As I write this, the Dodgers have just beaten the Angels 3-0 in the Opening Game of the Freeway series. Then, they lost 5-4 in the second game. It’s still Spring Training, and wins don’t mean what they do in the Regular Season, but the Dodgers look ready, and then I read some comments that make me question why I should continue to do this. Really! When have I ever…
The only question is where he has punched it to. So far, he has 31 ABs with nine hits in Spring Training. He has two doubles, two home runs, and 4 RBI. He is hitting .290 with a .389 OB%, a .578 SLG, and a .937 OPS. Of course, that is a small sampling, but he did nothing but improve his Prospect Value, which was already high. He can play…
I was traveling to San Francisco yesterday, so I was pretty out of the mix, although I did watch most of the game yesterday. I overdid it big time with my back – so much so that I am not able to fly to LA tomorrow. I walked over 5 miles and paid for it last night. It is slightly better today, but I am going to have to get…
So, I am writing this as I am digesting the news that I have to have back surgery for spinal stenosis and spondylolysis on April 24th. It’s pretty much what I had expected, but now it is real. Surgery is really easy… when it is performed on someone else! The surgery is called Lumbar Decompression and is the most common back surgery done by my surgeon. I saw three other…
Random News From Around Dodgertown Noah Syndergaard says he feels good physically but that his delivery is still out of whack. It may take him a few starts before he finds his delivery and/or release point (if he ever does). But never fear, Gavin Stone will ride in on his white horse. BTW, he has faced 27 batters and struck out 14. The Dodgers assigned Jake Reed, Gavin Stone, and…
By design, Bobby Miller has not pitched in a Major League Spring Training Game, and I do not think he has played in any minor league or B-Games either, as he allegedly had a “sore shoulder” when he arrived at Spring Training. Allegedly, it is OK now, but the Dodgers are ramping him up slowly. It seems unlikely that he will pitch in the Freeway Series as he did last…
You know the rest, but in case you forgot: It’s how they finish! Sometimes we get caught up in the hype, and we believe that small samplings mean something when in reality, they mean nothing. A lot of you have criticized me because while you believed that James Outman was the second coming, I believed that his fantastic start (in 13 ABs) was more like “Lucky.” And while I am…
In 2008, my wife, son, and I were at the last game in Vero Beach at Dodgertown. It was a packed house. Clayton Kershaw was a wide-eyed rookie. Carl Erskine played the National Anthem on his Harmonica, and Tommy Lasorda addressed the crowd by saying, “I know you will have another Minor League team here soon, but if you don’t root for the Dodgers, you won’t get into heaven.” Vero…
It’s pretty obvious to me what Andrew Friedman is doing. I was going to say “trying to do” but no, he is actually doing it. He has all but PROMISED the 2B job to Miguel Vargas, and he has four older guys (Taylor, Peralta, Heyward, and Thompson) fighting for two positions in the Outfield. I believe that he believed that introducing one rookie at a time was the way to…
If Trayce Thompson can produce the same kind of year he did last year, then I’m OK with him, but he can’t! A player has to get about 150-200 ABs before you can really make a determination as to how well they may perform. Small samplings mean very little because of the “luck factor” – both good and bad! Consider this: Trayce hit .292 in June (25 PA) with 11…