NEWS/RUMORS/DISCUSSION Thread

Communication, delegation the key for Dave Roberts
by Eric Stephen | True Blue LA — 12 minutes ago



PHOENIX -- Through the first week or so of camp, the only thing Dave Roberts might need to worry about is consuming too much caffeine.

His daily one-on-one meetings with each individual player in camp — there are 62 in all, with the 63rd (Yaisel Sierra) arriving this week — are labeled "Coffee with Doc," and are designed to discuss plans and expectations of the upcoming season.

Perhaps fueled by all that coffee, Roberts' spirit is apparent, whether it's addressing the team in the clubhouse, leading workouts, or meeting with reporters.

"He's extremely energetic and passionate. He always has a positive attitude, which is something you want in a manager. He's that way every day," pitcher Brett Anderson said, his coffee with Doc already finished. "He's an open book, and he tells you what he expects of you going forward. It's always nice to have that open line of communication going forward."

Communication is a strength of Roberts, something he learned in 10 major league seasons as a player.

"As a player you want to know where you stand. I believe in communication and that's the start of it," Roberts explained. "This just kind of lays the foundation for down the road."

Roberts' reputation further developed in his six years in San Diego, first as a special assistant in the front office for year, followed by five years on the Padres' major league coaching staff, including the last three years as bench coach.

"People from all around the league reached out, and universally it was 'You guys got one of the best.' I haven't heard a person who has a single bad word to say, which is somewhat rare," Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy said. "I think everybody is very excited that he's on board."

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman likened Roberts' communication skills to those of Joe Maddon, who went to the playoffs four times in nine seasons with Friedman in Tampa Bay then took the Cubs to the NLCS in 2015. Maddon was Friedman's first managerial hire (in 2006), Roberts his second.



"It really helps slow the game down some. It really helps that guys appreciate that honesty and communication. I've already witnessed Doc do it all winter. I think that will help a lot," Friedman said. "Just talking to guys who loved the honesty and getting a feel for Dave and his thoughts."

Adrian Gonzalez was a teammate of Roberts in 2006 with the Padres, Gonzalez's first full major league season. He drove in Roberts six times.

"Obviously he's going to be a great field manager, a clubhouse leader, just a great person to have leading us," Gonzalez said.

But that communication doesn't just extend to players. The coaching staff, which includes seven new members behind the first-year manager.

"I think the biggest challenge from the people that I have kind of sought advice or counseling or however you want to put it is being able to not micromanage. When you have people around you that you trust, you have to let them do their jobs," Roberts said. "I think that in any leadership position, newly, you feel like you have to do it your way and you want to have your hands on anything. Me, by nature, I don’t like to micromanage and I like to empower people. So I’m definitely cognizant of that all the time."

Roberts said once he was hired in December as Dodgers manager, he sought out the advice of some friends within the game, including Indians manager Terry Francona, who managed Roberts in Boston; Bud Black, under whom Roberts worked as a coach in San Diego; Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro, his general manager in Cleveland; plus a few leaders in other sports, including Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

"I just try to take as much as I can and make it my own," Roberts said.

The Dodgers expect Roberts' style to translate well during games.

"There are a lot of really talented people in the dugout and Dave's mind works really, really well," Friedman said.

Roberts is open to ideas as well. For instance, he's on board with defensive shifting.

"It's a part of our game right now. It's real. Whether it be the numbers or data of where the ball will end up if it's hit on the ground, combined with the psyche of the hitter, those are real components," Roberts said. "I think that every hitter, until they show they can beat the shift or manipulate the bat, it makes sense."

Even though this his first year as a manager, Roberts said he didn't feel any extra pressure, and relished the idea of taking over a three-time-defending division champion.

"There is a goal that we have as an organization, the media, the fans and an expectation which we all get. But I think that just to focus on the day-to-day, not to get too far ahead of ourselves," Roberts said. "And that’s something that as a player, a coach that I really understood and how to grasp on and it kind of alleviates the other anxieties or stresses or pressure. That’s something that we will reiterate to the players as well.

"You’re only as good as your players are and we have very good players in that clubhouse. For me to be a first-time manager and have very good coaches around me and have very good players, we’re in a pretty good spot."

 

agreed
that's some fucked up shit
i played with george foster's nephew in college
when he blew his knew out, every one of us was there for him
then again, he was cool as fuck and everyone loved him [no homo]
you're not a dick are you colorado?

but seriously... if they're saying you let them down, then they need to pick up their game

 

Agent cuts ties with Lazarito Armenteros after death threat from Dominican agent
By Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors — 20 minutes ago

Agent Charles Hairston and the Culture39 agency will no longer be representing Cuban outfielder Lazaro Armenteros after Hairston tells Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that his life was threatened by a trainer/agent out of the Dominican Republic who also represents Armenteros. At least for the time being, Hairston will no longer be representing the Cuban phenom known as “Lazarito,” and there is now great uncertainty about when or how Armenteros will sign.

Many young players from Latin America are represented by trainers/agents known as “buscones,” who take these players under their wing as children and train, feed and house them in makeshift training camps. In exchange for helping develop the skills of these promising talents, a buscon will then receive roughly 20-25 percent of a player’s future salary if he should go on to sign a pro contract, Hairston explains. The rather unregulated nature of the buscon/player business relationship has led to other issues in the past — for instance, when multiple buscones lay claim to the same player, or when Leonys Martin was sued by a Mexican baseball academy for allegedly not paying the full share of what the academy felt was owed.

This situation with Lazarito’s buscon and Hairston is of an even more chilling nature, with Hairston declining to name the buscon out of concerns for the safety of Culture39 employees. According to Hairston, the buscon withheld travel documents from Lazarito and his parents, making them unable to travel from the Dominican Republic to the United States for a meeting Hairston had arranged with a team’s GM and ownership group.

“I feel for the kid. He is truly special. We are still looking forward to working with him when he comes to the United States once his situation is resolved….But when his safety and ours is put in jeopardy, we had to think about what is most important in life,” Hairston said.​

The dispute allegedly centered around the buscon’s desire that Armenteros sign a contract as soon as possible, as opposed to waiting until the new international signing period opens on July 2. (When Hairston last discussed his ex-client’s situation two weeks ago, he noted that their camp was still uncertain as to when Armenteros would sign.) Signing in the current international class or the next would greatly shuffle the list of teams eligible to sign the 16-year-old, as his likely bonus would instantly put a team over its spending pool limit and subject it to a virtual two-year ban on blue chip international prospects. Such teams as the Dodgers, Cubs, Giants and Royals have already exceeded their cap in the current spending period and could add to their bounty by signing Lazarito now, while waiting past July 2 would freeze those teams out (as their penalties would begin) and clear the path for other clubs known to be planning a big splurge in the next international period, such as the Braves, Phillies and Padres. Rosenthal and Morosi list the Dodgers, Padres and Braves as three teams with interest in Armenteros.

 

:terrorist:

 

clarkspencer ‏@clarkspencer 1h1 hour ago
Jose Fernandez was so fired up after Mattingly clubhouse speech that he wanted to "eat the world": http://tinyurl.com/hr6s9ty @sportsmanias



Boston's manager must have delivered a similar speech to Sandoval.

 

lol
let's see how fired up he [still] is after they start 4-15

 

wright place, wright time

 

McCarthy’s recovery on track
by Anthony Irwin | Dodgers Nation — 2 hours ago

So, we’ve reached the time of year when the words “on track” are heard almost as soften as “lost weight” and “added muscle”. This time, the subject is Brandon McCarthy and he’s recovering nicely, per the Dodges and the pitcher, himself.

ESPN’s Doug Padilla had the story on how the team is confident in its ability to cope with his recovery with the depth it has at his position.

But McCarthy has not only targeted a return before the break, he wants to make exactly two big league starts by then...


“That means we have been pretty hiccup free, every box has been checked off and we have gotten to where I need to be then I should be feeling good at that point,” McCarthy said Tuesday. “But if it doesn’t get there then we just have to adjust as we go.”​

McCarthy has become something of a golden child for those inclined to criticize the front office. In fairness to said criticism, McCarthy was signed to a four-year, $48 million deal after having trudged through several other injuries in the time leading up to the contract.

That said, if the expectation — or hope — is that he comes back around the all star break and bolsters the rotation for the playoff push akin to how a pitcher acquired around that time would, the remaining two full years and $20 million left on his contract suddenly look a little more appealing.

As of right now, can we call McCarthy’s signing successful? Of course not. Anyone speaking to the contrary simply isn’t being truthful. That said, there’s still plenty of time to redeem some value from the signing, so long as he recovers fully.

Dave Roberts seems to think that’s still very possible.

“He’s tracking nicely; he’s where he wants to be,” Roberts said. “Mentally he is in a good place, physically he’s where he wants to be so he’s getting better and hopefully we continue that trend.”​

 

Cotton confident he can adjust to bullpen role
by Eric Avakian | Dodger Blue — 90 minutes ago



While the likes of Cody Bellinger, Jose De Leon and Julio Urias are the headline-grabbing prospects participating in big league camp with the Los Angeles Dodgers this spring, the group of Minor Leaguers includes other intriguing names as well.

It’s certainly not by accident that the Dodgers were named as having the No. 1 farm system by Baseball America. The front office’s dedication to retaining and developing prospects has been noteworthy, and the Dodgers on are the verge of receiving contributions from an influx of young talent.

Although not at the forefront of the aforementioned group, Jharel Cotton is looking to ride some of the momentum he generated last season.

The right-handed pitcher spent time with five different affiliates in the Dodgers’ organization in 2015, ultimately ending the season in Triple-A Oklahoma City.

At the time of joining the OKC Dodgers, it was with the possibility Cotton would be promoted to the Majors at some point in September — however as a relief pitcher. That never came to fruition, and transitioning to a reliever is something Cotton is willing to do, according to Cary Osborne of Dodger Insider:

“I came through the system as a starter, and of course I’ve had a couple relief appearances,” he said. “But growing up through high school, college, I was always a starter. But whatever the Dodgers see fits well is what I’ll be.”​

Cotton prefers the nuances that come with being a starting pitcher, but believes he can adjust to a new role given time:

“I think it’s easier to start because I like my five-day routine,” he said. “I like to know what I’m doing each day. The adjustment made at Triple-A was knowing I’d probably pitch every single day. That was kind of hard to adjust to, but with time and practice I think I can adjust to it pretty easily.”​

Last season Cotton was split just about evenly, making 11 starts and 10 relief appearances. He finished the season 6-2 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. Cotton had a 2.20 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and averaged 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings as a starter.

Those numbers were 2.88, 1.08 and 11.0, respectively, over his relief appearances. Cotton is part of a several pitchers in the Dodgers organization who are capable of being developed in either direction.

Recent acquisitions Frankie Montas and Yaisel Sierra are both expected to be developed as starting pitchers, but have experience working as relief pitchers. Pablo Fernandez, who signed with the Dodgers last season, was immediately stretched out as a starter after spending his career in Cuba as a relief pitcher.

 

Utley could be clubhouse catalyst
by Justin Russo | Dodger Blue — 16 minutes ago



He’s 37 years old, he’s starting his first full season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and opposing players aren’t really quite fond of him. None of that phases Chase Utley, and it seems that his teammates have picked up on quite a few things from him.

Last season, Utley hit .202 in 141 plate appearances after an August 19th trade to Los Angeles. He also hit three home runs and knocked in nine runs, but he greatly struggled at the plate and it looked like age was starting to be a major factor.

From Andy McCullough, a contact reporter at the Los Angeles Times:

"When you see Chase out there, and he's all business, playing hard, you're like, OK, maybe we should cut a little bit of this [stuff] out," said Justin Turner. "He's done everything the right away for a long time. It rubs off on guys."​

While his dip at the plate was noticeable, Utley’s approach out there on the diamond made his teammates take notice of just how serious he took the game and how much winning mattered to him. Winning is the only thing to Utley, and they know it.

That wasn’t all, though. The team also benefited on the basepaths once Utley arrived:

“Once he got over here, we started running the bases a lot better,” Turner said.​

Oh, and Turner wasn’t kidding. Utley is one of the best baserunners in baseball history despite not having the speed that would make you think it’s possible. In fact, as McCullough notes, Utley ranks 13th all-time among players since 1950 in FanGraphs’ baserunning runs above replacement.

Utley has made a massive impact on every team he’s been on throughout his career. He’s going to be a future Hall of Famer, whether you choose to accept it or not, and the team should be thrilled to have his acumen on the team, even if he’s not what he once was physically.