One thing Andrew Friedman has done since he took over is to make sure the Dodgers are extremely deep in talent. When you consider where they have drafted over the last several years, the influx of talent to the team has been pretty steady. And his trades have brought back some very talented players.
He also has kept his free agent options open, and then will sign a player he feels helps make the team better. This offseason, LA had 8 free agents. 5 left, Pederson, McGee, Wood, Baez and Hernandez. 3 were resigned, Nelson, Trienen, and Turner.
Now some think they are really going to miss Kike and Joc. Possibly, they both had memorable moments as Dodgers. But neither was a starter. Joc’s inability to hit LH pitching relegated him to platoon duty of sorts. Although his glove is excellent, Kike could not hold the starting second base job when it was given to him. Twice.
AF shocked us all when he signed Bauer. I certainly did not see that coming. But now, you look at the starting pitchers in camp., and you cannot but be impressed by the talent of those arms. Kershaw, Price and Bauer, all former Cy Young winners. Buehler, a Cy Young waiting to happen. Urias, who was so nails as a reliever in the playoffs and World Series, and also had some pretty good outings as a starter.
Then there is Tony Gonsolin, the cat man, who has some pretty nasty stuff, and is probably slated to be the long man. Dustin May. In my estimation, May is going to start the year at AAA and I do not have any problem with that scenario. He needs to work on a few things, and develop a couple of his pitches a little bit more.
Josiah Gray. He will see action in the spring and might be a good candidate for a call-up if injuries arise. Mitch White has also been a starter, but his spring debut is on hold while he battles some soreness.
The dark horse to me is Jimmy Nelson. When he was with the Brewers, he had some nasty stuff. And if, and I do mean if, he is healthy, he could end up the long man, or even in the starting rotation. I am hoping he is healthy.
The bullpen has so many candidates right now, and probably 1 or 2 open slots. Locks are Jansen, Trienen, Kneble, Alexander, and Gonzalez. Then you have a ton of pitchers behind those guys. Kelly is out with arm soreness right now. Kahnle and Ferguson will begin the year on the IL.
RHP on the roster who are candidates, Carillo, Graterol, Jackson, Santana, and Uceta. Morrow, who is a non roster guy, is another candidate, and a sleeper at that. If he is healthy, he is nasty. Pazo’s and Kickham, are lefty’s who also have MLB time.
Cleavenger, and Vesia are lefty’s with MLB experience. Pretty deep and talented group. The Dodgers traded 3 who were part of last year’s pen, Kolarek, Floro and Sborz. But they got some younger arms in return. Vesia will be interesting to watch. Many are impressed by his high spin rate.
Most of the starting lineup are returning regulars. Only second base is unsettled as of this point. But most believe that Gavin Lux is going to take the job and make it his come the end of spring. Turner will be back at the hot corner, but he is not really an everyday player any more. If they get 120 games out of him, I will be surprised. Seager is at short, and Muncy at first. The 3 main outfielders will be Pollock, Bellinger and Betts. Pollock has the most chance of being platooned. But if he stays healthy all year like he did last season, look for him to get a majority of the time.
Infield backups on the roster right now are Beaty, he can play 3rd, 1st and the outfield, McKinstry, also can play all around the infield and probably left if needed. Neuse, who only has 25 games experience, but who is supposed to have pretty good power. And then there is Edwin Rios, who will most likely be playing 3rd whenever Turner is not in the game.
Chris Taylor is listed on the roster as an outfielder, but we all know he can play 2nd, SS, and any outfield position, then there are the lefty hitting Zach Reks and Luke Raley, both have some pop. Raley has some MLB experience from when he was with the Twins. The sleeper here to me is DJ Peters.
Peters is a very good athlete, and probably behind Bellinger, the best of the rest in CF. If the kid can cut down on his strikeouts, he has awesome power.
Smith, Barnes, and Ruiz are the 3 catchers on the roster. Ruiz has not reported yet because of visa problems. The only non-roster catcher with some MLB time is Tim Federowicz.
There are 10 infielders on the non roster list. 4 on the current list have MLB time. Andy Burns, Rangel Ravelo, Elliot Soto, and Matt Davidson. Carlos Asuaje was signed to a minor league deal, but he does not show up on the list.
The player on the list that most believe is close to contributing is Michael Busch. He is listed as a 2B. Some also think that Jacob Amaya is getting close also.
Taylor will most likely be Seager’s backup, Rios, for Turner, Belli, Muncy, Rios and Beaty can all play 1st. Taylor can also cover 2nd if Lux has problems. Muncy could move over there too, with Belli or Beaty taking first. There are a lot of moving parts on this team, and that is what Andrew Friedman likes.
There is enough depth that AF can afford to sit on what he has until the deadline. This team is not built for long losing streaks. Any one of the starters are fully capable of stopping any losing streak in its tracks. They are in a good position to defend their title as Champions.
So now, let the games begin. The big difference between the Dodgers and the Padres, is if someone like Machado goes down to injury, they really do not have a substitute who can provide the kind of firepower he does. The Dodgers are loaded with backups who can hit. Sometimes the biggest surprises just need a chance.
Photo Credits: Los Angeles Dodgers & Sue Jo, Hunter Kondo
Darkhorse Jimmy Nelson, I like it!
Yesterday, when asked which pitchers have stood out during the first two full days of throwing bullpens, Dave Roberts mentioned Knebel, Cleavinger, Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot and Alex Vesia.
Will the MLB allow JImmy Nelson to wear his horseshoes or will he be forced into wearing cleats?
Don’t you just hate those stupid questions from the press like, “after 15 minutes of warm-ups which pitchers stood out to you and based on that 15 minutes of warm-ups, which pitcher will be the Opening Day starting pitcher? You got to love the press, well no one else does so I guess you don’t have to either. I’m at the point that all press should be disbanded both in sports and politics, it’s all become just piles of bullshit.
But we really want to know which players failed to bring their poodles with them to ST. That would be grounds for getting cut.
Take it easy, take it easy. Don’t be a cynic and join the pile!
I find it disconcerting that a pitcher already has arm soreness at the very beginning of Spring Training. What was he doing in the off season? A player, especially one with something to prove, should be showing up to ST already prepared with an off-season strength and conditioning and throwing routine.
Patch, I too wonder how a guy (Kelly) has a sore arm coming to ST. Not to pile on Kelly again as i’ve spoken my mind on on his value previously. But I don’t get it.
I didn’t get a chance to respond to your post yesterday on the use of a closer at the most critical time, not necessarily the 9th. I prefer the term “stopper” who can be used in any later inning to put the fire out. It doesn’t have to be the 9th. I had a great argument about this topic a couple of years ago with a friend who’s a national cross-checker. I pointed out that Sutter and Gossage and those boys had 3 inning saves. Then it became 2 inning saves. Then the 9th only. His argument was that it takes a special mentality to be the closer in the 9th. Not just any pitcher can face the pressure of the moment. We’ve all heard many times announcers say the toughest outs are 25, 26 and 27. So, with that thinking, if you spend your bullets in the 7th, the 9th inning guy isn’t the best guy in that role. It’s an interesting conversation and I can see the philosophy of both sides.
I think we’ll be seeing a lot of creative uses of the … whatever the DL is called these days.
I would say that, if there is a weakness on this team, it could be the bench players. Although Kike wasn’t always a consistent offense contributor, the team really appreciated his defense. I don’t see any of the potential pieces having that same defensive acumen. This is somewhat important because the Dodgers don’t really have a standout defensive player in the infield, and there were a couple of key miscues by CT3 that turned out to be important.
Not sure who the fill in would be for Pollock.
Alexander is not a lock but otherwise well done.
Alexander is pretty much a lock. He has more MLB experience than any other lefty reliever on the team. Unless he gets injured, he is going to be there. Otherwise, they probably would not have traded Kolarek.
Per his contract, yes, but Cleavinger, Pazos, Romero, Kickham & even Yesia have a shot. AF could always trade Scott.
Possible, but not likely. Injury would be the more common way he would not be there. Romero, Pazos, Kickham are all non roster guys, so someone would need to be moved off of the roster for them to make the team. Not impossible, but my feeling is that the only 2 non roster pitchers with a real shot to make the team are Morrow and Nelson. And the kid they got from Miami is Vesia. He would have a legitimate shot. He has some nasty stuff.
Almost feels like if Morrow is healthy he’ll be given a spot.
I agree with that 100%. One thing about Morrow is you absolutely know what you are getting when he is right. And the guy has ice water in his veins.
Looks like Bauer and Syndergaard are at it,
https://nypost.com/2021/02/19/trevor-bauer-noah-syndergaard-get-into-mets-twitter-spat/
Just ignore.
Probably started because he spurned the Mets. No biggie, seen two players do that before.
You’re absolutely right, Bear, Jimmy Nelson is definitely a dark horse and could be one of the big stories of 2021. He’s got talent and if he can stay healthy, could be a big factor moving forward. Obviously, Andrew Friedman has similar thoughts. This is an incredibly interesting team, perhaps a super team, and the depth is off the charts, not to mention the minors where several players could potentially help.
Second base may be the most interesting position this spring with Gavin Lux getting an opportunity to prove how special everybody thinks he can become. If he turns the corner and gets hot, watch out.
Good to see the Dodgers interacting with state officials to have fans back at games starting with opening day. Initially something like 20 to 25 percent of capacity to begin the season.
Excellent article Bear!
This Dodger roster has depth and so many possibilities. As a dark horse, I think Morrow could definitely help the bullpen if healthy. As you mentioned, whenever he has been healthy, he has been very good.
I was also shocked by the Bauer signing, but it does make the team better and deeper this year when the uncertainty around MLB pitching is higher than ever. And the signing is really only a 2 year deal, which provides quality pitching with minimal long term risk.
The Padres are a formidable opponent and they have definitely improved, and have built a great farm system. If everything breaks right for them, they could dethrone the Dodgers. However, they are taking large risks that seem unnecessary to me. They are paying over $20 million per year to Darvish (35 yrs old this year), Hosmer, and Wil Myers. They still have 8 years committed to Machado, and are paying him $33 million this year.
And now they have signed Tatis to a $340 million deal after he has played 143 MLB games! Sure, he has been fantastic, and his potential looks limitless. And I agree that he will probably be a top 10 MLB player for the next 10 years. But no one is a sure thing in baseball, and the Padres did not need to make this commitment without a longer track record. They rushed him to the MLB in 2019, never playing a game in AAA, and he had a back injury missing half of the season on a team that finished in last place in the division. And they started the free agency clock a year early unnecessarily. Tatis has only played more than 90 games in a season once in his 5 year professional career for the Padres. Last year, he was very good with a batting average of .277, OBP of .366, and OPS of .937. He hit 17 HRs, and made amazing plays in the field. But baseball is a difficult and humbling sport. Tatis may become the next Mike Trout, or he may become the next Yasiel Puig. Puig had an amazing year as a 22 year old rookie, hitting .319, with an OBP of .390, and an OPS of .925 in 104 games. I think Tatis will be a great player, but I don’t think it is wise to guarantee a 22 year old with limited experience the 3rd highest contract in history. It may work out fine for the Padres, or maybe even be a favorable contract if MLB salaries continue to escalate. But it also could set the Padres back for a decade if his play regresses or he becomes injury prone. Baseball is the ultimate team sport, and it takes a deep and talented 25 man roster to consistently win championships.
He is a very talented player. But 340 Mil??? Makes you wonder what Lindor would have recieved on the open market, and may make him think twice about signing a long term deal with the Mets.
Jansen probably won’t see many opportunities to close many games. The Dodgers will score too many runs for save situations and they’ll put Jansen in just to keep him in practice.
I’ve been having internet problems these last few days. Hopefully that has ended. I’ve petitioned the court for probate with my brother’s estate and me going pro-per is not likely a good idea and the internet is a tool I shouldn’t go without. So best O shots to me.
Every spring, there are always questions. Also there usually will be some sort of injury to someone. Sore arms early are not uncommon. And Kelly was on a throwing regimen all winter. Not sure about White, but he was probably doing the same thing. There are always guys who surprise everyone with their spring performance and sometimes they will knock someone off of the roster. Does not happen a lot, but it occasionally does. If you look at the 40 man roster, there are plenty of players who could be sent down, traded, or even released. Some to me seem very vulnerable for this to happen. One spot will open up when Kahnle is placed on the 60 day IL. I am kind of surprised he has not been placed there yet. But I believe Santana could be one of those on the cusp, Raley also. Guys like Carillo and Uceta will most likely start the year at AAA. One guy I believe is going to have to have a monster spring to have any chance of making it and that is Reks. He has done well in the minors, but now is his big chance, and he is already 27. Could end up being a LH hitting Garlick.
This is just my opinion, but with the 3 batter minimum rule and that there are more RHB than LHB, the left-handed reliever role is less important now. The smart way to build a bullpen is with guys that can consistently get outs against both sides of the plate, no matter which arm they use. Just because someone is a left-hander or a right-hander shouldn’t determine whether or not they are a lock for the bullpen. Just my opinion.
I agree, BUT, the 3 hitter rule does not apply if a pitcher comes in and faces the last hitter. Say Knebel comes in to get out Posey and does it, the Giants have 3 lefty’s in a row due up the next inning, If Knebel is not sent back out, the 3 hitter rule only apply’s to the next pitcher. A balanced bullpen is more desirable in any case. Best case scenario of course is having pitchers in the pen who are good against both sides. The trouble with any reliever is you do not know what you are getting, especially with the younger ones until they are put in that situation,
One of the best at getting hitters out from both sides of the plate on the Dodgers is believe it or not, Kenley. Lefty’s are hitting only .202 in his career off of him. Most of the other relievers on the team do not come close to keeping hitters off base from the other side as he has. One thing that is universal from the stats I checked. Their K to BB ratio against the opposite side is almost always lower. Even all time great reliever Mariano Rivera has given up a higher BA to lefty’s than Kenley.
If someone told you at the beginning of 2020 that in the regular season Buehler would not be a factor, Jansen would lose it in September, Lux would be a flop. Joc, Muncy and Belly would be struggling to better the Mendoza line.
And we win a WS! This team is scary good and especially if we’re firing on all cylinders!