What Happens to Austin Barnes?

May 22, 2022

Austin Barnes was drafted by the Marlins in the 9th round of the 2011 amateur draft. In December of 2014, Austin was acquired by Andrew Friedman in one of his first trades with the Dodgers. He was a key piece in the Dee Gordon trade wherein the Dodgers traded Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, Miguel Rojas, and cash for Chris Hatcher, Andrew Heaney, Kike Hernandez, and Austin Barnes. Austin Barnes might…

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Why Did the Braves Let Freddie Walk?

March 15, 2022

Yesterday, the Braves sent four of their top fourteen players to the Oakland A’s for Matt Olson? Don’t get me wrong, Matt Olsen is an extraordinary player, but Freddie is “extraordinaire!” The Braves are making a lot of money. They are way under the Salary Cap (yes, I know they say it is not a salary cap). Olson makes about $18 Million less a year than Freeman and is controlled…

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LAD PROSPECTS – REAL OR HYPE

December 9, 2021

I continue to read about the sensational LAD prospects.  Mark has the Dodgers as a top 10 MiLB organization while no major publication does.  After the loss of Keibert Ruiz and Jo Jo Gray, the publications dropped them to mid-level (around 15).  Certainly not bad, but also not elite.  Just this week DodgerLover said the team needs to clear the deck for the next wave of prospect talent.  Is there…

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Can You See What Isn’t… Before it is?

November 28, 2021

In no way do I think I have all the answers but do get lucky a lot. I think that it is because I do not think in the box or outside of the box. I prefer to think that there is no box! Three weeks ago, I fired our COO and VP of Operations. They were nice guys and I liked them, but they had no vision. Every day…

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MiLB Matters

November 27, 2021

https://www.milb.com/fans/2021-organization-all-stars On Monday MiLB released the 2021 Organization All-Star list for the Dodgers. The list was developed by Michael Avallone who apparently had some discussions with Will Rhymes, the Dodgers Director of Player Development. These are his selections for 2021. Catcher – Keibert Ruiz First Base – Matt Davidson Second Base – Michael Busch Third Base – Miguel Vargas Shortstop – Alex De Jesus Outfield – Andy Pages Outfield –…

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Rant & Rave Sunday

September 19, 2021

The Giants just keep rolling along. They may never lose again. Don’t worry: it’s an “odd” year – they only win the World Series in “even” years. I think…. hope… pray! This is just a magical year for them so far. They have lost Jake McGee for the rest of the season, but Dominic Leone stepped in and saved last night’s game. They just can do no wrong (right now)….

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Odds and Ends – MiLB

August 7, 2021

Just a few notes today. Following some of the amazing posts in the past few days, I indeed feel somewhat like a little leaguer as my writing is solely focused on the minor leagues and naturally cannot lead to much discussion.  However, little league provided me with some of my best long-term memories, way back in the early fifties. Minor league ball keeps me somewhat in touch with those memories…

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SOME POST TRADE DEADLINE OBSERVATIONS FROM THE RECLINER

August 1, 2021

With Mark on the 10-day inactive list to attend to family business in Las Vegas (ever notice how these trips are never to Des Moines, Iowa or Wichita, Kansas?), Jeff (AC) was desperate for some assistance on the LADT writers roster. With his options limited, he had to resort to adding someone from the alternate training site, and had no choice but to call on me, the Zack Reks/Edwin Uceta…

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Max Scherzer – Yea or Nay?

July 29, 2021

Before I answer with my position, let me do my best to lay out some of the factors assuredly being discussed in the Dodger “war rooms”. Max Scherzer is a HOF pitcher who can still bring it at 37.  He would be a front of the rotation pitcher even with the Dodgers.  This year he is 7-4 with a 2.83 ERA and an exceptional WHIP of 0.886 in 105 IP. …

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MiLB – Bits and Pieces

July 27, 2021

Not so many games in the minor league scene today as teams at the Low-A, High-A, and AA levels have Mondays off. Triple-A has Wednesdays off. The Arizona Complex League and the Dominican Summer League both have Sundays off. So I thought I would take a look back at the week that was. That is, July 19-25. The Loons four-pitcher no-hitter on July 23 has already been featured on LADT….

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