My Coverage of the 2023 MLB Draft

July 10, 2023

Here’s what I have to say: It’s happened and is happening! Beyond the first 3-5 players, I think it’s a crapshoot. I used to follow it to the extreme, but now I really start paying attention when they hit Rancho and GL. Baseball America has excellent coverage of it. Feel free to discuss whatever! That’s all folks! There are lots of places who discuss the draft and in their spare…

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Rant & Rave Sunday

July 9, 2023

In 2021, 51% of all MLB Pitchers went on the IL. Let that sink in a little. Now, what pitcher do you want to trade for? Lane Thomas of the Nats is the latest “flavor of the week,” but a 27-year-old outfielder who is hitting over .300 with a .851 OPS and two more years of control is going to cost a lot… a whole lot! Is this his breakout…

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The New Paradigm

July 7, 2023

I am not going to belabor this point, but most of us grew up in an era where batting average was king. Von Joshua, who was a Dodger for a few years, had a ten-year major league career with a .273 Batting Average (BA), which is not too bad. However, his On-Base Percentage (OBP) was .306, and his On Base Plus Slugging (OPS) was .686. Actually, a new stat that…

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Define “Pornography”

July 6, 2023

Potter Stewart was an American lawyer and judge who served as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1958 to 1981. During his tenure, he made significant contributions to criminal justice reform, civil rights, court access, and Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. In 1964, Justice Stewart was asked to describe his test for obscenity, and he responded: “I know it when I see it.“ I write this in response…

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Trades & More

July 5, 2023

There are less than thirty days until the trade deadline, and Dodgers fans are clamoring for Andrew Friedman to make some trades. Of course, many are thinking Aernado, Flaherty, Burnes, Beiber, and others. I would be surprised if any of those players become Dodgers. The Dodgers could use a starting pitcher and of course, a RH-hitting outfielder. I would love to see Luis Robert, Jr., but the cost would be…

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What’s the Real Problem?

July 3, 2023

It should not be lost on anyone that the Dodgers brand of baseball is subject to peaks and valleys, and it should also not be lost on anyone that the Royals scored nine runs on the Dodgers yesterday WITHOUT a single home run! The Dodgers seem to only score on the long ball. When they don’t hit home runs, they don’t win. What do you do? Trade the team away?…

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Enjoy the Ride!

July 2, 2023

Julio Urias pitched about like I thought he would play in his first game back from the IL. He was rusty and gave up a lot of soft contact in the first inning. The Royals got just one extra-base hit, but Julio was not sharp. That was to be expected. He was using all his pitches but did not have command of them – kind of like what you would…

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Your Reality Sucks!

July 1, 2023

In 2016, my son was a Senior at Cardinal-Ritter High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their football team was picked to finish 5th in their conference before the season started. Stephen played middle linebacker his first three years, but in his Senior year, they switched him to defensive end (because… according to the coach), “they had no one else to play the position.” They started out 1-4, and the season looked…

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“Send Them Back to AAA!”

June 26, 2023

I heard that a lot last year with regard to Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy; “Send him back to OKC.” Well, they never got sent back, and both have had some major success subsequent to that. We know that the minor leagues are for the purpose of developing players, but at what point are they ready for the Show, and are there times when they should go from the Show…

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Just Win, Baby!

June 25, 2023

Yesterday’s win is a game that can really galvanize a team. It also builds character. Bobby Miller has to take yesterday as a learning moment and look back to learn from it. Can he do that? We shall see. James Outman is starting to make the necessary adjustments. OTOH Miguel Vargas has not adjusted as yet to the top of the zone pitches – It’s not the speed – it’s…

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