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	<title>Chad Moriyama &#187; Juan Pierre</title>
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	<description>Dodgers, Sabermetrics, Scouting</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 15:54:17 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Injury Roll Call: Hanley out weeks &amp; set for MRI, Greinke ready, Bills hurts everything but elbow</title>
		<link>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2013/03/injury-roll-call-hanley-out-weeks-set-for-mri-greinke-ready-bills-hurts-everything-but-elbow/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2013/03/injury-roll-call-hanley-out-weeks-set-for-mri-greinke-ready-bills-hurts-everything-but-elbow/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:50:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Greg Zakwin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Injury Roll Call]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A.J. Ellis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Camelback Ranch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carl Crawford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chad Billingsley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Withrow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dee Gordon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Don Mattingly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hanley Ramirez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jerry Hairston Jr.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Josh Beckett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Pierre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Uribe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Dodgers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Miguel Montero]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Moises Alou]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opening Day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spring Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stan Conte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ted Lilly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tony Pena]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World Baseball Classic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zack Greinke]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chadmoriyama.com/?p=14411</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dodgers designated hitter third baseman first baseman shortstop Hanley Ramirez jammed his right thumb while diving for a groundball in the World Baseball Classic and he&#8217;ll get an MRI today at the Camelback Ranch. Your browser does not support iframes. His WBC manager and general manager gave differing takes on the severity of it. &#8220;I ...]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/HanleyRamirezDR-575x359.jpg" alt="HanleyRamirezDR" width="575" height="359" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-14475" /></p>
<p><strong>Dodgers</strong> <del datetime="2013-03-20T08:06:00+00:00">designated hitter</del> <del datetime="2013-03-20T08:06:00+00:00">third baseman</del> <del datetime="2013-03-20T08:06:00+00:00">first baseman</del> shortstop <strong>Hanley Ramirez</strong> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-0320-world-baseball-classic-20130320,0,3335051.story" target="_blank">jammed his right thumb</a> while diving for a groundball in the <strong>World Baseball Classic</strong> and he&#8217;ll get an MRI today at the <strong>Camelback Ranch</strong>.</p>
<p><iframe src='http://mlb.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=25786991&#038;width=400&#038;height=224&#038;property=mlb' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe></p>
<p>His WBC manager and general manager gave differing takes on the severity of it.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s bad,&#8221; Dominican coach Alfredo Griffin said.</p>
<p>Ramirez, playing third base for the Dominican, jammed the thumb while diving for a ground ball in the third inning. He remained in the game, even delivering a single in the fourth inning, but left after five innings.</p>
<p>Ramirez declined comment through a team spokesman. Dominican Manager Tony Pena said he removed Ramirez for precautionary reasons, even though Ramirez told Pena he could have gone on.</p></blockquote>
<p>So <strong>Tony Pena</strong> didn&#8217;t think it was bad, but it&#8217;s odd to me that Hanley declined comment on it if he wasn&#8217;t worried, and maybe it&#8217;s because he is a bit, <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130319&#038;content_id=43008418" target="_blank">as <strong>Moises Alou</strong> sounded</a>.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Hanley, he jammed his thumb when he dove for that ball,&#8221; Alou said after the Dominican Republic ran off eight consecutive wins to go undefeated and win the Classic for the first time. &#8220;It was pretty swollen. He&#8217;s going to have an MRI on it [Wednesday] in Arizona.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>I guess there are differing versions of &#8216;serious&#8217; at play here.</p>
<p>Just recently, <strong>Stan Conte</strong> spoke and although he hasn&#8217;t had an MRI yet, they&#8217;ve already ruled Hanley out for a couple weeks.</p>
<blockquote><p>Director of medical services Stan Conte spoke with the doctor at AT&#038;T Park, and team trainer Sue Falsone was in contact with Ramirez on Tuesday night. Both relayed their information to manager Don Mattingly.</p>
<p>&#8220;They painted both pictures. The optimistic side is that he had another at-bat and it&#8217;s just a sprain and it could be a couple of weeks,&#8221; Mattingly said. &#8220;The pessimistic side is that it could be something major and he&#8217;s out 8-10 weeks.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>So he&#8217;s going to miss time, regardless, and they&#8217;re obviously worried. If he misses two months of the regular season &#8230; welcome <strong>Juan Uribe</strong>.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><strong>Zack Greinke</strong> threw a bullpen session on Sunday and <a href="http://www.truebluela.com/2013/3/17/4115990/zack-greinke-bullpen-session-pain-free" target="_blank">reported no pain in his right elbow</a>, which had been bothering him recently and been diagnosed as inflamed.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I guess I could have something, but I&#8217;m assuming it&#8217;s going to fine to be on track to do whatever, but I don&#8217;t know for sure,&#8221; Greinke said.</p>
<p>&#8220;I probably threw a little more (than expected). I felt good. I was working on stuff, and trying to make sure I&#8217;m ready for a game,&#8221; Greinke said. &#8220;I&#8217;m just trying to get ready. I don&#8217;t think about it as a rehab.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just doing what&#8217;s laid out, to give us the best chance. On our team we have other starting pitchers, and we have to be ready. They&#8217;re going to weigh all that in,&#8221; Greinke said. &#8220;I just want to do what&#8217;s best for the team. It&#8217;s not important what day [<em>I make my first start of the season</em>].&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>It&#8217;s encouraging to see Greinke make it through a session without pain, and he&#8217;ll start a minor-league affair today with a strict pitch count in place. <strong>A.J. Ellis</strong> <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130319&#038;content_id=42982748&#038;notebook_id=42982766" target="_blank">will catch Greinke instead of suiting up</a> with the rest of the squad.</p>
<blockquote><p>Manager Don Mattingly said that Greinke will pitch in a Minor League game in the afternoon, with A.J. Ellis staying back to catch instead of playing in the Dodgers&#8217; Cactus League game against Kansas City.</p></blockquote>
<p>The team should not feel rushed to get him back by <strong>Opening Day</strong> if he needs an extra week or two to get healthy for a long, long, long season.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><strong>Chad Billingsley</strong>&#8216;s elbow has held up all <strong>Spring Training</strong>, but unfortunately he hasn&#8217;t escaped the injury bug as <a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2013/03/injury-roll-call-greinkes-elbow-to-be-examined-crawfords-slow-progress-guerras-groin/" target="_blank">a sore groin</a> is now accompanied by a bruised index finger on his pitching hand.</p>
<p>The finger <a href="http://www.truebluela.com/2013/3/18/4119796/chad-billingsley-injury-dodgers-finger" target="_blank">forced Bills out of</a> his scheduled outing.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just taking it day by day, seeing how I feel,&#8221; Billingsley said. &#8220;I&#8217;m still playing catch, but the command is just not there because it&#8217;s bruised and swollen.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;(We&#8217;re not) trying to force him into this one. We&#8217;re concerned about the finger from the standpoint of changing a grip, then not having a grip pressure then changing an arm angle. With everything that has gone on, we really don&#8217;t want that,&#8221; Mattingly said. &#8220;The one thing with Bills, we want to make sure he&#8217;s able to throw.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>Glad to see <strong>Don Mattingly</strong> and his staff aren&#8217;t putting pressure on Chad to tough it out and are cognizant of the fact that doing so could lead to a change in mechanics.</p>
<p>But how did Billingsley injure himself, you might ask?</p>
<p><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130317&amp;content_id=42870534&amp;notebook_id=42903426" target="_blank">Bunting</a>.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter" alt="" src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/MattKempConfused.gif" width="525" height="350" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2013/03/get-lost-in-matt-kemps-eyes-and-watch-him-enter-the-6060-club/" target="_blank">Yes, Matt, bunting</a>.</p>
<p>Billingsley was <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgersnow/la-sp-dn-dodgers-chad-billingsley-officially-scratched-from-start-vs-as-20130319,0,5998599.story" target="_blank">scratched from Wednesday&#8217;s scheduled outing</a> due to the finger. He&#8217;s scheduled for a bullpen session instead, and game action on Saturday.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><strong>Carl Crawford</strong>, who has been dealing with elbow issues during Spring Training, <a href="http://www.truebluela.com/2013/3/18/4120774/carl-crawford-dodgers-throwing-hitting" target="_blank">saw improvement Monday</a> in his ability to swing the bat and throw the ball.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s good to see him get a couple of hits, which makes him feel better and more part of it. But even better today for me was him throwing, and Stan (Conte, team director of medical services) working with him on the cuts,&#8221; Mattingly said. &#8220;He had a lot on the ball. That was really positive today.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m throwing a little bit harder at (75-80) feet,&#8221; Crawford said. &#8220;At some point the goal is to be able to hit the cut off man, I&#8217;m not sure how many feet that is but that&#8217;s the goal.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>Once Crawford can hit the cutoff man, he&#8217;ll be cleared by the staff to play left field. Until such an event actually occurs, Carl will continue to DH.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s great that there&#8217;s no serious issue at play here, but <a href="http://www.truebluela.com/2013/3/17/4115418/carl-crawford-designated-hitter-outfield-dodgers" target="_blank">the quotes on his throwing aren&#8217;t exactly glowing</a>.</p>
<blockquote><p>Though Crawford has also made progress throwing, it seems that won&#8217;t return until the regular season. But as long as Crawford is ready with the bat, that will determine when he&#8217;s ready.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s going to be 100% (throwing). When I asked Stan (Conte, director of medical services) when is he ready to really throw and he said, &#8216;May.&#8217; So it&#8217;s going to be a work in progress,&#8221; Mattingly said. &#8220;But we&#8217;re building to a point where we&#8217;re comfortable with him being out there. We&#8217;re feeling good about everything about Carl right now.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>I couldn&#8217;t imagine a worse-throwing outfielder than <strong>Juan Pierre</strong>, but it looks like we might see it.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><strong>Josh Beckett</strong> <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130317&amp;content_id=42870534&amp;notebook_id=42903426" target="_blank">has the flu</a>, which I can only imagine he <a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2013/03/injury-roll-call-greinke-iffy-for-opening-day-crawford-making-progress-bills-still-solid/" target="_blank">caught from <strong>Ted Lilly</strong></a>.</p>
<p>Regardless, Beckett did <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130318&amp;content_id=42926634&amp;notebook_id=42950348" target="_blank">start a simulated game</a> against three minor-leaguers and <strong>Jerry Hairston Jr.</strong>.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Everything went good,&#8221; manager Don Mattingly reported. &#8220;He got better as the game went on. He was happy about being able to get it in. He was worried that if he did it in a [Cactus League] game and he had a long inning, he wouldn&#8217;t get his pitch count up and the up-and-downs. He seemed to be happy with it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Beckett threw 76 pitches and went through the up-and-down of six innings, pitching and resting in between.</p></blockquote>
<p>Beckett&#8217;s <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2013-spring-training-pitching.shtml" target="_blank">had an excellent spring</a>, so hopefully he won&#8217;t miss too much time &#8211; he&#8217;s been under the weather two days thus far &#8211; as he looks to carry his exhibition success into the meaningful regular season.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><strong>Chris Withrow</strong>, who had been out with back spasms all Spring Training, returned briefly <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130318&amp;content_id=42926634&amp;notebook_id=42926644#42950224" target="_blank">only to be injured</a> by a liner off the shin.</p>
<blockquote><p>Withrow escaped with a bruise from the Paul Goldschmidt shot, and he said he expects to be back in action in a couple of days.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been a pretty adventurous spring,&#8221; said Withrow. &#8220;I came in ready to go. For my back to go out the second day was kind of frustrating. Then the second batter, after seven months off, that&#8217;s not ideal either. Things happen for a reason.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>The guy just can&#8217;t seem to stay healthy, even when it comes to living life off the field, as a recent close-call indicates.</p>
<blockquote><p>Things were adventurous for Withrow even before Spring Training started. He and his wife survived an offseason rollover auto accident with only minor injuries.</p></blockquote>
<p>Hopefully he can find some good health in his future, as you can never have enough live arms with strikeout stuff.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><strong>Dee Gordon</strong> is day-to-day after <a href="http://www.truebluela.com/2013/3/19/4124502/dee-gordon-injury-dodgers-left-ankle-sprain" target="_blank">slightly spraining his ankle in a collision</a> at home, according to Don Mattingly.</p>
<blockquote><p>The shortstop walked off the field and back to the clubhouse on his own, and the injury isn&#8217;t believed to be serious.</p></blockquote>
<p>Chad provided us with <a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2013/03/dee-gordon-in-a-nutshell-blazing-speed-three-mistakes-and-comedy-all-on-one-play/" target="_blank">visual proof of Gordon attempting</a> to run over (?) <strong>Miguel Montero</strong> on an overall laughable play.</p>
<p>=====</p>
<p><em><strong>Greg Zakwin</strong> is the founder of the site <a href="http://plaschkethysweaterisargyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Plaschke Thy Sweater Is Argyle</strong></a>. Follow him on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ArgyledPlaschke" target="_blank"><strong>@ArgyledPlaschke</strong></a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Clutchitude: Most Clutch Plays By The 2012 Dodgers &#8211; Hitting</title>
		<link>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2013/03/clutchitude-most-clutch-plays-by-the-2012-dodgers-hitting/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2013/03/clutchitude-most-clutch-plays-by-the-2012-dodgers-hitting/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:27:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chad Moriyama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Analysis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opinions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Adrian Gonzalez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arizona Diamondbacks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Young]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cliff Lee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clutchitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dee Gordon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elian Herrera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ivan De Jesus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J.J. Putz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Pierre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Uribe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Dodgers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Luis Cruz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scott Van Slyke]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis Cardinals]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chadmoriyama.com/?p=12297</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Baseball fans love to talk about clutch plays and clutch players, and Dodgers fans are no exception, but like with a pitcher&#8217;s best and worst pitches, there tends to be a lack of evidence presented. As such, I decided to find some basis for clutch plays and clutch players, courtesy of the WPA and Clutch ...]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/AdrianGonzalezHomer-575x409.jpg" alt="AdrianGonzalezHomer" width="575" height="409" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-9028" /></p>
<p>Baseball fans love to talk about clutch plays and clutch players, and <strong>Dodgers</strong> fans are no exception, but like with <a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/tag/arsenal-analysis/" target="_blank">a pitcher&#8217;s best and worst pitches</a>, there tends to be a lack of evidence presented. As such, I decided to find some basis for clutch plays and clutch players, courtesy of the <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/misc/wpa/" target="_blank"><strong>WPA</strong></a> and <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/misc/clutch/" target="_blank"><strong>Clutch</strong></a> statistics.</p>
<p><strong>WPA</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>Most sabermetric statistics are context neutral — they do not consider the situation of a particular event or how some plays are more crucial to a win than others. While wOBA rates all home runs as equal, we know intuitively that a home run in the third inning of a blowout is less important to that win than a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of a close game. Win Probability Added (WPA) captures this difference by measuring how individual players affect their team’s win expectancy on a per-play basis.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>Clutch</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>In the words of David Appelman, this calculation measures, “…how much better or worse a player does in high leverage situations than he would have done in a context neutral environment.” It also compares a player against himself, so a player who hits .300 in high leverage situations when he’s an overall .300 hitter is not considered clutch.</p></blockquote>
<p>So that&#8217;s the foundation for this post, and since that&#8217;s now been established, let&#8217;s get on with it, shall we?</p>
<p>As always, visuals have been provided because, let&#8217;s be honest, everything is better with visuals.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><em>I feel like it&#8217;s necessary to point out that none of this is predictive of the future or telling of the past. It&#8217;s a post about stuff that happened in 2012. That&#8217;s all.</p>
<p>In other words, please don&#8217;t link back to this while saying, &#8220;LOOK! THIS DUDE IS SO CLUTCH, BRO!&#8221; No.</em></p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><u><strong>Top Five Clutchiest McClutchington Hits Of 2012</strong></u></p>
<p><strong>1. Adrian Gonzalez &#8211; +69.9%</strong></p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/AdrianGonzalezDouble.gif" alt="AdrianGonzalezDouble" width="400" height="260" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14045" /></p>
<p>Whenever you increase your team&#8217;s chances of winning by 69.9% with one swing of the bat, something must have gone right.</p>
<p>Well, it did.</p>
<p>It was the bottom of the ninth with one out and runners on first and second. The Dodgers trailed the <strong>Diamondbacks</strong> by a score of 4-3.</p>
<p>Down to his last strike, A-Gon comes up gigantic with a walk-off double down the right field line off <strong>J.J. Putz</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>2. Ivan De Jesus &#8211; 67.3%</strong></p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IvanDeJesusDouble.gif" alt="IvanDeJesusDouble" width="400" height="275" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14047" /></p>
<p>THANK YOU J.J. PUTZ XOXOXO HUGS AND KISSES</p>
<p>Trailing 7-6 with runners on first and second and down to their last out, feeble hitting <strong>Ivan De Jesus</strong> came up and whacked a double over <strong>Chris Young</strong>&#8216;s head in center to take the lead.</p>
<p>Much love to J.J. Putz.</p>
<p><strong>3. Scott Van Slyke &#8211; 61.1%</strong></p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ScottVanSlykeHomeRun.gif" alt="ScottVanSlykeHomeRun" width="400" height="270" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14049" /></p>
<p>Early in 2012, the season was full of &#8220;yeah, this team is winning the <strong>World Series</strong> if this kinda shit happens&#8221; moments, and this was certainly one of them.</p>
<p><strong>Scott Van Slyke</strong> hit a three-run bomb with runners on first and second to give the Dodgers a 6-5 lead after they trailed 5-3 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.</p>
<p>Even though it was only the seventh, it felt like a gigantic moment, right? WPA agrees.</p>
<p><strong>4. Elian Herrera &#8211; 51.6%</strong></p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ElianHerreraDouble.gif" alt="ElianHerreraDouble" width="400" height="260" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14046" /></p>
<p>So it&#8217;s the top of the eighth with two outs, the Dodgers trail 1-0 and <strong>Cliff Lee</strong> is just absolutely taking a dump down their throats, and, I mean, there&#8217;s runners on first and second but <strong>Elian Herrera</strong> or whoever is up, so it&#8217;s inning ove &#8230; HOLY SHIT! YES!!!</p>
<p>Shoutout to <strong>Juan Pierre</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>5. Luis Cruz &#8211; 50.7%</strong></p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/LuisCruzHomeRun.gif" alt="LuisCruzHomeRun" width="400" height="270" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14048" /></p>
<p>Bottom of the sixth, two outs, runners on first and second (this is a theme), Dodgers trail the <strong>Cardinals</strong> 4-3, but 2012 phenom <strong>Luis Cruz</strong> is up and he absolutely bombs one into the bullpen to put the Dodgers up by two.</p>
<p>Bonus points for pimping it.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p>Overall, the fact that there are five different players contributing here, and that four of the five are still basically unknowns to casual fans, speaks to how remarkable it was that the 2012 Dodgers even stayed in the playoff hunt throughout all the injuries and what not.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><strong>Top Five Clutchiest Dodgers Of 2012 &#8211; Field Player Division</strong></p>
<p>1. Dee Gordon &#8211; 1.05<br />
2. Elian Herrera &#8211; 0.93<br />
3. Luis Cruz &#8211; 0.84<br />
4. Juan Uribe &#8211; 0.77<br />
5. Adrian Gonzalez &#8211; 0.72</p>
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		<title>Moving Dee Gordon off shortstop seems like a bad idea because it probably is</title>
		<link>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2013/01/moving-dee-gordon-off-shortstop-seems-like-a-bad-idea-because-it-probably-is/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2013/01/moving-dee-gordon-off-shortstop-seems-like-a-bad-idea-because-it-probably-is/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:54:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chad Moriyama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Analysis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rumors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[B.J. Upton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dee Gordon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dylan Hernandez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Pierre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Dodgers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chadmoriyama.com/?p=13491</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Dodgers have talked about moving Dee Gordon off shortstop and into the outfield, according to Dylan Hernandez. The Dodgers have talked about moving the fleet-footed Gordon to the outfield but appear inclined to keep him at shortstop for now. Gordon figures to start the season at triple-A Albuquerque. &#8220;I hate to give up on ...]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DeeGordonMLBFanCave.jpg" alt="DeeGordonMLBFanCave" width="556" height="278" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8830" /></p>
<p>The <strong>Dodgers</strong> have talked about moving <strong>Dee Gordon</strong> off shortstop and into the outfield, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-0110-dodgers-20130110,0,7300868.story" target="_blank">according to</a> <strong>Dylan Hernandez</strong>.</p>
<blockquote><p>The Dodgers have talked about moving the fleet-footed Gordon to the outfield but appear inclined to keep him at shortstop for now. Gordon figures to start the season at triple-A Albuquerque.</p>
<p>&#8220;I hate to give up on him at short,&#8221; Mattingly said.</p></blockquote>
<p>Dylan sort of snuck that tidbit in there, but it&#8217;s interesting information because <a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/12/2012-winter-meetings-everybody-waits-on-greinke-dee-trade-talks-no-ryu-progress/" target="_blank">teams that were rumored to be interested</a> in trading for him had the same idea.</p>
<p>At the time, while analyzing those deals, I briefly touched on <a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/12/rumor-mill-zack-greinke-consensus-shifts-to-texas-dee-gordon-trade-destinations-expand/" target="_blank">why I thought moving him would be a bad idea</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>I’m not seeing the upside in moving him to the outfield. The potential for him to be an MLB regular contributor came with the value of him playing shortstop, where his bat could be decidedly below average but he could still have value. In center or, even worse, left or right, he would basically be relegated to the upside of a poor man’s Juan Pierre. Say what you want about Pierre, but Gordon’s talent with the bat isn’t anywhere close to Pierre’s right now, and I’m not sure it’ll ever get there.</p></blockquote>
<p>The general point still stands now.</p>
<p>In recent memory, the only player I can think of that made the same transition that Dee is attempting is <strong>B.J. Upton</strong>, and while he perhaps hasn&#8217;t lived up to the lofty expectations some had for him, he&#8217;s absolutely been a consistent 3-4 WAR player. They both share the traits of being toolsy, error-prone shortstops, so the move seems to make some sense for Dee defensively. Of course, the difference is that B.J. has a 107 wRC+ in his MLB career, whereas the last time Dee has topped 97 wRC+ in <em>the minors</em> was back in 2009 at A-ball. Hence, I have a general skepticism about this outfield move unless Dee&#8217;s bat can improve significantly.</p>
<p>Rather than unrealistically projecting a 125-175 point jump in OPS, perhaps a better goal would be to look at a <strong>Juan Pierre</strong>-esque performance offensively, right? Well, if that&#8217;s the case, then Dee has the tall task of needing to become an elite center fielder. In order to be a league-average regular (~2.0 WAR), he would have to be about a +10 run defender in center, and that&#8217;s assuming a bounceback offensively to an OPS around .630 or so. The problem with that goal is only two or three players are at that level in center field, so it&#8217;s a long-shot since he&#8217;s already 25, and learning a new position isn&#8217;t as simple as being fast and athletic.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s conceivable that Dee could start hitting significantly better or excel defensively in center (or some combination of the two), adding even more moving parts to his already multi-faceted struggles hardly seems like a viable solution to his woes. After all, B.J. moved off short to mask a deficiency in one part of his game, while Dee has to fix basically everything. As such, the best bet for the Dodgers figures to be hoping that he hits like Juan Pierre at short and learns to use his defensive tools to become around average. It may be a long-shot at this point, but it&#8217;s still a better shot than he would have roaming the outfield.</p>
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		<title>2012 Los Angeles Dodgers Season Review: Overall</title>
		<link>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/12/2012-los-angeles-dodgers-season-review-overall/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/12/2012-los-angeles-dodgers-season-review-overall/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:47:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chad Moriyama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Analysis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opinions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2012 Season Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A.J. Ellis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Adrian Gonzalez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alex Castellanos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andre Ethier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chad Billingsley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Capuano]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clayton Kershaw]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dee Gordon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hanley Ramirez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Loney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jerry Hairston Jr.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Ely]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Pierre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Rivera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Uribe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kenley Jansen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Dodgers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Luis Cruz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Ellis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Guerrier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Kemp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Treanor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mike MacDougal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Season Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shane Victorino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ted Lilly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tony Gwynn Jr.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chadmoriyama.com/?p=12308</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yes, this is the final installment of the 2012 Season Review for the Dodgers, and if you want to catch up on the others, then you can check out this tag here. Otherwise, in the tables listed below, I have calculated the WAR (along with its components), value, and surplus value of every player on ...]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ClaytonKershawPitch-575x383.jpg" alt="" title="ClaytonKershawPitch" width="575" height="383" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-12262" /></p>
<p>Yes, this is the final installment of the <strong>2012 Season Review</strong> for the <strong>Dodgers</strong>, and if you want to catch up on the others, then <a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/tag/season-review/" target="_blank">you can check out this tag here</a>.</p>
<p>Otherwise, in the tables listed below, I have calculated the WAR (along with its components), value, and surplus value of every player on the Dodgers payroll in 2012.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not meant to be taken literally (&#8220;<em>A.J. Ellis is a better player than Matt Kemp!</em>&#8220;), but I always learn stuff about the team that I hadn&#8217;t previously realized when I do it.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Dodgers2012Offense1-575x479.png" alt="" title="Dodgers2012Offense1" width="575" height="479" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-13034" /><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Dodgers2012Offense2-575x219.png" alt="" title="Dodgers2012Offense2" width="575" height="219" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-13035" /></p>
<p>The three best players on the Dodgers, according to WAR, were <strong>A.J. Ellis</strong>, <strong>Matt Kemp</strong>, and <strong>Andre Ethier</strong>, in order. The most valuable players, according to surplus value, were A.J. Ellis, <strong>Luis Cruz</strong>, and <strong>Mark Ellis</strong>.</p>
<p>Best hitters? Kemp, Ethier, and A.J. Ellis. Best baserunners? <strong>Dee Gordon</strong>, <strong>Shane Victorino</strong>, and <strong>Hanley Ramirez</strong>. Best fielders? Mark Ellis, <strong>Jerry Hairston Jr.</strong>, and Cruz.</p>
<p>The three worst players on the Dodgers, according to WAR, were Gordon, <strong>Juan Rivera</strong>, and <strong>Alex Castellanos</strong>. The least valuable players, according to surplus value (excluding dead money), were <strong>Juan Uribe</strong>, <strong>James Loney</strong>, and Rivera.</p>
<p>Worst hitters? Gordon, <strong>Tony Gwynn Jr.</strong>, and Uribe. Worst baserunners? A.J. Ellis, <strong>Adrian Gonzalez</strong>, and <strong>Matt Treanor</strong>. Worst fielders? Gordon, Kemp, Ramirez.</p>
<p>In related news, did you realize the Dodgers are STILL paying <strong>Juan Pierre</strong>? Good grief.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Dodgers2012Pitching1.png" alt="" title="Dodgers2012Pitching1" width="498" height="461" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13036" /><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Dodgers2012Pitching2.png" alt="" title="Dodgers2012Pitching2" width="498" height="178" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13037" /></p>
<p>The three best pitchers on the Dodgers, according to WAR, were <strong>Clayton Kershaw</strong>, <strong>Chad Billingsley</strong>, and <strong>Chris Capuano</strong>, in order. The most valuable pitchers, according to surplus value, were Kershaw, <strong>Kenley Jansen</strong>, and Capuano.</p>
<p>The three worst pitchers on the Dodgers, according to WAR, were <strong>John Ely</strong>, <strong>Matt Guerrier</strong>, and <strong>Mike MacDougal</strong>. The least valuable players, according to surplus value (excluding dead money), were <strong>Ted Lilly</strong>, Guerrier, and Ely.</p>
<p>In related news, you can see why the Dodgers want to upgrade their rotation, as the team defense was decidedly average, but the staff RA WAR outperformed their FIP WAR by six wins.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p>If there are any questions, let me know below.</p>
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		<title>Rumor Mill: Zack Greinke consensus shifts to Texas, Dee Gordon trade destinations expand</title>
		<link>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/12/rumor-mill-zack-greinke-consensus-shifts-to-texas-dee-gordon-trade-destinations-expand/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/12/rumor-mill-zack-greinke-consensus-shifts-to-texas-dee-gordon-trade-destinations-expand/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2012 14:27:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chad Moriyama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Analysis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rumors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dee Gordon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jayson Stark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jim Bowden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jon Heyman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jon Paul Morosi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Pierre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Justin Upton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ken Rosenthal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Dodgers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Saxon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ned Colletti]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Skip Schumaker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zack Greinke]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chadmoriyama.com/?p=12985</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The tide has shifted completely in the Zack Greinke sweepstakes with sources now almost universally agreeing that the Rangers are the favorites. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi speculate that their push for Justin Upton is born out of confidence regarding Greinke. The Rangers’ fervent push for Upton, according to one rival executive, is an ...]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ZackGreinkeNotAmused-575x382.jpeg" alt="" title="ZackGreinkeNotAmused" width="575" height="382" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-12993" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/12/2012-winter-meetings-greinke-talk-posturing-on-ryu-dickey-shields-among-targets/" target="_blank">The tide has shifted completely</a> in the <strong>Zack Greinke</strong> sweepstakes with sources now almost universally agreeing that the <strong>Rangers</strong> are the favorites.</p>
<p><strong>Ken Rosenthal</strong> and <strong>Jon Paul Morosi</strong> speculate that their push for <strong>Justin Upton</strong> is born out of <a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/texas-rangers-arizona-diamondbacks-justin-upton-asdrubal-cabrera-driving-winter-meeting-blockbuster-talks-120612" target="_blank">confidence regarding Greinke</a>.</p>
<blockquote><p>The Rangers’ fervent push for Upton, according to one rival executive, is an indication of their confidence in landing Greinke, who also is being pursued by the Los Angeles Dodgers.</p></blockquote>
<p>Later, on Twitter, Rosenthal <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/statuses/276824644659585025" target="_blank">said that</a> the <strong>Dodgers</strong> are considering pulling out of Greinke negotiations all together.</p>
<p><strong>Mark Saxon</strong> <a href="http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/8720369/zack-greinke-unlikely-land-los-angeles-dodgers-stay-los-angeles-angels" target="_blank">got quotes</a> from <strong>Ned Colletti</strong> expressing pessimism.</p>
<blockquote><p>Asked if he was on the &#8220;doorstep&#8221; of acquiring Greinke, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said: &#8220;We&#8217;re not on the front lawn. &#8230; We&#8217;re barely out of the car at the curb. It&#8217;s better than driving around the neighborhood looking for the house. We know where the house is located. We just can&#8217;t seem to get out of the car.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Dodgers began negotiations with Greinke&#8217;s agent, Casey Close, in Nashville, but it doesn&#8217;t appear that they have made a formal offer to this point. Speculation is that Greinke could command a record deal for a right-hander &#8212; in the six-year, $150 million range.</p>
<p>Given the Dodgers&#8217; deep pockets, it&#8217;s unlikely they would be outbid for Greinke, so it&#8217;s possible he prefers to pitch in another city. Reports indicated he was leaning toward the Texas Rangers.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>Jon Heyman</strong> <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/jon-heyman/21297683/dodgers-starting-to-wonder-whether-greinke-may-prefer-texas" target="_blank">relays</a> much of the same sentiment.</p>
<blockquote><p>Dodgers people have begun to sound a bit less optimistic within the last day or so about their pursuit of star free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke. And although there&#8217;s no evidence anything is close or decided in Texas&#8217; favor, a couple of Dodgers people even suggested that they are beginning to wonder whether Greinke may simply prefer the Rangers.</p></blockquote>
<p>Just piling on at this point, <strong>Jim Bowden</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/JimBowdenESPNxm/statuses/277181758452150274" target="_blank">says</a> Greinke is impressed with the Rangers organization.</p>
<blockquote><p>A source has told me that Greinke was blown away by Nolan Ryan and Rangers Front Office..loves the ML team, prospects and chances to Win WS</p></blockquote>
<p>So yeah, it&#8217;s safe to say that the momentum has shifted from the Dodgers to the Rangers for whatever reason, but whether this remains legit or is being fed to the press in order to drive up prices, or whatever else, is still unknown.</p>
<p>Like many of you, I&#8217;m just getting tired of the saga already because it holds up all of free agency, but then again, nobody said the rest have to wait for Greinke. He&#8217;s free to do things at his own pace if he so chooses, especially considering that he&#8217;s looking at committing the next 6 to 8 years of his life to a location.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p>The suitors for <strong>Dee Gordon</strong> now total four, with the <strong>Braves</strong> and the <strong>Phillies</strong> now apparently in as well, <a href="https://twitter.com/jaysonst/status/277133704177008640" target="_blank">according</a> to <strong>Jayson Stark</strong>.</p>
<blockquote><p>#Indians, #Mariners, #Braves &#038; #Phillies among teams I heard asked #Dodgers about Dee Gordon. It appears all but Seat would try him in OF. </p></blockquote>
<p>Not seeing what the return would be from those teams, so there must be other things at work in the background here if this trade were to happen.</p>
<p>Honestly though, I&#8217;m not seeing the upside in moving him to the outfield. The potential for him to be an MLB regular contributor came with the value of him playing shortstop, where his bat could be decidedly below average but he could still have value. In center or, even worse, left or right, he would basically be relegated to the upside of a poor man&#8217;s <strong>Juan Pierre</strong>. Say what you want about Pierre, but Gordon&#8217;s talent with the bat isn&#8217;t anywhere close to Pierre&#8217;s right now, and I&#8217;m not sure it&#8217;ll ever get there.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/12/winter-meetings-2012-ryu-offer-rejected-greinkes-price-up-capuanoharanguribe-shopped/" target="_blank">Confirming a previous rumor</a>, it was reiterated that the Dodgers have interest in <strong>Skip Schumaker</strong>.</p>
<blockquote><p>The Dodgers and Twins are among the teams that have some level of interest in Cardinals bench player Skip Schumaker, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/12/winter-meetings-2012-ryu-offer-rejected-greinkes-price-up-capuanoharanguribe-shopped/" target="_blank">I gave my thoughts on him</a> the first time his name came up.</p>
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		<title>2012 Los Angeles Dodgers Season Review: Shortstop</title>
		<link>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/11/2012-los-angeles-dodgers-season-review-shortstop/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/11/2012-los-angeles-dodgers-season-review-shortstop/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:51:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Greg Zakwin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Analysis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opinions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2012 Season Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A.J. Ellis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dee Gordon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Don Mattingly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hanley Ramirez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Pierre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Dodgers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Luis Cruz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nate Eovaldi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ned Colletti]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Season Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chadmoriyama.com/?p=12083</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hanley Ramirez Hanley Ramirez was once a stud shortstop (based solely on his bat, of course), a young player a franchise could build around. Fast forward to 2012 and Han-Ram was just a struggling player acquired by the Dodgers in an effort to upgrade at a position of need and make a run at 2012. ...]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/HanleyRamirezISeeYou-575x383.jpg" alt="" title="HanleyRamirezISeeYou" width="575" height="383" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-12257" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=8001&amp;position=SS" target="_blank"><strong>Hanley Ramirez</strong></a></p>
<p><strong>Hanley Ramirez</strong> was once a stud shortstop (based solely on his bat, of course), a young player a franchise could build around. Fast forward to 2012 and Han-Ram was just a struggling player acquired by the <strong>Dodgers</strong> in an effort to upgrade at a position of need and make a run at 2012.</p>
<p>Acquired for <strong>Nate Eovaldi</strong> and <strong>Scott McGough</strong>, Hanley arrived as a third baseman swinging the lumber to the tune of a paltry .246/.322/.428/.750 slash line with a .326 wOBA. For the defense-first position of shortstop, that&#8217;s acceptable, but for a player of Ramirez&#8217;s offensive stature and talent, that&#8217;s a far cry from a franchise building block. Additionally, even though he plays a defense-first position, fielding prowess is the last thing anyone would ever note Hanley for.</p>
<p>While he hit better with the Dodgers, primarily as a shortstop, it wasn&#8217;t by much, and that came with a worse BB%, a higher K%, and a 48-point bump in BABIP from his 2012 Marlins stint. While his BABIP with the Dodgers moved closer to his career mark, he&#8217;s suffered a drop in that area the last couple of years, as it was once routinely north of .325. Factoring in a loss of speed with age, I wouldn&#8217;t bet on that BABIP magically leaping back to its earlier resting place. Why? Because with age, attrition, his injury history, and his loss of speed, he won&#8217;t exactly be beating them out in droves.</p>
<p>As I touched upon previously, Hanley is a terror with the glove, and it really shows when you take a look at the advanced metrics. Taking on that task reveals a mind-boggling 14 runs that Hanley cost his 2012 employers while manning both short and third. The eye test? Judging by Twitter reactions, I doubt there&#8217;s anybody who would argue with the metrics. It&#8217;s important, because that strikingly bad showing left Hanley with a paltry ~2.4 WAR, a slight bounce back from his 2011 WAR of ~1.1, but nothing to write home about after a previous string of five seasons in which his WAR never fell below 4.0 and reached as high as 7.5.</p>
<p>The Dodgers best bet moving forward is to have Hanley play third and an actual shortstop who can field the position play short. How <strong>Ned Colletti</strong> would go about acquiring that shortstop is a different question though, so for now, the best options would appear to be either <strong>Dee Gordon</strong> or <strong>Luis Cruz</strong>.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/DeeGordonJumpThrow-575x381.jpg" alt="" title="DeeGordonJumpThrow" width="575" height="381" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-12256" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=8203&amp;position=SS" target="_blank"><strong>Dee Gordon</strong></a></p>
<p>Dee Gordon began the 2012 season as the starting shortstop, spent much of the middle portion of the year on the DL with a thumb injury, and ended the year as a pinch-runner. While his offensive limitations were obvious, and his defense was in serious need of improvement, it was hoped that he could scrape by and get on enough to use his fantastic speed to wreak havoc on opposing pitchers and catchers.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for Dee, the Dodgers, and OBP-lovers everywhere, 2012 was a lost season for the 24-year-old. Prior to his injury, Dee was a mess at the plate, with a slash line of just .229/.280/.282/.562 due to his low walk rate (6.1 %), severe lack of power (.053 ISO in 330 PA), and a propensity to hit the ball weakly on the ground (58.9 GB%). Dee returned from injury and headed straight for the minors, and upon his return after rosters expanded, garnered just three plate appearances.</p>
<p>And yet, <strong>Don Mattingly</strong> allowed Dee to lead-off for much of his 2012 season. <strong>A.J. Ellis</strong> silently weeps.</p>
<p>Anyway, Dee was just as abominable in the field, costing the Dodgers ~10.5 runs with his glove. His range aside, Dee must work on his hands and accuracy, because becoming a defensive asset at short is his path to being an MLB regular. For now though, his weak bat and weak glove worked to produce a WAR right around -1.0.</p>
<p>The sole area where Dee did contribute was, not surprisingly, the basepaths, where he was worth around ~3.0 runs and stole 32 bases. However, he swiped bags at just an average rate (~76%), so there&#8217;s plenty of room for Dee to grow in that respect, unless he wants to be <strong>Juan Pierre</strong> and steal a lot of bags while not being a great basestealer.</p>
<p>Dee&#8217;s role in 2013 is not yet clear. While he could remain in the bigs as a bench player, pinch-runner, or spot-starter, it seems more likely that he would begin the season as the starting shortstop in AAA so the Dodgers can work with him on his offensive, defensive, and basestealing shortcomings.</p>
<p>The upside is still there, but 2012 clearly showed there was a long way to go.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=3188&amp;position=SS" target="_blank"><strong>Luis Cruz</strong></a></p>
<p>As Cruz started 23 games at short &#8212; mostly after Gordon&#8217;s injury but before Ramirez&#8217;s acquisition &#8212; he&#8217;ll get a brief mention here, although his full write-up can be found in the <strong>Season Review</strong> for third base.</p>
<p>Despite his overall solid year, Cruz hit a mediocre .235/.267/.388/.655 while captaining the infield, though almost half of his 20 hits in his 85 plate appearances went for extra-bases (two homers and seven doubles). In the field, he was solid, clocking in at ~0.7 runs saved.</p>
<p>If the Dodgers start Cruz at short, he helps the club most there because his defense far surpasses Hanley&#8217;s.</p>
<p>=====</p>
<p><em><strong>Greg Zakwin</strong> is the founder of the site <a href="http://plaschkethysweaterisargyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Plaschke Thy Sweater Is Argyle</strong></a>. Follow him on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ArgyledPlaschke" target="_blank"><strong>@ArgyledPlaschke</strong></a>.</em></p>
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		<title>My Sediments On Following The Twitter Accounts Of Dodgers Players</title>
		<link>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2011/10/my-sediments-on-following-the-twitter-accounts-of-dodgers-players/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2011/10/my-sediments-on-following-the-twitter-accounts-of-dodgers-players/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:50:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chad Moriyama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Off Topic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dee Gordon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Loney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jamie Hoffmann]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Javy Guerra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Pierre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Kemp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prince Fielder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chadmoriyama.com/?p=2246</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I learned a harsh lesson over the past month: be careful wat you wish for, because it just mite come true. Sure, I&#8217;ve always wanted more Dodgers players to be on Twitter so that I could get a feel for their thoughts on intangibles like grit and hustle, but what I ended up getting was ...]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TwitterDodgers-500x326.jpg" alt="" title="TwitterDodgers" width="500" height="326" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2247" /></p>
<p>I learned a harsh lesson over the past month: be careful wat you wish for, because it just mite come true.</p>
<p>Sure, I&#8217;ve always wanted more Dodgers players to be on Twitter so that I could get a feel for their thoughts on intangibles like grit and hustle, but what I ended up getting was more than I bargained for.</p>
<p>A while ago, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/dnthasslethHoff" target="_blank"><strong>Jamie Hoffmann</strong></a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/jamesloney_7" target="_blank"><strong>James Loney</strong></a> were the first to join Twitter and I was fine with that, as I figured all players should have the opportunity to just gopher it. Then in 2011, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/JavyGuerra54" target="_blank"><strong>Javy Guerra</strong></a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/skinnyswag9" target="_blank"><strong>Dee Gordon</strong></a> made their Twitter dayviews as well. Then <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/TheRealMattKemp" target="_blank"><strong>Matt Kemp</strong></a> joined.</p>
<p><strong>Then Matt Kemp joined.</strong></p>
<p>I figured I minus whale follow them, because if nothing else, I could always give them a pizza my mind after a soul crushing loss, but that turned out to be a big McSteak on my part.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/JamesLoneyTwitter-500x318.jpg" alt="" title="JamesLoneyTwitter" width="500" height="318" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2248" /></p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/JamieHoffmannTwitter-500x247.jpg" alt="" title="JamieHoffmannTwitter" width="500" height="247" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2249" /></p>
<p><img src="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/MattKempTwitter-500x176.jpg" alt="" title="MattKempTwitter" width="500" height="176" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2250" /></p>
<p>Seriously, how can they move on so quickly? It&#8217;s so disappointing to see them have such a lazy fare attitude without even having gone through their rice of passage as World Series winners!</p>
<p>It&#8217;s bordering on arrogance, really.</p>
<p>As fans, we say: “<em>I can’t believe they are continuing to enjoy their lives as young, famous, wealthy athletes.</em>”</p>
<p>Nobody wants to see this carpet diem bullshit after the season. They need to listen to the advice and criticism I give them on Twitter because everything I say is right.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p>My critics will say that I should support are players, but in my opinion, those fans just have no passion for the game, not like you and me.</p>
<p>I don’t want Jamie Hoffmann to make a Twitter comeback a week after the season ends when he should be doing steroids and choking babies. I don’t want James Loney saying the season ended on a wonderful note! I want him to be depressed and to start working out all day!</p>
<p>Worst of all, I have to see are so-called MVP, Matt Kemp, <a href="http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2011/10/matt-kemp-rihanna-rumored-to-be-back-together-fans-panic/" target="_blank">dating a pop star again</a>, what an unbelievable pre-Madonna! It just shows he has no focus on the game, and that the only thing he will ever lead this team to is a 3rd place finish in the NL West. To top it off, he was cheering for the Brewers on Twitter! CHEERING FOR A TEAM THAT&#8217;S NOT THE DODGERS?! ENJOYING WATCHING PLAYERS WHO ARE NOT DODGERS?! HAVING FRIENDS ON TEAMS OTHER THAN THE DODGERS?! UNACCEPTABLE! Nobody wants to see you give <strong>Prints Fielder</strong> props on Twitter, man. It’s just sickening to us fans to see you enjoy the game you play for living, and it just confirms your place as a lazy waist of talent.</p>
<p>The bottom line is this: I want to see the players suffer in pain like all of us fans did for weeks, no months, on end. I want to see that in tent city in their hearts and minds! I want to see their drive and determination 24/7 until they win the World Series!</p>
<p><strong>THE PLAYERS OWE US THAT MUCH! THEY OWE US FANS TO SUFFER AND HAVE A MISERABLE EXISTANCE JUST LIKE ME!</strong></p>
<p>Gah, should of kept <strong>Juan Pierre</strong>.</p>
<p>=====</p>
<p>Big thanks to my boy <a href="http://www.crossingbroad.com/2011/10/following-the-phillies-on-twitter-is-more-annoying-than-you-may-have-first-thought.html" target="_blank">Crossing Broad</a> for always keeping it real and giving me in the inspiration to right this peace.</p>
<p>Much love.</p>
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