Yahoo!: Passan: Clayton Kershaw’s great expectations

A terrific look at Clayton Kershaw and then you come across the real Public Enemy No. 1...Ned Colletti (Quick, somebody dig up Anna Sage’s red dress...it’s almost movietime at the Biograph!)

“People can become enamored watching prospects play in the minor leagues,” Colletti says. “It’s always been there. It’s heightened with the way communication is now. The Internet. Cell phones. The interest is overwhelming.”

The cult of the prospect is one of baseball’s great phenomena. It is why the impatience of Cincinnati Reds fans grows every time Jay Bruce hits a home run at Triple-A and why Tampa Bay earned universal praise for signing Evan Longoria to a potential nine-year deal only six days into his major-league career and why every blue-clad Angeleno wonders in what parallel universe starting Chan Ho Park over Clayton Kershaw is a good idea.

“What can be lost on them in the excitement of accomplishment is how good the big-league player is,” Colletti says. “I believe it’s difficult to play in the big leagues. I always try to measure what I’m seeing myself and what I’m hearing, and how that will play in a different environment. I have to hold back from time to time.”

Thanks to 6-4-2.

BPro: Seidman: Furcal En Fuego

Or Furcaliente…

Furcalysis

Furcal has missed the last several games with back spasms, and it comes as no surprise that the Dodgers have gone 1-4 in that span. Though Furcal’s absence cannot be directly linked to the team’s recent struggles, he has been one of the top offensive players in the league, let alone his own team. He should be back in the lineup soon, and it will be very interesting to see if his injury lingers throughout the season or has any sort of effect on his production. His offensive output may suffer from the time off as well, as a hot streak likely to regress as the season goes on may do so more quickly when it’s being resumed by a player iced by injury and/or inactivity.

Though everything still suffers from small sample size syndrome, it is definitely clear Furcal has been able to hit pitchers of all qualities and all handedness; he has also been able to produce whether ahead or behind in the count, and against any type of pitch. This may not last all year, but Furcal is currently in the midst of arguably the best stretch of his career. If the Dodgers want to be serious about contending this year, Raffy will need to be back on the field and continue to produce at an All-Star level, even if that level is slightly worse than the torrid MVP-worthy level he’s produced in the early going.

THT: Is Clayton Kershaw Worth the Hype?

Breaking down the mechanics, injury risk, stuff, and numbers of Clayton Kershaw…

“Clayton Kershaw’s curveball scares children”

“Clayton Kershaw’s curveball is public enemy number one”

“Clayton Kershaw is straight filth”

Just a couple of the high heaps of praise that surround Dodgers pitching prospect Clayton Kershaw, known by many to be the best pitching prospect in all of baseball.

I suppose one is worthy of such praise when his curveball looks like this…

MLB: Dodgers place shortstop Furcal on DL

Ouch. Last time I had joint dysfunction...I had to head over to Alphabet City.

Shortstop Rafael Furcal had to be placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday when his lower back injury turned out to be worse than the club had believed.

Management has attempted to acquire an emergency replacement for Furcal, who has been its best player this year. Assuming that doesn’t happen by Tuesday’s game with the Brewers, it is expected to purchase Luis Maza from Triple-A Las Vegas, where he is hitting .402, third in the Pacific Coast League.

Furcal did not fly to Milwaukee with the club on Monday, instead undergoing an MRI and receiving a cortisone injection in his sprained sacro-iliac joint. He was disabled retroactive to May 6, meaning he would be eligible to return on May 21, but with lower back injuries, there is no way to predict how long he will be out. He will begin rehab therapy on Wednesday.

Dodgers lose no-hit bid, then game

A hitless effort over 6 2/3 innings by Kuroda was quickly forgotten when the bullpen fell apart and allowed six runs in the top of the eighth for a 8-5 loss to Houston at Dodger Stadium. The loss was the fourth straight for Los Angeles and completed a three-game sweep in front of 40,217 on Mother’s Day.

It was Hunter Pence, the No. 6 hitter, who saved the Astros from being on the wrong side of history, breaking up the no-hit bid with a rip to left field. After the two-out hit by Pence and a walk to Ty Wiggington, Kuroda was replaced by Joe Beimel. Kuroda had a career-high five strikeouts and he walked three.

L.A. Times: Simers: Dodgers didn’t get a care package with Andruw Jones (RR)

This is not going to go over well with Joe Sixpack of Vielle Bon Secours in Los Angeles!

Without the fans, I said, there’s no reason for you to be here in Los Angeles playing baseball and no way you’re getting paid $36 million over the next two years.

“I don’t care,” he said. “You play for the team, you don’t play for the fans. The fans never played the game. They don’t know.”

..."Look at your belly hanging out of your shirt,” Jones said. “You’re probably going to die tomorrow.”

“Not before I write this column,” I said.

...As for his play on the field, the Tubbo has one home run, and so far it looks as if he has only warning-track power, which suggests he has lost something.

“If you think that’s what I’ve got, warning-track power, then write it down,” Jones said, and it always helps when I have a player’s permission to criticize him. “I lost my power, I suck, I should retire.”

Helium Watch: Dodgers Prospect Andrew Lambo

Scouting the power-hitting Dodgers prospect:

Lambo has a simple, quiet swing until he starts rotating those hips and moving those hands forward. You see a forward shift in weight to build up momentum, a small loading of the hands, and then at foot plant he turns his hips and hands together aggressively.

Rather than achieving “extension”, Lambo lets the ball travel to him instead of letting his hands meet the ball (which saps a player of much of their power). Letting the ball travel deep is an excellent indicator of bat speed.

MLB: Kershaw compared with Chamberlain

20,000 scouts can’t be wrong!

The day after Esteban Loaiza’s 2 1/3-inning outing, manager Joe Torre was asked about his fifth-starter situation in general and 20-year-old phenom Clayton Kershaw in particular.

Torre again drew the comparison to his managing last year of young Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain. New York’s “Joba Rules” required Torre to give Chamberlain as many days off between appearances as the number of innings he pitched.

The Dodgers have a “Kershaw Decree”—he is not to exceed 25 innings in any month while in the Minor Leagues. The strategy is to ration the left-hander’s outings so that he’s useful to the Major League club late in the season. In his only full professional season last year, Kershaw threw only 122 innings.

...Kershaw was signed out of high school, whereas Chamberlain had one year of college. “We don’t want to get teased and find out in September [that Kershaw’s] not pitching anymore,” said Torre.

AP: Dodgers win seventh straight

Rafael Furcal had three hits, including a three-run homer in a seven-run sixth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers won their seventh straight game, beating Colorado 11-6 on Friday night.

Matt Kemp drove in four runs with two doubles and Russell Martin made his first career start at third base, turning in a couple of defensive gems.
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Martin was kept quite busy all night at third base, snagging a liner by Willy Taveras in the second and backhanding a grounder spinning away from him by Francis in the fifth. Martin moved back behind the plate in the sixth.
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Troy Tulowitzki said before the game that he doesn’t think he’ll need surgery after suffering a tear in his left quadriceps on Tuesday night. However, he’s not sure when he’ll be back.

Josh Peter: Attendance soars even as economy sags

Arizona’s Mark Reynolds struck out swinging, and before the crowd of 42,590 began filing out the stadium, Dawn Vieyra, aka “The Double Coupon Queen,” went to work scooping recyclables into the bag. Her postgame routine offered insight into the national economy, team loyalty and the financial health of professional sports in the face of a recession.

Gas prices are up. Food prices are up. So, oddly enough, is attendance at Major League Baseball games.

MLB officials say attendance is 2.6 percent ahead of record-breaking figures from last season, when the 30 teams raked in more than $6 billion. The NBA and the NFL also say they see no signs that the economy will cut into attendance or profits. But Bob Dupuy, MLB’s chief operating officer, echoed the sentiment of the three leagues when he said, “We will be closely monitoring ticket sales throughout the season.”

The Biz of Baseball: Brown: Remembering Buzzie

Maury Brown and baseball loses a friend…

Buzzie, wherever you are right now, the world is a different place without you. Yes, you were part of the “old-guard”, but you saw so much, and lived more than anyone that I’ve ever met.

...The great thing about Buzzie was he kind of flew in the face of conventional wisdom of what an “old guy” was supposed to be like. For one, he had an email account, and checked it often (Bud Selig reportedly doesn’t have a compter, but here’s 92-year-old Buzzie surfing the web). And so, for the past 3 years I have been in contact with him regularly, asking him to weigh in on a variety of topics for The Biz of Baseball, as well as for Baseball Prospectus.

He answered every question I ever had of him. Well, all but one.

When I asked him to add to a compilation of comments on Barry Bonds, shortly after he was indicted, he declined.

“I prefer waiting before making a comment,” he said. “Barry could be guilty or innocent. Would be glad to make a statement at a later date.”

Sadly, that later date won’t be coming.

LA Times: Plaschke - Vin Scully clarifies remarks on retirement (RR)

I saw the quotes [in the NY Times], tracked him down, called his hotel room, he answered and said he would call me back, and he always, always calls back.

So he did, and I interrupted him in hurried fear. “Are you retiring?”

He sighed. He said that print interviews sometimes fail to capture the proper tone in someone’s voice.

“It came out a little heavy handed, and it really wasn’t like that,” Scully said.

“So, um, ah, are you retiring?”

Scully sighed again. “It’s not the end, I believe, or anything like that,” he said.

I wish you could have answered my phone, then seen me toss it high in the air with relief.
...
“You could write, ‘He’s going to wait until August or September and evaluate how he is feeling,’ “ Scully said. “I think that’s smart, that’s wise, just let it ride, then have a meeting with the McCourts and see what happens.”

LA Times: Buzzie Bavasi, former Dodgers GM, dies at 92

He may have bled Dodger blue, but he was still a front-office Giant:

“I’ve had to take the abuse for that over the years, but that’s fine,” Bavasi told The Times in 2005. “Stay around long enough and there’s going to be abuse.”

Although his reputation as a dynamic baseball executive became somewhat tarnished during his time with the Padres and Angels, Bavasi will be remembered best for building championship Dodgers teams while staying within the budget of parsimonious owner Walter O’Malley.

Dodger Thoughts: Weisman: Vincent Scully ‘49

If I’m not mistaken...Scully was an original member of The Concords.

I was saving this for a special occasion, but when I read that Vin Scully’s Fordham alma mater was going to honor him tonight, it seemed like the right time to run it. Earlier this year, I had contacted the Fordham sports information department to see if there was anything fun they could find in their archives about Vinny, and they were kind enough to send me his yearbook photo.

Fordham’s radio station, WFUV 90.7 FM, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this evening in New York.

“I’m deeply grateful for these honors and consider myself extremely fortunate,” Scully said in the press release. “I was at Fordham when they started their FM radio station 60 years ago so I consider it a real privilege to have been there at the beginning.”

L.A. Daily News: No curses for Dodgers’ Lowe

Not while Derek Lowe is cooler than Ötzi the Iceman…

“Having played on both coasts, I can see how people might get lulled into something when they play on the West Coast,” the Dodgers right-hander said.

“It’s a laid-back atmosphere, and we draw great fans. It’s always sunny and 75 degrees. You can very easily get lulled into an attitude of, ‘Whatever happens, happens.’ I can definitely see how that could happen.

“I’m not saying that’s the reason they haven’t had success for 20 years. They have had all kinds of different teams, and I can’t explain how they haven’t won here. For the talent they have had here over ‘X’ amount of years, to have won one (postseason) game, when they were already down 2-0 in the series?

“Some people who have played this game for a long time say there is a certain mentality out here, that it’s more about entertainment than winning.

“I’m not saying that’s true, but a lot of people say that about Southern California.”

MLB: Tommy Lasorda to be guest conductor for the Jr. Philharmonic Orchestra

Evgeny Sveltanov he ain’t!

Hall of Fame Manager and Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy Lasorda will participate in the Jr. Philharmonic’s “Battle of the Batons,” it was announced today. Lasorda will lead the orchestra in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” as the Jr. Phil celebrates the 100th anniversary of baseball’s official anthem. The concert is this Sunday, May 4, at the Shrine Auditorium.

“I gave up a lucrative musical career for baseball,” said Lasorda. “All kidding aside, it is an honor to be asked to conduct the orchestra. I just hope the musicians follow direction better than some of my players did.”

The Orchestra’s 71st Anniversary Concert Spectacular will be under the baton of long-time concertmaster Gary S. Greene. Wink Martindale will serve as the emcee and legendary Hollywood columnist Army Archerd will host the annual, celebrity “Battle of Batons.” Actress June Lockhart will be a special guest.

L.A. Times: Shaikin: Dodgers not raising like Arizona (RR)

Joe Torre: The Lone Brooklyner of the Apocalypse.

So here we are, in April, back where we were last September, with the Dodgers’ manager juggling four outfielders. In 24 games, Torre has written 23 lineups.

“This is the toughest lineup I’ve ever had to make up,” Torre said.

Andruw Jones bats fourth one game, eighth the next, second the next. Andre Ethier bats fifth one game, third the next, seventh the next. Matt Kemp bats eighth one day, third the next. Kemp starts two games, sits three, starts two, sits three, starts five. “It’s just weird,” Kemp said. “I think it would make it a lot easier if we had a set lineup.”

Said Torre: “I don’t think a set lineup is important. If that’s a concern for players, my concern is they’re not really concentrating on the right thing.”

That might not be an issue much longer. Torre said he has all but settled on Ethier, Jones and Kemp as his outfield, with Juan Pierre getting a few starts to stay sharp.

The Diamondbacks let their kids play, the Dodgers played some stopgaps, and now Arizona has the edge in experience.

“Maybe at the outset of the season,” Colletti said.

MLB.com: Redman + Dodgers = 10-run inning

The Rockies gave Mark Redman a two-run lead going into the bottom of the first inning Saturday. But Redman endured one of the worst innings imaginable, giving up 10 runs to the Dodgers.

Redman gave up six hits, the last a grand slam to Matt Kemp, the 12th of 13 batters he faced in the 45-pitch frame. He also walked three, including Andruw Jones with the bases loaded. Blake DeWitt added a two-run single. Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny, who had given up a two-run homer to Garrett Atkins in the top of the first, singled in a run and Rafael Furcal added an RBI double.

Redman also threw a wild pitch and hit Juan Pierre just before Kemp’s slam.
...
Redman allowed the most runs ever in one inning for the Rockies. It’s also the 15th time a Rockies pitcher has given up 10 or more runs in a game.

AP: Umpire hit by pitch, taken off field in ambulance

Plate umpire Kerwin Danley was taken off the field in an ambulance after he was struck on the jaw by Brad Penny’s fastball that Dodgers catcher Russell Martin missed in the fourth inning Saturday night.

The game was delayed for 18 minutes, with Danley laying nearly motionless behind home plate before being put on a stretcher and loaded into the ambulance.

Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch said Danley lost consciousness briefly, but was conscious and coherent when he was placed into the ambulance.

MLB: Nomar headed back to DL

At this point, a room full of Ming Vases at The Ben Turpin Story auditions...would stay healthier than Garciaparra.

The Dodgers are expected to place Nomar Garciaparra on the disabled list Saturday and recall third baseman Blake DeWitt to replace him.

Garciaparra suffered a strained left calf muscle when he made a quick movement going for Scott Podsednik’s double inside third base in the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 8-7 win over the Rockies on Friday. Garciaparra had returned only nine days earlier from a broken hand.

Garciaparra’s injury, with all other infielders already used, forced the Dodgers to move All-Star catcher Russell Martin to make his Major League debut at third base. DeWitt, who inherited the starting third base job because of injuries to Garciaparra, Andy LaRoche and Tony Abreu, had been optioned to Las Vegas on Thursday so the Dodgers could add 12th pitcher Cory Wade.

N.Y. Daily News: Spector: Hey Dodgers - Brooklyn isn’t yours anymore

Reporting live from the solemn Ebbets Field Power Memorial services...Jesse Spector.

What’s not awesome is that the Dodgers are running ads to celebrate their 50th anniversary in Los Angeles. I just saw one between the 11th and 12th innings featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sharing his favorite Dodgers memory. So, what’s his favorite Dodgers memory in this 50th anniversary in Los Angeles? Sitting in the left field bleachers in 1956 and watching Jackie Robinson steal second base.

In a way, I guess it works - Kareem is an L.A. legend with New York roots, just like the Dodgers. And the ad goes right to the old standby that you can never go wrong with Jackie Robinson. Except that this ad campaign is highlighting the Dodgers’ 50 years in L.A., and Kareem’s memory is from Brooklyn.

In another 47 years, when the Portland Nationals are celebrating 25 years in Oregon, I hope they ask me to be in an ad where I talk about getting to see Vladimir Guerrero in Montreal.

Look, the Kareem thing is well-intentioned, I suppose, but it’s also mildly offensive to me as a Brooklyn-born baseball fan, and feels like they’re wrongly capitalizing on Robinson’s legacy from Brooklyn to promote their California history. It’s now between the top and bottom of the 12th, and they just ran a similar commercial with Ron Cey. Much better.

30 Years Ago Today, Rick Monday Saved an American Flag

Back in ‘76, Monday was presented with the flag in a ceremony at Wrigley Field by Dodgers executive Al Campanis. It hung in his home in Vero Beach, Fla., until a couple of years ago, when the house sustained severe damage from a hurricane. Now it’s in a safety deposit box.

...

Along with the flag, Monday has a copy of the 16-mm footage taken by a fan who was at the game, as well as Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully’s play-by-play of the incident. Also among his souvenirs is a copy of the now-famous photo by James Roarke of Monday just as he grabbed the flag.

Anyone heard that play-by-play?

Dodgers unveil four-year upgrade plan for Dodger Stadium

The Los Angeles Dodgers unveiled a four-year upgrade plan for Dodger Stadium on Thursday that owner Frank McCourt said amounts to a new home for the team built around the nearly 50-year-old core of the old.

The plan includes a tree-lined entrance to a landscaped grand plaza beyond center field that will connect to a promenade of restaurants, shops and a Dodgers museum.

Acres of parking around the stadium will be turned into a perimeter walkway, which the team is calling “the green necklace,” allowing fans to move outdoors around the ballpark while inside the gates.

One plaza will have views encompassing downtown, the Pacific Ocean and mountains. . . .

L.A. Daily News: Andruw Jones sits out with severe allergies

Anaphylaxis: Bold as gloveless.

Dodgers center fielder Andruw Jones, who was out of the starting lineup for Tuesday night’s game, said he has been experiencing severe allergy symptoms lately, and blamed them for the fact his season-long struggle at the plate had seemed to worsen.

“Allergies have been killing me,” Jones said. “My body is achy. This time (of year), it always comes in.”

Jones appeared to be getting back on track Saturday, when he hit his first home run in a Dodgers uniform and walked in his other two plate appearances, but he went 0 for 8 with four strikeouts in the next two games. He said manager Joe Torre gave him the option of playing.

“I just said, `Whatever you want to do, if you want to give me a day to just relax,”’ Jones said. “The last three days, I haven’t felt good. I have felt good at the plate, but sometimes, even when you get it going, you need to be patient because guys aren’t going to give you pitches to hit. You just need to be ready and stay aggressive, but not lose your patience about getting the right pitch.”

51s shortstop Rex Rundgren not following musician father Todd

He was the nazz, with god-given assertion…

Rex Rundgren was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 11th round of the 2001 draft and played in their organization for seven seasons before being released on the last day of spring training this year.

“I learned everything I know about baseball after he was drafted,” Todd Rundgren said.

..."Rex has had a reputation of being a very, very good defensive shortstop,” 51s manager Lorenzo Bundy said. “A lot of people in the Marlins organization said he could play shortstop in the big leagues, defensively. But he’s got to work on his offense.”

Rex Rundgren, batting .259 (7-for-27) in 12 games, hit his first home run of the season in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to Sacramento. He hopes to play well enough to earn a return trip to Las Vegas next year.

“I want to give the Dodgers a good impression,” he said. “I wouldn’t be playing this game if I didn’t think there was a shot for me to go up.”

FOX: Rosenthal - Baby Boss could cost Yanks their GM

If Cashman wished to stay east, he could replace Phillies GM Pat Gillick, who is expected to retire. Or, Cashman could return to D.C., where he attended Georgetown Prep and Catholic University, if the Nationals chose to replace Jim Bowden. Why, Cashman could even stay in the AL East if the Blue Jays dismissed J.P. Ricciardi, who has two years left on his contract.
...
So here’s the question: Is [Frank] Thomas finished?

“He looked like he was on rollerblades, sliding all over the box,” says a scout who saw him recently. “His balance was poor. His bat speed was poor. His approach was poor. He was only hitting changeups — that was the only ball he could get to.”

Still, scouts were saying much the same thing about Thomas, who turns 40 on May 27, in the early parts of each of the past two seasons. One GM says he finds it difficult to believe that Thomas no longer could contribute coming off a 26-homer, 95-RBI season.
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The Diamondbacks, already loaded with young talent, are discussing how to proceed with right-hander Max Scherzer, who opened the season by pitching 17 scoreless innings at Class AAA, striking out 29 and walking only three. Club officials initially believed that Scherzer could emerge as an impact reliever this season, but want him to remain a starter for as long as possible. Scherzer represents insurance for the rotation if Randy Johnson fails to stay healthy or Doug Davis returns slowly from surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid.

Pitcher Analysis: Hiroki Kuroda

Hiroki Kuroda, a 33-year old import from Japan, signed a three-year $35 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2007-2008 offseason. But will he remain healthy and effective when pitching in the tougher stateside baseball league?

L.A. Times: Dodgers’ shuffled lineup is a big hit (RR)

Yes...but why is David Sampson getting involved?

Left-hander Joe Beimel handed Martin a picture of a garden gnome cloaked in Dodger blue that is sold on the team’s official website, telling him that he needed a “hitting gnome” similar to the gnome the relievers carry to the bullpen every game for good luck. Martin wrote on the image, “Hitting Gnome. Rub Me Here for Hits,” and taped it on the back of one of the benches. Martin and Garciaparra said they touched the picture.

Penny got a hit without making contact with the image—“I don’t like gnomes,” he said. “They’re evil-looking”—but wasn’t about to question its power, as he said the offensive surge allowed him to relax and pitch six effortless innings in which he gave up only one run.

“It worked,” Penny said. “We better have him in there again.”

Martin laughed.

“It should,” he said. “I’m not superstitious, but I’m not the only one who got hits.” Martin laughed again when asked whether he would purchase a gnome to put in the dugout.

“I’ll put it on a chain, I’ll be like Flavor Flav,” he said, referring to the rapper and reality TV star known for dangling an oversized clock from his neck.

Bucs Dugout: Worst GM Poll: J.P. Ricciardi vs. Ned Colletti

This has to be the most eagerly awaited match-up since Santo y Blue Demon vs Dr. Frankenstein!

But whatever. The Dodgers’ ownership gave in to the chattering idiots and fired DePodesta after just a year and a half on the job. In his place, the Dodgers hired Colletti, whose philosophy seemed diametrically opposed to DePodesta’s. Colletti worked under Brian Sabean in San Francisco and represented baseball’s old guard. When asked about VORP, a very basic and useful new stat that every GM should be aware of, Colletti memorably replied, ‘’I may be using it and not even know it, and if I am, it’s nobody’s business. There are a lot of different criteria in judging players. I think I use, um, esoteric qualitative mathematical review times five. That’s one of them.”

The ha-ha anti-intellectualism of this response must have warmed the hearts (and souls!) of LA’s media, who practically threw Colletti a parade. A parade with lots of heart! And soul! And guts! And no pocket protectors! Or calculators! Ha ha, nerds!

...What I oppose is the knee-jerk rejection of statistical analysis, and the use of vague appeals to heart and soul to excuse complete cluelessness. Have you ever seen Juan Pierre play? I have. He’s not a good baseball player, and any scout worth his or her salt should be able to see that. He can’t throw, he doesn’t play otherwise spectacular defense, he can barely hit the ball out of the infield, he doesn’t get on base, and he doesn’t steal bases terribly efficiently. He’s fast. That’s about it.

Dugout Central: Payne: Is Andruw Jones Still a Future Hall of Famer?

And full of gurgitating chestnuts!

I suspect when Andruw retires most voters will naturally look at players like Bill Mazeroski and Ozzie Smith when evaluating Andruw’s worthiness.  Smith played for 19 seasons and was never close to Andruw with the bat.  Mazeroski may have been worse than Smith with the bat and played 17 seasons.

Mazeroski is probably the most similar to Jones if we are looking at overall value.  Mazeroski is regarded as the best defensive second baseman of all time and played 100 games in a season in 13 seasons.  Because of his offensive downturn, it’s looking more and more possible that Jones may not contribute to his teams beyond a decade or so.

But does Mazeroski have an edge on Jones defensively, and is that edge enough to offset Jones’ offensive contributions?  I don’t think so.  If a player is a Ron Gant/Reggie Sanders type hitter for ten years and a Bill Mazeroski/Ozzie Smith type fielder for seven or eight seasons, I would consider that player a Hall of Famer.

Of course, the voters love milestones and Jones already has 368 homers, over 1,000 RBI and runs scored and close to 1,700 hits.  Even if he’s a subpar hitter for the next couple seasons, he’ll likely add to those numbers.  Plus the voters will remember his glove and his Gold Gloves.  He likely won’t get in on the first ballot but my guess is he’ll eventually get in with relative ease.