NEWS/RUMORS Thread

agreed
same could be said about guerrero
except he can hit... and was raking before that asshat olivas went van gogh on him

 

i edited out the specifics on the others
but kept the write-ups on friedman and kersh
click the link if you want to read the entire article

MLB's most interesting people in '15
By Jerry Crasnick | ESPN.com -- January 1, 2015

Derek Jeter relinquished his Yankee Stadium locker stall to Penn State kicker Sam Ficken for the Pinstripe Bowl. Paul Konerko, an under-the-radar icon for years in Chicago, vacated the premises at U.S. Cellular Field. And as Bud Selig's 23-year run as commissioner winds down, he'll soon be free to tend to his memoirs and any other items on the "honey-do" list of his wife, Sue.

In 2014, the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals showed once again that nothing resonates more with baseball fans than an uplifting team achievement. But as faces come and go, there's still lots of room in an eight-month season for individual stories to dominate the news cycle.

Which executives, managers and players will drive the MLB narrative in the coming season? Here's a look at the 15 most interesting people in baseball heading into 2015:

1. Rob Manfred
2. Alex Rodriguez
3. Joe Maddon
4. Giancarlo Stanton
5. Mike Trout

6. Andrew Friedman
Friedman consistently built winners with smart, cost-efficient moves in Tampa Bay. He's operating under a dramatically different set of circumstances in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers paid him a reported $35 million over five years to bring home a title. Friedman was a busy man at the winter meetings, sending Matt Kemp to San Diego and acquiring Jimmy Rollins, Howie Kendrick and Brandon McCarthy through trades or free agency. The Dodgers' president of baseball operations has a lot more moves in store while putting his imprint on the proceedings at Chavez Ravine.

7. Madison Bumgarner

8. Clayton Kershaw
How does a 26-year-old lefty ace follow up on one of the most disappointing postseason flameouts in memory? Kershaw generated Sandy Koufax comparisons on his way to winning MVP and Cy Young awards in 2014. But until he finds a way to upgrade those sorry October numbers (1-5 with a 5.12 ERA in 11 playoff appearances), there'll be a big, fat blemish on his career profile.

9. A.J. Preller
10. Matt Harvey
11. Pedro Martinez
12. Max Scherzer
13. Bryce Harper
14. Kris Bryant
15. Pete Rose

Others To Watch

• Cole Hamels
• Tony Clark
• Yasmany Tomas
• Brady Aiken
• Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez:
• David Price​

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donnie baseball?

 

the dodgers lost faith in ethier? no fucken shit
a confounding deal that sent Matt Kemp to the Padres? idiot
what's confounding is how some of these hacks have jobs

Dodgers lost faith in Andre Ethier
By Steve Dilbeck | Los Angeles Times -- January 2, 2015

Andre Ethier, 32, outfielder.

Final 2014 stats: .249 batting average, four home runs, 42 RBI, 17 doubles, .322 on-base and .370 slugging percentages in 380 plate appearances.

Contract status: Three years and $56 million remaining on contract.

The good: Well, he didn’t whine about playing time. Most would say that might be hard to do considering the season he had, but Ethier could always argue the chicken-and-egg theory.

Still, given multiple opportunities, he never publicly went off about initially sharing playing time and then later being sent to the bench. Which given his past, must have come as a pleasant surprise to many.

What offensive damage he did manage came almost exclusively in the first half (.254, all four homers, 34 RBI). His RBI total was only four back of Carl Crawford. Had a 24-game stretch (April 26 to May 27) where he put up a .351/.407/.527 slash line.

He played all three outfield positions, and even a game at first, and was charged with only one error.

The bad: Had the worst season of his nine-year career in every single offensive category except – curiously – triples. His six triples were one shy of his career-high set his rookie season.

Still, it was a highly disappointing season for Ethier at the plate, pretty much all the way around. Though his line-drive percentage was slightly up over his career average (25% to 22%), his ratio of groundouts to fly outs doubled from a year ago (1.54% to 0.77%).

He went without a home run in his last 59 games (130 plate appearances).

What’s next: Everything remains possible for Ethier. He could emerge as a starting outfielder, be traded or head back to the bench.

The take: Do the Dodgers think Ethier is done? You have to wonder, the way they used him last season. Even now, with a front office overhaul, there’s been little indication they still believe in him. And he’s 32.

It was expected, given their surplus of outfielders, that either Crawford or Ethier would be traded this off-season. When a trade did come, it was a confounding deal that sent Matt Kemp to the Padres.

Now the Dodgers apparently no longer feel the need to deal another outfielder, while Ethier is already on record saying he wants to start here or somewhere else. Say this for his situation, it’s interesting.

It appears the Dodgers plan to give phenom Joc Pederson every opportunity to win the center-field job, which in theory would move Yasiel Puig back to right, leave Crawford in left and Ethier one unhappy man. Even if Pederson has a strong spring, it would seem foolish to begin the season without a reasonable backup should he falter. Which could point to them yet hanging onto Ethier.​

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the added rest would probably help adrian

 

Wills' impact on game is Hall of Fame worthy
Former Dodgers star instrumental in World Series championships
by Lyle Spencer | MLB.com -- 6 hours ago



Maury Wills changed the game of baseball. How many players have done that? "The Mouse That Roared" brought the stolen base into fashion as a weapon. A pioneer in cleats, he paved the way for the likes of Lou Brock, Joe Morgan, Rickey Henderson, Vince Coleman, Tim Raines, Willie Wilson and Juan Pierre following in his flying footsteps.

Wills belongs in the Hall of Fame for his performance across 14 seasons and enduring influence. When the balloting by the Golden Era Committee was revealed during the Winter Meetings, Wills fell three votes shy of election by the 16-member committee. Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda was not happy to hear that Wills and another former Dodgers star, Gil Hodges, had fallen short.

"I can't believe Maury and Gil aren't in the Hall," Lasorda said. "Look at what those two guys accomplished. Look what they did for the Dodgers and baseball. I can't understand why they're not Hall of Famers.

"Gil was one of the game's great power hitters and first basemen. Maury made it a better game, a faster game. He's known for his speed and the stolen bases, but he was a great player, a leader, on some of the greatest teams we've seen. Those teams wouldn't have been champions without Maury."

Wills never drew more than 40.6 percent of the 75 percent vote required for election by the Baseball Writers' Association of America during his 15 years on the ballot. This was baffling to those who grew up in Southern California in Wills' time, hanging on every poetic word of Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully.

In the Swinging Sixties, what Wills did for the stolen base was similar to how Babe Ruth elevated the home run in the Roaring Twenties. Stealing 104 bags in 1962, breaking Ty Cobb's mark of 96 in 1915, Wills had 72 more than National League runner-up Willie Davis, his teammate. Wills stole more bases than any team in the Major Leagues.

Wills was the NL's Most Valuable Player that season, outpolling a loaded field that included teammate Tommy Davis -- the batting and RBI champion -- as well as Willie Mays and Frank Robinson, who had monster seasons at their peaks.

In 1963 and '65, Wills was the unquestioned emotional leader of teams that won World Series. He also was a force behind the '66 pennant-winning Dodgers and, as a rookie in '59, helped drive another World Series champion in the franchise's second season in Los Angeles.

Wills played in the All-Star Game seven times in his career. Eight times from 1960-71, Wills drew Most Valuable Player Award votes. He was third in '65 behind Mays, who hit 52 homers with a 1.043 OPS for the Giants, and Sandy Koufax, who won 28 games for his Dodgers. Wills stole 94 bases in '65, 31 more than runner-up Brock.

Wills played one of the most important positions on the field, handling shortstop with a consistent excellence. He played on with battered, bruised legs. In an offense-depressed era, he scored 1,067 runs, batting .281 with 586 steals.

Wills did all of this despite spending eight and a half seasons in the Minor Leagues before finally getting his shot in 1959 at age 26. He was a catalyst in an NL pennant drive and World Series triumph over the White Sox.

"Maury was a great player and a great leader," Al Downing said. "I played against him when I was with the Yankees in the '63 World Series and was his teammate later in our careers with the Dodgers. The impact he had on a pitcher and defense with his speed and baserunning was tremendous. They won a lot of games because of his speed and daring and intelligence.

"Maury was as competitive as anyone in the game. There weren't many players in that era -- or any era -- who had the impact on the game Maury had."

In 1971, Wills, at 38, finished sixth in the NL MVP race with Downing leading the Dodgers' staff as a 20-game winner.

Hall of Famer Morgan, a two-time NL MVP, felt Wills' impact.

"Maury brought back the stolen base," Morgan said. "He changed the dynamics of the game. You knew most home run hitters would hit a home run or strike out; you could just play your position. When Maury was on first base, you had to pay attention to him every pitch."

Over the years, Wills has addressed his disappointment in not drawing more Hall of Fame support with calm reason.

"Obviously, the Hall of Fame is something I'd be honored to be a part of," Wills said recently. "I feel I accomplished some very good things and am proud to be part of some great Dodgers teams. If it happens, I'll be thrilled. If it doesn't, life goes on."

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