Puig – Nobody – Pederson – Seager – Bellinger
Home runs are up all over baseball and nowhere is that more apparent than at Dodger Stadium where rookie after rookie keep launching home runs.
Prior to 2014, the most LAD rookie home runs was the magic 35 by Mike Piazza in 1993. The 2nd most was 23 by Frank Howard back in 1960 before Dodger Stadium was built. Eric Karros and Greg Brock were tied for 3rd with 20.
Eric Karros (20), Mike Piazza (35), and Raul Mondesi (16) combined for 71 home runs from 1992 – 1994.
Joc Pederson (26), Corey Seager (26), and Cody Bellinger (17 and counting) have combined for 69 home runs. It is just a matter of time before Bellinger passes twenty giving the Dodgers three rookies in three years to hit at least 20 home runs.
When you look at the leaderboard below it is crazy that Bellinger has seventeen home runs in only 185 plate appearances.
Player HR Year Age PA OPS Pos Mike Piazza (RoY-1st) 35 1993 24 602 .932 *2/H3 Corey Seager (ROY-1st) 26 2016 22 687 .877 *6/H Joc Pederson (ROY-6th) 26 2015 23 585 .763 *8H Frank Howard (RoY-1st) 23 1960 23 487 .784 *97/3H Eric Karros (RoY-1st) 20 1992 24 589 .730 *3/H Greg Brock (RoY-7th) 20 1983 26 543 .738 *3/H Yasiel Puig (RoY-2nd) 19 2013 22 432 .925 *98/H7 Cody Bellinger 17 2017 21 185 .965 *73/H9 Raul Mondesi (RoY-1st) 16 1994 23 454 .849 *98 James Loney (RoY-6th) 15 2007 23 375 .919 *3/H9 Ron Cey (RoY-6th) 15 1973 25 595 .723 *5/H
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 6/14/2017.
Oh come on now. That was crazy
Cody Bellinger hit one of the most unexpected home runs I’ve witnessed from my kitchen. It was so unexpected I left my chair, and decided this would be a good time to make a brownie sundae instead of watching Andrew Miller carve up the rookie.
Yet, Cody Bellinger is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. And I just saw Cory Seager have a top three rookie MVP season. I saw Mike Piazza.
I ain’t never seen this shit.
Cleveland Indian preview
The Dodgers have made only one trip to Ohio to play the Indians and that was back in 2003. We won’t have any notable game scores or total base games based on a three-game series fourteen years ago.
Just in case you were curious David Ross has the only home run against the Indians in Ohio.
This Indian team came within an eyelash of being the 2016 World Champions, and they did it without two of their best pitchers. Of course, they are always doing it without Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar because Carrasco is always hurt, and Salazar is brilliant and horrible. The Dodgers won’t face either of them in this series so it will be just like the Cub/Indian World Series.
The Indians are a game back of the Twins in the AL Central but like the Dodgers being back of the Rockies that is just a formality and by Sept both teams should be leading their divisions. This could easily be a preview of the 2017 Fall Classic.
The Indians made a big splash this past winter by acquiring possibly the biggest bat on the free agent market when they acquired Edwin Encarnacion. That bat has only recently come into play. On May 15th Encarnacion had a miserly OPS of .670. Since that point, he has been on a tear and the OPS now stands at .803. Seven home runs in his last twenty games. Last 28 days a .997 OPS. That was what the Indians were paying for.
Carlos Santana is still taking a walk but is having his worst year since ………..ever. The 31-year-old Santana is in his walk year so not a good time for a DH/1st Baseman to struggle. Just ask Ryan Howard.
The debate over who is the best Shortstop in the AL over the next decade might focus on Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa. Lindor is a beautiful defender whose only knock was his lack of power. This year he has added power to his game with a slug% of .496. That has come at the expense of his OBP which last year was .357 and this year is .323.
Jose Ramirez is still showing he’s an above average 3rd baseman and is basically the same guy who broke out last year.
Santana, Lindor, and Ramirez are all switch hitters. The Indians might be the only team that boasts three full-time switch hitters.
Strangely enough, the best hitter on the team so far in 2017 has been Lonnie Chisenhall. He was hurt for a few weeks and rarely plays against LHP so he’ll probably only get the start against McCarthy. With a DH I’m not sure we will even see him as a pinch hitter.
Pos Name Age PA H 2B HR RBI BB SO OBP SLG OPS
1B Carlos Santana# 31 267 51 16 8 35 32 43 .315 .397 .712
SS Francisco Lindor# 23 261 60 17 12 27 22 37 .323 .496 .819
DH Edwin Encarnacion 34 244 51 6 12 26 32 62 .354 .449 .803
3B Jose Ramirez# 24 241 62 13 8 27 21 31 .344 .472 .817
LF Michael Brantley* 30 220 58 11 5 25 18 35 .350 .418 .768
2B Jason Kipnis* 30 181 37 8 7 22 11 36 .265 .393 .658
C Yan Gomes 29 145 30 9 4 15 14 36 .326 .402 .728
CF Lonnie Chisenhall* 28 116 28 8 7 24 10 21 .342 .584 .926
RF Abraham Almonte# (10-day dl) 28 100 19 3 1 6 12 28 .323 .337 .660
C Roberto Perez 28 81 10 2 0 9 8 18 .222 .167 .389
CF Austin Jackson 30 75 18 7 2 7 9 16 .360 .492 .852
3B Yandy Diaz (40-man) 25 71 13 1 0 3 6 17 .268 .219 .486
CF Bradley Zimmer* 24 69 15 4 4 14 8 21 .333 .508 .842
UT Dan Robertson 31 49 12 3 0 4 4 2 .327 .378 .704
Rank in 15 AL teams 15 3 11 8 2 8 7 8
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/13/2017.
Fun Note, since Carlos Santana became a full-time player in 2011 he’s the only player with at least 150 home runs and 600 walks.
Below is the list with at least 500 walks and 150 home runs since 2011. Good company.
Player HR BB From To Age PA OPS Carlos Santana 153 633 2011 2017 25-31 4190 .800 Jose Bautista 206 598 2011 2017 30-36 3708 .904 Paul Goldschmidt 154 517 2011 2017 23-29 3632 .932 Andrew McCutchen 156 515 2011 2017 24-30 4294 .874 Mike Trout 184 513 2011 2017 19-25 3764 .975 Miguel Cabrera 204 505 2011 2017 28-34 4123 .979
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 6/13/2017.
Rick Monday was the first
Fifty-two years ago Rick Monday was the first player ever drafted in a major league draft. For most fans it might be hard to reconcile the idea that there was no draft in baseball until 1965. That any kid from any state or country could sign with any team that he wanted too provided he was offered a contract.
Rick Monday looked back at that day with MLB.com a few weeks ago. Most of the interview is your basic stuff but this particular comment struck me.
“It’s been wonderful for the game in terms of competitive balance,” Monday said. “But I’ve always been a proponent of not holding the Draft while there’s still competition, of waiting until the College World Series is over.
“Having seen that empty look of bewilderment and confusion on teammates who weren’t drafted that day … it’s something that has stayed with me.”
I have also thought it strange that they do the draft during the College World Series. As though the kids don’t have enough on their plate now they get to worry about being drafted, then being drafted and where, or not being drafted.
For a number one overall pick, Rick Monday had a great career. In fifty-two years of overall picks, Rick Monday is in the top ten of bWAR. There have been countless overall picks who could never learn to hit or pitch at the highest level. Many more misses than hits. Rick Monday was at least at a triple, almost a home run.
The very next year Steve Chilcott was the overall pick. He never made it to the major leagues. Danny Goodwin was drafted twice as the overall pick. Once out of high school and once out of college. He had a negative career bWAR. The White Sox were glad he saved them his bonus money.
David Clyde was one of the more famous overall picks. He was drafted out of high school and pitching in the major leagues the same year. That didn’t work out.
Dave Roberts (not our Dave Roberts) played in the majors the same year he was drafted but he was a college player. That still didn’t work out.
Bob Horner also played in the majors the same year he was drafted. That did work out. Bob Horner had one of the strangest careers you will ever find, so strange I’ll have to write about it.
The Dodgers have never had the first pick. They came close in 1993 but the Mariners got the first pick and picked HOF Alex Rodriquez, the greatest overall pick by bWAR in history. The Dodgers got Darren Dreifort. Game changer.
The Dodgers, however, have acquired several of these overall picks.
- 1965 overall pick Rick Monday was acquired in 1977 when the Dodgers gave up fan favorite Bill Buckner and Ivan De Jesus. Rick Monday would hit the most important postseason home run in Dodger history until Kirk Gibson eclipsed him.
- 1980 overall pick Darryl Strawberry signed a five-year free agent deal with the Dodgers in 1991. That worked out for one year. He was released in the middle of the 3rd year of his contract.
- 1983 overall pick Tim Belcher was traded to the Dodgers in Sept of 1987 for Rich Honeycut. Tim Belcher would be an important part of the rotation that won the last Dodger World Championship.
- 2012 overall pick Adrian Gonzalez was acquired in the summer of 2012 and is still here.
Year Tm Signed Name Pos WAR OPS 1993 Mariners Y Alex Rodriguez(minors) SS 117.7 .930 1990 Braves Y Chipper Jones(minors) SS 85.0 .930 1987 Mariners Y Ken Griffey(minors) OF 83.6 .907 2001 Twins Y Joe Mauer(minors) C 50.9 .835 2000 Marlins Y Adrian Gonzalez(minors) 1B 43.3 .849 1980 Mets Y Darryl Strawberry(minors) OF 42.0 .862 1977 White Sox Y Harold Baines(minors) 1B 38.5 .820 1985 Brewers Y B.J. Surhoff(minors) SS 34.3 .745 1965 Athletics Y Rick Monday(minors) OF 33.1 .804 1995 Angels Y Darin Erstad(minors) OF 32.3 .743 2007 Devil Rays Y David Price(minors) LHP 32.0 .143 1988 Padres Y Andy Benes(minors) RHP 31.7 .390 2005 Diamondbacks Y Justin Upton(minors) SS 28.9 .821 1981 Mariners Y Mike Moore(minors) RHP 28.5 .000 1999 Devil Rays Y Josh Hamilton(minors) OF 28.1 .865 1976 Astros Y Floyd Bannister(minors) LHP 26.9 .383 1983 Twins N Tim Belcher(minors) RHP 26.2 .299 2010 Nationals Y Bryce Harper(minors) OF 24.4 .897 1978 Braves Y Bob Horner(minors) 3B 21.7 .839 1989 Orioles Y Ben McDonald(minors) RHP 20.9 .000 2009 Nationals Y Stephen Strasburg(minors) RHP 20.2 .401 1998 Phillies Y Pat Burrell(minors) 3B 18.8 .834 1969 Senators Y Jeff Burroughs(minors) OF 17.6 .795 1986 Pirates Y Jeff King(minors) SS 16.7 .749 1992 Astros Y Phil Nevin(minors) 3B 15.8 .814 1996 Pirates Y Kris Benson(minors) RHP 13.0 .337 2012 Astros Y Carlos Correa(minors) SS 12.6 .838 1982 Cubs Y Shawon Dunston(minors) SS 11.5 .712 2011 Pirates Y Gerrit Cole(minors) RHP 9.9 .397 1967 Yankees Y Ron Blomberg(minors) 1B 9.4 .832 1970 Padres Y Mike Ivie(minors) C 7.2 .744 1968 Mets Y Tim Foli(minors) SS 5.5 .593 1974 Padres Y Bill Almon(minors) SS 4.8 .648 2006 Royals Y Luke Hochevar(minors) RHP 3.1 .125 2008 Rays Y Tim Beckham(minors) SS 3.0 .736 2003 Devil Rays Y Delmon Young(minors) OF 2.5 .737 2004 Padres Y Matt Bush(minors) SS 2.4 1994 Mets Y Paul Wilson(minors) RHP 2.2 .271 2015 Diamondbacks Y Dansby Swanson(minors) SS 1.0 .693 1973 Rangers Y David Clyde(minors) LHP 0.7 1972 Padres Y Dave Roberts(minors) 3B 0.4 .644 2002 Pirates Y Bryan Bullington(minors) RHP -0.2 .667 1997 Tigers Y Matt Anderson(minors) RHP -0.5 1979 Mariners Y Al Chambers(minors) OF -0.5 .618 1984 Mets Y Shawn Abner(minors) OF -1.3 .591 1975 Angels Y Danny Goodwin(minors) C -1.7 .674 1971 White Sox N Danny Goodwin(minors) C -1.7 .674 2016 Phillies Y Mickey Moniak(minors) OF 2014 Astros N Brady Aiken(minors) LHP 2013 Astros Y Mark Appel(minors) RHP 1991 Yankees Y Brien Taylor(minors) LHP 1966 Mets Y Steven Chilcott(minors) C
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/13/2017.
Dodgers draft a Panda
Baseball America with a great review of Jeren Kendall. This kid sounds like a lot of fun.
That’s one quirk. Here’s another: Much like the late artist Prince, Kendall has become synonymous with a symbol. A Panda emoji. He’s used it in all of his Instagram captions for a year now. His intrasquad team in fall practice was named Team Panda. He’s not sure where the panda came from. Seriously. He has no explanation for it.
“I’ve just been a huge fan,” he said, laughing. “I don’t really know why I do it.”
Kendall has long been a trendsetter, a trailblazer. Stylish and bold. When he was a senior at Holmen (Wis.) High, he entered the school’s talent show—and won. His “talent” was catching marshmallows with his mouth, thrown by his younger brother, Justin, from 10 rows deep in the auditorium seats. It was a showstopper.
Read more at http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/jeren-kendalls-tools-play-emojis-outfield/#Lo23eM0JPeHo4pTD.99
That sure beats ping pong.
I just love the fact he’s from Wisconsin.
Jim Callis from MLB.Com loves the pick:
23. Los Angeles Dodgers: OF Jeren Kendall, Vanderbilt
Callis: I know the industry soured on Kendall a bit because of his strikeout rate at Vanderbilt, but I love this pick at No. 23, and personally, would have taken him in the top 10. Yes, he swings and misses, as evidenced by his 74 whiffs in 261 at-bats, but he has the best tools in the college ranks, and he’s been a very productive player at a top program. He has a chance to be a 15-HR, 30-steal guy while playing a quality center field.
Did the Dodgers just draft Jonathan Villar or Carl Crawford?
Based on the pre-draft rankings the Dodgers just stole their number one pick Jeren Kendall with the 23rd pick. I’ll be misspelling Jeren for a while unless I get to write it often.
MLB had him as their 6th top prospect. Baseball America had him at 18. John Sickels felt he was a top ten pick. David Hood of TrueblueLA had him as his 3rd top prospect.
Per Keith Law:
Jeren Kendall has proved himself to be a toolsy college player with a solid upside.
Speed is a key part of Kendall’s game. He stole 19 bases as a freshman in 2015 and increased that total to 28 in 2016. His hit tool does leave something to be desired because of his propensity to swing and miss. He’s struck out 60 times in 204 at-bats this season, per Vanderbilt’s athletic website.
Striking out in nearly 30 percent of your at-bats in college, even against SEC competition, doesn’t necessarily bode well for things to come against professional competition.
MLB.com’s scouting report notes Kendall’s “overall game draws comparisons to that of Jacoby Ellsbury, though his arm is significantly stronger.”
Kendall seems to have all five tools with the only caveat being his strikeout rate. Given his speed, he seems like someone who could steal 50 bases. I thought Drew Stubbs might show up as a comp but Drew never played enough to get 50 stolen bases.
Just for fun, I did a search for every player since 2000 who stole at least fifty bases while striking out at least 100 times.
Jonathan Villar anyone?
Player HR SB SO Year Age PA OPS Jonathan Villar 19 62 174 2016 25 679 .826 Hanley Ramirez 17 51 128 2006 22 700 .833 Scott Podsednik 12 70 105 2004 28 713 .677 Carl Crawford 11 50 112 2007 25 627 .820 Chone Figgins 9 52 100 2006 28 683 .712 Chone Figgins 8 62 101 2005 27 720 .749 Billy Hamilton 6 56 117 2014 23 611 .648 Tom Goodwin 6 55 117 2000 31 606 .698 Carl Crawford 5 55 102 2003 21 661 .671 Michael Bourn 3 61 140 2009 26 678 .738 Dee Gordon 2 64 107 2014 26 650 .704 Michael Bourn 2 61 140 2011 28 722 .734 Michael Bourn 2 52 109 2010 27 605 .686
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 6/12/2017.
No June Gloom for Dodgers
June Record 6 – 4
Overall Record 39 – 25
Position – 1 1/2 games back of the Rockies
By sweeping the potent Reds the Dodgers moved over .500 for June and kept the Rockies in their sights. The Rockies won seven in a row until yesterday, so it was imperative the Dodgers make hey against the Red pitching, and they did just that.
The offense in June is being led once again by Cody Bellinger who blasted three home runs over the weekend. Corey Seager’s bat also woke up and he obliterated the production of his competition for all-star shortstop.
I hedged my bets on Seager. I said I voted for Cosart but also expected Seager to make me look like a fool.
I expect Cory Seager to hit three or four home runs and Zack Cozart to be punchless thus resulting in my ridicule for picking Cozart over Seager in the 2017 All-Star vote, along with misspelling his name in my tweet.
Chris Taylor has slowed down, and it would probably be wise to give him some time off. This is not a guy who has ever played full time before so you could easily expect him to be getting some fatigue. He currently sports the second most plate appearances for the month.
On May 9th, no one expected Chase Utley to lay claim to the starting 2nd baseman job, but one month later he has done exactly that. With the return of Turner, and the struggles of Forsythe, Chase will probably be getting most starts against RHP until he slows down.
Puig is doing just enough to warrant starting full time but it is a far cry from what we were hoping for.
Several regulars are holding back the Dodger offense. Grandal, Gonzalez, and Forsythe are all sporting an OPS less than or equal to .544. For Grandal this is just a mini slump but for Adrian Gonzalez this is starting to get worrying.
I expect Forsythe to break out of his slump but in his career he has only played in small market teams who have never had a winning season. Maybe he’s having trouble adjusting to playing in games that count every day.
I hadn’t noticed how bad Kiké Hernandez had been this month. Just the one extra base hit in June after being an extra base hit machine in April/May.
One interesting note in June. I don’t normally include the stolen base totals because the Dodgers don’t run but in June they Dodgers have stolen nine bases and have been caught only once. Chris Taylor and Cody Bellinger both have three steals each. The rest of the year the Dodgers had twenty-one stolen bases but were caught eight times.
Player Split HR PA 2B RBI SB CS BB SO OBP SLG OPS Corey Seager June 2 45 4 7 0 0 7 7 .378 .514 .891 Chris Taylor June 1 39 3 5 3 0 3 10 .282 .389 .671 Cody Bellinger June 4 38 2 6 3 0 4 13 .316 .647 .963 Yasiel Puig June 0 35 3 2 2 0 5 5 .371 .367 .738 Chase Utley June 1 32 2 3 0 0 7 2 .438 .480 .918 Yasmani Grandal June 1 32 1 2 0 0 0 12 .188 .313 .500 Adrian Gonzalez June 0 31 2 3 0 1 2 5 .258 .286 .544 Logan Forsythe June 0 30 0 0 0 0 2 13 .133 .071 .205 Enrique Hernandez June 1 23 0 1 1 0 2 7 .174 .238 .412 Austin Barnes June 0 18 0 1 0 0 1 4 .333 .294 .627 Brett Eibner June 0 11 0 0 0 0 1 5 .182 .100 .282 Justin Turner June 1 10 0 2 0 0 0 2 .500 .778 1.278 Franklin Gutierrez June 0 10 0 3 0 0 0 3 .200 .200 .400
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 6/12/2017.
Dodgers newest weapon – the Piggyback
With the plethora of starting pitching who can’t pitch past the fifth inning, the Dodgers may have found a way to turn a struggling asset into a strength.
Two weeks ago when they moved Ryu to the bullpen he piggybacked with Kenta Maeda to give the Dodgers a 7 – 3 victory over the Cardinals. In that game, Kenta went the first five and Ryu the final four. Ryu was so brilliant in relief he quickly reclaimed his role in the rotation.
Last night after Kenta was moved to the bullpen the exact same thing happened but in a different order and one different pitcher. Rich Hill struggled through his five innings, and this time Kenta Maeda finished up with four sparkling innings in the Dodgers 7 – 2 victory over the Reds.
As long as egos are put aside this could help a team but it will only work if the manager does not yank the 2nd pitcher for a pinch hitter in a close game. The Dodgers have been lucky enough to have a large enough lead that they can afford to let the second pitcher finish the game. They won’t have that luxury if they are behind or in a close game.
Last night’s game might have been a turning point in how the Dodgers view Adrian Gonzalez going forward. The Dodgers had an off day on Thursday and still sat Gonzalez against an LHP, deciding to go with the struggling Cody Bellinger instead. I find it telling that Bellinger is struggling and still got the call over Gonzalez.
I’m curious to see what lineup will Dave Roberts used today. Will he use Chase at 2nd signaling a possible future platoon role for Chase or will he give Logan more time to figure out his slump against RHP? Is Chris Taylor ever going to get a day off? Taylor has played in every game this month starting seven of the eight. Don’t be surprised if Kiké gets the start in CF tonight.
The Big Red Machine is coming into town
This ain’t the Bench/Morgan/Perez/Foster version but this version kicks ass the same way. The offense was already one of the best in the National League this year, but they have ratcheted it up a notch in June, and have been the best hitting team in June.
Talk about firing on all cylinders:
| Name | OPS | wOBA | wRC+ | PA | HR | R | RBI |
| Joey Votto | 1.247 | 0.513 | 221 | 31 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Zack Cozart | 1.114 | 0.46 | 187 | 33 | 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Scooter Gennett | 1.192 | 0.491 | 207 | 26 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| Adam Duvall | 0.962 | 0.418 | 159 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Eugenio Suarez | 0.814 | 0.357 | 119 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Tucker Barnhart | 0.841 | 0.351 | 115 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Scott Schebler | 0.900 | 0.391 | 141 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Devin Mesoraco | 0.853 | 0.356 | 118 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Patrick Kivlehan | 0.904 | 0.376 | 131 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Arismendy Alcantara | 0.637 | 0.262 | 56 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Billy Hamilton | 0.414 | 0.196 | 13 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Jose Peraza | 0.394 | 0.172 | -2 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Other quick notes:
- Ex – Dodger Scotty Schebler is tied for the NL lead in home runs with 17.
- Ex – Dodger Jose Peraza is basically the only healthy Red not hitting in June. Peraza does have fourteen stolen bases which are good enough to be tied for 5th in the NL.
- Joey Votto does not have the highest OBP on his team even though his OBP is .423 for the season. That honor belongs to Zach Cozart who clocks in at .430. I think this is the first time I’ve ever done a Reds report that Votto does not have the highest OBP on his team.
- Zack Cosart became Honus Wagner this year and he’s carried it over 230 plate appearances.
- The Giants could sure use Adam Duvall in LF. The Dodgers and Giants have combined to give the Reds 31 home runs in the outfield this year between Duvall and Schebler.
- The Red pitching is horrific. This would be a good series to go to the stadium. They are the worst pitching team in the NL.
I expect Cory Seager to hit three or four home runs and Zack Cozart to be punchless thus resulting in my ridicule for picking Cozart over Seager in the 2017 All-Star vote, along with misspelling his name in my tweet.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 