"Getting Some Mookie" - The 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers Season Thread
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‘I feel good’: Austin Barnes is back to playing instinctual, better baseball
By Pedro Moura Aug 20, 2020 4
In Tuesday’s fifth inning, Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes sensed that Tony Gonsolin could wield an unusual weapon to finish off the Mariners. Gonsolin’s out pitch is usually his split-change, but, earlier that scorching afternoon, Barnes realized it was not eliciting the customary swings and misses.
So Barnes called for a fastball to start off Seattle’s Shed Long Jr. and aligned his glove with the lower outside edge of the plate. Gonsolin missed a bit up and over the middle, but at 96.1 mph, Long could not catch up.
Barnes took note and called for the same pitch. Gonsolin missed to about the same spot, this time at 97.7 mph. Again, Long swung and missed. Barnes called a third time for the same pitch, and Gonsolin missed a third time, higher and still over the middle. But the pitch traveled at 98 mph, the hardest Gonsolin has thrown in the major leagues, punctuated with a hop. Long struck out swinging.
“He knew it was coming, and he just let him have it,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said. “That’s when it’s awesome.”
Barnes’ real-time adjustments produced the sequence. In seasons past, Prior said, such a decision would have been informed by video analysis conducted in between innings. This season, players and coaches cannot access in-game video.
“Those are the adjustments that we need to see out of our battery,” Prior said. “It’s great if we see it from the dugout, but it’s way better if they see it in the moment because then they can make those adjustments a lot quicker than we can.”
That afternoon, Prior saw it all happen, cued by Barnes.
“I think it was just Austin being like, ‘Wow, that was different,’” he said. “And then, all of the sudden, they just were synced up.”
In recent weeks, Barnes has shined by playing instinctual baseball — on defense, at the plate and even on the basepaths. He scored the winning run in that game, in part by stealing second base when the Mariners made a curious decision to play behind him.
The shift in approach has lifted his statistics. Barnes arose on August 11 hitting .091 with a .258 OPS. He finished Thursday’s 6-1 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park owning a .308 average and .746 OPS. He hit eighth as he aided Clayton Kershaw through Seattle’s lineup; the last time he had not been the last position player in the Dodgers’ lineup was May 3, 2019. While Will Smith is out with a sore neck, Barnes has become the club’s primary catcher.
Elite instincts were part of Barnes’ game as he rose through the minors and into 2017, his breakout big-league season, when he hit .289 and logged an .895 OPS. As he struggled through a .204 average and .627 OPS the next two seasons, it seems he lost some of his ease.
Mookie Betts might have triggered his return to form, although every party has been vague about the details involved. This much seems clear: Betts noticed some fixable elements of Barnes’ swing in games. He then watched Barnes hit in the cage and broached those elements. The two worked together, and Barnes is better for it.
”He just thought he could help, and he really has,” Barnes said of Betts. “I feel good mentally now, I feel free mentally and I was a little cloudy before. It’s hard to hit like that.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Barnes’ play suffered because he was searching too much to recapture his past success.
“I think the cloud comes from performance, chasing numbers,” Roberts said. “I think the cloud comes from thinking mechanics when you’re in the box, and not just focusing on seeing the baseball. Those are things that happen when you do struggle and when you’re trying to find who you are again.”
A solution might have been created outside of his control. Barnes, and all major leaguers, can no longer refer to video in between at-bats because of restrictions baseball put into place after the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
Barnes must let his instincts take over, like he did this week with Gonsolin’s fastball. Much has been made about how hitters have been affected by the absence of video. Less has been made about its impact on catchers and pitchers.
“We’re flying blind a little bit there, too, and really trusting our catchers and what the feel of the pitcher is,” Prior said. “I don’t want to say it’s old-school, but there is a little bit of read and react. If something is not working, try to figure out why it’s not working so we can make an adjustment.”
The same goes for hitting, even if it’s Betts doing the reading.
By Pedro Moura Aug 20, 2020 4
In Tuesday’s fifth inning, Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes sensed that Tony Gonsolin could wield an unusual weapon to finish off the Mariners. Gonsolin’s out pitch is usually his split-change, but, earlier that scorching afternoon, Barnes realized it was not eliciting the customary swings and misses.
So Barnes called for a fastball to start off Seattle’s Shed Long Jr. and aligned his glove with the lower outside edge of the plate. Gonsolin missed a bit up and over the middle, but at 96.1 mph, Long could not catch up.
Barnes took note and called for the same pitch. Gonsolin missed to about the same spot, this time at 97.7 mph. Again, Long swung and missed. Barnes called a third time for the same pitch, and Gonsolin missed a third time, higher and still over the middle. But the pitch traveled at 98 mph, the hardest Gonsolin has thrown in the major leagues, punctuated with a hop. Long struck out swinging.
“He knew it was coming, and he just let him have it,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said. “That’s when it’s awesome.”
Barnes’ real-time adjustments produced the sequence. In seasons past, Prior said, such a decision would have been informed by video analysis conducted in between innings. This season, players and coaches cannot access in-game video.
“Those are the adjustments that we need to see out of our battery,” Prior said. “It’s great if we see it from the dugout, but it’s way better if they see it in the moment because then they can make those adjustments a lot quicker than we can.”
That afternoon, Prior saw it all happen, cued by Barnes.
“I think it was just Austin being like, ‘Wow, that was different,’” he said. “And then, all of the sudden, they just were synced up.”
In recent weeks, Barnes has shined by playing instinctual baseball — on defense, at the plate and even on the basepaths. He scored the winning run in that game, in part by stealing second base when the Mariners made a curious decision to play behind him.
The shift in approach has lifted his statistics. Barnes arose on August 11 hitting .091 with a .258 OPS. He finished Thursday’s 6-1 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park owning a .308 average and .746 OPS. He hit eighth as he aided Clayton Kershaw through Seattle’s lineup; the last time he had not been the last position player in the Dodgers’ lineup was May 3, 2019. While Will Smith is out with a sore neck, Barnes has become the club’s primary catcher.
Elite instincts were part of Barnes’ game as he rose through the minors and into 2017, his breakout big-league season, when he hit .289 and logged an .895 OPS. As he struggled through a .204 average and .627 OPS the next two seasons, it seems he lost some of his ease.
Mookie Betts might have triggered his return to form, although every party has been vague about the details involved. This much seems clear: Betts noticed some fixable elements of Barnes’ swing in games. He then watched Barnes hit in the cage and broached those elements. The two worked together, and Barnes is better for it.
”He just thought he could help, and he really has,” Barnes said of Betts. “I feel good mentally now, I feel free mentally and I was a little cloudy before. It’s hard to hit like that.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Barnes’ play suffered because he was searching too much to recapture his past success.
“I think the cloud comes from performance, chasing numbers,” Roberts said. “I think the cloud comes from thinking mechanics when you’re in the box, and not just focusing on seeing the baseball. Those are things that happen when you do struggle and when you’re trying to find who you are again.”
A solution might have been created outside of his control. Barnes, and all major leaguers, can no longer refer to video in between at-bats because of restrictions baseball put into place after the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
Barnes must let his instincts take over, like he did this week with Gonsolin’s fastball. Much has been made about how hitters have been affected by the absence of video. Less has been made about its impact on catchers and pitchers.
“We’re flying blind a little bit there, too, and really trusting our catchers and what the feel of the pitcher is,” Prior said. “I don’t want to say it’s old-school, but there is a little bit of read and react. If something is not working, try to figure out why it’s not working so we can make an adjustment.”
The same goes for hitting, even if it’s Betts doing the reading.
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I know he was expensive but Mookie Betts, if he stays healthy will be the best addition the Dodgers have made in years. He was exactly what this team needed. He isn't Machado, Harper or Rendon. That said, he fits this team better than any of those guys do because he is kind of an enigma in that he can play flashy, loves the big stage and doesn't shy from it(Like Rendon did with going to the Angels) but he also is a pure baseball player that understands the game and the finer aspects of it.
Guys feed off Betts. Other players don't feed off Machado and Harper and Rendon doesn't want the spotlight on him. Rendon has done next to nothing to elevate the Angels.
Guys feed off Betts. Other players don't feed off Machado and Harper and Rendon doesn't want the spotlight on him. Rendon has done next to nothing to elevate the Angels.
Can someone explain the logic of the infield fly rule to me? It's to prevent a team from purposely dropping a ball so they can get the lead runner out, right? If a team botches an infield pop (like Colorado did tonight) why aren't all the runners considered safe and get to advance to the next base? It just seems wrong that a team can make such a boneheaded error and not experience any negative impact from it.
Instead of the runner being "automatically out", why doesn't the rule state that "when the infield fly rule is called, if the ball touches the ground all runners are considered safe and can advance to the next base"?
Instead of the runner being "automatically out", why doesn't the rule state that "when the infield fly rule is called, if the ball touches the ground all runners are considered safe and can advance to the next base"?
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Infield fly rule applies when hitting team has runners on at least 1st & 2nd, with less than two outs. It is called (by umpire raising hand towards the ball while in air) when a batted ball is deemed catchable by infielder with regular effort (not called when infielder is required to turn his back on home plate, for instance... not considered regular effort). The REASON for the rule is a gamesmanship issue to prevent a ball from being intentionally dropped so that (presumably) the defensive team could easily turn a double play (or as you suggested, easily get a lead runner). I think it’s a good rule. Sportsmanship. Otherwise, it’s like allowing a team to shoot fish in a barrel...
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Doesn't matter. It can be first and second or first, second, and third. The rule is to prevent an infielder from intentionally letting a pop up drop and getting a double play.
Say it's first and second one out. Pop up to the third baseman near the bag. In the umpire's judgment it is a routine play. With no infield fly rule in the rule book, he lets it drop, grabs it on the hop, steps on third, throws to second for a double play. To prevent this, the rule says the batter is automatically out and runners "advance at their own risk". OWN RISK. Just stay on the base when the ump calls infield fly rule and you're not in jeopardy.
Say it's first and second one out. Pop up to the third baseman near the bag. In the umpire's judgment it is a routine play. With no infield fly rule in the rule book, he lets it drop, grabs it on the hop, steps on third, throws to second for a double play. To prevent this, the rule says the batter is automatically out and runners "advance at their own risk". OWN RISK. Just stay on the base when the ump calls infield fly rule and you're not in jeopardy.
I believe it was 1st and 2nd. Someone popped up right in front of the mound. Infield fly was called and then Arenado and the catcher got crossed up and the ball dropped untouched.... but the runner was still out and the runners stayed where they were. At that point I realized the rule, as written, means that once the rule is called by the ump the defensive team is completely relieved of any responsibility to execute the play. They can completely screw it up, penalty free.
If the ball is deemed "catchable by infielder with regular effort", then the ASSUMPTION should be a catch. If the rule was re-written to add "if the ball is NOT caught, it will be considered an error and all runners shall advance one base". wouldn't that make more sense?
An error should cost your team, am I wrong?
If the ball is deemed "catchable by infielder with regular effort", then the ASSUMPTION should be a catch. If the rule was re-written to add "if the ball is NOT caught, it will be considered an error and all runners shall advance one base". wouldn't that make more sense?
An error should cost your team, am I wrong?
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The popup in question was from Friday's game, bottom of the 4th inning.
Beaty was on 2nd, Taylor was on First.
Joc Pederson popped up in front of the mound and nobody caught it. A clear "error" on the defense's part, but it didn't matter.
Direct link doesn't work. You can "watch archive" from the scores page. I don't know if MLB allows archived games to be watched by all or if you have to be a subscriber. It occurred at 1:16:11 into the game.
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/scores/2020-08-21
Beaty was on 2nd, Taylor was on First.
Joc Pederson popped up in front of the mound and nobody caught it. A clear "error" on the defense's part, but it didn't matter.
Direct link doesn't work. You can "watch archive" from the scores page. I don't know if MLB allows archived games to be watched by all or if you have to be a subscriber. It occurred at 1:16:11 into the game.
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/scores/2020-08-21
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