Dodger Notes

[overkill94]

Following in GitH's footsteps, here's what you need to know about the Dodgers these days:

- The injuries keep piling up as Ethier got banged up today after running into the fence trying to track a deep drive (by Juan Pierre of all people) and Barajas sprained his wrist trying to tag Pierre out at the plate. I doubt either will go on the DL, but they'll probably need a couple days to get healthy. If either does go on the DL, they would probably be replaced by Gibbons and Navarro in the starting line-up with Jamie Hoffmann and AJ Ellis being called up.

- Furcal finally came back today and looked pretty rusty at the plate. It'll probably take a week or two for him to find his stroke, so if you own him and have him on the bench/DL, might want to wait a bit to activate him.

- Jerry Sands had a nice couple games by hitting his first homer of the season yesterday and collecting four hits today. He's starting to look more comfortable at the plate and should have some job security after being benched for Gibbons recently.

- The starting pitching had looked great until these last two games against the White Sox. Kershaw and Billingsley continue to impress, Kuroda had been pitching very well until today's shellacking, and Garland and Lilly will continue to be inconsistent due to their age and slow fastballs.

- The bullpen has been discussed extensively and I continue to believe Jansen will be "the man" before too long. Guerrier is a good reliever, but just doesn't profile as a closer.

- There are some quality prospects to keep an eye on in the minor leagues

• Trayvon Robinson is hitting pretty well in AAA (.878 OPS) and could be the starting LF next year if the Dodgers decide to non-tender Loney and move Sands to 1B.
• Dee Gordon is holding his own as a 23-year-old in AAA (.308 BA, 15 SB) and could take over for Furcal at SS next year
• Rubby de la Rosa continues his rise up the prospect charts with a 2.93 ERA in AA to go along with 52 K's in 40 IP. He's still walking a few too many (19) but he looks to be on track to replace Kuroda or Garland in the rotation next year.
• Scott Van Slyke (Andy's son) is tearing up AA (.992 OPS), but is already 24 and is behind Sands and Robinson in the pecking order for LF/1B. If the Dodgers ever get back into contention he could be trade bait, but for now he doesn't seem to have a clear path to the majors.
• The more heralded starting pitcher prospects - Chris Withrow and Ethan Miller - continue to falter even though they're still striking out more than a batter per inning each
• Other pitching prospects to look out for are Nate Eovaldi (2.97 ERA, 44 K's in 39 1/3 IP at AA), Allen Webster (2.33 ERA, 62 K's in 54 IP at hi-A), Zach Lee (1.17 ERA, 28 K's in 30 2/3 IP in low-A although he's been shut down for elbow soreness), and Garret Gould (1.76 ERA, 34 K's in 41 IP at low-A).

[pitbull]

Thanks. Good stuff! Agree with you on Jansen but he needs to continue to pitch well, cut down on his walks and most importantly gain Mattingly's confidence. With Padilla inability to stay healthy and the Dodger's not really having another pitcher from the bullpen except maybe a darkhorse in Elbert it is there for Jansen to step in. The kid has great stuff if he can harness it.

The only other thing you left out is MLB finally ridding the Dodgers completely of McCourt and getting a competent owner who will spend to get FA here to LA. There is no reason for a team in such a big market to not spend like the Yankees or Red Sox. For an owner with deep pockets this is the right franchise to take over and it doesn't need a huge rebuilding process.

[overkill94]

Well, the ownership issues were covered ad nauseum in other threads so I figured I'd leave that part out It should be quite the boon when they do finally sell the team, but who knows how long that process will take.

Another thing to know as far as the bullpen goes, Kuo is supposed to report to the spring training complex next week to begin a throwing program. It would be quite a stretch to think he could become the full-time closer when he gets back, but he could pick up the occasional save against a lefty-heavy team if he's able to regain his form.

[overkill94]

Jon Weisman of Dodger Thought does a really useful look ahead at the possibilities for the Dodgers' 2012 roster

http://sports.espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/dodger-thoughts/post/_/id/13620/looking-ahead

[YourPalChrisMal]

Jon Weisman of Dodger Thought does a really useful look ahead at the possibilities for the Dodgers' 2012 roster

http://sports.espn.go.com/blog/los-a.../looking-ahead

That was a really nice summary. However, look at the line-up at the very end. He shows Van Slyke at 1B, Robinson in LF and Sands.......at 3B? Has Sands played 3B in his career? I thought he was pretty much a 1B/LF only?

[Flyman]

I love me some Matty Kemp these days . He's been one of my favorite players since he was a prospect for the Dodgers. I can't really explain it because I'm a lifelong, diehard Braves fan. I just love those 5-category guys, and Kemp oozed 5 cats coming up. I've had him on at least one of my fantasy teams every season since he came up. So far this season, can't argue with 12 HR, 34 RBI, 30 R, 13 SB and a .300+ BA to this point. I don't think he'll maintain the .300 BA, but I do think this is the year he finally lives up to the 30-30 hype.

[overkill94]

That was a really nice summary. However, look at the line-up at the very end. He shows Van Slyke at 1B, Robinson in LF and Sands.......at 3B? Has Sands played 3B in his career? I thought he was pretty much a 1B/LF only?

Mostly, but he played a game there at AAA this year and in AA last year. It would probably be something they'd send him to the Arizona Fall League to work on in case they can't find a good 3B or 2B in free agency (Uribe could play either next year). It's something of a long shot, but Sands is pretty athletic and while I can't really find any information from his college days, I'm guessing he's played some 3B in the past.

[overkill94]

Lots of movement on the Dodgers' roster today, time for a quick rundown:

C - Barajas will continue to get the lion's share of starts even though his hitting leaves a lot to be desired. There aren't any viable alternatives in the minors so it's possible there will be another free agent signing in the offseason.

1B - Loney is starting to come around, but his power is still pretty pathetic and his overall OPS of .604 is unsightly. Look for him to be platooned against lefties (like tonight) but normally it'll be Sands at 1B and Thames in LF (Ethier will only sit occasionally against lefties).

2B - Uribe will resume his role as starting 2B, but Carroll should get a decent amount of starts here as well.

SS - Furcal is predicted to be out a month, but he's a pretty slow healer so it could be longer. Dee Gordon will get most of the starts in the meantime, but he might struggle to maintain a decent BA. It will probably be his job to lose going into next year though.

3B - Blake will continue to start most of the time with Uribe filling in when he needs a day off (so Carroll can play 2B). Blake's a free agent at the end of the year so look for 2B/3B to be an area of focus in the free agent market with Uribe manning the other slot.

OF - While there were rumblings of Sands getting sent down, it ended up being Gibbons getting the ax. Sands, Kemp, and Ethier will continue to start most games with Thames playing against lefties and Gwynn being mostly a defensive replacement.

SP - Kershaw, Billingsley, Lilly, and Kuroda continue to be solid and now de la Rosa will get his chance to impress. Garland isn't expected to be out all that long, so it might only be a short stay in the rotation for Rubby. With Kuroda and Garland being pending free agents, Rubby should man one of the open spots and a veteran might be brought in for the #5 spot but guys like Allen Webster and Zack Lee waiting in the wings.

RP - The bullpen has pitched better overall lately, but there's still no obvious favorite for the closer role. Padilla is close to coming off the DL so he may be the choice, but Guerrier might still get some chances and Guerra can't be counted out either. Kuo and Broxton are making progress, so one of those two might come back and claim the role plus Jansen hopefully won't be out very long and he might get another chance as well.

If the Dodgers remain low in the standings come July, they could try to trade the likes of Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal, Jon Garland, James Loney, Jonathan Broxton, and maybe Jamey Carroll. None of them would bring back a big haul, but I doubt they have much interest in signing any of them for next year (except maybe Carroll) so they might just want to shed salary. I'm not sure what the free agent rankings are for any of those guys, but Colletti hasn't taken advantage of those compensation picks since he came on as GM anyway and they probably wouldn't want to risk having any of those guys accept.

[mike9289]

Is Guerra somebody I should be targeting in a dump deal? What do you see in his future?

[overkill94]

No. He's a replaceable middle reliever.

Agreed. He has a good enough skill set to stick around as a 7th inning guy for a while, but he's not special enough to be anything more than an emergency closer candidate. Jansen is still the best bet long-term and it's possible guys like Chris Withrow and Ethan Martin will be converted to relief where they would seemingly thrive based on their electric stuff.

There's also this guy Shawn Tolleson that they drafted last year who has already jumped two levels this year and has ridiculous numbers - 29 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 52 K's, 9 BB, 11 H. If he keeps it up he'll probably get a September call-up and would be in line to pitch in the late innings next year.

[Simon]

Jansen and Kuo due back soon(ish), both pitching well...what happens with this still unclear bullpen picture if both are back?

[Hammer]

Broxton isnt far behind either. What a mess.

[Trautdiggity]

Jansen and Kuo due back soon(ish), both pitching well...what happens with this still unclear bullpen picture if both are back?

They have exactly 1 save in 20 games and it wasn't smooth or anyone that resembles a closer. If they keep going this way is it gonna matter very much?

[Hammer]

They have exactly 1 save in 20 games and it wasn't smooth or anyone that resembles a closer. If they keep going this way is it gonna matter very much?

only if Mattingly settles on one guy and lets him close for the rest of the year. I think he will do that with Broxton when he returns.

[Trautdiggity]

only if Mattingly settles on one guy and lets him close for the rest of the year. I think he will do that with Broxton when he returns.

Maybe so but I don't know that it's gonna happen, or that whoever he picks won't implode or end up back on the DL.