If any avid Dodgers fan would have predicted in April that the club’s primary outfield group would consist of Howie Kendrick, Joc Pederson and Josh Reddick come the first of August, that particular fan would probably have been ridiculed and eventually ostracized completely from their own individual Dodger community.
Continue reading “Dodgers’ Outfield Options Loaded with Potential”
When it became known last month that rookie shortstop Corey Seager intended on participating in the Home Run Derby at the 2016 All-Star Game festivities, the so-called “swing experts” of the Dodgers‘ fan base made themselves known quickly, and warned that Seager’s swing mechanics and second-half offensive production may be negatively affected.
Continue reading “Corey Seager’s Swing Still Unaffected by Home Run Derby Curse”
As the seconds tick closer to the non-waiver trade deadline on August 1, without even having to pick up the phone or sacrifice a top prospect, the Dodgers may receive their own instant infusion of talent in the form of several key players returning from the disabled list.
Continue reading “Dodgers Injury Notes: Pederson, Kershaw, Ethier, Ryu & More”
“Oh, yeah, it’s rollercoaster time
Lovin’ you is really wild
Oh, it?s just a love rollercoaster
Step right up and get your tickets!”
~Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sometimes, I suppose, it’s easy for us to forget how lucky we are. We get bogged down in the day to day minutia and only focus on the bad things happening to us. This happens with sports fandom also. It’s so easy to focus on all the things that are going wrong with your team, that you don’t see all the amazing things that are happening in front of you.
Granted, it’s much easier said then done to arrive in Chicago at 3:30 a.m. after an adrenaline-draining victory in New York, show up to Wrigley Field about eight hours later, then expect to find any type of rhythm with the lumber. But despite the hectic scheduling, the Dodgers have found themselves in similar situations one too many times already over the course of the 2016 campaign, and need to show more consistency on offense in order to make up ground in the NL West.
Continue reading “Dodgers Desperately Seeking Offensive Consistency”
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)
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)
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.
Think Blue Planning Committee 