Is There Hope For 2008?
As the Dodgers fly home tonight after their dismal 1-5 road trip ended
with a nationally televised defeat at the hands of Johan Santana and
the Mets, many Dodger fans may be asking if this year's Dodger team is
all that it's cracked up to be. As the Dodgers fall two games
below .500, many fans may be asking if Joe Torre is going to be enough
to make a significant impact on a team that doesn't look any better
than the team that finished in 4th place less than a year ago. These
are good questions.
The answer to both of them is yes and yes. Strictly in terms of raw talent, this Dodger team is as good as any team in all of baseball. So what's the problem? The problem is that most of the talent is young, inexperienced talent. Yes, there is no question that players like Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, James Loney, Andre Ethier, and Jonathan Broxton are ready for the big leagues. They have proven it but they haven't fully matured as players. And as each veteran goes down with an injury, that makes this Dodger team all the younger.
Ability is one aspect of baseball. It is something that is developed in high school and college, and improved in the minor leagues to a point where a player is capable of making an impact on a major league team. But there are intangibles like the ability to control emotions and deal with pressure, how to approach an at-bat with runners in scoring position, how to pitch to different types of hitters in various situations, and certain types of fundamentals that are just as important as ability but can only be learned from experience. In the past, many of these things were learned in the minor leagues. However, in a day and age where players are increasingly rushed to the major leagues before they are fully ready, these things must be learned at the major league level.
The Dodgers are loaded with talent but you are not seeing the full scope of this talent. An example is Matt Kemp. Kemp has hit over .300 the past season but how many of those hits have been wiped away by baserunning mistakes such as the one he made tonight in the first inning? Granted, he did drive in a run but pitchers like Johan Santana may only give you one or two opportunities in a game to score runs and a mistake like the one Kemp made tonight are costly. I am confident that Kemp and his young, talented teammates will mature as players sonner than later but until then this team will be inconsistent and will fall short of it's full potential.
One thing that may be stalling this process is the fact that there is probably a certain comfort level that these rookie players are experiencing that players on other teams may not. When a slight majority of your team consists of players your age, many of whom are players that you played with in the minor leagues, you are likely to be less fearful and intimidated than if you were called up to a team filled with veteran ballplayers. While this confidence can be a good thing, it also can stunt the growth of certain types of players who may be tempted to think they have made it as they play with their buddies from the minors. Without that healthy intimidation of playing on a team full of experienced veterans, younger players may not have as stong of a desire to impress their veteran teammates or feel the need to learn from them.
Grady Little was brought in to manage the Dodgers because management felt his personality and laid back style was a good fit for what was going to be a very young team. Joe Torre is essentially the same type of manager but came to the Dodgers with the resume and experience to command the respect of all his players. He has a brilliant baseball mind and is providing the leadership and guidance this young team needs. He is the perfect man to lead this Dodger team and it won't be long before fans begin to see the fruits of his influence on this club.
Will the Dodgers be the team that it is cracked up to be? Most certainly. Will it happen in 2008? It may not. This Dodger team is technically in a rebuilding phase. The good news is that like the brand new stadium sitting just behind Shea Stadium's left-field bleachers, it is almost complete. But unlike the new stadium, which will open in 2009, this one may just open up a little earlier.
The answer to both of them is yes and yes. Strictly in terms of raw talent, this Dodger team is as good as any team in all of baseball. So what's the problem? The problem is that most of the talent is young, inexperienced talent. Yes, there is no question that players like Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, James Loney, Andre Ethier, and Jonathan Broxton are ready for the big leagues. They have proven it but they haven't fully matured as players. And as each veteran goes down with an injury, that makes this Dodger team all the younger.
Ability is one aspect of baseball. It is something that is developed in high school and college, and improved in the minor leagues to a point where a player is capable of making an impact on a major league team. But there are intangibles like the ability to control emotions and deal with pressure, how to approach an at-bat with runners in scoring position, how to pitch to different types of hitters in various situations, and certain types of fundamentals that are just as important as ability but can only be learned from experience. In the past, many of these things were learned in the minor leagues. However, in a day and age where players are increasingly rushed to the major leagues before they are fully ready, these things must be learned at the major league level.
The Dodgers are loaded with talent but you are not seeing the full scope of this talent. An example is Matt Kemp. Kemp has hit over .300 the past season but how many of those hits have been wiped away by baserunning mistakes such as the one he made tonight in the first inning? Granted, he did drive in a run but pitchers like Johan Santana may only give you one or two opportunities in a game to score runs and a mistake like the one Kemp made tonight are costly. I am confident that Kemp and his young, talented teammates will mature as players sonner than later but until then this team will be inconsistent and will fall short of it's full potential.
One thing that may be stalling this process is the fact that there is probably a certain comfort level that these rookie players are experiencing that players on other teams may not. When a slight majority of your team consists of players your age, many of whom are players that you played with in the minor leagues, you are likely to be less fearful and intimidated than if you were called up to a team filled with veteran ballplayers. While this confidence can be a good thing, it also can stunt the growth of certain types of players who may be tempted to think they have made it as they play with their buddies from the minors. Without that healthy intimidation of playing on a team full of experienced veterans, younger players may not have as stong of a desire to impress their veteran teammates or feel the need to learn from them.
Grady Little was brought in to manage the Dodgers because management felt his personality and laid back style was a good fit for what was going to be a very young team. Joe Torre is essentially the same type of manager but came to the Dodgers with the resume and experience to command the respect of all his players. He has a brilliant baseball mind and is providing the leadership and guidance this young team needs. He is the perfect man to lead this Dodger team and it won't be long before fans begin to see the fruits of his influence on this club.
Will the Dodgers be the team that it is cracked up to be? Most certainly. Will it happen in 2008? It may not. This Dodger team is technically in a rebuilding phase. The good news is that like the brand new stadium sitting just behind Shea Stadium's left-field bleachers, it is almost complete. But unlike the new stadium, which will open in 2009, this one may just open up a little earlier.
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