Dodger administration exodus continues
It is not surprising that a team that won 104 games is being raided as other teams try to emulate what the Dodgers have created. Now if they had 250M to spend on payroll and blow the doors off of foreign and infrastructure investment they might be able to actually catch them.
The latest casualty was Alex Anthopolous who will be the new general manager for the Braves. Alex Anthopolous had the working title of Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Dodgers for the last two years after being the GM for the Blue Jays for six years. This gig was always considered just a temporary stay for Alex, and he played his cards perfectly nabbing what has to be the most coveted General Manager job available right now. The Braves have a brand new stadium, a bonafide super star in Freeman, and a blow you away farm system. Alex won’t have to work any miracles to get the Braves ultra competitive in a short period of time. I have no idea what handprint Alex Anthopolous had on the Dodgers over the past two years so I can’t give any clue as to how much the organization will miss him.
Other Dodger administration personnel who have left since the World Series include:
Gabe Kapler – Director of Player Dvlp – left to become the Phillies manager. I always thought Gabe was on the fast path to be an assistant GM and eventually a GM so I was surprised when Kapler had put his hat in for the Dodger managing gig. When he didn’t get that, it seemed just a matter of time before he became a manager somewhere. I’m not sure that is where his best talent lies but I’d like to see him have success with the Phillies.
Jeremy Zoll – Assistant Director of Player Dvlp – left to become the Twins Director of Minor League Operations. At only 27 years old that seems like a hell of a gig.
Matt Herges – Minor League pitching coach – left to become the Giants bullpen coach. I’m not sure that was an actual promotion.
It had been rumored that long time pitching coach Rich Honeycut may not come back but last week it was announced that he would return as the Dodgers pitching coach.
It will be curious how the Dodgers fill these positions. With four white males leaving, will diversity be part of the hire or simply the best person for the job, or can it be both?
Dodgers and Puig catch Wilson defensive team of year
Winners, both individual positions and for the team award, are determined using a formula that combines traditional defensive stats with advanced metrics, as well as the data logged by the baseball experts working for the scouting service Inside Edge
2017 Transactional review part one
The 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers had their most successful regular season since 1974, and their most successful postseason since 1988. They came within one game of achieving the goal of every major league franchise, the World Series Championship.
Slowly I’m going to review all the moves that got them there, with columns for the big moves. Today we will look at the free agents they let walk one year ago.
On November 3rd, 2016
Brett Anderson was allowed to leave as a free agent. Brett had followed up his successful 2015 season with an injury filled 2016 season. The winter of 2015 the Dodgers had made the ill advised tender and Brett either having a smart agent or being smart himself accepted and it only cost the Dodgers 15.8M to realize they had made a huge mistake. Not only in money but with opportunity cost. With Brett Anderson in their pocket for 2016 they didn’t pursue another starting pitcher. They did not make the same mistake last November and Brett Anderson was free to ply his trade with other teams. Brett signed with the 2016 World Champion Cubs to be their fifth starter. That didn’t work out and he ended the season with Toronto. He only pitched 55 innings in 2017 after throwing only 11 in 2016. None of the innings were good.
Joe Blanton was allowed to leave as a free agent. Joe Blanton wasn’t quite Brandon Morrow in 2016 but he was close. The Dodgers had signed him to a one year deal for 4M and he earned it. They did not re-sign Blanton for 2017 and it was a great move. Whatever Blanton had discovered in 2015/2016 was nowhere to be found in 2017. He was so bad the Nationals had to make quite a few upgrades to their bullpen and Joe never pitched an inning in the postseason for them.
Jesse Chavez was allowed to leave as a free agent. Chavez was acquired on Aug 1st, 2016 to bolster the bullpen but didn’t leave a positive impression and did not pitch in the postseason. He was signed by the Angels to a one year deal for 2017 at 5.75M. He made 21 starts for the Angels and was ineffective. The price for Chavez was only Mike Bolsinger so other than the fact they could have targeted a better relief pitcher in 2016 by giving up more, no harm done. Good choice to let him walk.
Rich Hill – will get his own column
J.P. Howell the long time Dodger was allowed to leave as a free agent. JP had been a Dodger since 2013 so he had been on all four National League Western Division winners. At times he was brilliant, other times, not so much. By 2016 he was 33 and was an ineffective left handed specialist. He did not pitch in the 2016 postseason and it was a no brainer that he wasn’t coming back for 2017. He signed with the Blue Jays and was horrible. His career might be over.
Kenley Jansen will get his own column.
Josh Reddick was allowed to leave as a free agent. Reddick had been acquired in the Rich Hill trade in the summer of 2016 to be the Dodgers starting right fielder. He had replaced Yasiel Puig who had been sent to AAA. He had a horrible August, a pedestrian Sept, and a unproductive postseason. The Dodgers let him walk, and he was signed by the 2017 World Champion Houston Astros where he proceeded to have a career season. I will admit to scratching my head when Houston gave him a 4/42M deal but it sure paid off in the first year. I still think the Dodgers made the right move in letting him walk given the contract he received but of all the free agents who have left the Dodgers, Josh Reddick had an excellent first season.
Justin Turner will get his own column
Chase Utley will get his own column.
Did Puig measure up at age 26?
Even though his OPS+ was only 118, the growth he showed as the season progressed makes me say yes. He started out hitting eighth but by the time the Dodgers had gotten deep into the postseason he was batting cleanup. It certainly wasn’t a Matt Kemp breakout season but it was substantial progress on what he had done the previous year.
You see someone else on this list you didn’t expect to see? How about Chris Taylor?
Yeah baby.
Chris Taylor certainly had the breakout season in his age twenty six season.
I guess I asked the wrong question in February because if you look at what Chris Taylor did before turning twenty-six and what he did at age twenty-six, you could say he owns this list.
Player OPS+ PA Year Age HR RBI BA OBP SLG OPS Matt Kemp 172 689 2011 26 39 126 .324 .399 .586 .986 Pedro Guerrero 156 652 1982 26 32 100 .304 .378 .536 .914 Kal Daniels 155 526 1990 26 27 94 .296 .389 .531 .920 Frank Howard 150 459 1963 26 28 64 .273 .330 .518 .848 Raul Mondesi 140 670 1997 26 30 87 .310 .360 .541 .901 Willie Crawford 140 543 1973 26 14 66 .295 .396 .453 .849 Andre Ethier 132 596 2008 26 20 77 .305 .375 .510 .885 Chris Taylor 122 568 2017 26 21 72 .288 .354 .496 .850 Stan Javier 119 321 1990 26 3 24 .304 .384 .399 .783 Yasiel Puig 118 570 2017 26 28 74 .263 .346 .487 .833 Ron Fairly 115 654 1965 26 9 70 .274 .361 .377 .738 Milton Bradley 108 597 2004 26 19 67 .267 .362 .424 .786 Mike Marshall 108 362 1986 26 19 53 .233 .298 .439 .738 Bill Buckner 105 680 1976 26 7 60 .301 .326 .389 .716 Todd Hollandsworth 104 287 1999 26 9 32 .284 .345 .448 .793 Willie Davis 102 653 1966 26 11 61 .284 .302 .405 .708 Ken Landreaux 91 421 1981 26 7 41 .251 .297 .367 .664 Jayson Werth 89 395 2005 26 7 43 .234 .338 .374 .711 Henry Rodriguez 89 330 1994 26 8 49 .268 .307 .405 .712
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 11/9/2017.
So what can we expect at age 27? Here is the list of LAD who played in the outfield with over 200 PA at age 26 and 27.
I kept two names on here. Pedro Guerrero only shows up at age 26 because at age 27 he didn’t play enough outfield to qualify. I also kept Tommy Davis on here because I can’t believe he was still only 26 when he traded in the winter of 1966.
Andre was an eerie match.
Frank Howard fell off big time at age 27 and found himself traded
Kal Daniels fell off big time and would never again replicate his age 26 year old season.
Ken Landreaux actually improved at age 27 from age 26, and would improve again at age 28. I never noticed that Ken Landreaux finished his career as a Dodger at the young age of 32.
Matt Kemp went from the best player in the National League to hitting the wall in Colorado on August 28th and never being the same.
Ron Fairly exploded at age 27 in 1966 after a solid season at age 26
Bet most older Dodger fans had no idea that Willie Crawford had back to back seasons with an OPS+ of 140 and 130.
Player OPS+ PA Year Age HR RBI BA OBP SLG OPS Pos Andre Ethier 132 596 2008 26 20 77 .305 .375 .510 .885 *97/H Andre Ethier 132 685 2009 27 31 106 .272 .361 .508 .869 *9/H Chris Taylor 122 568 2017 26 21 72 .288 .354 .496 .850 8746H/5 Frank Howard 111 492 1964 27 24 69 .226 .303 .432 .735 *9H Frank Howard 150 459 1963 26 28 64 .273 .330 .518 .848 *9H/7 Kal Daniels 108 531 1991 27 17 73 .249 .337 .397 .734 *7/H Kal Daniels 155 526 1990 26 27 94 .296 .389 .531 .920 *7/H Ken Landreaux 91 421 1981 26 7 41 .251 .297 .367 .664 *8/H Ken Landreaux 112 518 1982 27 7 50 .284 .341 .410 .751 *8H/7 Matt Kemp 147 449 2012 27 23 69 .303 .367 .538 .906 *8/H Matt Kemp 172 689 2011 26 39 126 .324 .399 .586 .986 *8/DH Mike Marshall 108 362 1986 26 19 53 .233 .298 .439 .738 *9/H7 Mike Marshall 108 428 1987 27 16 72 .294 .327 .460 .787 *9/H Milton Bradley 108 597 2004 26 19 67 .267 .362 .424 .786 *897/H Milton Bradley 118 316 2005 27 13 38 .290 .350 .484 .835 *8/H Pedro Guerrero 156 652 1982 26 32 100 .304 .378 .536 .914 *985 Raul Mondesi 115 617 1998 27 30 90 .279 .316 .497 .813 *89 Raul Mondesi 140 670 1997 26 30 87 .310 .360 .541 .901 *9/H Ron Fairly 115 654 1965 26 9 70 .274 .361 .377 .738 *983/H Ron Fairly 142 409 1966 27 14 61 .288 .380 .464 .844 *93H/8 Todd Hollandsworth 77 293 2000 27 8 24 .234 .314 .372 .686 *8H/79 Todd Hollandsworth 104 287 1999 26 9 32 .284 .345 .448 .793 8H73/9 Tommy Davis 110 330 1966 27 3 27 .313 .345 .383 .729 *7H/5 Willie Crawford 130 540 1974 27 11 61 .295 .376 .432 .808 *9H/8 Willie Crawford 140 543 1973 26 14 66 .295 .396 .453 .849 *9H7/8 Willie Davis 97 610 1967 27 6 41 .257 .295 .367 .662 *8/H Willie Davis 102 653 1966 26 11 61 .284 .302 .405 .708 *8/H Yasiel Puig 118 570 2017 26 28 74 .263 .346 .487 .833 *9H
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 11/9/2017.
Will there be Morrow tomorrow?
Brandon Morrow and Yu Darvish are the two biggest Dodger free agents and both have stated they would like to return to the Dodgers. Morrow was on MLB Network Radio
Brandon Morrow wants to re-sign with the #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/1osq9wzKy9
— MLB Network Radio (@MLBNetworkRadio) November 9, 2017
and said all the right things about returning including that he doesn’t care about closing. Which is a good thing if the Dodgers want to retain Morrow since he won’t be closing for the Dodgers.
It also seemed from this comments that he is expecting to sign a 3/4 year deal. I have no idea if the Dodgers would do that given his spotty health history but this is the same management team that gave 3/4 year deals to Scott Kazmir / Brandon McCarthy / Rich Hill, all who had spotty health histories, and in Rich Hill’s case, extensive health issues along with being thirty-seven years at the beginning of his three year deal.
Ever since Kansas City turned the baseball world upside on it’s head with their killer bullpen starting in 2014 having a shutdown bullpen has become the priority of every major league team, even more so it seems in building a rotation.
Houston however went the other way. They had a good regular season bullpen that melted down in the postseason, so whenever possible they used pieces of the rotation to plug the holes and for the most part they did outstanding work including Morton shutting down the Dodgers in game seven. Similar to how the Dodgers used Kenta Maeda but Kenta was never put to the same test that Houston put to their rotation turned bullpen pieces.
In 2017 Morrow paid off like a 100-1 horse but now that he’s shown his legs, you will have to pay even money for those wins. Are the Dodgers willing to gamble real money after getting so much for so little?
Puig can’t catch this gold glove
It is easy to complain since we all saw Puig have an outstanding defensive season in right field. For my eyes, it was his best season ever playing RF, as he seemed to catch everything (until the one play he didn’t), his throws were not only always on target, but his sheer arm strength kept many a runner grounded at their current base.
Still, I expect Cub fans who watched Heyward all year felt the same way. This was not a grievous mistake, Heyward is an outstanding defensive right fielder in his own right.
Heyward won his fifth Gold Glove (fourth consecutive) for right field in the NL, beating out Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers and Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins after a season in which Statcast™ had him at 11 outs above average, which tied for seventh among all outfielders in 2017, while ranking second for a corner outfielder, behind Mookie Betts‘ 16. Heyward also was one of nine outfielders — and three corner outfielders — to convert at least four five-star opportunities, and his 16 catches of four stars or better tied for fourth in MLB.
Corey Seager was the other Dodger finalist and as expected he lost out to Brandon Crawford. I was kind of surprised to see Corey make the final three but he survived all the requirements to be there.
The other big surprise for me was that Carlos Santana was a finalist for the American League first base gold glove. I guess he finally found his position.
Two of the AL 1st base gold glove finalists are both free agents this year. One guy is the golden boy in Eric Hosmer who has gotten lots of publicity due to his two World Series stints. Carlos Santana has also been to the World Series but doesn’t seem to pack the same notoriety even though the metrics say he has earned more fWAR over the past five years than Hosmer. They have both been regulars since 2013 and in that time Carlos Santana has earned 15 fWAR compared to Eric Hosmer at 10.9. Carlos has been one of the most consistent players in the game garnering between 2.1 and 3.7 fWAR during those five years. Hosmer has earned between 0.0 and 4.1 fWAR. Of course Hosmer is four years younger than Carlos Santana so maybe I should not have gone down this route since it is not apples to apples.
One other almost Dodger note. Brian Dozier won the gold glove at second base for the American League. Dozier was the biggest talk of last winter after Turner and Jansen signed as the Dodgers were very aggressive in their bid to get him. The Twins stayed firm on their demands and it paid off as they made the postseason with Dozier having another outstanding season. Dozier will be a free agent after 2018 but he’ll be 31 looking for a long term deal as a plus 30 year old second baseman. Good luck with that. Course with the new sliding rules maybe second baseman will have longer baseball lifespans than they used to have since their knees aren’t taking the pounding they used too.
Historical LAD ROY positional player voting results
With Cody Bellinger expected to win the NL 2017 Rookie of the Year award, let’s take a look at all the LAD position players who have gotten at least one vote for the award.
In 1960 Frank Howard won over his teammate Tommy Davis and future HOF Ron Santo. Frank Howard had an illustrious career and proved the voters correct.
In 1965 Jim Lefebvre won over Joe Morgan who was truly robbed. Frenchy would go on to have an excellent sophomore season leading the 1966 Dodgers in most offensive categories but eventually his career petered out in 1972. But that would just be the beginning of a baseball journey that took him around the world.
Ted Sizemore won in 1969 and the competition was meager. Sizemore had lowest OPS+ of any LAD to win the ROY. Al Oliver would go on to have the best career among those who got votes. Had to be a big letdown for baseball after the two previous winners were future HOF Johnny Bench and Tom Seaver.
Ron Cey and Davey Lopes both tied for 6th in 1973. The winner was Gary Matthews with Steve Rogers placing 2nd. Other good players to get a vote were Richie Zisk, Bob Boone, and Dan Driessen. Ron Cey would end up with the highest cumulative bWAR from that group with Davey Lopes giving him a good run for his money. Steve Rogers was second in cumulative bWAR and long time Dodger fans will remember the Dodgers had to go through prime Steve Rodgers in 1981 to get to the World Series. Rick Monday’s home run in the deciding game is one of the great LAD moments in history.
Steve Sax would win in 1982, and much like Sizemore did it by hitting lots and lots of singles. Sax would also steal 49 bases. Future HOF Ryan Sandberg got some votes, but in 1982 Steve Sax had the better season. Sax won the 4th Dodger ROY in a row but was the only position player in that run of four. Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Howe, and Fernando won it in 79/80/81. We will get to the pitchers in a different article. Interesting note, at this point the last three position Dodgers to win the ROY were all 2nd baseman.
Greg Brock would get 3 points for 7th place in 1983. About what he deserved. Mr. Strawberry won easily.
Mariano Duncan surprised everyone to win the starting SS job in 1985 and parlayed his 38 steals into 3rd place. Vince Coleman would steal 110 bases and run away with the award.
Eric Karros started a string of five straight Dodger ROY winners in 1992. Eric won quite easily as he was the only full-time rookie to put up any kind of numbers in 1992.
HOF Mike Piazza followed Karros by winning in 1993. Piazza would be the first LAD ROY winner to become a HOF but he had a teammate named Pedro Martinez who got 9th place. For cumulative bWAR I wonder if any team had two rookies on it like Piazza and Pedro? Piazza received every single first place vote, and had the highest OPS+ of the any Dodger ROY winner, and will still hold that distinction even after Seager wins this year. However one Dodger rookie did have a higher OPS+ than Piazza, but he did not win the ROY award in 2013.
Raul Mondesi than followed Karros and Piazza by winning the 1994 award. In three years the Dodgers had added three major talents, but it didn’t help them win any postseason games. Just like Piazza, Mondesi won every single 1st place vote. Headed into the 1995 season you would have been hard-pressed to decide who was going to have the better career, Mondesi or Piazza. Ryan Klesko, Cliff Floyd and Javy Lopez were three players who received votes that would go on to have distinguished careers.
Todd Hollandsworth won in 1996 completing the string of five straight Dodger ROY award winners. Hideo Nomo won as a LAD pitcher in 1995. That left the Dodgers with four position ROY award winners in five years and one pitcher. Yet again none of that translated into postseason victories. Nary a one. Todd barely beat out Edgar Renteria for 1st place with 15 votes to 10. I’d have gone with the SS myself. Todd was the last LAD position player to win the NL ROY award. Until 2016 that is.
It wasn’t until 2006 that any LAD position player got any ROY votes. Andre polled 5th in 2006 riding his outstanding start. Russell Martin showed up 9th and even smiling Sammy Saito got a vote. The winner was Hanley Ramirez but the list had plenty of other good players. Ryan Zimmerman was 2nd, Dan Uggla, Johnson, Matt Cain, and Prince Fielder all got some votes.
James Loney would get one vote in 2007 finishing 6th and last in the voting. Ryan Braun started his brilliant career in 2007 and easily won the award. However, James Loney unlike Karros, Piazza, Mondesi, Nomo, and Hollandsworth, would give the Dodgers a win in the postseason. Yeah, he did that.
Which takes us to 2013 and Yasiel Puig. Puig has the highest OPS+ of any LAD rookie and yet did not win a ROY award. With good reason. Puig lost to his countryman Jose Fernandez who tragically died earlier this month.
Corey Seager won the 2016 ROY award by a landslide getting every single 1st place vote. Something we expect Cody Bellinger to replicate.
List of LAD Rookies and how they did in ROY voting. Even though Baseball Reference lists Billy Grabarkewitz and his 1970 season as a rookie he was not a rookie, cause if he was he’d have beaten Carl Morton. Billy may not have been a rookie but 1970 was first full season and he was everything that Cory Seager was in 2016.
| Player | ROY Voting | OPS+ | PA | Year | Age |
| Frank Howard | 1st | 107 | 487 | 1960 | 23 |
| Tommy Davis | 5th | 92 | 374 | 1960 | 21 |
| Jim Lefebvre | 1st | 106 | 631 | 1965 | 23 |
| Ted Sizemore | 1st | 94 | 650 | 1969 | 24 |
| Ron Cey | 6th | 104 | 595 | 1973 | 25 |
| Davey Lopes | 6th | 100 | 615 | 1973 | 28 |
| Steve Sax | 1st | 97 | 699 | 1982 | 22 |
| Greg Brock | 7th | 106 | 543 | 1983 | 26 |
| Mariano Duncan | 3rd | 80 | 620 | 1985 | 22 |
| Eric Karros | 1st | 106 | 589 | 1992 | 24 |
| Mike Piazza | 1st | 153 | 602 | 1993 | 24 |
| Raul Mondesi | 1st | 123 | 454 | 1994 | 23 |
| Todd Hollandsworth | 1st | 113 | 526 | 1996 | 23 |
| Andre Ethier | 5th | 113 | 441 | 2006 | 24 |
| Russell Martin | 9th | 101 | 468 | 2006 | 23 |
| James Loney | 6th | 134 | 375 | 2007 | 23 |
| Yasiel Puig | 2nd | 159 | 432 | 2013 | 22 |
| Corey Seager | 1st | 137 | 687 | 2016 | 22 |
Only Bellinger and Kershaw crack top MLB award player finalists
Cody Bellinger is a shoe-in for the 2017 NL ROY but that will probably be the only hardware the team with the best record in baseball will acquire.
Clayton Kershaw is in the finals with Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg for the NL CYA.
At one time this summer it seemed as if the Dodgers had a plethora of players who could vie for the NL MVP award in Chris Taylor, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Clayton Kershaw but none of their performances could keep pace with what Stanton/Votto/Goldy did for the whole season.
Bellinger needed to have the season he had because he actually had some nice competition this year. Josh Bell or Paul DeJong would have made claims on the ROY award in a normal season. Both of them quietly had solid rookie campaigns.
I’m not sure if Clayton wins his fourth award even he had stayed healthy. The competition is fierce from the Nationals duo. Kershaw has now been in the top five of CYA voting every year since 2011 when he won his first CYA. He has never finished lower than five and won’t again this year as he is guaranteed at least a 3rd spot. For a time his teammate Alex Wood looked like he might be able to garner some CYA votes but injuries and performance in the second half cut his chances to zero. I expect we will find that Kenley Jansen got some votes for his outstanding season but not top three.
Now that Clayton has over 2,000 strikeouts in his career we can start checking him out against other pitchers with that benchmark. This is a leaderboard of pitchers who have tallied at least 2,000 strikeouts with an ERA+ >= 130. As you would expect the leaderboard is basically the greatest pitchers in baseball history. And one pitcher sits on top.
Player ERA+ SO From To Age IP FIP K% BB% Clayton Kershaw 161 2120 2008 2017 20-29 1935.0 2.60 27.9% 6.7% Pedro Martinez 154 3154 1992 2009 20-37 2827.1 2.91 27.7% 6.7% Lefty Grove 148 2266 1925 1941 25-41 3940.2 3.36 13.6% 7.1% Walter Johnson 147 3509 1907 1927 19-39 5914.1 2.42 15.0% 5.8% Roger Clemens 143 4672 1984 2007 21-44 4916.2 3.09 23.1% 7.8% Christy Mathewson 137 2492 1901 1916 20-35 4755.0 2.25 13.3% 4.4% Randy Johnson 135 4875 1988 2009 24-45 4135.1 3.19 28.6% 8.8% Pete Alexander 135 2198 1911 1930 24-43 5190.0 2.88 10.5% 4.6% Rube Waddell 133 2137 1901 1910 24-33 2659.2 1.93 20.4% 6.9% Greg Maddux 132 3371 1986 2008 20-42 5008.1 3.26 16.5% 4.9% Sandy Koufax 131 2396 1955 1966 19-30 2324.1 2.69 25.2% 8.6% Roy Halladay 131 2117 1998 2013 21-36 2749.1 3.39 18.8% 5.2%
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 11/7/2017.
Okay, that is misleading because all of these pitchers continued pitching beyond age 29, and as they did so (expect Randy Johnson) you would expect their performance to degrade. So how does he compare at age 29 with other pitchers at age 29? Only three make the list using the same criteria. Strikeouts over 2,000, and an ERA+ >= 130.
Player ERA+ SO From To Age IP ERA FIP K% BB%
Walter Johnson 166 2305 1907 1917 19-29 3474.1 1.70 1.92 17.3% 5.2%
Clayton Kershaw 161 2120 2008 2017 20-29 1935.0 2.36 2.60 27.9% 6.7%
Bob Feller 134 2000 1936 1948 17-29 2471.0 2.99 3.23 19.2% 12.0%
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 11/7/2017.
Andre Ethier was more than 3.5
We had a joke at Dodger Thoughts when Andre Ethier was in the minor leagues that he was a 3.5. Meaning he probably wasn’t going to be good enough to be a major league starter but would be very valuable off the bench. Boy were we wrong.
Many players get that label. You could say that Andrew Toles and Alex Verdugo might be in that category until they prove they are major league starters.
Like many fans I’m going to miss Andre. Not just because he was here so long and you were comfortable with him but because he was a fun baseball player. He had passion, he could hit, he could hit for power, he could hit in the clutch (yeah, I said that), he could field, and he could throw. He wasn’t a five tool player but his tool was average to above average. The only thing that Andre could not do, was hit left-handed pitching. Yet many manager gave it a go. Even with a career OPS of .633 against left-handed pitching, his managers allowed him to garner 1200 plate appearances against them. Go figure
My history with Andre goes all the way back to his beginnings. While a member of the Oakland A’s he was on the same Arizona Fall League team in 2005 as Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andy LaRoche. The 2005 Phoenix Desert Dogs
Name Age PA 2B 3B HR RBI OPS Andre Ethier* 23 105 7 3 2 21 1.093 Matt Kemp 20 99 6 3 3 16 1.021 James Loney* 21 65 2 0 5 17 .964 Andy LaRoche 21 100 9 0 0 15 .844 Tony Abreu# 20 88 6 1 1 7 .761
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/5/2017.
I went out that fall to scout the best the Dodgers had to offer and spent almost a week in Arizona. Andre Ethier was very impressive but at the time he wasn’t a Dodger. He played both CF and RF switching up with Matt Kemp. Matt Kemp was the talk of the fall league team putting himself on the prospect map with thunderous home runs as one of the youngest players in the league. Andre was right behind him putting up an OPS over 1.000 but since Andre was already 23, he should have destroyed the AFL.
The first move that Ned Colleti made as the Dodgers general manager was to trade the beleaguered Milton Bradley, and the player he got was Andre Ethier. At the time Andre was in AA and if the price seemed cheap for a young major league center fielder it was only because Milton Bradley had blown his value with maturation issues. Given what he was working with, it seemed like a decent get for Ned.
Who knew at the time, it would be the best trade he ever made.
Andre reported to AAA and got off to such a great start he was with the Dodgers by May of 2006. By August 5th Andre was hitting .352 and the talk was if he could get enough plate appearances to win the batting title. I did not partake in those talks, I was pretty sure that if Andre played more, the more he would stop hitting at such lofty levels. Sure enough he hit a rough patch and his average fell from .352 to .308 as he hit just .132 in Sept. Andre would only get one plate appearance in the postseason. With his dismal finish the talk about being a 3.5 was being bandied about again.
In 2007 Ned hedged his bets and brought in Luis Gonzalez to play in the outfield. That left Andre/Kemp/Luis battling for at bats. Andre ended up with the most but offensively he was just equal to Gonzalez while Matt Kemp was showing the power that would be his talking point until he hit a wall in Colorado a few years later. Andre was good but there was still the talk that he might not be the answer as a full time outfielder. The jury on 3.5 was still in session.
Andre entered 2008 without a full time job. The Dodgers had signed Andruw Jones this time to be the CF. Andre would need to fight Matt Kemp and Juan Pierre for playing time but by the end of spring training Andre was a starting outfielder. Andruw Jones played his way off the Dodger roster and Matt Kemp become the starting CF with Andre in Right and Pierre in left. The Dodgers would acquire Manny Ramirez and the outfield was now a powerful trifecta of Ethier/Kemp/Ramirez. 2008 would be the first of three years in a row where Andre would put up an OPS+ of 132 or 133. The talk of 3.5 had become historical and was no longer relevant.
In 2009 and 2010 he become known as the walk-off king.
It was uncanny how many times Andre came through time and time again.
Basically from 2008 – 2013 Andre was a mainstay in the Dodger outfield and a big part of the Dodger offense. He was always underrated but every year you could find him as one of the top offensive outfielders in the National League.
Because of his consistency the Dodgers signed him to a five year deal on June 12, 2012 worth 85M. Just like Matt Kemp it would quickly become an albatross contract. Andre finished 2012 in good style and did well in 2013 but in 2014 just one year into the deal he got hurt and at age 32 saw his OPS drop 30 points and fall below 100 for the first time in his career.
Andre bounced back in 2015 to have an outstanding season but that would be the last hurrah for Andre. In both 2016 and 2017 he would get hurt during the spring and miss 5/6 of season, showing up in Sept for some pinch hitting duties.
Even as he became the forgotten Dodger due to injuries, he remained a fan favorite as you could tell during the postseason player introductions in 2017.
His final at-bat with the Dodgers was a pinch hit single to drive in the only run in game seven of the World Series. That was a great way to go out, and I’m happy I saw the last hit of Andre Ethier in a Dodger uniform.
I don’t know where Andre will end up in 2018 but I sure hope he does well. Even if it is the Giants.
How does Andre Ethier figure historically?
As expected the Dodgers bought out Andre Ethier today making him a free agent. That doesn’t mean he won’t return to the Dodgers but given the crowded left field situation, it would seem doubtful.
Now that the Ethier era has ended, how does he figure historically?
How about the metrics like OPS+?
22nd in OPS+ for LAD with at least 1,000 PA.
10th in OPS+ for LAD with at least 2,000 PA
6th in OPS+ for LAD with at least 3,000 PA
4th in OPS+ for LAD with at least 4,000 PA
2nd in OPS+ for LAD with at least 5,000 PA – note, only nine LAD have ever had at least 5,000 PA.
How about the metrics like bWAR?
14th in bWAR for LAD with at least 1,000 PA
Player WAR/pos PA From To Age Willie Davis 54.4 8035 1960 1973 20-33 Ron Cey 47.5 6108 1971 1982 23-34 Steve Garvey 36.4 7027 1969 1982 20-33 Pedro Guerrero 32.6 4089 1978 1988 22-32 Davey Lopes 32.1 5308 1972 1981 27-36 Mike Piazza 31.9 3017 1992 1998 23-29 Maury Wills 31.9 6745 1959 1972 26-39 Bill Russell 31.2 8021 1969 1986 20-37 Mike Scioscia 26.0 5057 1980 1992 21-33 Jim Gilliam 23.4 4894 1958 1966 29-37 Adrian Beltre 23.3 3818 1998 2004 19-25 Wes Parker 22.9 4835 1964 1972 24-32 John Roseboro 22.3 4505 1958 1967 25-34 Andre Ethier 21.8 5425 2006 2017 24-35 Raul Mondesi 21.5 3765 1993 1999 22-28 Matt Kemp 21.2 4496 2006 2014 21-29
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Generated 11/5/2017.
If Andre had been able to play even 100 games the past two years he would have moved up in quite a few LAD categories but when you lose two years to health issues, instead of becoming one of the all time LAD you kind of get stuck in the middle.
Andre hit the 8th most home runs in LAD history.
Player HR PA From To Age Eric Karros 270 6624 1991 2002 23-34 Ron Cey 228 6108 1971 1982 23-34 Steve Garvey 211 7027 1969 1982 20-33 Matt Kemp 182 4496 2006 2014 21-29 Mike Piazza 177 3017 1992 1998 23-29 Pedro Guerrero 171 4089 1978 1988 22-32 Raul Mondesi 163 3765 1993 1999 22-28 Andre Ethier 162 5425 2006 2017 24-35 Shawn Green 162 3462 2000 2004 27-31 Willie Davis 154 8035 1960 1973 20-33 Adrian Beltre 147 3818 1998 2004 19-25
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Andre was 7th in hits.
Player PA From To Age H Willie Davis 8035 1960 1973 20-33 2091 Steve Garvey 7027 1969 1982 20-33 1968 Bill Russell 8021 1969 1986 20-37 1926 Maury Wills 6745 1959 1972 26-39 1732 Eric Karros 6624 1991 2002 23-34 1608 Ron Cey 6108 1971 1982 23-34 1378 Andre Ethier 5425 2006 2017 24-35 1367 Steve Sax 4745 1981 1988 21-28 1218 Davey Lopes 5308 1972 1981 27-36 1204 Matt Kemp 4496 2006 2014 21-29 1188 Dusty Baker 4552 1976 1983 27-34 1144
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Andre was 3rd in doubles
Player 2B PA From To Age Steve Garvey 333 7027 1969 1982 20-33 Willie Davis 321 8035 1960 1973 20-33 Andre Ethier 303 5425 2006 2017 24-35 Eric Karros 302 6624 1991 2002 23-34 Bill Russell 293 8021 1969 1986 20-37 Ron Cey 223 6108 1971 1982 23-34 Matt Kemp 215 4496 2006 2014 21-29 Mike Scioscia 198 5057 1980 1992 21-33 Wes Parker 194 4835 1964 1972 24-32 Raul Mondesi 190 3765 1993 1999 22-28 Shawn Green 183 3462 2000 2004 27-31
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Andre was 10th in triples
Player 3B PA From To Age Willie Davis 110 8035 1960 1973 20-33 Bill Russell 57 8021 1969 1986 20-37 Maury Wills 56 6745 1959 1972 26-39 John Roseboro 44 4505 1958 1967 25-34 Brett Butler 41 3342 1991 1997 34-40 Davey Lopes 39 5308 1972 1981 27-36 Raul Mondesi 37 3765 1993 1999 22-28 Steve Sax 35 4745 1981 1988 21-28 Steve Garvey 35 7027 1969 1982 20-33 Andre Ethier 34 5425 2006 2017 24-35
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Generated 11/5/2017.
Andre was 9th in runs scored, Andre was 5th in RBI.
Andre is basically in the top 10 of every offensive category for the Los Angeles Dodgers .
Andre started playing for the Dodgers in 2006, so how does he stack up OPS+ and bWAR as an outfielder in the NL during his run?
Interesting how Ethier and Kemp are connected at the hip all over this page.
Player OPS+ PA From To Age Giancarlo Stanton 146 4120 2010 2017 20-27 Bryce Harper 140 3262 2012 2017 19-24 Matt Holliday 140 6124 2006 2016 26-36 Ryan Braun 139 6244 2007 2017 23-33 Andrew McCutchen 136 5829 2009 2017 22-30 Carlos Beltran 134 4388 2006 2013 29-36 Adam Dunn 132 3282 2006 2010 26-30 Yasiel Puig 128 2321 2013 2017 22-26 Pat Burrell 126 2370 2006 2011 29-34 Matt Kemp 123 6283 2006 2017 21-32 Andre Ethier 122 5425 2006 2017 24-35 Mike Morse 122 2139 2009 2017 27-35 Justin Upton 121 4934 2007 2015 19-27 Josh Willingham 121 2546 2006 2010 27-31 Christian Yelich 120 2812 2013 2017 21-25 Jayson Werth 119 5541 2007 2017 28-38 Carlos Gonzalez 118 4565 2009 2017 23-31 Brad Hawpe 118 2854 2006 2011 27-32 Hunter Pence 116 6386 2007 2017 24-34 Corey Hart 116 3795 2006 2015 24-33 Charlie Blackmon 115 3177 2011 2017 24-30
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Generated 11/5/2017.
How about bWAR?
Player WAR/pos PA From To Age Ryan Braun 45.6 6244 2007 2017 23-33 Andrew McCutchen 40.0 5829 2009 2017 22-30 Matt Holliday 38.3 6124 2006 2016 26-36 Carlos Beltran 35.6 4388 2006 2013 29-36 Giancarlo Stanton 35.1 4120 2010 2017 20-27 Jason Heyward 34.9 4502 2010 2017 20-27 Hunter Pence 29.9 6386 2007 2017 24-34 Bryce Harper 26.1 3262 2012 2017 19-24 Justin Upton 24.7 4934 2007 2015 19-27 Jayson Werth 24.6 5541 2007 2017 28-38 Shane Victorino 24.4 4193 2006 2012 25-31 Starling Marte 23.2 2794 2012 2017 23-28 Carlos Gonzalez 22.9 4565 2009 2017 23-31 Andre Ethier 21.8 5425 2006 2017 24-35 Matt Kemp 20.5 6283 2006 2017 21-32 Carlos Gomez 20.4 2715 2007 2015 21-29 Michael Bourn 19.7 3880 2006 2016 23-33 Jay Bruce 18.7 5637 2008 2017 21-30 A.J. Pollock 18.2 2047 2012 2017 24-29 Dexter Fowler 17.9 4367 2008 2017 22-31
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Generated 11/5/2017.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 