Who doesn’t like to be around a guy who always smiles, never complains, and is just a fun and outgoing person? The Dodgers had that guy from 2015 until 2020, when they won the World Series. He was the “Banana Man” – namely Kike Hernandez! The Dodgers have a history of having some characters in the clubhouse: Jay Johnstone and Jerry Reuss were also right there with Kike. The fact…
That is evidently Andrew Friedman’s new bullpen strategy and I happen to think it is a stroke of genius. We all know that bullpens are fickle and it is hard to predict with a great degree of certainty whether a pitcher who was great in 2021 will even be average a year later. Injuries happen and pitchers are bad one year and great the next. Now, it is not always…
After 10 games, the Dodgers are 8-2. Not a bad start! First place belongs only to the Dodgers now. Clayton Kershaw, while no longer an Ace, is very, very good. Best #3 in Baseball! Andrew Heaney has made a lot of Dodger Fans eat crow. Gonsolin and Anderson are a nice #5 until the Catman starts to trust his stuff. Gavin Lux has made me eat crow. Cody Bellinger has…
For several years, Dodger fans complained about the Dodgers bullpen… or lack thereof of one. Maybe a lot of their ire was directed (unfairly) at one Kenley Jansen, but I think that many Dodger Fans believe that in the past Andrew Friedman simply did not value the bullpen and therefore did not build good bullpens. I beg to differ. The Dodgers’ bullpen has never been as bad as fans have…
Lots of fans have asked exactly that same question. Some have even said “I can’t believe Freidman signed Heany!” or “What was he thinking by signing Heaney – it’s a flashback to Anderson, McCatthy, and Kazmir!” Maybe he just likes players with the name “Andrew” – After all, he did sign both Toles and Heaney. Well, it’s certainly not that. Some fans have even said that Friedman “overpaid” for Heaney….
According to numerous MLB sources who are all pretty credible, the Dodgers wanted to re-sign Kenley Janson. However, some fans want to believe otherwise. I will be the first to tell you that every report from an “insider” is suspect and not to be taken to the bank, but when I hear from Kenley Jansen that the Dodgers did want to re-sign him, then I take that as gospel. You…
I have been wrong more often than not this offseason: I thought Clayton Kershaw would retire; I thought the Dodgers would re-sign Kenley Jansen; I did not believe the Dodgers would sign Freddie Freeman; and I was surprised they traded AJ Pollock. I also hope I am wrong about Gavin Lux, but right about now, he does not pass the eye test. Too often, I see a “deer in the…
Dodger fans have watched Cody Bellinger for the past couple of seasons now and many have concluded that “he doesn’t listen to his coaches,” “he is not coachable,” “he is stubborn,” and many other superlatives that may come to mind. After less than 30 at-bats, they have condemned Cody Bellinger to the baseball bone pile. The same is true with Andrew Heaney – he is already being counted upon to…
Squat, Zilch, Nada. For guys like Tomas Tellis, Andy Burns, Eddy Alvarez, Jason Martin, and Stefan Romero, this is like a playoff game. They know that they have no chance… but who knows – it feels like it might (this is their thinking), so they are all in. In reality, they are “organizational depth.” They will be parked at AAA, just in case of a disaster. These are “salt of…
There is no denying that Freddie Freeman is one of the best players in baseball. He is a stone-cold hitter and would really help the Dodgers, this year… but at what cost? Freddie Freeman will be 33 this season. Do you really want him blocking 22-year-old Miguel Vargas who really could be ready later this year, but who really needs to play 1B in the majors? The Dodgers have put…