Dodgers News: Analyst Expands on Recent Viral Claims of Missing Adjustments
It became evident during the postseason that the Dodgers didn’t know how to get out of the hole they dug for themselves. This is something scouts have been aware of according to MLB analyst Jerry Hairston Jr., who got backlash for his recent claims.
It’s hard to imagine the Dodgers can do anything wrong with all the success they had during the regular season, but all the success got them nowhere. With all the talent across the roster it is inexcusable for them to finish how they did and Hairston Jr’s claims seem a bit less crazy.
Hairston made claims that scouts across the MLB have known about the Dodgers lack of urgency and need to make in game adjustments. It soon became known that this talk was common knowledge.
Hairston Jr. was not afraid to double down on his claims and gives further explanation of the Dodgers lack of adjustments. When other teams make adjustments, the Dodgers tend to stick to their game plan because that’s what has worked for them all season long (via AM 570 LA Sports).
The Dodgers are a corporation and suffer from the same disease all corporations eventually succumb to. Arrogance and no accountability. First they think they are smarter than anyone else. And at one time they probably were, but the competition always catches up. Secondly, they become so bloated with management levels that spend most of there time protecting their own jobs and deflecting blame that eventually no one can be held accountable for failure. And finally, they become so rooted in their processes that led to initial success that mediocrity becomes the norm. All while management continues to congratulate themselves on how brilliant they are. They will make excuses for anything that doesn’t comport with their delusional reality. Change will only occur after a disastrous incident. For the Dodgers that will be when they miss the playoffs 2 years in a row. (They will have ready made excuses for missing one year). Until this happens, we will get more of the same. Thx to Hairston for at least speaking the truth even though no one will listen.
The Dodgers are the most elite and dominant team in baseball, and have been so for quite a few years. They are on an unprecedented streak of success in the regular season. The post season is a crap shoot as everyone knows. This year might have the world champion Phillies, an 87 win team that was ranked 12th when the post season began and came in 3rd place in their division. Dodgers should just keep doing what they are doing, odds are they will pick up a few world series rings if they stay on their present path, they’ve been to the series 3 times in the past 6 years, so criticising the team is kind of weak.
The Dodger’s manager and coaches preach taking a good at-bat; which they define as seeing a lot of pitches primarily to get the opposing starter out of the game. With the advent of strong bull pens and 5 inning starts, it doesn’t make sense to take a lot of pitches to get into the bullpen any longer. Patience at the plate is effective; but the goal ought to be to get a good pitch to hit and to put a swing on it that works. Beyond that, their approach with two strikes need to change and in general they need to move toward contact as opposed to launch angle unless the game situation demands a home run. Hitting with RISP is key for any team. Often something less than a home run works. It’s just smart, basic baseball. We don’t need to revamp the entire team to do that!