The Dodgers and Failures of bloated Payroll Teams

With the New York Mets win in Game Five of the NLDS, the Los Angeles Dodgers are again eliminated from the playoffs in the early rounds.  The reality is the Dodgers payroll is 60 million dollars more than the combined payrolls of both the NLCS teams in 2015: Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.

 

We return to the old conundrum in Baseball, something that hasn’t changed for decades on end: you can’t buy a World Series Title.  Whether its George Steinbrenner’s New York Yankees high payrolls, or post-2008 World Series Philadelphia Phillies overpaying half their roster, or the Rupert Murdoch’s FOX failed ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baseball history has shown us that throwing money at the problem doesn’t “fix” losing.

 

Despite all the hundreds of millions of dollars blown on players over the last 25 years, still the lessons of history are never learned.  The 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers arguably have more talent on their roster than both the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets combined, but talent alone does not win championships. Remember the 2003 Florida Marlins and 1990 Cincinnati Reds beat teams that were arguably “more talented”.

 

The 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers insisted that this year would be different by acquiring numerous players such as Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Alex Wood to add to a team headlined by Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Adrian Gonzalez.  Throw in young talent such as Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig, this team is on paper one of the best in baseball.  So again, we delve into the question that has been asked of so many talented rosters that did not win World Series titles in years past: What Happened?!?

 

The answer is both simple and complicated.  The Simple explanation is the answer to the question: “Will big dollar free agency signings and exotic trades create buzz and build a roster full of talent ball players?”  Neither of these actions will create chemistry nor solve every problem. 

 

Most of these moves are made to cover up roster weaknesses and place overemphasis on certain elements of the game.  Having a roster full of great pitchers or hitters doesn’t equal postseason success.  Having a roster full of players who feed off each other wins championships.  Every player on a roster is meant to complement other players, putting the team in the best position to be successful. 

 

Now for the complicated answer. The 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers do not complement each other.  This may sound crazy but lets break it down:

 

-Not enough pitching depth behind Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. 

 

Sorry but Brett Anderson, Mike Bolsinger, and Carlos Friars do not exactly strike fear in opponents.  Even when the 1990’s Atlanta Braves were led by Cy Young Award winners Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, they still had John Smoltz, Steve Avery and Denny Neagle to add depth to the rotation.

 

-Too many similar players in the batting order.

Howie Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins are offensively very similar players.  The same can be said of Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson offensive skills.  Also, why so many left-handed hitters? There are eight players on the Dodgers roster who all would bat left versus right handed pitching.  Furthermore, there are only TWO players on the roster with over 100 at bats on the season with a batting average higher than .300: Corey Seager and Enrique Hernandez.

 

Team sports like Baseball and Football need complementary players on the roster in order get to be successful in the postseason.  You cannot always depend on the superstars to come through every time.  Let’s be brutally honest about this oddity:  offensive greatness in baseball is signified by being successful at least 30 percent of the time as hitters.  There is NO other sport in which such a low percentage number of success can equal “greatness”; so, in Baseball, it is very important to have several players with different skill sets.

This offseason, the Dodgers need to take an objective look at their roster to assess the short and long term future.  This team as constructed is not setup to win a World Series title, and the way the franchise has been going about building this team has not yielded any success beyond merely reaching the postseason.  A team with high expectations like the Los Angeles Dodgers owe their fans more than being “above average”. Spending tens of millions on numerous players has to add up to wins, not just jersey sales.  I’m not saying the Dodgers need to “blow it up” and start from scratch with their team.  Instead, the time is now to find a new mold and throw out the old formula.  The time has come to take a look at other teams around Major League Baseball and learn from their success, learn from their own failures, then apply it to their own team. 

 

“Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan

New York Mets & the long history of Baseball in NYC

Over the weekend the New York Mets clinched their first playoff appearance since 2006.  Of course Mets players and coaches were excited, but so too are their long suffering fans.  While on the road this past weekend I heard numerous Mets fans calling local New York radio stations talking about how much their team making the playoffs means to them.  For fans of teams such as the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants this reaction may seem ridiculous, but context is important when discussing baseball fans in the New York Metro area.

The first half of the 20^th century New York City was a hot bed of baseball with three Major League Baseball franchises in the city boroughs.   The New York Yankees (who at the beginning of the century were named the New York Highlanders because they use to play games at Hilltop Park in Manhattan) have resided in the Bronx since 1923.  Until the 1950’s two other teams played ball in New York City: the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers.  For three decades the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Upper side of Manhattan Burroughs were the home to 20 World Series Champions (most of those winners played in Yankee Stadium).  In fact, for the first half of century New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, and Boston all were home to two or more baseball franchises.

But the 1950’s ushered in changed across the baseball landscape as teams began moving to new cities, among them being the Giants and Dodgers who both prospected the potential of moving to California.  The two long standing New York borough staples were losing attendance battles with the younger franchise located in the Bronx, the Yankees.  So the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles and the Giants moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season.  Their moves left many New York Metro region baseball fans heart broken and the National League with two less teams in the Northeast.

Before the 1950’s the National League had four teams in the Northeast; after 1957 they were down to only the Philadelphia Phillies as the Dodgers and Giants moved to California while the Braves left Boston to their new home in Milwaukee. 

New York baseball fans certainly were not going to cheer for rival cities Philadelphia or Boston and most National League baseball fans were not going to jump on the Yankees bandwagon.  With the help of powerful lawyer William Shea the New York Metropolitans became the new National League team in New York City.  The team that became known as the Mets paid homage to the teams that proceeded them by adopting Orange and Blue as part of their team colors.  The Mets began play in 1962, making their home in the old New York Giants ballpark, Upper Manhattan’s Polo Grounds.  Beginning in 1964 the Mets began play in another New York City Borough, Queens, where Shea Stadium was built for them.

While New York Metro region baseball fans were happy to have another baseball team in NYC to root for, they had to suffer through the growing pains of an upstart franchise.  From 1962-1968 the Mets were one of the worst baseball teams statistically for any stretch in MLB history.  These years would not be the last time the Mets were bottom dwellers of the National League.  Despite winning the World Series in 1969 and reaching another in 1973, the rest of the 1970’s was a difficult stretch for the team playing in Queens.  This trend would continue for the Mets franchise the next few decades as the Mets’ fans would see teams play great for short stretches, then fall back down the standings.  Meanwhile the Mets would continually be overshadowed by their cross-town counterparts in the Bronx.  The Yankees have won eight World Series championships since 1962.  Yes the New York Mets have won two World Series titles (1969, 1986) and reached the October Classic on two other occasions (1973, 2000) and they are still considered by many that “other team” in NYC.  Adding more insult to injury, since the Giants and Dodgers left town, those two franchises have combined to win eight championships in October. 

The reality of being a New York Mets fan is that your team is not a perennial playoff contender, despite all the talented players to wear the Mets uniform.  From Tom Seaver to Keith Hernandez to Dwight Gooden to Mike Piazza to David Wright, the Mets franchise is one that has tormented their fan base more often than most teams.  Looking back on the history of the Mets, the only consistent part of the franchise has been their tormented, but loyal, fan base.  I know the ballpark doesn’t always sell out, but the reality is that baseball game tickets in New York City are among the most expensive in all of Major League Baseball.  You can’t blame their fans for not wanting the dish out between 55-200 dollars per ticket for good seats to watch a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2006.  In fact, baseball television ratings in New York Metro region is among the highest in the country.

I am not among the New York Mets cheering section, but I am happy for their fans that their team is making is back to postseason play.  I can also appreciate how any sports franchise with as much losing history as the Mets when their fans get so excited about making the playoffs.  But seriously, “Joey from Queens”, relax with the World Series championship’s prognostications, you still have to get to the October Classic before we discuss winning it.

Top 12 Players NOT in the Baseball Hall Of Fame

Both Chase Utley and David Ortiz have been in the news over the last few days, for different reasons; but what both men have in common is that they are considered “potential Hall of Famers”.  This connotation gets thrown around more often the actual baseball on the field. Who should or shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame is a debate that fans, baseball writers, players and former player spend hours talking about 365 days a year!

So I decided to make my list of my top baseball players NOT in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

In order to make my list, these players have to meet certain criteria:

-During their era, they were considered one of the best.

-Their statistics rival those in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

-Baseball Historians cannot tell the history of the game without them.

Now we also need to lay some ground rules:

-Player must have retired after 2008. As a result this list excludes  Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Jeff Kent, Todd Helton, Roy Oswalt, Roy Halladay, Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Andy Pettitte, and Lance Berkman to name a few.

-This list does not include any players implicated of using steroids (examples include Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, Manny Ramirez); I will be making another list of players who have used steroids and others “banned by Major League Baseball” who I think should be in the Hall of Fame.

-This list does not factor in a player’s impact on a franchise or where they individually rank in that franchise history of great players.  Instead I factor in the players impact on Major League Baseball overall and how great they were during their playing career.  I also do not include players who were great for a few years.  As a result of these exclusions I did not include players such as Don Mattingly, Fred Lynn, Ron Guidry, Jim Fregosi, Curt Flood, Deion Sanders, and JR Richards.

So here is my list, the top 12 Baseball players not in the Hall of Fame:

1. Curt Schilling (1988-2007: Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox)

Statistical Highlights: 3,116 career strikeouts, 3,261 Innings Pitched, 11 Postseason wins.

Career Highlights: 8 seasons with at least 15 wins; 6-time All Star Selection; led league in complete games 4 times; 2001 World Series MVP; Career Postseason 2.23 ERA.

Reasoning: Curt Schilling is one of the top ten postseason pitchers in baseball history and one of the top ten strikeout pitchers of the last 25 years.  He had eight consecutive seasons (1996-2003) in which he threw a shutout each season as well as five different seasons he tallied a minimum 200 strikeouts.  He also led the league in complete games four different seasons and won a minimum of 50 games with three different franchises (Phillies, Diamondbacks, Red Sox).  And there’s the postseason stats: 11 wins in 19 starts, 2.23 ERA, 120 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched, along with two shutouts.

2. Jack Morris (1977-1994: Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians)

Statistical Highlights: 254 career wins, 3,824 Innings Pitched, 175 Complete Games

Career Highlights: Twelve seasons with at least 15 wins; 5-time All-star selection; Won 3 World Series titles as front of the rotation starting pitcher; 1991 World Series MVP

Reasoning: During his 18 year career, for twelve of those seasons he was considered one of the top starting pitchers in all of baseball.  While he never won a Cy Young award, Morris was a workhorse who would step up in big situations for his teams, especially in the postseason.  His career ERA (3.90) is actually higher than his postseason ERA (3.80); but it is those same statistics that have many voters keeping him out of the Hall of Fame.  Morris was one of the last pitchers who would stay on the mound for seven plus innings.  If he would have pitched in 2015 he would have a lower career ERA because he would not have been out there as many innings which would leave him less likely to be scored on in the later innings.  Morris should be judge on who he was in comparison to other pitchers during his playing career, not those who pitched decades before or after him.

3. Jeff Bagwell (1991-2005: Houston Astros)

Statistical Highlights: 449 Career Home Runs; 1,529 Career RBIs; Career .297 Batting Average.

Career Highlights: 10 seasons with at least 25 Home Runs; 4-time All Star selection; 1991 NL Rookie of the Year; 1994 NL MVP Award; 14 seasons with at least 80 RBIs .

Reasoning: During the “Steroid Era” in baseball, Bagwell was one of the overlooked power hitters who also hit for average.  The infamy of being the MVP of the 1994 strike shortened season aside, for an 11 year period Bagwell was one of baseball’s most feared hitters.  He had a minimum batting average of .300 during six of those seasons and had a minimum 100 RBIs during eight of those prime years.  Furthermore, Bagwell was also a guy who got on base and scored runs, leading the NL in runs scored three times (1994, 1999, and 2000).  The only explanation I have read or heard why Bagwell is not in the Hall of Fame is that some voters question if he used Performance Enhancing Drugs or not in his career. The fact that people do not vote for a player just because they suspect him without any proof is disingenuous and intellectually dishonest.

4. Edgar Martinez (1987-2004: Seattle Mariners)

Statistical Highlights: Career .312 Batting Average; 309 Career Home Runs; Career .418 On-base percentage.

Career Highlights: 8 seasons with at least 80 RBIs; 7-time All Star selection; 11 seasons with at least 140 base hits; Won AL Batting Title twice (1992, 1995).

Reasoning: Considered by many to be the great Designated Hitter in baseball history, it is because of Martinez’s lack of playing time in the field that has hindered many voters from putting him of their ballots each year.  The facts should not be ignored: aside from his impressive career statistics. For a seven year period Martinez was one of the top hitters in the American League (1995-2001).  In an era of gaudy power numbers, Martinez was a stalwart of consistency. A two time AL batting champion (1992, 1995), Edgar Martinez also lead the league in On base Percentage three times (1995, 1998, and 1999). He also had a minimum of 100 RBIs six times in his career.  Edgar Martinez is the ultimate definition of a “Professional Hitter”. He revolutionized how baseball executives and fans viewed the Designated Hitter, going from being a cover up for pitchers hitting to being a prime hitter position in the lineup.  

5. Mike Piazza (1992-2007: Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Oakland A’s)

Statistical Highlights: 427 Career Home Runs; Career .308 Batting Average; Career .545 Slugging Percentage.

Career Highlights: 10 seasons with at least 80 RBIs; 12-time All Star Selection; 9 seasons with at least 25 Home Runs; 8 seasons with at least 140 base hits.

Reasoning: Arguable the best all-around hitting catcher in baseball history, Piazza was a force in the National League for a 10 year period (1993-2002).  During that time he had six seasons with 100 plus RBIs, nine seasons with 30 plus home runs, and had a .300 or better batting average nine times.  Also for his career he hit 175 home runs and 560 RBIs with two different franchises (Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets).  Why is he not in the Hall of Fame already?  Just like Jeff Bagwell, there is “suspicion” of PED usage, but no evidence. 

6. Larry Walker (1989-2005: Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals)

Statistical Highlights: 383 Career Home Runs; Career .313 Batting Average; Career .565 Slugging Percentage.

Career Highlights: 9 seasons with at least 80 RBIs; 5-time All Star Selection; 1997 NL MVP; Won 3 NL Batting Titles (1998, 1999, 2001); 8 seasons with at least 140 base hits; 7-time Gold Glove Award recipient .

Reasoning: Larry Walker is one of the most talented and athletic ball players of the last 30 years.  Walker was a great all-around player who put together five seasons in which he hit at least 25 Home Runs, 100 Runs Batted In, and a .300 batting average.  More than a great hitter, Walker was a great fielder and base runner; before age and injuries caught up to him, he compiled five seasons in which he had at least 15 stolen bases and 30 doubles.  Considered one of the most feared left-handed hitters of his era, Walker did not need the altitude of Coors Field in Denver, Colorado to be a great hitter. This is the major reason why many do not vote for him, thinking his statistics were “inflated”.  Any honest person who watched Walker play knows he did not need any help to have a great plate discipline and be a great baseball talent.

7. Dale Murphy (1976-1993: Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies)

Statistical Highlights: 398 Career Home Runs; Intentional Base on Balls 159 times.

Career Highlights: 10 seasons with at least 80 RBIs; 6-time All Star Selection; 1982 & 1983 NL MVP; 7 seasons with at least 25 Home Runs; 5-Time Golden Glove Award recipient .

Reasoning: During the 1980’s Dale Murphy was one of the best all-around players in all of baseball.  Aside from winning two MVP awards and five Gold Glove awards, from 1980 through 1990 he was a force to be reckoned with.  During that stretch he averaged 34 home runs, 92 RBIs, and led the league in those categories two different seasons.  During the 1980’s Murphy led the National League in in games played, at bats, runs scored, base hits, extra base hits, Runs Batted In, runs created, total bases, and plate appearances.  Statistically, he is one of the best players in the history of baseball not in the Hall of Fame.

8. Mike Mussina (1991-2008: Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees)

Statistical Highlights: 270 Career Wins; 3,562 Career Innings Pitched; 2,813 Career Strikeouts

Career Highlights: Eleven seasons with at least 15 wins; 5-time All Star selection; Eleven seasons with at least 200 innings pitched; 7-time Golden Glove Award recipient

Reasoning: Mike Mussina is one of the most undervalued, overlooked pitchers of the last 30 years and yet he was one of the most consistent pitchers for a career that spanned two decades.  Mussina’s first full season as a starting pitcher (1992) was almost the same statistically as his final season (2008): both seasons he pitched over 200 innings, had at least 18 wins, and finished in the top ten in ERA in the American League.  Mussina was one of the top fielding pitchers during his playing career and won over 120 games for two different franchises (Orioles and Yankees).  While he was never the most feared or dominant pitcher, he was the model of consistency and there are plenty of guys in the Hall of Fame with similar careers.

9. Harold Baines (1980-2001: Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Oakland A’s, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians)

Statistical Highlights: 2,866 career base hits; 384 career Home Runs; 1,628 Career RBIs.

Career Highlights: 10 seasons with at least 80 RBIs; 6 time All Star selection; 10 seasons with at least 140 base hits.

Reasoning: As a sports geek, Harold Baines is one of those answers to sports trivia answers I always can lean back on.  In order to play in the major leagues for 22 years, you have to have the talent to be allowed to play for so long a time.  A career that touched three decades, Baines was an All Star during his 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. Thanks to the Designated Hitter position, Baines talents were allowed to be used for many years past his prime athletic years.  Baines hit at least 25 Home Runs and 100 RBIs in the same season at ages 25 and 40. Also he had minimum batting average of .300 eight times in his long career.  Coming up short of the 3,000 Hits Club by 134 base hits is nothing to sneeze at and Baines is ranked in top 45 in baseball history in the career hits category.

10. Albert Belle (1989-2000: Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles)

Statistical Highlights: 381 Career Home Runs; Career .295 Batting Average; Career .564 Slugging Percentage.

Career Highlights: 10 seasons with at least 80 RBIs; 5-time All Star selection; 9 seasons with at least 140 base hits; 9 seasons with at least 25 Home Runs.

Reasoning: While Belle’s career is the shortest of all the players on this list, he had a major impact when he did play.  One of the top hitters in the American League during the 1990’s, he led the league in Runs Batted In three times (1993, 1995, 1996) and drove in a minimum of 100 RBIs nine straight seasons (1992-2000).  Belle also finished his career with one of the highest slugging percentages in baseball history (.564, ranked 14^th all time) and when he led the AL in slugging percentage (1995, 1998) he also had a batting average over .315 both seasons.  Belle was one of the top hitters of the 1990’s but is overlooked by many because he retired in his early 30’s; no one knows what numbers he would have accumulated if he had played another few years.

11. Kevin Brown (1986-2005: Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, new York Yankees)

Statistical Highlights: 211 Career Wins; 3.28 Career ERA; 3,256 Career Innings Pitched.

Career Highlights: 6-time All Star Selection, 6 seasons with at least 15 wins, 6 seasons with an ERA less than 3.00, and 9 seasons with at least 200 innings pitched.

Reasoning: Kevin Brown is one of the few pitchers in baseball history who had his best years after the age of 29.  From the age 30 through 38 Brown was one of the most dynamic pitchers in baseball and led the National League twice in ERA (1996, 2000).  During his 20’s, Brown was known as a pitcher with a lot of talent but lacked the consistency to put great seasons back to back.  From 1996 to 2003 Brown dominated the National League while pitching for three different teams (Marlins, Dodgers, and Padres) with consecutive seasons and with at least 200 strikeouts, and 6 straight seasons with an ERA 3.00 or less.  Brown probably will not make it to the Hall of Fame due to the sporadic nature of his career, but any hitter who had to face him can attest to how difficult he was to face and how talented he was.

12. Tim Raines (1979-2002: Montreal Expos, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Oakland A’s, Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins)

Statistical Highlights: 808 Stolen Bases; 2,605 Career Hits; 1,571 Runs Scored.

Career Highlights: 10 seasons with at least 140 base hits; 7-time All Star Selection; 8 seasons with at least 50 stolen bases.

Reasoning: During the 1980’s and early 1990’s Rickey Henderson was the dominant leadoff hitter in baseball.  Tim Raines is overlooked because he was the 2nd best leadoff hitter. From 1981 through 1992 he stole a minimum of 40 bases 11 times and 9 times had at least 140 base hits.  Also Raines scored a minimum of 100 runs six times.  As age caught up to Raines in the 1990’s he became a more disciplined hitter, having at least a .290 batting average four times while reaching base on balls an average of 50 times per season.

Honorable Mentions:  Fred McGriff, Joe Carter, Gil Hodges, Orel Hershiser, David Cone, Andreas Galarraga, and Dennis Martinez