Category: Dailies

Spring Training is just '88 days away…

MLB.com has launched Spring Training pages now for all teams and ours is live, with lots of useful information. Keep in mind, the schedule is extremely tentative and we haven’t even formally announced it, as changes always come this time of year based on a number of factors.

But, hopefully you’re starting to feel the desert air and planning your trips out to the complex. From what I’ve heard, it’s an absolutely amazing complex that is going to blow us all away. I was just in Arizona yesterday for some MLB meetings but didn’t get to Glendale. I’m hoping to head back in a week or so and get my first tour of the place…

Here’s hoping the Manny-coaster isn’t keeping anyone too crazy. It’s going to be an interesting few weeks leading up to the Winter Meetings.

The offseason – Scott Akasaki

For those of us who travel with the team (coaches, medical, baseball operations front office, publicity, and broadcasters), a common question this time of year is, now that the season is over what do you do?  Do you even need to go in to the office?

For the traveling secretary (and virtually all of the other 180 or so fulltime employees here at the stadium), there is no “off” season.  In some way, shape, or form, we all are preparing for next year.  The sales force on the other side of the office seems to be in high gear.  Among other projects, the public relations department is working on the annual information guide.  Stadium Operations is gearing up for another phase of the ongoing stadium renovations.  Marketing and Consumer Development is working on how to improve the overall fan experience.  My two bosses, General Manager Ned Colletti and Assistant General Manager Kim Ng, are tireless workers trying to make our club better.  Underneath them, our baseball operations department is putting in extended hours to help improve our team as well.  We are all busy.

Amongst other responsibilities, my duties include hotel selection, charter airline negotiations, Spring Training logistics (with the World Baseball Classic mixed in), and winter meetings travel.  Like Ned and Kim, my job also includes improving the team travel and clubhouse aspects of our club.  Where can we improve?  What did not work this season?  How should we approach the upcoming year?  Once in a while, a baseball operations special project comes my way and those are always enjoyable.

The main difference between my in-season work week and my off-season work week is that I get weekends now.  I am probably not alone when I say that I am catching up on all medical (optometrist, dentist, etc.) appointments in addition to the random household job.  During the season, personal time is very limited and as such, a lot of time is spent with loved ones.

Joe Torre was in the office today and we talked briefly about Spring Training.  As we spoke about moving into Glendale, it hit me that Spring Training is only three months away. Hope to see many of you out there.  

New head of security

We just put out a news release announcing that we’ve hired a new head of security at Dodger Stadium. I know that there have been a number of comments recently about the atmosphere at games and as I’ve said in the past, there is no bigger priority to the Dodgers than making sure that fans feel safe and that there is a family-friendly environment here. Obviously this addition was made with that goal in mind and while I have not personally met Ray Maytorena, his resume in the field is quite impressive.

As always, we appreciate the feedback we get from our fans and encourage everyone to share their thoughts, both positive and negative, here on the blog and at fanfeedback@ladodgers.com

 

Back in town…

I wish I had a lot of new news to report to you all, but there really isn’t much right now. The Spring Training schedule should be coming out in a couple weeks, so stay tuned.

Also, I’ve been reading all the Manny coverage from a distance and I think it’s actually almost humorous that there’s a belief that this wasn’t a serious offer. We’re talking about the highest paid player in franchise history (per year) and it’s obviously the very first offer he’s received from anywhere. For all we know, this will be the best offer that he gets. Just because he’s asking for six years doesn’t mean he’ll get it (does anyone remember Andruw Jones’ initial requests from last offseason?)

There’s no doubt in my mind that we would love to have Manny back here, but I keep reading about Bonds and A-Rod and the precedent they set because they had large contracts that paid them through age 42. Does anyone remember that one of those years, Bonds played only 14 games due to injury? And just because A-Rod is getting paid through age 42 doesn’t mean he’ll be productive that long. I just find that argument hard to believe, but then again, it’s not up to me to have to buy into it.

The bottom line is, there’s no doubt he’s worth one of the top two or three contracts currently in baseball over the next couple or few years, but who knows how he will perform in 2012 or 2013 or 2014??

Anyway, I know that this is all posturing as part of a negotiation and it’s totally normal for any agent to ask for the world, knowing they’re not going to get it, but if anyone thinks that somewhere in the range of $25 million per year is not a real offer, I’d love to know what they think would be “real.”

That’s about all I’ve got for now. We’ve got a few of our former players heading to veteran’s hospitals today and tomorrow to spend time with people there and pay tribute on Veteran’s Day, so hopefully everyone can take a moment to give thanks to anyone you know who has served on behalf of our country.

A very historic day…

I hope that all of you have taken part in the election process today, as polls are starting to close in various parts of the country.  I’m actually in the Midwest, which explains some of the gaps in posting, which I expect will continue throughout the week. If there is any news coming out of the GM meetings, I’ll certainly try to weigh in and/or let you know first, but as many of you who have followed the game for a long time know, rarely does anything major happen during this first round of discussions.

So with that, enjoy the election returns, the hot stove rumors and the next couple days. 

Congratulations are in order…

The Phillies are the World Champs and if nothing else, it feels good to know that we were beaten by the team that won it all. Congratulations to the entire Phillies organization, including our Communications counterparts Larry Shenk, Bonnie Clark, Scott Palmer, Leigh Tobin, Greg Casterioto, and Kevin Gregg among others. This means that since front-office blogging began with Scott Reifert (Inside the White Sox in 2005…when they won it all) and now Phillies Insider, it’s destined to be our year in 2009, right? (Even the Red Sox have apparently started an anonymous front office blog earlier this year, though they didn’t have it for last year’s World Championship).

Actually, while I wish that really had a bearing on what goes on down on the field, I have to say that as I drove home today from our departmental offsite team building trip to Danny’s Farm, I was listening to the last inning of the World Series and then the postgame interviews and a few things jumped out at me. The first voice (albeit almost completely gone) to come on was Jayson Werth, who was a really good person who never really was healthy enough in Los Angeles to show his ability and I’m very happy for him and his family.

He said something in the postgame that was echoed by Charlie Manuel, Pat Gillick and almost everyone else when they were asked what the difference was between this year’s team and last year’s, which reached the postseason but lost in the NLDS. All of them said that it was the experience gained in last year’s playoffs that helped them win it all this year and that’s a very reassuring for our team, which gained some much-needed experience. We have a very busy offseason ahead of us but regardless of how it turns out, we’re going to have nearly a dozen players at the bare minimum who experienced the NLCS this year and will be better off for it.

Anyway, tonight is the official end to the 2008 season and the beginning of 2009. Free agents start filing tomorrow and decisions have to be made on players’ options, trade proposals and much more. Next week is the GM meetings, which don’t make as much news as the Winter Meetings, but a lot of the groundwork gets laid during that period of time.

So congrats again to the Phillies…here’s hoping they’re congratulating us a year from now.

P.S. Spoke with Andre yesterday and he said a new Arizona restaurant review is coming soon…

The Hot Stove is burning…

As always, Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts has a very good caveat for enjoying this time of year if you’re a baseball fan. I, too, thought it was rather odd how every major media outlet jumped all over a supposed conversation with one person who supposedly had knowledge, but I guess that’s part of the fun of this time of year. In any event, Jon says it better than anyone, so check it out.

Also, there are three cool things coming up at Dodger Stadium that you might or might not know about. The first is the Madonna concert on Nov. 6. For those who haven’t heard, she’s performing here next week…that’s about all I can add on that front.

The second is a chance to take batting practice on the field, with Russell Martin and Andre Ethier serving as instructors. The event is called “Under the Lights” and I know how many Ethierholics there are here (that’s your term, not mine!) so check it out.

And finally, there’s an event going on this Saturday — the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s annual walk, which is one of the primary fundraising events for JDRF in Los Angeles.  I have to be up front and honest here – I recently joined the board of directors for the LA chapter of JDRF, so obviously I think this is a very noteworthy charity. It was brought to my attention by former Dodger Todd Zeile, whose daughter, Hannah, battles Type 1 diabetes every day. Adding to the grandeur of Saturday’s walk is an appearance by Nick Jonas (for any of you with kids or those of you who are Jonas Brothers fans). Plus, it’s a reason to come to Dodger Stadium in early November!

Anyway, if you would like to donate to the JDRF, here’s a very easy link and I know a lot of people who would be extremely grateful for your big hearts. You can donate at the main site of JDRF or the site I’ve started to help raise money, which is here.  

Friday wrap-up

First of all, thanks to all of you for the feedback regarding the environment at the stadium, especially dcollins for kicking off the thread. I can assure you that we take all of these comments very seriously and that much like all areas of the Dodger experience, we’ll be reviewing this particular topic closely and working to drastically improve in 2009. It’s a topic that has been discussed at the highest levels of the team and all of your input has been and will continue to be used to make things better.

Regarding Andre’s Dining with ‘Dre blog, yes, I believe he’s planning on continuing it during the offseason but I think it’s only fair that we give him and the other players some down time to hang out with their families. If I haven’t heard from him in a week or two, I’ll hit him up for an entry.

Birthday wishes go out today to Rafael Furcal, who turns 31 (as well as Wilton Guerrero, who is 34 and F.P. Santangelo, who is 44). I’d love to see Raffy back in a Dodger uniform (as would Ned and Joe and Frank) and I know he wants to be back, too. Hopefully we can find a way to make it work.

Meanwhile, with the World Series underway, it’s a good time to point out that the L.A. Times has a “Where are they now” gallery of the ’88 team.

And finally, for those looking for something to do this weekend/next week or more importantly, for a place to pick up a pumpkin, drop by Danny’s Farm in Altadena. The farm was started by former Dodger Jim Gott and his wife, Cathy, and they’re having a Fall Pumpkin Festival on Oct. 26-30 from 4-7 p.m. The farm was named in honor of their son, Danny, who has autism, and is a really cool place to hang out with the animals. Pumpkins are for sale but are also free for families in need. A suggested $5 donation admits one person, but no one will be turned away.  

Bill James' thoughts on the Dodgers…

Just got this press release that you can all debate. Personally, I’d like to think we’re higher than the 13th best young talent in the Majors, but I can’t say that I know every other organization or have studied them to be able to compare. I’m certain that Chad Billingsley got short-changed in this discussion and DeWitt is not even mentioned in the list of talented yong Dodgers, but in any event, enjoy debating…

Bill James names Matt Kemp and James Loney among top 25 young talent in baseball

Claims Dodgers #13 among all major league teams in young talent

In the second year of his newly developed “Young Talent Inventory,” groundbreaking baseball analyst Bill James names Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp 7th and first baseman James Loney 20th on his list of the top 25 major league ballplayers under 30 years old. In The Bill James Handbook 2009, to be published on November 1, 2008, James also judges the Dodgers to have the thirteenth-best overall young talent in Major League Baseball, up seven places from last year.

“2008 really was not a great year for young talent, except pitchers,” James says in his new book. “Some young position players took a step forward (Dustin Pedroia, Matt Kemp, James Loney, Stephen Drew, Joey Votto, Josh Hamilton, Jose Lopez, Geovany Soto, Nate McLouth); others took a step backward (Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Alex Gordon, Jeff Francouer). But the only really huge talent to emerge in 2008 was Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays.”

“In pitching, on the other hand, it was a good year,” argues James. “Tim Lincecum, Jon Lester, John Danks and others emerged as major young talents–others including Jair Jurrjens, Ricky Nolasco, Mike Pelfrey and Edinson Volquez.” James points out that evaluating the best young talent is a transitory task: “Virtually everyone who is on this list now will drop off within two years. In baseball, you get over being ‘young’ really quickly.” What is remarkable about this year’s list, he says, is that there is little turnover this year compared to last, which means that relatively little new talent emerged.

To achieve his inventory, James first eliminates from the list all players who were 30 years old or older in 2008. He employs two widely used statistics–“Runs Created” for position players and “Runs Allowed” for pitchers–as the basis for comparison. He makes several adjustments, including for injuries suffered during the year and the differences in predictability between pitchers and position players, and then takes into account the number of years the player should be at his peak performance.

James lists the Dodgers as the #13 team in all of baseball for young talent, just below the L.A. Angels of Anaheim and the Oakland A’s: “Nobody on the A’s is all that good, at least not yet, but they lead the world in guys who should get better. The Dodgers are the exact opposite of the A’s; they have very impressive young talent in Kemp, Ethier, Billingsley, Loney and Kershaw, Broxton and Martin, but their issue is depth.”

Only four teams–the Brewers (Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun), the Mets (David Wright and Jose Reyes), the Red Sox (Dustin Pedroia and Jon Lester), and the Dodgers (Matt Kemp and James Loney)–placed two players in James’ list of top 25 young players.

Making James’ list of the top 25 young players in order were:

 1. Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers first baseman, age 24
 2. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins shortstop, age 24
 3. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants pitcher, age 24
 4. David Wright, New York Mets third baseman, age 25
 5. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers left fielder, age 24
 6. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox second baseman, age 24
 7. Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder, age 23
 8. Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels pitcher, age 26
 9. Jose Reyes, New York Mets shortstop, age 25
10. Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles right fielder, age 24
11. Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals pitcher, age 24
12. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals third baseman, age 23
13. Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, age 24
14. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies shortstop, age 23
15. Felix Hern! andez, Seattle Mariners pitcher, age 22
16. Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox pitcher, age 24
17. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman, age 22
18. John Danks, Chicago White Sox pitcher, age 23
19. Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres first baseman, age 26
20. James Loney, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman, age 24
21. Stephen Drew, Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop, age 25
22. Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves catcher, age 24
23. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers first baseman, age 25
24. Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians center fielder, age 25
25. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds first baseman, age 24

James also listed teams in order of overall young talent currently on the big league squad:

 1. Minnesota Twins
 2. Arizona Diamondbacks
 3. Tampa Bay Rays
 4. Florida Marlins
 5. Kansas City Royals
 6. Milwaukee Brewers
 7. Cleveland Indians
 8. Colorado Rockies
 9. Atlanta Braves
10. Boston Red Sox
11. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
12. Oakland A’s
13. Los Angeles Dodgers
14. St. Louis Cardinals
15. Cincinnati Reds
16. New York Mets
17. Pittsburgh Pirates
18. Seattle Mariners
19. Texas Rangers
20. Philadelphia Phillies
21. San Diego Padres
22. San Francisco Giants
23. Washington Nationals
24. Baltimore Orioles
25. Chicago White Sox
26. Chicago Cubs
27. Detroit Tigers
28. Toronto Blue Jays
29. New York Yankees
30. Houston Astros

As James has noted often, “Competitive teams don’t have as much room to let young players thrash around, and consequently most of the top teams don’t show as having a lot of young talent. They may have the young talent; it just isn’t in the lineup yet.”

For further information on The Bill James Handbook 2009
go to www.actasports.com or call Gregory Pierce at 800-397-2282.