On this day in baseball – Frank Robinson rolls a 541 home run off of Luis Tiant
On this day, future HOF, future Triple Crown Winner, and future Dodger Frank Robinson hit a home run out of old Baltimore Memorial Stadium that was measured to roll 541 feet.
The ball cleared the football press box (Memorial Stadium was also home to the then-Baltimore Colts), then a good 50 rows of bleachers, then a 12-foot TV camera before disappearing for good. After traveling some 450 feet in the air, it finally landed on the street outside the ballpark and rolled another 100 feet, where it was found by two teenagers who happened to be walking by.
The home run was the first earned run allowed by Tiant and it was already May 8th, 1966. That home run was just a precursor to the kind of season that Robinson would have as the “old for 30” Robby would win the Triple Crown and lead his Orioles to a four-game sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 1966 World Championship.
MLB surprises on May 8th
We are now six weeks into the season and some huge surprises continue to dominate the baseball landscape.
You would have to be living under a baseball rock to not know that Ryan Zimmerman has emerged from his three-year cocoon to become the spring butterfly of 2017 major league baseball. Zimmerman has a ton of fun stats but the coolest stat might be that on May 8th, 2017 he already has more WAR 2.3 than his three previous seasons combined which were 1.2 / .6 / -1.3 respectively.
My other favorite Zimmerman stat is that he leads the league in both doubles and home runs with 12 and 13. I think Albert Belle was the last player to lead the major leagues in doubles (50) and home runs (52) back in 1995.
Everyone knows what Aaron Judge and Eric Thames are doing but how about the potent Red duo of Eugenio Suarez and Zach Cosart? The best offensive SS in baseball per Fangraphs is Zach Cosart, not Cory Seager or Carlos Correa. Hey, did you see Tim Beckham on this list. You did, and he belongs. His exit velocity has been outstanding in 2017.
| Name | wOBA | wRC+ | PA | ISO | Team |
| Zack Cozart | 0.434 | 166 | 112 | 0.245 | Reds |
| Francisco Lindor | 0.381 | 147 | 135 | 0.297 | Indians |
| Corey Seager | 0.372 | 132 | 131 | 0.196 | Dodgers |
| Xander Bogaerts | 0.358 | 126 | 112 | 0.078 | Red Sox |
| Tim Beckham | 0.336 | 119 | 113 | 0.236 | Rays |
| Elvis Andrus | 0.344 | 118 | 130 | 0.195 | Rangers |
| Chris Owings | 0.358 | 114 | 117 | 0.191 | Diamondbacks |
| Carlos Correa | 0.325 | 111 | 128 | 0.149 | Astros |
| Asdrubal Cabrera | 0.32 | 99 | 116 | 0.125 | Mets |
| Andrelton Simmons | 0.3 | 96 | 132 | 0.093 | Angels |
Third base is loaded but Suarez is holding his own with the best players in baseball. Rangers haven’t missed Beltre yet with Gallo doing his own Chris Davis interpretation.
| Name | wRC+ | wOBA | PA | ISO | Team |
| Miguel Sano | 192 | 0.445 | 123 | 0.34 | Twins |
| Eugenio Suarez | 166 | 0.435 | 121 | 0.283 | Reds |
| Justin Turner | 162 | 0.419 | 122 | 0.132 | Dodgers |
| Jose Ramirez | 150 | 0.386 | 127 | 0.236 | Indians |
| Kris Bryant | 148 | 0.403 | 150 | 0.238 | Cubs |
| Josh Harrison | 133 | 0.376 | 118 | 0.19 | Pirates |
| Chase Headley | 129 | 0.355 | 123 | 0.167 | Yankees |
| Joey Gallo | 128 | 0.359 | 119 | 0.346 | Rangers |
| Manny Machado | 126 | 0.353 | 133 | 0.254 | Orioles |
| Nolan Arenado | 124 | 0.392 | 133 | 0.3 | Rockies |
On the pitching side, this is the current WAR leaderboard:
| Name | Team | WAR | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | GB% |
| Chris Sale | Red Sox | 2.4 | 51.2 | 12.72 | 1.92 | 39.60% |
| James Paxton | Mariners | 1.7 | 37.2 | 10.75 | 2.63 | 39.80% |
| Jason Vargas | Royals | 1.4 | 37.2 | 8.36 | 1.67 | 41.70% |
| Ivan Nova | Pirates | 1.3 | 42 | 5.79 | 0.21 | 50.40% |
| Stephen Strasburg | Nationals | 1.2 | 40.2 | 7.97 | 2.43 | 52.60% |
| Mike Leake | Cardinals | 1.2 | 40.1 | 6.02 | 1.56 | 53.30% |
| Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 1.2 | 48.2 | 9.8 | 1.29 | 46.80% |
| Dylan Bundy | Orioles | 1.1 | 45.2 | 5.52 | 2.17 | 31.30% |
| Zack Greinke | Diamondbacks | 1.1 | 43.2 | 9.69 | 1.65 | 45.10% |
| Chase Anderson | Brewers | 1.1 | 34.2 | 7.79 | 3.12 | 40.90% |
Yup, that is Jason Vargas and Ivan Nova. Many felt Paxton had the stuff to be an elite pitcher so not quite the surprise of the long time journeyman Vargas. Nova had a remarkable resurgence after being traded to the Pirates, and it looks to be holding. So when people say that Rich Hill was the best pitching FA available, they may want to change that tune.
Nice to see Zack Greinke coming back.
I guess that package for Sale was worth it. He’s at full value right now.
Bellinger and the LAD multiple HR multiple position list
Eric Stephen put together a nice list of the exploits by Cody Bellinger based on what he had done in his first eleven career games. However, the one stat that fascinates me was the one where he had hit multiple home runs from multiple positions.
I had to update this column because Cody Bellinger keeps hitting multiple home runs from multiple positions. When I first wrote this in May, Cody had just completed the task of hitting two home runs in the same game from both 1st base and LF. I wrote this:
The two home runs on May 5th put him in some interesting company. Bellinger is now the youngest LAD to ever hit two home runs at 1st base. He is also the second youngest to ever hit two home runs from left field. Which easily makes him the youngest to ever hit two home runs from multiple positions.
When Cody was first brought up he was put in LF to make up for the DL stint of Joc Pederson. He promptly hit two home runs while playing LF on April 29th. Eventually, Adrian Gonzalez hit the DL and Bellinger moved to his primary position of 1st base, and hit two home runs on May 5th.
Thus making Bellinger one of a handful of LAD players to hit multiple home runs while playing 1st base and LF.
Since I wrote that Cody has become one of the few to also hit multiple home runs from THREE different positions when he hit two home runs as a right fielder on June 25th, 2017.
Heading over to baseball reference I tried to put together a list of LAD who had hit home runs from multiple positions. It wasn’t easy so I had to parse out the seasons and upload them so I could manipulate the data. I’m 99% sure I got this right and this is what I found.
Cody Bellinger joined Mike Marshall and Rick Monday as the only LAD who did it from three positions. Marshall did it as a 1st baseman, LF, and RF. Rick Monday did it from every outfield position. Cody has done from 1st, LF, and now RF.
Pedro Guerrero came oh so close to making the triple list. He already had done it as a 3rd baseman and right fielder. On Sept 12, 1984 he started the game as a 1st baseman and hit a home run in the 3rd as a 1st baseman. Unfortunately, he was switched out from 1st to RF and hit a second home run in the 9th but as an RF so alas he does not qualify.
Below is the list. The Date is the first time they hit multiple home runs at that position. HMT stands for “How Many Times. For example, Andre Ethier hit multiple home runs as an RF, eleven times with the first being on 8/17/2008. Sorted by first name.
| Player | Date | H | HR | Pos | HMT |
| Al Ferrara | 5/20/1967 | 3 | 2 | LF | 1 |
| Al Ferrara | 6/7/1966 | 3 | 2 | RF | 1 |
| Andre Ethier | 7/24/2006 | 4 | 2 | LF | 1 |
| Andre Ethier | 8/17/2008 | 3 | 2 | RF | 11 |
| Cody Bellinger | 6/25/2017 | 3 | 2 | RF | 1 |
| Cody Bellinger | 5/5/2017 | 3 | 2 | 1B | 4 |
| Cody Bellinger | 4/29/2017 | 2 | 2 | LF | 1 |
| Cory Snyder | 4/17/1994 | 3 | 3 | 1B | 1 |
| Cory Snyder | 8/14/1993 | 2 | 2 | RF | 1 |
| Duke Snider | 8/5/1959 | 3 | 2 | CF | 2 |
| Duke Snider | 6/19/1959 | 2 | 2 | RF | 1 |
| Frank Howard | 4/29/1961 | 3 | 2 | 1B | 1 |
| Frank Howard | 8/25/1961 | 2 | 2 | RF | 1 |
| Franklin Stubbs | 4/21/1987 | 3 | 2 | 1B | 1 |
| Franklin Stubbs | 6/24/1986 | 3 | 2 | LF | 2 |
| Gil Hodges | 5/4/1959 | 4 | 2 | 1B | 3 |
| Gil Hodges | 9/7/1958 | 3 | 2 | 3B | 1 |
| J.D. Drew | 6/2/2005 | 2 | 2 | CF | 2 |
| J.D. Drew | 5/2/2006 | 3 | 2 | RF | 2 |
| Jayson Werth | 6/26/2005 | 2 | 2 | CF | 1 |
| Jayson Werth | 8/6/2004 | 2 | 2 | LF | 1 |
| Jim Lefebvre | 5/7/1966 | 3 | 2 | 2B | 2 |
| Jim Lefebvre | 4/14/1966 | 2 | 2 | 3B | 1 |
| Joe Ferguson | 8/25/1973 | 3 | 2 | C | 6 |
| Joe Ferguson | 5/25/1975 | 2 | 2 | RF | 2 |
| Justin Turner | 9/23/2014 | 2 | 2 | 2B | 1 |
| Justin Turner | 6/17/2016 | 3 | 2 | 3B | 2 |
| Marquis Grissom | 5/2/2001 | 2 | 2 | CF | 2 |
| Marquis Grissom | 5/26/2001 | 2 | 2 | LF | 2 |
| Matt Kemp | 4/19/2009 | 3 | 2 | CF | 6 |
| Matt Kemp | 7/29/2014 | 3 | 2 | RF | 1 |
| Mike Marshall | 5/3/1988 | 3 | 2 | 1B | 1 |
| Mike Marshall | 4/22/1984 | 5 | 2 | LF | 1 |
| Mike Marshall | 8/3/1983 | 3 | 2 | RF | 7 |
| Pedro Guerrero | 5/15/1983 | 2 | 2 | 3B | 2 |
| Pedro Guerrero | 6/14/1985 | 2 | 2 | LF | 3 |
| Pedro Guerrero | 5/9/1981 | 2 | 2 | RF | 2 |
| Raul Mondesi | 4/25/1995 | 3 | 2 | CF | 2 |
| Raul Mondesi | 8/1/1995 | 3 | 2 | RF | 12 |
| Rick Monday | 6/20/1977 | 3 | 2 | CF | 4 |
| Rick Monday | 5/26/1983 | 2 | 2 | LF | 2 |
| Rick Monday | 9/12/1981 | 2 | 2 | RF | 1 |
| Scott Van Slyke | 6/9/2014 | 3 | 2 | CF | 1 |
| Scott Van Slyke | 5/17/2013 | 2 | 2 | RF | 1 |
| Shawn Green | 5/6/2004 | 2 | 2 | 1B | 3 |
| Shawn Green | 4/30/2000 | 2 | 2 | RF | 15 |
| Todd Hollandsworth | 7/18/1995 | 3 | 2 | CF | 1 |
| Todd Hollandsworth | 5/11/1996 | 3 | 2 | LF | 1 |
| Tommy Davis | 7/30/1960 | 2 | 2 | CF | 1 |
| Tommy Davis | 5/12/1962 | 2 | 2 | LF | 2 |
| Wally Moon | 4/19/1961 | 3 | 2 | LF | 2 |
| Wally Moon | 1959-09-11 (1) | 2 | 2 | RF | 1 |
| Willie Crawford | 9/20/1973 | 3 | 2 | LF | 1 |
| Willie Crawford | 1974-07-05 (2) | 2 | 2 | RF | 1 |
Al Ferrara nicknamed “The Bull” was one of my early Dodger favorites. I never got to see him play. He was simply a favorite because he hit 16 home runs in 1967 on a team where no one hit home runs.
It is easy to forget just how great a LAD Andre Ethier has been. I was hoping he’d have one more year left in his tank but with his back injury and the logjam, he’d be facing when/if he ever gets off the DL, that is looking very doubtful.
I could go on and on about everyone on this list and maybe some other time I will.
I’ll just leave it with this.
Frank Howard only started six games as a LAD 1st baseman. The fact he hit two home runs while playing in one of those six games to make this list made me smile.
LAD pinch hitters are ruling the day
The LAD have a long history of productive pinch hitters but in 2016 the tough role only produced a .567 OPS and that included the great work by Andrew Toles. In 2017 however, they are hitting like Manny Mota, Lee Lacy, Lenny Harris, Mike Sharperson and Olmedo Saenz combined. It is only May 6th and four Dodgers already have at least three pinch hits and the pinch hitting group sports an OPS of .876. The group is led by Chris Taylor who is four for seven so far.
Clearly, Adrian Gonzalez is ready for his new role.
Andrew Toles had eight pinch hits in 2016 and three more in 2017. He is on his way to being one of the best 21st-century LAD pinch hitters.
Name PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI OPS Chris Taylor 7 2 4 0 0 1 4 1.571 Andrew Toles 10 1 3 1 0 0 1 .844 Adrian Gonzalez 6 0 3 0 0 0 2 1.583 Franklin Gutierrez 4 2 3 1 0 0 0 1.750 Scott Van Slyke 13 2 1 0 0 0 1 .322 Chase Utley 10 3 1 0 0 0 0 .543 Enrique Hernandez 5 1 1 1 0 0 1 .600 Joc Pederson 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .500 Justin Turner 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 2.500 Yasmani Grandal 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 2.000 Team Total 71 13 20 3 0 2 11 .876
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/6/2017.
Bellinger goes boom
Cody Bellinger stepped right into Adrian Gonzalez’s big shoes last night and set a few records when he slugged two home runs. Bellinger became the youngest LAD first baseman to ever hit two home runs in a game. Before that James Loney owned the feat.
Below is every LAD 1st baseman to perform the feat sorted by youngest to oldest.
Player Age Date PA 2B 3B HR RBI Cody Bellinger 21.296 2017-05-05 5 0 0 2 4 James Loney 22.144 2006-09-28 5 1 0 2 9 James Loney 23.123 2007-09-07 4 0 0 2 2 Frank Howard 24.264 1961-04-29 4 0 0 2 6 Steve Garvey 24.274 1973-09-22 5 0 0 2 4 Ron Fairly 25.009 1963-07-21(2) 5 1 0 2 6 Steve Garvey 25.116 1974-04-17 5 0 0 2 4 Steve Garvey 25.152 1974-05-23 4 0 0 2 3 Eric Karros 25.201 1993-05-24 3 0 0 2 2 Eric Karros 25.293 1993-08-24 5 0 0 2 6 Greg Brock 25.338 1983-05-18 5 0 0 2 6 Ron Fairly 26.003 1964-07-15 5 0 0 2 5 Hee-Seop Choi 26.051 2005-05-06 5 1 0 2 3 Hee-Seop Choi 26.086 2005-06-10 5 0 0 2 3 Hee-Seop Choi 26.088 2005-06-12 4 0 0 3 3 Franklin Stubbs 26.182 1987-04-21 5 0 0 2 5 Wes Parker 26.204 1966-06-05(1) 6 0 0 2 4 Eric Karros 26.263 1994-07-25 5 1 0 2 4 Steve Garvey 26.276 1975-09-24 6 1 0 2 6 Norm Larker 27.186 1958-07-01 5 1 0 2 4 Andy Kosco 27.216 1969-05-09 5 0 0 2 5 Eric Karros 27.230 1995-06-22 4 0 0 2 2 Eric Karros 27.271 1995-08-02 5 1 0 2 4 Greg Brock 27.345 1985-05-25 4 0 0 2 5 Ron Fairly 28.027 1966-08-08 5 1 0 2 3 Greg Brock 28.028 1985-07-12 5 0 0 2 4 Pedro Guerrero 28.075 1984-09-12 5 0 0 2 4 Mike Marshall 28.112 1988-05-03 5 1 0 2 5 Steve Garvey 28.186 1977-06-26(2) 5 0 0 2 3 Steve Garvey 28.189 1977-06-29 5 0 0 2 2 Eric Karros 28.239 1996-06-30 6 0 0 2 2 Steve Garvey 28.249 1977-08-28 5 3 0 2 5 Greg Brock 28.354 1986-06-03 5 1 0 2 4 Greg Brock 29.057 1986-08-10 4 0 0 2 3 Steve Garvey 29.174 1978-06-14 4 0 0 2 2 Eric Karros 29.222 1997-06-14 5 0 0 2 3 Steve Garvey 29.229 1978-08-08 4 0 0 2 3 Eric Karros 29.239 1997-07-01 4 0 0 2 3 Steve Garvey 30.116 1979-04-17 5 0 0 2 3 Adrian Gonzalez 30.138 2012-09-23 4 0 0 2 2 Eric Karros 30.229 1998-06-21 4 0 0 2 4 Eric Karros 30.292 1998-08-23 5 1 0 2 5 Adrian Gonzalez 31.114 2013-08-30 4 0 0 2 4 Steve Garvey 31.149 1980-05-19 4 0 0 2 2 Cory Snyder 31.157 1994-04-17 5 0 0 3 7 Shawn Green 31.178 2004-05-06 5 0 0 2 4 Eric Karros 31.228 1999-06-20 3 0 0 2 2 Eric Karros 31.246 1999-07-08 5 0 0 2 2 Eric Karros 31.255 1999-07-17 5 0 0 2 5 Eric Karros 31.260 1999-07-22(2) 5 0 0 2 4 Shawn Green 31.285 2004-08-21 4 0 0 2 5 Shawn Green 31.308 2004-09-13 4 0 0 2 2 Adrian Gonzalez 32.122 2014-09-07 4 0 0 2 6 Steve Garvey 32.123 1981-04-24 5 0 0 2 4 Adrian Gonzalez 32.135 2014-09-20 5 0 0 2 5 Eric Karros 32.156 2000-04-08 5 1 0 2 2 Eric Karros 32.192 2000-05-14 5 0 0 2 5 Eric Karros 32.292 2000-08-22 5 0 0 2 4 Adrian Gonzalez 32.335 2015-04-08 4 0 0 3 4 Adrian Gonzalez 33.070 2015-07-17 4 0 0 2 3 Eddie Murray 33.079 1989-05-14 5 0 0 2 5 Eddie Murray 33.156 1989-07-30 5 0 0 2 3 Eddie Murray 34.053 1990-04-18 5 0 0 2 3 Adrian Gonzalez 34.101 2016-08-17 5 0 0 2 5 Eddie Murray 34.105 1990-06-09 5 0 0 2 2 Adrian Gonzalez 34.106 2016-08-22 6 0 0 3 8 Gil Hodges 34.156 1958-09-07 4 0 0 2 3 Eddie Murray 34.162 1990-08-05 6 0 0 2 6 Gil Hodges 35.030 1959-05-04 4 1 0 2 2 Gil Hodges 35.051 1959-05-25 5 0 0 2 4 Gil Hodges 35.077 1959-06-20 4 0 0 2 2 Ron Coomer 36.292 2003-09-06 4 0 0 2 3 Ken Boyer 37.106 1968-09-03 5 0 0 2 3 Fred McGriff 39.306 2003-09-02 4 0 0 2 3
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/6/2017.
Padre Preview 05/05/17 – Castaways & Prospects
The Padres have been about as bad as I expected. The rotation of castaways is fulfilling their destiny but it is the offense that has been the bigger problem for the last place bound Padres.
According to FanGraphs, their starting pitching is 10th in the league which means five teams have been worse. Which is kind of surprising when you consider the rotation consists of Perdomo, Weaver, Cahill, Richard, and Chacin. Cahill and Perdomo have been effective, so maybe the Padres did find a future starter in Perdomo. No one really knew what they had with him being a Rule 5 pick in 2016 but he seems to be growing into this role. Everyone else is simply a placeholder.
The bullpen which I thought could be a strength is 9th in the NL but the closer Brandon Mauer and left-handed setup man Brad Hand are doing great work. Strangely enough, Quackenbush was recalled, hurled four scoreless innings, and was rewarded by being sent back to AAA. I guess they feel they have lots of better options. Of course, they do.
It is the offense, not the pitching that has the Padres fighting the Giants for the last place. They are 15th of 15 NL teams. With a team wOBA of .287 let’s find out who is underperforming.
It is not Wil Myers who is having a fantastic season and would be a slam dunk to be the lone All-Star rep for the Padres if not for the logjam of fantastic 1st baseman in the NL. Just to remind you who those are – Ryan Zimmerman (Mr. April), Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt, Eric Thames, and Freddie fucking Freeman. The top six first baseman in wOBA are all NL 1st baseman.
Rookie CF Manuel Margot is holding his own as their leadoff hitter. He’s not setting the world on fire but he’s been adequate.
Solarte moved to 2nd base and he’s also been adequate at 2nd. He’s hitting, just not like he did in 2016.
Shortstop Erick Aybar has been bad, but he’s not the worst in the NL. That honor belongs to Dansby Swanson who got Dave Stewart a lot of flack when he was traded for Shelby Miller. Swanson will recover but man, has he sucked in 2017.
Ryan Schimpf is his own story. The man owns a .143 batting average but has an OBP over .300. They should change the three outcome award to the Ryan Schimpf award.
The biggest culprit is Hunter Renfroe the behemoth right fielder who crushed the Dodgers last Sept when they visited Petco. Renfroe has not been able to carry the Sept success into the 2017 season and currently sports a wOBA of .259. That is not the worst in the NL for right fielders, both Cargo and Granderson have struggled more.
Jabari Blash has been brought up to help play LF. The speedy Jankowski is on the DL. Jankowski had replaced the injured Alex Dickerson so now they are three deep on the depth chart. Jabari is big. That is all I got, he’s looks awful so far. Cory Spangenberg the infielder has also been playing a little LF and has been average so far. He looks like he could be an average player.
Austin Hedges started out slow got a little hot and hit a bunch of home runs in mid-late April but his offense over the last seven days has been non-existent.
Over the past seven days:
Hot:
Myers 9 for 28, Spangenberg 7 for 21
Cold:
Margot 6 for 25, 1 XBH, Aybar 5 for 24, 1 XBH, Hedges 4 for 23, 1BH, Renfroe 2 for 21, 1 XBH
Injury Report:
| Travis Jankowski | Foot | 10-Day DL |
| Jarred Cosart | Hamstring | 10-Day DL |
| Carter Capps | Elbow | 10-Day DL |
| Christian Friedrich | Side | 10-Day DL |
| Buddy Baumann | Undisclosed | 10-Day DL |
| Alex Dickerson | Back | 60-Day DL |
| Robbie Erlin | Elbow | 60-Day DL |
Edwin Rios going for two POTW honors in a row
Edwin Rios won the Texas League player of the week for the week ending 04/30/17.
Rios went 13-for-24 with four doubles and six RBI over the six games that earned him honors, good for a .542/.538/.708 battling line. Rios’ best performance came April 24, when he was 5-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI.
Not willing to settle for one player of the week, Rios is going for two in a row. His stats over the last ten games will blow your mind:
35 AB, 16 Hits, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB, and a .457 BA.
This week Rios has three home runs in only seven at-bats. His TSL for the season is .380 / .414 / .663.
Baseball America checked on him:
Edwin Rios, 3b, Dodgers. Few minor leaguers have been as hot of late as Rios. In the past 10 games, Rios is 16-for-35, and that includes two homers Thursday as Double-A Tulsa beat Arkansas (Mariners) 3-2. Rios drove in all three runs and now has six homers. The physical lefthanded hitter is now slashing .380/.414/.663
Steven Van Worth checked in back on April 30th:
After the series in Northwest Arkansas Rios felt the need to tweak his swing after two hitless outings. Since then he has faced Seattle’s top pitching prospects, Dylan Unsworth and Max Povse showing his continuous improvements in the box going 11-for 20 in a five-game hitting streak since 4/24. He discussed his batting tweaks with Michael Peng from milb.com after going 5-for-5 at OneOK Park against the Arkansas Travelers.
Rios is turning himself into the best positional trading chip the Dodgers have. He’s blocked at 1st base by Cody Bellinger, and he’s blocked at 3rd base (his natural position) by the long term deal Justin Turner signed this winter. Destroying AA would suggest he is close to the major leagues.
Don’t be surprised if Edwin Rios makes his major league debut for an organization not named the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Favorite LAD players by position?
Sometimes the comments at TBLA are stories within themselves. Yesterday they got off on the tangent of Best LAD lineup based on season and that transgressed into Favorite LAD Lineup based simply on players you saw and liked.
I’m going to take a swing at the favorite player lineup. Some of these would be easy for me, some hard.
Catcher – very easy, Mike Piazza because he was great and because he is still one of my top five favorite Dodgers.
1st base – this is tough for me. I grew up with Wes Parker, followed by Steve Garvey. Parker just didn’t do it for me. I enjoyed Garvey, he was a unique short first baseman. I’m going to hedge my bets here and say Steve Garvey but my feeling is that Cody Bellinger won’t take long to become my favorite LAD 1st baseman. I enjoy 1st baseman who can pick it, run, and also have power. It is crazy that after watching LAD 1st baseman for almost 50 years that we may have one who can do all three. Even if I may have to wait a few more years before he’s the regular 1st baseman. Parker played the outfield so I guess Bellinger can do the same until his time.
2nd Base – Lee Lacy – Yeah I know, complete head scratcher. I have a specific reason for not liking Lopes, and a specific reason for liking Lee Lacy. I will acknowledge that Davey Lopes had a brilliant Dodger career and is clearly the greatest LAD to ever play the position but this is about favorites.
Shortstop – No LAD has ever captured my imagination like Cory Seager. If Cody Seager had not shown up, I’m not sure who I would have put there, I haven’t been a fan of many Dodger shortstops. Would probably have to go back to Dodger Thoughts or TBLA archives to see who I put there five years or even ten years ago. That would be interesting, I do wonder how much I’ve changed my mind, I’m a mercurial sort.
3rd – This is tougher. Three excellent candidates in Cey / Beltre / Turner. I’m sure if Beltre had spent his career as a LAD he would beat out Ron Cey. But Ron Cey it is, I really enjoyed watching him especially in four world series. Justin Turner is gaining, I love watching him play.
CF – It should be Matt Kemp but it is Jimmy Wynn
RF – It has to be Reggie Smith, the greatest RF I’ve seen play Dodger Stadium. With all due respect to Shawn Green.
LF – Gary Sheffield was easily the best hitting LF in LAD history but I never liked Sheffield. I loved Pedro Guerrero and since he played enough LF, he takes the position.
Left-Hand-Starting-Pitcher – I never saw Sandy Koufax pitch except on video. This comes down to Clayton Kershaw and Fernando. Since Fernandomania was one of the greatest moments in my history and culminated with a World Championship, Fernando takes the spot even while acknowledging that Kershaw is the greatest regular season pitcher in LAD history.
Right-Hand-Starting-Pitcher – Yeah, it is Orel Hershiser. Loved the bulldog. If I’m tough on Clayton in October it is because of Orel/Sandy. Don Sutton gets an honorable mention because he was brilliant so many times for me in person and because he threw a shutout at my first game at the Ravine.
Right-Hand-Relief Pitcher – Gagne Gagne Gagne, though I was a big fan of 1974 Mike Marshall and Jansen may end up taking this spot. If you never saw a game that Gagne saved you missed one of the great Chavez Ravine experiences. His roid issues were a problem for me, but they can’t take away the sheer joy I enjoyed as a fan when he came into the game. Never saw anything like it before or since.
Left-Hand-Relief-Pitcher – Something about Hung-Chih Kuo struck a nerve with me as a fan. I always liked him. Jim Brewer, Terry Forster and especially Steve Howe get shoutouts. I never saw Perranowski pitch as a Dodger or he’d probably be the guy.
Probably no surprise that six of these players came from the 1974 – 1981 run of brilliant Dodger teams. When you go to the World Series four times while growing up with the team they leave a mark on you.
Struggling Loons
Just about one year ago the Dodgers drafted Gavin Lux with their first pick, and twentieth pick overall. He was considered the best SS in the draft not named Delvin Perez who was picked by the Cardinals with the twenty-third pick. Perez has yet to play in 2017 and Lux so far in 2017 has forgotten how to hit.
Lux got a late start to his 2017 and didn’t even get into a game until April 20th. You know that saying “making up for lost time”. That is not happening here. Lux is four for thirty-six, and all four hits have been singles giving him a TSL of .111 / .313 / .111. The only saving grace has been the ten walks.
But hey, at least he’s not Oneil Cruz who can’t hit or field in his first taste of baseball in the United States. Cruz has finally stopped his error a game antics but he still has ten errors. To be fair he has improved, I think he had ten errors a week ago, and they were making him play both 3rd and SS. Hitting, however, has not improved. Of his twelve hits, eleven have been singles. The SS/3rd is a tall dude at 6’6 and is just eighteen so I don’t want to be too rough on him. The Dodgers were probably a little too aggressive with the kid sticking him into a tough offensive environment for his first taste of the minors. His TSL right now is .141 / .213 / .176
Mitch Hansen was drafted in the 2nd round in 2015 and had a nice 2016 after a dismal debut in 2015. Like Lux, he started late this year, and like Lux, he is struggling to hit. He had several good games from April 24th – April 26th but that has been the extent of his offense in 2017. Of his measly ten hits, six of them came in that three-game stretch. Since that mini hot streak, he’s gone one for thirteen. Does his sound familiar? Of his ten hits, only two are for extra bases.
Cody Thomas isn’t quite the prospect the others are on this list. Thomas tore the cover off the ball for Ogden in 2016. Many hitters do that, and many of the same hitters struggle when promoted to the Midwest league. Cody Thomas is following that path. He hasn’t been as bad as the others on this list but he’s much older than they are. At this point, Thomas has a TSL of .183 / .272 / .366 but his biggest problem continues to be making contact. 30 strikeouts in 86 at-bats which is in line with what he did in 2016. I guess that is why David Hood felt he was a long shot. Rightly so.
MLB Prospect Rank:
- Gavin Lux – 7th
- Oneil Cruz – 21st
- Mitch Hanson – not ranked by MLB in 2017, but he was ranked 16th by TBLA prospect writer David Hood and was ranked 25th in 2017 by MLB
One final note. AJ Alexy who wowed everyone in April and won our Monthly Farm Factory award, rewarded our confidence by not being able to get three outs in his first start in May. Crap
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 