Ned Colletti is Not the Genius

Earlier today, MLBnewsonline joked that there was no way in hell Ned Colletti had anything to do with the Manny Ramirez trade. Bob Nightengale confirmed this on KLAC radio, saying that it was instead Frank McCourt who made the phone calls.

Nightengale said the teams had agreed on Andy LaRoche, but that the Pirates were insisting on Bryan Morris or Chin-Lung Hu. Ultimately, McCourt made the decision to include Morris, and the deal got done. Ned Colletti can probably start looking for a new job (not as a GM).

Not Hitting Your Weight Is Embarrassing

A general rule in baseball is you better be able to hit your weight or you are really pathetic. It is not that difficult since this usually only requires hitting about .230.  Players are usually sent tot he minors before their batting average gets a chance to descend that far, so this rare achievement truly deserves praise and admiration.

Mariners fans have grown accustomed to Richie Sexson (240 pounds, .216 average) achieving this rare phenomenon and Dodgers fans pretty much expected Andruw Jones (240 pounds last time anyone checked, .165 average) to be awful.  (note:  Chin-Lung Hu can probably be included in this category but he will be spared the humiliation of publication of either his weight or batting average).  

But nobody really expected this from Ryan Howard.  Howard is a big guy, weighing 256 pounds, so if he were hitting .240 nobody would care.  However, his .208 batting average is embarrassing no matter how you look at it.  Howard is a career .280 hitter and has made serious runs for the MVP award the last two years, so this is surprising and a huge concern to the Phillies. 

Dodgers Add Angel Berroa, Call Up Andy LaRoche

Impatient with infielder Chin-Lung Hu’s .159 batting average, and surely confused at times by what appeared to be a 13-year-old boy from Taiwan playing shortstop, General Manager Ned Colletti finally addressed the shortstop position Friday.

The Dodgers acquired former competent shortstop Angel Berroa, who failed to make the Kansas City Royals out of spring training and was demoted to the minors.

Berroa captured the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2003, but has since struggled. Before the trade, he was hitting .291 with 10 home runs in 189 at bats at Triple A Omaha (whoopdeedoo!). The first place Diamondbacks are no doubt shaking in their boots.

All that said, this is not a bad trade for the Dodgers. When starting shortstop Rafael Furcal returns from injury, Berroa will assume a utility role and strengthen the Dodgers bench. Until then, the Dodgers are not likely to get much offensive production out of the shortstop position.

Management had planned to ensure that Berroa could handle the starting shortstop job before demoting Hu to Triple A Las Vegas. One would think that Colletti would have at least liked to see Berroa get on base before he made any decisions, but not striking out in every at-bat sufficed, as the Dodgers demoted Hu on Monday after Berroa went 0-3 Sunday with two strikeouts.

The good news for Dodger fans is that rookie infielder Andy LaRoche is taking Hu’s roster spot. LaRoche is a highly regarded prospect, rated by Baseball America as the second best player in the Dodgers system, behind phenom starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

Although fellow rookie Blake Dewitt has a firm grasp on the third base job for the time being, LaRoche has been playing a lot of second base at Triple A Las Vegas, and has played first base and outfield in the past.

With first baseman James Loney’s recent slump, 40-year-old second baseman Jeff Kent’s age, Dewitt’s youth, and outfielder Matt Kemp’s looming suspension, LaRoche should be seeing some playing time, especially against lefties. He also becomes the Dodger’s primary right-handed pinch hitter. Whatever his role, LaRoche is hopefully in Los Angeles to stay.

UPDATE: LaRoche started at first tonight and homered off Randy Wolf in his second plate appearance since being recalled.

Dodgers Dangling Chin-Lung Hu as Trade Bait

Dodgers prospect Chin-Lung Hu -- an acrobatic defender hitting in the .350 range with moderate power in two minor league stops this season -- is among the ballyhooed farm system stars the team would be willing to deal for the right price, according to scuttlebutt around the league.

Hu -- who plays shortstop for Triple A Las Vegas -- would not come cheaply as he projects as a potential long-term replacement for aging veteran Jeff Kent.

The Dodgers could use a backup closer, or a starter. Look for general manager Ned Colletti to run up his long-distance phone bill discussing the possibility of reacquiring fan favorite Eric Gagne from the Rangers.

Other possibilities would include the Nationals Chad Cordero, the Astros Chad Qualls or Dan Wheeler. The Astros have recently been seen as having withdrawn Brad Lidge from consideration.