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With Johnson Signing, Dodgers Avoid Going Completely SOFT February 3, 2010, 10:22 a.m. That's slow, old, fat and tall, if you're scoring. Previously, on "This Week in the Dodgers Get Slow, Old and Fat," and with some seriously-reinforced fishing equipment, the club reeled in Ronnie Belliard. Definitely slow, old and fat (tipping the scales at something more than 209 pounds, how much more no one knows), but certainly not tall, at just 5' 8." But OK, if Belliard has been brought in to pinch hit primarily, as I've been told he has, then fine. He can do that fat. Next thing you know, Los Angeles is in talks with Garret Anderson, who's slow and old, but tall (at 6' 3" easy), and who wouldn't be a good fourth outfielder because, well, if you're paying attention, in addition to being a left fielder only, is slow and old. But, credit where credit is due. Ned Colletti and company went out and found the best fourth outfielder available, signing Reed Johnson, late of the Chicago Cubs. No flimsy reed, Johnson is a great defensive player and can easily handle all three spots. He's essentially Jason Repko, but with a better bat and substantial major league experience. I'm happy, and you will be too. Don't buy into this crap about Johnson not being able to hit right-handers. Just because a guy's numbers are sub-par in a particular statistical category at certain times during his career, doesn't make it a character flaw. Yes, Johnson hit just .206 against righties last year. BFD. It was a down year generally, and we're talking 96 at bats. Not completely meaningless, but almost. Johnson hit .280 against right-handers in 186 ABs in 2008, .316 against them in 297 ABs in 2006, .262 in 233 in '05, and is at .260 lifetime in 1665 at bats. He's going to be great subbing for Manny on a regular basis while spelling Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp every so often. And I promise you he'll be a fan favorite by mid-April. Neither slow, nor old, nor fat, nor tall. The Reed Johnson signing is a coup for the Dodgers. As for second base, obviously I wasn't crazy about the Belliard move, and I still say Orlando Hudson is the far superior player, and was for most of last year. But I'll let it go now, finally, and turn my thoughts to the guys in-house. The Dodgers are going to give Blake DeWitt every chance to win the job in Spring Training, and I think the team is pulling for him to do so. As am I. He doesn't need to tear the cover off the ball or run into walls to make it happen. A March average of .265 or so, with a handful of extra base hits, and some steady play around the bag ought to do it. Anything more is gravy. From there, DeWitt simply needs to look like a major leaguer to a keep at least a platoon's share of the position, most likely along with Jamey Carroll. So let's give the club a break on this one. Maybe you can't have an All-Star at every position. The club is coming together with some fine additions. And they're moving on from SOFT. Definitely a good thing… Talkback: Your comments are always encouraged… Dodgertown Classic: Remember the Dodgers vs. USC exhibition games of years gone by? Steve Sogge, etc. Well, this isn't that, but it's a nice Sunday afternoon at the yard, and I plan to attend. A mini-tournament to benefit the Dodgers Dream Foundation, the Dodgertown Classic pits Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State, February 28 at 10 a.m., and USC vs. UCLA in the "night-cap," at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are just five bucks if purchased in advance… Media Savvy: Old friend Ben of TopProspectAlert.com has posted the JP Schwartz 2010 Top 125 MLB Prospect Rankings. Check it out. Maybe I need to read the New York Times more often, because I missed this whole thing. A little brouhaha between medical staffs, east vs. west. Read yesterday's piece, by Ben Shpigel, and the even more interesting October 11 story by David Waldstein and Michael S. Schmidt, which is also referenced in the follow-up... Trivia: Baseball author and IBWAA member Dan Schlossberg sends in this one. Who are the 14 Hall of Famers who wore Mets uniforms? Answer below… Mark Sanchez Raising Money for JDRF: I understand there's a football game his weekend, and while I suppose that's important, let's focus on Mark Sanchez helping to raise $100,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. JDRF is the Main Squeeze's gig, remember, which is how I know about it in the first place. Now you do too… Statue for Sandy: The Koufax in bronze campaign continues. Please Vote “Yes on 32.” And tell a friend… Trivia Answer: Richie Ashburn (1962 CF), Yogi Berra, Gary Carter, Bob Gibson (pitching coach under Torre), Rickey Henderson, Rogers Hornsby (1962 batting coach), Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Red Ruffing (1962 pitching coach), Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Duke Snider, Warren Spahn and Casey Stengel… Remember, glove conquers all….
Dodgers Getting Closer January 23, 2010, 9:10 p.m. Listen sports fans, whatever you think of the Dodgers brain-trust (and both air-quotes and regular quotes are employable here), Ned Colletti and Frank McCourt were right about one thing. The club didn’t have a ton of work to do this offseason. Late for Christmas, sure, but L.A. is checking off its list. And it's not a race. That begins in April. Saving millions by signing the same players in January and February rather than November or December is simply smart business, and you'd give the team a bleepload for doing the opposite. John Lackey got a ridiculous contract, and in the long run, the Boston Red Sox will pay dearly for it. Perhaps in the short run too. I wanted Randy Wolf back for a year, same as you, but I've come to believe that letting him go without an arbitration offer is acceptable practice. The assumption that Wolf would bite, and give the Dodgers yet another hometown discount is, well, it shouldn't be an assumption. I like Joel Pineiro just fine, and the Angels did extremely well to get him for a fraction of Lackey's selling price, but Vicente Padilla has as good a chance – and probably better – to throw the ball well for a year, as does Pineiro. And 2010 is all I care about. Padilla was the best and most appropriately-priced fourth starter option available and the Dodgers made the right call. This is not a shot in the dark – pun intended. Jon Garland and Braden Looper were more-than-serviceable alternatives, and I would've been OK with either man, but Padilla was my first choice. And the economical Padilla signing does give Los Angeles a competitive edge over a team like say, the Phils, who donated $24 million to a thoroughly pedestrian Joe Blanton for three years. Joe Blanton! So the Dodgers have filled one of their two main holes to date. Now let's talk about second base. There are things to admire about Blake DeWitt's game, and I can imagine him becoming a .280 to .300 hitter someday, perhaps with 10 to 15 homers and 60 or 70 RBIs, but there's really no reason to expect those numbers anytime soon. Might happen, but who knows? If he were a sure-fire Gold Glover now, immediately, it might be worth throwing him out there to see what sticks. DeWitt is a bona fide major league third baseman already, so why not be optimistic? But since he's unproven with both the bat, and the glove at second, L.A. should do better. And this business about, "well, it's OK to carry a struggling second baseman because you'll make up it for around the diamond" is a lame, if not negligent approach to take. The Dodgers should have excellence wherever they can get it. So no; no Ronnie Belliard, no Adam Kennedy, and no platooning of DeWitt with Jamey Carroll. I'll leave you with three names, two of which I've been harping on all winter. Shame on you if you missed it. I'm torn between Felipe Lopez and Orlando Cabrera, but either would be an absolutely excellent choice for Chavez Ravine. Don't buy the talk that Cabrera has "fallen off a cliff" defensively or that "he hasn't played second base since 2000." Most shortstops can and do make the transition to second well – it's the other way around that you can't count on – and Cabrera can handle the job just fine. The notion that he changes clubs too often so there's gotta be a problem is worth considering for a minute, but it shouldn't stop a good acquisition from occurring. Critics said the same thing about Kenny Lofton for as long as I can remember, and he played well wherever he went. And his teams won. Do you think it's a coincidence that the Minnesota Twins were below .500 when they traded for the guy mid-summer, and even with one of their best players in Justin Morneau injured, stormed to the division with Cabrera in the middle of it all? Please. Orlando Cabrera is a winner, and just plain hits the crap out of the ball. Always. A dozen homers, 75 RBIs, .275-plus, and never missing a ball game. Guaranteed. He'd be a great Dodger. There's word that the Mariners are shopping Jose Lopez, and he's a serious hitter, perhaps ready to bust out more than he already has in Seattle, but who knows with these rumors? And who knows what it would take to get him? The Dodgers need a real backup catcher as well, so I'm hopeful they'll spring for the extra $500,000 or so it'll take to get someone other than A.J. Ellis, who'd play for the minimum. Not that it'll make all that much difference, with Joe Torre priming to play Russell Martin 145 games again next season, but it'd be nice to have the option to go to someone more capable, like Brad Ausmus. That's my spiel for the moment. It's good that the Dodgers signed all their arbitration-eligible players, and it's comforting to have Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Jonathan Broxton settled for two years without contractual incident. So complain about the current state of Dodger affairs all you like. The club is almost there, despite its troubles. I just renewed my season tickets, so I'm confident. I wouldn't waste your time otherwise. Really, I wouldn't. Just 26 days till pitchers and catchers and J.D. Closser report… Talkback: Your comments are always encouraged… Last Add, Dodgers: Randy Winn a Dodger? The argument is similar to the one about second base above. I like Repko, and he's an excellent defensive player, who can fill in at all three spots in ways that Juan Pierre could not, but with Manny Ramirez another year older and either a bad mood or a pee pee cup away from oblivion, fourth outfielder is going to be an increasingly important position for the Dodgers. Winn would be a real asset. He's a considerably better hitter than his 2009 .262 indicates, switches, gets on base, and plays a fine left, center or right. A Dodger killer and savvy veteran, who even with the seven year age difference, is more likely to stay on the field than poor Jason Repko. It's the least of the club's worries, I suppose, but you know me – if I mention a player I want once or twice, I certainly won't hesitate to go for three… Who Goofed: As you probably know by now, the Dodgers are set to play two exhibitions in Taiwan, March 13 and 14. Perhaps in its eagerness to get the story out, the Taipei Times mixed up the names of L.A.'s big-time sluggers a tad. Who's this Rodriguez fellow? BaseballSavvy.com on Facebook. Please check out the new FB page, and do your part for our self-esteem. Become a fan, will you. Statue for Sandy: The Koufax in bronze campaign continues. Please Vote “Yes on 32.” And tell a friend… Remember, glove conquers all….
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