Andrew Friedman and the LAD Top 30 Prospect Lists

This article has 54 Comments

1. Very glad we held onto our top prospects, not only in recent years, but thru this week’s deadline. Homegrown players are more fun to root for anyway.

   We’re into August now, and a lot of things have gone right this year. Belli can hit left handed pitching – and then some. Ryu is a bona fide ace. Kershaw has successfully adjusted. Muncy has largely duplicated his 2018 effort. And the rookies are playing above expectations. Not to be greedy, but I’d like to see some veterans step up to better our chances of winning the WS, and it’s not the bullpen. Specifically, Turner and Seager.

   These guys should be as locked in at the 2nd/3rd spots in the order as Bellinger is in clean up, and they both need to be hitting north of .300. I’m trying to practice patience, but it’s starting to get late in the year. Am I being unrealistic? Does Seager get a pass for the full season? Is this who Turner is at this point in his career? They’ve both had individual games (or about 3 weeks in Seagers case), where they produced like we have come to expect from them, but the consistency isn’t there. I think we can live with the typical ups and downs from the rest of the order, but those 2-4 spots have to be as dependable as gold for us if we’re to match runs with the AL representative or even Atlanta. Hopefully, I’ll look stupid a month from now and they’ll make me eat my words.

2. I’ve offered tons of trade ideas mostly to humor myself during the off-season. Sometimes I have included players Mark has liked because he has offered players I have liked. That said, I wanted Yelech and understood it probably would have cost Pederson and more of course. I also wanted to offer a front end loaded contract to Scherzer when he was a free agent. The Nats got him with a back end loaded contract but had the advantage of him wanting to stay on the east coast.

   I’m not disappointed about the lack of a big trade. I look forward to watching Smith, Lux, Seager, Bellinger, Buehler plus the new players that jump up more unexpectedly. Ruiz, Hoese, Gray, Downs will soon be joining the core. Maybe I will warm up to Verdugo.

   Pederson, Turner, Jansen, Freese, Martin, will soon be history and hopefully they will get to win a WS before they go.

   1. One problem with the front-loaded contract for Scherzer is that he wanted (and got) a lot of deferred money.

      I agree that the Dodgers should have considered trading Joc in a Yelich package. Mattingly loved Joc who would was entering his first arbitration year, and had two more to follow. At the time of the trade Yadier Alvarez was still considered a special pitcher, and who knows what he might have been able to do in Miami with a huge supportive crowd. Could have Joc/Alvarez/Estevez/ and another lottery pick made the Marlins re-consider? We will never know, but at that time, I would have believed that to be a fair trade. Yelich’s contract was just as much of a benefit as was his play. The Dodgers still have Joc/Alvarez/Estevez, and the Brewers got Yelich. It is hard to say what Miami would have accepted from LA. Lewis Brinson was considered a better OF prospect than either Victor Robles or Juan Soto. Nobody expected Brinson or Sierra to tank as badly as they both have. We move on.

3. If the Marlins wanted Bellinger for Realmuto, then what did they want for Yelich?

   The Brewers gave up their #1, #5, and #20 prospects for him as well as Jordon Yamamoto, who was not ranked at the time, but this year was #17 and is pitching very well in the majors.

   I know that we have no way of knowing what value the Marlins put on the Dodgers’ prospects, but the same package from the Dodgers would have been Bellinger, Calhoun, Ruiz and another pitcher. Brinson’s star is waning but in 2017, he was the #13 Top MLB Prospect. The Marlins may have asked for the moon. Probably did…

   1. How could Trayce Thompson be number 16th ?? Wow

      1. What?

   2. I think the Marlins realized they didn’t get enough for Yelich and didn’t want to make that mistake again with Realmuto. We probably need to compare MLB top 100 rankings for players offered or obtained in trade instead of where they rank within a team’s system. Probably is probably an understatement.

      1. Similar to Pittsburgh with Archer

4. Watching May pitch last night gave me lots of hope that he can be a big part of the team moving forward. Lots of movement on his pitches and was hitting 96-97 with the fastball. I feel disappointment that more wasn’t done at the trade deadline but know that AF has done a great job constructing the 40 man roster and putting together a winning team in LA. It’s easy for me to sit back and criticize, not knowing how things actually went down behind the scenes. All we can do now is watch how it all plays out and hope that we can get another Championship back at Chavez Ravine.

5. What do you think about May last night ? I would have just left him 5 innings and i would use him for long relief better for the last 2 months and maybe he can get in big leverage situations if ready for October. Any Comments MT or anyone else??

   1. I was very impressed with May. He belongs. Look at Gonsolins first game verses his second. I think you will see May get even better as he trusts his stuff to play up at this level. Gonsolin, May and Urias will get some spot starts, but I think this is the plan for the Playoffs (if everyone is healthy):

      Starters: Ryu, Kershaw, Buehler, Hill

      Bullpen: Urias, Gonsolin, May, Jansen, Baez, Kolarek, Maeda, and Kelly

      Alexander, Floro, Chargois, Sadler, Stripling, and Garcia are the odd-men-out.

      That has the makings of a lockdown pen…. if Kenley can get it together!

      1. It sounds about right, Mark. However, Sadler has pitched well but I see that you would rather have two LHRP in the BP. Can you really overlook Sadler’s numbers this season? I think I need to see both compete more for that extra spot.

      2. That is expecting a heck of a lot from Kolarek (who has never been lock down or special), and two rookies in a post-season in general and WS in particular. You may be right, but there is just as much risk going with those three.

         The Dodgers could get hot at the right time. They are still having problems with the Padres LH starters Lauer and Lucchesi. Lucchesi was sailing through 5 when Wingenter came in relief and gave up the 2 out Grand Slam. But Lauer sailed through the Dodgers except for a Belli 2-run jack. They get two good RHSP next, so hopefully all of the bats will begin to awake.

      3. My concern with so many starters in the pen is how they adapt to pitching on consecutive days and coming in mid-inning (both in terms of warm-up time and the unfamiliarity of entering into stress situations immediately). If LA goes this route, then it would seem that Doc would need to prioritize using the converted starters to begin clean innings, leaving Baez, Kelly, and Kolarek to put out fires.

6. The Fab Four: Lux, May, Ruiz and Smith, are not traded.

7. The Dodgers need 49,383 fans per game to reach 4,000,000. Today they average 48,608, that’s close.

8. Let’s not forget that the Dodgers will make a blockbuster roster move late this month, or early September. No, not a trade, that ship has sailed, but Rich Hill, Chris Taylor, Kiké Hernandez, Jedd Gyorko, David Freese, Caleb Ferguson, and possibly the team’s top position prospects Gavin Lux and Keibert Ruiz will be available. If some combination of those players were acquired by trade this month it would be considered a blockbuster and make the Dodgers the favorites to win the World Series. I am 100% on board with the Dodgers strategy, led by Andrew Friedman. Would I like to have Felipe Vazquez in the bullpen? Absolutely! But at the cost of Lux, May, and Ruiz? Absolutely not! For me, the end-all is not the World Series. As we all know, the best team does not always win in any post season tournament, whether it be the NCAA, NBA, NHL, or NFL. To sell out on the future, for the possibility of a championship now does not make sense for the long run.

   1. Socal, I can’t see Ferguson in the company of the other players. He’s tried all year to find his stuff and it’s not going to happen at Dodger Stadium. He can try again next season. But, no doubt the other players will get their chance if all are healthy.

      Looking at the Astros SP rotation gives me cause to pause. They should be the odds on favorites to have the Dodgers strategy change next season for an ‘all in’ one. 3 straight trips to the WS without a ring should force the team to consider what they’ve not done to insure the win. Of course, it’s always possible that the Dodgers can overcome, but they will be the underdogs.

      For me, the best team always wins in the post season tournament in professional leagues. Injuries or accidents can and do occur and that will make a deciding difference, too. For the Dodgers, both the Astros and Red Sox were the better teams that won. I was not surprised about the outcome of every Champion in the NBA, NHL, MLB, or NFL. The best teams won. If the Dodgers want to win it this year, they have to start playing like they mean it. Winning home field advantage will be the first step towards that. Doc better start motivating his players now. We need to do much better than we’ve been doing since the All Star break.

      1. there are no guarantees, but Ferguson has looked much better in his last 3 appearances, and if he returns to 2018 form will be a significant factor for the Dodgers bullpen. No doubt that the Astros are an excellent team, they were also excellent in 2018 but did not make it to the World Series. Regarding the best professional teams “always” Winn the post season tournament; there have been many upsets that challenges your conclusion, among them being the Dodgers winning the 1988 World Series, Marlins beating the NY Yankees, the AZ Diamondbacks beating the NY Yankees, the Giants prevailing in several World Series when they were underdogs. Last season’s NHL playoffs were full of upsets. In tournaments anything can happen.

9. Excellent column. Yah, I wish the Dodgers had picked up Yelich. Read a couple of reports they were interested, but I’m sure the Marlins wanted a big haul of prospects, which they got, but they weren’t all that good. Funny how things work, but a straight up trade of Verdugo for Yelich would have worked out better for Miami. Verdugo has been really good this year and is going to get better. Part of the problem is other GMs want the top rated prospects, not the ones in the sixth through 10 range. But the Dodger system is simply better than most other systems and that should be obvious with the players making an impact with the big league club. Most of the star quality prospects the Brewers traded to Miami have faded away. The only real problem the Dodgers have had is wasting a lot of money internationally on Cuban players, who they should have avoided. Fifteen million for Yadier Alvarez? They’ve admitted that they blew it and changed that operation. But what puzzles me is they didn’t pursue Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Dodgers are now all in as a develop your own players franchise so Friedman will not consider trading away top prospects any time soon. Even bullpen issues are likely to be solved internally in the future. I just wish the Dodgers would have kept Greinke by negotiating an extension earlier and so do they. Other than that, I have few complaints. Well, maybe the fact that Frank McCourt still gets a cut of the parking lot revenue.

10. Minor League Report has been updated above

    1. Ha, to your comment on the last thread–“I would bet a large lunch from a drive up window”–

       1. It’s a stolen line from one of my favorite financial/economic journalists, Tom Sullivan.

          1. His talk show is not too bad also.

11. Per SI – Post Deadline Analysis:

    “Still, the problem with Los Angeles is that, with Kenley Jansen struggling, the team doesn’t have a singular, established high-leverage option. Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez would have been that arm, but his price was prohibitive. Instead, the Dodgers will have to hope that someone in that aforementioned group of starters can play up in relief—a big maybe for a team trying to end a 31-year championship drought.”

    They recognized that the Vazquez price tag was prohibitive, but notes the team has to now hope that one of the starters (or rookies) can be that high leverage late inning reliever. If that is what we have, I am going to buckle up and enjoy the ride.

    1. I’m like a broken record here but the “singular, established high-leverage option” could be (will be) Joe Kelly and not a starter in relief or a rookie. If he continues to command that nasty stuff he has, he could set up late or spell KJ when required.

12. Friedman has done a fine job under the obvious constraints put upon him in terms of payroll and not signing major long-term deals. However he seems to feel that he is forced to look at the used car department when searching for free agents, because the owners won’t let him look at the top models. He signed Scott Kazmir, who it was obvious was rapidly declining, and had arm issues. We got about three wins out of him for about $40 million or more. He got Brett Anderson, who had talent but was always injured,; we actually got one year out of him, picked up his option, for $15 million, and he got hurt again and missed the whole season. AJ Pollock is another constantly injured player, and we gave him four years at $50 million or so, and once again he is on the disabled list. And Rich Hill, whom I do like, and who has certainly helped when healthy, is often out for long periods, which of course was his history when we signed him. With all this money, we could have gotten at least one big-time free agent such as Scherzer, and/or paid for Verlander a couple of years ago, and we would have two or three titles by now. And homegrown Yelich was an obvious must-get, but there was something about the salary or prospect price which essentially kept us from even trying very hard to get him.

    Friedman is probably the only person we could have running our front office who could somehow find the various odds and ends which mostly fill our roster, and who often surpass expectations. But it reminds me of Cinderella’s equipage, one waits for them to turn back into pumpkins in the World Series, if we get that far. The only stars we have on this roster are Bellinger, Buehler (almost) Kershaw, (whose best days are behind him). Seager maybe, if he were healthy, but he rarely is now. Turner is a good hitter if he is healthy, which is not so often now, but not an overall great player.. Maybe we can count Ryu, if only for this year.The rest are various reclamation prospects and young players with varying degrees of potential. It is rather amazing that we have done so well with this, but continually passing on the few top free agents or trade possibilities, does limit the ceiling for the franchise, even if attendance is great.

13. Great retrospect AC. It looks like about a 3rd of those players have had varying degrees of success in MLB and a handful at the upper end of the spectrum. Not bad indeed. The thing I gather from this is that only about 5 guys on a top 30 list are going to be definite keepers. So, if your untouchables list is 10-15 deep, you’re dreaming.

    May was awesome last night. The movement on his fastball reminds of Darren Dreifort, aka “A-Rod Consolation Prize.” I can see him having a chance at working out in the bullpen for the stretch run. Maybe even 4th starter if that’s the direction they want to go. (I still prefer Urias in the rotation for many reasons.)

    Cleaner defense and a couple of inches on a couple of balls in CF and he would have had a great outing. It also reminds me of Gonsolin’s first outing in that manner.

    I completely lost my mind at the Trade Deadline. It’s come and gone. No use crying over spilled milk now. We have a great team with a lot of options to be sorted over the next couple of months. We all get to watch all those prospects we’ve been hugging so tightly and there’s no use worrying about the Astros until October. A lot can happen between now and then.

    I read this morning that we can play 500 ball the rest of the way and finish with 97 wins. This team is truly impressive. And unlike the American League, we don’t have a bunch of punching bags to beat up on all year.

    1. Let me address one thing:

       It looks like about a 3rd of those players have had varying degrees of success in MLB and a handful at the upper end of the spectrum. Not bad indeed. The thing I gather from this is that only about 5 guys on a top 30 list are going to be definite keepers. So, if your untouchables list is 10-15 deep, you’re dreaming.

       That is essentially true, but here’s the rub: Sometimes other prospects step up and become special. So you horde as many as possible because the more you keep, the more that will make the show.

14. Let’s look at some of the acquisitions the FO has done at the trade deadline for the last 3 years and see how they are doing presently.

    2017
    Yu Darvish-2019 W-L/ 3-5, ERA 4.46, WHIP 1.22, salary 5 year deal with Cubs, 2019 at $20M. He was already struggling with Texas at 6-9 and 4.01 ERA. He was a rental. FO never intended to sign him for the next season.

    Logan Forsythe-2019 slash line .250/.359/.408/.767, but he still can’t hit. He was good at getting walks for us but couldn’t hit. We all know how he turned out. They still paid him $9M in 2018!

    Brandon Morrow- 6-0 with us in 2017, 2.06 ERA, 0.916 WHIP. They let him walk! Cubs signed him for $9M. Was he not the bridge to Jansen? What was wrong with him? Better than most of the relievers fans wanted before this year’s trade deadline.

    2018

    They keep Logan Forsythe, a non-productive hitter but decent defenseman.

    Matt Kemp-a bloated salary and an Allstar. It was a complete mystery about why they wouldn’t play him during the 2nd half of the season.

    Max Muncy- a fantastic find, finally. He kept us alive and cost us nothing.

    Manny Machado- a superstar rental. Underachieved with us. The FO never had any intention of signing him even though they made a gesture. We all know the story.

    Brian Dozier-another mediocre 2B who could not deliver the goods.

    A slew of relievers auditioned in 2018 with a mediocre group making the BP. In 2019, we are still complaining about our BP and signed Kelly for $8M who has hurt more than helped us. Another questionable signing by the FO.

    In my estimation, the best player turned out to be Muncy who is making the league minimum. Machado went on to get a $300M contract. The best reliever, Morrow, they let walk and this year they decided they needed relief help. Go figure. Does anyone see what is going on here? The Dodgers suck at acquiring impact players. Everyone who sticks is either home grown or traded for prospects that are not very meaningful. 2B is still a sore spot and after trying everything from Forshyte to platoons, they still don’t bring up their star Lux. Do you think they are trying their hardest to win a WS? I don’t. Maybe the players are trying their hardest but the FO has not given them the necessary ammo to propel them to victory. We are good and we are deep, but the FO has been atrocious to recognize the weaknesses of this team and would rather wait for farm hands to mature than trust themselves in the FA market or trade arena. Pollock, their star signing is another underachiever and is always pointed to to prove the FO is not cheap and is willing to spend. I guess they just pick the wrong guy to spend money on as well as most of the people I listed above.

    Having said all this, we still are in the thick of it only because our home grown players have done well and JT kept us afloat for these years. He was not one of the FO’s successful acquisitions. Credit Ned for that. If we fail to win the WS, will the FO somehow go out and acquire a difference maker? Or will the FO and their fandom continue to say ‘next year’?

    1. “Do you think they are trying their hardest to win a WS? I don’t. ”

       You might be the only one who feels this way

       1. I think that the front office is, I do not think that the owners are. In fact, it is almost a certainty that they are not, or they would have paid for Verlander two years ago, and found a way to get Yelich before last season, and they wouldn’t have kept cutting payroll over the last two years. And they would have allowed the front office to either get Vazquez, or a starter like Greinke, so that the Astros would not have the superior team, and maybe the Yankees, too, if Severino is back, and maybe even the Braves. And the Cubs spent for Kimbrel and Castellanos, and the Braves risked money with Keuchel. Friedman is allowed some leeway, but not all that much when it comes to spending, since the ownership has a hard cap at the luxury tax line. At least three of the aforementioned teams do not.

          It will be very interesting to see if we can get healthy and get the team back which ran away with the first half standings, or whether the collection of injury prone and in some cases declining players, will fizzle in the playoffs. I really do hope for the best as always, but I think that there are at least a few teams which will go into the playoffs in better shape than we are, and this is not just bad luck. I do not expect us to win it all–again. Nor next year, either.

       2. You know that is not true. Look at all the fans who are unhappy about not winning a WS. Look at the holes the Dodgers had and still have in their roster. The ultimate ‘all in’ mentality has to go all the way to the top, ownership. I haven’t seen this exhibited yet. Maybe I’m wrong and even if they spent some big money for elite players, it still remains with the players to perform. So many variables are in play and the FO does a great job to manage them but they have not overcome the hurdles that remain. Their weaknesses are still their weaknesses.

          1. Yes, you are wrong. No maybe about it.

    2. Yeah, Andrew Friedman is not trying his hardest to win. He wants to lose so that he has less leverage to sign a new deal and he wants to lose so the Dodgers won’t have to pay him a lot more on his next deal. Winning means nothing to him. He gets a slice of all the gate and is likely a billionaire. The Dodgers just pay him for attendance. Actually, Friedman is being paid by other teams to make the Dodgers lose.

       What I just said is just as delusional as what you just said.

       1. Lots of sarcasm packed in there.

       2. That’s a sad ass reply, Mark.

          1. to a sadder comment…

       3. Best sarcastic reply ever Mark!
          This Dodgers team is fun to watch and I enjoy almost every minute of it.
          Go Blue!!

    3. The Cubs signed Morrow to a guaranteed $21MM contract, $9MM each for 2018 and 2019 with a $3MM buyout of the team’s 2020 option (which they will gladly pay). He has not pitched an inning for the Cubs since last September. You do know Morrow’s long history of injuries; correct? 2013 pitched 10 games (all starts); 2014, 13 games; 2015, 5 games; 2016, 18 games. Yep, Friedman really made a bad decision on Morrow.

15. I totally agree with your evaluation of AF AC. When you step back and look at the quality and quantity of prospects now on the roster and in the pipeline it’s insane. With six straight division championships and two straight world series appearances the Dodgers still have a top 5 farm system. Think about that. And, look at the players on the current roster that were top prospects recently. The pipeline is flowing full blast and doesn’t look to stop for a while. Lux, May, Gonsolin, Ruiz, Peters waiting in the wings. And, still more in the lower minors waiting to realize their dreams. We evaluate AF on drafts and trades, but look at the team he has put together for player development, analytics, fitness, nutrition, etc. We draft at the bottom every year and still find incredible talent. That’s where player development is so important. And, with AF it’s the trades and players that he didn’t make that are more important than the ones he did. He has been aggressive at the deadline, but the players he obtained failed to meet their past performances. Not AF’s fault.
    I was very disappointed after the trade deadline with not getting Vazquez, but sometimes you don’t get what you want. The price was just too high. I think Pittsburgh will regret their decision to keep Vazquez over getting some solid prospects in return. Their GM’s delusional thinking that the Pirates will complete for a playoff spot next year is just beyond belief. But, that’s Pittsburgh’s problem. He still has Vazquez and we have Lux, Ruiz, May, Gonsolin, Peters, etc. I like our decision.
    So, bottom line, I’m all in on AF for now and the future.

    Other observations:
    It looks like JT is really hurting which is sad to see. He’s still a plus hitter, but he is missing in the middle of the strike zone that we are used to seeing him crush. For the playoffs I would like to see him down in the sixth spot.
    I think it would give him more RBI chances (only 46 right now) with his power not what it was. And, I don’t know if his arm is hurting, those lollipop throws to first are just awful to watch. There all over the place. He doesn’t have Belli over there to bail him out anymore and it contributes to our poor defense recently. Of course, having Pederson there didn’t help.
    Will “the thrill” Smith is so fun to watch. We know his offense is going to slow over the rest of the season, but the display of his catching abilities will probably be a consistent. No hits tonight. OK, I’ll just throw out a couple of runners and handle the pitchers like a veteran. Love it.
    Matt Beaty is just a hitting machine. It’s a shame that his is a liability on defense. It would be nice if he could zero in on one position during the off season. If we make it to the world series he would be perfect as the DH. Keep raking Matt.
    Max Muncy I think may be traded in the off season. He is not athletic at all and it shows on defense. He really has no position that he plays well. First base (OK), second base (meh), third base (awful). Love the homers, but is starting to strike out at a more alarming rate (29%). Maybe a third (move JT to first) or first baseman should be obtained in the off season.
    And, last but not least, Joc Pederson. I think it’s time for him to move on which is a sad deal. He’s a one dimensional hitter. Only hits RHP and home runs. He plays a decent outfield. But, he just doesn’t appear to put much effort into improving himself as a baseball player. When things are going good he’s awesome (which isn’t often). But, when he is bad (which is most of the time) it’s frustrating to watch. Doesn’t appear to have any plan or insight with each AB. There’s no conviction. He needs a fresh start.
    Dustin May. What a nice beginning for him. Great movement with his fastball. I didn’t see much use of his curve ball. Mostly fastball and cutter. He seemed to be getting more comfortable after the first inning. It was nice that Roberts left him in for the sixth. The Padres began zeroing in on his fastball knowing the curve ball and slider were nothing to look for. Overall, good start to his career. With more starts and some additional weight he could be a 1-2 starter for the Dodgers. And, with good health the Dodger pitching future is bright.

16. Not sure why there is so much negativity about the team’s playoff chances or lack of deadline moves. AF is not sitting on his hands and at least a couple adds have done well, Sadler and Negron. It’s hard to bring in impact guys if they are merely a placeholder for injured players. Hard to fault how they have not blocked the kids this year and how well Beaty and Smith have done. We have seen Garlick and Rios and Gonsolin and May and lessor bullpen guys get a callup to the show. The swirl of activity had to affect some of the players and with that behind them they have time to put the pieces in place and see how they fit. The Dodgers and Yankees took a lot of flack for standing pat yet they have as good a chance as any to meet in the WS and the Dodgers are set up really well for the next couple years at least. I’m pretty confident this team will gel and go on another tear, plus get injured players back and possibly get some rookie contributions to boot. I still think this is the year they break through and take home the trophy.

    1. It’s possible that they win it all, just not likely. Vegas often gets it right with their odds, that’s why many refer to it as a sign post.

       Since the ownership is not visible at the playing level and the staffing level, the FO may get blamed for ownership limitations and bad decisions not made by them, but by ownership. The FO is often a kind of shield for ownership. AF does not have a blank check, so he’s been great at managing what he can and keeping the pipeline in motion. As far as trades and acquisitions, he stinks. No professional sports team relies solely on their developmental leagues. All of them engage in the FA market as well. Look at the Rams, Lakers, Warriors, Raptors and NHL. No team has been on top with homegrown talent only. They go out and get pieces because money and the desire to win get talent in this day and age.

17. I like tonight’s lineup, its the best 8 guys IMO.

    1. I do too. I’m glad the Joc experiment is over but if they’re so worried about Cody getting injured then why not Beaty at 1st, Cody in RF, and Joc LF?

       1. I agree.

       2. I don’t think they are worried about anybody getting hurt at first base regardless of who plays there.

          1. The big reason they tried Joc at first was Cody’s shoulder had popped out twice diving for balls there.

       3. Beaty has problems hitting LHP. He’s worse than Joc. He is not known as a defensive infielder. You can’t play him at 1B permanently or against LHP, so you’re stuck platooning him or PH. For me, this is a bandaid approach. It relies too much on luck. Same with Joc. They are both terrific hitters against RHP. It’s a brain thing. The synapses don’t fire the same way. It’s like a baseball dyslexia.

          1. Beaty hasn’t been given the chance to hit lefties. But in AAA he hit lefties BETTER than righties.

       4. I don’t think it was ever a Joc experiment, just an advertisement for a trade. It ended day after trade deadline. There is still plenty of time this month if they were really serious about trying it.

18. Gyrko was 1 for 2 for Tulsa tonight. He would be a nice upgrade from Tyler White once he’s ready. I believe Doc said 40 or 50 AB’s

19. XLNT pitching this night!!!!!!!!!!!

20. BTW, Greene blew his first save opportunity for Atlanta tonight.

Comments are closed.