[h3]Sarah's Take: Ethier becoming a star[/h3]Outfielder learning what it takes to succeed on his own
By Sarah D. Morris / Special to MLB.com
06/15/09 1:34 PM ET
Andre Ethier has had an up and down season for the Dodgers. Since he became a Dodger, he has played a vital role in the team's success. This year he has shown that he can be the Dodgers' next power hitter and a fantastic defensive outfielder.
Ethier became a Dodger after the 2005 season when the Dodgers traded Milton Bradley and the underachieving Antonio Perez to the Oakland Athletics. Though Ethier performed well in the Athletics' farm system, for some reason, he didn't rise through the Minor League system as quickly as he desired. In hindsight, Ned Colletti and Kim Ng made a magnificent trade for the Dodgers.
Though Ethier had a wonderful 2006 Spring Training, he didn't make the Opening Day roster. But by May, the Dodgers promoted Ethier. Since the beginning, Ethier was one of the Dodgers' best hitters. Before the All-Star break, he hit .352. He exhibited power, and he was a good defensive outfielder. I thought Ethier had the possibility of winning the Rookie of the Year.
In August, Ethier continued tearing up the league. Several times he had key hits that helped the Dodgers win important games as they sought a playoff berth. While making a diving catch, Ethier injured his shoulder, but the injury was undisclosed. Ethier attempted to play with it and his offensive statistics drastically declined. He was hurting the Dodgers' chances of going to the playoffs, so Grady Little had no choice but to sit Ethier on the bench. However, Little may have damaged Ethier's confidence when he called him "mentally tired."
Everyone involved in baseball knows the baseball season is exhausting both physically and mentally, but no one talks about it. When a manager calls a player "mentally tired," he is implying that the player is not strong enough to be a professional baseball player. To me, Little made inappropriate comments about Ethier that could have ended his career, but Ned Colletti didn't listen to Little. The Dodgers and Ethier should have admitted that Ethier had a shoulder injury and put him on the disabled list. If they had done that, Ethier might have been able to return for the playoffs.
After the 2006 season, the Dodgers suffered a shock. J.D. Drew, the team's offensive leader and good defensive right fielder, chose to leave the Dodgers for a more lucrative contract. Colletti didn't want to re-sign their center fielder, Kenny Lofton, whose range had diminished. Although the Dodgers had two young promising outfielders in Ethier and Matt Kemp who could have handled the absence of Drew, Colletti didn't trust the kids. The signing of Juan Pierre has benefited the Dodgers then and now. The signing of Luis Gonzalez just blocked the advancement of Kemp and Ethier.
Both Ethier and Kemp had an excellent Spring Training in 2007. With the new Dodger outfielders, there was no room for both Kemp and Ethier. Little decided to platoon Ethier and Kemp in right field. Earlier comments from Little indicated that he didn't have confidence in Ethier, so Kemp received most of the playing time in right field until he injured his shoulder.
In June, with the Dodgers leading the National League National League West, Colletti knew the Dodgers couldn't continue leading without more offense. He didn't see anyone that he wanted to trade for, so he wanted to play the youth. With two weak arms in the outfield, the opposition was running. Ethier had good offense in 2007, and he didn't anger the veterans. Ethier's strong arm slowed the opposition's running game.
Before the 2008 season, everyone knew that the Dodgers needed power, and everyone wanted Colletti to sign a proven power hitter. In that off-season, the power hitters available were outfielders. Colletti signed Andruw Jones to a two-year contract causing Ethier and Kemp to worry about their position.
When the 2008 Spring Training began, Ethier, along with other Dodgers, didn't know what to expect from Joe Torre. Everyone knew Torre was a successful manager with the New York Yankees, but he had gone on the record that he preferred to play experienced players. Since the Dodgers had Jones and Pierre, most people figured Ethier and Kemp would platoon in right field. Both had amazing Spring Trainings. Ethier led the Major Leagues in homers during Spring Training. Both Ethier and Kemp earned starting jobs.
Ethier had a satisfactory first half but nothing spectacular. When Manny Ramirez became a Dodger, Ethier exploded offensively. Unlike some players, Ethier attributed his new-found offensive performance skills to being able to hit in front of Ramirez. At the conclusion of the 2008 season, Ethier had the best Dodger batting average and led the team in home runs with 20.
During this year's Spring Training Ethier struggled and was frustrated by his lack of results. Torre had to reassure Ethier that he had an everyday outfield job regardless of what he did in Spring Training. When the regular season began, Ethier was ready to drive in runs. In the first month of the season, Ethier was the best Dodgers hitter. It seemed that when the Dodgers needed a hit, Ethier delivered. The second week of the season Ethier was the National League's Player of the Week. It looked like Ethier was going to his first All-Star Game.
Then, Ramirez was suspended for 50 games. I felt Ethier lost confidence in his ability, so he began to be challenged with every pitch. Instead of being a run-producer, Ethier was an automatic out. In May, he hit .211, and his defense suffered. No way, I thought, did he deserve to go to the All-Star Game.
Something happened in June, though. Ethier started to look like himself. During the last homestand, Ethier had two game-winning hits in the final inning. He displayed power with five homers. To me, Ethier has forgotten how Ramirez helped him to get better pitches to hit and is beginning to believe in his own ability. Everyone agrees Ethier is a pure hitter. If Ethier realizes how good he can be and believes in his ability, he will be a baseball superstar.
Sarah D. Morris is the editor of
Sarah's Dodger Place. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
[h3]Inbox: Keys to the Dodgers' success[/h3]Beat reporter Ken Gurnick answers fans' questions
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com
06/15/09 4:19 PM ET
What are the biggest reasons for the Dodgers' success this year and what are the biggest disappointments they've had to overcome?
-- Michael A., Las Vegas
The positives: Orlando Hudson's remarkable comeback from wrist surgery, Juan Pierre turning into supersub, Chad Billingsley's continued evolution into staff ace, Jonathan Broxton silencing doubters that he could close, Ramon Troncoso's emergence as a reliable setup man, a balanced offense and a much improved bench. On the downside, they've overcome the 50-game loss of Manny Ramirez, the continued deterioration of Russell Martin's offense, Rafael Furcal's inability to regain his pre-surgery form, two months without Opening Day starter Hiroki Kuroda and the loss of setup man Hong-Chih Kuo.
Now that Pierre has produced in such a big way, what do you think the Dodgers will do with the four outfielders when Manny comes back? Are they looking to trade one of them for a starting pitcher at the Trade Deadline?
-- Vince H., Santa Barbara, Calif.
I think Joe Torre will do exactly what he said he'll do -- play all four of them. If Ramirez's suspension proved anything, it's that the Dodgers need Pierre. Trade an outfielder for a starting pitcher? The Dodgers don't need a starting pitcher badly enough to trade Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier to get one. If they deal for a pitcher at the Trade Deadline, they'll probably do it with prospects and young Major Leaguers, as they did last summer to get Ramirez and Casey Blake.
Is Clayton Kershaw another over-hyped Dodgers prospect?
-- Greg G., Studio City, Calif.
He's only 21 years old. Seven of the pitchers drafted in the first round of last week's Draft are already older than Kershaw. Kershaw has 171 2/3 Major League innings and he's still younger than Chad Billingsley was when he made his Major League debut. That was in 2006 and now, three years later, Billingsley has become one of the best starting pitchers in the league. If Kershaw stays healthy, he'll probably become the left-handed equivalent of Billingsley. But probably not at age 21. He's still learning, while being counted on by a first-place club. Four starts back he had a no-hitter through seven innings. Three starts before that he had a shutout through seven innings. In seven of his 12 starts, he's allowed fewer than three earned runs. If he can do that at his young age, imagine how good he might get.
Can you list the best acquisitions, worst acquisitions and the key players lost since Ned Colletti took over as general manager?
-- Jack L., Albany, Calif.
Best acquisitions: Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier, Takashi Saito, Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal, Orlando Hudson, Juan Pierre, Hiroki Kuroda, Greg Maddux, Randy Wolf and Chan Ho Park.
Worst acquisitions: Jason Schmidt, Andruw Jones, Brett Tomko, Bill Mueller, Julio Lugo, Jae Seo, Esteban Loaiza, Danny Baez, Gary Bennett and Will Ohman (so far).
Biggest getaways: Derek Lowe, Jason Werth, Dioner Navarro, Edwin Jackson, Cody Ross, Willy Aybar, Carlos Santana (potentially) and Duaner Sanchez.
What does it mean when a team purchases the contract of a Minor League player?
-- Nate S., New Milford, Conn.
Back in the day before affiliations, independently owned Minor League teams employed (controlled) the players and when a MLB team wanted that player, it literally "purchased" his contract for a fee. The term is still used, but now the organizations already employ (control) the Minor League players, loan them to the Minor League team, and "purchasing" is just the "old-school" term meaning he's been added to the 40-man Major League roster, because the Major League club already controls his contract.
