Comments on: The Dodgers shortstop has played virtually no shortstop this spring

By: Kevin S.

Kevin S. — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:19:15 +0000

Sure you can win with a substandard defensive SS. Have you seen how bejeweled Jeter’s hand is?

By: spudchukar

spudchukar — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:30:11 +0000

er.. should read “odd choices in sentence #4 above.

By: spudchukar

spudchukar — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:28:04 +0000

I should add the Dominican Republic brain trust also appears to know it. The Dodgers do not need offensive production from the SS position, just somebody who can make the routine plays on a regular basis. They have enough offense.

By: spudchukar

spudchukar — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:26:01 +0000

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that in Baseball. You cannot win with a substandard defensive SS. And calling Ramirez “substandard” is kind. For a team that is “in it to win it”, the Dodgers are making some choices.

As I stated yesterday, the perfect place for Kyle Lohse is LA. It is a pitcher’s park, an asset for a pitch to contact guy, and if they did acquire him, they could move a couple of their mediocre starters, which they have an abundance of, and get themselves a SS that will keep them in games. It is hard to believe that Cruz will be the answer at 3B anyway.

Once you have committed the the kind of cash the Dodgers’ have for 2013, it seems silly to not complete the deal, and give your team the full set of tools necessary to compete. Why spend all that cash and still leave a glaring hole?

Perhaps, the LA management wants to give Cruz a shot, with the possibility of returning Gordon to SS, and move Hanley to 3B, when it becomes apparent he cannot handle SS, but by then Lohse will be gone. Why not address the issue now? Hanley Ramirez is no longer a legitimate alternative at the SS position. I know it, Gator knows it, the Marlin fan base knows it, including the bombarded season-ticket holder, other GM’s in Baseball know it, and the Dodger faithful will learn all too quickly the obvious.

By: jimmymarlinsfan

jimmymarlinsfan — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:59:58 +0000

He is terrible at shortstop. Just put him in left field already

By: mazblast

mazblast — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:32:40 +0000

Here’s an admittedly weird idea. Why don’t we wait and see how he actually plays the position before we decide whether he can play it anymore?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no fan of Ramirez when it comes to his defense. He’s not terribly good. However, he’s not out there for his defense, he’s out there because he’s supposed to be an offensive force, and if he can play adequate defense at short while hitting well, he’s a big asset.

By: unclemosesgreen

unclemosesgreen — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:31:01 +0000

Even the best shortstops need lots and lots of practice reps to stay on top of their game. He will be absolutely brutal for at least a couple of months. By then he should be merely abysmal.

By: manchestermiracle

manchestermiracle — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:07:34 +0000

That old saying always bothered me. In actuality practice makes permanent. If you practice incorrectly you perform incorrectly. You’d think 886 games, and all the practice inherent in so many turns at SS, would have made Ramirez better at the position, but maybe he’s as good as he’ll ever be. And that’s a scary thought for Dodger fans and pitchers.

By: Old Gator

Old Gator — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:54:33 +0000

Heh - you didn't get to watch ol' Manos de Piedra play short for years like I did. There was a season box holder at Joeprodolsharklife Stadium three rows up and four seats to the left of first base that he used to use as a target when throwing to first. Fortunately, when the Hanster opened at third at Macondo Banana Massacre Field last season, the guy must have relocated to somewhere nearer home plate and our faux third baseman had no one to throw to but our first baseman. He was on his way to California before he could find an alternate reference point. Good luck out there, sunsetsiders!

By: darthicarus

darthicarus — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:07:21 +0000

Now I’m no major league player and I know that practice makes perfect, but the fact that Hanley has 886 ML games played at SS compared to 98 at 3B he should hopefully have retained some knowledge of how to handle SS. Now those 886 games at SS weren’t Ozzie Smith-esque but I can’t imagine he could get any worse than the -5 runs per year he allowed by not getting any reps this spring.

By: chill1184

chill1184 — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:53:30 +0000

Interesting……