Results tagged ‘ MannyRamirez ’
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.
The Dodgers after 2 & ½ months
The Dodgers have the best record in baseball and they have been
for most of the season. Are they the best? No, I still think that two or three
teams in the AL East are better but the Dodgers are up there. I think that
considering Manny has been out of the lineup, Kuroda was out for two months and
none of their lefty short relievers are healthy, the Dodgers have still
established that they are a force. With the probably that we should see another
starter acquired, maybe a reliever and possibly a pinch-hitter along with the
return of Manny, this team will improve.
Today, it is all about the guys that are doing it right now
though. Orlando Hudson has been solid at bat and in the field. Here is a guy
this will be on base almost every game. I don’t like him hitting third but with
a Manny-less lineup and Juan Pierre on fire, it makes sense. Andre Ethier has
had his minor slump but he is still standing and has been a stalwart presence
for the Dodgers. Casey Blake has had a hot start and is playing like he is
going to have a career year. Rafael Furcal and Russell Martin have not been
doing quite as well but with sixty games in, they can still turn it around.
The pitching staff is not what it was last year from a
personnel perspective but statistically, they are still atop the NL. Chad
Billingsley is pitching like an ace, Randy Wolf is staying healthy and playing
like last year, maybe even better. Clayton Kershaw is still putting things
together – if he could only walk fewer batters. Hiroki Kuroda was consistent
last year and is an experienced pitcher but still hasn’t caught a groove yet
but I think he will shortly. The others are not much to speak of but when the
Dodgers score the runs that they do, they don’t have to be world-beaters.
The bullpen, in aggregate, is more than adequate. Jonathan
Broxton has been a solid closer and the better that slider gets, the better he
will continue to be. Cory Wade has become a long reliever with Ramon Troncoso
and Ronald Belisario taking the short set-up work. Brent Leach is as good as it
gets considering he is surpassing three more accomplished or acclaimed
left-handed yet injured relievers to be the go-to lefty. The rest are not as
great but the “others” that I alluded to in the previous paragraph also happen
to serve well as long relievers.
You can talk a lot about the depth and I think the best
configuration is when Martin is in the DH slot and Brad Ausmus catches. Mark
Loretta deserves a stint at DH too but Ausmus is a good #9 and Martin at his
best is a good DH. Plus, Martin deserves the break. If only the NL had the DH
too.
Well, the Dodgers appear to be doing quite well. There is a
lot of baseball to play but so far it has been a good experience as a Dodger
fan and viewer. It is nice to watch a game and not have to loudly ask why
so-and-so is playing there and why so-and-so is making $18 million and not
hitting. The best thing about seeing some of the former Dodgers now playing
elsewhere is that the best way to show up one of these guys is to win a series
against them. No real hard feelings to them but the Dodgers are better than
your team and have fun with whatever your team is doing right now. It’s a good
time to be a Dodgers fan!
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.
Did you hear Manny was suspended?
Of course you did. When I heard yesterday, I went through some mixed emotions. Ultimately, I settled on the prevailing belief that he will be back in July and will be able to make plenty of contributions for the Dodgers. I think the worst part of this is that I have to see more of Juan Pierre than I care to see. I hope that Casey Blake plays more left field and Blake DeWitt or Mark Loretta plays some third base. I would also like to see some of Xavier Paul. He’s fast and isn’t a slap-hitter. Oh, also, HE CAN THROW THE BALL! All of these options are better than Juan Pierre, who only offers speed and what good is that when he gets caught stealing and gets picked off. The Dodgers have enough speed as it is. Now, I may be jumping the gun on Pierre’s stealing game with the small sample size thus far but even if he can steal bases consistenly, he doesn’t get on base consistenly and is a liability in the outfield. I don’t think this Manny thing would delay any potential trade that Ned Colletti could make to move Pierre.
As far as the whole moral thing with Manny’s suspension, I don’t think that there should be an uproar about all of this. Manny was wrong but he isn’t a cheater in the greater sense of the word. His physician let him take something that had recently been banned. It was a mistake and he will pay the price ($7.7 million). Aside from all this, I don’t care. Manny has probably cheated before the testing as well as many other players of this generation. A greater discussion and debate of this issue is merited but not now. It is reasonable to suspect that any pre-testing baseball player has cheated in the past. It is also reasonable to assume that many of these players are still trying to gain an edge through not-yet-banned substances and substances that can be masked. I think what is surprising about this is that more high-profile players do not test positive more often.
So, Manny is gone until July. The Dodgers still have Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, James Loney, Matt Kemp, Rafael Furcal, Orlando Hudson and Casey Blake. That is still a great lineuo. Manny will be missed but it is a long season and Manny will be there for a lot of it.
Now this is a team
I had to wait until Manny hit a home run before I would right anything after the season started and now I can. No, that’s not really true but it has taken me this long to get something out. I have to say I like the way this team looks. The lineup is strong 1-8 and the bullpen is stronger than what was expected (well, I said it would still be good but what do I know) and the rotation looks good except for Kuroda, who may be out for sometime.
First, about the lineup. Before the season, I would have argued that Orlando Hudson would not be a good fit in the #2 slot. I would be wrong. Contrary to past statistics, he has proven that he still has legs and his bat has been on fire thus far. Plus, with him being a switch hitter, he goes well after Furcal. James Loney is a fine fit at cleanup and i believed that was so last year. Matt Kemp batting 7th makes me smile. To have a lineup this good where Matt Kemp is batting 7th is just what I have wanted for years. God, have I suffered these many years with old garbage batting in many spots of the lineup whenever their broke-***** decided they could limp on to the field.
Billingsley has had three good outings, Kershaw recorded 13 K’s in his latest start, Wolf is pitching well, Stults is a good spot starter and has done his part. James McDonald will get some more chances and should improve on his bad start. As far as all the other retreads we heard about vying for the 5th spot in the rotation or a bullpen start, none of them are here. There was a lot of uproar regarding these players and they are nowhere to be found. Preseason is not something to pay that much attention to. Neither is Jason Schmidt. What a pile of crap.
Ronald Belisario is one of the main reasons why the bullpen can reassure the fans that they will keep up the strength they showed last year. He is yet another young arm that has came down the pipe and will be around for a while. Jonathan Broxton is a legitimate closer so it seems. There really isn’t a pitcher in the pen that I can say that I am nervous about when he comes to the mound. With Cory Wade out, maybe Scott Elbert but even then, he is the best guy to throw into the mix from AAA. That gives the Dodgers three lefties in the pen. Joe who? What Biemel?
Doug Mientkiewicz is kind of a dummy but I will give him the benefit of
the doubt. In the moment, he slid into second head first for some
reason and busted up his shoulder. I wish him a fast and full recovery.
Maybe he will be wiser on the other side of the DL visit.
Having
won a series with Arizona and Colorado, sweeping the Giants and
splitting with the Padres, the Dodgers have started off where they
should have. It took them a while to get that first game where they
broke out and scored a ton of runs and have done it many times since.
The rest of April will not be challenging for the Dodgers and they
should take advantage of it as they head into a somewhat more
challenging May. Really, the division is the only thing that matters
and the Dodgers are in good shape but I will be interested to see how
they match up against the Cubs or some of those NL East teams.
It is really early and I don’t think that I have made any sweeping
jodgments on the state of the team but I believe it is so far, so good.
I think that as long as the rotation keeps making quality starts, the
lineup will put up some runs.
Manny Returns – belated entry
Did anyone expect a different result regarding the Manny
deal? It took a long time but with the Dodgers being the only team in the
market for Manny, it was just a matter of time. In my opinion, the deal was a
draw. If the deal had been done in November, the Dodgers would have won but
with the apparent drop in the market, Manny should have went much lower. Boras remained steadfast
in his demands for a huge contract but with no other bidders, the deal went
undone. In dealing with Boras,
the Dodgers played hardball and refused to give in to the fans who demanded
that Manny be paid whatever he wants for the sake of getting the deal done.
With a month left before the season starts, Manny has plenty of time to
reassimilate with the squad.
Though the deal is considered a draw by me, I still think that if I had to pick
a loser, it would be Boras
because he played his game but appeared more delusional than usual when Adam
Dunn went for 2/20mil and Bobby Abreu went 1/5mil. The Dodgers could have
pushed for cheaper but in the end, it is their business and getting Manny won’t
be questioned as long as he remains interested and has a good October.
Since Manny signed, many have been quick to point out what I
have been saying for months. That is that the pitching is the real question for
the Dodgers this year. Getting Manny sure does make one feel better about the
Dodgers’ chances. What make me feel optimistic about this season is while no starter
on the Dodgers is a guarantee, the bullpen should be strong enough that a drop
in starter quality will be picked up by them and will be backed up by an
increase in run production and fielding ability.
For years, the Dodgers had quality starting pitching and
lacked run production because the core of the lineup was built with past-prime
players who did not belong in the spots that they occupied. Now, the young
talent has arrived and they surround a future Hall of Famer. The pitching staff
is in transition with their arrow pointing up. It is a different position for
the Dodgers to be in, now having the ability to generate runs. The pitching the
Dodgers had in the past was sound but, for some reason, I feel a little bit
more comfortable with what I think is a more balanced team. I am not
comfortable with the pitching staff but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be
adequate for at least the first half of the season.
There will be deals out there in midseason and the Dodgers
will be players in that market. The Dodgers will have the luxury of being able
to evaluate Jake Peavy during this season. If he is healthy, he could be
expedited north to Chavez Ravine. There will be others considering the economic
climate and the fact that teams will be wanting to shed contracts in the event
that they are no longer competitive.
In the meantime, I celebrate Canada’s loss in the WBC as Russell
Martin can be back where he belongs – in Dodger training camp. The WBC is one
of the most asinine exploits for a major sport to present. Nick Punto, a member
of the Italian squad, has NEVER BEEN TO ITALY. The WBC is a sham and it should
never happen again.
One last thing, the injury Ivan DeJesus sustained is
unfortunate. Last year it was Tony Abreu and now this. Hopefully, he can
recover and compete next year. Moreover, let’s hope it is not a factor in the
upcoming year.
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!
Return of the Wolf
Randy Wolf is back in Dodger blue. My previous blog entry recommended Looper over Wolf but, alas, Wolf was chosen. A season like last years is all I ask. I think he will not disappoint this season.
We still await the signing of Manny. No one else seems like a serious bidder and the Dodgers will probably retain him. Does it alarm anyone that not a single AL team can sign him? I looked at the AL and any team that could use Ramirez (i.e. as DH) is in a small market where Manny would not do well. The Dodgers and Manny are a perfect match. It brings up what could be a yearly offseason topic about how I think the NL needs a DH. Another time, perhaps.
Ned and the McCourts are getting a lot of flack for not tossing around Yankee-sized contracts. No other team besides the Yankees are spending and you could even say they went overboard as patience may have saved them tens of millions of dollars as they would have enjoyed the cheaper market in this offseason. They are playing this thing well and they hold the cards in the Manny deal. Dunn doesn’t want to come to LA so this Manny thing will get done in a deal that suits every parties’ best interests.
Will Ned get a reliever signed this week? We shall see…
Dodger Offseason Priorities
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Here are some of the Dodger offseason priorities:
1. Sign a replacement for Lowe- It’s not so
much that Lowe is gone but if the Dodgers want to continue having success, they
will get another ace pitcher. Billingsley may be the ace at some point and he
may even pitch as good as or better than the pitcher the Dodgers sign to be the
ace but elite teams have elite pitching and the Dodgers should find someone
that can pitch with the Cole Hamels of the league. C.C. Sabathia is at the top
of the list but the price tag is going to be high because he is going to want
Yankee money. If the Dodgers sign Manny, they are going to be short cash and so
a trade may be in order.
They have the prospects to make a
crack at Peavy They appear to be in the final for the Peavy sweepstakes and I
think the Dodgers will
be able to make a better offer
than what the Cubs will be able to. Here is a little bit about Peavy. Baseball
Reference says that his stats are most similar to Brandon Webb, Josh Beckett
and John Lackey. That is good company. He won the Cy Young in 2007 and finished
7th in the MVP voting.. His career numbers are 86-62, 6CG, 3 SHO, 3.25
ERA. 1.19 WHIP, over 3/1 K/BB and at the plate, he batted .265 last year. My
one concern is his injury this year. He has remained fairly healthy in his
career but I hope that the Dodgers staff will look closer at his physical than
they did Jason Schmidt. He would be an ace pitcher when healthy. Also, I think
he will be a good character to have on the team. This should not turn out like
the Bedard deal (which I thought was a good idea but was horribly wrong).
2. Sign Manny or a facsimile- It will easier to
replace Lowe than Manny but finding a player that is suitable is possible. A
lower goal would be to sign someone better than Jeff Kent to bat third or
fourth but we should expect more. Manny will probably end up in the AL but I
like Adam Dunn as a good stand in. You could make the argument to sign Teixiera
and get rid of James Loney but I think that, although Loney has low power for a
1B, he can be a contributor. They are going to have to get someone that teams
will be afraid of though. My list of players that fit that profile is short:
Manny, Dunn, Rauuuuul Ibanez.
3. Straighten out middle infield -
I think Furcal can come back on a short-term conditional deal. Both parties are
on good terms and a one or two year deal could be in order. Berroa can be
resigned at a lower price and he can be insurance. As for second base, there
doesn’t seem to be a good replacement unless DeWitt plays there. They want him
at third but he can play second. They could go out and get a third baseman but
I don’t think that they are looking to do that. The options aren’t great this
year. There doesn’t seem to be any viable 2B that is young (Damion Easley) and
healthy.(Orlando Hudson) A player like Juan Uribe may be nice to have as he and
DeWitt can both play second and third. Too bad Juan Pierre can’t play second.
All our problems would be solved. Delwyn Young may have an outside chance at
playing second I he can come back healthy.
4. Bulk up on relief pitching -
This can always be done but with the aforementioned needs that the Dodgers must
patch up, this may get blown by the wayside. The Dodgers showed last year that
they had talent that could fill in and they have more on the way. Troncoso and
Elbert are probably ready to take a bullpen spot. Beimel was good but I don’t
think that he would be worth giving good paper too. He showed promise in 07 but
became a situational lefty rather than a seventh or eight inning pitcher like he
was supposed to be. Maybe there weren’t those expectations for him but I
expected that much out of him. In a perfect world, a GM can fill all the holes
that the team has but with the contracts the Dodgers are going to and have
given out (that were complete wastes), they aren’t going to have big bags of
money to fix every problem. Saito is still around but may have to yield to
Broxton, who is capable of being a closer. He will have to develop another
pitch.
5. Replace Penny – Brad Penny was
a good pitcher for the Dodgers except for this past season. Perhaps the Dodgers
may pick him up at a reduced price but I think he would be risky to bring back
as a starter. The Dodgers need to replace him in the way that they need an
innings-eater in the back of the rotation. Not that Penny was ever that guy but
the Dodgers aren’t going to be able to get a guy that will pitch like Penny did
in 2007. Maybe but I have my doubts with all that needs to be done.
Overall, this time of free-agent signings will have some surprises for
the Dodgers. I don’t think Manny is crucial for the Dodgers to be in the
playoffs again but I think that we should try to get him back. He is a character
risk but I don’t think he will act the way that he did in Boston. He will always be Manny but he was
with Boston for
quite a while before there were significant problems. I might be naïve in
saying all of this but he is such a dominant hitter that even a Manny that is
taking a step back is really good. It would be nice to get Manny and CC but that is probably not going to happen. Manny and Peavy would be great.
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