Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Los Angeles Trade Deadline Breakdown

by Kevin Zeni

The latest non-waiver trade deadline has just expired in Major League Baseball, with both the Angels and Dodgers coming through with blockbuster deals to help bolster their squads.

The Dodgers got things started with their acquisition of third baseman/shortstop Hanley Ramirez and left-handed reliever Randy Choate from the Miami Marlins for up-and-coming starter Nathan Eovaldi and Advanced-A reliever Scott McGough. While Eovaldi wasn't putting up stellar numbers in his time with the big league squad, part of that was his lack of run support in his starts. With the team failing to bring in a big-time starting pitcher, it would have been nice to keep Eovaldi around, at least until Ted Lilly comes back from the DL, but he was a fairly small price to pay to bring in a potentially lethal bat in the prime of his career, along with an exceptional lefty option out of the bullpen.




Not to be outdone, the Angels made a big splash of their own over the weekend, plucking ace starting pitcher Zack Greinke from the Milwaukee Brewers for top prospect Jean Segura and Double-A hurlers Johnny Hellweg and Ariel Pena. While Greinke was the best available starting pitcher, he is only under contract for the remainder of this season and may wind up walking away from Anaheim at season's end. Should Angels GM Jerry Dipoto manage to sign Greinke long-term, this trade will look even better, but with Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis both on the team, there wasn't any room for Segura at the Major League level anyway.



Over the last 24 hours, the Dodgers jumped back into the trade market with a pair of corresponding trades. The team started last night, moving Advanced-A outfielder Leon Landry and Double-A reliever Logan Bawcom to the Seattle Mariners for former closer Brandon League. By bringing League into the fold, it allowed Dodgers GM Ned Colletti to swap reliever Josh Lindblom, Double-A pitcher Ethan Martin and a player to be named later to the Philadelphia Phillies for outfielder Shane Victorino. Victorino returns to the team that drafted him in the sixth-round of the 1999 draft, filling a massive void in left field and the leadoff spot, while League comfortably slots into the late inning setup role that Lindblom had been serving.



With these moves, the Angels have arguably the best starting rotation in baseball to go along with a very strong offense, while the Dodgers have dramatically upgraded their offense without taking much of a hit to their pitching staff, nor giving up top-level minor league talent. I would have liked to see the Dodgers bring in another top of the rotation starting pitcher, but I wouldn't be surprised if Colletti managed to pull off some kind of under-the-radar waiver-wire trade to add starting pitching depth as we move deep into August.

Another factor to consider for the Dodgers is that pitching phenom Rubby De La Rosa, who last year went 4-5 with a 3.71 ERA in 13 appearances (10 starts), is finally on his way back after having Tommy John surgery at the end of last season. While, he's no Ryan Dempster (who was traded to the Texas Rangers after weeks of speculation that he would be a Dodger), De La Rosa has the potential to be a top-notch power-pitcher and may be ready to contribute, whether it be in the rotation or the bullpen, by the end of the year.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Jarrad Page Signs Deal with Giants

by Kevin Zeni

With NFL training camps about ready to start and no takers for him in that sport, former safety Jarrad Page has turned his attention back to baseball, having signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants.



Page, who was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers after a very forgettable eight-game stint as a member of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes early in the season, will return to the California League, this time as a San Jose Giant.

In his first game with San Jose, Page doubled his hit total (1) and matched his RBI (1) and walk (1) totals from his entire Quakes tenure.

Click here to view Jarrad Page's MiLB.com player page.

Where's the Beef?

by Kevin Zeni

It has now been about a month since the Dodgers signed Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig and brought him to extended Spring Training in Glendale, Arizona, and yet Puig is yet to suit up in a game that counts.

As a comparison, Jorge Soler, the other highly-coveted Cuban defector who signed a few days before Puig, has played three games for the Chicago Cubs' Arizona League affiliate.



While it may be entirely possible that the Dodgers are just taking their time to get Puig assimilated to a new culture, another possibility that can't help but creep into my mind is that the team may be waiting for Puig to cycle off of some kind of performance enhancer so as to avoid the chance of a suspension.

Drug testing is always a dicey subject when it comes to non-affiliated international leagues, with players and agents often doing whatever it takes to catch the attention of a major league team so as to achieve a big pay day.

For the sake of the Dodgers, I sincerely hope this isn't the case and that Puig winds up making a positive contribution to the team in the near future, but until he hits the field, there will always be those who question the team's investment.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Hamilton's Quest for Cal League Steals Record Foiled by Promotion

by Kevin Zeni

The Cincinnati Reds have effectively ended top prospect Billy Hamilton's quest to break the California League single-season steals record by promoting the super-speedy shortstop to Double-A Pensacola of the Southern League.



Prior to his promotion, Hamilton collected 104 steals as a member of the Bakersfield Blaze, 40 shy of the league record established by Donnel Nixon in 1983. However, after swiping second in his first game as a Blue Wahoo, Hamilton pushed his season total to 105, moving him to within reach of Vince Coleman's Minor League single-season record of 145 stolen bases, which he set as a member of the Macon Redbirds of the South Atlantic League in 1983.

With 50 games still remaining on the Blue Wahoos' schedule, Hamilton should have no problem breaking Coleman's record, even if his rate of 1.26 steals per game falls slightly with the jump to Double-A.


Click here to view Billy Hamilton's MiLB.com player page.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Kemp Taking Route 66 as his Road to Recovery


by Kevin Zeni

As many of you know by now (and if you don’t, you must be living under a rock or outside of the greater Los Angeles area), Matt Kemp is currently on a rehab assignment with the Advanced-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League. In his three games with the Quakes, Kemp has gone 5-for-11 (.455) with a double, two runs scored and four RBIs.

After DH-ing in his first game in Rancho, he has played center field the following two contests in San Bernardino. On Wednesday, Kemp fielded his one easy attempt in center, but lost track of a ball hit to left-center last night (Thursday) in a game where he otherwise looked solid in the field. While on the base paths, Matt still appears to be running at about 75% of his ability so as to not re-aggravate his hamstring injury prior to being reactivated by the Dodgers.



In the middle of Kemp’s rehab assignment with the Quakes, I was lucky enough to sit down with the Dodgers slugger to discuss how the rehab is going, as well as his upcoming All-Star Game plans.

How does it feel to be back in action?

It feels good, it feels really good. It’s good to be back and playing on a field again. It’s good to even be wearing a uniform again.

So far you’ve played three games with Rancho, do you know what the plan is for the remainder of your rehab assignment?

No, not really. I just take it day by day and whatever happens happens. I’ve just been going with the flow. The Dodgers, I know, have a plan, but I don’t really know what that is.

In your second game, there was a play where you rounded too far on a double and got caught. Did that have anything to do with your hamstring or was it just a simple base running error?

No, it was just a weird play. The outfielder (right fielder Randal Grichuk) came in to back up second and it just caught me by surprise.

When you were coming up through the Dodgers’ system they didn’t have a California League team. So how has your first Cal League experience been?

Yeah, back then I played High-A in Vero Beach, which is certainly different, but so far it’s been great. There’s lots of Dodgers fans that have been coming out to the games and support. It’s pretty cool to see.

Recently the Dodgers have been struggling offensively, especially with Ethier just hitting the DL. Have you felt any pressure either from yourself or the Dodgers to rush back?

No, not at all. Everyone there with the Dodgers is patient and wants me to come back right this time. Actually, we’re (the Dodgers) in first-place right now, so we’re alright.

You’ve spoken recently about still wanting to go to the MLB All-Star festivities and compete in the Home Run Derby. Is that still the plan?

Yeah, that’s still the plan, still captaining the Home Run Derby. I get to Kansas City on Sunday for that. I really want to go out there and redeem myself from last year and put on a show for the fans.

(Note: Kemp is referring to his two-homer showing at last year’s Home Run Derby in Arizona)

After re-aggravating the hamstring the last time you tried to comeback from your first DL stint, is there anything the training staff has you doing differently now to try to prevent further injury?

No, we’re just trying to get it back to where it needs to be. I’ve just been doing some more stretching, drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated and working to get it strong again.

Since joining the Quakes, it looks like you’ve made a connection with fellow outfielder Leon Landry. What is that relationship like?

It’s good, he reminds me a lot of myself. I remember when I was in High-A and all the things I would think about and wonder. What is it like to get called up? What will it be like when I make it to the big leagues? I just tell him to keep his mind clear and if you put in the work and the numbers are there that everything will take care of itself. While I’m here I just like to talk to all the guys and help teach them how to be successful. I figure if I’ve got advice to give, I should share it.

Did you have anyone who did that for you when you were coming up?

No, I didn’t. It wasn’t until I got to Double-A that I had a mentor that would tell me how to do things and how to make it to the bigs, and that was (former Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman) Junior Spivey. It took me a while to get a mentor, but when I did, he really helped teach me the way to go.

Lastly, do you have any final thoughts on the rehab or words for your fans?

Yeah, just that I’m feeling good and anxious to finish this rehab and try to come back stronger than ever so I can help the Dodgers make the playoffs and then just see how far we can get after that.

Click here to view Matt Kemp's MiLB.com player page.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Hamilton Reaches Century Mark in Steals

by Kevin Zeni

Bakersfield Blaze shortstop successfully swiped two bases last night (July 2) against the Lake Elsinore Storm, giving him the unfathomable amount of 100 on the season.



After stealing 103 bags in 135 games for Low-A Dayton last season, it took Hamilton just 78 games reach the century mark this season. The last California League player to collect 100 or more steals in a season is record holder Donnel Nixon, who racked up 144 steals while playing for Bakersfield in 1983.

To further put Hamilton's theft total in perspective, the following is a list of baseball's full-season steals leaders to date.


Level Steals Player Team
MLB 28 Dee Gordon Los Angeles Dodgers
AAA 29 Anthony Gose Las Vegas 51's
AA 35 Jonathan Villar Corpus Christi Hooks
High-A 56* Rico Noel Lake Elsinore Storm
Low-A 57 Delino DeShields Jr. Lexington Legends
*Runner-up to Hamilton

In an interview before the season, Hamilton joked about wanting to double his total of 103 steals from last year. While incredibly unlikely, it isn't completely out of the question for him to get close to that goal by season's end.

Click here for Hamilton's MiLB.com player page.