Grandal is back, and Rollins is dropped to 8th

A couple of items to discuss before the Dodgers once again try to solve the puzzle this is the St. Louis Cardinals...

* Yasmani Grandal is being activated from the 7-day concussion DL, needing the minimum amount of days to do so.  He got knocked around, literally, in the noggin against the Padres a week ago, so precaution was understandably taken.  Chris Heisey will be sent down to Triple-A Oklahoma City, just four days shy of five full years of service time, meaning he could've refused the assignment.  I'm no expert, but I'm guessing that why he was the chosen one.

For now, the Dodgers plan on keeping three catchers on the active roster, meaning young Austin Barnes will be the emergency catcher.  I can't imagine that will last long; maybe only as long as Grandal shows he's fully healthy and there's no reason to worry about him.

The Dodgers definitely needed this bit of good news, as Ellis has given them next to nothing at the plate.  No one will ever question his heart and preparation with the pitching staff, but at the plate, he's about as lousy as one can get.  There is nothing about him with the lumber that scares anyone.

* The other bit of news is that after starting all 41 games he's played in the #2 hole, Don Mattingly has decided to slide Jimmy Rollins down to #8.  In his place will be Justin Turner making another start at third.

This is a move many people, myself included, have been clamoring for for many weeks.  Rollins is only hitting .210 with a .278 OBP.  But, if you look a little closer at the stats, you'll see that he's on a six-game hitting streak, raising his average from .194.  He also had the Dodgers' only extra-base hit on Friday, a double.

So why the switch?  I have to think it's because Donnie is trying all he can to wake up a deadbeat offense on the road.  They've gone an absurd 37 straight innings away from home without scoring one damn run.  That really is embarrassing.  So while Rollins has improved, it's not like he's killing the ball, it's been mostly singles.

I like the move because it gets some new blood at the top, as Turner is hitting .298 with a .383 OBP, five homers, and 19 RBIs.  He's one of those guys who consistently leaves a mark when he's in the starting lineup, so why not move him to a more important spot in the order?

The next domino falling in the order could be Joc Pederson.  He's had an exciting season, but is striking out way too much at 57, and has only taken two walks in his last nine games.  That's not exactly a good combination for the leadoff hitter.  He'll still have his games where he's tearing the cover off the ball, but when he's not, it's a whole lot of swings and misses.

Maybe Rollins continues to hit well from the #8 spot.  I can then see him becoming the leadoff hitter, moving Pederson down to #5 or #6 to drive in more runs with that wicked swing of his.  We shall see.

The Rollins experiment isn't really working

Of the many offseason moves made by the Dodgers, one of the biggest ones was plucking Jimmy Rollins from the Phillies after spending 15 years there.  Hanley Ramirez wasn't offered a contract extension, and Corey Seager wasn't quite ready yet to assume full-time shortstop duties with the big club.

The thinking was that Rollins could set the table at the top of the order with some power, provide a good glove at short, and give his veteran leadership in a clubhouse that wasn't exactly harmonious last season.

The results thus far?  EH... just OK.

That's my nice way of saying that Rollins hasn't exactly set the Dodgers on fire.  At 36, he looks more like the guy on his last legs of life, rather than getting a career resurgence across the country in LA.

In the field, he's had pretty good results in comparison with the rest of the shortstops in the National League.  Right now he has a 0.3 Defensive WAR, which ranks him fifth.  His fielding %, however, is .951, putting him in the lower half at 12th.  The one thing he definitely does have going for him is that he's a clear upgrade from Hanley, who was probably the worst defensive shortstop in all of baseball last year.

At the plate, it's been a completely different story.  He enters Sunday's game against the Rockies, the team's 30th, hitting .167 with a .248 OBP, four doubles, one triple, three homers, and 11 RBIs.  He's also struck out 24 times, and been 3-6 in stolen base attempts.  Simply put, those numbers are pretty awful for hitting in the upper half of the lineup.

Yet, there's his name constantly being written in the #2 hole, and that was only because Don Mattingly finally yanked him from the leadoff spot for a much more exciting Joc Pederson.  Young Joc has responded with six home runs and a .366 OBP.  Rollins in the #2 hole?  A .103 AVG, .122 OBP, and two homers.  Those are some really pathetic numbers.

That leads us to this simple question - What should the Dodgers do now?  It seems like a simple answer, but because of how much the Dodgers talked him up in the offseason, it's not quite as easy as it looks.

The simple way would be to move him lower in the order at the very least.  There is no reason at all he should be hitting in the top half.  He's absolutely stunk it up by striking out way too much, and not getting on base nearly enough.  Hopefully Yasiel Puig comes back soon and can take that spot, but that shouldn't matter.  Rollins needs to be dropped.

In the field, there's no clear cut replacement.  Justin Turner could get some time there, but he's better off at other positions.  Darwin Barney is in Triple-A, and Kike Hernandez is only a temporary replacement until guys like Puig get healthy again.

If you're a big follower of the Dodgers, you know that someone else is lurking in the Minor Leagues.  That someone is Seager, who was just promoted to Triple-A after tearing up Double-A ball.  In 20 games at Tulsa, he hit .375 with five homers and 15 RBIs.  Oklahoma City has proven to be a little tougher so far, as he's 7-for-30 (.233) with no homers and four RBIs in eight games.  It's a very small sample size, so you know he'll get adjusted soon.

And if Seager does get adjusted, then like Pederson last September, I have to wonder how much longer the Dodgers will let the #5 ranked prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America linger in Triple-A.  Say Rollins continues to do... well, a big pile of nothing.  And say Seager gets his power stroke going.  I can definitely see the future getting in some action with the big club before this season is all said and done.

The bottom line is that, as great a career as Rollins had in Philadelphia, it's time for him to start putting up the numbers in LA.  If he doesn't, then no matter how much "veteran leadership" he brings to the clubhouse, the Dodgers have to look to Plan B.

Pederson in, Rollins out at leadoff. That's a good thing.

I just glanced at the lineup for tonight's rubber match between the Dodgers and Giants, and there's one big change: Jimmy Rollins will not be leading off for the first time in his brief Dodger tenure.  Joc Pederson will be, as Rollins slides down a spot.

Don Mattingly may have been a bit stubborn about this, but it's a move that needed to be made.

Rollins was brought into the Dodgers for his veteran leadership and championship experience.  He also brings a great glove at short, even in his advanced age, and pop from the leadoff spot.  That was on full display on Opening Day, as his three-run home run in the eighth inning broke a tie and helped lead the Dodgers to victory #1.

Since then?  Well... it's been a whole lot of nothing.  He hasn't homered since and only has four more RBIs.  He's not getting much of any hits in fact, which explains his .182 AVG and .281 OBP.  I don't care who it is - those are some flat out ugly numbers for the guy at the top of the order.

Now Pederson and his .296 AVG and .458 OBP gets a shot at setting the table.  He's already an early candidate for NL Rookie of the Year based on his big bat (five doubles, three homers) and awesome defense in center.  He leads the team in walks with 16, so he's not afraid to be patient and take first when given the chance.

What's a downside to each guy?  Pederson has 21 strikeouts, and Rollins 17, both by far the team leaders.  Pederson looks like he'll do one of three things: get a big hit, walk, or strikeout.  Rollins is second with 11 walks, but has no big hits and definitely strikes out.  So Pederson is the better choice right now.

Ideally, Rollins will work himself out of his slump, return to the leadoff spot, allowing Pederson to drive in runs lower in the order.  But for now, I applaud Donny for making the switch.  It had to happen sooner rather than later.

A-Gon likes what he sees defensively

"We have guys with really high baseball IQs."

That's what Adrian Gonzalez recently told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  He was referring to his new infield of Juan Uribe at third, Jimmy Rollins at short, and Howie Kendrick at second, in addition to the current Gold Glover at first.

It's not hard to see why A-Gon is this excited, because those names listed above are about as good an infield as it gets in baseball.

As Hernandez wrote, the new-look Dodgers' infield has a whole lot of experience and runs saved in comparison to last year.  Gone are Hanley Ramirez and Dee Gordon playing up the middle.  Hanley was clearly hanging onto his last breathe as an everyday shortstop (in fact, he's now the Red Sox left fielder).  Gordon was underrated as an improving second basemen, with plenty of room to still grow.  But he's no Kendrick with the leather.

Keeping those four guys healthy and in the everyday lineup will be huge, because the pitching staff is already getting hammered with one injury after another.  Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kenley Jansen, and Brandon League are already out for various periods of time.  Brett Anderson is always one misstep away from going to his second home, the DL.  The depth is being tested right away.

Knowing that four slick fielders are right behind the pitching rubber at least puts Don Mattingly's mind somewhat at ease as he runs out a bunch of pitchers he didn't think he'd have to use already in April.  Granted, guys like Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke won't need even average fielders to put up terrific numbers, but it certainly doesn't hurt either.

As Yasmani Grandal continues to get used to his new club, Yasiel Puig returns to his natural position of right field, and Joc Pederson hopefully gets the call to be the starting center fielder, nearly every part of the Dodgers' defense will be top notch and ready to win plenty of games of small ball.

About the only weak spot in the field belongs to Carl Crawford.  You know, the guy who dropped a fly ball and cost his team two runs last night against the Giants...

Rollins to hit leadoff, but is he the best choice?

Don Mattingly and his boys are getting ready for their first Spring Training game of the season, which is tomorrow (Wednesday) against the White Sox.  One move he made was putting Jimmy Rollins in the leadoff slot, where he will probably stay for the season.

The reasoning?  Well, it's pretty simple: he's spent the majority of his career in that slot, and the Dodgers don't really have anyone else to do it.  So that's that.

With all of that said, I still have to wonder if Rollins is best utilized in that role at this point in his career.  For his career in the #1 spot, he's hit .272 with a .331 OBP.  The last couple of seasons, however, he's started to switch away from being exclusively a leadoff hitter, and started many more games in the #2 hole last season.

Dee Gordon was an obvious choice last season to hit leadoff.  He has blazing speed and was an emerging threat at the plate, even though his .326 OBP wasn't exactly through the roof.  This season, there's just not that one guy who plainly sticks out to set the table.  So you can understand why Mattingly wants to plug Rollins there based on his experience there.

Still, I look at a couple of other guys who could possibly fill this spot at times this upcoming season.  The first one is Carl Crawford, who is the early leader to start in left field.  Like Rollins, he's on the downside of his career and is looking to give that one last push towards a ring.  Last season in 105 games, he had a resurgence at the plate with a .300/.339 line, so he found ways to get on base.  He also swiped 23 bases with only six times being caught.  That's pretty good.

The other guy in my mind, believe it or not, is Yasiel Puig.  The Dodgers definitely want him to be that thumper in the heart of the order, especially with Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez gone.  But, because this is Puig we're talking about, nothing is a guarantee.  Despite having all the tools in the world to be a terrific run producer, he does have a .301/.389 line hitting leadoff, and has a high slugging % at .527 over the last two years.  Maybe he's just more comfortable there than the other spots.

Let's not forget that Rollins had 17 homers and 55 RBIs last season, and three years ago it was 23 and 68.  While he'll never be confused with the biggest ballplayer in the park, he still can hit for power, which could cause him to be moved to the middle of the order if the Dodgers are struggling in this regard.

It's just over a month away until the games start for real, so let's see if Mattingly is happy with Rollins taking that first at-bat of the game, or if someone else like Crawford or Puig is called upon.

2015 Season Preview: Infield

I've already gone through the pitching staff, so now let's focus on the guys behind them.  Today will be all about the infield.

2014
C - A.J. Ellis
1B - Adrian Gonzalez
2B - Dee Gordon
SS - Hanley Ramirez
3B - Juan Uribe
Bench - Drew Butera, Tim Federowicz, Justin Turner, Miguel Rojas, Chone Figgins, Erisbel Arruebarrena, Darwin Barney

2015
C - A.J. Ellis/Yasmani Grandal
1B - Adrian Gonzalez
2B - Howie Kendrick
SS - Jimmy Rollins
3B - Juan Uribe
Bench - Ellis or Grandal, Justin Turner, Darwin Barney, Alex Guerrero

Then Compared to Now:
Obviously, there's a big change in the middle, as out go Hanley and Gordon, and in come Kendrick and Rollins.  Other than Matt Kemp being traded to San Diego, the infield is the biggest story.  Since A-Gon and Uribe stay the same, the major question will be whether or not the new is better than the old.

Let's not forget that Gordon started off the year as an afterthought, and barely even worth drafting in fantasy leagues.  He then turned himself into an All-Star who led the league in stolen bases pretty easily.  Hanley had a rough year for his standards by only playing in 128 games, but did hit .429 in the Division Series without a strikeout.

The other change is the addition of Grandal, who was part of the Kemp deal.  There's no doubt he brings much more offense than Ellis.  But defensively, he still has to prove he can handle a staff like Ellis can.

Individual Breakdown:
Ellis (2014 stats): .191 AVG, .323 OBP, 9 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 0 SB
He's never been a star with the lumber, but even with that said, he really struggled to generate anything on offense.  About all he could give was a walk, which is why his OBP is so much higher.  There's no doubt, however, that the Dodgers did the right thing in bringing in an offensive catcher in Grandal.  As valuable as Ellis is behind the plate, especially with Clayton Kershaw, the offense just comes to a halt when he's up.

Grandal (with Padres): .225 AVG, .327 OBP, 19 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR, 49 RBI, 3 SB
He's been busted for PED use, he's torn up his knee, and he's not even considered that great of a defensive catcher.  But he is still young (26), and he's clearly shown good pop from behind the plate when he can stay on the field.  Plus, he appeared in 37 games last season at first base, which is great since he hits right-handed and can spell Gonzalez if need be.  There's a lot to like about him, but as I said before, he'll have to show he can stay on the field to really be worth the while.

Gonzalez: .276 AVG, .335 OBP, 41 2B, 0 3B, 27 HR, 116 RBI, 1 SB
I'll bet very few people, outside of Dodger fans, would be able to tell you that A-Gon led all of baseball in RBIs last season, even ahead of the mighty Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera.  That's because he played in 159 games last season, and hit .333 with runners in scoring position.  Plus, his defense improved, cutting down on his errors from 11 to 6.  All in all, he's Mr. Reliable, and even as he turns 33 in May, has proven to be the rock in the Dodgers' lineup.

Kendrick (with Angels): .293 AVG, .347 OBP, 33 2B, 5 3B, 7 HR, 75 RBI, 14 SB
Two big reasons why the Dodgers preferred him over Gordon: he's consistently put up numbers at the plate since his debut in 2006, and the brass feels as though Gordon has already peaked with his best season in 2014.  Time will only tell about that last statement, as Gordon will have lots of chances to show his worth in Miami.  As for Kendrick, he's a clutch hitter who also brings the goods in the field, rating at an excellent 1.4 DWAR.  He'll be playing for a new contract this year, so there's even more motivation for him to show his addition was a smart move.

Rollins: .243 AVG, .323 OBP, 22 2B, 4 3B, 17 HR, 55 RBI, 28 SB
Boy will this be weird seeing him in Dodger blue this season.  It will be an adjustment for everybody, but after Hanley bolted for Boston, the addition of Rollins looks like a great move.  He's won a ring once, lost in the World Series to the Yankees another time, and will be looking to provide the leadership the Dodgers need to bring them their first title since 1988.  He looked completely washed up in 2013, but fought back for a much better 2014.  He won't be the same hitter Hanley was, but defensively, he's light years better, and that's what the Dodgers want the most.

Uribe: .311 AVG, .337 OBP, 23 2B, 0 3B, 9 HR, 54 RBI, 0 SB
Entering the last year of his contract, he backed up his resurgent (and that's an understatement) 2013 with another good year at the plate.  Most importantly, he gave Gold Glove caliber defense at the hot corner, barely losing out on the award again.  He'll be 36 when the season begins in April, making him a little long in the tooth, so you have to wonder if this is his last year in LA.  He needs to show that he can stay on the field more as well, playing in a low 103 games last season.

Turner: .340 AVG, .404 OBP, 21 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 43 RBI, 6 SB
What an addition he turned out to be, as he constantly gave bit hits off the bench (.400 as a PH), and played all four infield positions.  Heck, he could've probably been a better option out of the bullpen than the bums the Dodgers had last year as well.  While it would be very hard to expect those types of offensive numbers again, they can expect him to provide a lift when needed, and play the role of late-inning sparkplug.

Barney (with Cubs and Dodgers): .241 AVG, .300 OBP, 11 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 1 SB
A deadline addition by the Dodgers last season, he only got 33 at-bats in LA, and was mostly brought in for insurance with Hanley constantly in and out of the lineup, and Gordon fading some in the second half.  He'll probably resume that role this season, as he can spot Kendrick a day off here and there if needed.

Guerrero: .077 AVG, .077 OBP, no other stats to speak of
Who knows if he'll even be on the roster Opening Day, but considering his potential to be a good hitter, he's someone to remember.  He only appeared in the beginning of the season and at the end with September call-ups, in between getting into a fight with Miguel Olivo and getting part of his ear bitten off.  Let's just hope he avoids the drama this season and give the Dodgers a lift off the bench.

Is Now Better Than Then?
Defensively, absolutely.  There's no question about that.  Rollins and Kendrick are a huge upgrade over Hanley and Gordon as a double play combination.  While Gordon I believe was a bit underrated for his improvements made with the glove, Hanley became a big liability at short.  Perhaps we remember his error that cost Kershaw a chance at a perfect game?  That's just one example of how bad he became, and now he's in left field for the Red Sox.

At the plate, it will remain to be seen mostly because of Gordon.  If he shows that he's not a one-year wonder, then losing his speed at the top will definitely hurt.  However, Rollins and Kendrick both stole their share of bases as well, and combined hit for more power.  In the end, if those numbers stay the same, then the Dodgers are not only an upgrade in the field, but at the plate as well.

Grandal will be given plenty of chances to stay in the lineup if he can get his bat going.  The Dodgers don't have that instant pop that Kemp and Hanley provided when healthy, so they'll be relying on a few guys do pull their weight instead.  A power hitting catcher is one way of picking up the slack.  I fully expect Ellis to be Kershaw's personal catcher, but after that, it should be Grandal's job to lose.

With two great, albeit older, fielders at the corners, the Dodgers are a more well-rounded, better team all across the infield for 2015.

Both trades official: Kemp an ex-Dodger, Rollins a current one

After being in a holding pattern for a week, the trades announced at last week's Winter Meetings became official today.  Matt Kemp is now on his way to play for the Padres, and Jimmy Rollins will be the Dodgers' new starting shortstop.

Here's what went down in both deals:

The Dodgers send Kemp, $32 million of his remaining $107 million salary, and Tim Federowicz to the Padres for catcher Yasmani Grandal, pitcher Joe Wieland, and pitcher Zach Eflin.

In turn, the Dodgers then flipped Eflin and pitcher Tom Windle to the Phillies for Jimmy Rollins and cash.

The holdup for the past couple of days was the physical taken by Kemp on Tuesday.  Supposedly the Padres found that he has arthritic hips, and all sorts of reports were floated that it could be a deal breaker, or not an issue at all.  Then it was reported that the holdup had more to do with the Padres demanding more money.  The Dodgers said no.

So in the end, we're right back to square one, which was the original deal agreed upon by both clubs last week. 

It will be really, REALLY strange seeing Kemp show up Opening Day in Dodger Stadium wearing the opposing team's uniform.  That will be one of the highlights on baseball's grand opening for the 2015 season.  I fully expect, and certainly hope, Dodger fans give him a great ovation in his first at-bat.  And if he then hits a home run, boo him from there on out!

But seriously, let's hope Kemp and Rollins can contribute on the field so these trades work for both sides.  Kemp is the one who has more years left in him, while Rollins is looking for one last run at a second ring.  This will all be a lot of fun to watch.

Jimmy Rollins: Dodgers shortstop

With Hanley Ramirez gone, the Dodgers had a big hole to fill at shortstop.  Sure, they have in-house replacements like Alex Guerrero, Erisbel Arruebarrena, and Justin Turner.  Then there's the 20-year-old top prospect Corey Seager, who is indeed the future, but not necessarily the current.

What did the Dodgers decide to do?  Trade for a three-time All-Star, MVP, and World Series champion.

That man is Jimmy Rollins, who has been acquired from the Phillies.  He's entering the final year of his contract paying him $11 million, which is practically chump change to the rich Dodgers.  What is not yet known is whom the Dodgers gave in return, but stay tuned for that.

Right away, a few things come to mind when seeing this trade.  There's no disputing that the Rollins of 2007 is not walking through that door, as that guy hit .296 with 30 homers, 94 RBIs, and 41 stolen bases on his way to an MVP, Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove awards.  Not a bad season, to say the least.

This version of Rollins is past his prime, no doubt.  But even with that, I think there's plenty of things to like about this deal.  Last season he hit .243 with 17 homers, 55 RBIs, and 28 steals in 126 games.  Hanley hit .283 with 13 homers, 71 RBIs, and 14 steals in 128 games.  Those are surprisingly even numbers, with Rollins getting the edge in the speed department.  That will come in handy for a team that doesn't rely on the long ball to score the majority of their runs.

The other major difference is on defense.  Simply put, Rollins is good, and Hanley is not.  Last season Rollins had a .988 fielding %, seven errors, and a 1.1 Defensive WAR.  Hanley had a .961/16/-0.6 line.  It's not hard to figure out that Rollins is clearly the better choice at short.

When this deal went down, one of the first things the baseball reporters were saying is that Rollins still has something left in the tank, and is still a very good defensive player to boot.  He brings instant credibility to a team that is on the verge of taking the next step, and getting a second ring while leading a new team has to mean a lot to him.

Of course, if Rollins starts off the year slowly and isn't getting any big hits, then I'm sure plenty of fans won't be afraid to express their displeasure at not re-signing Hanley.  I can understand that.  But everyone needs to remember that Hanley made a very smart decision for his career as well, as going to the American League and getting his big money contract is exactly what he wanted to happen.  Good for him.

In the meantime, let's enjoy the top shortstop in Phillies' history coming to the Dodgers for a year (or more, who knows), while Seager continues his climb to the Majors.