Did we learn anything?
a few things.
Evidently, David Ross is very revered. Who knew? Maybe the greatest backup catcher of his generation, but still a backup catcher. Most Dodger fans simply know him as the guy who sucked after Depodesta traded Paul LoDuca and failed to get a replacement catcher who wanted to play for the Dodgers. He had about as big an up and down day any backup catcher can have. He was brought in when Lester was brought in and quickly threw a ball down the line on a nubber. Was hit in the head by an errant pitch from Lester, fell over, and was unable to get a runner out at home who scored from second base on the wild pitch. But then he hit a home run to dead center. His last hit as a baseball player was a home run in game seven of a game his team would win for the Championship. Even Ted Williams didn’t go out that way.
2nd baseman still try to catch the ball barehanded and give away a sure out at 2nd base. The veteran Chase Utley did it in a key moment, and the kid Baez did it again.
You can overuse your bullpen ace, have it blow up in your face, and still win a world championship
I saw a designated thrower inserted into RF for the first time I could remember. I was so hoping to see a fly ball to RF instead of Baez striking out trying to squeeze with two strikes.
For all the talk about running on the Cubs and Lester, no one ran on Lester.
Jon Lester is the most one-dimensional pitcher I’ve ever seen. He not only won’t throw to 1st base from the mound, he won’t throw to 2nd on a ground ball, he underhands to 1st base, and unless the ball is hit right at him refuses to field his position. And yet with all that, he’s awesome.
Anthony Rizzo is a fun goofball
Jason Heyward only seems to have one skill left at the age of 26 and that is playing defense.
Kyle Schwarber continues to be one of my favorite players to watch strike a baseball
The Cubs won the World Series without Schwarber all year, and Jason Hayward missing in action with the bat.
Carlos Santana was exactly what I hoped him to be. Amazing eye, hits the ball hard, hits into bad luck, is a good teammate. Led the World Series in walks with six.
The best team finally won but it took seven games and one extra inning.
These are the AL World Series starters over the past three years. In those three years, they have won a Championship in five games, and taken the NL to seven games only to lose both times.
2014 – James Shields, Ventura, Guthrie, Vargas, Shields, Ventura, Guthrie
2015 – Volquez, Cueto, Ventura, Chris Young, Cueto
2016 – Kluber, Bauer, Tomlin, Kluber, Bauer, Tomlin, Kluber
By 2016 Shields was one of the worst pitchers in baseball, Ventura struggled all year, Guthrie was out of baseball, and Vargas made three three starts. Chris Young was fighting James Shields for worst pitcher in baseball.
Did Maddon win the game and lose the series?
Not trusting his bullpen to protect a five-run lead, Joe Maddon used his best weapon in the 7th and 8th inning last night. Chapman didn’t throw a lot of pitches but it will be interesting to see how he handles whatever workload the Cubs throw at him tonight.
This probably wouldn’t be a big deal if Chapman had not pitched three innings on Sunday, but he did, and it is now doubtful he will be able to replicate that feat tonight. Plus Chapman didn’t even look that sharp and this will be the third game in a row that the Tribe hitters will get a long look at him.
The Tribe came into the series as huge underdogs so it was no surprise the Cubs came back from three games to one to even the series at three games apiece. The rotation was always going to be problematic after Kluber, but for the 3rd time in the series, the Tribe will have Kluber on the mound. They don’t need much from him, only five innings before the well rested Tribe bullpen can come in.
The vegas odds favor the Cubs in this game seven but I’d have to take the Tribe in this one.
In what promises to be a monster event for Las Vegas sports books, the Cubs-Indians showdown in Game 7 on Wednesday opened with Cleveland as a minus-110 favorite. The line quickly moved to pick’em, and in less than an hour, the Cubs were bet to minus-115 favorites. The total is 7 (under minus-120).
They have Kluber / Shaw / Miller / Allen lined up with lots of rest for this one. The Cubs have Kendrick, a possible Lester, Chapman, and the rest of the bullpen that Maddon wouldn’t trust with a five-run lead in the 7th inning, and a possible fatigued Chapman. Maybe the Cub bats are now so hot it won’t matter who the Tribe throws at them but that is what many thought when the BlueJays broke through to score five runs in game four of the ALCS.
This has been a fun world series and with the possibility of a great game seven it will hopefully go out in a big way.
Right Field was not up to snuff
Ever since Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp showed up to be the Dodgers right fielders in 2007 the position has been in good hands, and most times in great hands. From Kemp to Andre to Puig from 2007 to 2015 the position was always one of strength.
That was not the case in 2016. Puig continued his free fall from his heights of 2013/2014/June 2015 and was eventually demoted to AAA for possibly a combination of production and off-field issues. The Dodgers traded for Josh Reddick and made him the full-time right fielder against RHP on August 1st. Reddick put up one of the most anemic months in LAD history for an outfielder in August. By Sept, Puig was back and playing full time against LHP, while Reddick rediscovered his singles stroke.
The numbers say that Josh Reddick was very valuable in Sept of 2016 putting up a wRC+ of 161, but man alive, it sure didn’t seem like he was doing much but dropping a single into right or left field. Reddick batted 5th most of the time and still managed to drive in one run in August, and nine in Sept (5 in one game). I guess that should not have come as a surprise since he only drove in 37 in almost 400 at bats in 2016. I’d expect that from a banjo-hitting catcher who bats eighth, but a right fielder who bats 5th? How is that even possible when you have Justin Turner and Cory Seager on base all time? I know RBI is a stat no one cares about but driving in runs still seems like something a right fielder ought to do more than a bad hitting catcher.
LAD Right Fielders since 2007:
| Player | | | AtBats | | | Year | | | wRC+ |
| Ethier | | | 314 | | | 2007 | | | 102 |
| Kemp | | | 274 | | | 2007 | | | 137 |
| Ethier | | | 398 | | | 2008 | | | 150 |
| Kemp | | | 221 | | | 2008 | | | 122 |
| Ethier | | | 592 | | | 2009 | | | 129 |
| Ethier | | | 509 | | | 2010 | | | 133 |
| Ethier | | | 474 | | | 2011 | | | 123 |
| Ethier | | | 544 | | | 2012 | | | 125 |
| Ethier | | | 182 | | | 2013 | | | 100 |
| Puig | | | 346 | | | 2013 | | | 162 |
| Puig | | | 348 | | | 2014 | | | 161 |
| Kemp | | | 223 | | | 2014 | | | 175 |
| Puig | | | 277 | | | 2015 | | | 116 |
| Ethier | | | 236 | | | 2015 | | | 129 |
| Puig | | | 299 | | | 2016 | | | 108 |
| Reddick | | | 155 | | | 2016 | | | Est 76 |
How about the right field offensive production in 2014? Those numbers were good enough to be the two best hitting right fielders with at least 200 at-bats in right field.
In 2016 we had two of the worst. Scott Schebler could have done what Josh Reddick did. For shit and giggles while sorting on right fielder stats on Fangraphs I decided to see who the best hitting right fielders were in the 2nd half. Number one was Matt Kemp with a wRC+ of 134. 3rd was Scott Schebler at 118.
When it comes to upgrading the team in 2017, the Dodgers have to start in right field. I’m going to assume that Josh Reddick is sent packing. That leaves the enigmatic Yasiel Puig, the shocking rookie Andrew Toles with a time share with Trayce Thompson, trade, or possibly Cody Bellinger.
Looking at Puig, I have no idea how the Dodgers view him anymore. When he was sent packing to AAA in August, many pundits felt he would never play for the Dodgers again. Supposedly he was put on waivers and claimed by the Brewers at which point the Dodgers tried to work out a trade involving Ryan Braun. It didn’t happen and Puig tore up AAA and evidently salvaged his behavior enough to prove the pundits wrong as the Dodgers brought him back up in Sept. Yet they didn’t really commit to Puig. He had always been a full-time player when healthy enough to play but the Dodgers refused to let him face right-hand pitching. He did whatever the Dodgers asked and possibly made the defensive play of the season in left field when he made a marvelous catch keeping Rich Hill perfect on Sept 11th.
Puig looked better in Sept than at any time since July of 2015. There is a myth that Puig hasn’t been good since 2013 but it isn’t true. Puig was brilliant in 2013, great in 2014, and on June 30th, 2015 doing pretty much what he had done in 2014. It is from July 1st, 2015 until July 31st, 2016 that Puig was a shadow of his future self. Given that is 1076 plate appearances of great compared to 425 or so of mediocre I’m still inclined to go with the idea that Puig is not someone the Dodgers should be giving up on unless his off-field behavior makes him intolerable in the clubhouse.
I hope Puig is the starting right fielder in 2017 or is traded for a starting RF because I’d hate to see them trade other resources for someone who isn’t likely to do what Puig can do. Strangely enough, Puig has never started 100 games for the Dodgers in right field in one season. I hope that changes in 2017.
That said, I expect him to be traded, and I expect the Dodgers to regret it.
Trayce Thompson started 22 games in RF when Puig was hurt early and did well. He hit five home runs in only seventy-three at-bats while putting up an OBP of .345. He profiled as a lefty killer but ended up hitting right-handers better than left-handers in 2016. He wasn’t the beautiful Center Fielder we had been told about, but he looked very comfortable in right field. I doubt he’s a full-time right fielder but he might be the perfect platoon mate for either Andre Ethier in Left Field or Andrew Toles in right field.
Andrew Toles had such a remarkable season he’s going to need his own column, but he certainly is a candidate to play some right field in 2017.
Cody Bellinger won’t be anyone’s 1st, 2nd, or 3rd choice to play right field but if injuries hit the players that the Dodgers expect to play right field, I would expect Cody to be the first one from the minors to get a shot.
Cory Seager did it all
At no time in Dodger history has a postseason review of the shortstop position been so positive. Cory Seager did everything and more, not only will he run away with the NL ROY but he’ll probably be a top five MVP vote getter.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have an amazing history of rookies, but the 22-year-old shortstop was able to put his name in the top five of just about every offensive category. It is hard to top what Mike Piazza did in 1993, and Yasiel Puig in 2013 but Seager did make his mark. Let’s see how he did against all the LAD rookies in history.
LAD Rookie Leaderboard 400 PA Minimum
- 1st with 105 runs scored.
- 1st with 193 hits
- 1st with 40 doubles
- 2nd in bWAR at 6.1. 1993 ROY and HOF Mike Piazza was first with 7.0
- 2nd most in Games played at 157. 1969 ROY Ted Sizemore is 1st at 159
- 2nd in Plate Appearances with 687, 1982 ROY Steve Sax is 1st with 699.
- 2nd with 26 home runs. 1993 ROY and HOF Mike Piazza was first with 35
- 3rd in OPS+ at 137, Yasiel Puig is first at 159
- Tied for 3rd in BA at .308 with Andre Ethier. Yasiel Puig is first at .319.
- 3rd in OBP at .365. Yasiel Puig is first at .399
- 4th in Slug% at .512. 1993 ROY and HOF Mike Piazza is 1st at .561
- 5th in RBI with 72. 1993 ROY and HOF Mike Piazza was first with 112
- 5th in ISO at .204. 1993 ROY and HOF Mike Piazza was first with .243
- 6th in walks with 54. Joc Pederson was first with 92 in 2015.
That is how Seager fared as a Rookie for the Dodgers.
How about as a Rookie SS in NL history with at least 400 plate appearances?
- 1st in hits
- 1st in OPS+
- 2nd in fWAR to Troy Tulowitzki
- 2nd doubles to 2006 Hanley Ramirez
- 2nd in home runs to Trevor Story – quite a story for a guy who didn’t play after July 30th.
- 2nd in Runs to 2006 Hanley Ramirez
- 2nd in slug% to Trevor Story
- Mind blown, three rookie Shortstops in NL history have the three best ISO, and they all happened in 2016. Trevor Story is 1st at .295, Aledmys Diaz at .210, and Cory Seager at .204
- 3rd in OPS to Story and Diaz – amazing crop of NL shortstops in 2016.
- 4th in Plate Appearances, Games, and At-bats
- 6th in RBI, BA, and OBP
Yeah, an amazing year for the LAD shortstop Cory Seager. He was much better on defense than advertised and looks like he’ll be the Dodger shortstop in the future. At least that position looks settled.
LAD 2016 2nd base post mortem
Chase Utley was signed on December 9th, 2015 and appeared destined to be the full-time second baseman against RHP with Kiké Hernandez likely to get the at-bats against LHP.
Howie Kendrick had been offered the qualifying offer and had refused so it was expected he would sign a multi-year deal elsewhere giving the Dodgers a nice draft pick. Those offers never materialized for Howie and come spring of 2016 he was jobless. The Dodgers took advantage of the lack of a market and signed Howie to a team friendly two-year deal on February 4th, 2016.
This changed the 2nd base situation as it was kind of expected that Howie would be the full-time 2nd baseman with Chase providing relief at 2nd/3rd. When Kendrick got hurt in the spring, Chase took those at-bats and started the season as the starting second baseman and leadoff hitter. By the time Howie was healthy, Chase had become the full-time 2nd baseman against RHP and Howie had to find his at-bats in left field.
Since Howie only played 23 games at 2nd, most of this will be about Chase Utley.
Chase had a bizarre year. He proved to his critics he wasn’t done, and he proved that even at 37 years old he could escape the disabled list for a full year. Chase played the game hard on every play and that alone made it seem like he was better than he was. As good as Chase looked playing the game of baseball he didn’t really have a good year.
He had four monster games mixed in with a bunch of meh. He couldn’t hit at home, and he couldn’t hit left-handers.
His Lowlights:
- Chase couldn’t hit at Dodger Stadium, posting a .602 OPS at home compared to an OPS of .809 on the road. All his big games came on the road. All of them.
- Chase couldn’t hit LHP a lick. In 97 plate appearances, he had an OPS of .470.
- After his magic night in Philly on Aug 16th, he had a triple stat line of .244 / .288 / .397 in 139 plate appearances. As a leadoff hitter.
- His postseason performance was very poor. He couldn’t hit, and he didn’t field very well either. He only managed three singles in 28 at-bats, and all those singles came in the NLDS. He was hitless in 12 at-bats in the NLCS.
His Highlights:
- Six hits in seven at-bats on July 6th against the Orioles in a 14 inning game the Dodgers lost. The oldest player to have six hits was Cal Ripkin. The 2nd oldest was Ty Cobb. The 3rd oldest was Chase Utley.
- On May 27th his double sparked a rally that saw the Dodgers score four runs in the top of the 9th and tie the Mets at 5, only to see the Dodgers lose in the bottom of the 9th.
- On May 28th, Chase hit two home runs against the Mets, including a grand slam. All this came after Thor knocked him down for what happened in the 2015 NLDS. This would have been the sweetest game if not for…….
- On Aug 16th, Chase hit two home runs including a grand slam in his first appearance against the Phillies since he left. Standing ovation after standing ovation was heaped upon their favorite son.
- On June 14th against the Diamondbacks, he drove in four runs.
- As the leadoff hitter, he drove in three runs or more five times.
- He made a play I’d never seen before and one I’ll never forget.
Given how many highlights Chase Utley gave Dodger fans in 2016 it is strange to look at his full season stats and realize that he simply wasn’t that good. He put up an fWAR of 2.0 which ranked 11th among NL 2nd baseman with at least 400 PA.
Howie Kendrick did play some 2nd base starting in 23 games. Howie was so uncomfortable at 2nd by the end of the year that when given a choice of LF or 2nd base by Dave Roberts in the NLCS, Howie preferred leftfield.
I know Dave Roberts is everybody’s favorite but to me he did some strange things. Chase was a leadoff hitter for far too long and he didn’t figure that out until the end of the postseason. If Howie wasn’t going to start in LF in the postseason it seems it would have made more sense to get Howie at-bats at 2nd in Sept to get him reacquainted with the position.
The immediate future is shaky.
I don’t think they resign Chase Utley or if they do it won’t be as the starting 2nd baseman. Howie Kendrick is signed for two more years, are they comfortable with him as the starting second baseman next year? His defense looked shaky at 2nd this year but it can’t be easy going from LF to 2nd back to LF.
Other players in the mix are Kiké Hernandez but given his complete freefall in 2016, he may have a hard time even making the 2017 roster.
I have zero ideas what the Dodgers think of Austin Barnes. Backup catcher, a utility player who can catch, possible 2nd base option, none of these? I just don’t know.
The best 2nd baseman in the Dodger farm system is Willie Calhoun who was drafted in the 4th round in 2015 and was already tearing up AA in 2016. Willie can hit, but the question for the 21-year-old is if he can field well enough to be a major-league 2nd baseman. Willie Calhoun hit 27 home runs, which was the most home runs hit by any 21-year-old in AA ball in 2016. I went back to at least 2010, and Willie has the most home runs by a 21-year-old in AA since at least 2010. Marc Hulet of Fangraphs had this to say:
Standing 5-8, he’s got sneaky Jose Altuve power because of strong arms/wrists and a quick bat. He likely won’t stick at second base but the bat should play just about anywhere.
It will be interesting to see if the Dodger Front Office consider Willie a future 2nd baseman, an outfielder, or a trade chip. He’s still playing 2nd in the Arizona Instructional League. His bat should be ready sometime in 2017 but where will they put the glove?
LAD 2016 1st Base postmortem
Adrian Gonzalez has been the Dodger full-time 1st baseman since he was acquired on August 24th, 2012. Adrian made about as big a splash as anyone could, slugging a memorable three-run home run in his first Dodger at-bat. At the time of the trade, the Dodgers were three full games back of the Giants, they would finish eight games back going only 18 – 18 over their final 36 games. The Dodgers did not make the postseason in 2012, but they have won the NL West every year since that time with Adrian playing just about every game.
The Dodgers have played 522 games since acquiring Adrian, and he has played in 502 of them. He is a workhorse but I’m not sure if the Dodgers really wanted to play him this much in 2016. The early injury to Scott Van Slyke, and then the reluctance of Dave Roberts to use Scotty when he came back left me unsure if they ever intended for Adrian to get more days off or not.
Over those 3 1/2 years, Adrian has almost always been the Dodgers clean up hitter. The butter and egg man.
This year, Adrian’s clients must have been on a diet, because the butter and egg man wasn’t delivering as many eggs and the butter tasted more like margarine. The bad streaks are getting longer, the good streaks are getting shorter, and the home run power was dropping precipitously. His ISO dropped to 150 a 25% drop from his 2015 ISO of 2015. The slug% from .480 to .435. His career slug% is .492.
For the first time since becoming a Dodger, Adrian Gonzalez was more of a drag on the offense than an anchor. Using FanGraphs we can compare Adrian to his peers at 1st base in the NL. Using 400 plate appearances as the cutoff this is how he measured up.
| Year | fWAR | ISO | Slug% | HR | wOBA | wRC+ |
| 2016 Raw | 1.3 | 0.15 | 0.435 | 18 | 0.335 | 112 |
| 2016 Place | 10th | 12th | 11th | 9th | 11th | 8th |
| 2015 Raw | 3.1 | 0.205 | 0.48 | 28 | 0.354 | 130 |
| 2015 Place | 7th | 8th | 5th | 4th | 8th | 8th |
| 2014 Raw | 3.6 | 0.206 | 0.482 | 27 | 0.351 | 129 |
| 2014 Place | 5th | 4th | 4th | 4th | 8th | 6th |
| 2013 Raw | 2.9 | 0.168 | 0.461 | 22 | 0.346 | 124 |
| 2013 Place | 5th | 8th | 5th | 5th | 6th | 6th |
Like many hitters, Adrian is a streaky hitter but the streaks in 2016 didn’t last long enough for him. If you look month by month for Adrian related to home runs you see someone who had two monster months in 2015 and 2014, but only one in 2016. Below is a simple chart of the number of months since 2013 that Adrian hit at least five home runs in a month.
| Year | Months | Home Runs |
| 2016 | Once | 7 |
| 2015 | Twice | 8 and 8 |
| 2014 | Twice | 8 and 8 |
| 2013 | Twice | 5 and 5 |
With the present not very productive, how does the future look?
It is not surprising that at age 34 Adrian Gonzalez had his least productive season. The Dodgers are on the hook for two more years at $21,500,000 for each year. It would appear for now that the Dodgers will be stuck with Adrian for two more years. Unlike Carl Crawford, he is still useful but it would behoove the front office to find a more viable backup 1st base option in 2017 to help take the load off of Adrian. He may simply need more games off as he gets older, and given his struggles against LHP, it would probably be a great idea to make sure that secondary 1st base option is right handed. Will they go with Scott Van Slyke again or possibly make a play for a Danny Valencia/Steve Pearce/David Freese type who don’t have the health history of Van Slyke while having a better history against left-handed pitchers.
Mark Teixeira gave 35-year-old 1st baseman hope in 2015 when he bounced back from his 2014 season to post his best season since he was 29. His 36-year-old season in 2016 was not so kind and he decided to retire.
What have 35-year-old 1st baseman done since PED testing was fully implemented?
Only 28 seasons of a 1st baseman since 2005 have played 1st base at the age of 35 or older, with at least 400 plate appearances. Most of the dismal seasons happened age 36 or older, the odds look good that Adrian can still be productive in 2017 at age 35. Can he be better than he was in 2016?
Maybe
If the Dodgers don’t trade Cody Bellinger the future would appear to be Cody Bellinger, who many consider the Dodgers top positional prospect. Cody is athletic enough to play the outfield as well as first base. He’s considered a top notch defensive 1st baseman. You could tell the Dodgers thought highly enough of him this spring that they gave him a long look in the spring which was quite unusual for a player who had never even played AA ball. This summer after a slow start, Bellinger proved to the doubters that the power he displayed in the Cal League was not a mirage.
As a 20-year-old in AA, Bellinger hit 23 home runs and posted a .221 ISO. Those 23 home runs were the most of any 20 year-old in the league. They would have been the most of any 21-year-old in the league if not for his 21-year-old teammate Willie Calhoun. Bellinger posted a .979 OPS in AA in August and was promoted to AAA to help them in the playoffs.
Replacing the good Adrian Gonzalez circa 2014/2015 might have been a tough task, but the 2016 version of Adrian sets a lower bar. That said the Dodgers probably want to get better at 1st base not tread water and expecting Bellinger to be better than Adrian would probably be asking too much in 2017. Still, Bellinger let the Dodgers know they might have a replacement, the question might be when, and it might be sooner than people think.
It would not shock me if the Dodgers did trade Adrian Gonzalez this winter. He’s already been involved in four big trades, it might be five soon enough. The contract isn’t horrible. This front office is creative and I’m not sure they really want Adrian Gonzalez to be the cleanup hitter in 2017. At least I doubt they want the 2016 version of Adrian Gonzalez to be the cleanup hitter in 2017.
Justin Turner leaves an amazing legacy
With the season now over and possibly his Dodger career let’s take a look at the amazing accomplishments of Justin Red Dream Turner.
At 28 years old Turner was a career utility player who was inexplicably released by the Mets in the winter of 2014. Ned Colletti jumped on the chance to get the valuable utility player in the spring of 2014 and he would end up being the Dodger starting 3rd baseman for almost three years. His story is amazing and Dodger fans were lucky it was a Dodger story.
“I got a chance to re-create my whole identity when I came over here,” Turner said, and each step of his route to the plate reveals the keys to his evolution: The breathing techniques he learned on the field and in the classroom at Cal State Fullerton. The swing he rebuilt after the New York Mets released him in 2013. The physique he reshaped after his first season in Los Angeles. The knee he rehabilitated from microfracture surgery last winter, emerging from the process a sleeker defender with more power than ever before.
It left me asking these questions.
Is Justin Turner the greatest Dodger free agent signing ever?
Depending on how you want to define a free agent he’s probably the greatest free agent signing by the Dodgers ever. You could argue for Kirk Gibson if you want, and he certainly had more impact in one season, but he can’t touch what JT did during his three-year reign. You could argue for Brett Butler who put up a wonderful 15. 1 bWAR during his first free agent run with the Dodgers, but Butler had a four-year run not three. Manny was all world in 2009 before his PED suspension. JD Drew had a nice two-year run but not three. Rafy Furcal has the highest bWAR of any Dodger free agent, accumulated over his five-year run. Very comparable to what Brett Butler did in the about the same number of at-bats. Of course, Justin Turner put up a bWAR of 13.1 in almost half the plate appearances of Butler and Furcal.
I’m going to stick with this. Kirk Gibson had the most impact of any Dodger free agent, while Justin Turner was by far and away the best value along with being the best.
Course you could argue that all the players below except Justin Turner were free agents of the truest sense over their run. Justin Turner was simply signed as a non-roster invitee and the Dodgers owned him for the next three years.
| Name | OPS+ | bWAR | PlateApp | Years |
| Justin Turner | 136 | 13.1 | 1383 | 2014-16 |
| Kirk Gibson | 124 | 9.8 | 1110 | 1988-1990 |
| Brett Butler | 120 | 15.1 | 2618 | 1991-1994 |
| Manny Ramirez | 153 | 2.8 | 663 | 2009-2010 |
| Jeff Kent | 119 | 6.7 | 1894 | 2005-2008 |
| Rafael Furcal | 100 | 15.5 | 2803 | 2006-2011 |
| JD Drew | 132 | 7.2 | 905 | 2005-2006 |
| D Strawberry | 121 | 2.9 | 885 | 1991-1993 |
| Casey Blake | 109 | 8.2 | 1375 | 2009-2011 |
| Nomar Garciaparra | 102 | 1.7 | 1063 | 2006-2008 |
| Todd Zeile | 116 | 2.5 | 842 | 1997-1998 |
Is Turner the best Dodger 3rd baseman over a three year period?
This is so close between Ron Cey and Justin Turner. Cey was so good for so long that he had two excellent three-year runs that were comparable to Justin Turner. As much as I would like to crown Justin Turner I can’t deny the Penguin his due. Ron Cey is still the greatest Dodger of all time no matter how you try to cherry pick the numbers. Adrian Beltre easily owns the greatest season for a LAD 3rd baseman, and when you figure in his 2004 into a three-year run from 2002 – 2004 you still have a player in consideration.
| Player | OPS+ | bWAR | PA | Period |
| Ron Cey | 131 | 16.3 | 1632 | 1975-1977 |
| Adrian Beltre | 117 | 15.1 | 1900 | 2002-2004 |
| Ron Cey | 134 | 13.5 | 1350 | 1979-1981 |
| Justin Turner | 136 | 13.1 | 1383 | 2014-16 |
Was Justin Turner the best position player over his three year Dodger career?
You betcha. He’s been the best position Dodger by bWAR over the past three years, and it is not close.
| Player | Type | OPS+ | bWAR | PA | Period |
| Corey Seager | HomeGrown | 142 | 7.9 | 800 | 2015-16 |
| Matt Kemp | HomeGrown | 140 | 1 | 599 | 2014-14 |
| Justin Turner | FreeAgent | 136 | 13.1 | 1383 | 2014-16 |
| Andrew Toles | FreeAgent | 135 | 1.4 | 115 | 2016-16 |
| Hanley Ramirez | Trade | 132 | 3.5 | 512 | 2014-14 |
| Adrian Gonzalez | Trade | 125 | 9.8 | 1936 | 2014-16 |
| Yasiel Puig | FreeAgent | 124 | 7.8 | 1319 | 2014-16 |
| Joc Pederson | HomeGrown | 118 | 5.6 | 1099 | 2014-16 |
| Andre Ethier | Trade | 117 | 2.4 | 851 | 2014-16 |
| Yasmani Grandal | Trade | 116 | 4.2 | 883 | 2015-16 |
| Scott Van Slyke | HomeGrown | 114 | 3.8 | 612 | 2014-16 |
| Juan Uribe | FreeAgent | 111 | 3.8 | 491 | 2014-15 |
| Dee Gordon | HomeGrown | 101 | 2.3 | 650 | 2014-14 |
Cubs do everything, Dodgers do nothing
Instead of changing Dodger history, the Dodgers decided to replicate the 2013 game six failure. In that elimination game six with Kershaw on the mound on the road the Dodgers lost 9 0 to the Cardinals.
Last night they only lost 5 -0 because Dave Roberts used Kenley Jansen to finish up the game and season.
Much like that game the Dodgers brought nothing to the table.
No Defense – Toles dropping a simple fly ball continued the trend of bad defense over the final three games and set the stage for Dodger game six failure.
No Baserunning – Josh Reddick was one of the few Dodgers to reach base and was not only picked off, he was as out as you will ever see on a pickoff.
No Starting pitching – Kershaw was extremely hittable, as line drive after line drove the stake into the Dodger heart.
No Offense – Toles started the game with sharp single to right but before you could say Cory S……… he had hit into a double play and that would be the extent of the Dodger offense.
In this Series it seems that the roll of the dice were not in play. This was not a crap shoot, the better team won, and will be advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1945, and will be trying to win their first World Series since 1908.
I wish them well. I can’t imagine the World Series being competitive since I have no idea how the Indians are in the World Series given the rotation they currently possess. This will be the second team to try to win a World Championship back to back by shutting down a team from the 6th inning on. Andrew Miller got lots of rest between the ALCS and the World Series and he may need it.
History isn’t in the Dodgers corner
Since 1941 the Dodgers are 0 – 6 in a seven-game postseason series where they have trailed 3 games to 2. They are 0 – 2 in the NLCS when trailing 3 games to 2.
1985 – Cardinals closed it out in the sixth game in Los Angeles. The infamous Jack Clark game who slugged three-run home run off of Tom Niedenfuer in the top of the 9th to give the Cardinals the 7 – 5 victory and a trip to the World Series. The Cardinals lost to the Royals in a seven-game epic World Series. If you watch the MLB video link below, take a look at Pedro Guerrero’s reaction.
2013 – Much like 2016 the Dodgers came into game six with Clayton Kershaw pitching on the road to try to tie the series at three games apiece. It ended with the Cardinals hammering Kershaw and winning 9 – 0.
Of course, the Cubs have their own history they are battling, as every Cub fan over the age of 21 has to remember the 2003 collapse at home against the Marlins in the NLCS. The Cubs had Mark Prior and Kerry Wood lined up for games 6 and 7. The Cubs were outscored 17 – 9 in those two games.
Fox Deportes, they go high, Fox One goes low
If you are like me and you get a gag reflex when Mr. Buck opens his mouth you have two options. You can mute him, or you can find an alternative station. I decided to find an alternative station because muting eliminates the sound of the crowd, and much like Vin Scully I love to hear the crowd.
Luckily for most of us, there is an alternative station, and it is Fox Deportes. 945 on your dial for those in the West Valley on Spectrum. You don’t have to understand Spanish to enjoy the telecast, if fact I think it best that you don’t. Evidently, their twitter feed is a big deal for them because they must repeat how to contact them via twitter every inning. They have ex-ball players calling the game, and ex-Dodger Karim Garcia is a sideline reporter. If you don’t remember Karim Garcia he was the 2nd Mexican to play with the Dodgers as a teenager. We had high hopes, but they never materialized.
I went to Fox Deportes to enjoy the game without having to listen to Joe Buck but I ended up getting so much more than I expected.
I’m not sure why, even though they are baseball players announcing the games, if you close your eyes, it sounds like they are announcing a soccer match. They get excited very easily and I half expect someone to yell GOAL on a home run.
The biggest bonus, hold your hat, are the commercials. Yup, the commercials.
There is not one single Pharma advertisement. Evidently, in the Hispanic community, they don’t suffer from the ailments that 40 – 60-year-old white males suffer from. No sweaty palms, no jumpy legs, no erectile dysfunction, no memory loss, no depression. Life must be good for them. I couldn’t remember the last time I watched any TV without Pharma dominating the advertisements.
No Carls Junior either. They did have a cute Wendy spokesperson, much better than the English spokesperson, but unlike Carls Junior who only sells sex, she had all of her clothes on.
The wireless advertisements have a fun Hispanic flair to them
Plenty of Cervesa commercials but none of them seemed like they were taken from Science Fiction scripts.
The same bazillion car commercials but seemed more about the cars than the models you’ll never sleep with even if you buy that car.
Even the State farm commercials are better.
It is almost like Fox Deportes decided to have a family hour during the broadcasts. At no time was I embarrassed or disgusted. I enjoy a scantily clad lady as much or more than anyone, but I don’t need to feel a nine-year-old kid has to watch a three-way Carls Junior commercial with their parents.
Baseball is supposed to be the focus, not masturbation.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 