Over their long and storied history, the Dodgers have had some very good left-handed hitters. One of the first was Wee Willie Keeler. Keeler played 19 years in the majors. His nickname besides Wee Willie, was Hit Em Where They Ain’t. He was very good at that. He played from 1892-1910. He spent 5 years with the Dodgers. A career .342 hitter, he hit .352 in his five seasons in…
Know When To Hold ‘Em and Know When To Deal ‘Em
With apologies to Kenny Rogers for taking lyrical liberties with one of my favorites. However, we are 10 games into the season, and many are already talking about trades. Let me say straight up, I am not a CJ Abrams fan. Is he a good offensive infielder? Sure. But does he have the personality or demeanor that will fit with the current LAD culture? Could the current LAD clubhouse make…
Sleepwalking & Old Age
The Dodgers are 7-2, but it feels like they can do better. Tonight starts the World Series rematch, and the Blue Jays are 4-5. It feels like they have slipped a notch or two in the talent department. It will be fun to watch the series, but games right about now mean very little. It also feels like the Dodgers are just sleepwalking. Mookie Betts again has had another setback….
The Dodgers Don’t Need CJ Abrams… But…
Watford Dodger has been CJ Abrams’ agent since Christ was in Cleveland. BTW: Happy Easter to Everyone! I was never a fan because of his youthful immaturity… and he is still there to some degree, but I do think he is going to have a monster bat. There is 30 HR potential in that bat, and he’s a potential .300 hitter with mid-.800 OPS. The thing is: he is not…
Will Smith: Dodgers New Captain Clutch
Saturday, June 1, 2019, Dodger Stadium. Dodgers playing the second game of a three-game set against the Phillies. Kershaw was facing Jose Alvarez of the Phillies. His catcher that day was rookie, Will Smith, who had been called up and made his debut just 3 days earlier on May 28th. Kershaw was having a vintage Kershaw game. The Dodgers scored in the third on a single by Kike and Kersh…
The New… & (Greatly) Improved LADT
This was supposed to happen NEXT YEAR. By “this,” I mean Michael Norris and Jeff Dominique were going to join LA DODGER TALK a year from now… but due to technical difficulties, it happened a year early… but for me, it was right on time. I am allegedly retired, but it doesn’t feel that way most days. US Water Systems is growing at 35% year-over-year with no end in sight….
Do the Dodgers Develop or Acquire Their Superstars
As I said on my first post back at LADT, I am a contrarian. While I am not a contrian just to be one, I do have strong takes on the Dodger Farm system, and they do not always ally with the LAD faithful. Over the years, I have fully acknowledged and reported that the Dodgers have put more players into MLB than any other team. Not long ago I did…
No Holes So Far
Well, we are three games in. Last year’s team won 8 straight out of the gate. The sweep of the Tokyo series against the Cubs, then sweeping the Tigers and the Braves in LA. The biggest question mark heading into the season was the bullpen. So far, so good. The pen has been nails and Diaz has 2 saves already. Also, all three of the wins have been of the…
Will Smith: Poster Boy of Dodger Development
Did the Dodgers have any idea Will Smith would be the hitter he is when they drafted him? Not in the least! When the Los Angeles Dodgers took Will Smith in the 1st round of the 2016 draft (32nd overall out of the University of Louisville), the internal scouting report looked something like this: In draft-speak:Will was a “Safe everyday catcher,” Not a “middle-of-the-order monster.” What They Actually Got Will…