The Genius of Joe Torre
July 20th 2009 21:24
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in baseball. Loads of young talent. Good and improving starting pitching. Great athleticism. Manny Ramirez. Outstanding bullpen. Joe Torre. Wait, Joe Torre? Yes, Torre's genius is an integral part of the Dodger success this season. I mean, who else could have conjured the brilliance of hitting superstar center fielder Matt Kemp in the 7th or 8th spot everyday? Torre has so much going for him on offense that he's created MLB's first bi-modal offense: one offense revolving around Manny hitting 3rd, and the other centered on Kemp at the bottom. No manager has ever done this before, and putting his best offensive player in the bottom third of the order has paid huge dividends for Torre.
Everyone is raving about Torre's strategy with Kemp. Fantasy owners, such as myself, LOVE opening up the Dodger box score everyday to see their presumptive best hitter batting 7th. I know it warms MY heart. Kemp's stats on the season are among the league's best in rotisserie formats: .321 AVG, .385 OBP, 12 HR, 53 RBI, 20 SB, 53 R. Personally, I couldn't be happier about this stat line. Why would I want Kemp hitting 4th behind Ramirez, where he could have, say 10 more homers and 20 more RBI this season? Casey Blake and James Loney both protect Manny better than Kemp ever could. Maybe the Dodgers could have 3-6 more wins this season with Kemp hitting 4th or 5th, but why get greedy? I know a team is an offensive dreamboat when its 7th hitter bats .321. That's pretty darn good.
The media also loves this move by Torre. Over the last 2 months, when it became clear that Torre's lineup tendencies were permanent, critics were silenced by the numbers that the Dodger offense put on the board and by Kemp's thriving in the 7-hole. Many theorize that Kemp's improvement at the plate could only have been realized by hitting where he is hitting, and that his career trajectory would have been seriously hampered by a more prime spot in the lineup. Agreement is unanimous. Dissension is non-existent.
To Dodger fans and fantasy owners: keep supporting Joe Torre's lineup card and ride your team's offense into October. Think about where your team would be were it not for Matt Kemp and his familiar 7th and 8th spots. Every time he comes up, root for a frozen rope single, a double in the gap, or a stolen base while visualizing his name at the top of the lineup in place of the incomparable Rafael Furcal, Juan Pierre, and Orlando Hudson.
To Joe Torre: This is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep up the good work. Don't change anything, just assume a holding pattern until adjustments are needed for the playoffs. Blake and Loney have protected Manny the best that their ability will allow, you're doing the right thing.
Joe Torre is brilliant, isn't he?
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Comment by Chuck H
Two Cents From Beantown
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