Cal Poly starting pitcher Spencer Howard was drafted 45th overall (2nd round) by the Phillies in the first day of the Major League Baseball draft on Monday night. Howard, who was the Mustangs’ Saturday starter this past season, was 8-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 2017. He struck out 97 batters and walked just 23 in 87 innings.

Spencer Howard became the highest Cal Poly draft pick since Mitch Haniger went 38th overall in 2012. By Owen Main

Howard is the third Mustang drafted by the Phillies in recent memory. Brett Barbier was drafted in the 16th round by the Phillies last year and Matt Imhof went 47th, also in the second round, to Philadelphia in 2014. 

Imhof was a member of the Cal Poly coaching staff this past season while he finished his degree. 

A redshirt sophomore and local (Templeton, CA) product, Howard is the highest draft pick from Cal Poly since Mitch Haniger went 38th overall in 2012. 

Upon first hearing about the done deal between the Dodgers and Rays today, I was a little underwhelmed. Logan Forsythe, my limited knowledge told me, is a good player who isn’t a star, but is probably an above average second baseman — something the Dodgers didn’t have most of last season.

@DustinNosler @JaredJMassey really though nothing not to like about this totally reasonable if slightly underwhelming trade right?

— Owen (@owenmain) January 24, 2017

Some of Dodger twitter had similar reactions.

Logan Forsythe: Better than what the Dodgers had before. By Keith Allison on Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons

Can I just stop for a minute and say thank you to Dodger Twitter. I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll restate my love for Dodger Twitter in this way — if there wasn’t such a good Dodger fan/commentator community (and larger sports fan global community) on Twitter, I would say that the medium is complete garbage.

Instead, there are fans that do exist and, while many of them have been understandably less baseball-centric over the past few months, it’s so awesome to think that in a matter of weeks, we’ll have baseball things to read about again. Hooray baseball!

OK, my love of Dodger Twitter aside, here are a few good/relevant tweets on the trade today:

Dozier 15-16: .818 OPS / 117 wRC+
Forsythe 15-16: .791 OPS / 119 wRC+

OPS counts OBP/SLG equally. wRC+ values OBP higher. (+is park adj)

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) January 24, 2017

Mike Petriello is the man. Seriously, the former MSTI blogger turned MLB advanced stats gatekeeper always has the most well-informed and logical takes about the team and stays pretty positive too.

This is a pretty rosy view of the difference between the two players. The Dodgers definitely took their single biggest lineup weakness and made it a relative strength today. Some fans won’t be happy, but those people probably aren’t happy with anything. This move made sense already to me and Petriello’s tweet made me happier about it.

Surprised by how attached fans are to JDL

— Mister Doctor (@EephusBlue) January 24, 2017

Me too, though I understand it given how high on prospects positive fans have had to be in order to justify not trading for or signing certain stars in recent years. I’ve talked about 2018 as a target year for a while, but you’ve got to build up to it and the front office is starting to move that direction now. Sorry prospect huggers, the Dodgers are starting to slowly, deliberately, cash in their chips in ways that make sense for winning sooner and sooner.

Dodgers hoard prospects: "Oh god, why won't they build to win now"
Dodgers trade prospects: "Oh god, Delino for Pedro round two"

— Daniel Brim (@DanielBrim) January 24, 2017

Like I said, you’re kind of damned either way, but this move made total sense.

Jose DeLeon is really well-regarded among scouts and prospect watchers. Internally, Dodgers think Urias, Alvarez and Buehler are better.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 24, 2017

So why wouldn’t you do the deal?

Glad the Dodgers found their second baseman but I'm really gonna miss JDL. Hope he has a long and successful career.

— Jared Massey (@JaredJMassey) January 24, 2017

And I’ll end by echoing Jared’s thoughts. Good job Dodgers. Good job Dodger Twitter. Thanks allowing me to open up Twitter and not have to think about… other things… .

Owen is pretty stressed before the Dodgers play the Nationals and he also has something to say about the sliding, the rule, and how he’s basically taking an opposite stance to Dave Cameron’s thinking about changing the slide rule. 

I wrote last week about why I was still allowed to be nervous about the Dodgers’ offseason thus far.

I’m not nervous anymore. In what looks like a pair of brilliant moves, the Dodgers’ front office has continued to forge ahead with their mandate — win now, as best you can, but not at all costs.

By all accounts, Kenta Maeda’s contract is wonderful for the Dodgers. By ぽこ太郎 (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

Instead of spending resources re-signing Zack Grienke for $200-plus million, or using a big contract to sign Johnny Cueto, David Price, or Jeff Samardzija. Other teams improved palpably, while the Dodgers seemed to be sitting on their hands.

But then, as the calendar year wound down, the Dodgers did some super-creative things. First they signed Scott Kazmir. Good things about that include getting a pitcher who is still in his early 30’s with lots of experience and relatively good health of late — in other words high upside — for only a three-year commitment while not overpaying a yearly salary or giving up a draft pick. He’s even taking some of the money deferred.

Kazmir’s year-one opt-out is good for both him and the Dodgers. If he has a great year, maybe he can get a better deal next year. If he leaves and signs elsewhere, the Dodgers will get a draft-pick in compensation. Worst case scenario – he’s a bust and they aren’t stuck paying on him for 5-6 years.

On New Year’s Eve, Andrew Friedman and crew gave Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda a contract that really smart people like Dan Szymborski thinks really highly of.

Get to know possible new @Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda: https://t.co/7wXTsMu9X8 pic.twitter.com/6RhSVRKxOy

— Cut4 (@Cut4) January 2, 2016

Turning out to be hard to complain about this 8-year deal for Kenta Maeda. Not something I thought I'd ever say. https://t.co/QzbZsR8Qww

— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) January 2, 2016

8/25 for Maeda with heavy incentives? That's not just a great deal for Dodgers, that's one of the best FA contract signings I've seen.

— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) January 2, 2016

So, the Dodgers now have five or six starting pitchers for the beginning of next season, depending on the availability and effectiveness of Hyun-jin Ryu. They have filled-out their rotation for next season without giving up any prospects, and they’ve given themselves a good chance to be contenders again next season.

In the eyes of the front office, the best part of this offseason is the pitching depth that will likely be in triple-A this year. Those names will include Julio Urias, Frankie Montas, Jose DeLeon, Jharel Cotton, among others. Many, if not all of those guys, may be ready by 2017. By 2018, the Dodgers will be almost all the way out from under that Red Sox trade.

I told a friend of mine — a purported baseball fan — that the Dodgers were going to get Maeda. His response, almost verbatim was, “Well, there go the Dodgers again buying up players and spending money.”

I wanted to throw things. I couldn’t even start to try to change his mind. I basically ignored the jab.

But it’s bugged me ever since. The perpetuation of the narrative that the Dodgers have continued to just spend money willy-nilly is ridiculous.

For the past two years, the Friedman regime has kept its course. The Dodgers have almost $35 million of commitments coming off their payroll at the end of this season and, as of right now, another $40 million coming off the books at the end of 2017.

By the end of 2016, the majority of money the Dodgers have committed will have been committed by the Friedman regime. The trust that sane Dodger fans have had in Friedman for the past year-plus has always had a patience clause. Ned Colletti and the new Dodgers ownership made the decision to take hundreds of millions of dollars in payroll off the Red Sox hands. Friedman and co. have figured out how to rebuild on the fly.

If you thought the Dodgers should be as big favorites as they might have been in 2015, they’re probably not there right now. If you think the sky is falling, you’re also wrong. In both cases, expectations need to be re-calibrated.

After filling in their staff, the Dodgers have given themselves as good a shot as any to win this year, without jeopardizing their future. For those of you who want to say “told you so,” that’s fine. It was fine to feel nervous a week or two ago. Not anymore. It’s time to roll the ball out to the mound and play ball.

This season has a really wide range of possible outcomes for the Dodgers. That’s precisely what’s going to make it fun.

Pitchers and catchers report in less than seven weeks.

It’s the day after Christmas. We are about eight weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting. One thing about being a Dodger fan this offseason is starting to get on my nerves — people who are condescending and uppity to fans who are a little nervous about the upcoming year.

So much could happen at Dodger Stadium between now and the beginning of the season, but just don’t tell me to relax about it all… By User kla4067 on Flickr via Wikimedia Commons

I’m not trying to write some reactionary post, but I want to get this out there — it’s OK for you Dodgers fans to be a little nervous for 2016. Let’s examine the range of things that are still possible, new injuries notwithstanding — I usually don’t like to hypothesize about guys getting hurt. I’ll start with the bad. I’m not trying to be hyperbolic here — I’m just trying to lay-out realistic possibilities that are at least within the normal range as the roster is currently constructed.

The darkest timeline

The worst-case scenario for the Dodgers and their fans isn’t that bad long-term, but it could kind of easily go off the rails in 2016.

Let’s start with pitching. In the darkest timeline, the Dodgers roll with Clayton Kershaw and a bunch of question marks. In this version of reality that we’re all rooting against, Hyun-jin Ryu never comes back close to what he was, Brett Anderson and Alex Wood each regress, Brandon McCarthy’s Tommy John surgery recovery is delayed or something, and the Dodgers are forced to piece together their rotation with scrap-heap guys, since their management has been pretty hesitant to overpay in trades or on the free agent market.

In this timeline, Kenta Maeda goes to another team, Scott Kazmir goes to the Diamondbacks or Rockies or something, and the pressure on the bullpen becomes too much as well.

I won’t say anything about Clayton Kershaw, because even in the darkest timeline I can imagine, Kershaw is still really good. He’s Clayton freaking Kershaw you guys!

But the pitching isn’t the only place the timeline could get dark.

On the everyday player side of things, is it really very hard to think of a 35 year-old Adrian Gonzalez’ performance declining a little? On the other side of the diamond, it’s also conceivable to think that Justin Turner could regress in his age 31 season. Turner played a career-high 126 games last year. He’s only played 100 games three times.

At shortstop, I think Corey Seager is going to be really good, but he’ll also be a rookie and is bound to struggle at times. If his defense at shortstop is a little worse than projected, it could have a quiet impact on his value, whether he hits or not.

If Joc Pederson’s true ability is closer to his 2015 second-half performance, you’ll be seeing a lot of Kike Hernandez in center field, which would mean Chase Utley’s presence at second-base would be something you’d have to count on. Craig Edwards of FanGraphs gives all of us some hope that Pederson will be better than this.

Left field is bound this season to be manned by Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, and Scott Van Slyke. Who knows how those veterans will like to share that much time?

Which brings us to right fielder, Yasiel Puig. Puig’s best-case scenario in the brightest timeline would make him one of the best players in baseball. In a “bad” season last year, Puig sported just a 109 OPS+. If Puig’s OPS+ is 109 again this year, it probably won’t be enough to make-up for the downgrades I described above. If Puig presses with his teammates regressing, it’s at least conceivable to think about a scenario where things fall apart somewhat quickly in 2016.

Right now, Steamers only has five Dodger pitchers projected for more than 1.0 WAR, and one of them is Kenley Jansen — the closer.

A quick note about the darkest timeline — the Dodgers management has made it really hard for a bad 2016 to affect the team’s ability to win in the future. If they haven’t won by 2017 or 2018, it will be time to ask some really tough questions. I believe in what they’re doing long-term, but it does seem that 2016 is more of a dice-roll than recent years while they’ve kept their farm system intact. OK, on to the more fun version of this.

The winning timeline

Honestly, things could break really well for the Dodgers this season.

On the pitching side, Clayton Kershaw is the best one, so that’s really good. Maybe Hyun-jin Ryu comes back and looks like Ryu of old. Behind him, Brett Anderson could have another good year like 2015. Alex Wood looked really good at times with the Braves, and he could gain some consistency too. On the free-agent front, Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda are possibilities.

If the pitching can be pieced-together and the Dodgers can tread water a little above .500 until Ryu and Brandon McCarthy come back (healthy), who knows what kind of a little run the boys in blue could go on?

Hitting-wise, the Dodgers’ offense could be bolstered by Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig performing up above or around their projected numbers. The shortstop and right fielder are not certainties for their own reasons (being a rookie and being Yasiel Puig, respectively), but great performances from both of them would be huge for the Dodgers. Also huge would be continued solid play from Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez at the corners. Along with the three mentioned above, Yasmani Grandal’s standard deviation of performance is a little wider than a lot of guys’. Grandal proved he could be really good last season, but an injury set him back late in the year. When he’s healthy and clicking, he can provide rare pop from the catcher position.

If Joc Pederson is able to be something even close to the first-half player he was last season, the Dodgers would be able to use Kike Hernandez at second-base. Again, you should read Edwards’ piece and be heartened. Keeping Chase Utley’s at-bats as intermittent as possible would be a key to the brightest timeline for the Dodgers.

Good play by whoever is in left field and a trade or something to open the outfield log-jam would both be key aspects to a happy Dodgers season. They haven’t happened yet, but they have to at some point, right?

Health is a big deal, but I feel like we’re going to find out what kind of players Puig, Pederson, and Seager really are. Is Yasiel a superstar or just a good player who is polarizing? Is Seager a respectable third-baseman or can he be a star shortstop for a few years to start his career? Will Pederson’s first-half be indicative of his career or was it just a flash in the pan? Can Grandal be good down the stretch? If those questions are answered favorably, and the Dodgers’ rotation can just hang-on through the first half, the Dodgers could make a big second-half push, get themselves into the playoffs, and make a plucky run at it. It’s baseball, so I guess anything could happen — including a World Series. Some things would definitely have to break right as things stand though.

While ZiPS projections don’t seem to be out yet, Steamers projections are. Here’s a link for the Dodgers hitters. 

But don’t tell me to calm down!

Maybe this should be a separate post, but I’m also sick of some of the Dodger follows telling me for the last month to calm down, as division rivals add players and the Dodgers fail to trade for a crazy person/abuser (thank goodness) and agree to terms with a 34 year-old pitcher who fails his physical.

Other teams in the National League West will be better in 2016. As currently constructed, the Dodgers won’t be. I absolutely believe that management is making the right moves for the long-term viability of the club, but if you tell me I can’t be nervous for what’s going to happen in 2016, then you’re telling me not to be someone who’s emotionally impacted by the sport.

Is this the future of baseball?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1BdQcJ2ZYY

Not a world I want to live in. Actually, by definition I wouldn’t live in that world.

The world I live in is still somewhat subjective. A major fun part of being a fan is watching games, noticing what’s going on, and comparing it to the numbers — especially in baseball. How do those numbers do at predicting the number of wins a team will have at the end of the season?

In other words, team projections are only slightly useful. If you're projected for 70 wins, then team is bad. But 77+, you could contend.

— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) December 26, 2015

@EephusBlue it’s entirely ‘normal’ for a team projected to go .500 to win 90. you’re projecting 40 players, each interaction adds noise.

— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) December 26, 2015

Noise. In an offseason that’s seen a lot of it, the Dodgers haven’t made much.

And I guess here’s my point. In a time when fans are being placed in a “we trust the ownership making good long term decisions” vs. “these stat geeks have no clue how to win now” paradigm, why can’t I be somewhere in-between as a fan? Why can’t I be hedging my bets on a 2016 season that is looking like the Dodgers will have less overall talent than in 2015, and AT THE SAME TIME feel good about the future of the club? Does this make me some kind of bad fan if I am feeling nervous about 2016?

I’m not saying I’ve thrown in the towel. there’s still lots that can happen between now and March. Or June. Or September. What I do know is that I felt better about their chances last year at this time than I do right now. Maybe I’ll be wrong on both counts. I hope so.

There are SO many more than five wonderful reasons to watch the Dodgers play the Mets on Thursday afternoon (5:00 on TBS). Here are my five favorites

Zach Greinke

There are so many reasons to root for Zack Greinke. He has been the rare case of a pitcher who signs a big-time, long-term contract and basically earns every penny. The one time he was on the disabled list it was because of some idiot Padre charging the mound. Other than that, Zack has been the ace the Dodgers are paying him to be in the number two role.

Aside from seeing him on the biggest stage — an elimination game — fans will also get to see him hit at least a few times. On Tuesday, Clayton Kershaw started a rally and you better believe Greinke will try to top him. Can you imagine what will happen if Greinke has a hit, bat-flip and all, that contributes to a Dodger win?

Along with all that, he is a big fan of bathroom hygiene, which is also respectable.

There is a chance that if the Dodgers don’t win, this could be Greinke’s last start for the team, too. He is a player I will root for throughout the rest of his career, no matter where he plays.

Jacob deGrom

As the second-hardest thrower on the Mets, deGrom sat around 97 miles per hour for most of Game 1, when he out-dueled Clayton Kershaw and made the Dodgers hitters look like they had no idea what they were doing.

Less than a week later, the Dodgers have another chance. With their other ace on the hill, they’ll do pretty well for themselves to score four or five runs against the dominance that deGrom brings. The Mets’ ace has kind of similar hair to Greinke’s, the battle of the teams with long-haired hippie pitchers will be one for the ages.

Can the Dodgers find a way to get solid contact against deGrom’s top-flight stuff? Can they execute a clear plan to get deGrom’s pitch count up and get into the Mets’ bullpen? Can this offense flex the muscle it showed during the regular season when it counts? It will not be easy against deGrom.

Both of these bullpens are disasters waiting to happen

Whether the Mets use Bartolo Colon again or the Dodgers bring on Pedro Baez, getting deep into the opposition bullpen will be a priority for both teams. While the two can and do intersect, there is a difference between taking lots of pitches for taking pitches’ sake and actually being productive and scoring a few runs. I’ll be surprised if there are more than three or four total runs through the sixth inning. The final three innings will be freaking amazing. Or excruciating. I guess depending on who’s winning. Damn, I hope the Dodgers are winning… .

Heroes are made in elimination games

Who will be the offensive hero? Will it be a classic candidate like Adrian Gonzalez, David Wright, or Curtis Granderson? Could it be a fresher face like Michael Conforto or Corey Seager? At this point, I think Yasiel Puig would be a pretty unlikely  hero, but anything could happen.

This day-off is amazing and tomorrow is going to be SO fun.

Don Mattingly’s future probably doesn’t depend on Game 5, but going to the World Series this year could cement his legacy. By Cbl62 (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

Don Mattingly’s legacy

I know it’s a little dramatic to say that Don Mattingly’s legacy rests on the outcome of a single game, but it would be silly to think it makes no difference. If the Dodgers lose, it’s entirely possible that this will be Mattingly’s last game as the manager of the Dodgers.

Andrew Friedman and co. are into making decisions based on process. This means, I suppose, that even if the Dodgers do win tomorrow that Mattingly could still be around and vice-versa, but in terms of his long-term legacy in the City of Angels, this game and this postseason is a pretty damn big deal.

What are you most looking forward to about Game 5?

The author of The Best Team Money can Buy, Molly Knight is a life-long Dodger fan who talks about being a fan and journalist, her book, and the NLDS drama that is unfolding in front of our eyes.

Bring your pocket protector, calculator, abacus, or computer, we’re going to re-frame statistics in baseball, at least for a night. Stat Geek Night — or whatever you want to call it — would be great on so many levels.

Here’s the premise: for just one night, statistics at Dodger Stadium would be shown not in home runs and RBI’s, pitcher wins or ERA. Instead, the scoreboard will prominently display OPS, WRC+, WHIP, FIP, XFIP, and WAR.

Here’s my thinking. Over a week ago, Buster Olney fired this tweet off.

Tell you what, @TheRainDelay21, create a 140-character tweet fully explaining WAR and I'll use it. Ready, set… go!

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 13, 2015

Olney’s defense for not using stats like WAR and other advanced stats is that the readers don’t understand it.

Dustin Nosler, co-host of the Dugout Blues podcast and former guest on the Fansmanship Podcast responded and basically won the Internet for that night.

@Buster_ESPN @Bay_of_Puigs @atk825 Fair, but you could also attach useful links such as this one to help educate. http://t.co/Am7azMPfI5

— Dustin Nosler (@DustinNosler) August 13, 2015

But I digress. The idea here is for a baseball team who embraces all information available to advance the conversation about the game of baseball through direct education of people who consume the game.

Pamphlets could be handed out. Apps could be advertised. Baseball-Reference.com and Fangraphs.com could sponsor the night.

I’m telling you, it would be a hit. And it would be a public service.

What do you think? Is it a good idea?

Despite the breakouts of Joc Pederson and Alex Guerrero, the hot start of Adrian Gonzalez has been they key to the Dodgers’ hot start. By Owen Main

The Dodgers are 13-8 at the end of the first month of the season — two games ahead in the National League West. The fun thing is, they haven’t got close to hitting their stride.

I thought it would be an OK time to summarize the good and the bad of the first month of the 2015 season.

The Good

First place

No matter what, setting a tone early-on in the season is important. The Dodgers have won five of the seven series they’ve played so far and, while they were swept by the Giants in San Francisco, they also had a seven-game winning streak.

Greinke keeps rolling

While Clayton Kershaw finds his form and the rest of the Dodgers pitching staff struggles to stay afloat, Zack Greinke has been exactly who he has been since he joined the Dodgers — a second ace. Grienke has a .918 WHIP and is 4-0 in his five starts in April.

Howie Kendrick is as-advertised

Howie Kendrick has been really, really good. He sports a .295/.353/.526 slash line and has been everything the Dodgers have needed him to be.

When people in the know said how good Howie Kendrick would be, many Dodger fans, especially those who are fans of the type of game Dee Gordon plays, didn’t want to hear it. All Kendrick has done is start the season in Kendrick-like form, contributing to wins, fighting in at-bat after at-bat. I really like watching replays of Kendrick at-bats.

Joc Pederson

Neat.

Joc Pederson, who owns the MLB's best walk rate, also appears to be hitting the ball quite hard: pic.twitter.com/AnD7QPcjEQ

— August Fagerstrom (@AugustF_MLB) May 1, 2015

Adrian Gonzalez‘ hot start

This has been the real story of the beginning of the season. Gonzalez leads the National League in home runs (8!!), slugging percentage, OPS, and total bases. Dude is lighting it up. I don’t expect him to all season, but I’ll certainly enjoy it while it lasts.

Alex Guerrero

In just 28 at-bats this season, Guerrero has been dominant, bringing much optimism from Dodger fans. Five home runs, 13 RBIs, and a 1.505 OPS is a decent start for the enigmatic Cuban. Especially with the losses of Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford, Guerrero should get a chance to prove that he can hit for real in the major leagues.

The Bad

Injuries

Unfortunately, the list of key injuries to the Dodgers was long in April. Perhaps better that they come now instead of July or August, but here’s a short list:

Yasiel Puig

Carl Crawford

Brandon McCarthy

Joel Peralta

Hyun-jin Ryu

Kenley Jansen

Chis Withrow

Brandon League

Brandon Beachy

In all, nine players are currently on the disabled list, including three pitchers named Brandon. Ryu’s and McCarthy’s injuries are the most concerning for me. The starting rotation for the Dodgers could hinge on the performance of guys from the minor leagues.

Mike Bolsinger, David Huff, and Scott Baker have already made one start each. Zach Lee, Joe Wieland, and Carlos Frias could all be future options as well.

The list of replacements isn’t bad if we’re talking about a spot-start or a fifth starter situation. The problem is that right now Brett Anderson is being depended on as the THIRD starter and the fourth and fifth spots look like they’ll be filled with the list above, at least until Ryu comes back.

Starting pitching depth

This is kind of addressed above. The Dodgers have stockpiled talented hitters who are major-league ready. Despite trading Matt Kemp and injuries to Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford, the team has three or four Major League-capable outfielders to choose from. On top of that, Darwin Barney, Austin Barnes, Chris Heisey, and Enrique Hernandez are all at the ready down on the farm should the Dodgers need them in Los Angeles. Corey Seager could be successful in the big leagues RIGHT NOW if he was needed.

But for all the depth in hitting the Dodgers have amassed, the pitching depth is thinning-out pretty quickly. Kershaw and Greinke are as good as any duo in the majors, but after that things are starting to get rocky. Brett Anderson hasn’t gotten hurt yet, but he was supposed to be the fifth starter. He’s now in the number-three role.

It looks like Carlos Frias will get the start tonight against Arizona. 

The good news is that there are guys who could fill the role (see the list above), but none of them are really proven. Will the Dodgers go outside of what has been their plan so far and reach in a trade for a pitcher like Cole Hamels? Who else could be available as the season goes on?

I guess as long as the team keeps playing like they are and maintains their first-place standings, maybe the questions about starting pitching depth become moot. If they start to skid or fall in the standings, how much patience will the new management team exhibit?

Only 141 more games left, you guys.

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