Category: Dodgers Outfield

Dodgers Prioritizing Health of Carl Crawford

Published on by Dennis SchlossmanLeave a comment

carlcrawford1280_1hnnk3kv_jyjvg5d2(Photo Credit: mlb.com)

Having pulled away from the Padres with an 8-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dodgers wasted no time in making their first substitution of the 2016 campaign on Monday, moving left fielder Carl Crawford to the bench in favor of the versatile Trayce Thompson.

It seems like every other word uttered about the Dodgers these days is “depth.” Sure, the Dodgers are very deep in terms of having a very talented organizational pool of players, however, the number of seasoned veterans on the field with both fine leadership skills and World Series experience are few and far between.

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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.

Joc Pederson Redeveloping Swing Mechanics

Published on by Dennis Schlossman2 Comments

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There was no secret that Los Angeles Dodgers‘ center fielder Joc Pederson intended on making adjustments to his swing over the months leading up to spring training.

Pederson has always worked hard in the winter. After a full season with Double-A Chattanooga in 2013, he played 34 games for the Cardenales de Lara in the Venezuelan Winter League. In 2014, after breaking several Pacific Coast League records with the Albuquerque Isotopes, he extended his year by playing 22 games with Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter League.

Following the 2015 season, rather than travelling abroad, Pederson decided to stay on the West Coast and spend time with both old minor league hitting coach Johnny Washington and new Dodgers’ hitting coach Turner Ward.

Having succeeded immensely at almost every level at which he’s competed, and despite putting in extra work almost every winter, it’s been a long time since Pederson has found himself needing to make adjustments in his swing.

“I’ve been working hard this offseason to work on becoming a better hitter, hitting more line drives and using the whole field,” Pederson said. “I think I’m gifted that the power will be there. I’m just trying to hit balls on the barrel.”

As indicated early in spring training, Pederson’s swing is much more compact. Gone is the heavy thump of his front foot at the end of his leg kick. And the twisting of his right ankle once the foot lands isn’t as exaggerated as it was last season.

Perhaps it was Ward’s arrival that led to Pederson’s new and fresh approach to hitting. After all, there were subtle hints last season that Pederson had experienced differences of opinion with former hitting coach Mark McGwire.

Ward, who was a minor league teammate of Pederson’s father, Stu, likes what he sees in terms of Pederson’s progress. He continues to assist Pederson both in the cages and on the fields at Camelback Ranch.

“He’s going to be a pure hitter. He is a pure hitter. But he had to go through some stuff to kind of help him recognize some things he needed to work on,” Ward said of Pederson.

In the first half of 2015, Pederson had an .851 OPS, a 137 wRC+, and was chosen to represent the Dodgers in the All-Star Game. He hit his 20th home run on June 29, and was actually an early favorite for the National League Rookie of the Year award.

He struggled in the second half, though, posting a .617 OPS and 79 wRC+. He hit .177 and had a .319 OBP. By the time the playoffs rolled around, Enrique Hernandez was getting the majority of playing time in center field.

Now equipped with a new swing, Pederson hopes to revive the success he experienced early last season.

“Baseball’s a crazy game,” Pederson said. “But last year is old news, you know. I don’t even have any thought about last year. I learned from it. I gathered my information and I’m moving forward.”

Upon being hired Dodgers’ manager, Dave Roberts reached out to Pederson almost immediately to discuss swing mechanics, reinforcing pitch recognition and how to go about developing a better swing path to the baseball. Roberts also deliberated the psychological aspects of hitting with Pederson.

Roberts emphasized how he was always impressed with Pederson’s defensive ability in the field. In terms of offense, Roberts, like Ward, is pleased with the way Pederson looks early in camp.

“Joc has been consistent defensively and continued to get better defensively,” Roberts said. “On the offensive side, he and Turner (Ward) and Tim Hyers, they’ve got a great rapport, and continue to keep that stroke clean and be consistent. There’s a little bit more comfort as he comes into camp this year than last year.”

Dodgers fans everywhere hope that Pederson’s progression continues through spring training, and that his new swing leads to less strikeouts and more line drives off his bat. In the back of everyone’s minds is the fact that the Dodgers still desperately need an effective leadoff hitter.

Pederson may fit the bill if everything falls into place properly.

And, in the fullness of time, it doesn’t hurt having his manager, who was once a very solid leadoff hitter himself, guiding and supporting him one-hundred percent of the way.

(Photo Credit: whatproswear.com)

Weighing the Dodgers’ Options with Carl Crawford

Published on by Dennis Schlossman2 Comments

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With spring training less than two months away, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been relatively quiet in the player personnel department; but as February quickly approaches, expect the Dodgers front office to start shuffling a few players — especially in the outfield.

One player who continues to draw consistent criticism from the fan base is left fielder Carl Crawford.

Crawford, 34, is under contract with the Dodgers through the 2017 season. He’ll earn $21,607,000 in 2016 and $21,857,000 in his walk year.

His banner year as a Dodger came in 2014 when he slashed .300/.339/.429 in 105 appearances.

He has often been hampered by injuries, which was the case in 2015, when he missed almost half the season with a serious oblique strain.

There’s no question that a healthy Crawford can contribute to the Dodgers in some extent, but whether or not he can produce to the tune of $21 million remains to be seen. With up to six outfielders competing for roster spots in 2016, every spot on the 25-man is extremely valuable.

All things being considered, Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi are faced with making a decision regarding Crawford, with the outcome hinging on three possible scenarios.

The first, which is the most unlikely, is to designate him for assignment. Although Friedman has shown no fear of DFA’ing players with hefty contracts in the past (see Brian Wilson and Brandon League), $43 million is just too large a sum to simply throw away, especially if Crawford is healthy enough to produce.

The next scenario is to try and trade him to another team. Looking at this on the surface, it seems like an impossibility, but don’t discount the creativity of Friedman.

A one-for-one deal with another team is highly improbable unless the Dodgers would settle for a lower-tier prospect and send money for all of Crawford’s 2016 contract, plus a check for a chunk of his 2017 salary. However, that’s not to say that Friedman couldn’t score a 3-4 team deal involving pieces that are only conceivable to the imagination. It’s safe to believe that Friedman and Zaidi have been on the phones now for sometime trying to make this happen.

The final option is to play Crawford part-time in left field and to utilize him as a late inning bench piece. Without a myriad of injuries, it’s reasonable to assume that Crawford won’t play every day, as there are just too many options besides him that will net better results. That being said, if the Dodgers were to trade away one or more core components of their current outfield corps, a starting spot could be conceivable.

There’s still enough time for the landscape to change in terms of players coming and going via trade, thus the decision for Friedman and Zaidi may get easier. However, a bench piece making $21 million annually will make Friedman cringe, and based on his beliefs and philosophies, he’ll certainly try his best to get a better return for his investment down the road.

(Photo Credit: zimbio.com)