Its the off season and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are still kicking the Los Angeles Dodgers asses. The Angels have created a tidal wave at the Winter Meetings whereas the Dodgers have dropped a pebble in Old Man Kelsey's Pond (an Andy Griffith Show reference).
The Angels snuck in the back door and signed future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. The Dodgers signed utility man Adam Kennedy. The Angels signed left handed pitcher C.J. Wilson, the premier left handed starting pitcher in this years free agent crop. The Dodgers signed left hander Chris Capuano, who missed 2 1/2 years with arm trouble not too long ago, and right hander Aaron Harang to round out the starting rotation. My prediction is both will be on the Disabled List by June.
The Dodgers did make news on the trade front. They traded left hander Dana Eveland, who at least has major league experience, to the Baltimore Orioles for two minor leaguers who will probably never make it to the majors. They should have made Frank McCourt auction off Ned Colletti as part of the Dodgers bankruptcy proceedings before he left town.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
2011 Los Angeles Dodgers Review- The Rookies Part I
The Hitters
The 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers rookies were not expected to produce much going into the season as the Dodgers had veterans penciled in at every position and a veteran bench as well. It was obvious by the beginning of May that the Dodgers three-headed monster in leftfield (Gwynn, Thames,and Gibbons) were not going to produce offensively so Jerry Sands was the first of the rookies to get the call. Rafael Furcal's oft-injured Dodger career was winding down and the free agent to-be was eventually traded in part due to the potential of the next rookie call up, Shortstop Dee Gordon. Gordon and Sands had the largest impacts among the Dodger rookies with others making guest appearances from time to time throughout the season.
Jerry Sands, Outfield- He came into 2011 as the Dodgers #6 ranked prospect according to Baseball America and a hot start at AAA Albuquerque earned him an early May call up. He has the most power potential of any Dodgers prospect but that power did not transfer to the major leagues in 2011. A .200 batting average and only two homeruns in a little over a month's worth of action earned him more playing time in Albuquerque. He got a September callup which produced better results and two more homeruns. He ended his rookie season with a .253 Batting Average, 4 Homeruns, and 26 Runs Batted In in 198 At-Bats. His 2012 outlook may see him back in AAA to start the season as the Dodgers outfield is a little bit crowded for 2012, unless the Dodgers make some moves over the winter. I would rather see him getting at-bats in Albuquerque than I would making spot appearances for the Dodgers.
The 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers rookies were not expected to produce much going into the season as the Dodgers had veterans penciled in at every position and a veteran bench as well. It was obvious by the beginning of May that the Dodgers three-headed monster in leftfield (Gwynn, Thames,and Gibbons) were not going to produce offensively so Jerry Sands was the first of the rookies to get the call. Rafael Furcal's oft-injured Dodger career was winding down and the free agent to-be was eventually traded in part due to the potential of the next rookie call up, Shortstop Dee Gordon. Gordon and Sands had the largest impacts among the Dodger rookies with others making guest appearances from time to time throughout the season.
Jerry Sands, Outfield- He came into 2011 as the Dodgers #6 ranked prospect according to Baseball America and a hot start at AAA Albuquerque earned him an early May call up. He has the most power potential of any Dodgers prospect but that power did not transfer to the major leagues in 2011. A .200 batting average and only two homeruns in a little over a month's worth of action earned him more playing time in Albuquerque. He got a September callup which produced better results and two more homeruns. He ended his rookie season with a .253 Batting Average, 4 Homeruns, and 26 Runs Batted In in 198 At-Bats. His 2012 outlook may see him back in AAA to start the season as the Dodgers outfield is a little bit crowded for 2012, unless the Dodgers make some moves over the winter. I would rather see him getting at-bats in Albuquerque than I would making spot appearances for the Dodgers.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Clayton Kershaw
Major League Baseball announced today that Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw has won the 2011 Cy Young Award. The numbers speak for themselves. A 21-5 won-loss record, a 2.28 Earned Run Average, and a 0.98 WHIP. He also led the league in Strikeouts with 248 in 233 1/3 Innings Pitched. Some baseball writers are calling it the pitching Triple Crown and all at 23 years old.
I had been saying that he should win the Cy Young Award since the beginning of September and he was very deserving. Several writers and reporters were quoted as saying they would not vote for him because the Dodgers didn't win the division and were only a barely above .500 team. A starting pitcher only pitches every 5th day and he cannot control what happens the other four days. He posted these numbers with an offense that ranked near the bottom in runs scored in the National League. oh, yeah, he deserved it.
I had been saying that he should win the Cy Young Award since the beginning of September and he was very deserving. Several writers and reporters were quoted as saying they would not vote for him because the Dodgers didn't win the division and were only a barely above .500 team. A starting pitcher only pitches every 5th day and he cannot control what happens the other four days. He posted these numbers with an offense that ranked near the bottom in runs scored in the National League. oh, yeah, he deserved it.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Clayton Kershaw's Ejection
When I read about Clayton Kershaw's ejection against the Arizona Diamondbacks and later saw it on ESPN, my initial reaction was "You have got to be kidding me...."
First of all, he hit him on the arm. He was pitching inside. If you take the inside part of the plate away from any pitcher, you might as well turn it into batting practice. He had piched him on the outside in his last at bat and he doubled.
The umpires needed to have a better grasp of the situation. Its the top of the 6th inning in a close ball game, why would Kershaw want to put a runner on base in a game he was winning just to make a statement. He was going after his 19th win which luckily he had stayed around long enough to get. Its not like he threw at his head or behind his head, he pitched him inside and he hit him on the arm.
The Diamondbacks wanted Kershaw out of the game any way they could. Their reaction was predictable. What I am curious about is the reaction or lack of reaction from Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson. He was a hardnosed player back in his playing days and he brought a football mentality to the diamond every game. He really had nothing to say about it because it should have been a non-issue. It was baseball.
What Parra did against a struggling Kuo was about as bush league as it gets. Go ahead and admire your homerun but expect to get it stuck in your ear your next at bat against the Dodgers. Don Drysdale wouldn't have hesitated.
First of all, he hit him on the arm. He was pitching inside. If you take the inside part of the plate away from any pitcher, you might as well turn it into batting practice. He had piched him on the outside in his last at bat and he doubled.
The umpires needed to have a better grasp of the situation. Its the top of the 6th inning in a close ball game, why would Kershaw want to put a runner on base in a game he was winning just to make a statement. He was going after his 19th win which luckily he had stayed around long enough to get. Its not like he threw at his head or behind his head, he pitched him inside and he hit him on the arm.
The Diamondbacks wanted Kershaw out of the game any way they could. Their reaction was predictable. What I am curious about is the reaction or lack of reaction from Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson. He was a hardnosed player back in his playing days and he brought a football mentality to the diamond every game. He really had nothing to say about it because it should have been a non-issue. It was baseball.
What Parra did against a struggling Kuo was about as bush league as it gets. Go ahead and admire your homerun but expect to get it stuck in your ear your next at bat against the Dodgers. Don Drysdale wouldn't have hesitated.
Clayton Kershaw vs. Ian Kennedy
The two front runners for the Cy Young award are Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Ian Kennedy of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The stats comparison would tip the scales in favor of Clayton Kershaw.
The records of the two are almost identical. Kershaw at 19-5 vs. Kennedy's 19-4 but the ERA is very much in the favor of Kershaw, 2.30 vs. 2.99. Kershaw has 5 complete games vs. 1 for Kennedy, more innings pitched, and more strikeouts.
The difference is going to come down to team records. The Diamondbacks are more than likely going to win the division whereas the Dodgers had to go on a hot streak just to reach .500. That is where Kennedy will probably win it.
What Kershaw has done on a team that has struggled to score runs is amazing. Outside of his ejection the other night against Arizona, Kershaw has learned to pitch deep into games this year and he hasn't had to turn many games over to a shaky bullpen.
The records of the two are almost identical. Kershaw at 19-5 vs. Kennedy's 19-4 but the ERA is very much in the favor of Kershaw, 2.30 vs. 2.99. Kershaw has 5 complete games vs. 1 for Kennedy, more innings pitched, and more strikeouts.
The difference is going to come down to team records. The Diamondbacks are more than likely going to win the division whereas the Dodgers had to go on a hot streak just to reach .500. That is where Kennedy will probably win it.
What Kershaw has done on a team that has struggled to score runs is amazing. Outside of his ejection the other night against Arizona, Kershaw has learned to pitch deep into games this year and he hasn't had to turn many games over to a shaky bullpen.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Javy Guerra
Javy Guerra, the 25-year-old 2004 4th Round Draft Pick, has essentially come from out of nowhere to emerge as the Dodgers closer this season. I would have to say he was originally placed into that position by default thru injuries and blown saves but he has taken it and ran with it. Thru last nights game, he has converted 15 out of 16 save opportunities with an ERA in the lower 2.00 range.
Before the 2011 season, Guerra had pitched no higher than AA, and only 51 games of AA ball in 7 seasons in the minors. He only served as the closer for one of those seasons, at Great Lakes of the Midwest League in 2009 where he had 16. From all I have read, he had mechanical flaws that had to be corrected and then he had to fight thru some minor injuries. Whatever the problems were it seems that he got them worked out and he has helped spur the Dodgers late season run. He has also worked himself into a position to be considered as the closer for next season.
Before the 2011 season, Guerra had pitched no higher than AA, and only 51 games of AA ball in 7 seasons in the minors. He only served as the closer for one of those seasons, at Great Lakes of the Midwest League in 2009 where he had 16. From all I have read, he had mechanical flaws that had to be corrected and then he had to fight thru some minor injuries. Whatever the problems were it seems that he got them worked out and he has helped spur the Dodgers late season run. He has also worked himself into a position to be considered as the closer for next season.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Matt Kemp And Clayton Kershaw
I am biased but I am going to go ahead and say it. Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers deserves to be the MVP of the National League. Clayton Kershaw deserves to win the Cy Young Award. Will they win? I doubt either one will finish in the top three for their respective awards. There has always been a voter bias against players whose teams have losing records.
Matt Kemp not winning I would probably be able to understand more. The voters believe that the most valuable player should be the main contributor to his team winning. I don't believe the Dodgers have even been over .500 since the middle of April. I would really hate to see the Dodgers record without Matt Kemp's .300+ batting average, 31 Homeruns, 100 RBI's, and 33 stolen bases.
Clayton Kershaw is another story. Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners defied the odds and won the American League Cy Young award in spite of the Mariners record. I was reading an article a couple of weeks ago and some writer was quoted as saying that he would not vote for Clayton Kershaw because of the Dodgers record. Clayton Kershaw (to this point in the season) is the best pitcher in the National League. Period. 16-5, 2.50+ ERA. I would love to see him get to 20 wins and not give the voters a choice in the matter.
Matt Kemp not winning I would probably be able to understand more. The voters believe that the most valuable player should be the main contributor to his team winning. I don't believe the Dodgers have even been over .500 since the middle of April. I would really hate to see the Dodgers record without Matt Kemp's .300+ batting average, 31 Homeruns, 100 RBI's, and 33 stolen bases.
Clayton Kershaw is another story. Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners defied the odds and won the American League Cy Young award in spite of the Mariners record. I was reading an article a couple of weeks ago and some writer was quoted as saying that he would not vote for Clayton Kershaw because of the Dodgers record. Clayton Kershaw (to this point in the season) is the best pitcher in the National League. Period. 16-5, 2.50+ ERA. I would love to see him get to 20 wins and not give the voters a choice in the matter.
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