For whoever the primary person is that’s responsible for writing the Dodgers‘ daily lineups these days, it must be difficult to leave Andrew Toles out of the batting order on any given occasion.
Continue reading “Dodgers Lineups: Andrew Toles Makes Things Happen”
The good news surrounding the four-game weekend series against the Diamondbacks is that the Dodgers will be taking hacks against three right-handed pitchers, with the lone southpaw coming in the form of Robbie Ray in the finale on Sunday.
Continue reading “Dodgers Lineups: What’s the Problem Against Left-Handed Pitching?”
(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.
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)
As the concept of the true leadoff hitter seems to be trending towards being a forgotten commodity in today’s sabermetric game, the 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers, like last year, give the impression of being one of those teams that puts little emphasis on having a legit speed burner at the top of the batting order.
The Dodgers’ rich heritage has seen players like Junior Gilliam, Maury Wills, Davey Lopes, Steve Sax, Brett Butler, current manager Dave Roberts and most recently Dee Gordon wreak havoc on the basepaths — bunting for base hits, swiping bags, and using that extra quickness to go from first to third or second to home when the squad needed it most.
Nowadays, statistics like oWAR and OPS+ exist to tell us that some of the best leadoff hitters in baseball are worth less than most average players in terms of wins and runs added to the team.
The role of the leadoff hitter is being redefined by many of today’s managers, coaches and front offices. Analytics have shown that getting on base more frequently and hitting the ball harder are actually more beneficial to a team’s success than the traditional values and perceptions.
In the same sense, the customary duties of first base coaches like Lopes also show signs of changing. In each of his three seasons in Philadelphia, the Phillies led the majors in stolen base percentage, including 87.9% (138-for-157) in 2007 — the best in MLB history. In contrast, the Dodgers, like many other clubs, haven’t gotten anywhere near those numbers in recent years, and don’t forecast to do so considering the departure of Gordon after the 2014 season.
Regardless, the critical point remains the same as it was 50 years ago — leadoff hitters need to get on base to create runs. And the players the Dodgers used last year — Jimmy Rollins, Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig, for example — were very inconsistent in finding ways to get on base when the team needed it most.
New additions in Micah Johnson and Trayce Thompson may actually profile better hitting leadoff than many others on the Dodgers’ roster, but projections are difficult to make based on their limited time in the bigs. Still, room would need to be created on the 25-man roster for either one by trading away or DFA’ing one or more veteran players who may be considered less valuable.
Based on potential alone, Puig seems to be the logical choice to assume the leadoff spot heading into 2016, but health, making contact with the ball, and on-base consistency will be the chief factors in determining his role in the lineup moving forward.
If able to rediscover his swing and reduce his strikeout rate from last season, Pederson may also be given another opportunity to bat first.
The good news is Roberts will have 33 Cactus League games to experiment and analyze which lineup combinations will be best for the club to begin the season. First base coach George Lombard and third base coach Chris Woodward also bring fresh perspectives in terms of improving run production.
All that being said, there’s still time for the front office to make an additional move or two to fill a few minor needs and change the complexion of the squad even further.
The Dodgers open Cactus League play against the White Sox on March 3.
(Photo Credit: Lance Iversen/USA Today)
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