Author: Dennis Schlossman

Dodgers’ Ethier Avoids Potential Foul Ball Disaster

Published on by Dennis Schlossman1 Comment

Andre-Ethier6(Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

(Editor’s note: A more recent update regarding Andre Ethier’s injury was compiled on March 22)

Dodgers fans watching Friday’s Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks endured a bit of a scare in the fourth inning, as fan favorite Andre Ethier fouled a ball off his right leg and was eventually carted to the clubhouse.

Ethier was facing Arizona starter Zack Godley when he ripped a foul off the inside of his right shin. He fell to the ground and wavered with pain until trainer Neil Rampe and manager Dave Roberts arrived at his side.

Ethier was able to finish the at-bat and draw a walk, but was replaced by pinch-runner Rico Noel, who advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on a throwing error by Arizona catcher Welington Castillo.

Upon exiting the game, he limped noticeably to the Dodgers’ dugout, and ultimately needed the assistance of a golf cart to make it to the center field clubhouse.

Later Friday evening, X-rays taken on Ethier’s leg came back negative, but he’ll remain day-to-day with a severe bruise.

Upon observing the incident and seeing Ethier carted off the field, Roberts was immediately concerned.

“Just to see him work every day and how he prepares himself is pretty impressive, really,” Roberts told Doug Padilla of ESPN. “And he plays the game the right way. Just seeing him work every day I have grown to appreciate what kind of player he is. Obviously, again, I’m hopeful that there is no fracture or anything like that. We’ll see what happens.”

Ethier hit leadoff on Friday for the second time in three days for the Dodgers, and may be considered one of several options to bat first when the regular season begins on April 4. In more than 1,400 career regular season games since debuting with the Dodgers in 2006, he’s hit out of every spot in the order except leadoff.

Ethier ended up going 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored on Friday. So far this spring he’s hit safely in nine of his 10 games, going 10-for-23 (.435) with a .652 OBP and a .517 slugging percentage. He also has one home run, a triple and four walks to his credit. In his two games batting leadoff, he is 2 for 4 with two walks.

The 34-year old outfielder hit .294 in 2015, the best clip since his 2008 season, and collected 54 RBIs and 13 home runs, both his highest since 2012.

Dodgers’ Kazmir Says Pitching Mechanics Are “Fine”

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MLB: Spring Training-Los Angeles Dodgers at Los Angeles Angels(Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri/USA TODAY Sports)

After discussing the early progress of Japanese righty Kenta Maeda on Wednesday, today we’ll stay with the starting rotation, but change course a bit and have a quick peek at Dodgers’ left-hander Scott Kazmir.

Based on his first several outings of spring camp, the initial evaluations have not been good. Seeing a decrease in velocity and lack of consistent control, Kazmir may be creating feelings of apprehension among the Dodgers’ fan base, if only in the early stages of spring training.

Kazmir has made two “official” Cactus League starts so far, and the results have been dreadful. He’s tallied only 3-2/3 innings, surrendering 12 hits, two walks and seven earned runs, calculating to a 17.18 ERA and a 3.818 WHIP.

He was also able to work in a “B” game on Monday, facing a mix of White Sox major league and minor league hitters on the back fields at Camelback Ranch. Kazmir said his arm felt “great,” despite an ugly outcome.

Per Bill Shaikin of the LA Times:

“In the first inning, three of the first four batters got hits, and the Dodgers ended the inning because Kazmir had thrown enough pitches. In the second, two of the first three batters got hits, and the Dodgers ended that inning, too. In the third, Kazmir mostly abandoned his fastball, and he hit two batters on breaking pitches.”

Over the course of the first three weeks of spring training, his fastball has been measured at 84-88 MPH, after averaging over 93 MPH on his four-seamer in 2015.

“I’m not trying to overthrow. I’m still trying to build up arm strength,” Kazmir told Eric Stephen of True Blue LA. “That’s something that comes. You don’t try to let it go too much trying to get velocity. It’s about repeating delivery right now.”

He said he expects his velocity to increase as he builds arm strength over the next few weeks, and wants to continue to focus on sharpening his mechanics.

After the sim game on Monday, Kazmir told Stephen that developing a rhythm with his catchers is a point of emphasis for him during camp, and that he feels like he’s making progress.

“That’s what spring training is about, to have that relationship where he knows what I’m thinking and I know what he’s thinking. It’s at that point where we’re playing off each other, having a good rhythm, knowing how fast I like to work,” Kazmir said. “There are a lot of things in the pitcher-catcher relationship, and I feel like we ironed it out in the later innings.”

Despite the rough outings, Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts isn’t concerned.

“With veterans you definitely give them a little bit more rope. With a guy that’s proven and he’s done it, time and time again,” Roberts said. “There’s definitely no concern right now, and he knows the adjustments he needs to make.”

Kazmir was signed to a three-year, $48 million contract in December, which also includes a player clause to opt out after only one season. The deal involves deferred money as well, consisting of three payments of $8 million each, spread out from 2019-2021.

At 20 years of age, Kazmir began his career in Tampa Bay with Andrew Friedman as his GM. Despite his young age, Kazmir quickly became one of the better left-handed starting pitchers in the American League, primarily relying on a mid-90s fastball coupled with an extremely effective slider.

Nagging injuries led to inconsistencies from 2008-2011, and eventually forced Kazmir out of MLB entirely. After logging endless hours of individual work and persevering through several independent and winter league seasons, Kazmir signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians before the 2013 season and eventually earned a spot in their big league rotation .

Since returning to the Majors, Kazmir, who turns 32 in January, has compiled a 3.54 ERA with a 8.1 K/9 and a 2.6 BB/9. In 2015, he was 7-11 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.208 WHIP in 31 starts between Oakland and Houston, recording 155 strikeouts and 59 walks in 183 innings of work.

Kazmir hopes to help the Dodgers fill the void left by All-Star hurler Zack Greinke, who left for Arizona and $206 million.

The Dodgers already have three starting pitchers, Brett Anderson, Hyun-jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy, set to begin the season on the disabled list. Frankie Montas, who may be utilized as a starter at some point in the future, is already on the 60-day disabled list after having rib resection surgery.

Alex Wood, who has had minor setbacks due to forearm soreness, is expected to start against the Royals on Thursday.

Dodgers Starting Rotation: Kenta Maeda Making Early Impact

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(Photo Credit: Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press)

Without a doubt, the hottest topic among Dodgers fans everywhere this spring has been the state of the starting pitching rotation. While several injuries are already preventing numerous starters from being in uniform on Opening Day, the signing of Japanese righty Kenta Maeda this offseason is beginning to appear brilliant.

The rumor around baseball is that the irregularities in his physical examination drove down the price tag of his contract, as made apparent by the Dodgers and Maeda’s representation never officially releasing a statement. Regardless, if he stays healthy and resembles a little of what he’s shown so far this spring, the eight-year deal worth a guaranteed $25 million may begin to pay dividends early.

Upon joining the Dodgers in December, early expectations from team management and scouting pundits were that Maeda had the ceiling of a back end rotation guy — an innings eater type with the potential to fill the four or five slot. Now, with Brett Anderson out three to five months after back surgery, and Hyun-jin Ryu not expected back until at least May, any offerings resembling a No. 2 or even a No. 3 starter would truly be welcomed.

So far in camp, Maeda seems to be adjusting to pitching in his new country nicely. Making his third Cactus League start Tuesday against the White Sox, he tossed 3-2/3 innings, allowing two runs (neither earned) while striking out three and walking two.

Overall this spring, Maeda has thrown 8-2/3 innings over three starts, allowing seven hits, four walks and no earned runs, having struck out eight batters.

His walk and hits total may seem a bit high, but Maeda says he’s still getting a feel for the strike zone.

“There were times when I threw pitches on the corner that I wanted strikes on but were called balls,” Maeda told Kyodo of The Japan Times.

“Had I got them, I would have had more strikeouts. I think I’m going to have to establish my reputation among the umpires as a pitcher with good control,” he added.

“I’m still throwing some fat pitches, but I was able to get some strikeouts, so it was a learning experience. Next time I want to do a good job while increasing my innings and pitch count and not walking batters.”

For those unable to watch Maeda throw on television or video, his pitching motion is almost identical to Hisashi Iwakuma of the Mariners. It’s almost reminiscent of the delivery of Dodger legend Hideo Nomo, minus the hip twist. Here’s an example of Maeda tossing a breaking pitch:

As for his repertoire of pitches, he’s no Zack Greinke, but he’s shown four different types of pitches this spring. His fastball has been clocked in the 90-91 MPH range, while his slowest curveball came in at 70 MPH. His changeup and slider are almost indistinguishable on the gun at 80-81 MPH, which will play especially well against right-handed batters.

Maeda is also rumored to be working on a “front door” slider, which he learned from fellow countryman Hiroki Kuroda — a pitch designed to break late and tail back inside towards right-handed hitters.

Battery mate A.J. Ellis has been impressed with what he’s seen from Maeda thus far in camp.

“He made big pitches when he had to,” Ellis told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. “He did a great job. He’s fun to catch because he can do so many different things. His fastball up in the zone can really be enticing.”

In terms of culture, the language barrier and trying to live up to the fine careers of the Japanese legends who came before him, manager Dave Roberts said Maeda will have no problem adjusting.

“He’s going to fit in nicely,” Roberts said. “All we want is him to be himself. He can’t be Hideo or Kuroda or Kazuhisa.”

If spring training is any type of indication, Maeda will be just fine.

Dodgers Prospects: Caleb Dirks Making His Mark on the Farm

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Further exploring the seemingly infinite amount of talent in the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ farm system, we once again stumble across the bullpen, where the organization appears to be growing stronger with each passing season.

Last month, we took a look at the rapid advancement of hard-throwing righty Jacob Rhame. Today, we’ll take a quick glance at another youngster frequently mentioned around Camelback Ranch this spring — right-handed reliever Caleb Dirks.

Dirks was born in Arcadia, California and attended Woodcrest Christian School in Riverside — a stone’s throw away from LoanMart Field in Rancho Cucamonga.

After high school, Dirks attended California Baptist University, culminating his senior season with a 4-1 record, a 2.85 ERA and PacWest Academic All-Conference honors.

His collegiate teammate, Trevor Oaks, was selected by the Dodgers in the seventh round of the 2014 draft; and as the later rounds passed, Dirks kept his fingers crossed hoping that he too would join Oaks with the Dodgers. His wish never came true, however; as he was ultimately chosen in the 15th round by the Atlanta Braves.

During his initial year in the Atlanta organization, Dirks began with the Danville Braves in rookie league, where he posted a 0.96 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP along with 16 strikeouts in just over nine innings of work.

Valuing his success in the bullpen, the Braves quickly promoted him to low Class-A Rome that same season. While in Rome, Dirks pitched 23 innings over 14 appearances with a 2.74 ERA and 21 strikeouts.

He returned to Rome to begin the 2015 campaign, and after only 10 appearances and an ERA of 1.80, was quickly ushered to the High-A Carolina Mudcats‘ bullpen. With the Mudcats, he pitched 16.2 innings over 11 appearances giving up only eight hits and no earned runs while striking out 18 batters.

Then came the trade.

On July 2 of last year, the Dodgers traded their 87th international bonus pool slot to the Braves for Dirks and minor league outfielder Jordan Paroubeck.

There was enough time remaining in the 2015 season for a quick stop with the Quakes and eventually a promotion to Double-A to finish the year with the Drillers.

For Rancho Cucamonga, Dirks appeared in 10 innings over nine games, recording a 0.90 ERA and a .998 WHIP while ringing up 18 strikeouts and allowing just one earned run. He closed out the season by posting a 1.35 ERA, a .975 WHIP, and fanning 17 batters in just under 14 innings of work in Tulsa.

Still only 22 years old, his quick success in the minors earned him a non-roster invite to the Dodgers’ 2016 spring training camp in Glendale.

Dirks doesn’t throw as hard as Rhame, but can still dial up his heater to about 94 MPH consistently. He compliments his fastball with a solid average slider and changeup. He patterns all his pitches off his fastball, and throws everything from the same arm slot. He uses his 6’4″, 225 lb. frame to create a very unorthodox, yet deceptive delivery, employing a hop-like motion as he pushes off the rubber. He keeps the ball hidden until the very last moment of the release point. His fastball doesn’t have a ton of movement, but his location points are strong, nonetheless.

While he pitches toward the back of the bullpen in the minors, his upside is more likely that of a middle reliever when he’s called up to the bigs.

Dirks fought through back issues early in camp, and although he didn’t officially appear in any Cactus League games, he was able to log some very valuable bullpen sessions and simulated situations, with the likes of special assistant Greg Maddux, pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and bullpen coach Josh Bard watching him throw and offering feedback.

“I focused on trying to get ahead early in counts, and then with two strikes whether to go fastball up or to use my slider,” Dirks told Eric Stephen of True Blue LA. “For me the biggest thing is just getting ahead early and staying on the attack, not trying to be too fine around the zone, and not putting the hitters in hitters’ counts, because that’s when it can be difficult to pitch.”

Dirks was among the first wave of players cut and reassigned to minor league camp on Monday, but similar to any ambitious young hurler, found the spring experience to be invaluable. The opportunity to spend time with the big league coaching staff and veteran relievers like J.P. Howell, Kenley Jansen, Jamey Wright and Joe Blanton will prove to be extremely beneficial down the road.

Dirks will likely head to the Oklahoma City bullpen to begin the regular season, and depending on the health of the Dodgers’ relievers throughout the year, could conceivably see major league action at some point in 2016.

(Photo Credit: Tomo San/LA Dodgers)

Dodgers’ Seager Could Miss Beginning of Season

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When the MRI results came back and revealed a mild sprain of the left knee, many Dodgers fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief. However, after the dust settled and the possibility arose of prized shortstop Corey Seager missing the beginning of the regular season, a bit of minor panic surfaced once again.

Pain in the knee forced Seager to leave in the third inning of an 8-4 spring training loss to the Angels on Friday. He initially felt the pain in the outer part of his knee while rounding first base after hitting a single in the first inning. He was eventually replaced at short by Charlie Culberson.

Seager himself said that he feared the worst.

Depending on when he’s healthy enough to return to baseball activities, there may not be enough time before Opening Day to prepare him with the necessary number of swings and infield repetitions to be entirely ready.

When Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts was approached for comment, he said that he was still gathering information, but wouldn’t rule out Seager beginning the season on the disabled list.

On Saturday, we discussed how abundantly deep the Dodgers were at second base, and although there are a number of fine gloves defensively, the depth at shortstop pales in comparison offensively.

In terms of the depth chart, Enrique Hernandez is likely next in line to cover for Seager, followed by non-roster invitees Culberson, Elian Herrera and Brandon Hicks.

The possibility does exist of sliding Justin Turner over to short and having Rob Segedin provide cover at third until Seager is ready, but Turner himself has been rehabbing his own knee after surgery, and hopes to make his Cactus League debut Monday as designated hitter. All efforts with Turner will be getting him ready to play third.

When asked by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman expressed that the injury is short term, and that the team wouldn’t need to do anything drastic in terms of shuffling players before Seager’s return.

“It’s nothing long term,” Friedman said. “As soon as he’s asymptomatic, he’ll be back. A week or two. There’s no tear, there’s no surgery, nothing more than treating and waiting until he’s asymptomatic and getting him back on the field. He was still feeling sore, but after we checked we’re confident it’s nothing that will linger long term.”

In five Cactus League games this year, Seager is hitting .231 (3-for-13) with a double.

After being called up from Triple-A Oklahoma last September, he slashed .337/.425/.561 in 27 games played for the Dodgers.

Seager is the preseason, consensus favorite to win National League Rookie of the Year honors.

(Photo Credit: John Locher/AP)

Dodgers Prospects: Will Micah Johnson Finally Break Through?

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Being familiar with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization for over thirty years, it’s very difficult to remember a time when the team had as much depth as it does now. In the past, it seemed as if the club was abundantly stacked at one or two positions (starting pitching always being the most unmissable), but heading into the 2016 campaign, the Dodgers appear to be well rounded at almost every spot on the field.

Some positions are deeper than others, but one of the deepest spots on the diamond right now could very well be second base.

At the beginning of the winter, after Howie Kendrick elected to test the free agent market, it looked as if incumbent utility man Enrique Hernandez had a legitimate claim to man the keystone. However, concerned with Hernandez’s past success against right-handed pitching, the club re-signed Chase Utley, which created a presumable working platoon at second. At that point, it appeared the Dodgers were set at second base, with the future looking even brighter as Jose Peraza continued to climb the prospect rankings.

Then came the three-team deal with the Reds and White Sox in December which netted the Dodgers second baseman Micah Johnson, outfielder Trayce Thompson and pitcher Frankie Montas. Third baseman Todd Frazier landed in Chicago, while the Dodgers sent Peraza, outfielder Scott Schebler and infielder Brandon Dixon to Cincinnati. All three prospects the Dodgers scored were very much considered to be MLB-ready.

All at once, the Dodgers became even deeper in terms of reserve players and minor league depth.

Subsequently, when the bottom fell out of the second base free agent market, the Dodgers were able to bring back Kendrick on a very economical two-year deal. There was talk about both Kendrick and Utley possibly getting time at third base, but the consensus around camp right now is that they’ll share time at second, while Hernandez likely slips back into his super-utility role.

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So where does that leave Micah Johnson?

When healthy, the presences of Kendrick and Utley keep him in Oklahoma City, but at the first sign of injury, Johnson will be among the first players to get the call to help man second base. Outside of providing secondary depth, the Dodgers’ immediate interest in Johnson could be for his speed on the basepaths, and for his usefulness in late game situations as a pinch runner once rosters expand, or maybe even in the playoffs.

Johnson’s best assets by far are his overall speed and his quick first step. His run tool is rated a 75 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. Johnson was successful on 28 steals in 35 attempts at Triple-A in 2015, and stole as many as 84 bases in 2013 between Single-A Kannapolis and Double-A Birmingham. In 143 career games at the Triple-A level, he swiped 40 bases in 53 attempts (75.5 percent).

In terms of offense, Johnson has always found success at Triple-A, but hasn’t found much consistency in his limited time in the majors. He hit .315/.375/.466 in 78 games in Triple-A Charlotte last year, then hit .230/.306/.270 in his first 36 games in the bigs.

In the majors and minors combined in 2015, Johnson hit .300/.366/.455 against right-handed pitching and .287/.347/.346 against lefties.

The biggest knock on Johnson so far during his young career has been his defense, but according to his own accounts, what was once considered a small throwing hitch by scouts snowballed into a stereotype that he is error-prone with his glove.

“I know there were some things [the White Sox] wanted me to clean up, like turning a double play, but that was all because I had a hitch in my throw. That had nothing to do with my footwork, my hands. Routine plays have never been an issue. I field those fine. I get the outs,” Johnson said.

“I think some people get that confused, like, ‘Defensively, he makes errors’ or something like that. That’s not the case at all. I just had a little hitch in my throw and some double plays didn’t get completed. This offseason, I cleaned that hitch up. I had a couple months to just work on my throwing, short compact throws, using my torque and my body.”

Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts has a keen interest in Johnson, and thinks his best chance to stick might be as a second base/outfield utility role player.

“Micah is a dynamic player, he’s an interesting player,” Roberts said. “He is continuing to work on the defense and he’s taking balls in center field. He can run. He has that dynamic speed that we really don’t have, so a lot of times young players start to get ahead of themselves. We’ve talked about how it’s just a matter of him performing.”

When asked about what qualities he brings to a team that’s already two to three players deep at most positions, Johnson was quick to point out his aggressiveness with his bat and on the bases.

“I play the game the right way. I play hard, play to win. The numbers take care of themselves. If a runner’s on second base, nobody out and I bunt — can I get a hit out of it? Runner on third with less than two outs, my job is to bring him in somehow, some way. Even first and third with less than two outs, if I put the ball in play, it’s going to be hard for them to get a double play. When I put the ball in play, I know my game and I focus on winning the game and the numbers take care of themselves.”

Johnson realizes that both Kendrick and Utley have him blocked for the early part of the season, but he’s staying focused on winning and remains confident about his chances on contributing to the big league squad in some capacity.

“Everybody [in big league camp] has the sense that everybody’s going to contribute at some point toward the ultimate goal to win the World Series,” Johnson said. “If we win the World Series and you helped the team win three or four games, then you helped them win. There’s not much disunity between what level you’re supposed to be at and who you are. No one cares about that. … There’s not very much I want to accomplish except winning: ‘What did I do to help us win?'”

(Photo Credits: whitesoxpride.mlblogs.com & Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports)

Dodgers’ Roberts Creating New Type of Synergy in Camp

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When Dave Roberts exited the room after his initial managerial interview in Los Angeles last November, members of the Dodgers‘ front office knew immediately they had their man.

“Everyone was blown away by who he is, what he represents. You can see his energy, you can see the enthusiasm, and his ability to connect with people,” Andrew Friedman said.

“There’s a positivity and energy to Dave that really is the overriding thing in any conversation you have with him,” Farhan Zaidi added. “You can feel it in any room that he’s in.”

Today, fully entrenched in the daily operations of spring training, Roberts is creating a new type of energy among the players — employing creative team building exercises with total player involvement and even going as far as utilizing cutting edge neurological technology.

Bill Plunkett of The OC Register was among the first to report the Dodgers’ application of “NeuroScouting,” which, according to outfielder Scott Van Slyke, “is the science of improving your performance in terms of reaction and recognition.”

“I think it’s certainly about being open-minded (as an organization). In this day and age, there’s a lot of research and time spent on various technologies. We vet it very thoroughly on the front end and introduce different things to our players with what we’ve learned and make it something that’s available to our guys if they want to try it,” Friedman said.

As far as the teamwork-type of activities, Plunkett cited several examples which involved numerous players having to to plot the hometown of all their coaches and teammates on a map, as well as one player, Cody Bellinger, needing to chronicle his attempts to reach 10,000 Twitter followers by the end of spring training.

Bellinger even went as far as preparing a fundraising chart which documented his progress. Many of Bellinger’s teammates and coaches reached out to their own audiences on Twitter to help the cause:

In addition, Roberts also held “Coffee with Doc” sessions where players had isolated meetings with Roberts and other members of the training staff, coaching staff and front office, giving all the new members of the organization an opportunity to become familiar with one another.

“I got a lot of it from Buddy Black (ex-Padres manager) and I think he learned it from (Angels manager Mike) Scioscia. There are certain things you take from everybody that you like and some that you don’t and that don’t make sense, but that is one of those things I really enjoyed,” Roberts said.

In light of all of Roberts’ efforts, the squad seems to be heading in a new direction in terms of chemistry — something that former manager Don Mattingly, with his laid-back and unruffled approach, was often criticized for not working harder to attain.

Regardless, while all the synergistic games and team building exercises may be great for boosting morale in camp, they don’t necessarily translate to wins on the baseball field.

Ultimately, the manager can only do so much, as it’s up to the players to perform and orchestrate the victories on the diamond.

However, if the squad embraces even a small portion of the energy, knowledge and experience that Roberts is exuding, 2016 could turn out to be a very special season.

(Photo Credit: Ed Crisostomo/OC Register)

Dodgers, Roberts Plan on Rotating Leadoff Batters in 2016

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Whether it’s a mandate that trickled down from the front office, a decision that Manager Dave Roberts arrived upon himself, or a collaboration between the two, it was revealed on Tuesday that the Dodgers tentatively plan on rotating numerous players at the leadoff spot in the batting order when regular season play begins in April.

Doug Padilla of ESPN recently pointed out that everyone from Howie Kendrick to Carl Crawford to Joc Pederson to Corey Seager to Enrique Hernandez could have the leadoff job at some point, and that Roberts appears to be fully on board with the sabermetric philosophies of the front office.

“You know what, I think that as a former leadoff hitter, we have all been conditioned for routines and consistency, but I think that as this game has evolved, we’ve all had to see things in a different way,” Roberts said. “I’ve had many conversations with the players that there will be some change. I think that where you hit in the order in years past, in decades past, there is a lot to be said for that. But this day and age, with the data that we have, sometimes change is good.”

Padilla also indicated that Roberts will use advanced analytics to determine who hits where throughout the entire lineup — not just with the leadoff spot.

Kendrick seems to be the favorite to command most of the repetitions hitting first in the batting order. As early as the Dodgers’ first Cactus League matchup against the White Sox last week, Roberts believed Kendrick would be in the mix for the leadoff role. Per Eric Stephen of True Blue LA:

Back in January, TBPC discussed the logistics of the modern leadoff batter, and concluded that players who get on base more frequently and hit the ball harder are actually more beneficial to a team’s success than the traditional speed burner, adding that both Pederson and Yasiel Puig had the tools to productively slot into the Dodgers’ leadoff role.

Ken Gurnick of MLB.com specified that in 2014, the last year of the Ned Colletti regime, the Dodgers used six different leadoff hitters. Dee Gordon hit first in the lineup the most, leading off in 133 games total, while the team used 142 different lineups during the entirety of the season.

Last season, the first under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers used 12 different leadoff hitters. The club used 137 different lineups altogether, tied for seventh-most in the bigs. Pederson led off the most times, starting 69 games batting first.

Many fans will argue that continuity and team chemistry could possibly be affected by the revolving batting orders and potential positional platoons, but Roberts seems to have a firm grasp on the strategies for the upcoming campaign.

“There is an argument to be made for (continuity), but regardless of where an individual hits in the lineup, it shouldn’t change how they are as a hitter,” Roberts said. “Adrian (Gonzalez), if he hits third or fourth, he is going to be Adrian. Whether Howie hits first or second, or he hits fifth, he should be the same hitter. I think Chase (Utley) will be the same way. If you look at the guys on our roster, that’s the way that should be.”

Roberts will have until the end of the month to experiment and analyze which lineup combinations will be best for the club to begin the season. New base coaches George Lombard and Chris Woodward also bring fresh perspectives in terms of enhancing baserunning skills and improving run production.

The Dodgers open the season against the Padres on April 4 in San Diego.

(Photo Credit: Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

De León Impressive for Dodgers in Cactus League Debut

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While much of the attention fell upon Japanese righty Kenta Maeda in the Dodgers’ 7-2 victory over Arizona in Saturday’s Cactus League contest, the first spring appearance of highly rated pitching prospect Jose De Leon was equally as exciting.

De León entered the game in the sixth for the Dodgers, and quickly allowed a leadoff double to Diamondbacks’ shortstop Nick Ahmed. After an errant pickoff throw to second base (which could have resulted from a case of testy nerves), De León came back with a vengeance and struck out the side to end the inning.

Continuing into the seventh, De León did allow a single, but tallied another strikeout, then ended his outing with a very tidy groundball double play.

Here’s a quick peek of all three of his strikeouts in the sixth inning:

De León was credited with the highly coveted spring training win.

Manager Dave Roberts sounded impressed with De León’s debut performance.

“Jose throwing strikes, keeping the ball down,” Roberts said. “Mixes his offspeed pitches in there. Had a baserunner on, held the runner well. Mixed in a quick step once in a while. Just his composure he had out there was good to see.”

Although a longshot candidate, De León is still in the running for a spot in the Dodgers’ starting pitching rotation after teammate Brett Anderson had surgery earlier in the week for a bulging disc in his lower back.

Maeda also threw two scoreless innings on Saturday while striking out two and giving up only one hit. He threw 28 pitches and faced the minimum six batters, despite giving up a double to Phil Gosselin, who was eventually thrown out trying to steal. With the Dodgers employing a defensive shift to the right side against David Peralta, shortstop Corey Seager was able to cover third base and tag out Gosselin.

“He was very efficient,” Roberts said of Maeda. “There were some swings and misses, he made some good pitches. We were thinking about getting out there again since his pitch count was so low. He made a joke with [pitching coach Rick Honeycutt] and said he was tired. It was good. We were pretty excited.”

Newly acquired utility man Rob Segedin led the Dodgers with two homers, one in the sixth inning and the other in the eighth.

Zach Lee, who is also believed to be a candidate for the Dodgers’ starting rotation, faces the San Francisco Giants and RHP Jeff Samardzija Sunday at 12 p.m. PT in Scottsdale.

The game will be available on both television (SportsNet LA) and radio (KLAC 570 AM).

(Photo Credit: milb.com)

Rethinking the Dodgers’ Starting Rotation

Published on by Dennis Schlossman1 Comment

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It was only about a week ago that almost every writer in the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ blogosphere expressed an opinion about Alex Wood and what type of role he would play in the upcoming season.

Now, with Brett Anderson having had back surgery and expected to miss three to five months, Wood has been quickly ushered to the fourth spot in the starting rotation, while the Dodgers are left scrambling to swiftly determine which pitcher slots into the fifth spot.

The popular opinion, at least among many of the Dodgers’ beat writers in attendance at Camelback Ranch, is that the best option is to lean towards one of the three players who have MLB experience — Mike Bolsinger, Carlos Frias or Brandon Beachy.

Depending on the overall spring training evaluations, Bolsinger could very easily be the safest choice of the trio, despite having several glaring inconsistencies.

In 2015, Bolsinger ended up contributing 109 innings over 21 starts for the Dodgers, compiling a 6-6 record with a 3.63 ERA, a 8.1 K/9, and a 3.91 FIP. For those unfamiliar with FIP (fielding independent pitching), it separates a pitcher’s performance from the ballpark and defense around him. Generally if a pitcher’s FIP is higher than his ERA, it usually means the ERA is on the upswing.

Indications also suggest that Bolsinger’s lack of velocity has a bearing on his performance when facing opposing hitters the second and third times through the batting order. Not that a pitcher with a lower velocity can’t have success, but somebody with an average fastball of 89.2 mph and a slider floating in at 80.6 mph who can’t precisely hit his spots makes it much easier for the opposition to succeed.

Frias, on the other hand, has an electric arm and a very high ceiling based on his velocity alone. He made 17 appearances, including 13 starts, for the Dodgers last season, hurling 77.2 innings to a tune of a 4.06 ERA.

The knock on Frias is that the separation of speeds between his hard stuff and his breaking pitches is so small, that it allows opposing batters to make better reads. Last year, for example, both his fastball and sinker averaged in the 97-98 mph range, while his changeup averaged 91.8 mph. Until Frias can develop and command a more effective arsenal of breaking pitches, he may be better suited for the bullpen.

There’s really not much recent data to make a fair assessment of Beachy. After returning from Tommy John surgery last season, he pitched 47 innings over 10 appearances at Oklahoma City. When given the opportunity with the Dodgers, he surrendered 10 hits and seven earned runs in the two games he started.

One concern with Beachy is that he altered the mechanics of his delivery to avoid additional problems with his elbow. In his old delivery, he threw across his body to generate better spin, whereas now he throws more in a straight line towards the dish with less rotation. Whether this proves to be beneficial and effective in the long run remains to be seen.

While the safe bet may be to ride the shoulders of one of the aforementioned pitchers, the brain trust here at TBPC believes that one of the second-tier options — José De León, Zach Lee or Jharel Cotton may be the better alternative.

De León’s fastball, which has nasty, late movement and sits in the 93-96 MPH range, is by far his best weapon. His slider rates a little above-average but continues to improve. His changeup is by far his best off-speed pitch — he’s not afraid to use it when behind in the count and often uses it as his strikeout pitch. He’s considered to be MLB-ready and possesses the most raw talent of the three.

In terms of mental makeup, Lee is probably the most mature prospect in the organization. His command is very sharp, which was made evident by his 1.5 BB/9 last season. His sinker is consistently solid, resulting in a 50% ground ball rate. His slider is still developing, which will eventually compliment his four-seamer, changeup and sinker. Lee still shows plenty of velocity with the heater, having the ability to reach up to 94 mph.

Cotton probably has the best changeup in the Dodgers’ entire system, and projects much better as a starter after a short stint as a reliever in Triple-A last season. His fastball is still somewhat of an enigma, sitting in the mid-90s at times then sitting 90-91 other times . His breaking pitches are his best weapons, leading him to a 10.7 K/9 in almost 100 innings of work last year.

Of course, any rookie could have the finest skills on the diamond, but ultimately head downhill when given a shot in the bigs. Psychological fortitude is critical at the major league level — having the ability to see past a rough outing, having the mental endurance to stay strong the entire season and having the capacity to be coachable are just several attributes that are paramount for success.

While their performances on the field at spring training will have the most influence on who gets the eventual call to be the fifth starter, option years and 40-man roster implications aside, it very well could be time for one of the kids to step into the rotation and shine above the rest.

(Photo Credit: Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)