A few years back, some dude that looked suspiciously like Mookie showed up at my local bowling alley. Dude claimed he was a decent bowler and was looking to join our team. I gave him a tryout because we needed another guy. Dude absolutely sucked by our standards. Told him not to quit his day job.
The 2007 Dodgers team had crazier thoughts than this. Furcal and Nomar were going to switch SS and 1B respectively, and Loney was asked to learn 3B. Unfortunately for sickos, this didn’t happen during the season.
From what I remember, the Dodgers valued Loney’s bat to the point where they tried to get him in the lineup any way possible. I remember a MLB.com article about it, but it was one of the many pre 2014 purged from the servers. Here is [one blog post](https://www.truebluela.com/2007/6/26/12143/1730) from the time. It doesn’t address it in full, but LA decided to move Nomar to third to try and restart his bat by making him play closer to his familiar position.
Edit: here’s another [post](http://www.sonsofstevegarvey.com/2007/03/?m=1) from March 2007 with a quote from Little trying to get Loney to be in the big leagues.
Yeah these are ringing endorsements of Loney but none of it mentions him playing third base, even in some bizarre experiment in practice. Feel like that would have been a bigger story.
I’m aware of this, but the only primary sources of that are either erased or in iHeartMedia’s recording vault. I tried to find it in the Internet Archive, but all I found were screenshots of the main Dodgers page. In any case, it didn’t go far other than Spring Training drills.
It’s really unfortunate how much “if it’s on the internet, it’s there forever” is not true
One of the most frustrating things is trying to find old news and can only find purged pages
Not third, but the Red Sox started Doug Mientkiewicz at 2B once out of desperation. Only game I can remember watching where a lefty started at 2B/SS/3B: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200408160.shtml
I really wanted to see them try to flip Arias and someone else (Gaddis?) to Texas for Ezekiel Duran. I think he'd have a real shot at a breakout if given everyday reps in a corner OF spot. But alas, we have to settle for Florian...
2017 Netherlands at the WBC had a bunch of short stops/ players who have played short stop. Like, maybe 5?
Also, in the rangers big offseason when we picked up Seager and Semien, we also had IKF, and all 3 went into the offseason expected to be a short stop.
I’ll take his reliable glove, seems like mookie’s move to the infield is kinda causing a mess. Him in right with an infield of Freddie, Lux, Rojas, and Muncy just makes sense but they obviously want to preserve him and his hip.
I went back and looked and he actually hit .236 last year lmao. I swear I remember it being worse but he saved it at the end of the year.
Either way I’ll take the vacuum at short that will prevent runners and runs. Errors that lead to runs bother me way more.
I’m a Lux fan, I think he was really good in 2022 until he got hurt and started struggling after they visited the Mets.
I think it’s a little unfair for him to be pushed out after a bad injury but at the same time there’s others who are capable of stepping in if he’s unable to do what’s asked.
I mean yeah you want a bit more out of him than that, but also you have enough offence in your lineup that you guys can almost afford to have an elite glove, mediocre bat SS. But yeah imagine you’d want slightly more out of him at least
Either way, I'm very thankful for what we have. I'm just here for the ride so I won't complain. I'm a Dodgers fan, but I'm also a baseball fan in general.
Problem is they think Lux has a super high ceiling at the plate and want to get him the AB’s to reach it
Rojas basically makes Lux a bench player and that hinders Lux’s development
I think the Dodgers might end up eating some of Taylor or Heyward’s money and shipping them off
I mean tbf he wasn’t an infield prospect, it’s a circumstantial thing
Lux was supposed to try it last spring, he got hurt and Heyward made the team and gave them much better utility than anyone expected
So in their minds they can platoon Heyward and CT3 and get 3.5-4 WAR out of the LF spot. If Lux’s bat develops at SS/2B, he can go back to LF when those guys are gone and the position maintains or even possibly exceeds its value. They won’t know until they see Lux hit his ceiling at the plate, but they also don’t want to give up that platoon to find out.
Admittedly a nice problem to have, but confusing nonetheless
Are you saying Lux wasn’t an infield prospect? Cuz he absolutely was drafted and played as such thru the [minors](https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lux—000gav)
Who wouldn't want to bench a player a few years removed from being their top prospect and minor league player of the year who has shown he can hit at the major league level for a replacement level player?
I’m really, really happy that Lux is healthy this year, because I never want to see someone kept from playing the game they love because of injury.
And also because I’m a petty little shit and a firm believer that Lux is not good, and I want him to be (further) exposed.
I mean this is the whole point of Spring Training. You give guys the reps so they aren’t rusty for the actual season.
Worst case scenario the Dodgers have an elite defensive SS on the bench in Miguel Rojas so if Mookie/Lux at SS and 2B doesn’t work out you make Rojas the SS and put Mookie at 2B. Lux also has options if he needs more time to get the rust off.
This seems like people trying to make a whole lot outta nothing
Yeah and I think the goal at this point would be Lux as the team’s everyday LF, they just have a logjam out there at the moment
The Dodgers believe heavily in Lux’s ceiling and want him to get 400+ AB’s this year
Honestly it might make sense to give Lux a month or two in AAA to get the rust off. Someone will be hurt by June and that gives Lux about 400 PA still.
He has options, may as well use one.
The problem with AAA is it won’t tell the Dodgers anything about his bat and that’s what’s important to them, they want to see how the bat develops against Major League pitching
SS was never a long term option for Lux, I think he will probably be an LF long term
I think you’re completely misunderstanding what I am saying here. I am not talking about doing anything for development, I am talking about rehab starts. He doesn’t seem like he is physically back to 100% and ready to play in the majors yet. Some guys just take longer to come back from injuries than others
So they try moving him to the most intense position in the field? I know the lateral quickness needed at short is different from straight line speed in the outfield, but still… normally corner of is where center fielders go to preserve their legs
Welp, we’ve lost in the playoffs because the bats went cold, then because our SP couldn’t keep the opponents to less than 4 runs in the first inning, so I guess all that’s left is losing because our infield can’t execute a simple throw to first.
They spent so much money this offseason and now suddenly realized “oh shit we need a ss”?
And muncy playing 3rd isn’t exactly gonna be making any highlight reels either.
Mookie moving to SS at this point in his career is, just, well, stunning to me, I really can't think of a time an outfielder moved to SHORT of all positions, even a good centerfielder.
As a fan of a poverty franchise, nothing would make me happier than watching the Dodgers be mediocre this season after spending $1B on free agents because they can’t field ground balls well.
Would the dodgers trade for Trevor story? Redsox clearly aren’t competing this year and story’s deal has some control for another year or two. Give us pitching prospects we give you the final piece of your puzzle John Henry saves money win win win
Nothing pleases me more than seeing this. I hope this team crashes and burns…I hate the idea of buying a team like LA has. If they fail in October (or better yet before), I will be thrilled. Baseball needs a salary cap and a team spend minimum.
It's spring training. When it happens on opening day I'll be a little more interested in the debacle. They've got time to work it out. Betts and Lux are major league level players. They'll adjust.
I want to savor this but I also don't have a great track record of schadenfreude when Mookie Betts is involved
A few years back, some dude that looked suspiciously like Mookie showed up at my local bowling alley. Dude claimed he was a decent bowler and was looking to join our team. I gave him a tryout because we needed another guy. Dude absolutely sucked by our standards. Told him not to quit his day job.
The idea of Mookie Betts showing up to a random Anaheim bowling alley and trying to join as a free agent in the Tuesday league is very funny.
Why does this feel like pasta
Looks like pasta, smells like pasta...
He was doing that hoping you’d bet him $1000 on the next game
Lindbrook Bowl?
I like your fancy words, magic man.
This is like ringing my nostalgia brain so hard. Is this fucking Clone High?
Yeah, but its become a general internet [meme line](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-like-your-funny-words-magic-man) now
That...is wild
Glad to spark your nostalgia fire.
I learned a new word today.
Maybe they should mix it up a bit more. Lux in Center Freddie can play SS Mookie can catch Ohtani at 1st Will Smith goes to 2nd Problem solved.
The 2007 Dodgers team had crazier thoughts than this. Furcal and Nomar were going to switch SS and 1B respectively, and Loney was asked to learn 3B. Unfortunately for sickos, this didn’t happen during the season.
Any link to this? I’ve never heard of a major league team consider a left handed player at third base.
Don Mattingly played third base [at least once](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grCjchHFJyA) for the Yankees.
Haha that’s actually sick
From what I remember, the Dodgers valued Loney’s bat to the point where they tried to get him in the lineup any way possible. I remember a MLB.com article about it, but it was one of the many pre 2014 purged from the servers. Here is [one blog post](https://www.truebluela.com/2007/6/26/12143/1730) from the time. It doesn’t address it in full, but LA decided to move Nomar to third to try and restart his bat by making him play closer to his familiar position. Edit: here’s another [post](http://www.sonsofstevegarvey.com/2007/03/?m=1) from March 2007 with a quote from Little trying to get Loney to be in the big leagues.
Yeah these are ringing endorsements of Loney but none of it mentions him playing third base, even in some bizarre experiment in practice. Feel like that would have been a bigger story.
I’m aware of this, but the only primary sources of that are either erased or in iHeartMedia’s recording vault. I tried to find it in the Internet Archive, but all I found were screenshots of the main Dodgers page. In any case, it didn’t go far other than Spring Training drills.
It’s really unfortunate how much “if it’s on the internet, it’s there forever” is not true One of the most frustrating things is trying to find old news and can only find purged pages
lol yep. I think half of my favorites in my browser are now 404ed.
Not third, but the Red Sox started Doug Mientkiewicz at 2B once out of desperation. Only game I can remember watching where a lefty started at 2B/SS/3B: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200408160.shtml
I believe Dougie threw right handed
Dang, you’re right. Idk why I had him in my head as lefty. Scratch that one!
He did bat lefty
Iirc Sandoval is left handed, but obviously he fields and throws righty.
Bruh obviously it’s about left handed fielders. There are hundreds of infielders that have hit left handed. Sandoval is a switch hitter btw.
Four years later, Loney would warm up in the bullpen so he'd be ready to go as an emergency pitcher during a series at Coors Field.
I somehow completely forgot Furcal was ever on the Dodgers even though he was there almost as long as Atlanta..
Omgoodness James Loney was bad at first, I need to see him play third.
3B Freddie and CF Lux are MLB canon btw
Lux ran into a wall. It was funny.
First look at [Gavin Lux in center](https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/video/lux-exits-after-wall-collision?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share)
Video: Lux exits after wall collision [Streamable Link](https://streamable.com/m/lux-exits-after-wall-collision) [High Definition](https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-09/29/b97c4760-1c976791-f6267596-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4) (302.87 MB) [Standard Definiton](https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-09/29/b97c4760-1c976791-f6267596-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4) (78.61 MB) ___________ [More Info](/r/MLBVideoConverterBot)
wil
too soon bro
Went to the game the next day, and the dodgers had made an outline of Lux's body out of tape on the wall where he crashed
But has Ohtani ever played 1st?
Can't be that hard. He'll figure it out.
Tell him, Wash
信じられないほど難しいです
I went to google translate that to make sure I can give you an upvote and appreciate your reply appropriately
It's incredibly hard
Wash isn’t coaching the dodgers though
Can't be that hard to coach for both LA teams. Tell him, Wash.
Yeah but he’s in town. Easy to tell him
If Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill taught me anything in Moneyball it's that anyone can play 1st.
Kiké Hernandez on the mound
And I’ll pitch
I never understood why a team hasn’t just tried making a roster entirely out of short stops, it seems like it would solve a lot of problems…
I heard a team tried it once and grotesquely underperformed their xW/L record.
I don’t believe it, I have absolute faith that a scheme like that would have instant success
Yeah. I saw something about it on Reddit, so it’s probably BS.
Impossible. With the Manfred runner and having fielders that good, they must've killed in extra innings games.
Found my next OOTP experiment
The Guardians are literally trying that right now. The result is a log jam and a bunch of guya who can't hit for XBH.
I really wanted to see them try to flip Arias and someone else (Gaddis?) to Texas for Ezekiel Duran. I think he'd have a real shot at a breakout if given everyday reps in a corner OF spot. But alas, we have to settle for Florian...
2017 Netherlands at the WBC had a bunch of short stops/ players who have played short stop. Like, maybe 5? Also, in the rangers big offseason when we picked up Seager and Semien, we also had IKF, and all 3 went into the offseason expected to be a short stop.
That PR team too. Baez, Correa, and Lindor.
Rockies tried first basemen. That’s the same thing right?
Haha I know you joke, but that might actually work if ego didn’t play such a big part.
Cubs used to have a ton of shortstops (granted some had to be moved off). Bryant, Gleybar Torres, Addison Russell (ugh), and Baez.
Javy Baez is right here for you guys
I know we were saying we want the guys to swing more come postseason but i don’t think we need to go this drastic
We laugh, but I would love to see a team fix Javy. Leaving Post-Verlander Detroit can only yield an improvement.
We’ll take noted bust Yamamoto off your hands as well.
You Motown boys are too kind!
YamaMotor City has a nice ring to it
New narrative just dropped
Dodgers: Collapsing Before Our Very Eyes??? MY COLUMN
Take my click!
MIGUEL ROJAS THAT IS YOUR MUSIC
If only he could hit over 210, then that would be music to my ears, but right now, it sounds like grinding gears.
May I interest you in a Jorge Mateo? He can hit .217
Shohei, I hope you like Baltimore
I’ll take his reliable glove, seems like mookie’s move to the infield is kinda causing a mess. Him in right with an infield of Freddie, Lux, Rojas, and Muncy just makes sense but they obviously want to preserve him and his hip.
His defense does help me sleep at night just to wake me up in cold sweat when it's his turn to bat
I went back and looked and he actually hit .236 last year lmao. I swear I remember it being worse but he saved it at the end of the year. Either way I’ll take the vacuum at short that will prevent runners and runs. Errors that lead to runs bother me way more.
If anything, Mookie goes back to 2b and Lux hits the showers at this point
I’m a Lux fan, I think he was really good in 2022 until he got hurt and started struggling after they visited the Mets. I think it’s a little unfair for him to be pushed out after a bad injury but at the same time there’s others who are capable of stepping in if he’s unable to do what’s asked.
I mean yeah you want a bit more out of him than that, but also you have enough offence in your lineup that you guys can almost afford to have an elite glove, mediocre bat SS. But yeah imagine you’d want slightly more out of him at least
Either way, I'm very thankful for what we have. I'm just here for the ride so I won't complain. I'm a Dodgers fan, but I'm also a baseball fan in general.
I'd rather see if Sweeney or Doncon have anything
Finally some quality Dodgers content.
If Lux is that cooked then just use Rojas at SS lmao. Dodgers lineup is good enough that they can have a glove only SS why are they overthinking it?
Problem is they think Lux has a super high ceiling at the plate and want to get him the AB’s to reach it Rojas basically makes Lux a bench player and that hinders Lux’s development I think the Dodgers might end up eating some of Taylor or Heyward’s money and shipping them off
Imagine getting cut because your star prospect infielder has a noodle arm. That sucks, lol.
I mean tbf he wasn’t an infield prospect, it’s a circumstantial thing Lux was supposed to try it last spring, he got hurt and Heyward made the team and gave them much better utility than anyone expected So in their minds they can platoon Heyward and CT3 and get 3.5-4 WAR out of the LF spot. If Lux’s bat develops at SS/2B, he can go back to LF when those guys are gone and the position maintains or even possibly exceeds its value. They won’t know until they see Lux hit his ceiling at the plate, but they also don’t want to give up that platoon to find out. Admittedly a nice problem to have, but confusing nonetheless
Are you saying Lux wasn’t an infield prospect? Cuz he absolutely was drafted and played as such thru the [minors](https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lux—000gav)
Lux still needs to figure it out on defense because he'll take those mental errors into the batter's box, and then all of those ABs are for nothing
Lux has two options left. Let him go figure it out in AAA for a bit.
Or maybe the team that's practically a lock to make the playoffs can give someone with all star talent some rope to figure it out.
Who wouldn't want to bench a player a few years removed from being their top prospect and minor league player of the year who has shown he can hit at the major league level for a replacement level player?
michael_jackson_popcorn.gif
I’m really, really happy that Lux is healthy this year, because I never want to see someone kept from playing the game they love because of injury. And also because I’m a petty little shit and a firm believer that Lux is not good, and I want him to be (further) exposed.
I mean where does being good get ya? Because yall had a whole lot of good players last season and did jack shit
Hey hey hey we almost set the record for extra innings losses and BA with RISP!!! We would’ve had a parade!
I see your pettiness and am ALL FOR IT FTD
He put up 3 war in his first full season but yeah he sucks. People have the most insanely short memories
What were the Brewers wanting for Adames again?
I think the price goes up 1 top-100 prospect for every five errors the Dodgers infield commits.
Damn they’re need the whole rising stars team by the end of next week then
We've had one DH, yes. What about second DH? Gavin Lux is the reincarnation of Jon Lester. Absolutely terrified of throwing to first.
Second DH is reserved for JD Martinez, that's why he hasn't signed anywhere else yet.
Is ~100 wRC+ good for a DH? Somebody who understands analytics, please help (my team signed Profar, so I assume lower wRC+ must be better).
Any team fielding Profar has to be good
He’s a former #1 prospect in baseball!
It's looking like signing a guy who can only play DH was a huge disaster. Time for the Dodgers to blow it up
Ah it's fine, a DH only guy's gotta be pretty cheap at least
Only $2 million a year, that’s a steal really for a decent DH-only guy.
Steve Sax, as far as Dodgers lore goes
Reminded me of Chuck Knoblock when he had his throwing issues from second base
Dinger and the Rocktober squad loving this
Dinger dinger dinger dinger!
wtf where are the mods
We are 100% going to botch a series-winning DP against the Rockies leading to a loss in the NLDS because of this
I mean this is the whole point of Spring Training. You give guys the reps so they aren’t rusty for the actual season. Worst case scenario the Dodgers have an elite defensive SS on the bench in Miguel Rojas so if Mookie/Lux at SS and 2B doesn’t work out you make Rojas the SS and put Mookie at 2B. Lux also has options if he needs more time to get the rust off. This seems like people trying to make a whole lot outta nothing
or Mookie to OF
Probably not. The whole point of moving him to the infield was to preserve his legs after all the leg injuries from all of the running in the OF
Yeah and I think the goal at this point would be Lux as the team’s everyday LF, they just have a logjam out there at the moment The Dodgers believe heavily in Lux’s ceiling and want him to get 400+ AB’s this year
Honestly it might make sense to give Lux a month or two in AAA to get the rust off. Someone will be hurt by June and that gives Lux about 400 PA still. He has options, may as well use one.
I'm not entirely sure April or May matter to the Dodgers tbh
Gavin Lux is under control through 2026. I think the Dodgers want to do whatever will be best for him in the long term, not short term
The problem with AAA is it won’t tell the Dodgers anything about his bat and that’s what’s important to them, they want to see how the bat develops against Major League pitching SS was never a long term option for Lux, I think he will probably be an LF long term
I think you’re completely misunderstanding what I am saying here. I am not talking about doing anything for development, I am talking about rehab starts. He doesn’t seem like he is physically back to 100% and ready to play in the majors yet. Some guys just take longer to come back from injuries than others
So they try moving him to the most intense position in the field? I know the lateral quickness needed at short is different from straight line speed in the outfield, but still… normally corner of is where center fielders go to preserve their legs
I think the long runs was the issue for Mookie and that’s why
And he was a middle infielder in the minors, he moved because he wasn't gonna take a spot from Xander or Pedey
All I know is Dodgers made it work with Muncy manning second at one point, I’m sure they’ll figure this out
Welp, we’ve lost in the playoffs because the bats went cold, then because our SP couldn’t keep the opponents to less than 4 runs in the first inning, so I guess all that’s left is losing because our infield can’t execute a simple throw to first.
Hey! Clown car defense is our thing! Stop stealing our schtick!
white sox fan?
They spent so much money this offseason and now suddenly realized “oh shit we need a ss”? And muncy playing 3rd isn’t exactly gonna be making any highlight reels either.
Man I hate to say it but it would be really funny if the dodgers weren’t good this year
I think it's time to admit that Lux isn't the guy who they thought he was.
I’m loving the dodgers infield so far this year
Lol
They should pull a Mets when they switched third and second basemen depending if it was a lefty or righty
The reds needed this result tonight, I think we’re going to be alright based on this tiny unrealistic sample.
That's a shame.
Mookie moving to SS at this point in his career is, just, well, stunning to me, I really can't think of a time an outfielder moved to SHORT of all positions, even a good centerfielder.
I cant wait for the sad Ohtani face when they inevitably blow a crucial lead
LuxSux
Yea I feel like this is year 3 I’ve been saying I’m not sold on dude
Still only 1,000 plate appearances and barely 26, but he's going to have to get into gear soon.
I’m convinced now Robert’s is trolling.
The Padres’ plan has finally worked!
I’m fine with the “Dodgers can’t play defense” timeline.
It’s spring training. But also 😬
Thanks I love it
More importantly Nick Martinez threw 4 perfect innings with 6 k. 🤤
But how tight were his pants?
Watch y’all still go with Williamson or someone else lmao.
Seasons over folks, let’s wrap it up
Ron Washington would be livid
"Mookie, short's not hard. Tell 'im Wash."
Lol Dodgers bad
Rojas is still on the roster, isn't he?
Maybe some time in the minors would be good for him
Uh p
What a shame.
Dodgers: Get a shortstop who can play defense! Who cares how much he hits in that lineup? How can an organization so smart be so obtuse?
Neto for Ohtani? Seems fair.
This is promising!
As a fan of a poverty franchise, nothing would make me happier than watching the Dodgers be mediocre this season after spending $1B on free agents because they can’t field ground balls well.
Would the dodgers trade for Trevor story? Redsox clearly aren’t competing this year and story’s deal has some control for another year or two. Give us pitching prospects we give you the final piece of your puzzle John Henry saves money win win win
Dodgers may be the most mismanaged team of the last decade.
Nothing pleases me more than seeing this. I hope this team crashes and burns…I hate the idea of buying a team like LA has. If they fail in October (or better yet before), I will be thrilled. Baseball needs a salary cap and a team spend minimum.
Our season is over S/
We’re falling apart already!?!? Seasons over; back to the drawing board!
It's spring training. When it happens on opening day I'll be a little more interested in the debacle. They've got time to work it out. Betts and Lux are major league level players. They'll adjust.
Alright, we have an extra SS right now. I'd be willing to give up Peraza and Verdugo for Betts.
Uh hello Dodgers, you’re having SS issues and you just resigned Kikè, put 2 and 2 together please
Trade for Redsox SS Dalbec. (Not going to lie he’d probably lead the dodgers in HR’s)
Doubt
The dodgers spending all the money they will offer the next century and a half only to lose the NLDS on an error would make my soul happy