Results tagged ‘ Juan Pierre ’
Still haven’t lost three in a row
29 -21 (58%): The Dodgers’ record without Manny
21-8 (72%): The Dodgers’ record with Manny
The only team with a better winning percentage for the season than the Dodgers’ Manny-less winning percentage was the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees came close with 57.7%.
Of course the Dodgers are better with Manny. They also were very good without him. I thought they would hang in there but they went above expectations. Manny makes a relatively big difference for the team but he is still one player. Juan Pierre stepped in and did a fine job. I was not enthralled about having to watch him play but he played well enough that I didn’t wince as much. I don’t know if there are many proponents of Pierre out there but I would say that if he was really worth retaining him in the lineup on a regular/somewhat regular basis, he would have trade value.
Yes, the contract weighs him down but that is the point. He is overpaid for what he is. He has no arm and historically does not get on base enough to justify his other lead-off skills like slap hitting and base stealing. He has had a good fifty games and has had good stretches like this before but he is not that good of a player. If I were him, I would still want a trade but I would also find a way to be content with my ten million dollars rolling in every year. Yes, he gets to the ballpark early and is the hardest worker but he was signed to be the leadoff center fielder and he is not either on a championship team. I may have said this before but if he must play everyday he would be better off somewhere else. If he wants to play for a winner, he can pinch hit and pinch run. Also, since I don’t believe in jinxes, it is not unfathomable that he would get a chance to play as the season goes on. Hopefully not in October though.
Small sample size
The Dodgers are 3-4 since the Manny suspension. You know what that means? Not much. If I listened to what the litany says about Manny, I would be in more of a panic. I tune into ESPN, the Fox News of sports TV, on Sunday and they got some idiot saying, “Well, they are 1-2 without him.” Even Baseball Prospectus is vaguely getting in on the craziness.
From the article: “The Dodgers have played five games since losing left fielder Manny Ramirez
to a 50-game suspension by Major League Baseball for using
performance-enhancing drugs. The early results for the Dodgers in the
very few games played so far into their Manny interregnum have not been
good. They’ve lost four of the five games, though with the exception of
hitting just two home runs in that span, the Dodgers’ offense hasn’t
suffered that much, putting up a .299/.350/.497 line. Before the
suspension, they were hitting .283/.376/.426.”
So I see read that what I consider the source for statistical analysis in baseball using a five-game sample size and using those ill-gotten statistics, the author deduces that the Manny loss is “not good” despite him saying that the Dodgers are in “good shape” with a better BA and better SLG %. So, what, they miss his defense?
Of course the Dodgers are worse off without Manny. I don’t need some bad statistics and rushed analysis to tell me that even if that isn’t what it is saying. We will look back at the 50 games and the numbers will show that they are better with Manny. There is no need in the meantime for convolution.
In other news, the Dodgers not only won a game at Citizens Bank Park, they won two, which is good for them.
Also, they called Eric Milton up because they want four lefty starters. I guess he is worth a try. The Dodgers need more longevity out of their starters and if Milton can pitch into the seventh, he will have sufficiently supplanted Jeff Weaver, who is probably better suited as a long reliever.
Casey Blake has seven home runs which is a team high total. He was a good reacquisition and one of the best #8 hitters in the game.
Juan Pierre is leading off as of late and, you know what, that is fine. He is obviously hitting well and the Dodgers might as well ride the hot hand. I don’t like him in the lead-off spot but as long as it is working, I can’t complain. I must remember that it is a long season and that when you have guys on the team that are marginal players that make big money, it behooves the team to try and play the guy with the hope that he will produce. With the way he is playing, it will make it easier to trade him in the event some team is interested. I am just thankful that Juan Pierre is the only guy left on the roster that falls into that category.
Spring Training Thoughts
While the Manny situation drudges on, the Dodgers enter Spring Training looking to compete for the World Series via another division championship. This year, Spring Training will be longer than usual thanks to the senseless World Baseball Classic. It pains me to see our closer and catcher involved in it. Broxton and Martin do not need to play anymore baseball than they already do. Martin gets enough reps as it is. Broxton could use a fresher arm in October and this could by abstaining from playing in the WBC. These two guys would be two of the last players I would want to be participating in the event that Bud Selig made up because he is an idiot.
Orlando Hudson joins the Dodgers and will be handed the second base job. He was a bargain and it was a good move to bring him in. Now, this seems like this might push DeWitt out of the lineup and it may if Torre feels like he wants Pierre to have LF. At first, I thought that this would be the case even when I heard that they would move Casey Blake to left. I did some looking and saw that it was only three years ago that Casey Blake played RF somewhat regularly. In the two years that he played RF, logging a combined 231 games and was above the league average in Range Factor. At 35, he may have lost a step or two but he can still probably play LF better than Juan Pierre. While Pierre brings speed to the table, Blake brings power and a much higher OPS in addition to being a superior fielder.
Now, we are beyond asking the question of why Juan Pierre is getting paid as he is but it is clear that the only way Juan Pierre snakes his way into the lineup is through injury, not acquiring Manny and more injuries. Pierre will get somes starts but remains an overpaid backup OF and pinch-hitter/runner. I like him as a player but I find it hard to see him being a part of a winning baseball team at this juncture. 2003 Pierre was good but he has not been that good since leaving the Marlins.
The Dodgers have received a lot of criticism for the lack of starting pitching. Rightfully so as the Dodgers biggest question mark is the rotation. The common belief is that Billingsley and Kershaw are on the rise and I concur with that belief. Kuroda is a solid member of the staff but is an injury risk. Wolf is serviceable starter when healthy but is an even larger injury risk. The fifth starter will come from a large group of prospects and retreads. The hope will be that one of these guys can step in and be the starter and another pitcher or two in the group can step in as a long reliever that can step in as a reserve starter if necessary. Those are high hopes for a team whose pitching staff kept them competitive last year. The depth is the issue as the Dodgers have a history of needing more than five starters to complete a season. While the current economic climate may not allow for the Dodgers to spend all the money they would and the fact that midseason deals will be available to fill in necessary gaps, the depth issue still looms and will not be alleviated unless the Dodgers staff holds up.
There is a long way to go in this spring training. Most of our questions will not be answered until the season is well under way. Until Manny is signed and the Dodgers leave Camelback Ranch, here’s to a healthy spring training. Let’s go Dodgers!
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