Apparently, Yesterday Was a Turning Point for James Loney…
August 4, 2011 at 6:49 am | Posted in James Loney | 49 Comments
….since all three major Dodger beat writers – Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times, Tony Jackson of ESPNLA, and Ken Gurnick of dodgers.com - have written stories in the last 12 hours about Loney’s disappointing season and tenuous future in Los Angeles.
Mattingly said he doesn’t know which player is the real Loney.
But as far out of first place as the Dodgers might be, Mattingly said he hasn’t reached the point at which he would play Loney every day for the sake of finding out the answer to that question.
While Mattingly maintained that Loney could still be the player he was at the end of last season, he appears to be ready to concede that he might not ever become a home-run threat.
Loney hit 15 home runs in 96 games as a rookie in 2007 but only 36 over the next three seasons. He has four home runs this year.
“It hasn’t to this point and it’s been a while,” Mattingly said.
James Loney is making $4.875 million this year, and he has one more winter of arbitration eligibility. Simple logic would suggest that the Dodgers won’t go there with him this year, that if he doesn’t agree to a salary for 2012 far below the roughly $5.5 million he would stand to make through arbitration, they will simply bid him adieu.
The Dodgers need to add power to their punchless lineup. Even if Andre Ethier gets back to his normal home run production next year to complement Kemp, they still need a third big bat. It doesn’t appear as if Loney is ever going to be that guy, and given that he plays what traditionally is a power position, the Dodgers would have to add a power bat at a non-power position — perhaps a Jeff Kent-type player at second or a Cal Ripken type at short — to make up for that.
James Loney is having his worst season after a bad second half last year, and he’s not even the everyday first baseman anymore, manager Don Mattingly saying Loney will continue to share time with Juan Rivera when Rivera isn’t playing left field.
All of that means Loney is at the top of the list of likely non-tender candidates come December, as the Dodgers are unlikely to pay him a raise from the $4.875 million he receives this year.
“It was a bad month for me last month [.176, five RBIs] and we’re trying to win baseball games,” Loney said, understanding of his reduced playing time. “They know I can play better than I have over this year.
The impetus for this sudden barrage, it seems, was Loney’s split-second appearance as a pinch-hitter in the 7th inning of Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to San Diego. With men on second and third and one out, Loney came up to hit for pitcher Ted Lilly. San Diego manager Bud Black removed starting pitcher Tim Stauffer in favor of rookie lefty reliever Josh Spence. Don Mattingly countered by immediately replacing Loney with Casey Blake, so while Loney’s name appears in the box score, he never actually played. On the surface, it seemed innocuous enough – Loney’s struggles against lefties are well-known, and Spence has allowed just five hits in 38 plate appearances against fellow southpaws this year, with a 15/0 K/BB, so there’s no reason Loney should have hit there. (Blake was intentionally walked, and Dee Gordon and Aaron Miles each failed to get anyone home, as you likely inferred by the fact that the Dodgers were shut out.)
But since Loney was once an “RBI threat” – whatever that means – apparently the fact that he wasn’t allowed to hit in a situation with men in scoring position late in the game is the clearest sign yet of his fall from grace. Perhaps it is, though Loney’s struggles have been well-documented here going back at least two years. Remember how bad he was in April, when we were all talking about how bad his season would be on a historical scale? Yeah, after a dead cat bounce in June – which I dutifully praised him for – his July was worse than ever:
| Split | G | PA | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April/March | 28 | 112 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 16 | .210 | .241 | .248 | .489 |
| May | 28 | 100 | 27 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 5 | .293 | .350 | .413 | .763 |
| June | 25 | 97 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 12 | .337 | .381 | .404 | .786 |
| July | 25 | 81 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | .176 | .225 | .230 | .455 |
| August | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
The total there is good enough for the 10th-worst OPS in MLB, and other than the inexplicable collapse of Adam Dunn, every single one of the guys performing worse than Loney are up the middle players, either 2B, SS, or CF. We could cite any number of stats pointing out his ineptitude – among players with as many PA as Loney has, he’s the 6th worst player by TAv – but in this case it’s not really necessary, because the eye test is clearly good enough.
Getting pinch-hit for in the late innings of a close game or not, it’s clear that Loney’s tenure as a Dodger is coming to an end. To his credit, his quotes in the above stories reflect a player who understands that he hasn’t been performing, and I’d also praise Mattingly for not slavishly continuing to play him every day when the production isn’t there. Loney’s an all-but-guaranteed non-tender following the season, though it should be noted there’s no obvious replacement for him in 2012, either.
49 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a Reply
How Many McCourt Sins?
MSTI on the web
MSTI Library
Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
Sometimes a guy just needs a change of scenery. Maybe he can go somewhere where they have plenty of power and just let him go back to his natural swing. When he first came up he had a couple of short stints of batting about .400 before he was sent back down. Maybe some hitting coach can convince him that he is just a contact hitter, not a power guy.
Comment by DAVID S— August 4, 2011 #
>> Sometimes a guy just needs a change of scenery.
Like Rafael Furcal?
Comment by nsxtasy— August 4, 2011 #
Loney acquired a reputation as an “RBI man” when batting in the middle of a good Dodger lineup and driving in 80-90 a year. Not really that impressive, especially when you consider the position he plays. In today’s MLB, first base almost has to be a power bat, unless, as you quote Jackson in your article the team has power as other positions. The Dodgers do not. In watching James this year, it seems like he has trouble catching up to fastballs. He is late often, fouling them off to the left, or hitting weak fly balls to left. Even when he hits a ball well, it seems to be just a long fly out. The necessary bat speed to hit balls out is not there. Having little power or speed, he’d have to hit .300/.375/.450 to be playable as a regular first baseman. I don’t see that happening. The alternatives are not great (Rivera/Sands) unless a new owner comes in to sign a hammer. I think Ned rode this horse a little too long.
Comment by Deuce— August 4, 2011 #
I’d love to do a thorough, in-depth look at what’s plaguing Loney… and then I remembered, he’ll be gone soon and I’m sick of thinking about him.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— August 4, 2011 #
Really hope we just go with Sands or a really cheap FA next year, but knowing Ned he’ll probably non-tender, then re-sign loney for $3 million plus $5 million is easily reachable incentives.
Maybe the folks in toronto can do for Loney what they did for Bautista.
Comment by Brandon— August 4, 2011 #
The origin of James Loney, “RBI man.”
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=260928127
Comment by brooklyndoyer— August 4, 2011 #
Loney is just one of those guys you want to like so bad, you root so hard that he will come through, and he just disappoints. He seems like such a good guy and good teammate (great defender) that I will be sad to see him gone from that perspective.
Comment by The Hatch— August 4, 2011 #
I concur.
Comment by Justin— August 4, 2011 #
Agreed; I’ll miss him more than Russell Martin.
Comment by dodger88— August 4, 2011 #
Loney is just another in a long list of disapointments this season!
Comment by dodgers66— August 4, 2011 #
Not playing him at this point, in my opinion, is dumb. Play and try to build some trade value. This move would seem to destroy any value some team may perceive he has.
Comment by Gillbert— August 4, 2011 #
He has no trade value, and that’s not likely to change in what’s left of this season.
Comment by nsxtasy— August 4, 2011 #
I disagree. I am not saying he would have a lot of value, and teams may hold off just because they know the DFA is going to happen. But, he does do well outside of dodger stadium and plays great D. The Rockies for example might do well to get him. If we can get hawksworth for theriot, we could get something for loney if he can hit and show consistency. (plus the perception that he is an RBI guy can’t hurt.)
Comment by Gillbert— August 4, 2011 #
Loney’s 2011 is shaping up to be about as bad as Jason Phillips’ 2005.
Comment by brooklyndoyer— August 4, 2011 #
>> it should be noted there’s no obvious replacement for him in 2012, either.
.
Jerry Sands.
.
Although I would like to see us pay big bucks for a big bat at first this off-season, someone like Fielder, Pujols, or Berkman. (Alternatively, if we put Sands at first, we’d need a big bat in left.)
.
With the drop in attendance this year, there’s a good business case for a new owner to spend the money for a better team. And as broke as our current owner is, the only way he hangs on is to get that Fox contract, in which case he’d probably use some of the money after paying his legal bills for some good players. (No, I’m not defending him and I am hoping for new ownership, but I’m just trying to anticipate what might happen.)
Comment by nsxtasy— August 4, 2011 #
Sands is a candidate, yes, but A) he didn’t do enough in his first try to hand him the job, and B) without Robinson, he may be needed in LF.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— August 4, 2011 #
You can forget that Fox deal. That is as dead as a rattlesnake under the wheels of a rolling back and forth eighteen wheeler.
Comment by Bob Springer— August 4, 2011 #
>> You can forget that Fox deal.
.
Not necessarily. It’s not clear whether or not a bankruptcy court can overrule the franchise agreement that gives MLB the right to approve all broadcasting contracts, by giving precedence to the rights of bankruptcy creditors. If they can and do, it’s possible the contract could be completed and Frank could retain the team.
.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news… (And I certainly hope that MLB’s rights don’t get overruled, but we will have to wait and see what the court does.)
Comment by nsxtasy— August 4, 2011 #
Dude, 29 other billionaires (*real* billionaires) want Franklin out of MLB. It’s only a matter of time.
Comment by Jeff M.— August 4, 2011 #
Count me among those who expected in-house replacements for Loney in the persons of Jerry Sands at first base, with Trayvon Robinson in the outfield. Alas, idiot Ned took care of half of that formula with his foolish deadline deal from, literally, out of left field. I’m still fuming about that moronic deal, and sorry to say, having a hard time moving past it.
I’ve always liked Loney and agree with The Hatch that he is just one of those guys you root extra hard for. (Plus he’s from my home area near Houston.) Still, he has just fallen off so badly, it would be best for James and the Dodgers to part ways. I’d like to see him end up in some hitter friendly park next year, but don’t see too many openings at first base in places like Philly or Cincy.
Comment by SamAdams— August 4, 2011 #
Not sure how quickly it will move, but Frank has begun his lawsuit against his former lawyers that eff’d up the agreement that was supposed to give him sole control of the team (over Jamie). That could result in a malpractice judgement of hundreds of millions.
Comment by Dave Pomerantz— August 4, 2011 #
Yes. And if pigs had wings. . .
Comment by Jeff M.— August 4, 2011 #
I’m still rooting for him to lose the case, because he deserves no good breaks, but that lawyer REALLY screwed the pooch on that one. I can’t see how they won’t owe him hundreds of millions. I just hope it’s too late for him to keep the team.
Comment by Dave Pomerantz— August 5, 2011 #
So much promise
But no power in Lames
So Ned looked elsewhere
And came up with Thames
“Are you Mr RBI?”
Lames replied “Yes, your honor”
“Then why are your big hits this year
far fewer than Dioner?”
So in just a few weeks
Lames will be gone
But don’t despair Dodger fans
We’ll still have Juan [s]
I’m fairly certain that a list of all the bad moves, signings, and mistakes made in putting together this pathetic Dodger team over the years, doubles the sins of Frank list.
Comment by jWerthfan1— August 4, 2011 #
That’s good, except “Thames” doesn’t rhyme with “Lames.”
Comment by Bip— August 4, 2011 #
Yeah, but it’s non-poetic license. In this case, Lames is pronounced like tree branches, or Limbs.
[ just go with it ]
Comment by jWerthfan1— August 4, 2011 #
Loney has always been one of my favorites, but there’s no more defending him. A glove-first guy is acceptable behind the plate or in the middle infield but not at first base. He is one of the best at digging throws out of the dirt, though.
He needs a change of scenery for sure. Houston, Texas, Arizona, Colorado seem like logical places, but there are road blocks on each team (Wallace, Moreland, Goldschmidt, Helton). He’ll catch on somewhere after he’s non-tendered.
Comment by Dustin Nosler— August 4, 2011 #
Houston could make sense. Wallace was just sent back to AAA plus he can play 3B (although poorly from what I understand). Pittsburgh is another possibility as I doubt they bring Derrek Lee back next year unless he lights up the scoreboard the next two months.
Comment by dodger88— August 4, 2011 #
About this business of non-tendering Loney. This is Ned Colletti we’re talking about here, and you never know what that clown is going to do, expect that you can pretty much expect him to do the wrong thing. Therefore, I won’t be surprised to see Loney back at 1B for the Dodgers next season.
Comment by shmolnick— August 4, 2011 #
Agree with the above poster that Loney was a guy Dodgers fans always pulled for. Right out of the box, he seemed so poised, confident and ready for the Show. Bummed that it comes down to this, but he’s really cashed his last chips here.
We’ll always have the grand salami in Chicago!
Comment by Casey— August 4, 2011 #
I think this is setting up beautifully for a miracle. The miracle that is Prince Fielder in a Dodger uniform.
Comment by SteveT— August 4, 2011 #
I like to think that too, but its not gonna happen.
Comment by TC— August 5, 2011 #
As an LA fan in DC, the Nats dodged a bullet here. I’m not sure what Ned wanted for Loney but clearly the Nats coveted him as the defense-first 1B plug-in for the next couple years, and a deal never came to be. DC signed LaRoche instead, who fortunately got injured and made way for Morse’s breakout season.
Funny how things work out. At least I got to boo Stairs in person at first before he got DFA’d.
Comment by Tom C— August 4, 2011 #
Tom, I think even if LaRoche stayed healthy, Morse would’ve seen time in the outfield and become a stud. You guys have a hell of a player over there.
Comment by Dave Pomerantz— August 5, 2011 #
trade him to Colorado for one of their middle infielders…
Loney loves Coors Field
Comment by slam— August 4, 2011 #
So what would the Rocks do with Todd Helton, who is head and shoulders above Loney offensively?
Comment by SamAdams— August 4, 2011 #
I’m betting 80/20 that we resign Rivera. If Sands is able to produce next year, that’s not the worst scenario ever. It would be really nice if we had a promising young outfielder so that Sands could be a full time first baseman and Rivera could be a solid bench piece though…
Comment by Bip— August 4, 2011 #
Scott Van Slyke, perhaps? (Van Slyke can actually play first as well as the outfield, just like Jerry.)
Comment by nsxtasy— August 4, 2011 #
I gotta think if Van Slyke was with the big league club, he’d be at 1st and Sands in left.
Comment by Dave Pomerantz— August 5, 2011 #
I don’t understand what all the man love is about Loney. Other than his rbi totals in ’08 and ’09 (product of lineup placement) he has been just an average replaceable player. I don’t find him exciting to watch, I don’t think he is a good interview after the games, he is just there. I guess you can say that he appears to be durable as he doesn’t miss big chunks of time injured. I actually don’t think he would have lasted this long if the Dodgers would draft and develop position players.
Comment by west coast ram— August 4, 2011 #
I’ve read in the past couple days that if Loney’s season ends with the same OPS that he has now, he will have the lowest OPS of any first baseman in major league baseball with at least 400 PAs since 1948. Unfortunately, I forgot where I read this. But man, that is epically bad.
Comment by The Dude Abides— August 4, 2011 #
Dilbeck jumped the gun (again) and declared Sands’ the obvious replacement for Loney based on Sands starting three games in a row at first base (tonight will make four).
So I asked Jerry if he was permanently moving to first base. The short answer: no.
The long answer: http://www.examiner.com/baseball-in-albuquerque/isotopes-notebook-sands-not-settling-at-first-base-yet
(But on the bright side, Dilbeck did remember they’re the Isotopes and not the Dukes)
Comment by Chris Jackson— August 4, 2011 #
I’ve never hated bowling as much.
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/283947_10150388192453508_45084588507_10217749_1630745_n.jpg
Comment by Paul Bakker— August 4, 2011 #
Yep he’s gone unless he puts up this line in September: .382/.429/.709/ with 9 HR….oh yeah how did he do that in September 2007 again?
Comment by Jon#7#22— August 5, 2011 #
Watched the video of Robinson’s major league debut today. Felt sick to my stomach. I will never hate Frank McCourt as much as I hate Ned Colletti.
Comment by Bip— August 6, 2011 #
I still can’t believe that trade actually happened. It was so unnecessary and went against everything Bernie has done before. He usually trades our promising prospects for crap and our elite prospects for a slightly above average major leaguer. This time he traded a major-league ready prospect for three pieces of crap, two of whom will be lucky to make it to the majors and one who projects to be Jeff Mathis. It just doesn’t make any sense. I disliked the guy before, but ever since the court case against the insurance company where the Dodgers stated that they signed Schmidt even after his MRI showed a torn rotator cuff, my dislike of Bernie has turned into burning hatred.
Comment by The Dude Abides— August 6, 2011 #
I agree, and why do you call him Bernie?
Comment by Bip— August 6, 2011 #
Javy Guerra strikes out 3 in 1.1 innings today? He wasn’t missing bats at all when he got here, and now he’s surprising me every time he comes out. Mr. Guerra, I like you so much more than I anticipated.
Comment by Real Tom— August 6, 2011 #
[...] was so bad that it was even worse than his April, and April was putrid. It was so bad that on August 3, all three Dodger beat writers wrote about how bad things were, as he’d been dropped into [...]
Pingback by MSTI’s 2011 in Review: First Base « Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— October 5, 2011 #