Rams Fans United - Los Angeles Rams Fan Discussion Forum

.....is there any baseball fan out there who hasn't seen Aaron Judge and come away extremely impressed? Sure some are waiting (maybe even hoping) the bottom falls out. But while it's not yet happened, it's been a lot of fun to watch. The improvements he's made from his short stint last year (27 GP, 84 AB, .179, 4 HR, 10 Rbi, 42 K, 9 BB) to this season have been nothing short of amazing. ESPN David Schoenfield gives his take on the improvements and what might happen going forward. It's impressive. But the humility he displays makes it even more impressive and draws comparisons to another humble retired Yankee star. We'll see.

What is lost with the Judge-mania is Gary Sanchez and what he did last year. It's practically forgotten. In 53 games he hit .299 with 20 homers, 42 rbi and a 1.033 OPS. Over, right? He only has 10 homers this season. But he started slow and missed 21 games from April 9th to May 4th. Since his return, he's played 30 games hitting .298 with 9 homers and 26 rbi. He's got a .370 OB% and is slugging .570 for an OPS of .920. Not Judge-like but damn good. Especially for a catcher. Sure he was on pace for 60+ homers last year and though everybody knew that was unrealistic, he's on pace for 37 this year. Not too shabby.

The arrow is pointing up for the NY Yankees thanks to these two, Luis Severino (5-2, 2.75, 10+ Ks/9 and the highest average fastball velocity in MLB) and rookie Jordan Montgomery (4-4, 3.55). Betances has been lights out in Chapmans absence, who is set to rejoin the team next weekend in Oakland. And if Greg Bird's ankle is healed and he gets back to form this team could make a serious run. The unsung hero could be Aaron Hicks, flying way under the radar with a .317 average, 10 homers, 36 rbi and a 1.013 OPS. He should stay in centerfield when Ellsbury returns, IMHO.

CC is 7-2. Pineda is 7-3. The only question in the rotation is Tanaka and most believe he'll get back on track.

So far, it's been a good year for Yankee fans and it may be a very bad year for Yankee haters.

Judge is some kind of hitter. Big, strong enough to hit HR's to the opposite field regularly. 23 HR's and 52 RBI's in 233 at bats. Not to mention a .335 batting average. Definitely MVP worthy so far. He's still got plenty of years left at 25 years old.

The Dodgers have their own phenom. Cody Bellinger hit 19 HR's and 43 RBI's in 183 at bats. 50 less than Judge. I'd say that projects out pretty close. And he's only 21 years old. Both kids have bright futures. But Judge is very imposing with that size and strength. Pitch him inside and it goes over the left field fence. Pitch him outside and it goes over the right field fence.

snackdaddy wrote:The Dodgers have their own phenom. Cody Bellinger hit 19 HR's and 43 RBI's in 183 at bats. 50 less than Judge. I'd say that projects out pretty close. And he's only 21 years old. Both kids have bright futures. But Judge is very imposing with that size and strength. Pitch him inside and it goes over the left field fence. Pitch him outside and it goes over the right field fence.

I have seen very few Dodger games and I'm sure even fewer since Bellinger came up. But I've seen some highlights. He looks like the real deal. I don't know for sure but the Dodgers used to have the market cornered on ROY's. Having said that, isn't it about time for ANOTHER Dodgers-Yankees World Series? It's been 36 years since that historical rivalry met up in the WS, after meeting at least once in every decade from the 40's through the 80's.

I always loved seeing the old footage.....Berra/Campanella, Mantle/Snider, Henrich/Furillo, Reese/Rizutto, Martin/Robinson, Ford/Podres etc. and then later watching Munson, Pinella, Reggie, Nettles vs. Garvey, Cey, Smith, Russell. What made it especially enteraining for me was Lasorda being miked up in the 77 and 78 Series. Lasorda: "Brian Ruth Doyle" (on his way to the mound) after the no name 2nd baseman had yet another hit and rbi in place of the injured Willie Randolph and when Reggie stuck out his hip on a heady play by Russell, causing Lasorda to go ballistic (and rightfully so) on the umpires.

Boy, the good ole days. Baseball was just a bit more special when that rivalry was in full effect. I remember Guidry pitching a helluva game in LA (1981) with the series tied at 2 only to lose 2-1 after giving up solo homers to Guerraro and Yeager. Or when Bob Lemon pinch hit for Tommy John in the 4th inning of a 1-1 game 6 (before the DH was allowed in the WS) when TJ seemingly had the Dodgers under control. Up to that point, he had pitched 11 innings, allowing 9 hits and 1 run. Like I said, it's time for another LAD/NYY World Series.

PARAM wrote:I have seen very few Dodger games and I'm sure even fewer since Bellinger came up. But I've seen some highlights. He looks like the real deal. I don't know for sure but the Dodgers used to have the market cornered on ROY's. Having said that, isn't it about time for ANOTHER Dodgers-Yankees World Series? It's been 36 years since that historical rivalry met up in the WS, after meeting at least once in every decade from the 40's through the 80's.

I always loved seeing the old footage.....Berra/Campanella, Mantle/Snider, Henrich/Furillo, Reese/Rizutto, Martin/Robinson, Ford/Podres etc. and then later watching Munson, Pinella, Reggie, Nettles vs. Garvey, Cey, Smith, Russell. What made it especially enteraining for me was Lasorda being miked up in the 77 and 78 Series. Lasorda: "Brian Ruth Doyle" (on his way to the mound) after the no name 2nd baseman had yet another hit and rbi in place of the injured Willie Randolph and when Reggie stuck out his hip on a heady play by Russell, causing Lasorda to go ballistic (and rightfully so) on the umpires.

Boy, the good ole days. Baseball was just a bit more special when that rivalry was in full effect. I remember Guidry pitching a helluva game in LA (1981) with the series tied at 2 only to lose 2-1 after giving up solo homers to Guerraro and Yeager. Or when Bob Lemon pinch hit for Tommy John in the 4th inning of a 1-1 game 6 (before the DH was allowed in the WS) when TJ seemingly had the Dodgers under control. Up to that point, he had pitched 11 innings, allowing 9 hits and 1 run. Like I said, it's time for another LAD/NYY World Series.

Yeah, I remember those series in the 70's and 1981. 3 out of 5 years the Dodgers/Yankees met in the World Series. Yanks won the first two and Dodgers the last one. I still remember Greg Nettles robbing hitters of extra bases at 3rd. And who the heck was Bucky Dent? You expect Reggie to get his, but Dent?

I also remember game 1 in 1981. Rookie Fernando Valenzuela was off his game but battled through it and still won. He showed his mettle that game. Didn't have his best stuff but continued to tough it out.

Yup, a Dodgers/Yankees World Series would be good for baseball. renewing the old rivalry. Plenty of story lines.

But you guys gotta get through teams like the Astros. Red Sox are always tough. Dodgers gotta get by the Nationals. Cubs will likely be in there too.

Dodgers have some good hitters but in the playoffs you gotta have the pitching. I fear they only have one ace and the rest are iffy. Right now Alex Wood is 8-0 and actually has better ERA numbers than Kershaw but he hasn't shown he can sustain it in the past. Will he be as good as he looks now come playoff time? I don't know.

Oh hell yes, there's a looooong way to go!!!

We have to win our division and that is going to take a monumental effort. Then, if we do that, we probably have to get through teams like the Red Sox, the Indians and the Astros. No small feat. But we weren't even supposed to be where we are right now. 70+ games in, expectations have risen significantly. They (the youngsters) are growing at a rate much faster than believed possible and so they are now expected to produce. Judge, Sanchez, Gregorius, Hicks, Castro, Severino, Montgomery are excelling quite well. Bird has to get healthy and there's a chance (no pun intended) Chance Adams makes it to the big club in the second half. We're deep. I like our chances against anybody.