For some, the ninth inning was the most stressful frame of Wednesday night’s Dodgers-Giants matchup. For me, it was the eighth.

At about 1:37 of the video below, Kershaw catches Giants’ pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez looking. Kershaw, who is usually pretty mild-mannered and not demonstrative during his starts, gives a mini fist pump and lets out a primal yell.

He didn’t over-do it. It was quick. It was intense. It was something Dodger fans needed to see.

Kershaw gutted-out a 132-pitch, 15 strikeout complete game win, giving the Dodgers some additional room to breathe in their division.

Kershaw is the unquestioned leader of the Dodgers, who are not 18 games above .500, sitting on a 6 1/2 game cushion in the National League West. Kershaw’s team is not a generally demonstrative one. Veteran stars like Adrian Gonzalez keep a levelheaded energy that is really great for managing a 162 game season.

Some games, though, mean more than others. Over the stretch run, the Dodgers’ games against the second-place and rival Giants have a heightened atmosphere. It’s nice to see the team step things up and show how dominant they can be in those situations.

After seeing the team get no hit twice in 10 days, I wasn’t sure there was another notch these guys could hit. I wasn’t sure that when push came to shove, these guys would shove back.

Going into the recent Cubs and Giants series, the Dodgers’ season was poised for a turning point. They came out of the past six days 5-1. Yes, they got no-hit in that one game, but their 2 1/2 game lead is now 6 1/2. Fans should be breathing a little easier today.

As long as the Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, no team should want to draw them in the playoffs. By Owen Main

It’s only six games and it’s not even the end of August yet, but the National League stretch run will be set-up by the next two series for both the Dodgers and Giants.

For their part, the Dodgers are in the midst of two series against play two playoff-caliber teams.

First, the Cubs come to town. Joe Maddon’s team has a bevy of young stars and would be in the playoffs if they started today.

After the weekend series against the Cubbies, the Dodgers will host the Giants, who have kind of had their number so far this season.

The Giants, meanwhile, host the National League’s best team — the St. Louis Cardinals — before heading down to Los Angeles for their showdown with the Dodgers. A good effort over the weekend and a series victory could have them even closer to the NL West lead.

By Wednesday night, the Dodgers may have strengthened their 2 1/2 game lead over the Giants or lost it altogether.

Rivals in this division’s close race are starting to play each other head-to-head as the season winds down. It’s unlikely both the Dodgers and Giants will make the playoffs, so games start to mean a little more. I guess what I’m saying is that it might be a good week to pay attention to baseball if you’re a Dodgers or Giants fan.

My prediction: things aren’t actually going to change that much. By Wednesday night, the Dodgers will have a 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 game lead and the stretch run will be as exciting as ever. The baseball season is a long one, but these little stretches are ones to pay close attention to.

Chase Johnson is finding a groove this season for the San Jose Giants. By Owen Main

It was just two years ago.

Cal Poly baseball was in the midst of a 40-win season. The UCLA regional featured a potent UCLA team, a San Diego team with a guy named Kris Bryant, and the upstart Mustangs.

Cal Poly would lose their last two games in heartbreaking fashion, but dig deeper into the box score and you’ll see one thing all the games had in common.

Chase Johnson relieved in all three games. Chase Johnson didn’t give up any runs in his 4 1/3 innings at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Chase Johnson was really good.

The Giants thought highly enough of the right-handed junior out of Fallbrook to select him in the third round (101st overall) in the 2013 draft just days after his regional performance. Since then, they’ve moved him to a starting role — a position he didn’t ever find himself in during his time in San Luis Obispo.

What’s been his biggest adjustment over the past few years?

“I was a reliever in college so last year, just getting into the routine of a starter and trying to get in good rhythm,” said Johnson. “There’s a big learning curve going from reliever to starter… . A lot of it’s mental for me. I kind of get pumped up as a reliever because you’ve only got one or two innings, but as a starter it’s more about being calm and collected and just try to be even-keeled throughout the whole game.”

After appearing in 13 games in 2013, Johnson spent the entirety of last season in the Giants’ class A team in Augusta, Georgia. In Augusta, Johnson started 22 games in 2014, striking out more than twice as many hitters as he walked en route to a 4-7 record and a 4.57 ERA.

This year, Johnson earned a promotion to High-A San Jose, where he has improved markedly. Batters are hitting just .245 against him so far this year, and he has struck out 39 batters in 40 1/3 innings en route to a 2.68 ERA.

On Sunday, Johnson started against Rancho Cucamonga on a hot San Jose afternoon. While he didn’t earn a decision, he certainly pitched well enough. Using his 93 mile per hour fastball effectively, Johnson mowed down nine Quakes hitters in just 5 2/3 innings, before leaving the game after 95 pitches. The Giants’ bullpen promptly gave up the lead, but his team came back to win the game and eventually sweep the four-game series against the Quakes.

What was working for him on Sunday afternoon?

“Fastball location was working really well today and changeup slider mix,” said Johnson. “I kept going in a lot and just try and keep them off balance.”

Johnson is currently ranked 22nd in the Giants’ organization on MLB Pipeline’s prospect watch. He was also listed 19th by Fangraphs and 20th by Baseball America, according to this McCovey Chronicles post.

Photos by Owen Main

The baseball season started today and Mike Krukow thinks Yasiel Puig is dumb for not pegging the Giants as their biggest rival. In San Luis Obispo, I’d say they are, though the two teams have not met in the playoffs since the Wild Card round started.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been going position by position and comparing what personnel the two teams have in preparation for the 2015 season. Let’s finish up this blasted series by comparing pitching staffs.

A quick note — I had this entire post written, clicked save, and it went away into the abyss. The second complete draft of something like this is always worse. That means worse than my usual posts. Consider this fair warning.

Some of the spots in a rotation — who is the third versus fourth starter, for example — are up for debate. I’m going to go in the order of ZiPS Projections for the Dodgers and Giants. Follow the two links in the last sentence if you want to see those projections. I’ll refer to them some in the text to follow.

Ace — Clayton Kershaw vs. Madison Bumgarner

Clayton Kershaw. The best pitcher on the planet. By Owen Main

Clayton Kershaw is, without a doubt, the best pitcher in baseball. He’s won three of the past four Cy Young Awards in the National League, including the past two.

Madision Bumgarner is coming off one of the greatest postseason pitching performances in recent memory. He has three World Series rings, which is two more than Kershaw.

Bumgarner is less than two years younger than the 27 year-old Kershaw, and both will surely have spectacular seasons. According the Fangraphs, Kershaw has been worth no less than 4.5 Wins Above Replacement for each of the past five seasons, including 7.0 last season.

Bumgarner has been worth three or more wins each of the past four seasons, including 4.1 last season — the second best season of his career.

Kershaw is the better pitcher of the two, but Giants fans won’t be rushing to trade places anytime soon. They believe Bumgarner has something Kershaw doesn’t come the post-season. According to the numbers and the whole of the past half-decade, I’ll take Kershaw all day.

Advantage: Dodgers

 Number Two — Zack Greinke vs. Jake Peavy

After Bumgarner, the Giants’ rotation gets really interesting. None of the other four truly stands-out. Peavy is a pitcher who has tormented the Dodgers for years. At the age of 33, Peavy is nearly a decade now from his truly dominant form, but last season he was good for 200-plus innings. His stuff isn’t what it used to be, but Giants fans would be happy with a stable and dependable pitcher that Peavy has been over the past few years. He’s not amazing, but he gives Bruce Bochy a chance to win whenever he steps on the mound.

ZiPS projects Peavy for about two wins about replacement in 2015.

Greinke would be an ace on most staffs. At the age of 31, his great performance over the past three years has been overshadowed by his left-handed teammate. ZiPS projects him for 3.7 WAR — basically splitting the difference between his last two seasons.

A few things I like especially about Greinke are his grittiness, athleticism, and quirkiness. He is the only Dodgers pitcher who has stood up for his hitters over the past few seasons, and it cost him time two years ago when Carlos Quentin broke his collar bone. Greinke can hit a little bit and was even the Gold Glove Award winner last year — the first such award of his career.

Greinke’s ceiling and floor for performance this year are higher than anyone on the Giants, save Bumgarner. He can opt-out of his contract after this season and sign an even bigger one too, so there’s definitely a little extra incentive for him to pitch really well this year.

The signing of Greinke can also be called Ned Colletti’s best signing as a General Manager. Greinke has been everything Dodger fans could have asked for, and then some.

Peavy would be a great fourth or fifth starter, but in the widest margin of this post, Greinke beats-out Peavy.

Advantage: Dodgers

Number Three – Hyun-jin Ryu vs. Tim Hudson

Things start to get interesting here. Much like Peavy, the 39 year-old Hudson isn’t exactly the pitcher he once was. Giants fans will tell me that he didn’t need to be that good to be a part of a championship rotation, and they’d be right. Things broke well for Hudson and the Giants last year and Hudson started 31 games. Even with a losing (9-13) record — the first losing season of Hudson’s career — he still gave the Giants value and stability in a pitcher they could depend on. While there are no indications of it other than his age, Giant fans hope this isn’t the season Hudson breaks-down completely.

Speaking of breaking-down, Hyun-jin Ryu, the Dodgers 28 year-old lefty from Korea, has started the season on the Disabled List.

Over the past few seasons, Ryu has quietly been a really really good pitcher. Greinke and Kershaw in front of him makes him not as flashy, but Ryu is a dependable, solid, and slightly overqualified number-three starter. Recently, I went down a Ryu YouTube rabbit hole. It was quite enjoyable.

Shoulder discomfort shut him down at the beginning of the season, but Ryu has generally been a workhorse when the Dodgers have needed it most over the past few years, going 28-15 over that span.

If Ryu wasn’t injured, this matchup would be a slam-dunk. Instead, a Giants fan could make an argument that having a dependable Hudson all season is better than say, half a season of Ryu (which would be a really bad scenario for the Dodgers in general). Hudson will probably have a solid, dependable year. Ryu though, will likely be much better when he does pitch.

Ryu has been solid for two years and even if he misses a month or up to even a few months, he still is a player I’d rather have than a 39 year-old Hudson.

Advantage: Dodgers

Number Four – Brandon McCarthy vs. Matt Cain

Health is always a huge question-mark with pitchers. The fourth and fifth starter positions for both the Dodgers and Giants will put health at a huge premium.

When healthy, Brandon McCarthy is a really good pitcher. In 2014, McCarthy started 30-plus games for the first time in his career (32 total), split between the Diamondbacks and Yankees. In exactly 200 innings, he put up a 4.05 ERA overall and a 2.89 ERA with the Yankees. Clearly, something clicked after his move to New York, and the Dodgers are hoping whatever it was can be sustainable throughout this season. McCarthy is also, immediately, the best twitter follow on the team (A.J. Ellis and Brett Anderson are both also, very good follows). The Dodgers seem pretty confident that he can stay healthy and effective evidenced by the four-year, $48 million contract they gave him this off season.

If McCarthy stays healthy, he’ll be exactly the kind of quality, middle of the rotation guy they need to be the kind of consistent team fans are hoping for.

Matt Cain used to be dominant. His statistics from 2007- 2010 (or even 2012) show a pretty great four or six-year run. After being good for 30-plus games per season for eight straight years, Cain’s body started to break down last season, when he only started 15 games, going 2-7. His WHIP, FIP, HR/9, and BB/9 all were at career-high levels. The Giants still went all Giants on everyone and won the World Series anyway, but the 30 year-old Cain is looking to bounce back this year and show at least some return to form going into his 30’s.

This one is really hard to call, so I’m going to take the coward’s way out and call this matchup a push. McCarthy is a little older, has less mileage, and probably is a little more injury prone. Cain’s numbers have declined over the past few seasons and now he’s starting to also fit into the “injury prone” category. Since the first draft of this post, Cain has been placed on the Disabled List to start the season.

In the end, I think Cain is still potentially likely to be more stable than McCarthy if he’s healthy, but McCarthy’s upside I see as higher, especially given his second half last season. Dodger fans might think I’m giving Cain too much credit here, but I’m comfortable calling this one just a straight-up push for now.

Advantage: Push

Brett Anderson could have a solid comeback season — if he can stay healthy. By Owen Main

Number Five – Brett Anderson vs. Tim Lincecum

While Matt Cain was making his ridiculous six-year run, Lincecum was going on a ridiculous run of his own. The Freak won the National League Cy Young Award in 2008 and 2009, led the league in strikeouts for three straight years, and was worth somewhere in the neighborhood of 23 WAR over a four-year period. After starting 32-plus games per season for five years in a row, Lincecum started just 26 games last season, in his age-30 season.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Lincecum has been worse than a replacement-level pitcher since 2011. Peripheral stats aside, Giants fans will tell me that Lincecum still got 33 starts for a World Series champion in 2012 and 26 for a World Series Champion in 2014.

By all accounts, Brett Anderson is really good — when he isn’t hurt. The former A’s lefty was good for Oakland in 2009 and 2010, but has only started 19 total games over the past three years. Anderson’s value to the Dodgers this season is probably going to be based on how many starts he’s actually able to make.

If the Dodgers even get 15-20 starts out of him, he could be really really useful. If his starts are in single digits and he gets hurt, then he’ll be less useful.

Advanced statistics aside and giving both guys some kind of benefit of the doubt, my question here is whether I would rather have an aging, less effective Lincecum for 25-30 starts, or whether Brett Anderson for (as ZIPS projects) 10 starts. While I like the argument about other guys also adding value after Anderson’s 10 or so starts for the Dodgers, I really think there is something to having a known entity on the mound. Lincecum has three World Series rings and two Cy Young Awards. He has been out there nearly every day for a lot of years and that, to me, is worth something over the course of the season, even if his skills are probably declining.

Hey, it’s the fifth starter, so literally ANYTHING could happen, but for now, I’m going to give Lincecum the nod, at least until I can see like 15 Brett Anderson starts.

Advantage: Giants

The Rest of the Story

Other Dodgers starters — Joe Wieland, Mike Bolsinger, Carlos Frias, Zach Lee, Julio Urias, Erik Bedard, Brandon Beachy

Other Giants starters – Ryan Vogelsong, Yusmeiro Petit, others?

The Dodgers definitely have the depth advantage here. They’ve picked up some “scrap-heap” guys in Bedard and Beachy — neither of whom have much risk associated and both of whom could give some spot starts. Joe Weiland is an interesting option, should Ryu stay on the Disabled List for long, or should any other Dodgers starter go there.

Zach Lee is another option the Dodgers have. A former top pick, Lee’s stock has slid some over the past year. But his pedigree is there, and he might have already been given a big Major League shot in some organizations. Frias is potentially a guy the Dodgers could use and I haven’t even mentioned Julio Urias, who probably still needs at least one more year in the minors.

As for the Giants, Vogelsong has already been called into action and will start the Giants’ second game today, with both Peavy and Cain going on the DL. He’s been serviceable, but not great since his hot start a few years ago. Petit is an interesting option and, given the collective age of the Giants’ starting staff, should also get an opportunity at some point this year to show what he’s made of.

There are lots of other pitchers on the Giants’ pipeline page, including former Cal Poly hurler Chase Johnson at #24, but I haven’t heard a whole lot about them. Maybe it’s because I’m not paying enough attention… .

That said, when it comes to organizational depth at the starting pitcher position, the Dodgers are in pretty darn good shape compared not only to the Giants, but to most other teams in baseball.

Advantage: Dodgers

Overall, the Dodgers have clear advantages in pitching outlook, but there’s a big caveat in the form of three trophies now sitting in San Francisco. Bruce Bochy is probably the best manager in baseball, and pitching staffs are affected by how they are utilized. It remains to be seen how the Dodgers protect, utilize, and try to get the most out of their guys this season. I’d rather be Don Mattingly with the Dodgers’ depth this season, but we know Bochy gets the most out of his guys.

What did I miss? Who did I miss? Why am I wrong? Add your comments below!

The baseball season’s coming up and Mike Krukow thinks Yasiel Puig is dumb for not pegging the Giants as their biggest rival. In San Luis Obispo, I’d say they are, though the two teams have not met in the playoffs since the Wild Card round started.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been going position by position and comparing what personnel the two teams have in preparation for the 2015 season. Let’s finish up the defense with right field.

The “question” about right field in the Dodgers-Giants position-by-position comparison was already pretty simple. Then Hunter Pence got himself injured and now the issue is even more of a slam dunk in the Dodgers’ favor. Here’s how things break-down for both teams.

Gregor Blanco/Hunter Pence

Blanco, a utility outfielder who does everything decently except hit for power. In his age-30 season in 2014, Blanco played 146 games and managed 29 extra-base hits. His OPB/SLG/OPS line was .333/.374/.707 as Blanco won his second World Series title in San Francisco.

The outlook for Blanco is probably not as valuable in right field as it might be in center, where his defense can be utilized. He will definitely be spelling Angel Pagan there, but with Pence on the shelf for the near future, Blanco is the guy for now.

In Pence, who was hit by a pitch and broke his arm early in spring training, the Giants lose probably their biggest returning offensive threat not named Buster. Pence hasn’t missed a game in either of the past two seasons and batted .277 with 20 home runs and 74 RBIs in 2014. He will be back, but who knows how the broken arm will especially affect his power.

The Giants needed Pence at full-speed to be close to potent offensively this year. They’ll get by with pitching and defense for a while, but the Pence’s pop in the middle of the lineup will be missed early-on.

Can Yasiel Puig have an even better season in 2015? By Owen Main

Yasiel Puig

Much has been said about Yasiel Puig over the past few seasons. He had a ridiculous run in just over 100 games in 2013 and followed it up last season with a stellar year. His energy is something this team has fed off of and, as other players (Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, etc…) have departed, this team looks more and more like Puig’s to take — if he’s ready for that leadership role.

Whether he’s ready to be that clubhouse leader, he’s been leading the team on the field for two seasons (during which time he’s put up about 10 wins above replacement) and figures to be the Dodgers’ best field player again this year.

When Puig gets a rest or is put in center field (neither will happen very often) the Dodgers have options still. Andre Ethier can play right field. So could Scott Van Slyke in a pinch. If he wasn’t manning center field, Joc Pederson could also be a guy in right, though Puig figures to play 150-plus games there if everything goes right this year.

While this team is much more diverse than years past, Puig is the centerpiece of the push this year. Dodger fans would like to think they can sustain any kind of injury or poor play from any of their roster, but Puig, along with Clayton Kershaw, is a player the Dodgers cannot afford to have perform at anything other than top gear.

This is my opportunity to once again say how dumb Puig’s benching was in last year’s playoffs. He was their best player, even if he was striking out a ton. Dumb Dumb Dumb. Now that I have that off my chest, let’s move on.

While Puig would have already been ahead of Pence, the Dodgers’ right-fielder is light-years ahead of a Pence/Blanco combination. Puig’s ceiling could see him in the thick of the MVP race. I can’t say that about many players.

Advantage: Dodgers. Resoundingly.

Angel Pagan’s ability to return from back surgery could be a key to the Giants building their lineup as flexibly as they want this season. By Ray Ambler, RA Photos

The baseball season’s coming up and Mike Krukow thinks Yasiel Puig is dumb for not pegging the Giants as their biggest rival. In San Luis Obispo, I’d say they are, though the two teams have not met in the playoffs since the Wild Card round started.

I thought it would be fun to, over the next few weeks, go position by position and compare what personnel the two teams have in preparation for the 2015 season. Let’s finish up the defense up the middle with the center fielder.

Position by Position: Catcher

Position by Position: First Base

Position by Position: Second Base

Position by Position: Third Base

Position by Position: Shortstop

Position by Position: Left Field

Joc Pederson

Joc Pederson has spent the last few years building acclaim in the minor leagues. He had a cup of coffee in 2014 with limited success, hitting just .143 in 38 plate appearances. Pederson’s minor league numbers are much better though. In the launching pad that is the Pacific Coast League, Pederson hit 33 home runs in 121 games last year.

His first of the spring came over the head of right-fielder Will Ferrell.

Ferrell doesn’t have much range anyway, but this one looked like it was going to go to the moon. It’s the kind of thing Dodger fans hope happens a lot this season.

At 22 years of age, Pederson looks like he’ll be given the starting center field job to lose. The Palo Alto, California product should be able to upgrade the Dodgers’ defense in center field after the departure of Matt Kemp and the uncertainty surrounding Andre Ethier.

Pederson seems like he’ll have a productive first year. He’s on the top of everyone’s prospect list. He was Baseball America’s number 8 prospect before this season.

Dodger fans will at-worst get not much less than they got last season from the center field position with a distinct upgrade defensively. At-best, Pederson could be a revelation — center fielders who hit 25-30 homers don’t grow on trees, after all.

Of non-pitchers, ZiPS projects Pederson to be the third most valuable Dodger behind Yasiel Puig and Howie Kendrick. A lot of this comes from the position he will play and how he’ll play it.

Angel Pagan

Angel Pagan has hit .283 over a 9-year major-league career through 2014. In three seasons in San Francisco, Pagan’s Giants have won two World Series titles with Pagan as their main center fielder. His steady play and timely hitting have provided some spark in their lineup and Bruce Bochy will be counting on him again in 2015.

Last season, Pagan has back issues, which isn’t a great sign for a center fielder in his decline phase. At age 33, Pagan probably cannot be expected to man the vast center field reaches of AT&T Park at the same levels he has. I’m a few months older than him and I can attest to the fact that bodies start breaking down at a certain point.

That said, Pagan has a decent history and the Giants are counting on him to have a bounce-back season. If he doesn’t, the Giants have two versitile outfield defenders in Gregor Blanco and Nori Aoki ready to fill-in. Coming off back surgery, I would expect the Giants not to rush Pagan back to playing 6 days per week.

Since they have I would expect them to shuffle the lineup a little to start the season. I actually think they would have liked to mix and match Aoke, Pagan, and Blanco in left and center field more, but with Hunter Pence’s recent injury, players like Travis Ishikawa also might see some serious playing time, though not in center field.

The verdict

I know I made the argument in my shortstop comparison that Jimmy Rollins, at age 36, could hold his own enough to not drop-off significantly this season. I don’t think I can make the same argument for Pagan.

The Giants are an “every other year” good team, so this is the year a lot of things could go wrong for them. One of these things might be the level they are depending on Pagan’s bat.

I’m bullish on Pederson. Yes, he will strike out a lot. But he’ll also be a plus fielder (a huge improvement for the Dodgers) and he should provide consistent play and energy that you can expect from a young whipper snapper.

If both play, the downside for Pederson is lower than Pagan’s, but Pederson’s upside is so much higher that it’s hard to go any other way. No risk, no reward.

Center Field Advantage: Dodgers

Brandon Crawford’s pedestrian offensive numbers can hide the value he brings defensively. By Ray Ambler – RAPhotos.com

The baseball season’s coming up and Mike Krukow thinks Yasiel Puig is dumb for not pegging the Giants as their biggest rival. In San Luis Obispo, I’d say they are, though the two teams have not met in the playoffs since the Wild Card round started.

I thought it would be fun to, over the next few weeks, go position by position and compare what personnel the two teams have in preparation for the 2015 season. Pitchers will come last, but we’ll finish off the infield with the most important infielder of them all — the shortstop.

Position by Position: Catcher

Position by Position: First Base

Position by Position: Second Base

Position by Position: Third Base

Position by Position: Left Field

Jimmy Rollins

Positionally, the Dodgers had enough of Hanley Ramirez over the past few seasons to make the cost of his bad defense somewhat defensible. They also had to play someone who wasn’t Hanley Ramirez at the position over 2/3 of the time over the past two seasons. When they needed him most, and when he was playing his best, the Cardinals drilled Ramirez in the ribs. Nobody ever “stood-up” for Hanley in any kind of a real way and the Dodgers withered away in the playoffs two straight years.

This season, Hanley is in Boston and the Dodgers acquired a much cheaper option who they aren’t committed to long-term. Along with double-play partner Howie Kendrick, Jimmy Rollins is really the embodiment of what the Dodgers did this offseason. They gave themselves what they hope is above average production while maintaining flexibility to spend their sizable funds elsewhere if need be.

Rollins isn’t Ramirez at the plate, but the Dodgers hope he can make up for it by not being an atrocious fielder. Even at the age of 36, Rollins is an average shortstop defensively — a huge upgrade — and can be a solid everyday leadoff hitter. Even though he isn’t as potent an offensive weapon as Ramirez, Rollins has played in 84 more games than Hanley over the past two seasons — the equivalent of a half a season. That reliability is worth a lot to a team that doesn’t have a ton of immediate depth at the position (Corey Seager is in the minors, but is probably still a year away).

Rollins is a widely-respected World Series champion and, in contrast to the departed Matt Kemp, is seen as a guy who is easy to get along with. By all accounts, he’s a reliable clubhouse leader. He is from the West coast (Oakland area) and the Dodgers feel he still has a lot to give.

While he’s been mostly injury-free during his career, the Dodgers hope they can get a lot of games out of

Rollins is projected by ZiPS for slightly more than two wins above replacement. Dodger fans hope that number is buoyed by the clubhouse atmosphere upgrade he also brings.

Brandon Crawford

Brandon Crawford is projected by ZiPS to be the third-highest field-playing contributor to the Giants’ overall success this season. Crawford hit under .250 last year, but his good defensive play makes him a valuable commodity for San Francisco in the middle of their infield.

Seriously, Crawford is really good at defense. Really good. He has great range and even if you don’t put a lot of weight in advanced defensive metrics, having a solid shortstop to anchor your defense has trickle-down effects that aren’t easily measured.

If you do want to hear about his defense, Crawford had an insane UZR/150 in 2012 (10.0). He was 10 defensive runs better than the average shortstop according to this number. Instead of making lots of insane plays like he did two or three years ago, Crawford got better at making just about all the “kind of tough” plays.

The bottom line is that Crawford has been steadily getting better each of the past three years and is 28 years-old. At that age, maintaining his value or even getting a little better is not out of the question, and projections for this season like a player of his age and profile.

Also, he’s been a contributor to two World Series champions, and that cannot be dismissed.

The verdict

Over time, defensive play at shortstop declines at varying rates, depending on the player. Rollins is a player who makes virtually all the routine plays, and has for years. Crawford has just three years of data, but seems to be slightly better defensively. Add to that the advantage that a eight-year age difference gives the San Fransciso shortstop and you have to give the defensive advantage to Crawford.

At this point in his career, Rollins may have the hitting edge by just about the same margin that Crawford has the edge in fielding. At first glance, I would think that Rollins has more of an advantage than that at the plate, but I haven’t seen Rollins play every day for the past few years.

I hate myself for doing this, but I’m going to do the position preview of calling a double-foul in basketball.

I’m calling this one a push.

I know, I’m disappointed in myself for not choosing, but this one is too close to call right now. Talk to me in August and let me know how dumb I was to call this one a draw.

Shortstop Advantage: Push

MMMMmmmm. Puig home runs. Against the Giants.

It’s baseball season, you guys!

Yes, it’s still spring. But with Mike Krukow’s comments from earlier in the year and the level that the Dodgers are counting on their young Cuban outfielder, isn’t it nice to see Puig take one out against the Orange and Black? The bat-flip (or lack thereof) was still in spring training form. Maybe by next week, it’ll be a little saucier.

Whether it’s Carl Crawford, Scott Van Slyke, or Andre Ethier who spends the most time in left field, that person will be better than Gregor Blanco. By Adam_sk (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I thought it would be fun to, over the next few weeks, go position by position and compare what personnel the two teams have in preparation for the 2015 season. Technically, we’re not done with the infield, but I wanted to talk about Carl Crawford, so we’re going to go out to left field today.

Position by Position: Catcher

Position by Position: First Base

Position by Position: Second Base

Position by Position: Third Base

Carl Crawford and co.

The Dodgers outfield is kind of a ridiculous log-jam. Despite trading away Matt Kemp, there are at least four, and perhaps five players who are good enough to start regularly. The problem is that only one of those five is really a center fielder. All five are probably best served in corner outfield spots.

So when we start to talk about left field, the log-jam is really between four players and two spots.

Carl Crawford is the presumed starting left fielder — as long as his body will hold up. When he’s played over the past two seasons, the 33 year-old Crawford has posted good numbers.

Crawford has played about 110 games per year in his two seasons in Los Angeles. The farther he gets away from his 2012 Tommy John surgery, the closer to his former numbers he seems to get. Last year he hit .300/.339/.429 and was a solid part of the lineup for about 2/3 of the season.

At this point in his career, having Crawford on the roster almost necessitates other readily available and prepared options. To back Crawford up, the Dodgers currently have both Scott Van Slyke and Andre Ethier. If Crawford were to get hurt, a Van Slyke-Ethier platoon could be one of the best platoon situations in baseball.

If Crawford manages to stay healthy enough to play 120-130 games, he will need consistent days off anyway, and this is where Van Slyke can really make an impact this year.

Van Slyke kills left-handed pitching, posting an OPS of 1.045 in 108 at-bats last year. With Adrian Gonzalez and Crawford in their mid-30’s and left-handed, Van Slyke figures to get some playing time against lefties.

Gregor Blanco and Nori Aoki

Looking at stats from players like Gregor Blanco really makes me question just how the Giants did it last season. Blanco racked-up almsot 400 at-bats last season, hitting .260 and slugging just .374. He did walk 41 times, so maybe he’s an ideal number-eight hitter. Blanco is projected by ZiPS to put up just over a single Win Above Replacement (WAR).

Blanco’s presumed backup, Juan Perez, isn’t burning-up the projections either. Juan Perez hit .170 in 100 at-bats for the Giants last season. Overall, the Giants’ left-field group is going to be pretty light-hitting, it seems.

Nori Aoki, also a left-handed hitter, was going to also factor into the comparison in left field. As the season goes on, he actually may, but with Hunter Pence out of the lineup indefinitely, Aoki will be included in the right-field comparison.

The verdict

The question for the Dodgers is whether having so many capable big leaguers is a good thing. Even though guys like Crawford and Andre Ethier are overpaid for what their production is likely to be, the question of this series is not one of value, but rather one of production. If Giants left fielders are more productive than whoever plays there for the Dodgers, it would be maybe the biggest upset of this whole position-by-position comparison.

Left Field Advantage: Dodgers

The baseball season’s coming up and Mike Krukow thinks Yasiel Puig is dumb for not pegging the Giants as their biggest rival. In San Luis Obispo, I’d say they are, though the two teams have not met in the playoffs since the Wild Card round started.

I thought it would be fun to, over the next few weeks, go position by position and compare what personnel the two teams have in preparation for the 2015 season. Today’s position: third base.

Second base showcases the Dodgers’ best off-season aquisition against an up-and-comer for the Giants.

Position by Position: Catcher

Position by Position: First Base

Position by Position: Second Base

Apparently, Juan Uribe dyed his beard blonde at one point? This must have been during the McCourt era… . By bridgetds on Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons

Juan Uribe

Juan Freaking Uribe.

Over the past five seasons, the range of fan emotions I’ve had about Uribe has spanned from fan-loathing to pure, unadulterated joy.

The first two seasons of Uribe’s career in Los Angeles were the worst. Over those two seasons, Uribe played just 143 games and, according to Fangraphs.com, contrubuted .5 total wins above replacement.

Contextually, the Dodgers were on their way to filing for bankruptcy and simultaneously paying a Giants retread $8 million per season to play as well as a replacement-level third baseman. It’s a chain of events that had me tickled to find this website, where someone could share in my passionate sideways look at the Dodgers’ decision to sign Uribe.

Then Uribe hit the third and final year of his original Dodgers contract, and had a career season. In 2013, Uribe put up 5.0 WAR (Fangraphs) and pretty much redeemed himself.

The moment of redemption, in my eyes, came in a playoff game I attended.

With the Dodgers down a run and yours truly in the loge level, Uribe came through in a big way.

It was as happy a baseball moment I’ve had probably in the last 20 years, and it was thanks to a guy I took a while to come around on. The mini bat-flip. The arms raised. Dodger Stadium was insane that night.

Uribe signed a new deal before last year and played in just 103 games in 2014. To expect him to play more than 120 or so games in any season at his age, with his miles, and with his body type is probably unrealistic. That said, he’s still an above average defender at third base and he’s a decent right-handed bat at the bottom of the order. If he’s one of your top-five hitters, that might be problematic, but Uribe has performed well enough for the last two seasons to expect decent performance in 2015.

Casey McGehee

Casey McGehee is best known for his solid 2010 season with the Brewers. That year, McGehee hit 23 homers and made himself known as someone who could contribute above-average power at third base.

Since then, it’s been a roller coaster. McGehee contributed negative (Fangraphs) WAR numbers in 2011 and 2012, and did not play in 2013. Going into last year, he was once again an unknown.

Playing for Miami in 2014, McGehee seems to have resurrected his career. Last season, he hit just four homers, but managed to drive in 76 runs while posting a .287/.355/.357 split (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage). This offseason, the Giants acquired McGehee for a pair of minor league pitchers.

McGehee is the kind of Aubrey Huff-like player that the Giants pick up for less than they’re worth and somehow get the most out of. ZiPS likes him for a lower WAR number than Uribe this season, but he is three years younger, which means he’ll probably play more games than his 35 year-old counterpart in Los Angeles. If McGehee over-performs a little and stays healthy, he could pass-up Uribe, especially if Uribe hovers around the 100-game mark throughout the year.

The verdict

This has been the hardest yet to call one way or the other. Even though he’s playing in a ballpark where homers go to die, I kind of like McGehee to get back to double-digit homers in 2015. I’m also not sure that Uribe can stay healthy at his age for an entire season.

Uribe has gone from a guy who I was constantly frustrated with as a fan to a reliable clubhouse leader, whether he’s in the game or not. On top of everything, Uribe is in a contract year, and the last time that happened was his career year in 2013. While McGehee hasn’t had two good seasons in a row in the majors ever, I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened this year. That said, I’m going with Uribe on this one.

Third Base Advantage: Dodgers

Giants fans, I’m interested to hear how you feel about McGehee. Is he going to give way to Arias on a consistent basis? Is there anyone in your system you’d rather see at the position? Did the Giants adequately fill the hole left by the Pablo Sandoval departure?

Comment below.