It has been a long time since I have felt a desire to write. I am hoping that I can at least finish this one. I have been trying to finish a certain blog post that I started last March, but have not been able to do so. I was able to write a somewhat complete email to Harold (DC) last week, and responded to two very close friends last week for my birthday. Those are the first emails longer than a couple of sentences that I have finished since February.
Anyway, here goes. I have been watching more MiLB games than LAD games. I have been focusing on Tulsa (AA). I have been watching Michael Busch, Kody Hoese, Jacob Amaya, and my favorite MiLB player since he was drafted out of Butler, Ryan Pepiot. I watched Saturday’s outing where Pepiot pitched 5.0 IP, allowed 1 hit, 1 walk, and had 8 K’s. For the season, Ryan has pitched 22.0 IP, with a 1.64 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. Batting average against is .137, with 33 Ks and 10 BBs. In his 22.0 IP he has surrendered 4 runs including 3 HRs. Too many walks, and missing over the plate while he is dealing. Once he garners that command, Pepiot is going to move quickly.
Andre Jackson is another starting pitcher who is pitching well in Tulsa. However, Jackson is 1.3 years older than Pepiot. John Rooney is at least competing, while Michael Grove should no longer be considered a rotation type pitcher. It has been more than four years (May 2017) since his TJ surgery. It is time to stick him in the pen and see if he can compete there. Gerardo Carrillo is still 22 and had a decent start to AA, but his last two starts have been a disaster. In 5.1 IP Carrillo has surrendered 9 earned runs. At 22 in AA, he is still a pitcher to watch.
Tulsa does have some relievers that warrant some following. The youngest pitcher on the staff, Guillermo Zuniga. Zuniga has appeared in 12 games, he has 19.0 IP with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He has 29 Ks and 9 BBs. He has one save and one blown save. Certainly not eye-popping numbers, but put it into context that he is only 22 at AA, and LAD believes they have a potential late inning reliever.
Another 22 year old who is seemingly on everyone’s list is 6’6” 265 pound RHRP Nick Robertson. He is not the big strikeout pitcher, but in 17.1 IP, he does have 17Ks. But where he currently excels at is he limits his BBs…4 in those 17.1 IP. He has a 1.56 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. His OPS against is .456. Nick should be at AAA, but LAD loves to keep their AAAA pitchers there, so I would anticipate that Nick will continue to succeed at AA. But he is a strong candidate to break camp with the ML club next Spring.
One reliever that continues to go unnoticed, is 25 year old RHRP Aaron Ochsenbein. All he has done is pitch well everywhere he has pitched in the organization. At AA this year, he has 20.1 IP with a 2.21 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. Not a big strikeout pitcher (18), but his OPS against is .500. He is 25 and needs to be pushed to see how far he can go and continue to succeed.
There are certainly others who could surprise, but Pepiot and Robertson look like the legit contenders with Jackson, Carrillo, and Zuniga worthy of consideration. And I am still pulling hard for Aaron Ochsenbein.
Offensively, Michael Busch still leads the team in OPS (.878). However, he does K at a near 28% rate. Which is stellar compared to Jeren Kendall who is whiffing at a near 40% rate. Defensively, Busch handles most of what he can get to (2 errors in 82 chances). But his range at 2B is still questionable. He needs more work there. The other top prospect at Tulsa is 3B Kody Hoese. Hoese has started at AA slowly with a dismal .468 OPS in 130 PA. He has 3 XBH and a .246 OBP to account for the low OPS. One of the concerns that talent evaluators had with Kody was his slow bat. He strikes out at a near 24% clip, but has not barreled up at AA just yet. The positive is that both are only 23 and are more than a year younger than the average AA player. They missed out on an entire season of competitive play, but so did the other AA players. Neither Busch nor Hoese were strikeout hitters in college, albeit Busch played in a top conference (ACC), while Hoese played in second tier Missouri Valley Conference. Both Busch and Hoese are rightfully top LAD prospects, but only Busch is rated as a top 100 player (82 MLB Pipeline and 89 Fangraphs).
I have always been an advocate for Jacob Amaya. Jacob is another player LAD is trying to change his swing. Thus far he is hitting exactly as you would expect…more power, less contact. Jacob was a doubles producer in 2019 with limited HR power (7 in 559 PA). But his K rate was a little above 17%. In 2021, Jacob has 5 HRs in 137 PA while his K rate has grown to 29.2%. But this is the RVS philosophy penetrating throughout the system…launch angle with a hard swing. If you like more HRs and more Ks, you are a fan. Me, I preferred the potential GG SS who can hit .260 to .270 with little power. Like Philjones I am a Nick Madrigal fan. Why “fix” him? Same with Amaya. Leave him alone. He is never going to be a high OPS SS. Let him fail or succeed on his strengths. In addition, Jacob is only 22 and is more than 2 years younger than the average AA player. It may not be with the LAD, but he will play MLB. Amaya will be a Rule 5 draft player this December. I hope the Dodgers will protect him, but if not, it would be hard for another team to protect him on the ML roster for the entire year.
IMO, Busch, Hoese, and Amaya are the only AA players who have a chance to be everyday MLB players. Will they? Probably not all three.
Donovan Casey – RH version of Luke Raley and Zach Reks with limited power. His ceiling is as a reserve OF.
Jeren Kendall – Tremendous defensive CF who has big time problems with making contact. I will continue to say that Kendall should have hired Brett Butler to work with him. I cannot see him wearing an LAD uniform in a regular season game. He is a Rule 5 player, and I do not expect the Dodgers to protect him. Let’s see if anyone picks him up. They didn’t last winter.
Devin Mann and Carlos Rincon – I do not see it.
At AAA, IMO, only Keibert Ruiz is a potential everyday MLB player. He can play at MLB, but his defense is still a work in progress. Everyone talks about Austin Barnes’ weak arm, but he has thrown out 6 out of 28 would be base stealers (a below average 21%). He has one passed ball and two errors in 195.2 innings and 233 chances at the ML level. Compare that to Ruiz at AAA. 2 caught stealing out of 14 chances (14%), with 4 errors and 2 passed balls in 130 innings and 154 total chances. Ruiz is not getting moved until LAD sees what Diego Cartaya can do at the upper leagues. He is a man amongst boys in the California League.
JoJo Gray is still a mid-rotational prospect, even though he has not pitched much this year due to an injury.
It is hard to analyze A ball players. The biggest leap in professional baseball is from A ball to AA. Players can dominate at A level, but get lost in the weeds at AA. But it is hard to not get excited about Miguel Vargas. He has hit everywhere he has played, and at 21, he is dominating at high A in a pitcher’s league. At 21, he is top 5 in BA and top 7 in SLG and OPS. I know DC follows the Loons very closely, and I asked him what was being said about his defense at 3B. Per DC,
”According to the play-by-play announcer, Brad Tunney, his defense has really picked up. 3 errors in 78 chances. He seemed to have a strong arm and moves well. He is an alert ball player. He has filled out – 6’3”/205-lb. Tunney was suggesting that a move to 3B in Tulsa is in order. I expect that may depend on Kody Hoese.”
I would agree that Tulsa should not be far away for Vargas. Keep pushing him.
Andy Pages at 20 is having a good start to High A. He is tied for the league lead in HRs (9), and 8th in the league in RBIs (25). He needs more plate discipline, but he could possibly sneak in to AA at the end of the year.
An unexpected dark horse is LHH LF Ryan Ward. At 23, he is older for the league, but he is playing well enough that he should see AA next year.
DC has already written about Leonel Valera. At 20, he is very young for the league, and is competing well.
Carson Taylor has moved behind the Ruiz and Cartaya tandem in the catcher prospects. At 22, he is more than holding his own in his first year in professional baseball and he is doing it a High A. I look forward to seeing how he plays at AA next year. But do not count him out, at least as a backup receiver.
Pitching – I love the makeup of Bobby Miller. Will he be a mid-rotational pitcher or a high leverage late inning reliever. Either way he is a future MLB Pitcher. He is being closely monitored by LAD. He has 18.0 IP with a 1.00 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. 20 K vs 5 BB. Zero HR. He is 22, and maybe should get a promotion to AA to see what he can do there.
I have been following Jesus Vargas since his DSL days. At 21, he has the most IP of any Loon at 33.0. He has a 2.73 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. His WHIP is low because he limits his walks. He has 2 walks in his 33.0 IP against 23 Ks. He has allowed 5 HRs, so he needs to sharpen his command and hit corners more than the middle of the plate.
The jury is still out on Robinson Ortiz and Cole Percival. They have both done a very good job in keeping batters/runners from scoring, but it takes a lot of work. Both Ortiz and Percival have issued more walks than strikeouts. Ortiz – 13 BB vs 12 K; Percival – 16 BB vs 15 K.
Melvin Jimenez has seemingly been around forever, but he is only 21. He is pitching better this year, and I still hold out hope for him. He has always been one of my favorites.
Cameron Gibbons – There has been a lot of talk about him. He is a big strikeout pitcher. NO DOUBT. 32 Ks in 15.2 IP. But at 25, I would hope that he would dominate in A Ball. At 24, Marshall Kasowski was putting similar K numbers at AA…46 in 29.1 IP. At 23, Marshall had 49 Ks in 28.0 IP at Great Lakes and 44 Ks in 23.2 IP at Rancho. At 26, Marshall is on the 60 Day IL. He looks promising, but do did Marshall Kasowski. Let’s see what he can do at AA and AAA before we move him to the LAD bullpen.
Rancho has a number of potential players, but at low A, it is hard to say who will excel and who will not. At 19 and playing in full season A ball, I would expect Jake Vogel and Alex De Jesus to struggle. Jake is currently on the IL, but was starting to come around before he got hurt. Brandon Lewis, who is stuck behind Kody Hoese and Miguel Vargas, is somewhat of a favorite of mine. He graduated from the same high school as my kids…Bishop Alemany. So I am pulling for him. Like Hoese and Vargas, he is a candidate to be moved to 1B.
One more thing. I have not been satisfied with the back end of the Dodgers bullpen since KJ and Morrow in 2017, and Eric Gagne/Guillermo Mota (2004) before that. Mark and I have had numerous battles on the bullpen. This year is no different. Give me one pitcher who has been consistently good, much less two? I have also agreed with Mark that relief pitchers are a fickle bunch. Remember last year’s super reliever…Devin Williams? He was unhittable, and had a unworldly K rate of 53 K in 27.0 IP. This year he still gets a lot of Ks, but his WHIP has increased from 0.630 in 2020 to a rather pedestrian 1.438 in 2021. Anyone who has any thoughts that Josh Hader is available is dreaming. Same is undoubtedly true with Craig Kimbrel. The Brewers and the Cubbies, and Cardinals are all in the NL Central race and figure to be there at the Break. I think both will be buyers and not sellers.
So who might be available. We need to look at who the potential sellers are. IMO, the sellers figure to be AZ, Colorado, Miami, Washington, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Detroit, Minnesota, and Texas. There could be 6-8 additional teams that could be there in mid-July. Of those seller teams, there are a few relievers that will undoubtedly be moved. My first choice is Pittsburgh RHRP Richard Rodriguez. He will get moved. He has two more years of control, so he will cost. Another Pittsburgh reliever the Dodgers may be interested in is LHRP 28 year old Sam Howard. 9 holds, no blown saves. 15 inherited runners, none scored. 32 Ks vs 16 BBs in 24.0 IP. 2.25 ERA and 1.083 WHIP. He is not a late inning high leverage guy, but he gets batters out, and leaves runners stranded. He is controlled to 2026.
Another that I anticipate being moved and who the Dodgers should check in on is Minnesota LHRP Taylor Rogers. He has one more year of control. His 37K vs 5BB in 26.2 IP is a quality metric. He has not let an inherited runner score since mid-April. Does he have warts? Of course he does. But he has been a successful late inning reliever in the same mold as was Ryan Pressley with the Twins. And wouldn’t it be fun to see him stick it to his brother Tyler with the Gnats?
Ian Kennedy with Texas is having a good year. One year $2.15MM is an affordable reliever. He has 12 saves against 1 blown save for Texas in 2021. He had 30 saves for a bad KC team in 2019. Plus he is a Trojan, so that makes him a must.
Baltimore has a 25 year old LHRP with three years control…Paul Fry. 34 Ks vs 11 BB in 23.1 IP. In 11 inherited runners, three have scored, and only one since April 8. Of course if Baltimore makes John Means available, AF has to consider him. There are two chances and slim just walked out the door.
One other dark horse is LHRP Gregory Soto from Detroit. He seems to be coming into his own in 2021, and is controllable until 2026. I do not see him as a late inning pitcher in 2021, but he could be in future years.
There are no 2017 versions of KJ, or Mariano Rivera, or Eric Gagne, or Zack Brittons available. Richard Rodriguez is the best late inning reliever available who is on a selling team.
I got through it. I am going to have a Corona to celebrate. It could be another three months for me.
MT’s Dodger Minor League Report
- OKC BOX – OKC lost 9-6 as Sheldon Noisy hit a 3-run HR and Christian Santana doubled for the only extra-base hits. Drew Avans was 2-4 and that was it offensively. Uceta gave up 2 ER in 3 IP and newly signed Vidal Nuno gave up 6 runs in 2 IP. Nunez pitched 1 inning and allowed no runs and Garret Cleavinger pitched an inning and allowed 3 hits, but no one scored. That is an accomplishment!
- TULSA BOX – Tulsa lost 7-1 as Noda hit a Solo shot for the only run and extra-base hit. Carrillo gave up 6 runs in 1.2 IP and that was it.
- GL BOX The Loons beat Dayton again 9-6. James Outman hit a 3 run blast and Carson Taylor hit a 2-run HR. Justin Yurchak was 3-4 and is starting to get untangled offensively.
- RC BOX – The Quakes beat the Storm 8-5 as Brandon Lewis went 4-5 with his 8th HR (.286 BA/.920 OPS). Alex De Jesus was 2-4.
It is great to have you back, Jeff… if only for a day. We miss you and all wish you the best!
Godspeed!
Wow, welcome back. Amazing post. Thank you. I think Devin Mann could be a bench piece some day.
Thanks for your writeup and belated happy birthday.
Great write-up. It’s promising to know we will have some MLB ready players contributing in the future. It’s better to keep your homegrown players and develop them than sign an unknown(best years behind them) free agents for huge dollars, Scouting and player development are the most important aspects of any organization which ultimately will lead to success and a manageable budget. I’m a big proponent of more scouts and pay them well.
Excellent, as always, Jeff.
AC great article, I really missed your writings.
I was actually pleased to see Kenley get himself into and out of a bit of a pickle yesterday. Runners on base seem to negatively affect him a lot of the time. Yesterday, it got him buckled down & taking care of business.
What a pleasant surprise. You are missed. Please come back regularly!
I looked through last year’s postseason bullpen performance and usage and was quite surprised at the outcome. Basically, everyone in the pen had an ERA over 3 except for Julio, leading the way with 15 bullpen innings and just 1 ER, lightly used Joe Kelly with 3.2 innings and 1 ER and nominally used V-Gone 6.2 innings and 2 ER, and Alex Wood 6.2 innings 1 ER. Everyone else was pretty bad. Treinen was leaned on heavily with 11.1 innings, but he gave up 6 ER in the process.
I’m wondering if this year, as currently constructed, if we can expect that the bullpen will be effective in the playoffs.
One thing to note is that we really just had 3 starting pitchers last year. Each time a 4th starter was needed, it was essentially a bullpen game except for the 1 game that Urias started. I would expect less usage for the pen this year as a result of having 4 legitimate starters and normal scheduled days off.
If anyone was wondering, Kelly is still around because he’s been pretty good in the post-season. Will a new and improved Jansen, Kelly, Price, Knebel, V-Gone, Graterol, Nelson, Treinen be as good as last year’s pen, especially with less usage? It seems to me that these guys won’t be as good as Urias was, but won’t be as bad as Baez, Kolarek, Floro, May and Gonsolin were last year. Will it equal out?
Nice piece Jeff. Even if it is only for one day, great to see you gut this one out. Belated Happy Birthday my friend! Since mine is today, we can sort of celebrate together. Love to read about the kids, but your piece also shows that although there is a lot of talent down there in the minors, none of it is ready to help this year. Which means if help is needed, some of that talent is going to get moved so they can get the help they need. Stay well my friend.
Wow! You both are now 39! Who knew!
Happy B-Days!
Thanks Mark, there is a story in the que for you to post…add a few to that 39 brother and you might be right
Happy Birthday Bear! Hope you have a blessed day being celebrated by family and friends.
thanks.. I will
Happy B-Day. Almost at the top of the hill. 😉
Close. Just worry how high the hill is. Knees are not what they used to be
Good write-up, Jeff. Good to have you back.
Ryan Pepiot is definitely a pitcher to watch. Probably end up in LA some time this summer. Command will be the key.
At this point, pitching seems to be the issue for the Dodgers. Julio Urias, Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw seem solid moving forward, but Julio will be pushing into new territory with innings. Trevor Bauer and the spin rate drop off because of MLB enforcement of substances is a cause for concern. Kenley Jansen spin rate has suddenly dropped too.
What will it mean? Maybe something, maybe nothing.
Dodgers have to hope that Tony Gonsolin bounces back or maybe David Price moves back into the rotation. Bauer has gone from unhittable to hittable. Next start may shed some light. Hopefully he adjusts and gets back on track. They need Bauer.
One game back. Are the Giants beginning a June swoon.
Thanks for the update, Jeff. It looks like the Tulsa players are about a year or so away.
Really good to read you again Jeff. Hope things are getting better for you.
Happy Birthday Michael – hope the Dodgers can give you some joy.
Was thinking about Julio earlier SB.
I thing they’ll ease off the gas with him soon to preserve him for the Post Season.
Boy do we have a lot of injuries.
Got to get there first. Julio has been in the league 5 years. I think the shackles are off. Yes, they have had a lot of injuries, but so have the Giants, and they have not started to fade yet. We will see what July brings and the dog days of August. Overall, the Dodger depth should carry them. But the playoffs, that is always a crap shoot. They were one Brave win away from being eliminated last year. Thank you for the birthday wishes…it is Trump’s birthday too…..
The Giants have had a lot of IL days as well, but the quality of players and length on the IL is much worse for the Dodgers.
Let’s look at position players – starters.
Muncy 3 and counting
Seager 30 and counting
Pollock 20
Lux 11
Bellinger 54
Longoria 9 and counting
Yastremski 21
Belt 14
Solano 28
Big Difference.
BANG!
Welcome back AC. Thx for another sterling report on the young guys. Always great to get your insight. Please don’t wait so long until your next write up. As for our bullpen, I think Kenley’s stuff is much better than last year and the results so far show that. He still needs to sharpen his command but I trust him as our closer. Gonzalez has proven himself in big moments to be a reliable late inning reliever. Treinen stuff is too good to get the results he gets. He can do better. If healthy Nelson looks very good. Can Graterol develop and will Kelly throw more fastballs? If Knebel comes back that’s huge. He looked great early on. So I think our bullpen is good enough to get it done. I’m more worried about our offense. Can we get some consistency and can we hit against lefties?
ONE of Treinen’s issues for me still seem to be that the umps cannot follow his break & he get more strikes called ball than anyone in memory that I pay attn to. As Orel calls it, it is a “video game breaking ball” and his fb when he is hot moves almost as much. There are guys that would be hurt from roboumps & those that would benefit. I put Treinen on the list of those who would benefit.
Cheers
And Happy Bear bday! Bear for President!
Duck For President
Thanks Cassidy, I would not take that job if they gave it to me for free…reason? I would have us in a war in 5 minutes..
Bad-ass
Yeah, but it would likely be over quickly one way or the other. 🙂
Yep, They would soon be a parking lot. Not sending in any troops, just let the Air Force and Navy do their thing.
Nice to read your stuff again, Jeff. I hope to see more posts from you, if possible. I miss your posts.
* My leisurely Sunday game certainly got interesting in the 9th. While Doc can’t control a player’s performance, he can control the situation. Was Doc asleep in the 9th while Phil Bickford (aka Jeff Spicoli) was giving up 3 hits and a walk to make things interesting? He had Kelly warmed up previously but instead extended Bickford an extra hitter to get KJ up late and warm. Kelly might not have been my first pick but he had warmed up. This all seemed to sneak up on Doc and the coaches. Not the best planning and bullpen management I’ve ever seen and a common complaint about Doc. We ended up a timely hit away from an embarrassing loss.
* Nice to see some consistent offense and Mookie going oppo. Joe Davis made comments about how hard Mookie is on himself and hasn’t had much fun playing this year. It’s showed. One of his traits that’s so appealing and separates him from most other players, is the joy he plays with. The fun he brings to the game. We haven’t seen that very much this year and to me it’s been very noticeable. As he ages, I hope he can be the same player, playing with passion even when he isn’t playing well or screws up. He plays better when he’s loose and playing with Joy. It’s an adjustment for him as he’s not used to struggling. But like the golfer Ray Floyd said, he wanted to be the same guy, good or bad. He said fans shouldn’t be able to tell by his demeanor whether he’s shooting 65 or 85.
* Right now CT3’s defense is ridiculous. He made everything look easy yesterday on some tough chances. He’s so good everywhere but especially middle infield. His shortstop upbringing is apparent. I hope he’s an all-star. Isn’t Doc managing that game?
* How many times do you suppose Raley has been told to turn to the line on fly balls hit directly over his head? He could avoid the pirouettes and panic looking catches.
* Joe West had a nice balls and strikes game until Victor Gonzales came in. Than it was like he missed pitches on purpose. I hate his old school moving strike zone depending on whether you have paid your dues or are a newcomer. Joe gave breaks to Mookie and Albert on pitches that were balls but close enough to be called strikes. All correct calls. But then the newcomers got nothing from him. Some obvious strikes were called balls. He has to make his personal statement and put his stamp on the game. What a di**.
* Here are some of the details regarding the crackdown on pitchers using foreign substances, a number of which first were reported by ESPN.com:
• Umpires will check starting pitchers at least twice a game and relief pitchers at least once.
• Checks will be done as pitchers come off the mound after an inning has ended or a pitching change has been made — in other words, during commercial breaks.
• If an umpire believes a pitcher is using a substance, he will be encouraged to check the pitcher during the inning. Umpires can check fingers, skin, hats, gloves, belts and any other part of the uniform.
• If substances are found, the pitcher will be ejected and his equipment and/or uniform will be confiscated and given to the on-site major-league authenticator.
• Umpires will be instructed to check a position player’s glove only if they believe he is doctoring balls for the pitcher.
Here are some of the details regarding the crackdown, a number of which first were reported by ESPN.com:
• Umpires will check starting pitchers at least twice a game and relief pitchers at least once.
• Checks will be done as pitchers come off the mound after an inning has ended or a pitching change has been made — in other words, during commercial breaks.
• If an umpire believes a pitcher is using a substance, he will be encouraged to check the pitcher during the inning. Umpires can check fingers, skin, hats, gloves, belts and any other part of the uniform.
• If substances are found, the pitcher will be ejected and his equipment and/or uniform will be confiscated and given to the on-site major-league authenticator.
• Umpires will be instructed to check a position player’s glove only if they believe he is doctoring balls for the pitcher.
This should be quite a show.
you forgot to put shit before the word show
Megan Garcia has left Dodgers Way for a gig with MLB.com. We shared a box once.
Thank you Jeff for taking a stab at writing again, it is always good to read your insights. Today was no exception.
But, baby steps my friend. Take as much time on the IL as you need. Your long term health and well-being is far more important than writing for us.
Happy birthday! I hope you got to spend the day with your family!
Family too far away, but I will be with friends. Every time I see Kirsten on TV I wonder what the hell she is doing there. Too wooden and no personality what so ever.
HA! Every time I see her now, I wonder if she reads LADODGERTALK and smile.
She’s awful
Bring back Alanna! !!!!
Alanna left to work with her foundation, but she is also working on MLB.network with Russo.
Jeff, glad to hear from you. We all hope that you are well. It would be good to meet you some time.
I would like that very much. I will send you an email.
Great to see you back here Jeff, even if it’s only a one off for the time being.
You and I have both been watching Ochsenbein since he was drafted. Certainly not the most likely reliever to make the big club but I still have hopes for him.
I have no problem with the Dodger hitting instructors working on changing some (even most) of the players’ swings to conform with the way baseball is played these days, but I really can’t believe they would mess with a defense-first guy like Amaya. Every lineup can survive a couple of line drive hitters who can get on base for the rest of the line up which is uppercutting the ball on every swing. Leave the poor guy alone.
I really hope we’ll see you back here on a regular basis before the trade deadline. I always enjoy your picks for possible trades. Maybe that’s because we often identify the same guys as possible acquisitions.
Take care, and a belated Happy Birthday.
Happy Birthday to you too Bear. I didn’t realize they allowed guys over 100 to post here. 🙂
He’s not a day over 98!
Gee, U 2 are so kind. I have underwear older than Mark…….
Bye-bye Ravelo.
Just saw on twitter that an unnamed Japanese team has bought his contract from the OKC Dodgers.
I would love to have seen him get a chance with us here in L.A. but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
Wow. What’s a guy gotta do to get a call up to the big club?
Maybe the Dodgers knew he was talking to Japan and could not match the $$$ so why call him up?
What a bummer. I guess the silver lining is that he isn’t going to a team in division.
Happy happy birthday Jeff and Bear may God bless you guys and your families.
DODGERS TO CELEBRATE REOPENING DAY TOMORROW
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers will celebrate Reopening Day presented by Bank of America tomorrow, as Dodger Stadium returns to full capacity for the team’s 7:10 p.m. game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Limited tickets remain available at Dodgers.com/tickets.
The first 25,000 fans in attendance tomorrow will receive a Justin Turner bobblehead presented by Spectrum, and special Reopening Day ceremonies will include Brad Paisley performing the anthem and the ESPYs celebrating the club’s 2020 World Championship. The Dodgers will also be wearing their special-edition gold trimmed jerseys and caps (previously worn on Opening Weekend) to mark the occasion.
For the first time, all activations in the new Centerfield Plaza will be fully open tomorrow with Dodger alumni roaming the plaza to greet fans. Starting tomorrow, the batting and pitching cages, centerfield turf kids area, the Gold Glove bar in the Left Field Pavilion and the Dodgers’ Dugout Augmented Reality Photobooth presented by Spectrum will be available for fans’ enjoyment.
Auto gates will open two hours prior to the game while stadium gates will open 1.5 hours prior to first pitch. The team will also host a mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinic in the Centerfield Plaza at Tuesday and Wednesday’s games, where ticketholders can receive their vaccine through the seventh inning and receive a voucher for two tickets to a future 2021 home game while supplies last. The homestand concludes Wednesday (7:10 p.m. vs. Phillies, when the first 40,000 fans will receive a Mookie Betts jersey presented by Budweiser.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health strongly recommends that all fans who are not fully vaccinated continue to wear face coverings while attending a game unless they are actively eating or drinking or are otherwise exempt from having to wear a face covering. Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to wear a face covering while attending a game. In accordance with the California Department of Public Health Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings (effective June 15, 2021), unvaccinated individuals are required to wear a mask or appropriate face covering while in indoor public settings such as retail stores and restaurants while not actively eating or drinking. Fans who are not fully vaccinated should comply with the Guidance and wear a face covering while indoors. Dodger Stadium employees who interact with the public will continue to wear face coverings at this time.
During my long rambling post, I forgot to say “Happy Birthday” to Jeff and Bear. Again, super post today Jeff on the young guys. And Bear, while I enjoy your post and comments, I’m not sure about the President gig. If you’re like I think, you’d never get through the process. I know I wouldn’t. My best to you both.
Question:
Who was the only President in recent memory who did not start a war?
I would say Joe Biden, but he doesn’t have recent memories. And I’m not sure he’s actually the President.
Joe would never get us involved in a war. He’s personally too financially invested in all our the country’s that are our enemies!
effing classic dude. spot on.
Trump
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!
If by recent memory you mean since Eisenhower then Trump’s term in office has not been the first four-year term since Eisenhower without a new war. Carter, Ford and Nixon all served after Eisenhower and did not bring the country into new wars.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/11/01/fact-check-trump-not-first-president-since-eisenhower-without-new-war/6086636002/
Mushers, Involvement in Nam began during Eisenhower’s admin. 1959 we sent advisors there. So he was in charge when it started. Kennedy was inclined to get us out. But he died before that could happen and Johnson opened the flood gates.
But he did start an insurrection. Never again can this country say that we have a peaceful transfer of power.
insurrection …… ha! Hardly. Protest, yes.
ONE person killed, an unarmed protester.
must be the quietest insurrection ….. EVER .. a veritable insurrection for snowflakes maybe.
If that is true, he will be brought up on charges and tried, because 18 U.S. Code § 2383 entitled Rebellion or Insurrection states: “Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States”
If that does not happen (and I know the votes are there to do so), then I will assume that statement is demonstrably untrue. Not only does he have to be tried, but he has to be convicted!
By that reasoning Mark, you only have robbed a bank if you are caught and tried?
Here’s another query for the group:
Who’s the only President since FDr to lose the House, Senate and Presidency in a four year span?
Or!
Have you only voted in the place of a dead person, if you are caught and tried?
Mark,
A couple of months ago you said you consider Biden the legitimate president of the US. If so, then you would have to agree that there was no fraud which would have changed the election. Yet you want the laws changed (as do states that previously claimed they had zero fraud (Fl, Tx Az). Why if there is no fraud ( and seriously show me where any of Trumps legal challenges were accepted) why are you making it harder for some people to vote. You can’t have it both ways.
Trump has been saying he was robbed of victory. His consistent unsubstantiated claims lead to the uprising in DC. It’s his statements that lead to what happened on Jan 6th. The storming of the capital was an attempt to overturn the results of a legitimate election and put ALL our elected leaders lives in danger (and hey, Porpoise Boy, I suppose the people shouting to hang Mike Pence were just tourist who got lost and the zip ties they had were for locking up their garbage).
Trump was careful in his words ( as is any typical mob boss). That’s why he won’t be charged. Do you really think the storming of the capital and overturning the will of the people was not his goal?
Bear?
No, I would piss someone off long before any election, and with my blunt manner, a lot of folks would not like that. I simply tell it like it is and shoot from the hip. But I would never let any of our enemy’s take the liberty’s they take now.
I can get a 20 person suite for $7,000. How many would come?
I am asking for a friend… 😉
Oh… if I paid!
I’m in. Tho I want to contribute something. Can I buy you a Dodger Dog?
So, the MLB boycott is off?
I haven’t gone to a single game… yet!
But I am still mad as hell!
I would be there.
And bring our host a nice bottle of wine.
AC, a pleasure to see a post from you , and very informative. I hope that you will be able to write a few more this season, and even if not, that you continue to feel better.
Happy birthday, Bear, I hope it is a fun day for you, as birthdays should be.
I concur with the comments here about Kerstin Watson. She seems like a very nice person who scarcely knows anything about baseball. Her questions are embarrassing. Diversity is not sufficient, and she is an insult to fans who spend their money and time following the team. I saw a Black broadcaster do the interviews on a road game recently, and he was quite good. There was a blonde woman, rather tall, who would do some when Alanna had a day or two off. Either of them would be far better than Watson, and how can the Dodgers not see that?
AC is a Freakin’ Genius on baseball and finance!
Then AC how can I stop spending more than I make?
I can answer that.
1) Make more money
2) Spend less money
3) Both
4) “Take care of” your wife and kids.
Side hustle
This is my “side hustle” and I lose money every year… but I ‘ll make it up in volume. 😉
Well, at least you can write it off as advertising for US Water Systems.
grow your own and undercut the legal retail stores
Porpose boy, I have a joke for you:
So this guy who works at an aquarium gets summoned by his boss, who is looking very worried.
And she says to him “I’ve just been by the Dolphin Tanks, and they’re feeling very amorous… They’re doing all sorts of things to each other. And the trouble is; in less than an hour we’ve got three busloads of second graders coming. We can’t have them watching those naughty dolphins behaving as if they’re in a porno flick.
Now there’s only one thing that acts as an anti-aphrodisiac for dolphins, and it’s the meat of baby seagulls.
So I want you to go down to the Sea Shore, grab some baby seagulls, put them in this bag, and hurry on back.
But be carefull… A lion that is owned by the State, escaped from the zoo this morning, and although he was heavily sedated, he still just might be dangerous.
Now get going, and hurry on back!”
So the guy takes a shortcut through the forest to the sea shore, fills the bag with baby sea gulls, and he’s walking back through the forest when he sees the lion! And it is lying across the path directly in front of him.
It’s too late to run away. And the feline does seem very placid. It is sound asleep.
So, summoning up all his courage, he steps across the lion!
Nothing happens.
And so with much relief, the guy begins to resume his journey when all of a sudden a Policeman jumps out of the forest, grabs the guy by the arm and says to him “YOU’RE UNDER ARREST!!”
The guy can’t believe it.
He says, “Tell me officer, What’s the charge?”
And the Policeman says…
Transporting young gulls across a state lion for immoral porpoises!
I don’t buy cheeba; I grow it.
Send it all to me and I will hold it for you. I promise!!
on the way, all you have to do is hold your breath until arrival.
Mark’s post did not have a reply button, so I will say here I thought I had heard them all, but that one was a new one. 🙂
Reminds me of a LONG story of how I got the handle in the first place. It was an attempted insult from a co-worker the story too long to relate here. But I can say this dude says to me at the end, “Who do you think you are, PORPOISEBOY?” I answered “Yes I am, I AM PORPOISEBOY”. Been that way since ’89 now.
Cheers!
Thank you William. I am sure she is a nice girl, but I have seen cats with better personality’s. And she knows bupkis about the game.
Tonight’s lineup:
Mookie CF
Gavin ss
JT 3b
Will c
Matt 1b
CT3 2b
AJ LF
Zach RF
Victor P
They must be bringing Gonsolin out of the bullpen? Maybe he’ll perform better than his last outing!
Herrera and Harper (both lefties) could be reason Dave might be going with Victor to open.
Dodger Gameday now has Gonsolin starting. Just changed.
Where’s Kristen Watson when you need her? 😉
I want to thank everyone for their kind words and B’Day wishes. In all candor, this was a tough task for me. I have been sitting on a blog post since March (RudyBird – you know which one). I am going to try and get back to it on Tuesday. The fact that I was able to complete this post is a good sign for me. I hope to be able to add more often in the future.
Thank you all again.
Can’t wait! Reminds me of the story about a guy with his buddies at a bar. Told them somebody stole his wife’s credit card. And they asked him if he reported it stolen? No way! Whoever stole it is spending a hell of a lot less than my wife!
Happy Birthday my friend..hope you have dozens more
You are all class.
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Cody Bellinger’s left hamstring hasn’t improved and #Dodgers are going to make a decision in coming days on placing him on IL after he tests the hamstring today.
Jesus Titty-fucking Christ
Now that post was packed with a lot of good info. Gracias, Jeff.
Nobody manages to churn through relief pitchers like AF. I think I read that somewhere–or maybe it’s just obvious.
I’m thinking back to the pre-season speculation about how the bullpen would be constructed–who was definitely in, who was out–and names like Nate Jones and Bickford were not part of the discussion. Yet here they are, getting a chance, and I expect others who aren’t on our radar now are on AF’s… while we wait for the trades to commence, allowing more tinkering.
Reliever churn might be a stat easy to find, but instead I stumbled upon a good report by ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez on the Dodger BP woes in 2019. A passage:
“Every year, going into the year, the bullpen performance is what keeps me up at night,” Friedman said. “And it’s funny because the years that I’ve had the most confidence is probably the years where we’ve struggled the most, and the years where I’ve been the most afraid are the years where we’ve been the best.”
The Dodgers will eventually get some help, whether it’s Brad Hand or Will Smith or Greg Holland or someone else. Relievers are usually the most available commodity in the summer, but they’re also the trickiest to trade for — because their value is suspect, because so many other teams need them and because they’re so darn unpredictable.
“We’re comfortable being aggressive,” Friedman said of his approach to acquiring bullpen help. “We’re not comfortable being stupid.”
Would rather add a starter.
I almost guarantee we’ll add both an SP and RP by the deadline.
Plenty of trade without dipping into the premium stuff.
Some names I could see moved: Hoese, Beeter, De Jesus, Rodriguez, Jackson.
Dodger site still showing Gonsolin as the starter. Guess we will have to wait until game time to find out who is starting.
Untouchables barring a major addition:
Busch
Ruiz
Miller
Pepiot
Cartaya
Touchable, but we’d be giving in:
Gray [injured]
Vargas
Pages
Hoese
Amaya
I agree with Jeff that the Dodgers could use another reliever, I am just not sure you can beat what the Dodgers have in the hopper!
Bluto and Mushers Pop:
A couple of months ago you said you consider Biden the legitimate president of the US. If so, then you would have to agree that there was no fraud which would have changed the election. Yet you want the laws changed (as do states that previously claimed they had zero fraud (Fl, Tx Az). Why if there is no fraud ( and seriously show me where any of Trumps legal challenges were accepted) why are you making it harder for some people to vote. You can’t have it both ways.
Trump has been saying he was robbed of victory. His consistent unsubstantiated claims lead to the uprising in DC. It’s his statements that lead to what happened on Jan 6th. The storming of the capital was an attempt to overturn the results of a legitimate election and put ALL our elected leaders lives in danger (and hey, Porpoise Boy, I suppose the people shouting to hang Mike Pence were just tourist who got lost and the zip ties they had were for locking up their garbage).
Trump was careful in his words ( as is any typical mob boss). That’s why he won’t be charged. Do you really think the storming of the capital and overturning the will of the people was not his goal?
I would be glad to discuss this off of the site. Feel free to e-mail me at mark@uswatersystems.com.
Part of me wants to get another site for this. The other part of me says: “When do you have the time?”
Well done.
Mark,
Good offer but I think I’ll pass. We are on different sides of the political spectrum so it’s pretty safe to say we are not going to change each other’s opinions and typing thoughts back and forth gets tiresome after awhile.
Don’t take this to mean I don’t like political discussions. I have played softball and gone on ski trips with friends who helped run John McCain’’s campaign and lead the Republican Jewish Coalition. Needless to say I have had political discussions with both of them. Sometimes we are in agreement other-time’s not. I have also voted for both Republican and Democratic candidates over the years. I believe you have said you have also. I thoroughly enjoy reading this website but discussions related to Trump are not worth the effort anymore. No ones mind is going to be changed.
Whether you set up a political blog is your choice (and I don’t know how you could do this blog, another one, run a business and take care of family). It’s a lot to commit to.
By the way, my listed email address is not working any more. Stopped working right awhile back. Not sure why but when Verizon told me I would need to pay them to fix what I saw as their problem I told them forget it. Not worth it for what isn’t my primary email. Hope this doesn’t get me in trouble with this website’s police.
I just assume everyone here is a spambot. How else to explain it?
I hope that Trump is finished and does not run again. It would be very bad for him to run again. I have never been a fan of The Donald. Period.
I think I’ve seen enough of McKinstry in right and so have our pitchers!
Where is Souza?
He has the same problem Ravelo had, he is not on the roster. McKinstry will be fine.
I realize it’s just Gonsolin’s second start since coming off the IL, but Tony G. doesn’t look all that competitive. As I write this he has 73 pitches through 3 IP with two men on and no outs in the 4th inning. Do we have any other SP options in the minor leagues?
No.
You already saw Uceta and Carrillo might be next.
Carrillo is at AA with an ERA north of 5. Don’t think he is getting called up anytime soon.
Smith bomb.
Louder than a
Ruiz with another HR.
Launch angle: fix’d
Is there any left hander in all of baseball that we could hit?
Holy cow the bullpen looked good today.
For all the whining that goes on in this site about our bullpen it’s the lack of a consistent offense that is the weakness of this team so far this season.
I forgot to mention him in my earlier post Jeff, but Justin Bruihl is a reliever to keep your eye on. DC did a nice article on him recently. I think he’s the real deal