I think we all can agree that if kemp can't stay healthy he does this team no good. Doesn't matter what he says it's all about what he does. He's our best OF of the four and makes the team much better when he's in the lineup. I'm more frustrated with his agent and his blabbering mouth. The guy isn't helping the situation whatsoever. And we see stories on kemp, puig and Crawford so far.....where's the stuff on dre?
"according to an unnamed nl special assistant..." what paper is that you write for?... fucken shameless rumor starting idiot boston hack The Dodgers outfield surplus should work in their favor to start the year with Matt Kemp on the mend, but that doesn't mean GM Ned Colletti won't consider a move later in the season, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. One National League special assistant believes that Andre Ethier would work out very well with the Red Sox. "He needs someone to kick him in the butt, that's why he would be perfect in Boston with [Dustin] Pedroia. That's his buddy, and Pedroia would get the most out of him. He doesn't have anyone like that in L.A.," said the exec. __
Hey, Matt Kemp did have one great season By David Schoenfield | ESPN.com February, 15, 2014 "I'm not a fourth outfielder," Matt Kemp said Friday. "We can cut that off right there. I won't accept that role. I can't accept that role." It would be easy to poke fun at Kemp since he can't even run right now as he recovers from ankle surgery (he also had a second surgery on his shoulder), but you can't blame the guy for being a little upset. There's the four-outfielders-for-three-positions situation facing the Los Angeles Dodgers. There were the offseason trade rumors. There's Yasiel Puig, appearing on the magazine covers Kemp once graced, and really making it a three-for-two proposition since Puig needs to play every day. In Kemp's mind, he probably thinks everyone has forgotten he went .324-39-126 in 2011 (with 40 steals to boot). He deserves to be treated like a superstar, not just another Skip Schumaker. But that's the root of the question: Is Kemp really a superstar? Here are Kemp's season-by-season WAR totals, via Baseball-Reference, since he became a regular in 2008 and where he ranked among all major league outfielders (minimum 275 plate appearances): 2008: +3.9 (18th) 2009: +4.8 (9th) 2010: -1.1 (102nd) 2011: +8.1 (1st) 2012: +2.4 (41st) 2013: +0.5 (79th) Is that the résumé of a superstar? No, not even close. Kemp was awesome in 2011, maybe the best player in baseball. But that's one year of awesomeness. He was very good in 2008 and 2009, not so good in 2010 when his average fell to .249 and his defense was disastrous according to the metrics (-37 Defensive Runs Saved). After his big 2011, the Dodgers bet big, signing him to an eight-year, $160 million extension. In April 2012, it looked like he was on his way to another MVP-level season, hitting .417 with 12 home runs. He was the fourth player to hit at least .400 with 10 home runs in April and the first to do it in any month since Joe Mauer in May 2009. But then came the injuries: first hamstring and shoulder issues and then the ankle injury suffered on July 21 on an awkward slide into home plate. Maybe it's not fair, but part of being a superstar is remaining healthy. It was a major aspect of Derek Jeter's value, for example -- from 1996 through 2012 he averaged 151 games per year. Right now, the idea of Kemp as a superstar is predicated on one outlier of a season. Kemp is now 29, and considering the two years of injuries you also have to wonder if he'll be a viable center fielder when he returns. He's won two Gold Gloves, but the defensive metrics have never liked his defense; while he makes the occasional terrific play, he also gets a lot of bad jumps and doesn't get to many routine balls. Defensive Runs Saved rates him at minus-60 runs in his career in center (Ultimate Zone Rating has him at minus-60.5 runs). If Kemp's ankle issues result in a loss of speed, Andre Ethier is likely the better defensive option. With Puig entrenched in right field, that pushes Kemp to left -- where the Dodgers already have another guy with a $100 million contract in Carl Crawford. Right now, it may seem like a luxury that the Dodgers have four outfielders. But Kemp's words allude to this situation being one huge headache for manager Don Mattingly __
Wow...you think the multiple millions of dollars would motivate this guy, if this is true. Then again: I guess it's true... 86 million ain't what it used to be. Chump change. Who in their right mind would bust their ass for that paltry sum...how far do you want to push this poor guy anyway? Oh, and just my tuppence...but CC is NOT worth a 100 million dollar contract.
That article, specifically this part Is why that extension was never going to be a good idea. Now we're 2 years in and have gotten less than 3 win shares for our money. Here's to a big 2014!
this part too... [...] then came the injuries: first hamstring and shoulder issues and then the ankle injury suffered on July 21 on an awkward slide into home plate. Maybe it's not fair, but part of being a superstar is remaining healthy. [...] __
Disagree. He was the best player in the game before he got hurt in 2012 too. It appeared he was in the midst of an incredible linear peak and then he got hurt, uncharacteristically.
Koufax: Puig needs to hit cutoff man By Mark Saxon | ESPNLosAngeles.com Today 4:56pm ET GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Legendary pitcher Sandy Koufax, making his first appearance of the spring at the Los Angeles Dodgers' training facility, said he enjoyed watching Yasiel Puig energize the team last summer but would like to see the talented outfielder improve his fundamentals. "If the showmanship doesn't involve bad decisions, it's fine," Koufax said. "I think people love it. You've got a great arm, you want to show it off, but you'd like to see it go to the right place all the time. "He's young. He hasn't played [much]. I think the biggest thing is he hasn't played against competition as good as he is, so you're always able to have your physical ability make up for whatever else you did. He's learning. I'm sure it's going to happen. There's too much talent not to." In discussing Puig's powerful arm, some people have compared him to Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente, among others. But Koufax said he is not willing to go there. Not yet anyway. "Clemente had a great arm. [Willie] Mays had a good arm, but Mays never missed the cutoff man, never threw to the wrong base," Koufax said. "I'm not sure Roberto did either, but there have been a lot of good arms in baseball. I'm not comparing [Puig] to Clemente after two or three months in the big leagues." Koufax, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, joined the Dodgers as a special assistant to owner Mark Walter last spring. He rarely makes public appearances, but Koufax volunteered to fly to New York for the Baseball Writers' Association of America's awards banquet in January because he wanted to present Clayton Kershaw with his second Cy Young. Because Kershaw pitches for Los Angeles and is left-handed, he has been compared to Koufax since his major league debut in 2008. "He was introduced as my protégé. I wanted to start right off saying, 'He's not my protégé. He's his own man, his own person,'" Koufax said. Kershaw, 25, has led the major leagues in ERA each of the past three seasons and signed a record-breaking $215 million, seven-year contract extension last month. Koufax, 78, didn't win his first Cy Young until he was 27 but was the most dominant pitcher in baseball from 1962 to 1966, retiring at age 31 because of an elbow injury. Koufax said Kershaw will have to make adjustments as he ages. "At 25, you don't have to adjust. Talk to me when he's 35," Koufax said. He said he does not mind the comparisons with Kershaw. "I hope by the time it's over it will be a big honor," Koufax said. __
I wonder how many people told Vlad to "hit the cutoff man". Sandy did have some great things to say about Puig, though.
Maybe that's what you saw, but I saw a player who had one great year and two good ones sprinkled in between get 160 million dollars. I was willing to bet the day he signed it he wouldn't be worth it. So far it's been a net loss of over 10 million dollars and these are the years he's supposed to make up for the back end. Could go down as one of the worst contracts in Dodgers history. Hoping he has a 4+ win season to change that.
I would say, pretty much everyone. Especially his manager and coaches, if they were worth anything at all...
But then we don't get to see cool throws and people gunned out. I understand the principle of it, but in some situations, Puig should definitely try to throw someone out.
hear what you're saying but... vlad played on some shitty montreal teams, puig plays on a team expected to win from now to eternity vlad was by far the biggest star (and biggest draw) on those expos teams, dodgers have a team loaded with stars expos were desperately looking to move to a new city, dodgers are looking to own this one when sandy koufax talks, people listen. what former expos great would anyone listen to... jeff fassero? rusty staub?
Puig himself said he needs to learn, and people kinda blew Koufax's words everywhere. Koufax said Puig can be as crazy as he wants as long as it doesn't result in many mistakes, which I think Puig and all of us can agree on. But he didn't say Puig needs to tone everything down and said he was exciting and fun to watch, which is great coming from Koufax. Koufax is from an old school era and still loved what Puig did.
