Comments on: The Day You Never Thought Would Come

By: Saying Goodbye to Mannywood « Mike Scioscia's tragic illness

Saying Goodbye to Mannywood « Mike Scioscia's tragic illness — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:35:16 +0000

[...] got worse, though, the longer Manny was out. Juan Pierre stepped in, and was admittedly great… for the first 40% of Manny’s suspension. Then he was worse than ever for the last 60%, [...]

By: Farewell to Juan Pierre: Part One « Mike Scioscia’s tragic illness

Farewell to Juan Pierre: Part One « Mike Scioscia’s tragic illness — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:17:56 +0000

[...] performance. Pierre hadn’t given us much of that in his first two seasons, so when he did, I was more than happy to praise him for it: Since [the signing], we’ve put forth dozens of posts lamenting his signing and presence, from [...]

By: MSTI’s 2009 in Review: Left Field « Mike Scioscia’s tragic illness

MSTI’s 2009 in Review: Left Field « Mike Scioscia’s tragic illness — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:53:39 +0000

[...] forget to mention is that while Pierre was actually very good for the first few weeks of starting (even earning his own post here dedicated to his nice play and improved plate discipline), he was worse than ever after that. Of course, most of the media was so involved in the [...]

By: Mark C

Mark C — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:41:04 +0000

Terrific article. Your analysis is, in my view, on target. I have wondered for several years why Pierre hasn’t made the adjustments at the plate that he seems to have made this year. I keep returning to the same answer: he doesn’t like to strike out.
Perhaps he takes pride in being one of the toughest batters in the game to strike out. Often in the past he would take a strike, but then swing at the next “close” pitch (a bad approach–we all know the old adage that batters should swing at pitches close to the strike zone when they have 2 strikes, not 1 strike!). Sure he would put the ball in play, but he often hit a weak grounder. He seems to be hitting “his pitch” (rather than “the pitcher’s pitch) a lot more often this year. This judicious approach at the plate may be why he is NOT striking out any more often than in the past (only 2 strike outs this year).
Another reason Pierre may have taken so long to adjust his approach is that he may take some pride in the number of hits he gets. The fact that from 2001-2007 he had more hits than any big leaguer besides Ichiro is undeniably impressive, but at what price? On-base percentages in the .330 range are not acceptable for a lead-off hitter (or, for that matter, anyone other than a Gold-glove winning shortstop or catcher). So, as it turns out, he may get his hits anyway, plus some walks and a much higher OBP.
I have always admired Pierre’s work ethic, his natural ability (especially his game-changing speed) and his rather soft-spoken, humble manner–a refreshing contrast to some of the huge egos in the game. It’s been a real privilege this year to also watch him hit. I find myself waiting for Pierre’s place in the order to come up so that I can see what he’ll do at the plate.
Before the season started, common knowledge was that the Dodgers’ best player would be their Left Fielder. But how many of us would have guessed that this would be true even with Manny Ramirez not playing?

By: shmolnick

shmolnick — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:02:16 +0000

FINALLY! Some respect for Juan Pierre, the nicest man in baseball. (Okay, so maybe he’s NOT the nicest man in baseball, top ten probably, but still…) Never could understand the bitter rage directed at poor Juan by well-meaning Dodger fans.
Now, can we PLEASE find a taker for him when Manny returns? ;-)

By: Mike Scioscia's tragic illness

Mike Scioscia's tragic illness — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:48:36 +0000

It’s a little different, I never hated Casey Blake as a player, just thought the trade that was made for him gave up far too much.

By: LaFord

LaFord — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:22:19 +0000

I like it Mike. Amazing how simple it all seems now isn’t it?
How long until Casey Blake gets a post like this? It looks to me like that trade is working out for us yet again this season.