When the majority of avid Dodgers fans saw Wednesday evening’s lineup for the rubber game against the Rockies, many couldn’t help but feel a bit of disappointment. Not only did manager Dave Roberts decide to award a player or two a much deserved day off, he did it with a bang — permitting Chase Utley, Corey Seager, Joc Pederson and Yasmani Grandal to ride the pine with a travel day already scheduled for Thursday.
Continue reading “Dodgers’ Sputtering Offense Wastes More Quality Pitching”
If we all took a brief moment to drift back to this past offseason, many would find it tough to believe that the Dodgers are already dipping into the plentiful stash of pitching at the Triple-A level. After all, at the point when the calendar flipped to 2016, quite a few of the more impulsive fans were hastily calling for a trade of lefty starter Alex Wood.
Continue reading “The Current State of the Dodgers’ Starting Rotation”
“Like any great love, it keeps you guessing
Like any real love, it’s ever changing
Like any true love, it drives you crazy
But you know you are wouldn’t change it for anything, anything, anything”
~Taylor Swift
Let’s go crazy
Let’s get nuts
Let’s look for the purple banana
‘Til they put us in the truck, let’s go!
(Be honest, you didn’t know those were the words either)
Of course in our musical tag line we had to use a Prince song. The way this road trip ended, the logical choice was Let’s Go Crazy. (I’m really happy I didn’t have to use I Hate U). Quite a few crazy things happened on this road trip, from the horrid conditions of Turner Field, to comebacks, to an eephus pitch, to insane flips and catches and throws.
“I said it’s alright – You know it’s alright – I guess it’s all in my heart.” ~Page/Plant
Safe to say DodgerFam is feeling a little better this week. The Dodgers took two of three in each series against the Diamondbacks and Giants, moving to an 8-5 record and sole ownership of first place in the division. The bullpen, the subject of so much angst in the first week, and later losing the home opener, has not allowed a run in the last 14 innings. Howie Kendrick and Yasmani Grandal returned from the disabled list, and Enrique Hernandez went on a tear against Madison Bumgarner in a 7-3 win Friday night.
All that pressure got you down
Has your head spinning all around
Feel the rhythm, check the ride
Come on along and have a real good timeLe Freak – Chic
Remember last Monday? When the Dodgers scored 15 runs, Kershaw threw seven innings of shutout ball allowing only one hit, and all was right with the world? Here we are a mere week later, and all those good feelings have gone away. Coming off losing three of four to the Giants, one of which included Ross Stripling being pulled from his no-hitter in the 7th to see the lead gone in two pitches, one can only think that the Dodgers season is doomed, done, over. Time to pack it in, forget that there are 155 games left to go.
Continue reading “Ahhhhhhh…….Freak Out! (le Freak, c’est Chic)”
(Photo Credit: Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press)
Without a doubt, the hottest topic among Dodgers fans everywhere this spring has been the state of the starting pitching rotation. While several injuries are already preventing numerous starters from being in uniform on Opening Day, the signing of Japanese righty Kenta Maeda this offseason is beginning to appear brilliant.
The rumor around baseball is that the irregularities in his physical examination drove down the price tag of his contract, as made apparent by the Dodgers and Maeda’s representation never officially releasing a statement. Regardless, if he stays healthy and resembles a little of what he’s shown so far this spring, the eight-year deal worth a guaranteed $25 million may begin to pay dividends early.
Upon joining the Dodgers in December, early expectations from team management and scouting pundits were that Maeda had the ceiling of a back end rotation guy — an innings eater type with the potential to fill the four or five slot. Now, with Brett Anderson out three to five months after back surgery, and Hyun-jin Ryu not expected back until at least May, any offerings resembling a No. 2 or even a No. 3 starter would truly be welcomed.
So far in camp, Maeda seems to be adjusting to pitching in his new country nicely. Making his third Cactus League start Tuesday against the White Sox, he tossed 3-2/3 innings, allowing two runs (neither earned) while striking out three and walking two.
Overall this spring, Maeda has thrown 8-2/3 innings over three starts, allowing seven hits, four walks and no earned runs, having struck out eight batters.
His walk and hits total may seem a bit high, but Maeda says he’s still getting a feel for the strike zone.
“There were times when I threw pitches on the corner that I wanted strikes on but were called balls,” Maeda told Kyodo of The Japan Times.
“Had I got them, I would have had more strikeouts. I think I’m going to have to establish my reputation among the umpires as a pitcher with good control,” he added.
“I’m still throwing some fat pitches, but I was able to get some strikeouts, so it was a learning experience. Next time I want to do a good job while increasing my innings and pitch count and not walking batters.”
For those unable to watch Maeda throw on television or video, his pitching motion is almost identical to Hisashi Iwakuma of the Mariners. It’s almost reminiscent of the delivery of Dodger legend Hideo Nomo, minus the hip twist. Here’s an example of Maeda tossing a breaking pitch:
As for his repertoire of pitches, he’s no Zack Greinke, but he’s shown four different types of pitches this spring. His fastball has been clocked in the 90-91 MPH range, while his slowest curveball came in at 70 MPH. His changeup and slider are almost indistinguishable on the gun at 80-81 MPH, which will play especially well against right-handed batters.
Maeda is also rumored to be working on a “front door” slider, which he learned from fellow countryman Hiroki Kuroda — a pitch designed to break late and tail back inside towards right-handed hitters.
Battery mate A.J. Ellis has been impressed with what he’s seen from Maeda thus far in camp.
“He made big pitches when he had to,” Ellis told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. “He did a great job. He’s fun to catch because he can do so many different things. His fastball up in the zone can really be enticing.”
In terms of culture, the language barrier and trying to live up to the fine careers of the Japanese legends who came before him, manager Dave Roberts said Maeda will have no problem adjusting.
“He’s going to fit in nicely,” Roberts said. “All we want is him to be himself. He can’t be Hideo or Kuroda or Kazuhisa.”
If spring training is any type of indication, Maeda will be just fine.
While much of the attention fell upon Japanese righty Kenta Maeda in the Dodgers’ 7-2 victory over Arizona in Saturday’s Cactus League contest, the first spring appearance of highly rated pitching prospect Jose De Leon was equally as exciting.
De León entered the game in the sixth for the Dodgers, and quickly allowed a leadoff double to Diamondbacks’ shortstop Nick Ahmed. After an errant pickoff throw to second base (which could have resulted from a case of testy nerves), De León came back with a vengeance and struck out the side to end the inning.
Continuing into the seventh, De León did allow a single, but tallied another strikeout, then ended his outing with a very tidy groundball double play.
Here’s a quick peek of all three of his strikeouts in the sixth inning:
De León was credited with the highly coveted spring training win.
Manager Dave Roberts sounded impressed with De León’s debut performance.
“Jose throwing strikes, keeping the ball down,” Roberts said. “Mixes his offspeed pitches in there. Had a baserunner on, held the runner well. Mixed in a quick step once in a while. Just his composure he had out there was good to see.”
Although a longshot candidate, De León is still in the running for a spot in the Dodgers’ starting pitching rotation after teammate Brett Anderson had surgery earlier in the week for a bulging disc in his lower back.
Maeda also threw two scoreless innings on Saturday while striking out two and giving up only one hit. He threw 28 pitches and faced the minimum six batters, despite giving up a double to Phil Gosselin, who was eventually thrown out trying to steal. With the Dodgers employing a defensive shift to the right side against David Peralta, shortstop Corey Seager was able to cover third base and tag out Gosselin.
“He was very efficient,” Roberts said of Maeda. “There were some swings and misses, he made some good pitches. We were thinking about getting out there again since his pitch count was so low. He made a joke with [pitching coach Rick Honeycutt] and said he was tired. It was good. We were pretty excited.”
Newly acquired utility man Rob Segedin led the Dodgers with two homers, one in the sixth inning and the other in the eighth.
Zach Lee, who is also believed to be a candidate for the Dodgers’ starting rotation, faces the San Francisco Giants and RHP Jeff Samardzija Sunday at 12 p.m. PT in Scottsdale.
The game will be available on both television (SportsNet LA) and radio (KLAC 570 AM).
(Photo Credit: milb.com)
For all the baseball forecast enthusiasts looking for a few interesting predictions, the folks over at FanGraphs have finally put together a player page, including Steamer projections, for new Dodgers’ righty Kenta Maeda.
In terms of the more standard stats, the indicators have Maeda starting 29 games, compiling a 11-10 record with a 3.55 ERA over 178.0 innings pitched. A few of the advanced metrics reveal a 3.66 FIP, a 2.7 WAR, a 1.19 WHIP alongside a 7.73 K/9 and a 2.08 BB/9.
The majority of the pundits, including Maeda himself, seem to be shrugging off any potential elbow issues which led to a delay in agreeing on a contract back in December. The fact that the deal only guarantees Maeda approximately $3 million per year provides the Dodgers with some protection against such an injury, yet Maeda has expressed confidence in his ability to stay healthy and ultimately eclipse the 200 innings pitched mark in 2016.
Since signing with the Dodgers, Maeda has been very busy gearing up for the 2016 campaign and making final preparations for spring training. Amidst all the bustle, he managed to find time to spend with fellow countryman Hiroki Kuroda, who gave him several lessons on developing a new type of slider. Maeda calls it a “front door” slider, which is designed to break late and tail back inside towards right-handed batters.
Scouts who saw him throw at the Premier 12 tournament in November believe that Maeda’s off-speed arsenal has made dramatic improvements. He’s always depended heavily on his “traditional” slider, but the changeup he showed at the tourney was considered borderline nasty and almost unhittable when located properly. Maeda has always prided himself on his command, and if he can continue to develop his changeup and slider variations along with maintaining a relatively consistent fastball, he may even project to be a legitimate #3 starter or above as the season progresses.
Baseball America‘s Ben Badler agrees with the off-speed development and recently posted a scouting report (subscription required) on Maeda, which he offered the following analysis (excerpt):
“Maeda has shown solid stuff across the board, with a fastball that sits at 89-93 mph and can touch 94, a tick above-average slider that he leans on heavily, along with a curveball and a changeup … While Maeda’s slider is usually his go-to secondary pitch, his best offspeed weapon in two starts against Mexico and Puerto Rico was his changeup.”
Kenta Maeda was born in 1988 in Osaka and was drafted by the Hiroshima Carp in the fall of 2006. In 2010, Maeda won the Sawamura Award — Japan’s equivalent of MLB’s Cy Young Award — when he led the Central League in wins, strikeouts and lowest ERA. His career statistics in Nippon Professional Baseball over eight seasons include 97 wins, 67 losses, a 2.39 ERA and over 1200 strikeouts.
(Photo Credit: youtube.com)
One day after strengthening their starting rotation with the signing of Scott Kazmir, the Los Angeles Dodgers went a step further by reportedly reaching a contract agreement with Japanese righty Kenta Maeda.
Christopher Meola first reported the news on Twitter, which was later confirmed by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
Terms of the deal are still unknown, but rumors that are swirling early suggest that the contract could possibly encompass eight years.
In addition to the money owed to Maeda in the terms of the contract, the Dodgers will pay the Hiroshima Carp a posting fee which may total up to $20 million.
Think Blue Planning Committee explored the possibility of signing Maeda earlier in December.
Maeda, who will be 28 at the beginning of the 2016 season, is considered by many the top current pitcher in Japan. He began pitching professionally at age 20 for the Carp in 2008. In 2015, he posted a 15-8 record, hurling 206+ innings while recording a 2.09 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9.
His banner year may have been 2013, when he fanned 171 batters in 206 innings while logging a 1.53 ERA. His efforts for both of those years earned him Sawamura Awards — Japan’s equivalent to MLB’s Cy Young Award.
According to scouting reports, his early projection is to be a workhorse-type — possibly slotting in as a solid #3 or #4 starter upon his arrival to MLB.
Baseball America‘s Ben Badler recently posted a scouting report (subscription required) on Maeda, which he offered the following analysis (excerpt):
“Maeda has shown solid stuff across the board, with a fastball that sits at 89-93 mph and can touch 94, a tick above-average slider that he leans on heavily, along with a curveball and a changeup … While Maeda’s slider is usually his go-to secondary pitch, his best offspeed weapon in two starts against Mexico and Puerto Rico was his changeup.”
Maeda will compete for in a spot in the Dodgers’ starting rotation with Kazmir, Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Alex Wood and Hyun-jin Ryu, potentially breaking up the possibility of an all left-handed starting five.
With the offseason now past the halfway point, approximately seven weeks remain for the Dodgers to fine-tune and polish the roster before spring training begins.
Maeda will presumably report to Camelback Ranch with other Dodgers’ pitchers and catchers on February 19.
(Photo Credit: The Japan Times)
Think Blue Planning Committee 