Feelin' Kinda Blue

Don Mattingly and Ned Colletti's severe disconnect hurting Dodgers

2013-05-22T10:37:00.001-07:00

Just two days ago, I wrote on Yahoo! Sports that Don Mattingly shouldn't yet be fired. Today, I may have changed my tune.

Just in front of Wednesday's matinee series finale with the Brewers, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register brought us these comments from the soon-to-be-former Dodger manager.

"Must-read strong comments from #Dodgers mgr Don Mattingly pregame seemed to point finger at not only lack of "mental toughness" from his players but also at poor construction of the team. We gotta find a team with talent that will fight and compete like a club that doesn't have that talent,' he said, pointing to last year's team which led the NL West by 5 1/2 games at the end of May despite a far less-talented lineup.

I felt we got more out of our ability (last year). I don't know about being tougher but I felt we got more out of our ability.

There has to be a mixture of competitiveness. It's not 'Let's put an All-Star team together and the All-Star team wins.' It's finding that balance of a team that has a little bit of grit and will fight you. And also having talent to go with it.

All grit and no talent isn't going to make you successful. But all talent and not grit isn't going to get you there either.'"

Wow. Someone should check on Ned Colletti after that shot.

Those aren't the words of a manager who's in sync with his boss. There is an obvious disconnect between the two. The thing is, it didn't seem to be that way before this year. Could it be the pressure and under-performance of the team? Absolutely. But that doesn't excuse either from blame.

At this rate, both Mattingly and Colletti need to go. The Dodgers need a fresh start.

Here's my plan:

Fire Mattingly and Colletti
Promote Logan White to general manager
Hire Brad Ausmus away from the Padres to manage

Normally, firing ones GM two weeks before the draft isn't advisable, but White runs the Dodgers' draft anyway, He, DeJon Watson and Vance Lovelace will be able to handle things just fine. Unfortunately, the ownership group would never turn over control of its $250 million team to an unproven, first-year manager. Look for Tony LaRussa's phone to be ringing in the next few days.

Yes, this team has suffered a myriad of injuries, but that's no excuse for the severe disconnect between Mattingly and Colletti.

Case in point: Mattingly wanted to keep Tim Federowicz as the team's backup catcher. Colletti, for some reason, has opted to keep Ramon Hernandez. It simply doesn't make sense. And this is minor compared to other things.

The fact is, this team is 18-26, in last place in the National League West and isn't going anywhere while there's so much uncertainty and, seemingly, strife.

The Dodgers are a few comments and roster moves away from becoming a full-fledged circus. And not the good kind of circus (if there is such a thing).

Photo credit: BryanKemp, Flickr

My 2013 MLB Draft big board for the Los Angeles Dodgers, v 1.0

2013-05-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

We’re 16 days from the 2013 MLB Draft. The Dodgers hold the 18th selection in the first round. The draft is down in terms of top-level talent this year, but the Dodgers can still nab a quality prospect in the first round.

This is my big board for the first round. The best course of action -- especially in the MLB Draft -- is to take the best player available. Unlike years past, when the position players haven't been that strong in the system, I'd like to see the Dodgers go after a pitcher -- a Logan White special, if you will. An athletic prep pitcher with projectability and a good fastball.

Player who have fit this bill in the past include Chad Billingsley (yes, he was athletic at one time), Clayton Kershaw, Chris Withrow, Ethan Martin and Zach Lee.

My big board

1. 1B/OF Dominic Smith, Serra HS (CA)
2. RHP Hunter Harvey, Bandys HS (NC)
3. RHP Phil Bickford, Oaks Christian HS (CA)
4. SS J.P. Crawford, Lakewood HS (CA)
5. LHP Matt Krook, St. Ignatius HS (CA, pictured)
6. OF Phillip Ervin, Samford
7. LHP Sean Manaea, Indiana State
8. LHP Ian Clarkin, Madison HS (CA)
9. C Nick Ciuffo, Lexington HS (SC)
10. OF Aaron Judge, Fresno State

I'm not sure guys like Smith and Crawford will even be around at No. 18, but if they are, either would be solid selections.

As for the pitchers, any of the four high schoolers above would be just fine with me. Harvey has the bloodlines, Bickford has the stuff and Krook and Clarkin have the left-handedness.

I've cooled on Sean Manaea a bit. He just hasn't been that sharp this season. If the Dodgers went with him -- and were able to sign him -- I wouldn't be upset. But he's definitely a "Boom or Bust" draftee.

Keith Law of ESPN tweeted on Tuesday that Manaea was scratched from his start due to an undisclosed injury. So, there's that.

Ervin is the toolsiest guy on this list. He can play a legitimate center field, is nearly an 80 runner and his bat has really good potential. The Dodgers don't need an outfielder -- especially a college outfielder -- but I think I'm becoming more and more enamored with Ervin as a prospect.

There's one prep catcher there in Ciuffo, but the history of prep catchers has been anything but favorable.

Finally, there's the physically freakish Judge, who doesn't fit a Logan White-type draft pick. But the tools are enticing.

-----

I'll update this list two times before the draft. I'll even throw in a second-round big board the week of the draft. It's getting closer and, despite the lack of talent, I'm stoked for it.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Perfect Game

Dodgers' Rob Rasmussen establishes himself as legitimate pitching prospect

2013-05-20T13:25:00.002-07:00

John Ely burst onto the scene with the Dodgers in 2010. The team had acquired him and Jon Link from the White Sox for Juan Pierre. Elymania spawned and lasted for longer than anyone could have expected. But it ended seemingly as quickly as it began.

Fast forward nearly three years. Ely was coming off of a masterful performance in the Pacific Coast League in 2012. He was named the Dodgers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year, an honor I never would have thought would go to a guy pitching half his games in Albuquerque. His performance, while great, wasn’t enough to keep him around. The Dodgers traded him to the Houston Astros for left-handed pitcher and Southern California native and former Dodger draftee Rob Rasmussen.

Rasmussen, 24, is making a mark of his own, as he’s been the Chattanooga Lookouts’ second-best pitcher (behind Zach Lee) this season.

Not a physically imposing pitcher, Rasmussen has a 3.12 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 3.27 FIP, 7.1 H/9, 0.6 HR/9, 2.9 BB/9 and an 8.7 K/9 in eight starts with the Lookouts this season. That’s actually a really good line for a guy who had just 11 appearances in Double-A before this season.

Rasmussen has never been a big strikeout pitcher, averaging 7.3 per nine innings coming into the season. But Rasmussen has raised his rate by nearly 1.5 K/9 pitching in one of the more advanced leagues in the minors. That’s impressive. He’s also reduced his walk rate while also reducing his hits per nine innings rate. That’s a recipe for success.

Rasmussen is listed at 5’9, and that might be generous. Short pitchers don’t usually last in the rotation, and they usually do if they have elite arms (see: Martinez, Pedro). But Rasmussen is proving he’s more than just a future reliever.

He’s averaged 145 innings pitched in his first two full seasons. He’s on pace to best that this season. However, he’s only throwing 5.4 innings per start. He’ll need to increase that number going forward.

Being left-handed is an advantage for Rasmussen, as his stuff isn’t elite. He throws in the 89-92 MPH range that plays up due to his being left-handed. His two breaking balls are similarly matched. His curveball has a chance to be solid-average while his slider flashes plus potential. He also has a fringy changeup. Obviously, it’s all working for him in the Southern League so far.

Here’s what I wrote about Rasmussen (No. 22) in my preseason Dodgers’ Top 50 prospects list.

Rasmussen was acquired in December for John Ely, a net gain for the Dodgers and their farm system. Rasmussen was drafted in the 27th round of the 2007 draft by the Dodgers. He didn't sign and ended up attending UCLA. The Astros popped him in the second round of the 2010 draft and was traded in July for Carlos Lee. Despite being a small pitcher, he's started 53 of 60 career games in the minors. He reached Double-A Corpus Christi, where he didn't fare particularly well (4.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 4.07 FIP). Rasmussen has a four-pitch arsenal, featuring an 89-92 MPH fastball that touches 94, a slider that flashes plus potential, and a potentially average changeup and curveball. Like many lefties, he throws from a three-quarters arm angle. He also has a compact delivery. While he's likely destined for bullpen duty, there's no reason to pull Rasmussen from the rotation until he proves he can't handle it. He's definitely the exception, not the rule, when it comes to being big-bodied starting pitchers.

If he keeps it up, Rasmussen could be a much more significant prospect than many thought he was before – and after – the Dodgers signed. He’s teaming with Lee to form a nice 1-2 punch for the Lookouts as Chris Reed and Andres Santiago are struggling and Onelki Garcia is on the disabled list (and he wasn’t pitching well anyway).

The Dodgers went from Pierre to Ely (who is out after having Tommy John surgery) to Rasmussen. I’d say that’s a win for the Dodgers and Ned Colletti. The latter part of that sentence is something that is the exception, not the rule.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue