The answer to that seems obvious to me, and from what I see the Dodgers doing now they appear to agree. Muncy can learn to play first base and be at least league average over there. Taylor or Hernandez can both be + DRS players at second base. Bellinger, with his speed and arm strength (was an outstanding high school pitcher) is much better suited for the outfield.
I’d like to see the young players on this team settle into one position and focus on it. Stop it with making everybody utility players. We have three of those guys now, four if you count Freese. We don’t need Muncy and Bellinger moving around. Put them at first and in right and let them know that is where they will play this year. I believe that doing this, and sticking with it, will allow them stay focused and will help their offense as well.
Cool Michael.
One question…. do you think Kemp may have gotten caught up in PEDs? Remember he was knocking the cover off the ball… pitchers feared him, somewhat like with Barry Bonds, where they were pitching around him, afraid to be taken deep. Then, all of a sudden he lost weight (upper body), and started slumping (jersey got baggy) and attitude probs began. I had thought all along that the Dodgers just wanted to cut ties with him, due to suspicions of PED use. Seems he had cleaned up his act, especially with the opportunity to return to Dodger Blue.
Just wondering.?
Nope. I do not think Kemp was caught up in all of that. I think the entire attitude and other problems were a direct result of his injury’s. They had no inclination of moving him until after all that happened. In 2013 he was re-habbing from two, not one, majors surgeries to his ankle. He was clearly not himself and I think that probably affected his attitude a lot along with Mattingly moving him out of his CF position. He sprained his ankle real bad at a series in DC. Here he had this huge contract and was trying to live up to what he had been. In 2014, he started off so very slowly and it looked like he was pretty much never going to come close to being anywhere near the player he had been. Then he found himself in the second half and was the Dodgers best hitter. Then that off season he was traded. Not sure they would have traded him except Friedman came over, and the rumors of him being a clubhouse cancer started. His numbers from when he became a Dodger in 2006 were steadily climbing. He peaked in 2011. But the next year, 2012, he was on fire. Hitting close to .360 up until August. He had some hammy issues also. He tried to play through the shoulder stuff, but was clearly not the same guy. The power dropped and the average went all the way down to .303. There was never a hint that Kemp was using any PED’s. I think the trade was simply Friedman putting his stamp on the team and trying to change the makeup of the clubhouse.
Badger,
I cannot find any hard stats that I would use to define what makes someone better at 1B than this:
1st Base – A big target helps, of course, along with good flexibility. First base is a good position for players who have not mastered the two-hand catch approach, as first base is mainly a glove hand position. There is value in having a left-handed first baseman, when possible. Left handed first baseman have a big advantage with covering the whole between them and the second baseman, with holding runners on the bag, with the throw to second base to start double plays on ground balls to them and with throws to second and third base on bunt plays.
From the above description, Bellinger is the only one of the potential 1Bman to be left handed and have exceptional flexibility and athleticism plus skills that are not listed in the description above as I mentioned in my earlier post. These requirements obviously are not set is stone but they make sense.
Yes, Muncy can learn to play 1B and he could learn to play 2B! as well as LF. But if we are talking about putting the best player at the position that they would be strongest at, most would agree on Bellinger at 1B. Because the Dodgers are going against this by putting him in RF (he can definitely play there, but so can others), they weaken the team defensively, IMO. We do not get more DRS with Muncy at 1B, but, I can live with it as we need his bat.
I don’t know if you are yanking my lanyard with this or if you’re serious.
If you are serious look up and read about Defensive Spectrum – and read the following from 9 years ago:
https://library.fangraphs.com/misc/war/positional-adjustment/
And if you are jerking my chain, ok, you got me.
Not yanking your chain, Badger. That link is good for a general assessment. Within every team, there are variations based on the talent mix and their background, training for the MLB. Some don’t get specified training, like Muncy at 1B. He is not a natural 1Bman but they want his bat. The reality is Muncy doesn’t have a lot of MLB experience to know where he really fits. He was never designated as a positional player but moved about. The thread is about where is the best position for Muncy. It may be 1B considering how poorly he played 3B last year. Would you put him in LF replacing Joc? I would. I’d rather see Muncy, Pollock, and Verdugo in the OF with Bellinger at 1B, Kike at 2B. I don’t need the defensive stats to see what I think works although some may refer to those. Joc as a leadoff hitter doesn’t work, yet he keeps getting put there. Go figure. I tell you that the FO already has their mind made up about who plays where and only some fluke will change that. Pitching, too.
Would I put Muncy in left? Yes I would……. if I was short of outfielders. The Dodgers are not short of left hand hitting outfielders.
In sabermetrics, the defensive spectrum is a graphical representation of positions on the field. Using established algorithms, it’s generally accepted as fact the spectrum arranged in order of difficulty, easy to hard is: first base, left field, right field, third base, center field, second base, shortstop, catcher, pitcher. If you accept that premise then what the Dodgers are doing makes sense to you. If you do not accept that premise, then playing Bellinger anywhere but first base is no doubt antithetical to you. I recognize some here don’t buy into sabermetrics. I was a skeptic at first, but my research has changed my mind. Numbers don’t lie. They are what they are.
A left handed first baseman can throw to second easier than a right hander. Ok, that’s true. But it really isn’t that difficult for a right hander to do that. The second baseman does it all the time. The left hander protects the hole between first and second better. While that may be true it must also be true that a right hander protects the line better. The hole is a single, the line is extra bases.
Ultimately Muncy may be a DH. But in the mean time he needs to play somewhere. The Dodgers want him at first, probably to platoon some with Freese. I want him in the lineup every day as he hits left handers ok, though not as well as Freese does. With what I know to be true about defensive spectrum, what the Dodgers are doing with Muncy and Bellinger makes sense to me.
Bluefan, it really is just speculation and trying to conclude with illogical estimations qnd conclusions, like CNN and MSNBC do, to tie PEDs to Kemp. His attitude got lousy when he suddenly got dumped from the lineup after kicking ass in the first half. I’d guess he got so pissed or down about it that he maybe even stopped working out and keeping up his conditioning.
I find CNN and MSNBC believable True. In recent polls, Breitbart shows a 30% believability rating while a Quinnipiac poll shows among those with IQs over 100 Fox News has a 23% approval rating. According to the Pew Research Center, among the college educated, none admit they watch Fox.
Kemp hit .361 in May, .220 in June. I doubt drugs had anything to do with it. He did OPS .922 in Sept/Oct. He’s maybe just a streaky guy at 34.
Hey, I think you believe what you want to believe. And approval ratings don’t mean shyte. You have to ask who is approving.
I thought you didn’t want to go down this road, I guess you are allowed to shift and slither around all subjects.
What road? I’m not on a road. I’m just responding to a post.
When it comes to this blog’s audience and Breitbart / Fox News’ approval, I’m pretty sure most people who post here, educated and Los Angelians are going to be less than highly approval, right?
Just statistically speaking. There could be outliers.
Oh, I think there are outliers all right. All right outliers. You might be surprised where you find them.
By the way, truth be told I made up all those stats. Fact checking is a lost art everywhere these days so making sh*t up and throwing it out there is damn easy to do. Nobody seems to care that we see liars every where we look. Thousands of lies, from the top down. It’s commonplace now. It’s who we are now.
The whole point for me is, as far as Muncy goes, is he’s just another of a plethora of LH hitters on this team and that is one reason, besides not known yet where he fits defensively that minimizes shortcomings. That is why I felt he could be used in a deal to an AL team to address other areas.
Left handed hitters are born with a distinct advantage in the game of baseball. For all you right handers out there, how many times were you out at first by a step or less? You’re left handed you are safe on all those plays. How many same side pitchers did you have to face? The Dodgers are stacked with left handed hitters because the odds favor them. It’s a good thing.
I found hitting left handed pitchers to be totally un-nerving. But mostly because I saw them so infrequently.
I could pick up spin early. I had 20/10 vision in my right eye, so it was easy for me. I was fine hitting left handers as long as they threw strikes. The ball from a left hander moved in, making it easier for me to barrel it. I found it more challenging hitting balls that broke down and away. I also remember a few left handers that were wild. One in particular, from Santa Ana I believe, was impossible. Wish I could remember his name, but I faced him in school and in American Legion. I couldn’t hit him but I knew if I waited him out he’d walk me. I think my OBP against him was about .500 but my BA was terrible.
Thats probably because you are a woos! LOL
That’s true.
So is this – that guy was about 6’5” and wildebeest wild. He hit me in my left thigh with what had to be a 95 mph fastball and it hurts to this day. I had a bruise from my greater trochanter to the origin of my iliotibialis tract. I graduated from college and that bruise was still there. It hit me so hard it restructured my DNA – 14 years later my daughter was born with a bruise on her thigh. But…. I got on base. Woos Rule #1: Don’t make an out. If nobody makes an out, you will win.
True Blue,
Sorry, I was refering to Kemp’s attitude, after he started his skid, and “prior to” his trade to San Diego.
During his second run with The Blue, he seemed to rid himself of his demons, and re-earned my (and many other fans) respect. He should have been given some at-bats in the stretch run last season, but FO already had his future planned out. They did not want him to succeed in October, and then be pressured to keep him.
I love the return of the Kemp conspiracy talk.
No conspiracy at all, we all saw what happened. Kemp played very well and made the ASG. Follows with a bit of a slump and then gets very little playing time in the second half of the season. What conspiracy are you concocting?
Badger, I totally agree, Liars do make a habit of lying and and lying often to serve their purposes. When facts don’t back up their argument they immediately revert to lying, parsing of words, redefining the other’s position (straw man as an example) and perverting stats.
Carry on
I think what you wrote is correct, True Blue.
What the other guy wrote:
..
He should have been given some at-bats in the stretch run last season, but FO already had his future planned out. They did not want him to succeed in October, and then be pressured to keep him.
…
Is a little too conspiracy adjacent for me.
First cuts made after the game last night. McCreery, Corcino, Broussard, Smoker and one other pitcher reassigned to the minor league camp. Looking more and more like Hill will get the opening day nod. Pederson not hitting at all. Rios absolutely crushed one to right last night, but they could not solve the Indians pitchers. Belli his a rocket back through the middle that hit Clevinger right in his left thumb.
Fields DFA’d as they claim Donnie Hart from the O’s .
Pederson and Muncy are both not having a very good spring. Muncy 3-17 and Pederson has 1 hit in 17 at bats and has struck out 9 times. Yasiel Puig hitting .333 this spring and Kemp was over .300 going into today’s game.
Doesn’t mean a thing. Ryan McMahon is hitting .476 and OPS’n 1.465. “Who’s he” most would ask. Exactly.
Nothing means nothing until June.
That’s true, but neither of them look very comfortable at the plate and Muncy is not driving the ball at all. Pederson is not even hitting it.
Good read on the frequency of top prospects turning into MLB All-Stars. There is value in a farm system beyond mid-season trades (cough, Verdugo, cough.)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/how-many-minor-league-prospects-are-future-mlb-all-stars/
Kelly injured from standing too long. Sigh.
From JP Hoonstra :
Pollock is consistent when healthy. Remarkably, he has never gone more than seven consecutive plate appearances (not AB) without a hit.