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Welcome Back Andruw and Nomar!

July 4, 2008 By

I’ve got that “Welcome Back Kotter” song stuck in my head today as I prepare to celebrate our nation’s birthday with an afternoon of hot dogs and beer.

Yes, Nomar and Andruw are back, but is this good news for the Dodgers? The reality is, the Dodgers desperately need Jones’ bat if they want to advance in the playoffs. Word is that Jones has slimmed down a bit, worked on his swing and wants to help the team win now. Ned must have agreed, as the team brought him back on the road in San Francisco, rather than saving him for the upcoming homestand. That’s the kind of veteran enthusiasm the Dodgers need (and probably what Ned needs if he wants to save his job).

As for Nomar, how bad can he be at shortstop? Sure, it’s been four years since he last played the position, but Angel Berroa was batting .194 and Luis Maza was hitting a blistering .225. Jesus, maybe Ned can bring us some relief before the trade deadline…and I’m not talking about some over-priced veteran that’s due to breakdown for the remainder of the season.

Of course, with the good comes the bad: Rafael Furcal is predictably transferred to the 60-day DL where he is to undergoe surgery on his bad back. Realistically Furcal is done for the season, which is a huge disappointment for the club after getting such a strong start out of their oft-injured shortstop.

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New Plan: Nomar to Play Shortstop with Raffy Out

June 10, 2008 By

As it turns out, the trade for Angel Berroa did indeed signal lingering problems for Rafael Furcal. According to the LA Times, Raffy’s back is going to keep him out an additional three weeks! Sigh. The new plan is to move Nomar back to shortstop once he completes his rehab assignment in the next week or so. Hey, the guy was a five-time All-Star at the position, but that was three looooong years ago for the aging infielder. At the very least, I appreciate Ned and Joe’s creativity and the support for Blake DeWitt.

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Who’s on Third (For the Dodgers)?

February 23, 2008 By

One key question that needs to be answered during spring training is who the Dodgers will entrust with the third base position at the beginning of the season.

Much speculation has been floating out there about who Torre’s choice might be. Will he go with Garciaparra, whose 11 years of MLB experience (plus a stint last year at third for the Dodgers) certainly makes him a contender or will he lean towards rookie Andy LaRoche?

The answer was very noncomittal when the boss was pressed. “Nomar’s experience will certainly play into this thing,” said Torre. “There are going to be tough decisions here, and when you have a lot of young players, they can’t all play. In a way, it’s a good problem to have. In another way, you’re dealing with people’s lives, so it becomes a little more of a sensitive issue. Only so many people can make the club, and only so many people can play at one time.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s (LaRoche’s) job to lose. Nomar, with his experience, we’ll have to see how he best helps our club and go from there.”

Garciaparra’s strong bat may actually hurt him in the race for a starting position at third, as Torre may decide that Nomar’s pinch hitting abilities would be a better strategic play for the team. During the last two seasons, Garciaparra batted .370 with runners in scoring position. Then again, the Dodgers were able to land former SF Giant Mark Sweeney for one-year deal and he led the majors with 24 pinch hits last season.

One possibility – a “job share” of sorts whereby LaRoche starts most games and Garciaparra comes in as a pinch-hitter when the opportunity presents itself (but typically earlier than most pinch hitting situations late in the game due to Garciaparra’s ability to cover third effectively). Executing this strategy frequently enough would enable Nomar to stay fresh at either first or third while giving the Dodgers some additional flexibility to leverage opportunities where the bases are loaded and a power hitter could significantly impact the game. Until the lineups are firmed up, however, it’s difficult to see how this would play out as optimal situations to utilize Nomar may mean someone other than LaRoche being asked to ride the pine and some shuffling of the positions…

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