Doyers Thread

[Villain]

"From Rotoworld, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday that the club has discussed calling up prospect outfielders Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson.
Very interesting. However, while the Dodgers are struggling to score runs, it's hard to see a great fit for playing time as long as Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Carl Crawford are healthy. Puig, 22, is batting .314/.385/.579 with six homers and a .964 OPS through 32 games this season with Double-A Chattanooga. Pederson has been even better, batting .327/.400/.554 with eight homers, 13 stolen bases and a .954 OPS."

Good for Mattingly, I think you'll see Van Slyke platoon with Ethier for awhile before they call these 2 guys up though.

I don't think Puig or Pederson will be coming up soon. I think it's just motivational lip service for Emo Ethier to either kick him into gear or make him want to get traded - two things the organization will be happy with.

As for the Van Slyke platoon... YES! SMRT Doyer fans have wanted that for awhile. Van Slyke has a hefty platoon split and some teams play him with an extreme-pull shift in the minors. Van Slyke could definitely, in my eyes, be in a rotation where he starts against lefties for Ethier, while also working in a few rest days maybe once or twice per two weeks for Gonzalez and Crawford. I've wanted a power righty 1B/OF off the bench for three years so this is welcome if it's what ends up happening.

I wanted the Dodgers to sign Gomes to play that lefty-masher-off-the-bench role (although I don't know of his corner-infield history) but he smartly chose the regular position in Boston.

[Villain]

[Villain]

A nice write-up on how SVS has matured since last season:

TBLA

TThe story of the 2013 Dodgers won't be written without Yasiel Puig, who in two days has captured the hearts of Los Angeles. But Puig isn't the only player to come up from the minors and breathe life into the Dodgers this season. Scott Van Slyke came into this season with a purpose, and it's paying off big time for the Dodgers.

Van Slyke has played in just 18 games for the Dodgers, including 13 starts, but he's already second on the team with five home runs. Van Slyke is hitting .250/.304/.635, providing much needed power to a team that has been mostly on-base percentage heavy (.325 as a team, fourth in the National League) yet light on runs scored (3.61 per game, 13th in the NL).

"I shortened up a little bit, but being more aggressive with strikes, being more conscious of swinging at strikes you'll take a lot more pitches that are balls," Van Slyke said. "Even last year in the minor leagues (the high fastball) wasn't a pitch I swinging at, but when I came here I was trying so hard to get hits I was swinging at anything I saw."

The high fastball was his downfall in 2012 in a pair of major league stints with the Dodgers. In limited duty he hit just .167 (9-for-54) with two home runs. He had his moments early, like an RBI single in his first major league at-bat and a pinch-hit three-run home run to beat the Cardinals. But a 6-for-45 (.133) slump after that got him sent down for good. Van Slyke said his plate discipline has improved and helped him in 2013 wait for his pitch and do something with it, which has improved his confidence as well.

Facial Hair Battle

Scott Van Slyke and Peter Moylan both began the season with the Isotopes. When Moylan joined the Dodgers on Friday, the gauntlet was thrown by the Dodgers as to which player had better facial hair. But Van Slyke said he didn't feel threatened by the Aussie.

"I'm the one that made him start growing the mustache at the start of the season," Van Slyke said.

But Moylan sees things differently, noting, "It was a joint venture, but I took it to another level with the boxing man mustache. He's out of line."

The debate and mustache rivalry rages on.

"That's a big part of being able to drive the ball. Getting hits, and just swinging at strikes," Van Slyke said. "It's just about having confidence and believing in your abilities. Just looking around the league and seeing guys I played with having success up here."

But the new and improved Van Slyke didn't come without a wake-up call. He was passed over for a September call-up even though he was on the 40-man roster. Then, when the Dodgers acquired Skip Schumaker in a trade with the Cardinals in December, they designated Van Slyke for assignment.

Van Slyke was placed on waivers, and all 29 other major league teams had a chance to add him to their 40-man roster for free. Everyone passed, and he was outrighted to Triple-A.

"It definitely was a kick in my butt. Coming up here I only had like 50 at-bats, I thought that I still had a chance to come back in spring and show them what I had," Van Slyke said. "It definitely made me realize how quickly things can turn around in this game, that you have to be on your A game. You always need to have good at-bats."

Last year Van Slyke was 249 pounds, and this year he's down to 220, and it shows. He embodied the cliche, coming into spring training in the literal best shape of his life.

"Honestly it was some feedback I got from some guys like Josh Bard, guys I played with last year. They saw some things in me they knew I could get better at, and obviously being in better shape helped that," Van Slyke said. "They got me to come into spring training in better shape. Obviously I needed to make the decision myself.

"I remember running around in the outfield at 220 pounds when I was 22, and it felt good being able to move like that. I kind of wanted to get back to that."

Van Slyke began the season in Albuquerque, but he wasn't roaming the outfield. He manned first base for the Isotopes and began the season on fire. He hit .397/.503/.733 with 10 doubles, nine home runs, 32 runs scored and 30 RBI in 34 games in Triple-A before his call-up on May 10.

He has been able to continue crushing the ball with the Dodgers, including a home run in Monday's 2-1 win over the Padres.

"I'm just trying to have good at-bats and hit the ball hard," Van Slyke said.

So far, it's working.

[Villain]

1st Day Doyer Picks:

1. LHP Tom Anderson
2. RHP Tom Windle

[strahanfan92]

As a Van Slyke owner in my 16 team keeper league, that article is refreshing to hear.

[Villain]

As a Van Slyke owner in my 16 team keeper league, that article is refreshing to hear.

He looks like a completely different player than he was when called up last season.

[Villain]

They call me Cuban Puig. I'm the king of beisbol, you see?
When I swing the bat it goes chick-chicky-boom, chick-chicky boom

[Slateman]

Puig is just fun to watch right now. I wish I got fantasy points for laser beam throws. That throw last nigh was gorgeous.

[Villain]

After today's bloodbath, it's safe to expect as many as two to three roster moves tomorrow.

*Magill will definitely be sent down (hopefully for the rest of the season) and his spot will likely be taken by a relief pitcher.
*Andre Ethier could hit the DL with a foot injury. I would expect the Dodgers to call up either Alex Castellanos (more likely) or Joc Pederson (wishful thinking).
*Hanley Ramirez could go back on the DL if his MRI results don't look good, or the front office can grow some balls and DFA Luis Cruz. The problem that arises is that there's little-to-no help to be found in the system.

Chris Capuano is likely to be activated on Friday, so the spot that Magill will vacate tomorrow doesn't need to be permanent.

[ram29jackson]

LOL they have to play like close to .680 or something to make the playoffs at this point

[Villain]

LOL they have to play like close to .680 or something to make the playoffs at this point

They're only 7.5 games back. The NL West is a joke.

[ram29jackson]

They're only 7.5 games back. The NL West is a joke.

they aren't going to gain ground at this rate. They cant score runs

[Villain]

they aren't going to gain ground at this rate. They cant score runs

Hard hitting analysis from Captain Obvious.

7.5 GB in June does not equate to a lost season.

[ram29jackson]

Hard hitting analysis from Captain Obvious.

7.5 GB in June does not equate to a lost season.

again, they cant score runs and if you are 7 games back in a weak division 1/3 of the way through the season, you are sucking.

[Villain]

My hopes of the Dodgers making any kind of fun roster moves were dashed. The great help that was recalled in Matt Magill's place? Justin fucking Sellers.

These roster moves are like watching someone run into a wall, take a step back, then run into the wall again. Repeatly.

On the horizon, we can expect AJ Ellis to return as soon as his DL stint is over. Kemp seems like he'll be on the DL for a longer period of time, which I'm absolutely fine with. Ethier doesn't look like his injury was serious enough for the DL and Hanley Ramirez is stubbornly on the active roster with only clearance to hit. When he reached base as a pitch hitter on Saturday, Clayton Kershaw came in as his pinch runner.



The Dodgers-tinted glasses bring some good news! Kershaw, Greinke, and Ryu will be our starters against Arizona this week so at least that'll give the team an edge as far as starting pitching goes.