From 100 wins to 100 losses: A season in review
Feb 17, 2018 10:34:42 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2018 10:34:42 GMT -5
How does a team go from averaging 100 wins over a 26 season span, including averaging 100 the last 2 seasons, to losing 100 the very next season?
Some would frown upon this and call it "tanking" - especially a certain rival within the division. However, this view was not shared internally.
The sale of the Dodgers franchise was completed after free agency had already begun. Talent from last season's 97 win team was already gone. Ace Jack DiLauro (who was 35) and his 10 AR, 16 wins, and 263 IP of 2.46 ball bolted LA after 10 seasons and 4 All-Star selections. He was headed to St. Louis. 1B Kato left after 6 successful seasons in LA, including an All-Star berth last season. Both signed on Day 1 of FA. Wood retired. They were gone before new ownership took over. McMullen, Maddox, Stanley, Herrmann, and Sanguillen were all free agents.
7 more players were set to be free agents following 1980 - most of them were in their mid-30's. Key players were aging. Marcelino Lopez was 35 and a free agent to be. Rob Gardner was 34 with 3 years left. Don Wilson was 33 with 2 years left. Tommy John was 35 and a FA to be. Bernie Carbo was the baby, at 31, and had just 2 seasons left. They were the Dodgers 5 best and highest paid players on the roster. Other key players were 30 year old Dave Concepcion, 35 year old Roy White (FA to be), 36 year old Pete Cimino (FA to be), 36 year old Jack Hiatt (FA to be), and 32 year old Tom Hutton. There were just 4 players on the major league roster that ownership saw as part of the future - Otto Velez (FA to be), Sixto Lezcano, Roy Thomas, and Rick Williams.
The farm system inherited ranked just 20th out of 26 clubs. It was pretty barren and had just 1 prospect above 4 stars. They had 2 top 100 prospects - SP's Dave Dravecky (61st) and John Urrea (75th) - but he did not look like a top 100 guy. Only the Angels, Cubs, Astros, Reds, Red Sox, and Pirates had a lower ranked farm system according to Baseball America. The Dodgers top prospect list was littered with average to below prospects.
Faced with the reality of this situation, ownership felt that last season's 97 wins was not going to happen. 90 wins was unlikely. This was an aging core that already lost several key players from last year's squad. A weak farm system made the future look bleak as well. The most logical choice appeared to be sell off the remaining assets and rebuild now. Failure to capitalize on this opportunity now could result in 5-10 lean years, "tanking" as some would say - while talent was slowly injected back into the farm system - 1 or 2 guys a year in the draft. It would be a while before the team was competitive again.
So, the team sprung into action. Almost all of the aging players previously mentioned were traded away - Lopez, Carbo, Velez, Concepcion, White, Hutton, 35 year old reliever Dick Bosman and 30 year reliever Tom Walker. A few minor leaguers that didn't fit into the long term plans were also jettisoned. Some cash and salary relief was also provided in deals.
The return is a brighter future and hopefully a quicker return to relevance. Acquired were 21 year OF Kirk Gibson, 19 year old OF/1B Brian Greer, 21 year old starter David Palmer, 22 year old 3B Tim Wallach, 21 year old 2B Bill Doran, 24 year old reliever Ray Searage, 20 year old closer Luis DeLeon, 25 year old starter Larry Christensen, 33 year old pitcher Tom Murphy, 25 year old utility guy Tom Brookens, 21 year old infielder Marty Barrett, 30 year old reliever Denny O'Toole, 28 year old pitcher Mike Cosgrove, 2 future 1st round picks, 2 future 2nd round picks, and a future 3rd round pick. In addition to their own 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, the Dodgers are hopeful that the added youth and depth will return them to relevance sooner than later.
The result is a farm system that went from 20th to 6th this season. The club now boasts 8 top 100 prospects (not including the 2 that opened the year in the top 100 - both of them have graduated to the majors). The team went from 1 prospect above 4 stars to 11 with a few more 4 star guys added. Nearly all guys acquired are at AAA and on the doorstep of the majors. As it turns out, the West was home to 104 and 95 win teams. The team that ownership inherited would not have been able to match that this season. Had the Dodgers sat tight, they would have finished 3rd in the division, out of the playoff picture, and the future would look much worse than it does now.
Tanking? Nobody is tanking here. We made the only logical decision that was available. All the moves made were not made with losing in mind, but rather with winning in mind. Every move had a purpose. A short-sighted view may not see it this way, but these were moves made for the long term health of the organization. The hope is that these moves take a 7 year rebuild and reduce it to 3. We hope to have our future 1b, 2b, 3b, ss, and lf in AAA as a result of these deals. My CF and RF are already in the majors. We added several rotation and bullpen options. Sometimes you must take a step back in order to take 2 steps forward. That is how 1979 is viewed by Dodgers management.
But make no mistake - the Dodgers plan to be competitive again sooner rather than later.
Some would frown upon this and call it "tanking" - especially a certain rival within the division. However, this view was not shared internally.
The sale of the Dodgers franchise was completed after free agency had already begun. Talent from last season's 97 win team was already gone. Ace Jack DiLauro (who was 35) and his 10 AR, 16 wins, and 263 IP of 2.46 ball bolted LA after 10 seasons and 4 All-Star selections. He was headed to St. Louis. 1B Kato left after 6 successful seasons in LA, including an All-Star berth last season. Both signed on Day 1 of FA. Wood retired. They were gone before new ownership took over. McMullen, Maddox, Stanley, Herrmann, and Sanguillen were all free agents.
7 more players were set to be free agents following 1980 - most of them were in their mid-30's. Key players were aging. Marcelino Lopez was 35 and a free agent to be. Rob Gardner was 34 with 3 years left. Don Wilson was 33 with 2 years left. Tommy John was 35 and a FA to be. Bernie Carbo was the baby, at 31, and had just 2 seasons left. They were the Dodgers 5 best and highest paid players on the roster. Other key players were 30 year old Dave Concepcion, 35 year old Roy White (FA to be), 36 year old Pete Cimino (FA to be), 36 year old Jack Hiatt (FA to be), and 32 year old Tom Hutton. There were just 4 players on the major league roster that ownership saw as part of the future - Otto Velez (FA to be), Sixto Lezcano, Roy Thomas, and Rick Williams.
The farm system inherited ranked just 20th out of 26 clubs. It was pretty barren and had just 1 prospect above 4 stars. They had 2 top 100 prospects - SP's Dave Dravecky (61st) and John Urrea (75th) - but he did not look like a top 100 guy. Only the Angels, Cubs, Astros, Reds, Red Sox, and Pirates had a lower ranked farm system according to Baseball America. The Dodgers top prospect list was littered with average to below prospects.
Faced with the reality of this situation, ownership felt that last season's 97 wins was not going to happen. 90 wins was unlikely. This was an aging core that already lost several key players from last year's squad. A weak farm system made the future look bleak as well. The most logical choice appeared to be sell off the remaining assets and rebuild now. Failure to capitalize on this opportunity now could result in 5-10 lean years, "tanking" as some would say - while talent was slowly injected back into the farm system - 1 or 2 guys a year in the draft. It would be a while before the team was competitive again.
So, the team sprung into action. Almost all of the aging players previously mentioned were traded away - Lopez, Carbo, Velez, Concepcion, White, Hutton, 35 year old reliever Dick Bosman and 30 year reliever Tom Walker. A few minor leaguers that didn't fit into the long term plans were also jettisoned. Some cash and salary relief was also provided in deals.
The return is a brighter future and hopefully a quicker return to relevance. Acquired were 21 year OF Kirk Gibson, 19 year old OF/1B Brian Greer, 21 year old starter David Palmer, 22 year old 3B Tim Wallach, 21 year old 2B Bill Doran, 24 year old reliever Ray Searage, 20 year old closer Luis DeLeon, 25 year old starter Larry Christensen, 33 year old pitcher Tom Murphy, 25 year old utility guy Tom Brookens, 21 year old infielder Marty Barrett, 30 year old reliever Denny O'Toole, 28 year old pitcher Mike Cosgrove, 2 future 1st round picks, 2 future 2nd round picks, and a future 3rd round pick. In addition to their own 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, the Dodgers are hopeful that the added youth and depth will return them to relevance sooner than later.
The result is a farm system that went from 20th to 6th this season. The club now boasts 8 top 100 prospects (not including the 2 that opened the year in the top 100 - both of them have graduated to the majors). The team went from 1 prospect above 4 stars to 11 with a few more 4 star guys added. Nearly all guys acquired are at AAA and on the doorstep of the majors. As it turns out, the West was home to 104 and 95 win teams. The team that ownership inherited would not have been able to match that this season. Had the Dodgers sat tight, they would have finished 3rd in the division, out of the playoff picture, and the future would look much worse than it does now.
Tanking? Nobody is tanking here. We made the only logical decision that was available. All the moves made were not made with losing in mind, but rather with winning in mind. Every move had a purpose. A short-sighted view may not see it this way, but these were moves made for the long term health of the organization. The hope is that these moves take a 7 year rebuild and reduce it to 3. We hope to have our future 1b, 2b, 3b, ss, and lf in AAA as a result of these deals. My CF and RF are already in the majors. We added several rotation and bullpen options. Sometimes you must take a step back in order to take 2 steps forward. That is how 1979 is viewed by Dodgers management.
But make no mistake - the Dodgers plan to be competitive again sooner rather than later.
