Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Who will vacate for Victorino?

When Shane Victorino takes the field in Los Angeles, who will depart?

We’ll find out soon enough, but if you’re asking me now, I say Juan Uribe, contract and all.

Uribe has one plate appearance since July 22. He has been rendered mootational by the acquisitions of Hanley Ramirez and Victorino, the latter freeing Jerry Hairston Jr. to focus more on the infield.

Uribe is clearly the 25th man on the roster at this point, with Elian Herrera in the minors as a backup and Dee Gordon and Adam Kennedy both waiting in the wings to come off the disabled list later this month.

I don’t see any chance the Dodgers let Bobby Abreu go, despite his recent slump, because there’s still hope for him as a pinch-hitter. And while Tony Gwynn Jr., who is a Uribe-like 7 for 50 with four walks and one extra-base hit since July 1, doesn’t figure to have much of a role with the team now, I think the Dodgers still like him as a bench player.

The most likely alternative to cutting Uribe is that the Dodgers could follow the Herrera model and send down Luis Cruz to Albuquerque, given that Ramirez is planning to move to shortstop (at least until Gordon is activated). Since they essentially did this once before with Herrera, they could do it again, with Hairston serving as the backup shortstop while sharing third base with Uribe.  But I’m just not quite believing it’s going to happen this time, not with Cruz slugging .474 in his past 14 games and playing steady defense. I think if the Dodgers still had plans for Uribe, he would have seen more than three innings of action in the past 10 days.

The Dodgers could make a move in the bullpen, but I think that will be independent of Victornio’s arrival.  Ronald Belisario is certainly looking like a disabled list candidate – something seems wrong with the righty, who in his past 11 games has pitched 11 innings and allowed 11 runs. Shawn Tolleson could go down to Albuquerque, but he is on a streak of 4 2/3 consecutive hitless innings, which makes for an odd time to bid farewell to him for 10 days.  Even Javy Guerra could conceivably be optioned.  But any such move leaves the Dodgers with a six-man relief corps and Stephen Fife on the mound today, and even with Thursday’s off day, that doesn’t sound like the Dodgers I know. A reliever exit would likely bring a reliever return.

I know that it seems like the day of Uribe’s departure might never come, and maybe it won’t for another year. There are plenty of other options today. But here, almost exactly a year after the Dodgers parted ways with Dioner Navarro, I continue to think we’re drawing very, very close to it.

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16 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Agree with all your analysis. Just as interesting: what happens when Kennedy comes off DL?  Not really room for him either.  And if Hanley moves to short, who becomes the starting 3B?  To my mind, Gordon has to compete for his job, and starts the competition behind both Cruz and Ramirez.  

  2. I sure hope it’s today. I feel a bit bad for hoping something sucky happens to a guys career but if you don’t do what you’re paid to do, you gotta go.

  3. Cruz is safe:

    Victorino LF
    Ethier RF
    Kemp CF
    Ramirez 3B
    Rivera 1B
    Hairston 2B
    Cruz SS
    AJ Ellis C
    Fife P

     

  4. They would be crazy to send down the best SS who has played for the dodgers this year.

  5. Anonymous

    The Dodger Stadium gun had Miley peaking at 93mph but i tell you man, the camera’s don’t do these guys justice, he was really really on yesterday, i was actually a little surprised we scored on ’em.

  6. Switch-hitting Shane Victorino is wearing switch-hitting Reggie Smith’s #8. Smith took #8 because Steve Yeager already had #7. 

    • Anonymous

      Except your closer look yesterday reveals that Victorino is not much of a switch-hitter.  He’s a righty hitter and a lefty swinger (as Vinnie would put it).

  7. Anonymous

    i’m curious about this kind of stuff, so i’m sure there’s others that are as well -> From Sox Prospects Dot Com

    Scouting Report:

    Great pitcher’s frame. At Utah, Fife worked middle relief in 2007
    and
    earned a rotation spot for 2008.Two-seam fastball sits between 88-91
    mph. Has a four-seamer with more velocity, but doesn’t feature it.
    Great movement on his two-seamer, tailing down and in on righties. Also
    works in a biting 76-79 mph curveball and an improving 79-81 mph
    changeup. Relies mostly on his fastball, but has gone to his curveball

    as his out pitch on occasion. Working on improving the command of his
    curve, but has outstanding control overall. Really pounds the strike
    zone. Fife also has a slider in his arsenal that has been put on the
    shelf while he works on his curveball. Extreme groundball pitcher.
    Fares
    better against righties. Workhorse, went deep into games in college,
    maintaining velocity well. Ultimately, Fife has a high potential to
    become a major league pitcher, and whether or not he’s able to become a

    starter in the bigs depends on how well he hones his secondary stuff.
    Somewhat jerky delivery with a lot of torque – snaps the ball as it
    comes out of his hand. Really came on as a draft prospect late in the
    2008 NCAA season. Fife missed the first few months of the 2009 season
    with weakness in his throwing shoulde.
     

     
     

  8. Anonymous

     I feel bad for Juan Uribe.

    No, he hasn’t been anything close to what he was for the Giants a couple of years ago.
    But, he just seems like a great guy that has fun playing this game.  This season has to be killing him inside. (yes, he’s getting paid very well to sit… but, he probably feels somewhat hollow) IMHO.

    • I agree with you here, I just hope with Kasten here now, Ned will stop giving out contracts to players who have 1 good year or even a good half a year, when their career stats don’t match up at all. Rivera being another example of this.

    • Anonymous

      the other side of the coin is that he’s taking up a premium roster spot. :0) 

  9. It’s Abreu.  New post momentarily. 

  10. Looks like Abreu is DFA’d

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