What Happened?

Wow.

I've been in a sports coma for three months.

The world I woke up to is NOTHING like it was three months ago...

1. The Dodgers are in the LEAD of the NL West, and Gaining??

2. Why is John Lester on the A's now and where the FUCK is Cespedes?

3. I thought the Angels were just a bunch of inured 2008 All-Stars and Mike Trout. All of a sudden they are one of the hottest teams in baseball.

and this is just the west coast.

I missed a wild summer.

After I review three months worth of tape, I will come back with my playoff predictions.

Beckett's no-hitter: was that last pitch really a strike?

Yes. yes it was.

MLB.com defines the lower part of the strike zone as the hollow beneath the kneecap as the ball is crossing home plate. Sorry Chase, you have to take the bat off of your shoulder.

I initially thought the pitch was low. After conducting my own investigation (google, screenshot, and some MS paint magic), the conclusion is a clear strike three.

However, the same cannot necessarily be said for that 2-2 backdoor curveball to save the at-bat for Beckett, who had just walked Jimmy Rollins one batter prior.

But that is neither here nor there. Congrats to JB on his first career no-hitter.

Re: The Diminishing Marginal Utility of 6 Quality Outfielders

I Don't even know who to address this to...

Dear Mr. Magic Johnson:

Firstly, let me thank you on behalf of Dodger fans everywhere for your commitment to success, which has been apparent since you took ownership of the team following the McCourt fiasco. We appreciate all of the work you have done to put our Dodgers in a position to win the division.

However, from an athletic and economic standpoint, there are pressing roster concerns that must be addressed. Put simply: Our payroll is too high and our win production is too low.

After thorough analysis, I discovered the root of this problem:

We have SIX outfielders who can play a full time Major League Role-- FIVE of which are current or former all-stars, and one who I believe has the potential to be, given a full time role.

As you probably know, there are only three starting outfield positions on a baseball diamond. This is what we in the biz call diminishing marginal utility. The value of talented outfielders drops off significantly at the 4th outfielder, given that this player will most likely sit on the bench and take the space of, I don't know, say a capable middle reliever, or a budding prospect.  I will go through each commodity, one by one, in order to determine the value of each player.

Yasiel Puig- Bullish, budding superstar. Young. Marketable. 5-tool star. MVP potential.
Retain at all costs.

You keep a guy like this.

Matt Kemp- Elite centerfielder in his prime. MVP Potential. 5-tool star.
Andre Ethier- Dodger fan favorite. perennial .270 with a penchant to come through in the clutch.
Carl Crawford- former all star. Aging, but clearly capable of a starting role in the major leagues.
Scott Van Slyke - Polished hitter. has performed exceptionally when called upon.
All-Star potential.
Chone Figgins - All-star in 2009. a get-on-base guy with wheels. OBP of .450 as of May 22.


My expert advice: Move an outfielder.

"For who?" you may ask.

A reliable reliever. We don't have one yet, as I mentioned in a previous blog post.


My recommendation: put Ethier and Crawford on the block. There are definitely a few teams that could use some depth in the outfield. A team that comes to mind is the Texas Rangers, who have just been destroyed by injuries.

If you really want to be aggressive, I wouldn't even be opposed to dangling Matt Kemp on the block. If the price is right, the price is right.

As far as I'm concerned, any attempt to move one of our five talented outfielders on this roster is a step in the right direction.

Anything else is just bad business.

Speak with you soon, Earvin.

Best,

Mike Annunziato
michael.annunziato@eagles.cui.edu
@mannunz

Of the underachieving Dodgers, the almighty King Kong, and a sparkplug named Dee.

No doubt, the Dodgers are underachieving. Dodger fans everywhere groan at the sight of yet another extra innings loss to an inferior team (like the Arizona Diamondbacks, which I painfully witnessed live).

But don’t throw away their season on the sole premise of a slummy April. Here are some reasons to remain optimistic about the rest of the 2014 Doyers:

Based on the preseason expectations of pundits, analysts and fans, the Dodgers had no option but to underachieve. The over/under on their season was +95 wins and a WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP. To expect dominance so early in the season is a ludicrous notion for anyone who knows or follows the game of baseball at any level.

Despite an injury to the reigning Cy Young award winner (Clayton Kershaw, for all those ignorant of baseball), the pitching hasn’t been that bad. Greinke has stepped up and shown that he could be the ace on just about any other team in the big leagues, and the other guys have done well to keep us close while our boy gets healthy.

A few pleasant surprises so far:

Juan ‘King Kong’ Uribe has been a monster at the dish. Hitting well over .300 and seemingly going yard every time I stream the Dodgers on my laptop (get that TV deal done, guys). Uribe is playing like the best 7-hitter in baseball right now, and we’re going to need that veteran leadership in October.

Dee ‘flash’ Gordon has developed into his full potential. Leading the league in Stolen Bases (or damn close to it), and providing a spark at the top of the lineup for our mashers at 2-5. When the rest of the team gets hot, boy it will be something to watch.

Some concerns going forward:

The Pen. This needs to be fixed. Jansen, Perez, and Wilson have all been unreliable. Just a thought, how about we trade one of the two potential all stars on our bench for a blue-chip closer?

Catcher play. AJ Ellis does his job when he is healthy, but Olivo and Fed are just scary bad behind the plate. A team without a backstop won’t even win the division, let alone a World Series title.

Final Word:

Our beloved Puig is just now starting to heat up, which could mean a) his first ever all-star game (after being snubbed for Freeman last year) and b) endless marketing opportunities in Los Angeles. This is only good for the Dodgers as a team and an organization. The popularity creates a certain buzz that is palpable throughout the city, even as far as my station in West LA.

Hang tight Dodger lovers: The Boys in Blue are going to catch fire sooner than you think.