Vladdy was also a MVP for a very competitive Angels team in '04 and was a big part of their 2005 ALCS run. Not trying to discredit Sandy because he's the greatest left handed pitcher the game has ever seen, but I feel that in certain scenarios, Puig should try to gun someone out.
This "unnamed NL exec" really has a hard on for the Red Sox. Weird. I feel like we've been talking about Ethier being traded to the Red Sox for 5 years now.
not a fair analogy imo by 2004 vlad had 9 seasons under his belt and i absolutely agree that you don't want to stifle puig completely i just think he needs to be educated on game situations airmailing the cutoff man on plays -- and let's be honest here -- where he had zero chances of getting the runners, and putting other runners in scoring position is inexcusable teach him the proper method and penalize him if he doesn't learn/comply
Yeah, I agree. I just feel like people want him to throw to the cutoff man every single time no matter what. You don't get blessed with an arm like that to never use it.
To support Sandy's view then IF Puig throws to 3B AND gets the runner out then by definition he threw to the correct base. Just don't blow it. Make good decisions and scare the runner into not attempting a 1B to 3B jaunt... or else the howitzer comes out.
And we also don't get to see balls sailing into the stands or ricocheting off the wall into left field as the runner scrambles for home.
Maybe it's hyperbole but he has certainly allowed runners to advance and score that shouldn't have had the opportunity.
I for one look back fondly on the days when our number 3 and 4 outfielders were named Rivera and Sands. Not really fondly but it helps me appreciate where we are now.
Ethier backs Kemp's opinion on being 4th OF: Everyone wants to start By Mark Saxon | ESPNLosAngeles.com — 15 minutes ago GLENDALE, Ariz. - Andre Ethier said he agrees with teammate Matt Kemp. He doesn't want to be the odd man out either when the Los Angeles Dodgers try to fit four outfielders into three spots. In fact, after Matt Kemp sent the first ripples through Dodgers camp by saying he would not accept a role as a fourth outfielder, he consulted Ethier, the teammate he has known longest. "I said, 'That's the way I feel. I know that's the way you feel and, I think, that's the way you should feel,'" Ethier said. "You want guys having that kind of edge to them, keeping their game at the highest level instead of settling for a lesser role. "The team's made a financial commitment to all of us. If, all of a sudden, a guy says he's happy accepting that kind of role, wouldn't you as a fan say, 'He's happy being complacent?'" In many ways, the presence of four everyday outfielders for three spots is a bigger worry for Ethier than for Kemp. If Kemp is healthy, the Dodgers have said, he will play. Before shoulder, hamstring and ankle injuries hit, he was one of the best all-around players in the game. Ethier can play all three outfield positions, allowing him to spell any of the regulars. He also struggles against left-handed pitching, making him an easier player to platoon. Kemp's health, however, is uncertain. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam next week to determine if he can begin his running program. Kemp still hasn't run on the field, more than four months removed from left ankle surgery. The Dodgers open their season March 22 in Australia. Kemp won't play in those two games, it appears. "We're not hopeful for Australia," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. Presuming Kemp returns in April, the plan appears to use Ethier all over the field. He has played the vast majority of his 1,090 games in right field, but has played significantly in center and left as well. Ethier moved from right to center when Kemp got hurt last year, but before that he was entrenched in right field the previous four seasons. He said he's willing to give the utility role a go if it helps the team. "I've done a lot personally and done a lot with this team and I think we're still just missing one thing, [a World Series], so if it's something that leads to that, let's figure out a way to get it done," Ethier said. Kemp dealt with trade rumors for the first time in his career last winter. Ethier said he has seen his name linked to them for the past five or six years and he's fairly certain they will crop up again. "I guess it's a little disheartening when you see it," Ethier said. "When it keeps coming around and you see it, you figure it comes with the territory. You don't like it, you don't accept it, but you've got to keep moving on." As long as the Dodgers have all four outfielders, it will be Mattingly's headache, of course. "We've got four guys and somebody's not going to be happy and you really can't expect them to be," Mattingly said. "I can expect everybody to be good teammates. We'll do the best we can." __
It won't matter... all four will not be healthy at any given time let alone able to hit either lefty's or a cutoff man.
This. Last year we had 99 OF starts by players other than these 4. Let's focus on lower that number before worrying about who the "odd man out" is.
could be a blessing in disguise kemp needs to be 100%; not 90%, not 80%... last thing we need is him coming back to soon, injuring/re-injuring himself, and going on the shelf for an extended period and yeah, almost all of us have gotten down on him once in a while, but there's no doubt -- at least imo -- that we're a much better team with a healthy/productive kemp in the lineup :soapbox: Kemp likely to miss opening series in AustraliaBy Ken Gurnick | MLB.com -- 3 hours agoGLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp won't make the club's season-opening trip to Australia, manager Don Mattingly indicated Friday.Mattingly said he was "not hopeful" Kemp would be ready, no surprise since Kemp still hasn't run on his surgically-repaired left ankle and the club breaks camp in a little more than three weeks.Kemp will undergo an MRI next week, and if surgeon Dr. Robert Anderson gives the green light, Kemp will add running to a program that already includes hitting, throwing and fielding ground balls.Kemp is attempting to return from a career-threatening injury to the weight-bearing talus bone in his ankle, which suffered a stress reaction and a cartilage chip. The repair surgery included a micro-fracture procedure to produce additional cartilage-like substance for extra protection.The tricky part of the comeback is that if Kemp returns too soon, the bone could be damaged permanently, and there is no way to accurately predict when the bone is fully healed.That is why his rehab during Spring Training has been overly conservative, and also why the club is not preoccupied with the prospect of having too many outfielders.Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.__
It would be silly to rush Kemp back with our current OF depth. I know I got my panties all twisted when agent dumbass said Kemp wouldn't be ready for Australia a month ago, but if he's not ready he's not ready. If we have to wait until August, but we will get 2011 Matty back, then I'm all for waiting.
We don't and won't have a 4 the outfielder between these four. We will have four starting outfielders just not every day. Eat your heart out baseball.
