The strength of the Farm system is unquestionably the pitching. It is not even close. The breakdown of the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects is:
12 – RHP
2 – LHP
4 – Catchers
5 – SS/2B
4 – 3B/1B
3 – OF
Baseball America pretty much resembles MLB Pipeline’s prospect list except BA includes reliever Josh Sborz, and OF Carlos Rincon, replacing Braydon Fisher, Marshall Kasowski, and Leonel Valera. BA cheated and included Caleb Ferguson.
Using MLB Pipeline as the standard, of the pitching prospects, two are #2 – #3 rotation types, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin. There is one established reliever, Marshall Kasowski. There is one that is getting close, but probably will follow Caleb Ferguson to the bullpen, Dennis Santana. There is one that has a lot of hype, but has not yet pitched in a professional game, Michael Grove. Then there are the wait and see pitchers. Mitchell White and Yadi Alvarez have all the pitches, but just cannot seem to put it together…YET. The other pitching prospects are further down the organizational ladder, but one, two, three should make it. As a starter or reliever, we just do not know yet.
Josiah Gray, Edwin Uceta, Braydon Fisher, Gerardo Carrillo, John Rooney (LHP), Robinson Ortiz (LHP), and Zach Willeman. Of this group, perhaps the most intriguing is RHP Zach Willeman. Zach is yet another TJ surgery survivor, has 4 plus pitches, and looks to get fully untracked this year. He is currently assigned to AZL, meaning he is in extended ST.
Behind that 14, there are others who will rise, as well as future drafts and international signings. With Buehler, Urias, Kershaw, Maeda, and Stripling ready to assume the rotation for 2020/2021, May, Gonsolin, White, Santana, Grove, ready to challenge, and another 5 to follow. Who stays in a starting role, and who moves to the bullpen, is the pitching story line, not whether there is enough pitching.
When FAZ first ascended onto the Dodger scene, catching was abysmal both at the MLB and MiLB level. Austin Barnes was acquired via trade with the Fish to help bolster the MiLB catchers. Then the Kemp for Grandal trade. Keibert Ruiz was signed before they arrived, but nobody figured that he would develop as he has. Now with Barnes back to doing what he has always done (hit), and with his vastly improved defense, starting catching at the MLB level is fine. Will Smith was drafted in 2016, Connor Wong was drafted in 2017, Diego Cartaya was signed in 2018, giving LAD 4 top catching prospects in their top 14. Hunter Feduccia was drafted in 2018. There are multiple additional catchers throughout the organization. Catching is good and deep. I think we will see the Dodgers continue to draft catchers.
The next position the Dodgers have some depth this year is with the middle infielders. I was at the time and still am upset that the Dodgers did not draft Bo Bichette over Gavin Lux, but with the year that Lux had last year, he is minimizing the sting. He has all of the physical tools to stay at SS, but more than a few talent evaluators look for him to move to 2nd where his throws would be better suited. He has the range and speed to be a plus defender and is a good base runner. Lux looks as if he could be in a position to contend for a ML job in 2020.
The Dodgers have been after Jeter Downs since he was drafted. He was scouted quite a bit in 2018 in the Midwest League, and when the Reds were willing to include Downs in the Farmer trade, the Dodgers jumped. He does not have all of the physical tools that Lux has, but he is a good offensive player, and is more than adequate defensively. He may be SS for RC, but his long term position seems to be 2B.
Omar Estevez has been a much under the radar middle infielder. He is not flashy, and he seems to be passed over. He spent two years at RC well below the league average age, and after an acceptable 2017, he was sent back for 2018. He proceeded to have an outstanding 2nd half and lead the California League in doubles. He had a very good ST where he was obviously noticed. He is assigned to Tulsa and he joins Lux to make up the DP combo as the 2B. He is off to a good start offensively and should be gaining confidence with every AB.
Jacob Amaya is assigned to Great Lakes and may be the one middle infielder who can stay at SS all the way to the ML. He is gifted defensively, but like Downs, and Estevez, he will be a regular at the ML level or a utility infielder depending on his offense.
While Amaya could stick at SS, he is currently the 2B for Great Lakes because the 5th middle infielder of the top prospects is 19-year-old Venezuelan, Leonel Valera. Valera is also assigned to Great Lakes and has been the SS for the first two games. Valera was one of the unheralded international players in the 2015-2016 international signing period where the Dodgers incurred $166MM in international player contracts and taxes.
The Dodgers have a potential utility middle infielder/CF in Errol Robinson who is not in the top 30 this year. Deacon Liput (SS) and Devin Mann (2B) are at RC and may not be in the Top 30 prospects, but they could advance and be potential players to be watched.
Neither Lux or Estevez are ready to make the leap to ML, so the Dodgers have a pair of experienced middle infielders at OKC as just in case. I am very impressed with Daniel Castro as an emergency SS/2B. With Corey/CT3/Kike’ on the ML roster, the LAD are in good shape, but if one goes down, Castro seems primed to be able to move in. Castro and Angelo Mora are AF specialties to make the Dodgers a true 50-man roster.
The Dodgers have four 3B/1B candidates, but all have questions. The closest to the ML is soon to be 25-year-old Edwin Rios. He has worked hard on his defense and is at least a serviceable 3B. I know MT doubts his bat speed is enough for him to be an elite ML hitter, but he has made himself a quality hitter at the AAA level. A better bat to ball skills 3B/1B is Matt Beaty. He is one year removed from Texas League Player of the Year. Rios and Beaty are at AAA.
The other two 3B/1B prospects are a pair of international players. Cristian Santana a 22-year-old Dominican who is a 3B/1B currently assigned to AA. This will be a crucial year for Cristian. He is a genuine run producer but will need to improve his bat to ball skills and cut down on his strikeouts if he wants to be considered a legit ML prospect. The second international 3B/1B is 19-year-old Cuban, Miguel Vargas, who burst onto the scene last year. After toying with the Rookie Leagues last year, he is currently assigned to Great Lakes. He is at least 3 years away but has a chance to make a name for himself is his continued development. Further down the prospect organizational ladder is Luke Heyer, who is also assigned to Great Lakes.
The 3B/1B candidates will only go as far as their bats take them. None are potential GG candidates, so they are going to need to show their offensive chops. Currently the Dodgers do not have a true potential candidate to relieve JT after next year. They will need one of Rios/Beaty/Santana/Vargas to make the leap. They have potential, but they have questions, and I would consider this a positional gap.
The biggest question marks the Dodgers have is in the OF. There is a reason why the Dodgers have 4 AAAA OF at OKC, three of which came from outside the organization, and have no chance to be LAD regulars. The one who has been in the organization since he was drafted by LAD in 2015 is 27-year-old Kyle Garlick. Kyle has potential power, but his ceiling is as a #4 or #5 OF. Not as talented as Trayce Thompson but may go further with better drive.
The next closest OF is 23-year-old power hitting OF, DJ Peters. One of the most prolific power bats in all of MiLB, but also one with waaaaaaay too many strikeouts. After leading the Texas League in HRs in 2018, DJ was again assigned to Tulsa where hopefully he will improve his bat to ball skills. The Dodgers love power, so DJ will get a long look. He is also an above average defensive OF. He has received comparisons to Jayson Werth, but also to Billy Ashley.
Former first round draft choice, Jeren Kendall, is also repeating the same level as he did in 2018, High A. Kendall is a ML defender and potential GG CF right now. But he has huge holes in his swing which makes very little sense with the speed he has. If he learned to slow things down and to make contact, he can be a better player than Billy Hamilton. But if he does not make the adjustments he will wash out just like 2015 2nd round draft pick Mitchell Hansen.
Alex Verdugo is still considered a prospect until he sticks at the ML level. He looks to be someone who will stick with the Dodgers OF this year. How may PA’s he gets will depend a lot on how Joc/CT3/Muncy play.
The least predictable and biggest positional gap is the OF. The Dodgers have not been very successful at drafting “can’t miss” OF.
The Dodgers have a lot of potential even without drafting lower than 20th since 2013. Of the Top 30 prospects 17 have come via the draft, while 11 have been international signings, and 2 have come via trades. The Dodgers are going to need to continue to draft players they believe they can develop rather than positional. They can fill in with international signings but have more than enough talent in their Farm to make quality trades as they did to acquire Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray. I look for them to continue to pound out pitching, because that is the highest commodity in demand by most teams. If the Dodgers need a RH bat, they have a lot of talent to make a deadline trade. I would prefer that they get someone with multiple years of control if they want to unload top pitching talent. If they want a rental like Nick Castellanos, it should not take top pitching talent. Lottery picks like what Detroit got for JDM is much more likely than top 10 pitching.
Overall, they are loaded at pitching and catching, and more than adequate at middle infield. They have good depth at 3B/1B but with just as many questions. But they have very little other than Verdugo ready for the OF. Peters could be there, but I am losing more and more faith in Jeren Kendall.
Minor League Firsts – 2019 by DC
The Loons were the first Dodger affiliate to take the field for the 2019 season squaring off with the Lake County Captains at 7:05 ADT on Thursday.
The Captains opened the season with seven players who rank among the top 30 Indians prospects, according to MLB.com, five of whom are still teenagers. The Lake County roster also includes three first round picks.
Some quotes from John Shoemaker’s pre-game interview.
“We try to move players through the system as quickly as possible.”
“It is better to be ready for an opportunity and not get it than get an opportunity and not be ready.”
“There is no shortcut to the big leagues. It is hard enough to get there when taking a direct route and impossible when trying to take a short cut.”
“Everyone from the major league down is engulfed in the same hitting philosophy. Not all of the same drills but a similar
approach.”A few firsts to open the season
First hitter 2019 – Jacob Amaya
First pitch thrown – RHP Stephen Kolek
First strikeout – Stephen Kolek
First hit – single by CF James Outman
First run scored – SS Gavin Lux (Drillers)
First RBI – 3B Cristian Santana Drillers)
Unfortunately the Loons came up short early with the score and on the field with two errors and an ill-advised throw to second base that resulted in a double steal. Four walks by Kolek and a passed ball did not help the cause.
It was announced that Alfredo Tavarez will work in relief during the 2019 season. The 6’5”/190-pound right-hander is know as “Jumbo”. He worked 3.1 scoreless innings stranding all three runners he . inherited . Joel Inoa and Justin Hagenman each tossed a scoreless inning. The Loons matched the Captains in hits but lost 4-0.
Back to AC. I will put something together for the Friday Minor League Report before too long. I will do my best to try and get the information out as timely as possible as I did the last two years. But this year seems to be more troublesome for me.
But for right now, the four teams split their games with OKC and RC winning to even their records at 1-1, but Tulsa and Great Lakes both going down to defeat for the second game.
OKC 4 – San Antonio Missions 3 (Brewers)
Tulsa – 4 – Arkansas Travelers 9 (Mariners)
RC 4 – Stockton Ports 3 (A’s)
Great Lakes 1 – Lake County Captains 6 (Indians)
Great read – rivaling War and Peace! 😉
Last night, Stetson Allie threw 17 pitches, 12 of which were strikes, as he struck out two. He walked no one and retired the side 1-2-3 to notch his first save. He is someone to watch.
Yadier Alvarez retired the first three batters he faced last night, striking out two in the first, but then he got into trouble in the second. In two innings, he threw 55 pitches. It’s typical – he seems to lose focus. The solution is to pitch him out of the pen in one inning bursts. Shoot, make him the closer.
Like Brock Stewart, Alvarez will never be a starter. It’s too late for Brock, I think, but there is hope for Alvarez. I really thought that not making Stewart a starter was a big mistake by the Dodger Brass. In 2017, he had a 5.27 ERA as a starter and a 2.18 ERA as a reliever. Even Ray Charles can see he’s not a starter.
I hated the drafting of Lux and Kendall. It looks like I was wrong about Lux, but I would not be surprised if Kendall is out of Baseball after this year. I wonder if CF might be a spot for Lux, who has some arm issues? He could slot in there pretty nicely.
I am extremely high on May and Gonsolin and think both are close. All in all, this Farm System is strapped and if Friedman doesn’t trade some more away, they will be TOP 5 next year, especially as SD graduates some players.
I hadn’t thought about Lux as a center fielder. Could happen.
If Seager eventually replaces Turner then it would seem that Lux has the best shot to take short and by then maybe Downs at second. Belli and Muncy probably have 1st base covered for a long time.
A lot can happen in four years and Pollock should hold down CF for those years.
Who would want a CF with arm issues?
AC,
Thanks for the Dodger MiLB system analysis. I wish the Dodgers had better defensive talent in the outfield and at 3B/1B. Quality pitching, a keystone of this franchise for decades, always is made better by having a run preventing defense behind it. I hope that Kendall wakes up and learns to accept the hitting instruction that the Dodgers are providing because his prowess and speed as an outfielder would solidify this teams middle of the field defensive skills into the 2020’s.
This is a “wakes up” situation. Kendall is aware of his issues and trying to fix them pretty proactively.
This is NOT, the above should read.
Say it ain’t true Linda-Lue, you changed your name to Kitty, what’s come over you? Where is the song from the XLNT band Little Feat? My kind of Rock n Roll! It’d compliment this XLNT AC writing, though two different subjects.
Great stuff all three of you.
Excited about Uceta’s performance.
War and Peace, the saddest part of the book was when Petya was killed. I cried.
Kendall’s swing still looks very weird. I don’t know if it’s fixable.
Lux looks athletic enough to handle a switch to CF as MT suggested.
Stewart looks like he needs to go to the pen to help the Dodgers, otherwise he’s waiver bait. Even yesterday, his stuff looked good, just no control. They definitely should do the same with Alvarez.
The bullpen on the big club looks so shaky right now. Who’s gonna pitch the 8th? When Yimi and Kelly regain their control and go right after hitters instead of falling behind, we will be fine.
So many good prospects, we all have our favorites. May and Gonsolin, Ruiz, Lux, Peters and Amaya. Some interesting names like Recks and Vargas. It’s going to be fun to watch them develop further.
A couple of good reads on how well the Dodgers are setup for future success.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/which-teams-future-is-brightest-the-astros-or-dodgers/
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26439991/how-long-dodgers-keep-winning-never-made-another-move
The best hope for the bullpen might be stripling & urias when kershaw & hill return.
Or the pitchers simply pitching better.
That’s what I think. I don’t think Yimi and Kelly are gonna suck all year. They just look wild. Stewart is another guy that just needs more control over his stuff. His stuff is dirty, but all three of them are falling behind early.
There are enough Starters that are ahead of Stewart that they should just put him in the pen when he inevitably gets sent back down.
Even if Kershaw is is only as good as he was last year with diminished velocity, he still takes a lot of pressure off the pen. I hope they take their time with Hill. If his knee isn’t 100%, he’s gonna have a tough time like Wood last year.
Stewart has suffered more weak hits against than anybody and then adds a walk and then a solid hit and bingo he has given up 3 runs. Seems like his pitches are to much on the same plane and that neutralizes some of the movement. He started slow last year and finished strong. He is getting older but as a former shortstop he doesn’t have too many pitches on his arm.
Garcia kept Stewart from being on the bottom rung of the bullpen ladder.
Stewart got an extra option year so the team can send him down to work on things for awhile. Garcia is in a different spot but he needs to pick it up. At this point if DFA’d he might pass through waivers but there are AA, Kapler, and Farhan who might just claim him too. I don’t think it would be a big loss but it would be a loss. Garcia has good stuff but needs to throw more strikes.
Josiah Gray starts today for Great Lakes.
oh nice. can’t wait to see how he does
Joc acted like he was pissed being on the bench during the last 4 games. I like it but it sure resulted in swings that were not as good as they were at the start of the year.
He swung and missed at 2 pitches yesterday during 2 at bats. As he swung at both of those pitches, my immediate thought was “oh shit, this is gone” both times; but he missed both pitches. Clearly 4 days off ruined what momentum he had, so hopefully he gets it back today.
I brought this up before but got shouted down that when Puig got super hot then they sat him against lefties for a couple days and he cooled off and he was unhappy about it and it may have put the plan to move on from him in motion. Joc started as hot as he could be and then gets to sit for 4 straight games which would be fine if there was a better option than CT3 to take his AB’s. Muncy got 2 starts and Freese 2 starts during the same stretch. If I was Joc I would be pissed too. I can’t understand why they won’t give him an occasional start against LHP. Doc is so predictable it led to the Wade Miley ‘opener’ fiasco in the playoffs by Counsell when he faced just one batter that turned the tables on Doc’s master plan.
i agreed with you then as well. There’s no reason to sit Joc for 4 straight games. It’s just dumb.
The why is because Joc sucks at hitting LHP and has made little to no progress, so far. Whatever his problem is, he’d better figure it out soon as Verdugo is on the cusp of becoming a permanent starter in the OF!
In the NBA, there have been studies on players trying to improve their free throw shooting. In most cases, they cannot improve it by much no matter how many times they stand at the foul line in practice shooting hundreds, if not thousands of FT’s. I am not smart enough to figure it out, but Joc’s problems are not going away soon. He should be pissed, at himself!!
I’m in this camp. Got shouted down for the saying the same thing at the beginning of this. With an off day, that’s a 5 day cooler after starting as hot as Belli. I’ll leave my obligatory Robert’s is a dumb ass right here. Did I mention that he’s bad driver and that he pulled Strip and Urias too early during shutouts?
In the grand scheme of things it makes a lot of sense to keep guys relevant, but Roberts needs to step up and not cool guys off at the cost of “relevance”.
NBA Eastern Conference is actually pretty interesting. 5 teams are fighting for 3 spots and 4 of them control their destinies. Will know by tomorrow.
I”m really looking forward to the Eastern Conference Playoffs this year
Reds with 5 former Dodgers in lineup today.
let’s make it 6 by sending Brock Stewart to Cincy
I’ll kick in for gas.
He might miss his flight by just a little like he keeps missing the strike zone.
Vegas
Like I already know, I agreed with you about Puig.
What did you see with Muncy yesterday?
I hope that injects some more confidence into Muncy.
Muncy is playing 2B today btw
MJ, he got 2 hits off a leftie and then added a 3B and a walk later. Sure it’s Coors Field but agreed a confidence building game for sure!
Vegas
Thanks!
Joc
Corey
Turner
Cody
AJ
Muncy
Verdugo
Barnes
Buehler
AJ’s a really good fit for our team.
BlackMirror 99
He is because we can count on him, to try to have the best at bat, for the situation we are in, at that point in the game.
I totally agree. He might have been the best RH Bat outside of Machado in free agency this year. And a great fit for our club in CF. Puig was fun, but Pollock gets the job done!
BlackMirror99
I hope Mark wasn’t right about Cody’s arm, and this is only a day off for Kike.
But it will be interesting to see what everyone does against Grey today.
If it’s serious they have to pieces to move guys around. Smart giving him a day at 1B so he doesn’t need to make the tough throw. I just hope Muncy doesn’t kill us at 2B.
I like the idea of giving Kike a day off against a righty after 0-4 last night. That’s when you’re supposed to rest someone. Not when they’re tearing the cover off the ball!
I totally concur with that premise on Kike, and it was only a matter of time before Muncy would get the start against a RHP at 2B. Muncy himself said he felt 2B was his best position. I really like Verdugo getting a start in RF, he has earned a spot start a couple games a week and has gap power that plays well at Coors.
MJ,
I think I know what Mark was referring to with Cody. After he unleashed his throw home, the camera caught him rubbing his shoulder. I wondered the same thing at the time.
AC
Thanks!
Josiah Gray touched 98 today. Folks, we got another one.
Joc and Verdugo both in the lineup?? This game is for all the marbles baby!! May the better hitter win.
Swaggy V in the house!
Yes the fields are definitely level here, with these two.
Mike Trout has passed Tony Gwynn, Dwight Evans and Edgar Martinez in WAR since the season started. Could pass Bench, Jeter, Reggie, Carew, Murray, Pudge (both of them), Molitor, Raines, Manny, McGwire, Killebrew, Biggio, and many more this season.
He’s 27.
He flashes like knives.
So, in reading some comments today, am I really supposed to believe that sitting Joc for 4 games against Lefties is bad because he is hot and even if he can’t hit lefties, he will somehow remain hot because he is playing? Is that what some of you are saying? How does he stay hot if he can’t hit lefties? If he’s hot and can’t hit lefties, how is that any differnce than sitting? Oh, it is because he is playing? I’m having difficulty with that…. and by the way, Joc just scalded a ball!
I didn’t comment on that but my thing is you have to keep everybody active so they can be game ready. I think Roberts did that when he hit joc for Taylor. If a player is on the 25 you got to keep them game ready. I don’t think you play joc against lefties when he can’t hit lefties. I would be all over Roberts for doing that and not trying to win. You can’t sit joc for 5 days or anyone else and expect them to help. That’s why I was worried about how verdugo could get at bats. The good thing for verdugo is he can hit lefties so you can play him somewhere and not weaken your team too much. But you can’t do that with joc.
In a perfect world you have a LF who does not need to be platooned. If Joc has struggled against LHP and almost never gets to face one it’s a self fulfilling prophecy, he will never improve. As hot as he was he couldn’t start one of the 4 games? The other point is that CT3 came into today hitting .136 with an OPS of .587. If that’s all he can do against lefties how could Joc be much worse?
But he is hitting .231 this year against LHP. On the other hand, Joc is hitting .000 against LHP and is way below .200 for his career.
I would argue that if Doc plays Joc against LHP, he is giving away outs.
I do agree that a fulltime LF’er would be ideal. I would be willing to trade Joc and prospects in what might have to be a 3-ways deal for Nick Casttellanos. He kills lefties and under RVS, I think he becomes A STAR. I am convinced he can be a decent LF’er. He would balance the Dodgers lineup perfectly.
CT3 becomes a utilityman.
1. Pollock CF (R)
2. Seager SS (L)
3. Turner 3B (R)
4. Bellinger RF (L)
5. Castellanos LF (R)
6. Muncy 1B (L)
7. Kike 2B (R)
8. Bartin C
I love that lineup and Casty will be a catalyst!
Roberts chose must see CT
Nice job by Baez in the 6th vs the middle of their lineup. Now how the hell do we get the other 9 outs
I think Verdugo is just itching to take off, if given a full time job. I’m impressed how prepared he’s looked all year despite starting only once.
But Verdugo has no power (Wink, Wink)
He also doesn’t need excuses.
Pederson is like Grandal: Red Hot or Ice Cold.
Maybe they don’t need Casty. Just put Verdugo in LF and Trade Joc… more prospects.
I was a big Grandal supporter, but his long cold spells wore on me. Joc is really wearing on me.
Yimi is looking better!
Trading Joc and giving Verdugo more playing time makes sense both on the field and in the payroll. Joc is due to get serious raises pretty soon. Verdugo is cheap.
I listen to Chicago sports talk often, due to Bears talk, but when they talk White Sox this past offseason, the sports guys there really wanted those Joc to Chicago rumors to be true. They like Joc and think he’d fit well on that up and coming team.
Not only is he young and cheap he can hit LHP and play all 3 OF spots. He is a more valuable player than Joc who makes $5M this year and will probably get 8 to 9M in his final arb year. His only knock was lack of power but he can turn on a pitch on the inner half and also take the ball the other way. He does not walk or strike out much-he is up there to make contact.
You guys crack me up!
Oh Joc ! See what you did?
Well Joc faced a LHP so take a guess
Bobo
Did he strike out swinging, trying to hit a HR.
Yes struck out swinging but not much of a swing. Getting sad.
But Verdugo is lighting it up.
Bobo
We are just going to have to wait and see, what happens from here.
Because we know it isn’t going to happen over night, and we will have to see how both players respond.
And you know how that might work out.
It’s going to be a rough week for me. I leave at 7 AM with our Master Brewer in our new Transit van for Denver (fully loaded with Craft Beer Water Treatment Equipment and our booth for the Craft Beer, Brew America Show). Seven others fly in on Sunday. We set up the booth on Monday and then exhibit until Thursday.
Thursday night, I fly to NYC to stay with one of my sons a few days. Saturday, we drive up to the Catskills (Loch Sheldrake) where I have to address the Rotary Club who donated $100,000 to the Gift of Water, a non-profit I am on. Then Back to Indy next Sunday night. Yikes!
Here’s our new ride:
Damn, I’m a driver at heart, so I’d love to do that drive with you!
When I moved back to LA from DC in 1998, I drove across the country. Beautiful scenery and it changes so much as you go along.
Be safe! Hope the craft show produces great results for your company. Enjoy the ride!
I hope you have a good time, because time will fly, and you will be home sooner then you think.
I want to chime in on the JOC THING. Clearly, Joc has a very hard time with LHP. Again, we see his difficulty. If he didn’t have POWER, he would have been long gone. Verdugo is making the case for a starting OF position. His game today should serve as an announcement to players like Joc and to all of MLB that here is a new addition to the already redhot Dodger team that seems destined to win it all this year!
It’s way too early to be talking about trading Joc or Muncy playing 2B. Both guys deserve to be on the team and we need a bench. I do like the Bellinger moving to 1B and Verdugo in RF, but not necessarily Muncy taking over 2B. All of this just shows the versatility of the Dodgers and their ability to play with either a platoon or position starters. This is one of the signs of a winning club and gives Doc all the room a manager could need. No one can pin blame on Doc this year when the players themselves are stepping up and executing. Even Yimi is getting Doc’s benevolence to straighten out his game. Doc has balls as we gasp at his relief choices. When your hitters are this good, the pitching choices can be juggled with less fear of giving up a game.
Way to go Kenley!!