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Post by Blunashun on Feb 22, 2023 19:51:45 GMT
Mookie Betts opens up about Red Sox sign-stealing scandal: 'People are trying to make it like we're cheating'
The 2018 Red Sox had a few people punished for sign stealing in 2018
By Matt Snyder
2 hrs ago
•
2 min read
When we discuss The Sign Stealing Scandal in Major League Baseball, much of the attention is on the Houston Astros, specifically, in 2017. Not to be forgotten, though, are the 2018 Red Sox, who were punished less heavily by MLB, but punished nonetheless.
A then-Red Sox employee who was punished was video replay coordinator J.T. Watkins. He now works for the Dodgers and was recently profiled by the Los Angeles Times. Within the article, Mookie Betts, who obviously played for the 2018 Red Sox and is now with the Dodgers, answered some questions on 2018.
On if he knew the Red Sox were using live video feeds to steal signs, which was illegal:
"Yeah," Betts said Sunday, "everybody was."
It should be noted that the Red Sox were only found to have used the live video feeds during the regular season and not the playoffs or, specifically, the World Series when they beat the Dodgers in five games.
Regarding if the Red Sox used the live video often in the regular season:
"Every now and …" Betts started to say. "It's kind of hard to remember."
So this wasn't a daily practice?
"No!" Betts said with a smile. "This is what I'm trying to say. People are trying to make it like we're cheating. Give us credit. We had a good team. Give us some credit. We had Cy Young winners. We had MVPs. We had Gold Glove winners. We had Silver Sluggers. We had all that. Take that into account."
It's true. They were great. Mookie himself was the MVP. Rick Porcello and David Price were Cy Young winners. They won 108 games in the regular season and never even faced elimination in the playoffs, making them the single most dominant team in recent memory.
It's also noted, in the article, that Betts and some other 2018 Red Sox players donated money to Watkins during his unpaid suspension.
"We all chipped in because he did so much for us," Betts said. "The perception is, 'Oh, we gave him money because ...' No. He's very good at his job. He was the one up at 3 o'clock in the morning, scouting, making sure of everything we needed to do."
Much of the continuing interest in the sign-stealing scandal revolves around the release of a book, "Winning Fixes Everything" by Evan Drellich of The Athletic. It touches on those Astros and Red Sox teams in addition to sign-stealing allegations against other teams, including the Dodgers and Yankees.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 22, 2023 19:54:03 GMT
I doubt very seriously that the Sox cheated all the way to the Series, & then stopped.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 23, 2023 0:02:57 GMT
Dodgers: Despite Roster Security, Trayce Thompson Still Fighting to Prove Himself
Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson has a guaranteed contract, but he knows his playing time and success will depend on how hard he works.
JEFF J. SNIDER4 HOURS AGO
Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson comes into spring training in a different situation than he's ever been in before. For the first time, he comes in on a guaranteed big-league contract and knows he has a roster spot. That's thanks to a solid season last year when Los Angeles brought him in to fill a two-week gap and he forced his way onto the roster for the rest of the season and beyond.
Still, despite the relative security of his situation, Thompson comes into camp hungry to prove and improve himself, as Cary Osborne writes for Dodger Insider.
“I only know one way, and that’s to go out and make a team and fight for every opportunity I could possibly get,” Thompson said. “I know that I’m going to be on the team. But at the same time, I don’t think that my mentality has really changed. I’m out here to try to prove myself every day.”
Thompson appreciates his very good season last year, but he's also keenly aware of areas in which it could have been better.
“I knew I could do it last year. I feel like people know that it’s in there after last year. Obviously, people saw it, but I think there’s more in the tank. My opinion is I didn’t have that great of a year,” Thompson said. “I didn’t hit lefties at all. I punched out way too high of a rate. And so I think there’s a lot to improve on, and I know I’m going to, so I’m excited to see what the year has in store.”
Thompson struck out in 36% of his plate appearances with Los Angeles last year. Put another way, his strikeout rate was slightly higher than that of Chris Taylor, whom LA manager Dave Roberts referred to as having an "alarming" strikeout rate during the season. And Thompson batted just .174 with a .621 OPS against lefties, the pitchers he was expected to mash. If Thompson really can improve his contact rate and his performance against lefties, he could have another excellent season even if his BABIP comes down from 2022's .389, as it probably will.
Thompson's situation is new to him, but he also knows just being on the team isn't the ultimate in security. He looks at some of his teammates who have earned the right to know they're starting from day one, and that becomes a goal for him.
“I think it’s a privilege and a luxury when you get to have that feeling like 5 (Freddie Freeman) and 50 (Mookie Betts). You know where you’re going to be, and I haven’t earned that,” Thompson said. “So I have to go out and prove myself every day. And that’s just kind of been my norm in my career. So there’s nothing stressful or anxious for me. It’s just, it is what it is. I kind of embrace being the guy that’s kind of counted against. For me, I just try to go out and earn my way every single day and try and go make noise every single day.”
If a hungry Trayce is an improving Trayce, stay hungry, young man.
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20DodgerMiracle24
Legend
Rob Manfred is a disaster to our national pastime.
Posts: 1,790
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Post by 20DodgerMiracle24 on Feb 23, 2023 3:51:53 GMT
I doubt very seriously that the Sox cheated all the way to the Series, & then stopped. Sign stealing or not, that game 5 was a thriller. |
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 23, 2023 17:45:37 GMT
Dodgers' Daniel Hudson: Throws another bullpen session
Rotowire 7 MINS AGO
Hudson (knee/ankle) threw another bullpen session Thursday in Dodgers camp, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Hudson required surgery last June to repair a torn ACL in his left knee and then came down with some right ankle tendinitis earlier this month, but he would appear to be trending in a positive direction now. The veteran reliever figures to begin appearing in Cactus League games within the first week or two of March. And if there are no further setbacks, he should be in the Dodgers' bullpen on Opening Day.
Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Playing defense Thursday
Rotowire 15 MINS AGO
Vargas (finger) will play defense in the Dodgers' intrasquad game Thursday, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.
Vargas suffered a hairline fracture to the pinky finger on his right hand while fielding grounders last week, but he can still do a lot of baseball activities without causing further damage. He hasn't been cleared yet to resume hitting, but that will hopefully come rather soon. The 23-year-old projects to open the 2023 regular season as the Dodgers' primary second baseman, assuming that he is able to avoid further setbacks.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 23, 2023 23:16:58 GMT
Dodgers' Mookie Betts: To play some 2B in WBC
Rotowire 2 HRS AGO
Betts is expected to play a couple of games at second base during the World Baseball Classic, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
And his work at that position for Team USA could carry over into more looks at second base for the Dodgers when the MLB regular season gets underway. Betts logged five starts -- seven total appearances -- at the keystone in both 2021 and 2022. He'll still primarily serve as the everyday right fielder in Los Angeles.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 23, 2023 23:17:13 GMT
He better not get hurt.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 23, 2023 23:38:28 GMT
Syndergaard, Urías sharp taking on live hitters
By Juan Toribio @juanctoribio
2:13 PM PST
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Dodgers will open their Cactus League slate on Saturday against the Brewers, but the club got into some early game action on Thursday with a two-inning camp game at Camelback Ranch.
Noah Syndergaard and Julio Urías each took the mound, both looking sharp in their first outing against live hitters this spring. Urías made quick work of the first three batters he faced, including Gavin Lux and J.D. Martinez. After only needing a few pitches, Urías faced a fourth batter in the simulated inning, retiring Austin Barnes on the first pitch he saw.
Noah Syndergaard and Julio Urías each took the mound, both looking sharp in their first outing against live hitters this spring. Urías made quick work of the first three batters he faced, including Gavin Lux and J.D. Martinez. After only needing a few pitches, Urías faced a fourth batter in the simulated inning, retiring Austin Barnes on the first pitch he saw.
Urías will be representing Team Mexico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, so there’s an emphasis on getting him ramped up a little bit sooner. The left-hander looks poised to build on what was his best season in the Majors in 2022.
Syndergaard, on the other hand, is still trying to prove he can be a top-of-the-rotation-type pitcher this spring. His velocity has shown “an uptick,” according to manager Dave Roberts, and the right-hander believes his command will benefit from cleaning up his mechanics this winter.
Syndergaard faced Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith in the first of two innings he pitched on Thursday.
“I feel like today was really awesome,” Syndergaard said. “A lot of what I’ve been working on has started to click, so it was a lot of fun being out there and playing baseball.”
Syndergaard, who is expected to join Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Urías in the rotation, took less money to sign with the Dodgers this offseason. His main focus was getting back to being the pitcher that was on the verge of stardom with the Mets.
But since then, Syndergaard has battled injuries, most notably Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2020 season and most of '21. As he worked his way back from that, Syndergaard struggled to regain his velocity last season with the Angels and Phillies, averaging 94.1 mph on the heater.
In a handful of bullpen sessions and during Thursday’s camp game, Syndergaard has been clocked around the same velocity. That, of course, is expected to tick upwards once the adrenaline of playing in regular-season games kicks in.
“Everything he does has a purpose,” Roberts said last week. “He’s a big -- like, I guess most players are -- a very 'feel' guy. It’s got to feel right. So I think that early on, he’s trying to kind of establish or reestablish some of his feels.”
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 23, 2023 23:38:54 GMT
Seems like a pitcher should be able to work with a 94 mph fastball.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 23, 2023 23:40:42 GMT
Defense shined
How Miguel Vargas adapts to second base will be key this spring. On Thursday, the 23-year-old offered a glimpse of why the Dodgers are optimistic that he can be an above-average defender at the position.
Vargas, who was shaded over closer to the second-base bag, took a handful of steps to his left and made a sliding play on a Miguel Rojas grounder that was headed to right field. Vargas then got up and threw a perfect strike to first, retiring Rojas. Betts and the rest of the team mauled Vargas in celebration.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 23, 2023 23:41:33 GMT
Positive reaction to rule changes
One of the purposes of the camp game was to get the team used to some of the changes that will be implemented this season. Talking through the changes has been a priority at camp this spring, and it’ll be something that continues over the next four weeks.
As part of the rule changes, there won’t be any drastic shifts on the infield. Teams won’t be allowed to have more than two defenders on each side of second base and defenders must be on the infield dirt. After one at-bat Thursday, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy became an instant fan.
“Yeah!” Muncy shouted as he lined a single to the right side of the infield off Syndergaard. “No shift!”
The Dodgers were also tracking pitchers and simulating the new pitch clock, which is a 15-second timer with nobody on base and a 20-second timer with runners on. Barnes, who caught Syndergaard, said he didn’t even notice the Dodgers were doing that, another positive sign that it’ll be a short adjustment period.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 24, 2023 2:51:32 GMT
Who will lead the Dodgers with Justin Turner gone?
Story by Bill Plunkett, Los Angeles Daily News • 5h ago
GLENDALE, Ariz. — As he drove to Arizona for the start of spring training, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts listened to a book on tape – “No Time for Spectators” by Martin Dempsey, a former U.S. Army general and past chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The book is built around the lessons Dempsey says he learned throughout his long military career, particularly those dealing with leadership. It’s a topic about which Roberts frequently reads – and it was an appropriate topic for this year’s Dodgers.
For the first time since Roberts became manager in 2016, there is no clear team leader in the Dodgers’ clubhouse. Justin Turner left for Boston in free agency this winter and the group that reported to Camelback Ranch this spring has a different dynamic with its highest-paid players (Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman) having been raised in other organizations, the longest-tenured position player (Austin Barnes) a backup catcher, and young players sprinkled throughout.
“When you don’t see No. 10 walking through, it’s a little weird for these guys. I can only imagine,” Freeman said of Turner’s departure.
“I love JT. He was definitely a voice for a lot of people. He was approachable and stuff like that,” Barnes agreed. “Yeah, it’ll be hard, but we’ll figure it out. We’ll adapt and figure out who we are as a team.”
Before they can figure out who the leaders are, they might have to identify what they need from a leader.
“Is a team leader the person who is going to be the voice for the media after every game? So the perception is he’s leading the club?” Roberts said. “Or is the team leader going to be the person who is going to hold a meeting when a meeting might need to be called? Or is a team leader a person who does everything the right way so people follow him?”
Clayton Kershaw says it’s “a good question” what a team leader needs to be.
“I think for me it’s just by example,” he said. “That’s how you do it, how you perform day in and day out. We have a lot of guys who do that. Then as far as the vocal part of it, I think we all look to somebody to speak at different times, whether it be the few clubhouse meetings we have, the few team meetings we have. Even stuff away from the field. Getting guys together to go to dinner. Whatever that is. JT was a lot of that. JT did a lot of that and JT was really good at doing all of that.
“It might not be a one-for-one situation (to fill Turner’s role), but I think collectively we all have to do that – because it’s important. It’s important not to just show up at the field, play and go home. I think there’s some other parts of it. I think we’re all going to just have to pick it up.”
Kershaw looms large in the Dodgers’ clubhouse. But he acknowledged it’s difficult for a starting pitcher who plays just once every five days to be the team’s leader.
Nonetheless, he is one of the names Freeman brings up as capable of filling any void left behind by Turner.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 24, 2023 2:54:19 GMT
To me it would be Kershaw. Yes. He's just a starting pitcher. Yet he was the one who tried reaching out to Puig before it was realized Yasiel was a lost cause. He's always someone the media goes to for comments. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Everyday you can lean on Betts & Freeman. They're the best players on the team.
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Post by truedodger on Feb 24, 2023 22:27:49 GMT
Vargas is 6'3 not too many tall guys play there. Though I could be wrong. I see him there for this season until next when they might move on from Muncy. I know I'm in the minority but I like Betts playing 2B.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 25, 2023 16:02:37 GMT
Mookie Betts News: Dodgers Manager Roberts Might Move All-Star Down the Lineup
Story by Chloe Clark • Yesterday 8:30 PM
Roberts spoke to the media about some changes he may have for the outfielder.
Although Mookie Betts has spent the majority of his career in the leadoff spot, this season may call for some change.
Although leadoff is a position Betts is most comfortable in, Dave Roberts has expressed that he may need Betts’ talent in other areas this upcoming season. As Roberts spoke to the media this week at Camelback Ranch, he gave insight as to where he may move Betts.
"I'm thinking about it. I think that having that discussion is thoughtful. It makes sense, given the fact that you don't expect him to steal bases like he's done in the past. He showed some more power, which potentially could have been more production as far as runs batted in. ... but, if you're talking about moving Mookie, you've also got to have a better option."
For alternate options, Roberts could utilize shortstop Gavin Lux, but Lux will be put toward the end of the lineup given the fact that he excelled in that spot last season. If there aren’t any players immediately available to switch, it is good to know that Betts is at least willing to move to the leadoff:
"In talking to him, he just said that every year is different -- and this is just a recent conversation that he'd be open if there is a change."
Betts will be away for some time at the World Baseball Classic, so this will force Roberts to see who could be the best fit for the leadoff spot. We all know that it may be difficult to achieve.
"It's hard to come off Mookie not being the best option."
After all, the outfielder has already spent 3,974 of his 5,064 plate appearances at the leadoff spot. Not to mention, Betts’ entire time as a Dodgers has been as a leadoff hitter.
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