Dodgers Coaching Staff Taking Shape

Published on by Dennis SchlossmanLeave a comment
Embed from Getty Images

 

Just one day after the introductory press conference of new manager Dave Roberts, the Dodgers front office began filling several positions within their mostly-vacant coaching staff.

According to multiple reports, Bob Geren has been named bench coach and Turner Ward has been hired as hitting coach.

Geren, who was interviewed for the Dodgers’ managerial position last month, spent the last three seasons as the bench coach of the New York Mets. He has extensive experience as a field manager, having managed in the minor leagues for both the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics.

After a stint as the A’s bench coach, Geren was promoted to manager in 2006. He was eventually fired in June of 2011, having had numerous, publicized disagreements with a few of his players and being openly criticized for his poor communication skills.

Despite the rocky past in Oakland, he is still widely regarded among his coaching peers as having excellent technical and fundamental knowledge, and a tremendous understanding of sabermetric principles.

Turner Ward’s MLB career spanned 11 years with 6 different teams. He was primarily a utility-type outfielder and designated hitter.

Ward began his managing career in the Pirates’ farm system in 2007, and eventually accepted similar roles in the Diamondbacks’ minor league system. He was promoted to assistant hitting coach for the Snakes in 2013,  where he remained through last season.  He is widely known for his involvement in the massive brawl between the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers on June 11, 2013.

While still not official, it is believed that Rick Honeycutt will return as pitching coach, and will be the lone survivor from the 2015 staff. Details of his contract are unclear, but it appears Honeycutt will return for two more seasons before being introduced to an executive role. He has been the Dodgers pitching coach since 2006.

Among all the primary coaching positions, the bullpen, first base and third base coaching spots still remain vacant. In the past, the Dodgers believed in promoting from within, but it’s highly unlikely this year after the front office did a thorough house cleaning of the farm at season’s end. The Dodgers did not retain OKC manager Damon Berryhill, hitting coach Franklin Stubbs or pitching coach Scott Radinsky following a season in which Oklahoma City posted the best record in the Pacific Coast League.

That being said, it appears that Andrew Friedman, Farhan Zaidi and Josh Byrnes appear insistent on choosing a brand new staff tailor made to their own technical philosophies and fundamental principles.

It was insinuated by several sources that Gabe Kapler was being considered for a coaching spot at the big-league level, but many believe that his strong performance as farm director would leave a very difficult spot to fill with his departure from that role.

The Dodgers hope to have the remainder of the major league coaching vacancies filled by week’s end.

Dodgers Rumors: Starting Pitching

Published on by Dennis SchlossmanLeave a comment
Embed from Getty Images

 

With the arrival of the 114th annual Baseball Winter Meetings in Nashville on December 6, the MLB hot stove promises to heat up quickly. The Dodgers are expected to be very active in some shape or form, and starting pitching is certainly one key area of focus.

First and foremost, the Dodgers will make every possible effort to sign Zack Greinke. Early reports are indicating that Greinke’s representation, Excel Sports, is seeking an AAV upwards of $30 million. Despite this large figure, the Dodgers front office has actually had casual dialogue about adding both Greinke and David Price.

If the early signings of J.A. Happ and Jordan Zimmermann are indicators, teams may not be sparing any expenses this winter. Happ surprisingly scored a 3-year/$36 million contract with Toronto, while Zimmermann landed a 5-year deal worth $110 million with the Tigers.

To further exemplify the salty market, Johnny Cueto recently rejected a 6-year/$120 million offer from the Diamondbacks. Signals from the Cueto camp seem to reveal a desire for a contract in the $160 million range.

Depending on the timing, the Dodgers may not make the bulk of their moves until Greinke finalizes a deal one way or another. If Los Angeles does indeed land Greinke, one may assume the winter spendings will be capped right there. However, there’s certainly a strong crop of secondary starters available, including Jeff Samardzija, Mike Leake, Scott Kazmir, Ian Kennedy, Yovani Gallardo and John Lackey—just to name a few.

The free agent market may not be the sole source for acquisitions, as Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi will leave no stones unturned while exploring the trade market. As recently as yesterday, rumblings were reported outlining a potential deal with the Braves offering Joc Pederson in exchange for Shelby Miller.

Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson and Alex Wood all will be set to start in 2016, with Hyun-jin Ryu seemingly meeting all the recovery standards to slot into another starting spot. However, glancing at the extensive number of injuries over the past 2 years alone, the front office may decide to setup a rotation that is 6 or 7 strong.

The farm system is always a last resort option, as several players, including Zach Lee, Julio Urias and Jose De Leon, seem to be on the fringe but ostensibly require another small stint of seasoning. Mike Bolsinger and Joe Wieland are the closest to the top, but need to prove their potential with every single opportunity they’re given. All that being said, at least one or maybe two new acquisitions may be critical to the team’s success.

The re-signing of Greinke is of extreme importance, as anything less will conceivably be a downgrade to the rotation. The good news for the fans is that Friedman and Zaidi seem to be strongly committed to making this happen. A base-five of Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu, Anderson and Wood is a solid starting point, and an addition of one of the secondary free agents mentioned above will produce a formidable staff.

In spite of everything, numerous moves will indeed be made very soon, as pitchers and catchers report in about 10 weeks. For the sake of the fans, hopefully Friedman and Zaidi reveal a plentiful wallet and make several gigantic splashes to build an even stronger squad in 2016.

The Role of Farhan Zaidi

Published on by Dennis Schlossman20 Comments
Embed from Getty Images

 

All “organic” dialogues aside, there are very few general managers in MLB with more intellect, potential and industrial savvy than Farhan Zaidi. His education alone speaks volumes — a bachelors from MIT and a PhD from Cal-Berkeley.

Being of Pakistani descent, Zaidi was actually born in Canada. He moved to the Philippines at the age of four, where he remained until departing for college in 1994. He played baseball at the little-league and high school levels, but never took the field beyond that — similar to one of his mentors and predecessors, Paul DePodesta.

While at Berkeley, Zaidi read the book Moneyball and his career path began to take shape almost immediately. Admittedly, he often scanned through the employment ads on mlb.com while in grad school, and upon discovering an opening with the Oakland Athletics in 2004, couldn’t help but reach out.

He was hired immediately by GM Billy Beane, and began his career as a data analysis sabermetrics assistant. He eventually worked his way up to Director of Baseball Operations, then was promoted to Assistant GM in 2014. After the 2014 season, he was recruited by Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman to assume the general manager role, becoming  the first Muslim general manager of any American pro sports franchise.

Working beside both Friedman and VP of Baseball Operations Josh Byrnes, many Dodger fans actually wonder how the daily grind is delegated to Zaidi and “who does what” inside the All-Star think tank.

While Byrnes is primarily responsible for player development (overseeing such executives as Gabe Kapler), Zaidi is more in tune to the daily operations of the MLB squad, research and development, and player acquisitions.

With his education and 12-year background at the MLB level, Zaidi certainly fits the new model of today’s general manager. He has already developed a reputation for having blends of both old school and new school  thought processes, unlike several of the dinosaurs before him in Los Angeles.

He believes in the “value” of a trade, and is very analytical in terms of giving up prospects of worth, possessing a similar philosophy to his bosses, Friedman and Stan Kasten.

Alongside Friedman, Zaidi continues to spend a great deal of time on R & D— developing new tools which measure every single split-second of players actions and reactions while on the diamond.

After a year at the helm, it’s certainly fair to say that the Dodgers are headed in a new direction—continuing to emphasize the farm and the value of youth, despite the overwhelming anxiety and desire of the fan base to win a World Series Championship “right now”.

Many of the skeptics are quick to point out that Zaidi’s lack of playing experience beyond high school may hinder is ability, while others are already bringing up bad player deals, especially whenever Dee Gordon wins any type of league award or honor.

The current system in place is definitely suited to win championships and build dynasties down the road. But with ticket and parking prices increasing annually, being the second-largest market in baseball and a $8 billion television deal that leaves many unable to view the majority of the games, the fans expect more than just development.

Twenty-seven years have now passed since the Los Angeles Dodgers have won a championship. Friedman and Zaidi are certainly qualified to break that streak, but the question that now lingers is whether that championship will come soon enough before ownership—just like the fan base—runs out of patience.

What’s Next for Tim Wallach?

Published on by Dennis SchlossmanLeave a comment

 

Not long after the departure of former manager Don Mattingly, President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman reached out to the remaining members of the coaching staff and explained there were no guarantees for positions in 2016. Friedman also relayed that the coaches were free to seek employment elsewhere while the front office regrouped and decided on a new direction.

Since that time, a few things have transpired that make the future at least a little bit clear. Dave Roberts will be taking over the managerial regime. Davey Lopes headed East and will coach first base for the Nationals. Ron Roenicke accepted a position to man the third base coaching duties of the Angels. And most recently, former hitting coach Mark McGwire was named the new bench coach of the Padres.

Many assumed that Tim Wallach would head to Florida and join Don Mattingly as the bench coach of the Marlins, but things have been completely quiet in the Wallach camp. One possibility is that Wallach may stay put in Los Angeles and work beside Dave Roberts on the bench.

A few outlets have already envisioned Gabe Kapler as a solid candidate for the Dodgers’ bench coaching job; however, the lack of experience between both Kapler and Roberts could  prove to be detrimental in terms of the knowledge required of actually managing a game.

Some remember Mattingly running out of pitchers during the Peoria Saguaros’ 15-1 forfeit win over his Phoenix Desert Dogs during his initial season of managing in the AFL in 2010. Others recall when he stepped off the mound and back on again against the Giants after filling in for Joe Torre earlier that year. Things like these happen to a rookie manager, and it certainly doesn’t hurt to have someone on the staff with at least some knowledge and experience at the Major League level.

The new sabermetric approach of the front office may prove to be beneficial to the Dodgers over the course of time, but Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi will only be able to offer up so much from the press box in terms of the true nuances of baseball.

Tim Wallach is widely recognized among his coaching peers as being one of the most knowledgeable students of the game, and many attribute the managerial success of Mattingly to his presence. It goes without saying that Wallach would be a beneficial piece of the Dodgers’ puzzle moving forward, but the question remains as to whether he would accept such a role after being looked over rather quickly for the managerial position.

Dave Roberts and Tim Wallach are no strangers to having a working relationship, as Wallach was Roberts’ hitting coach in 2004 before being shipped off to Boston. It is unknown whether Roberts will be permitted to choose his own coaching staff; but if he’s so entitled, Wallach may be very high on the list to work by his side.

As perfect as it sounds on paper to remain with the Dodgers as bench coach, Wallach may have an entirely different agenda. He may decide to pair up with Mattingly and head to Miami. Or he could join Dusty Baker and Davey Lopes in Washington. He may even take a year off, or possibly join another team’s front office in an executive capacity.

Regardless of which course he follows, hopefully the Dodgers front office recognizes Tim Wallach as a valuable piece to the success of the franchise, and does everything within its power to utilize the precious leadership, knowledge and experience that he possesses.