Dodgers Dugout: Who is the only Dodgers hitter to get an ‘A’ in the mid-season report card?

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I am wondering just when the Dodgers will get to host another All-Star game.

Making the grade

The All-Star game is today, which means it’s time for our annual midseason report card.

Today, I will focus on batters.

On Thursday, pitchers will be graded.

On Friday, I will grade all the transactions Andrew Friedman has made since joining the Dodgers. I did this once before, and based on new information, some of those trades will get new grades.

But first, the players (I am including their slash line stats along with their OPS+ and WAR):

Catchers

Yasmani Grandal (.212/.323/.434/104 OPS+/1.4 WAR)

Grandal’s bat began to wake up before the break. He is one of those guys you would think is a bad hitter if you just looked at his average, but he draws a lot of walks and has good power. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he is Mike Piazza, but he does contribute both at and behind the plate, and he throws out 30% of runners trying to steal. Grade: C

A.J. Ellis (.195/.298/.257/54/0.3)

Ellis’ offense has cratered, but he is still good defensively, throwing out 38% of runners trying to steal (fifth among catchers with at least 30 games played). Grade: D

Infielders

Adrian Gonzalez (.291/.370/.412/114/0.6)

Gonzalez rebounded from his slump and hit almost like his old self the last couple of weeks. However, his power has mysteriously disappeared. But he’s still the last person an opponent wants up with a runner in scoring position. Grade: B

Chase Utley (.263/.346/.377/98/1.5)

Started the season off strong before slumping, but he has already given the Dodgers more than I expected and gives them a hard-nosed player the likes of which they haven’t had for a while. Grade: B

Corey Seager (.297/.357/.521/136/3.7)

The team’s MVP among batters, Seager leads the team in homers, runs scored, batting average and slugging. He also is better than advertised defensively. You just have to hope the Home Run Derby doesn’t hurt him in the second half. Grade: A

Justin Turner (.256/.331/.445/110/2.3)

Another player who has rallied from a horrendous start. Turner had rediscovered his home run swing and will be a key to the Dodgers’ playoff chances in the second half. Grade: B

Outfielders

Howie Kendrick (.254/.311/.359/82/0.2)

Utley’s start has made up for the poor start of Kendrick, who seemed to be thrown off by having to play three positions. He still looks uncomfortable in left field, but he is hitting .318 and slugging .506 in his last 26 games. Grade: C-

Joc Pederson (.236/.328/.476/116/1.3)

Pederson is what he is, a low-average hitter with decent power who draws walks and strikes out a lot. Over half his hits this season have been for extra bases. Grade: C

Yasiel Puig (.256/.319/.386/91/0.7)

Puig has hit better since coming off the disabled list, but he still creates too many outs on the bases and seems to think a cutoff guy is there to admire his throws as the ball soars over his head. He is the most exciting player to watch on the team, but that doesn’t make him a great player. Grade: C-

Trayce Thompson (.225/.302/.436/98/0.6)

The league figured him out in a hurry, as Thompson is hitting .157 with three homers in his last 26 games. Thompson’s upside was always thought to be “fourth outfielder” and he is proving that to be the case. Grade: C

Kiké Hernandez (.189/.280/.346/70/0.1)

It has been a tough season for the fan favorite, who is on the disabled list. Hernandez seems lost at the plate, and if he doesn’t figure it out after he gets back, then he will join the Chad Fonville club of players whom fans loved but didn’t last long. Grade: D-

Didn’t play enough to get a fair grade:

Charlie Culberson, Austin Barnes, Will Venable, Chris Taylor, Andrew Toles, Micah Johnson.

What’s going on?

Broadcasting a baseball game is a lot more difficult than it seems, but I just have to point out one thing about Charley Steiner: If you turn on the radio in the middle of a game he is calling, you are going to have to wait a long time to find out what the score is and what inning the game is in.

The other day I turned on the radio and he was paired with Rick Monday. They were chatting with each other, getting in the balls and strikes between their conversation. Ten minutes went by, and I had no idea what was going on in the game at all. Then, the final out was made and I’m thinking “Great, now I will find out who’s winning.” Instead, Steiner says “And we go to the sixth inning with the score 4-3.”

It would have been nice to know who had four, and who had three.

Stays the same

So, after all the gnashing of teeth by some Dodgers fans over the loss of Zack Greinke (a loss I had no problem with), the Dodgers enter the All-Star break 51-40 and on a pace for 91 wins. After 91 games last season, the Dodgers were: 51-40. The people who wrote me that the Dodgers would finish in last place without him have stopped writing me all of a sudden. It’s just more proof that, for the most part, signing or losing a big free agent has a negligible effect on a team.

Special All-Star note

I watched the Home Run Derby Monday. Could someone please tell Chris Berman that his “back-back-back” shtick got old a long time ago.

The magic number

Each week I will look at a uniform number a current Dodger is wearing and go through the history of that number with the Dodgers. When I was a kid and went to games, I was always curious who wore the number of my favorite players. Then again, I was a strange kid. For “best Dodgers to wear the number,” only the stats a player compiles while he was with the team and wearing that number count.

Next up is:

No. 29 (Scott Kazmir)

Best Dodgers to wear No. 29: Carl Furillo (1946), Tim Wallach (1994-96), Adrian Beltre (1998-2004).

Others to wear No. 29 with the Dodgers: Art Herring (1934), Harvey Green (1935), Harry Eisenstat (1936), Tom Winsett (1937-38), Mel Almada (1939), Jimmy Wasdell (1940-41), Ed Albosta (1941), Clyde King (1945), Hank Behrman (1946-48), Gene Mauch (1948), Tommy Holmes (1952), Don Thompson (1951-54), Tommy Lasorda (1954), Ralph Mauriello (1958), Jim Baxes (1959), Chuck Essegian (1959-60), Nate Oliver (1963-66), Jack Jenkins (1969), Jose Pena (1971-72), Greg Heydeman (1973), Mike Garman (1977-78), Gerald E. Hannahs (1978-79), Don Stanhouse (1980), Ralph Bryant (1985), Alex Trevino (1986-87), Ricky Horton (1988-89), Lenny Harris (1989-93), Milt Thompson (1996), Eric Anthony (1997), James Loney (2006), Jason Schmidt (2007-09), Ted Lilly (2010-13).

What Vin Scully means to me

I asked you to tell me your best Vin Scully memory, and I got a lot of responses. I will publish selected ones in each newsletter. And keep emailing them to me.

Marcos Lopez: My dad taught me how to hit, catch and throw and to listen to Vin Scully. I remember one day as a young boy walking in the den and my dad was watching the Dodger game. He was on the couch with the TV volume off and he was listening to a transistor radio sitting behind his head. I said to him “The TV has sound why not listen to that?” His response was that Vin Scully describes it all so much better.

At first I was dismayed. Then I actually paid attention and was my dad ever right. From that point on I did the same. I also learned from my dad to take a radio with me when we would go to the stadium so I could hear Mr. Scully tell his wonderful stories and describe the game like no one has or will ever do again.

I have been fortunate enough to have a son who loves baseball as much as my father and I do and has had the opportunity to listen to and appreciate the voice of the Dodgers. I would like to thank Mr. Vin Scully for the lifetime of stats, descriptions, history lessons and stories he has given all of us Dodger and baseball fans. Thank you Vin from the bottom of our Dodger blue hearts.

The TV situation

If you would like to complain about the Dodgers’ TV situation, you have three options: The Dodgers, Time Warner Cable and whatever local cable or satellite provider you have that doesn’t carry the Dodgers. Here’s who to contact:

For the Dodgers, click here or call (866) DODGERS ([866] 363-4377). (I hope you like form letters).

For Time Warner, click here.

For DirecTV, call (800) 531-5000 or click here.

For your local cable or satellite provider, consult your bill for the customer service number and for the website.

And finally

Bill Plaschke tells you why the Dodgers need to trade for a quality starting pitcher. Read all about it here.

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me and follow me on Twitter: @latimeshouston