Dodgers Dugout: Looking at Mr. Inconsistent, Alex Vesia

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Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and the Padres are coming to town this weekend.

The social media posts began soon after Alex Vesia gave up a key home run in the Dodgers’ 3-2 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday: When will the Dodgers do something about Vesia? One fan even wished Vesia all the best on whatever team he ends up with next.

And judging by emails from readers, Vesia has been an unhappy focal point for Dodgers fans. But is that fair?

Let’s take a look at the left-hander.

Alexander Victor Veisa, 27, was born in Alpine, Calif., and was taken in the 17th round of the 2018 MLB draft by the Miami Marlins. He rocketed through the minors, with a 1.77 ERA in 74 games and made his major league debut with Miami in 2020. In five games, he had an 18.69 ERA, so it wasn’t a great debut.

He was traded to the Dodgers along with Kyle Hurt on Feb. 12, 2021 for reliever Dylan Floro. Hurt is a top prospect for the Dodgers, while Floro is now with Washington.

In 2021-22, Vesia was outstanding, going 8-1 with a 2.19 ERA in 94.1 innings, striking out 133. He held lefties to a .123 batting average (8 for 65) in 2021 and .130 (9 for 69) in 2022.

Last season, the wheels began to wobble. Lefties hit .279 off him (24 for 86), worse than right-handed hitters (.250). However, only five of 23 inherited runners scored and he had 10 holds. He pitched in 56 games and did not give up a run in 38 of those, gave up one run in 11 games, two runs in five games and three runs in two games. This season Vesia has given up a run in three of seven appearances, including home runs Tuesday and Wednesday to the Twins.

But what is the context of those numbers?

Let’s see how often other Dodgers relievers gave up a run last season:

Brusdar Graterol: 10 of 68 games (14.7%)
Ryan Brasier: 6 of 39 games (15.4%)
Evan Phillips: 10 of 62 games (16.1%)
Shelby Miller: 6 of 36 games (16.7%)
Joe Kelly: 2 of 11 games (18.2%)
Victor González: 7 of 34 (20.6%)
Caleb Ferguson: 15 of 68 games (22.1%)
Yency Almonte: 14 of 49 (28.6%)
Alex Vesia: 18 of 56 games (32.1%)
Phil Bickford: 14 of 36 games (38.9%)

Bickford was traded during the season. Almonte, Ferguson and González also are no longer with the Dodgers. Leaving Vesia hanging out like a sore thumb.

The big problem is the Dodgers don’t have a lot of options. The only other left-handed relievers on the 40-man roster are Ryan Yarbrough, who is more of a swing man, and Nick Ramirez, who was acquired from the Yankees a week ago. Ramirez, who went to Cal State Fullerton, pitched well for the Yankees last season and for the Mariners in 2022. If Vesia continues to falter, it would not be a big surprise to see Ramirez.

By the way, coincidence or not, the Dodgers have lost five games this season and Vesia has pitched in four of those losses. Last season, the Dodgers were 33-23 (.589) in games Vesia pitched. They were 67-39 (.632) in games he did not appear. Some of that, of course, is because he would come into games where the Dodgers were already trailing.

Home run ball update

One thing needs to be pointed out in the Shohei Ohtani home run ball controversy we discussed earlier this week. Ambar Roman, who caught the ball, said she was told by Dodgers personnel that they wouldn’t authenticate the ball. Well, if they said wouldn’t, they should have said couldn’t, because according to MLB policy, they can’t.

According to MLB: “The authentication program has a strict rule about not authenticating a ball once it goes into the stands because we know fans bring balls to games and can also get balls from batting practice. Above all else though, the program does not allow for authenticating balls in the stands because it is a chain-of-custody and witness-based program. Authenticators do not authenticate HR balls unless there is a chain-of-custody program in place utilizing covert marking or an authenticator placement in a controlled area (like certain bullpen stations). Authenticators are all current or former law enforcement because they have experience with chain of custody.

“We have used the covert-marking program most recently for Aaron Judge 62nd HR and [Albert] Pujols 700th HR in 2022. In both of those cases the fans that caught the ball were brought under the stadium and had the ball authenticated once the covert marking was confirmed by the authenticator in a private, secure area; this was and always is agnostic of their plans for the ball.

“As for HR balls that you may see now on auction, we began testing a program with a few clubs that have outfield bullpens that also have HRs land there on a regular basis. In order to stay within the rules set out above we station an authenticator in the bullpen for the game and they walk over and pick it up themselves in order to authenticate the ball within scope. This is the only way we can do a game-used ball like this, but it must land directly in the bullpen and has to remain in sight of the authenticator who is a few feet away at all times.”

Of course, the Dodgers did recognize the value of the ball because they gave the couple autographed memorabilia and say they are inviting the couple back to another game to give them more things. But, officially, they could not authenticate the ball. Of course, there’s still the matter of separating the two and not letting them speak to each other.

Two experts at auction houses that regularly auction baseball memorabilia told colleague Steve Henson that the ball is still worth approximately $50,000 to $100,000, while the signed merchandise Roman received in exchange for the ball would sell for less than $10,000.

For more, read this story by Henson.

Ohtani’s ex-interpreter in trouble

Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has been charged by federal prosecutors with stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to pay debts with an allegedly illegal bookmaker.

E. Martin Estrada announced the charge Thursday at a news conference in downtown Los Angeles.

“I want to emphasize this point: Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,” Estrada, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said Thursday.

He said that Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani in conversations with bank officials, placed thousands of wagers and deposited winnings in a bank account the interpreter controlled.

Estrada also said there was no evidence Ohtani had any knowledge of Mizuhara’s gambling activities or use of his bank account to pay his debts. He said investigators looked at years of text messages between the two and found no discussion of gambling.

“Mr. Mizuhara used and abused that position of trust … in order to plunder Mr. Ohtani’s bank account to the tune of over $16 million,” Estrada said.

Plaschke: Shohei Ohtani’s legend continues as a baseball star, not a gambler

What’s next for Shohei Ohtani and MLB after charges against Ippei Mizuhara?

Is Shohei Ohtani still in trouble? Authorities say Dodgers star is ‘considered a victim’

Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter charged with stealing $16 million from Dodgers star

Charges for Urías

Former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías has been charged with five misdemeanors stemming from his arrest on suspicion of domestic violence last year. The charges include one count of spousal battery, two counts of domestic battery involving a dating relationship, one count of false imprisonment and one count of assault. An arraignment is scheduled for May 2.

MLB is investigating whether Urías violated the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy. He was suspended 20 games in 2019. He is still a free agent.

You can read more here

Miracle worker

I write that James Outman is in a slump since the end of last season and that it’s something to keep an eye on. He homers the next two games and is hitting .464 since the comment. In an entirely unrelated note, Chris Taylor is one for 27 this season. Something to keep an eye on.

Farewell, Jerry Grote

Catcher Jerry Grote, who played parts of three seasons for the Dodgers (1977-78, 1981), died Sunday at the age of 81. Grote is much better known as a longtime catcher for the Mets, playing in 113 games for the 1969 Miracle Mets. He spent 12 of his 16 seasons in New York.

The Dodgers, looking for a veteran backup for Steve Yeager, acquired Grote at the trade deadline in 1977 in exchange for minor leaguers Daniel Smith and Randy Rogers, neither of whom made the majors. Grote went seven for 27 and provided his usual excellent defense. He appeared in only three postseason games, going 0 for 1 with a walk. The Dodgers brought him back in 1978, but a broken wrist sidelined him. He hit .271 (19 for 70). He appeared in three postseason games but did not bat.

Grote retired after the 1978 season to spend more time with his wife and kids. His wife filed for divorce in late 1980, so he decided to return to baseball, hitting .304 for the Kansas City Royals before they released him. The Dodgers signed him and he went 0 for 2 with them. He was not on the postseason roster and retired again at the end of the season.

Dodgers and Padres

Some of the notable people who played for the Dodgers and the Padres. Wonder who they will be rooting for this weekend?

Pedro Astacio
Matt Beaty
Milton Bradley
Kevin Brown
Yu Darvish
Willie Davis
A.J. Ellis
Steve Garvey
Adrián González
Yasmani Grandal
Rickey Henderson
Daniel Hudson
Orlando Hudson
Edwin Jackson
Jay Johnstone
Von Joshua
Matt Kemp
Manny Machado
Greg Maddux
Fred McGriff
Jesse Orosco
Chan Ho Park
Mike Piazza
Johnny Podres
Dave Roberts
Gary Sheffield
Elias Sosa
Derrel Thomas
Ismael Valdez
Bobby Valentine
Fernando Valenzuela
Eric Young