The NL Worst
Ben Godar
The NL West was the dregs of baseball last season. The buzz here in SoCal is that this season will be different, but if you look and listen to the GMs, it looks like another race for the .500 mark.
Dodger fans rejoiced when wunderkind Paul DePodesta was shown the door, after dumping fan favorites like Paul Lo Duca for Moneybull players like Jose Valentin. But Ned Colletti is only being hailed because of that perpetually greener grass. You know, on the other side?
The biggest problem for the Blue Crew last season was injuries. So Colletti addresses that by acquiring perpetually wounded Nomar Garciaparra and Bill Mueller. Ned, WTF?
Even if Nomar stays healthy, this move is a head-scratcher. What's the best we could possibly expect from Nomar at this stage of his career: .310, 18 homers? That's pretty pathetic production out of the first base position. Not to mention acquiring another middle infielder to play first sends Jeff Kent and his complete lack of range back to second base. If the goal is to minimize your defense by fielding a marginally effective offense, I'd say Colletti has done it.
But in terms of punting defense, even the Dodgers must stand in awe of Kevin Towers and the San Diego Padres. Last year's division champs decided fielding a catcher who can throw out David Wells stealing third was less important than the 15-homer potential of Mike Piazza.
Towers told MLB radio this morning that Padres pitchers were working on their slide steps and other moves to help the defensive liability that is Mike Piazza. This may officially be THE WORST IDEA I'VE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE.
So the Padres coaching staff actually wants to take their pitchers' minds off the batter by burdening them with doing more than usual to keep runners on-base. When pitchers are distracted, they walk batters, they serve up cookies, they get pulled after three innings. What they don't do is win ballgames.
But not winning ballgames looks to remain the theme here on the West Coast. Hope springs eternal in the spring, but you've got to be a real Homer to think there will be any baseball come October in Southern California.
The NL West was the dregs of baseball last season. The buzz here in SoCal is that this season will be different, but if you look and listen to the GMs, it looks like another race for the .500 mark.
Dodger fans rejoiced when wunderkind Paul DePodesta was shown the door, after dumping fan favorites like Paul Lo Duca for Moneybull players like Jose Valentin. But Ned Colletti is only being hailed because of that perpetually greener grass. You know, on the other side?
The biggest problem for the Blue Crew last season was injuries. So Colletti addresses that by acquiring perpetually wounded Nomar Garciaparra and Bill Mueller. Ned, WTF?
Even if Nomar stays healthy, this move is a head-scratcher. What's the best we could possibly expect from Nomar at this stage of his career: .310, 18 homers? That's pretty pathetic production out of the first base position. Not to mention acquiring another middle infielder to play first sends Jeff Kent and his complete lack of range back to second base. If the goal is to minimize your defense by fielding a marginally effective offense, I'd say Colletti has done it.
But in terms of punting defense, even the Dodgers must stand in awe of Kevin Towers and the San Diego Padres. Last year's division champs decided fielding a catcher who can throw out David Wells stealing third was less important than the 15-homer potential of Mike Piazza.
Towers told MLB radio this morning that Padres pitchers were working on their slide steps and other moves to help the defensive liability that is Mike Piazza. This may officially be THE WORST IDEA I'VE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE.
So the Padres coaching staff actually wants to take their pitchers' minds off the batter by burdening them with doing more than usual to keep runners on-base. When pitchers are distracted, they walk batters, they serve up cookies, they get pulled after three innings. What they don't do is win ballgames.
But not winning ballgames looks to remain the theme here on the West Coast. Hope springs eternal in the spring, but you've got to be a real Homer to think there will be any baseball come October in Southern California.
posted by Ben Godar at 8:55 AM
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