See Dee Run
June 14, 2011 at 10:13 pm | Posted in Dee Gordon | 43 Comments(Will all of this crash your browser? Uh, possibly. Apologies if so. If it does, then add “your computer” to the long list of things that cannot keep up with Dee Gordon.)
See Dee score the first Dodger run:
See Dee start a double play with a backhand stab:
See Dee put down a lousy bunt but use his speed to essentially create a double:
See Dee steal third:
Sure, all of that masks the fact that the Dodgers lost again, with a solid one-run effort from Clayton Kershaw obscured by the usual lack of offense. (That’s now 35 times in which they’ve scored three runs or fewer.) Yes, the bullpen again did no favors, allowing two runs which proved to be the difference, though at least Mike MacDougal finally allowed a run that counts against his own ledger. And it’s true that the loss drops them to seven games under .500, just a game out of last place, and if they lose tomorrow’s matinee, it’ll be the first time they fall more than seven games underwater since July of 2006 – nearly five years.
All of the above is true, but who wants to talk about that? Dee Gordon‘s electricity is providing us with a reason to tune in each night. There’s plenty of time to talk about all the rest of it; for the moment, that’s good enough.
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Mike, were going to have to start talking about the reality that despite Dee Gordon’s talent, Kemp’s MVP year, and solid years from Carroll, Ethier, and Kershaw, because of a terrible bullpen and offense, that this is a last place team. how long until the team starts selling players off? this team is pathetic
Comment by format— June 14, 2011 #
It is sad, the trolls will be out in full force on the website because their picks were actually right “last place”……ouch, even the Baby Puds seem to have brought up decent guys.
Comment by DodgersKings323— June 14, 2011 #
I doubt the Dodgers will finish in last place. They are certainly not firing on all cylinders right now. If Loney can sink out of his extended slump and Uribe can start hitting, along with Garland and maybe Padilla along with Jansen and Kuo coming back, the team would be doing a lot better. Fourth place seems most realistic right now.
Comment by MfA— June 15, 2011 #
What do you mean Loney needs to get out of his slump:
Since April 25 Loney is hitting .313/.372/.415, pretty much probably who Loney is at this point…..at least he’s getting on-base at pretty good rate for the last month and a half.
Comment by Jon#7#22— June 15, 2011 #
Keep Kemp, Ethier, Kershaw, Billingsley, and all the younguns (Gordon, Sands, Rubby, all minor leaguers, etc.). Absolutely everyone else can go.
Comment by Sam L— June 15, 2011 #
nice gifs!
Comment by format— June 14, 2011 #
Glad that Chad Inspired you to become an animated GIF creator! Gordon, Kemp and Gwynn Jr. have justified it.
Now just waiting for the Juan Uribe ‘Swinging Out Of His Shoes, Striking Out on Three Pitches Blooper Reel’ Animated Gif.
Comment by Raj Firestone— June 14, 2011 #
Beyond inspired, he showed me how.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— June 14, 2011 #
Somewhere on the net that already exists…….
Comment by DodgersKings323— June 14, 2011 #
For the first time i thought about leaving a game early…….but at least Dre and Bison were up in the 9th.
Comment by DodgersKings323— June 14, 2011 #
What happens when Furcal comes back? I’ve always liked him, but watching Dee play has been a blast.
Comment by Reno Dakota— June 14, 2011 #
Trade him in a perfect world. For almost anything, really.
Comment by Gregory Zakwin— June 15, 2011 #
Is Dee Gordon Maury Will’s illegitimate child or something? He is amazing!
Comment by crushinator— June 14, 2011 #
Wills’
Comment by crushinator— June 14, 2011 #
ya Gordon is exciting but am I the only one tired of seein us drop to the bottom of the division. I mean were a joke, we got 5-6 solid players and the rest of the team sucks. Casey Blake can’t even stay healthy nor can furcal, I guess one good spot is our bullpen is gettin healthier. we are treading deep waters and desperately need to go on some sort of winnin streak soon. oh and great ab Barajas ( I’m still gonna go to his autograph signing next Friday cuz I live down the street ) I’m contemplating going wasted so I could truly ask him why the fuk he sucks so much lol. hahah I knew he was gonna pop out
Comment by scullyfan24— June 14, 2011 #
Our rotation hasn’t lived up to expectations either. Lilly and Billingsley have underperformed, and Kershaw still has some issues to iron out, though I bet they won’t last long.
Comment by Bip— June 15, 2011 #
Breaking news: Matt Kemp is now tied with Jose Bautista for most oWAR in the MLB. He manages this despite a lower OPS because of extra runs from base running and because he plays center. One leads all his league in all star voting, the other is fifth in voting just for his position.
Comment by Bip— June 15, 2011 #
All Star voting has always been a joke, though. Its about as important as Gold Glove voting to me, which is to say, not at all. Jeter’s still the leader for AL SS, right? Even if Kemp isn’t voted in, he’ll definitely make it.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— June 15, 2011 #
All Star voting is generally way behind. Bautista is having a phenomenal year, but what did he do in 2010? Same.
Kemp is having a phenomenal year. What did HE do in 2010? Different.
Kemp is doing it all now, though. How many times did Cordero throw over to 1st base in the 9th after Kemp walked? Seven? Eight? Couple of step-offs too. Kemp STILL steals 2nd (and scores on Loney’s knock).
So, Kemp, of course is an All-Star. And, really, the MVP if he keeps this up.
Comment by UpNorthJustAPiece— June 15, 2011 #
Wow, Dee is fast! He is just what this lineup needs at the top of the order. If he sticks, it is an important piece of the puzzle. I just hope Ned is gone before trading time starts. A competent GM could put something together here.
Comment by Your 2011 McTurnips— June 15, 2011 #
The one thing the Dodgers should NOT do is offer Dee up as trade bait. He’s exactly the sort of player you can build a club with for a decade, or more. If I were Mattingly, I’d keep him in the lineup at least 9 games out of every 10. If nothing else, maybe he’ll inspire some of the guys who aren’t playing up to potential, to focus a little harder.
Comment by Steve Hall (Kestrel)— June 15, 2011 #
Agreed. I was thinking of peddling Furcal, not Gordon. This club needs to shed many of the overpaid/brokedown vets that Neddy has been collecting.
Comment by The Year of the SuperMidget— June 15, 2011 #
Furcal, and maybe Lilly should have some trade value to a contender. I’d like to move both of them for prospects. We have nobody in the pipeline at 3B or C.
Comment by Dave Pomerantz— June 15, 2011 #
Lilly might have some value since the pitching market is so thin but I am not sure we could get much for Furcal at this point. As fun as it is to watch him play he is just way too injury prone. If he was traded, LA would have to pay a chunk of his salary. McCourt is already paying enough guys to play for other teams.
Comment by Ryan K (@RyanK_OutsideLA)— June 15, 2011 #
A team that needs a SS and will be in the playoff hunt will be the hated team from the north.
Comment by west coast ram— June 15, 2011 #
At this point is his career, Furcal’s best value will be in the AL as DH (where the chances of him getting hurt are less). The challenge will be to bring him back from the DL slow and easy this time, pinch hitting and some 3B, so he can demonstrate that he can still hit. Then, you get what you can for him.
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The next GM certainly has his or her work cut out. Ned’s leaving a mess. But it is what it is. You accept it and move on.
Comment by Year of the SuperMidgets— June 15, 2011 #
Exactly how fast is Dee? Numbers?
Comment by Greg Robinson— June 15, 2011 #
I know Dee made some blunders in the field on Sunday, but I’ve otherwise been rather impressed with his defense. His range (unsurprisingly) seems to be huge, and he’s got a better arm than I’d imagined (maybe it’s not actually that good, but just appears to be when juxtaposed with Miles at 3rd).
The way Chris Jackson and others have talked about Gordon’s defense, I was scared to see him as an everyday SS. But like I’ve said, I’ve been quite pleased. Yes, there have been mistakes, but I’ve seen much more egregious stuff from Furcal.
Comment by ThtsaPaddlin— June 15, 2011 #
His arm is everything you think it is. Remember, his dad was a pitcher who threw gas into his 40s. This shouldn’t be too surprising.
Comment by Dave Pomerantz— June 15, 2011 #
Dee Gordon is making baseball exciting again. I can live with an error here or there since he’s saving hits and runs with great plays as well.
June 30th please come quick!
Comment by Scott— June 15, 2011 #
3 reasons to watch the Dodgers:
How far can Kemp crush it and how long until he hits one out of the stadium?
How many errors can Dee force just by his sheer speed?
How dominant can Kershaw be?
Comment by Ryan K (@RyanK_OutsideLA)— June 15, 2011 #
Kemp came into the league as a guy without a lot of baseball played, but enormous athleticism and potential. Same as Gordon. Imagine the player Dee will be if he makes the same strides in reaching that potential.
Comment by jWerthFan— June 15, 2011 #
I love the comparison, but let’s be honest… Dee ain’t gonna develop Kemp’s power. Dee won’t hit 20 HRs in his career, let alone in 60ish games like Kemp has this year.
Comment by Dave Pomerantz— June 15, 2011 #
Anybody remember Vince Coleman? Everybody likes WAR. Check Coleman’s WAR over a 13-year career. Even with 100-plus steals in a season, Coleman is eminently forgettable. Dee Gordon will have to grow considerably to reach Coleman’s level.
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The Dodgers are likely stuck with Gordon, given how injury-prone Furcal is, but let’s not fool ourselves: Dee Gordon will never approach Furcal in postive impact on a team. Even at a position that can tolerate a lack of power, Gordon is iffy at the plate. And if he doesn’t develop real prowess in the field, we’ll be talking major disappointment. I hope I’m wrong about this kid, but I see problems ahead.
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Can’t steal first base.
Comment by SC Dodger— June 15, 2011 #
I like WAR. Great thumbnail, single-number summation of overall offensive impact. But WAR can not measure intangibles. WAR can not measure the amount of concentration a fast baserunner on first takes from a pitcher. And it can’t measure how much that lost concentration results in a hanging slider. There’s no way to measure that. Dee Gordon is definitely the kind of guy that has that effect on the pitcher.
Can Gordon hit MLB? We’ll see.
He IS a playmaker. I don’t think you’ll be associating the word “disappointment” with him.
Comment by UpNorthJustAPiece— June 15, 2011 #
Your intangibles argument is why I used Vince Coleman. 752 career steals, three times over 100 in the major leagues. You think Gordon is anywhere near that? Presumably Coleman provided all of that intangible stuff you cite. Coleman also has a career batting average of .264 with a career OPS of .668. Coleman ends up with a career OWAR of +11.1 and a career DWAR of -1.7. His career total WAR in 13 seasons is 9.4. In other words, Coleman’s total contribution over 13 years is less than a game per season. Using the WAR formula, Coleman should never have even been a starter in the major leagues.
Gordon is a poster child for your intangibles argument. Will he ever be better than Vince Coleman, who actually stole more than 100 in three seasons? Will he ever field better than Coleman, who was a sloppy fielder? Can Gordon even hit .264 in the major leagues? Those are the questions you have to ask while you’re falling in love with the latest phenom. “Playmakers” are a dime a dozen, but the unfortunate reality is that in today’s market, a crappy “playmaker” can end up making enough money to throw off the team’s salary plans. I suspect Gordon is one of those guys and I think that you, as a fan, should hold out for better players. Gordon won’t cut it. You heard it here first.
Comment by SC Dodger— June 16, 2011 #
I think Dee has great potential, and I’m pleased to see him performing so well, so early.
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I don’t think the Vince Coleman comparison is apt. Coleman was more of a one-trick pony: a base stealer. He didn’t bring much more to the game than that, and that greatly limits your value (he was also a knucklehead, which didn’t help).
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The first player I think of when I see Dee Gordon is Maury Wills. If he can play like that, the Dodgers will be happy to have him.
Comment by Year of the SuperMidget— June 16, 2011 #
Coleman hit .264 for his career. Which isn’t bad for a light hitting infielder. Maury Wills is in a whole other league, a guy who’s actually been in some HOF discussions. Forget Wills for the moment. Maury Wills was a rare player. I’d like to see Gordon just get to the Coleman level first before we even discuss Wills. Problem with modern players is they seem to have more holes in the swing than previous generations, probably because they don’t learn the strike zone and they’re always trying to drive the ball, even when they should be slapping it like Wills.
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I’m seeing a trend here with fans of various MLB teams wherein the latest rookie phenom from the farm system is always the long-awaited savior. See me in three years: you’ll be happy if Gordon does Coleman-level work. We’ll all be ecstatic if he reaches the Wills level. But odds are he won’t. I don’t think he’s good enough. Besides, the Dodgers need more help than Gordon can provide, even at the Wills level. The huge setback for the Dodgers is even needing Gordon: Furcal isn’t that old and he’s real, real good, much better than Gordon will ever be. But Furcal’s body is betraying him and he’ll likely soon be gone. And if Gordon’s the best hope out of the farm system, be prepared for some lean years.
Comment by SC Dodger— June 17, 2011 #
Vince Coleman played LF — which is where you put your weak fielder — and not very well at that. He was also a first-class idiot (a danger to himself and others). Dee Gordon, on the other hand, plays SS — the most important defensive position in the game — and has already demonstrated that he is most likely not a moron. So he’s got two steps on Coleman already. No one knows how Dee’s going to end up doing in the Bigs, but I like what I’ve seen thus far.
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I don’t think we’re going to have to wait three years to find out about Dee. They’re giving him a chance to prove himself early. This is one of the benefits of having a crappy team, it gives the youngsters a chance to play. Maybe we’ll see Trayvon soon….
Comment by Year of the SuperMidget— June 18, 2011 #
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