Dodgers News: Alex Guerrero Left On The Outside Looking In
Just as the outfield has been in recent seasons when all players are healthy, third base was a juggling act of sorts for Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. When players reported for Spring Training Juan Uribe was the incumbent starter and there was no reason to believe that would change.
However, after a slow spring coupled with strong showings from Alex Guerrero and Justin Turner, Uribe fell down the depth chart in what’s a contract year. After frequently splitting time with Turner at the corner, Guerrero now appears to have suffered a similar fate as Uribe.
Additionally, Guerrero’s playing time in left field has also decreased. The Cuban native last played a game at third base on May 24; his last time in left was June 9. Guerrero has otherwise been relegated to pinch-hitting duty, which is something he’s excelled at this season.
In 19 games as a pinch-hitter, Guerrero is batting .333/.368/.889 with three home runs and an MLB-best eight RBIs. “He really has been good off the bench, and not quite as good when he starts. It’s part of the equation,” Mattingly said. As a starter Guerrero is batting .268/.298/.536 with six home runs and 16 RBIs over 28 games.
The Dodgers’ manager also confirmed Sunday what has become obvious. “It’s pretty much Justin, and then who it is when Justin gets rest,” he answered when asked what’s taken into account when writing in a starter at third base and setting the lineup.
While the fifth-year manager backed Turner as the primary starter, it doesn’t equate to him viewing Guerrero solely as a left fielder. “I look at him as a guy that can play third and can play left,” he said. Mattingly added he believes Guerrero is more comfortable at third base by virtue of being a natural infielder.
Mattingly credited Turner for being “the whole package,” though will continue to provide plenty of rest for the 30 year old by sticking to a plan of not playing Turner more than three consecutive games. Ideally, he said, Turner starts three games, gets a day of rest, starts the next two and receives another game off — essentially playing five of seven games.
The Dodgers appear value Guerrero’s bat over his defense, which figured to make their two-game Interleague series that begins Monday an opportunity for him to be in the lineup as the designated hitter. “That would be a good position [DH] for him,” Mattingly said.
However, Guerrero isn’t in Monday’s lineup against the Texas Rangers. Adrian Gonzalez is instead the DH with Turner moving over to first base and Alberto Callaspo filling in at third. That decision can be traced to Mattingly saying his preference is to utilize the DH spot to get players rest, as opposed to dedicating it to a bat off the bench.
With Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke expected to return, albeit the two are on vastly different timetables, and Hector Olivera’s presumed arrival in the Majors, games in which Guerrero starts may further become few and far between.
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Seems like a waste of a good talent to me. I don’t understand that Uribe trade at all. Can’t see that we got anything of value in an area that we needed help with. I guess Alex will be trade bait soon.
It may be that the point of the Uribe trade was to get Uribe out of the clubhouse. Perhaps his role of Papi was no longer valued.
The only thing that remotely makes sense is that Guerrero will be traded soon. I just don’t understand not starting him at DH tonight.
You have to play your best 9 regardless. If Alex is not your best 9 then, he is a off the bench player. That would be his role with the Dodgers. Of course they are shopping Alex. The management wants to win now and trading him for a quality starter makes the most sense. Plus JT is our guy. If not we got Seager. Stay tuned Dodgers fans. Real moves will be made soon.
Turner has been a great clutch hitter since coming to the Dodgers, but he is averag at best, defensively at 3B. Guerrero should have been at DH or 3B tonight.
Since when does your best include Rollins batting 201 and Callaspo batting 224.Far too many balls get past Rollins at short and he and Callaspo make far too many base-running errors. So how does that make it the best nine for them to be out there instead of Guerrero?
Callaspo is batting pretty close to .300 since joining the Dodgers.
Small sample size…Practically meaningless. Just fire Mattingly already.
If he was batting .095 in his time since joining the Dodgers, you haters would be perfectly fine with using those stats. You guys pick and choose what’s ok to justify your position.
I’m not saying that I think callaspo should be getting playing time over Guerrero, but I’m sick of “fans” talking out of both sides of their mouths.
Mattingly has had the best talent to work with, compared to most of the managers in baseball!
And we have the second best record in the majors, despite a lot of that talent being injured.
The Dodgers have had injuries, and especially with the pitching staff, but the two pitchers that have filled in the starting rotation, have done well! The Dodger offense, is a different case! The way that Mattingly has made up lineups, and batting orders, has been a complete joke! It took Mattingly, over two months, before putting Rollins, who has , and is still batting 200, down in the batting order! Mattingly doesn’t know what it takes, to get a offense moving! His take on offense, is waiting for the next HR! Mattingly constantly makes these all right handed lineups, when the Dodgers are facing a lefty, and really does not look at the what the true stats are!
True. i think what is lacking are people skills. Mattingly is a low-key manager, and has been there a long time. While a change might be beneficial to the outlook of the team, it’s unlikely since they are actually winning with a good record. Still, his mismanagement in game situations has been catastrophic, and it seems often his extremely talented team wins despite his efforts.
Well we will look at Guerreo’s stats, in his first 30 games on the big team, just like you have in Callaspo’s first 30 games, and no comparison!
This is not even close! Right now, the Dodgers are playing in a stadium, that is a band box, and this along with the heat, and humidity, causes balls to fly out of this place! Guerrero is slugging in the 600s, and his OPS is 924! Where Callaspo is slugging in the 350s and his OPS is about 550! With the stadium the Dodgers or playing in, as well in any place, Guerrero should be playing over Callaspo! Mattingly claiming Callaspo was playing third, because he was the better matchup, is so untrue, and the stats tell the truth! On a team that has trouble scoring, the best bats need to be in the lineup, not two hitters batting just 200 , and just above 200! Mattingly’s choice to not put Guerrero in as the DH, was a complete slap in the face to Guerrero and didn’t give the Dodgers, the best chance to score runs, and win!
Sorry, Callaspo is not one of the 9 best players, in this lineup! Callaspo couldn’t even get into the Brave’s starting lineup, but he is in Donny’s starting lineup! Mattingly was wrong about Guerrero last year, and he is still wrong! One night Mattingly states, that because of Guerrero’s defense, he will only be a pinch hitter! The next night Mattingly is saying that Callaspo is playing third, because he is a better matchup than Guerrero! Then Donny says, that if Guerrero was the better matchup, he would be playing third, over Callaspo! Mattingly’s change of words tells me, that this is all political, and has nothing to do with Guerrero’s defense! Guerrero has not started a game, for a long time, and Mattingly says that Guerrero doesn’t hit, as well starting , as DHing, it is hard to hit , when you don’t start, and the only other at bat you get, is one at bat, against the other team’s closer!
Bill Russell was not a polished shortstop either, when he started. But Alston gave him a chance to keep the job, and he did.
Some people forget this, because of the rest of the infield, was so good! In fact, even after playing shortstop in the big leagues for ten years, we would always hear, that Billy was transferred from the outfield to shortstop! We would hear this much more, than
Joe Ferguson, who was brought out of the outfield, to play catcher!
Donny is an idiot can’t manage a bullpen and plays favorites with position players by misapplying stats to support his stupidity. He is a subpar manager at best with no understanding of modern statistical information. He rather play the hooror show at the plate calaspo or what ever his name is because he like him better for good knows why
Couldn’t agree more with you Dono. Guerrero is 3rd on the team in HRs & RBIs with half the ABs as most of the other starters. For Mattingly to keep him on the bench and trot Callaspo and his .220 average out there is just sheer stupidity.
At the risk of being repetitious, I’m just saying, Mattingly would make a pretty good little league manager.
The bullpen has lost 14 games this season and that is what Mattingly and the front office need to focus on. Without improving the bullpen, that is the guys that come in in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings, then this team even if they will the division will not prevail in the playoffs. They need a better bullpen.