It's Drafty In Here

It's been a little quiet around here as of late, and I hope Walter Sobchak's picture front and center hasn't scared you away for good. Nevertheless, as the Dodgers prepare to take on the Chicago White Sox tomorrow, Manny Ramirez is further preparing for his return to the big leagues. Paraphrasing Ken Gurnick...

Manny Ramirez is hitting better now than he was before the start of his 50-game suspension for violating MLB's drug policy.

That's the opinion of the guy whose pitches Ramirez has been hitting.

"For me, he looks more like he did last year than he did at any time in Spring Training," said Flippo. "From Spring Training and right until he got suspended, he was still trying to find a rhythm. Even in April, he still looked like a hitter going through Spring Training games. He was still trying to get it to click."

Which was understandable, because Ramirez signed late, reported to the Dodgers' first Arizona Spring Training almost three weeks after the rest of the club, tried to rush his way onto the field, was slowed by a tight hamstring and never looked comfortable.

"Until last year, I had never seen him on a regular basis," Flippo said. "He comes to us and he never seemed to be off balance on a swing or get fooled by a pitch, but he did in Spring Training and he did in April. He never seemed to be in his rhythm. But he does now."

They say God never closes a door without opening a window, and the big Dodger in the sky has left two windows wide open. Not the side bathroom window variety mind you, but something on a much grander scale.

Manny Gets To Rest

While 37 years of age is nothing more than a side note for the garden variety cubicle worker, it's approaching ancient in the ranks of professional baseball. The daily grind takes it's toll on every player throughout the season, and only magnifies itself for those closer to forty. Additionally, Ramirez's teams have often found themselves in the playoffs over the years, adding further mileage to an already old pair of legs.

Now? Ramirez won't even have to play in 100 games before the playoffs begin. When he returns to the lineup we might even see a more polished Ramirez than the guy who boasted an OPS of 1.133 the first month of the season. Missing someone with that kind of output would pose a problem for most teams; however, the Dodgers haven't even missed a beat without him.


Juan Pierre

How much of a surprise has Juan Pierre been over the past 40 games? Check out the numbers if multiplied out to a full season:

.392 OBP
.832 OPS
83 RBIs
233 hits (would be 2nd all time Dodger record)
119 runs (would be 2nd all time Dodger record)
51 doubles (would be 2nd all time Dodger record)
63 stolen bases

Some of those numbers might not seem uber impressive, but for Juan Pierre those are Babe Ruthian accomplishments. Sure he's trailed off as of late, but he's on pace for what would be career highs in almost all offensive categories including, but not limited to, runs, hits, doubles, RBIs, batting average, OBP, slugging, OPS, and OPS+. But there's one more thing that represents a career high, the reason the aforementioned open window is so large. His trade value.

By no means is Juan Pierre a difference maker on any playoff contender, or even the Dodgers for that matter, but he could provide a role playing/ veteran leadership type spark on a young playoff team. About the only factor that could prevent him from being moved this season is his bloated contract. If Pierre was making something in the neighborhood of $6 million he'd be shipped for sure. It might take a prospect to offset the high cost, but a serviceable arm in the form of a 4th/5th starter doesn't seem too far out of the question.

Whatever happens in the coming weeks those windows will remain open, waiting perhaps for the winds of destiny to blow through. Might the Manny Ramirez suspension actually HELP the Dodgers? Shocking as that may seem to read, it is indeed a high possibility.