“Summer, it turns me upside down
Summer, summer, summer
It’s like a merry go round”
~The Cars
After four torturous days without Dodgers baseball, it is here — the first day of the second half. The first half felt long and tenuous at times, so I thought I’d take a quick look back at what I think are the Top Five highlights.
“Hey hey hey
Yes I’m jumping like a jumping jack
I’m dancing, screaming, itching, squealing, fever feeling
Hot hot hot”
~The Cure
The weather is heating up. Even here in PA, it’s going to be in the 90’s today. And the Dodgers might finally be putting together a hot streak of their own. Series wins versus Arizona and Milwaukee have the Dodgers starting to look pretty good. If only those stupid Giants would stop winning.
(Photo Credit: imgandpics.com)
While he didn’t manage to rescue a swallowed baby jackrabbit from the stomach of a fierce rattlesnake, super utility man Enrique Hernandez was able to spearhead his team’s offensive attack on Friday, leading the Dodgers to a 7-3 victory over the Giants in front of a sellout crowd on Jackie Robinson Day.
Continue reading “Kiké Hernandez: Jack of All Trades, Master Against Lefties”
(Photo Credit: Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
Although he was hoping to be healthy and fully prepared to play on Opening Day, recent reports are suggesting that second baseman Howie Kendrick may be destined to begin the season on a very crowded Dodgers‘ disabled list.
The plan right now is to have Kendrick stay behind in Arizona with the minor league squads while the remainder of the team travels back to Los Angeles to prepare for the final exhibition series of the spring against the Angels. The Dodgers are hoping that his calf continues to progress — conceivably enough to cram in as many at-bats and fielding reps as possible in an effort to be ready for the opener on April 4.
Continue reading “Dodgers’ Kendrick Likely to Miss Opening Day”
Based on the player personnel on the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ current roster at the moment, one would be fairly confident in saying that the 2016 second base spot will be a platoon between Enrique Hernández and Chase Utley.
After all, the splits setup quite nicely. Last season, Hernández slashed .423/.471/.744 in 87 PA against lefties, while slashing only .234/.262/.331 in 131 plate appearances vs. right-handed pitching.
Utley isn’t really horrible when facing LHP, but his power numbers are far better against right-handers. Over his career, Utley has hit .260/.364/.448 with 68 home runs in 2130 PA vs. lefties, while batting .290/.365/.492 with 168 homers in 4628 PA against RHP.
Couple those numbers with the fact that Utley turned 37 two weeks ago, a platoon seems very logical. Despite the stats, some may still argue that the 24-year-old Hernández is ready to embrace an everyday role with the Dodgers, but careful reasoning suggests that he may be much more valuable off the bench in a utility role.
Because Hernández can cover many different positions, the number of looks he gets at the plate shouldn’t really be limited. And if injuries play any factor at shortstop, second or third base, we may see him on the field every day, anyway — despite the ugly splits.
We took a look at the roster depth just a few weeks ago, and although the backup options in the infield should be fine defensively, the offensive firepower would certainly stand to suffer.
Even with the signing of Elian Herrera, there’s really not a strong backup option for Justin Turner at third or Corey Seager at short, except for Hernández. And depending on how the Dodgers decide to configure their outfield come Opening Day, Hernández could be the best possible alternative to Joc Pederson in center field as well.
There’s still no guessing how the Alex Guerrero situation plays out, so the depth factor in the infield may be worse than it currently appears.
Outside of Ronald Torreyes, Micah Johnson and Charlie Culberson, infielders are extremely barren in the farm system. Depending on the need, Austin Barnes could also be called upon in a pinch.
The 2016 season may see the super-utility role as being far more important for the Dodgers than anticipated, and nobody stands to fill that spot better than Enrique Hernández.
Considering the possibilities and the needs, by no means would providing depth at 4-5 different positions be considered a backseat role, nor dictate a player’s future.
Just ask Justin Turner.
(Photo Credit: sportingnews.com)
Think Blue Planning Committee 