80-82

Well, that’s it. With a Konrad Schmidt (who?) groundout to James Loney, a most disappointing 2010 season finally – mercifully – comes to an end. It’s bittersweet to think that for the first time since 2007, the playoffs will be going on without the Dodgers, but I think most of us are just happy to see this train wreck finally get wrapped up. The exception to that may be Matt Kemp, who just hours after I posted about him homered yet again, ending the season with a five-game dinger streak.

While the season was an unmitigated disaster for the Dodgers, it’s been a pretty successful one here at MSTI HQ. Hundreds of thousands of page views, thousands of comments (most containing great points or insightful views), and a fantasy column at Baseball Prospectus later, 2010 was more than fruitful. Massive thanks must go to you, of course, for reading, commenting, and Twitter-following. It wouldn’t be as much fun without all of you, that’s for sure.

As for what’s next, it’s going to be odd to have all this October time to kill for the first time in three years, but we’ll manage. Sometime this week, I’ll be presenting my massive 2011 plan, and then just like last year we’ll do position-by-position reviews, hopefully finishing up just in time for the Hot Stove to truly kick off in November. Not that anything around this team is ever boring (except the offense), but between the divorce case and disappointing roster, this winter figures to be particularly interesting, and I can’t wait to get to it. I hope you’ll stick around and keep me honest.

Cheers.

We Should Probably Leave Matt Kemp Alone


A quick note on Matt Kemp, as we wait for this trainwreck season to finally come to an merciful close. Kemp’s current four-game streak of games with a homer is not only the second-longest in the bigs this season, but it’s also the second time he’s done it this year, after doing so April 13-16.

There’s no argument here that Kemp’s 2010 has been a huge disappointment on pretty much every level, but there’s reason to be hopeful for next season, especially as he ends this year on a tear. He’ll still be just 26, he actually hit for more power this year (career-high in HR and ISO) than before, and he’s taking responsibility for his subpar season:

“I have to pay the fans back, man,” Kemp said. “They deserve it.”

Laughing, he added, “They’ve been mad at me all season. I have to do something for them, something special. We all do. Give them a little taste right now.”

No one doubts the talent is there, and Ned Colletti claims he has no plans to move him. His clashes with the current coaching staff have been well-documented – though he seems to have a good relationship with Don Mattingly – and if there’s anyone who looks to benefit from the post-Torre era, it might just be Kemp, my early choice for the “No, Chad Billingsley’s wasn’t dead after one bad year either, now was it?” award next year.

Update: Five!