The A.J. Ellis All-Star campaign starts now!

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© Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers 2012

A.J. Ellis will probably get a rest today after catching Saturday’s 10-inning thriller, and he will have earned it.

Ellis is fifth among major-league catchers in Wins Above Replacement this season, according to Fangraphs – third in the National League behind Yadier Molina and Buster Posey (who also plays first base). Ellis has caught 156 of the Dodgers’ 190 innings this season, with one error, no passed balls and outs on 40 percent of the 15 runners attempting to steal against him.

In on-base percentage, no major-league catcher tops Ellis’ .439, which is third in the entire NL behind Matt Kemp and David Wright. Take away his four intentional walks (if you must), and Ellis would still have a .403 OBP that would be 10th in the league.

Update: Ellis has 67 plate appearances this year.

  • He has gone after the first pitch twice – a single, and a sacrifice bunt.
  • He has taken the first pitch for a ball 35 times. After 1-0, he is 2 for 21 with 14 walks (.095 batting average/.457 OBP).
  • He has taken the first pitch for a strike 30 times. After 0-1, he 12 for 30 with no walks (.967 OPS).
  • Ellis is 6 for 16 (.875 OPS) after an 0-2 count.
Nationals at Dodgers, 1:10 p.m.
Tony Gwynn Jr., LF
Mark Ellis, 2B
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Juan Uribe, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Justin Sellers, SS
Matt Treanor, C
Chris Capuano, P
  • Anonymous

    Well, this should get pitchers to start throwing him strikes!

    • Anonymous

      Or not.  Strike throwers seem to get blasted.

  • Anonymous

    In two fewer games as a catcher, Posey has committed four times as many errors as Ellis. Posey has thrown out only two of seven base stealers (29 percent); Ellis has thrown out six of 15 (40 percent).

  • Anonymous

    In 2001, Barry Bonds hit his 11th HR on…April 29: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN200104290.shtml

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    Let’s see …

    Ellis has 67 PA this year. 
    He has gone after the first pitch twice – a single, and a sacrifice bunt.
    He has taken the first pitch for a ball 35 times. After 1-0, he is 2 for 21 with 14 walks (.600 OPS).
    He has taken the first pitch for a strike 30 times. After 0-1, he 12 for 30 with no walks (.967 OPS). 

    Ellis is also 6 for 16 (.875 OPS) after an 0-2 count. 

  • Anonymous

    I was never on the Carl Crawford bandwagon, now someone is suggesting the Dodgers go after him and his bloated contract.  
    http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0429-down-the-line-20120429,0,3520423.story

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

      I thought that was kind of a weird suggestion, though assuming the Red Sox ate a bunch of the contract, it would be a buy-low. 

      • Anonymous

        Even stranger, because Crawford is not even likely to return from injury until after the ASG.  Now, Cody Ross, on the other hand…

    • Anonymous

       I certainly wouldn’t hate this, but the Sox would need to take on a sizable chunk of that contract.  Fortunately, that is something Colletti has excelled at getting other GMs to do.

      • Anonymous

        I think I would sooner try the Van Slyke in left move before considering Crawford. Even if the BobbySox were to eat a bunch of money, say 50 MM, you still have 5 years at 10 left. And for that the Chowds would certainly want some young pitching back. Would be in on Morales for sure tho.

    • Anonymous

      Watching Morales limp around the bases scares me.  I like Crawford with the Red Sox eating a bunch of the contract better.

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    Matt Treanor has made two Sunday starts this year. Dodgers have allowed 20 runs in those games. 

    In 19 other games, Dodgers have allowed 53 runs (2.79 runs per game). 

    • Anonymous

       I would like to attribute this to small sample size.

      • Anonymous

        I would attribute it to Coffey, Elbert, Billingsley, and Macdougal.

        • Anonymous

           You have a point, though Bills’s only bad outing was with Trainor catching.

    • Anonymous

      Sometimes I wonder if he had enough time with the pitchers during spring training, I know against Billz he seemed out of sync.

      • Anonymous

        that should be with Billz he seemed out of sync…

  • http://twitter.com/Cadtalfryn Kyle MacGregor

    Why the hell is Juan Uribe batting in front of Loney? That’s so backwards.

    • Anonymous

      because the nationals’ pitcher is LH

  • http://profiles.google.com/michaelgreen327 Michael Green

    Kyle, Mattingly may like the idea of switching off left, right, left, etc.  Not that I agree, but that could be a factor.

    Also, a word for Ellis.  I doubt that anyone questioned whether he could do the job defensively.  He seems to be doing even better than expected, which makes the offense a bonus.  Throw in the other Ellis, and it’s a reminder:  up the middle defense matters.

  • Anonymous

    I hadn`t realized how sick AJ Ellis OBP was untill about a week ago.

    • Anonymous

      You haven’t paid much attention to his career.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Pomerantz/3608376 Dave Pomerantz

       You haven’t paid much attention to #AJEllisFacts

  • Anonymous

    a lot of interesting notes on Davey Johnson`s playing career but this one really caught my eye.

    “Johnson earned the distinction of being the last person to get a hit off of Sandy Koufax”

    • Anonymous

      in the ’66 WS I guess

      • Anonymous

        The last hit off Sandy in the regular season was by Bill White – a 2 run double in the 9th inning.  The second to last regular season K for Sandy was of Bob Uecker, which is really only interesting because its Bob Uecker.

    • Anonymous

      Vin mentioned it last night.

  • Anonymous

    A few notes from the season thus far…
    1.  AJ Ellis is a finer player than I thought….
    2.  Scott Hairston is doing a fine job of replacing Jamey Carroll… (miss Jamey, though)
    3.  This team really needs some “pop” off the bench.  Each time Donny goes to the bench, he’s pulling out a fine player…. but, not a home run / extra base threat (excluding Rivera last night)
    4.  Javy Guerra is not a closer.  I love his spirit in pitching after getting hammered with that line drive.  And, it’s not as if he’s walking a bunch of guys…. Rather, too many of his pitches are just getting “laced” for base hits.  Perhaps middle relief would be a better spot for him.  The only two relievers that are “making it look easy” right now are Jansen and Wright.  IMHO.
    5.  Kemp…. the best attraction in MLB right now.  Keep it up Matty!  :-)

    • KT

      You left Lindblom off that list of effective relievers

      • Anonymous

         Good catch KT! … Yep.  Josh has looked really good.

        • KT

          One of my favorite Dodgers He’s signed anything I’ve asked him…Daughters ball my jersey and my glove…very nice guy

    • Anonymous

      We got the better Hairston – Jerry.  

      Calling Jamey Wright a “closer” or anything but a decent middle-long relief arm is nuts.  Guerra is getting BABIPped to death and is probably the victim of bad pitch selection.

      Adam Kennedy is a horrible player.  He was serviceable 10 years ago with the Angels, but isn’t much at all now.  

      We’d probably be much better off with Gwynn playing more and Rivera off the bench, but Rivera is notoriously mercurial if he doesn’t get playing time.

      You know who the Dodgers should consider signing for a bench role?  Bobby Abreu.  

      • Anonymous

        The less better Hairston just hit for the cycle

    • Anonymous

      The new baby has also affected your brain because the Dodgers have Jerry Hairston. Scott is on the Mets. Although no one ever knows where any of them is at any one point in time and space.

  • KT

    Nice inning Chris
     
    Good Eye Tony
     
    Come on Mark

  • KT

    Come on Dre…drive tony in

  • Anonymous

    Well, this game is rolling along.

  • Anonymous

    Sac bunt?

    • KT

      yea I questioned that move also…no outs and a man on second and not the pitcher up…why?

  • KT

    Way to get out of the inning Chris

    Come on Matty

  • KT

    Thought that was going to take off Geo’s head

  • KT

    Good eye Dre

  • KT

    Nice Catch by Harper

  • Anonymous

    I doubt Harper ever forgets this series.

  • KT

    Good 6 innings by Capuano

  • Anonymous

    It’s getting harder to second-guess Ned’s signing of Capuano.

    • KT

      I like this remark ^_^

  • Anonymous

    ah Mark Ellis the unsung hero from last night. a lot of plots & subplots yesterday though.

  • KT

    Come on Matty

  • KT

    Bynum has a triple double and has tied the NBA record for block shots late in the 4th

  • KT

    Come on Dre…Let’s score some runs

    Good eye Dre

  • KT

    Lakers 1-0, 103-88 over the nuggets

  • KT

    Come on James

  • KT

    NICE James!!!!!

  • http://www.twitter.com/ElJefedor Jeffrey Thomas III

    BGJ aka Mr RBI strikes again!

  • KT

    oh and a bad throw by Harper…OMG wonderkind is human

  • Anonymous

    Gonzalez seemed to be over matching Loney but some how Loney adjusted & got a little dunk shot up the middle.

  • Anonymous

    Now Gio has walked Kemp and Ethier. Has Collettti really protected against this possibility by haveing a third decent hitter (probably a righty).
    I was just thinking—McCourt and Colletti inherited as youngsters Kemp, Ethier and a whole lot of pitching. Have they put anything good around it?Forgot Loney! GO DODGERS!

  • KT

    good job by James to break the 0-48, 2 strike count streak of Geo

  • Anonymous

    Little Dee needs to turn things around.

  • Anonymous

    between innings some comments from Kuroda on adjusting to MLB:
    “It’s a totally different type of baseball(the actual ball (mt)),” Kuroda said through a translator…. “And having pitched for 11 years, I was used to pitching with the Japanese baseball. When I came here, it was a pretty big adjustment.”Asked exactly what makes the ball different, Kuroda said, “It can also be a weather factor. It’s so humid in Japan the ball kind of sticks a little bit. But I think in general, the Japanese baseball sticks to your fingers more than the American ball. I think the size of the ball is pretty much the same. I didn’t really feel any difference.”Kuroda said there are certain pitches that are affected more than others by the slickness of the baseball, “But I’d rather keep it a secret,” he said, laughing.“I think every Japanese ballplayer that’s come to the big leagues, they’re aware that it’s a different baseball,” Kuroda said.“It’s all in the package when you decide to come here. If you sign with a big-league team, you have to adjust. I don’t want to ever use the ball as an excuse for pitching well or not pitching well.“I came here in my 30s and it was very difficult to get adjusted to pitching every five days instead of every week. That was by far the biggest adjustment. It’s all part of the package and you have to deal with it.”

  • KT

    Come on Josh…get this last one

    Nice!!

  • Anonymous

    I don’t think Lindblom is going back to the minors any time soon.

  • Anonymous

    When was the last time Uribe walked twice in a game?

  • Anonymous

    the Nationals have a bunch of young flame throwers, the planets seem to be alining for them.

  • KT

    Come on Kenley…Shut them down

  • KT

    Hate the leadoff walk

  • Anonymous

    LaRoche has something like a 444 avg agsint us, & plus the 2 dingers he`s hit against. But yeah.

  • KT

    Come on DP

  • Anonymous

    Harper on deck. rats!

  • KT

    Nice Kenley…1 More

  • KT

    Oh again with the defensive indifference…Hate it, hate it, hate it

  • Anonymous

    Harper walked but believe me man, that was a very good pitch.

    pitchers pitch.

  • Anonymous

    Harper already leads the league in eyeblack.

  • KT

    Why can’t we win one the easy way…SWEEP

  • Anonymous

    how sweep it is!!!

  • Anonymous

    I seem to want to sweep my flor al of a sudden. ;0)

    • KT

      Already done in my household…we try to get our sweeping done early ^_^

  • Anonymous

    Swept away on a sea of blue.

  • Anonymous

    Also on the bright side: The Rocks have used six pitchers today, and are going to the 11th in a 5-5 tie with the Mets.

    • KT

      nice wear them out before we get there

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    NPUT

  • Anonymous

    I was shocked to see how good the National’s pitching was this year. Perhaps even more surprised that ours was better, but I should have known that. I may have to re-evaluate my aversion to the hiring of Capo and Harang for a couple of years when we seem to have so much pitching coming.
    But perhaps it is true—you can never have too much pitching.