Minor League Odds and Ends with Dodger Chatter

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1. There have been a lot of changes in the 2021 Dodgers Prospects.

   Gone are Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray, Edwin Rios, Victor Gonzalez, Zach McKinstry, DJ Perers, Dennis Santana, Mitch White, Omar Estevez, Devin Mann, Michael Grove, Edwin Uceta, Jimmy Lewis, Luke Raley, Zach Reks, and Gerardo Carrillo… due to trade, demotion, or graduation.

   Over half of them are new. To me, that seems to be the biggest turnover the Dodgers have had in a long time. I am sure AC & DC can shed some light on this.

   1. yep, and replacing them are guys like Stone, Ramos, Leonard, Vivas, Duran.

2. Thanks for all of that info!

3. Bravo, great stuff Harold. Aren’t we all glad that the Joc Pederson to the Angels deal did not go through? Pages may be the next big thing in LA with Pollock’s contract done after next year. Mann looks like a young Chris Taylor clone.

   1. Yeah, I didn’t understand that trade proposal. The Dodgers were trading Pederson, Stripling, and Pages to the Angels for a utility guy named Luis Rengifo and a prospect. He is still with the Angels and has played 35 games this year and is hitting a cool .176. Was it a salary dump? Another stupid decision by Angels’ owner Arte Moreno to cancel the trade because it was taking too long. No short term or long term vision by the Angels. Thank you Arte.

      1. Sometimes trade rumors are wrong. That’s the only explanation I can think of regarding the Pederson trade to the Angeles. I find it hard to believe that Pages was really included in that trade unless the other player was really good and further along than Pages. Maybe Ward or Walsh was that other player?

         1. it was no rumor, trade was almost complete and Moreno said no.

            1. I know Bulldog can speak for himself but I believe he was stating what many others believe that the unnamed prospect was a special prospect. I have no confirmation, but I do have a friend with some connections that believed at the time that the player not named was Jared Walsh. It was sheer rumor, but one with legs at the time. With Pujols entrenched at 1B and Ohtani as DH, Walsh was expendable. My friend doubted it was Adams as he understood that LAA was still very high on him for a future CF once Trout moved to one of the corners. Adams is not as developed as Pages, but he is concentrating more on his defense and is showing that he can be a GG CF. Pages has the arm, Adams the speed, Pages the bat. Pages is the better prospect at this time.

            2. I agree Jeff, and it was a salary dump of sorts. Pederson was set to get 6 or 7 mil, and Strip probably close to 2 mil. Rengifo was MLB minimum.

4. Who is ready to play at the ML level?

   giants just continue to get it done. Bullpen game, 4 more home runs, they win going away. San Diego looks pathetic.

5. CK looked good after a shaky first inning. And the team added some insurance late to keep the BP from having to use Treinen. Jansen due back from paternity leave today. Gonsolin gets the start. C’mon Padres! Show some spunk and fight. If ya don’t, you are out of the playoffs for sure.

6. Muncy’s last 98 plate appearances – .167/.224/.422

   Can we win without him?

   1. Might be due to sleep deprivation. His funk started right after the birth of his new child.

      We have been winning without him being at his best. Would be nice if he got into his early season groove though.

   2. Damn Badger, Muncy looks in a dead pull mode most at bats, especially on fastballs away. His last AB last night he did go to left center to the warning track. He’ll get it going.

      1. I think so too phil. There’s still some time.

7. Another insightful and informative article Harold. You go deep into the Dodger system to make us aware to some of stars of the future.

8. Luke Fickell, Mario Cristobal, James Franklin, Matt Campbell. The names are flying around the internet. Who can recruit the stars?

   1. Certainly Cristobal can coach and recruit but I’m not sure he’s leave a nice, well funded, on the rise program to get into what I consider a shit-show at USC. Like Texas and Tennessee, a lot of meddling boosters calling the shots and making decisions for the coach. I don’t see him jumping because of a huge salary offer. His future is bright right now without the headaches.
      Same with Franklin. He’s got it pretty good at Penn State. Luke Fickell’s name is brought up due do his connection at Cincinnati with the new SC administration but I’m not sure he’s all that good for this challenging job. Same with Matt Campbell. You know who I like? Don’t laugh – Sam Pittman at Arkansas. Very tough minded, hard nose line coach type like Cristobal who will bring some toughness. Sam has a short track record in the SEC and who knows if he’d leave or if he knows the west recruiting, but I love his style for USC.
      So they play it out with the interim guys and get a jump after the season. Is there a candidate in the program now?

      1. I know Boosters get a bad rap, but after USC has been through so much s*** the last 10 years, they were tired of the incompetence at the top. From AD’s (Haden and Swann) to the coaches (Kiffen, Sarkisian, and Helton). The biggest slap in the head was the Helton extension from Swann who was a great HOF receiver but had no business being an AD. The Boosters had the money to buyout the Helton contract and to sign Urban Meyer. So if the Boosters had their way, Urban Meyer would be in LA and not Jacksonville, and USC would not be looking for a new head coach. BTW I do not make nearly enough to be a USC Booster.

         This will be a legacy hire for Mike Bohn. He will (or should) take his time and find the right coach to be able to coach a major University in a major city. Tuscaloosa, Clemson, South Bend, Athens, Columbus, Ann Arbor…are football towns, that thrive on Saturday football games. LA is totally different which is why John McKay and Pete Carroll were so successful. They were able to get LA to think of football on Saturday afternoons rather than the multitude of other activities the population could be doing. An LA team needs to win to get the fan base. Not so in the other venues. LA had professional sports teams in the Dodgers, Lakers, Kings. Pete Carroll’s Trojans were the professional football team in LA. Now the Rams and Chargers are playing in LA and USC is not winning.

         I have no idea who the next coach should be. I am NOT in favor of Franklin. He has too much baggage of his own. I am surprised that you are down on Matt Campbell. Iowa State is an up and coming program. From what I understand, Campbell is as tough as they come. But he has a contract extension thru 2028, and enjoys small Midwest town lifestyle. He is staying in Ames. Luke Fickell was hired by Bohn in Cincinnati and with what he has done for the Bearcats program he is the logical choice. But unlike Urban Meyer’s wife, Fickell’s wife apparently has zero desire to move to LA. Chris Petersen has already turned down an opportunity to coach at USC and his reasons have not changed. Pittman does not have enough HC experience to be considered a viable candidate. He is an outstanding offensive line coach, but SC needs more. That is why Eric Bieniemy is not getting more love. Same with former Trojan Kris Richard.

         I think you may be wrong on Mario Cristobal. Yes he is doing great at Oregon. And Phil Knight will not be outspent on Cristobal’s salary. It will not be $$$. It will come down to whether Cristobal wants to stay in Eugene or take his career to LA. I think the perfect U for him would be The U (Miami), but I think he would thrive in LA.

         Donte Williams will get his chance as he auditions for the permanent HC role. But he still has to deal with Graham Harrell’s horrible offensive scheme. He is an outstanding recruiter. For me, I am on Team Cristobal, but I have no idea what the Administration is thinking. This hire will make or break Bohn.

         1. That’s kinda what I was thinking, though not as succinctly as you just elocuted. I read Fickell wants to stay in the Midwest. A new upcoming genius? That’s always a possibility but I doubt it. If Cristobal’s wants it I think it’s his. In the mean time I believe the team will rally. I think Williams and Harrell will be ok for the time being. This offense needs to find itself yet. I like the 4 wide sets and would hope they go back to it for the remainder of the year. Whoever they get needs to do a better job of recruiting locally. All this is being offered by a UCLA fan, so what do I know.

         2. Cristabol would be great but who knows if he’s interested in leaving the best team now in the PAC-12, in my estimation with respects to Utah and UCLA, to rebuild USC. He might be able to keep the instate kids who defect to Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oregon. He could likely reverse that sorry trend over a short time. Here’s another wrinkle with Cristabol, if he had the patience for a few seasons, I think he would be a front-runner for the Alabama job when Saban retires. That could be awhile but it’s pretty nice in Oregon without rebuilding USC first Miami is also in the cards as a strong maybe.
            Whatever happens we all know USC has to once again become a brand name for their sake, the PAC=12’s sake and for better college football. Oregon can’t move the dial like a strong USC program can.

            1. Oregon can’t move the dial like a strong USC program can. And that is why the PAC 12 and the new Alliance will be pushing for a strong USC head coach. More $$$$ for their schools and programs.

         3. Campbell? He’s 0-4 vs Ferentz now. Flavor of the month. He wouldn’t be recruiting for Toledo and Iowa St still gets their hat handed to them in recruiting by Iowa. Iowa State being rated a top 10 was a joke. If the right offer comes, Campbell will leave Moo U.

         4. Eric “Sleeping with” Bienemy?

            Can someone explain to me the difference between Boosters and traditional Alumni?

            My alma-mater has mediocre sports at best.

            1. Boosters have $$$$ and are not afraid to spend it on sports programs. I do not qualify as a booster.

9. Thanks for the minor league update DC. There’s more interesting position players than I can remember. In fact, I don’t remember having so many position players making noise all at once. I hope they all don’t turn into Kyle Garlick or DJ Peters.

   It was fun seeing Clayton do his thing last night. He gave up a lot of hits, but got a lot of K’s to even things out. 5 baserunners and 5 K’s. Great balance. I was surprised and not surprised that they pulled him after one pitch in the fifth.

   Lux has a tidy little 3 game hitting streak and he’s certainly taken to the outfield like a fish to water. That was a nice play playing the carom off the wall and almost throwing out a runner at second. He made it a lot closer that it should have been.

   Belli had his second extra base hit in as many days, both off of fastballs. Last night’s was a screamer at 107 MPH off his bat and it was a fastball up in the zone. Afterwards, he was stretching his shoulder like something popped. I wonder if that scar tissue broke apart a little bit. The beginning of good things to come?

   It looks like the Dodgers survived Kenley’s paternity leave with Mitch White picking up the final two innings last night. Kelly and Treinen both rested and with Kenley due back tonight, the back end of the bullpen will be whole for the next few games.

   It’s so nice to see the absence of McKinny, Souza, Raley, Recks, Peters types on the roster. Lux has emerged as a solid 4th outfielder just in time and as bad a Belli has been, he at least could run into one from time to time or take a walk and run the bases well. No more three automatic outs at the bottom. Even Barnes has been chipping in during his rare starts.

   What a pitiful showing from Yu Darvish and the Padres last night. His ERA is now firmly in the 4’s and he has two more years remaining on his contract. None of their elite pitching prospects are proving to be elite at the major league level, so much for prospect rankings. Worst of all McKenzie Gore is turning into Yaisel Sierra. Tatis Jr. is scared to have his shoulder fixed after watching Belli this year, so next year might not be much better for the team. So much for their run.

   With the Cardinals and Reds breathing down their necks, a playoff spot is all but lost with their remaining schedule and with Darvish and Snell imploding at the worst possible time. Would you rather have the Padres miss the playoffs altogether, or the Dodgers win the division? Can the Padres split this series and help us out, or are they circling the drain?

   Gonso on the hill tonight. Hopefully he improve on the 3 innings and 55 pitches he had in his last start. I was encouraged by seeing him hit 96 on the gun in his last start. But, he’s never been one to pitch deep into games.

10. CK pitched okay but his velo has lost even more now. Sitting 88-90 probably will not do it against the better teams.
    They will spit on the slider and curve and wait for his fastball.

    Lets see what Catman brings to the table tonight.

    Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. I still say CK has arm issues and is pitching thru it because he is not going to get TJ.

       Especially, if they win this year, he will retire!

       1. I agree with you, Mark. It looks like Clayton is on his last miles physically. He just does not look right.The visits to the IL have come at an alarming pace and the stints have grown longer as well.
          Would not susprise me if he indeed calls it a career at the end of this season.

          If not the Dodgers have to make a huge decision what to do. With all the games missed and his decreasing effectivness another mutli year contract in the range of 15-20 millions is almost impossible to fathom at this stage of his career. Emotions aside the Dodgers should resign Max Scherzer if it comes down to those two guys.

          Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!

          1. I agree too. He can still pitch, because he knows how to, but I think there is more to this forearm business than we are being told.

11. Hola DC buenos días muchisimas gracias por esta actualización de las fuerzas básicas de nuestro equipo, ese muchacho Pages será un éxito en GL de seguir así, al igual que M Busch y M Vargas, finalmente que peloteros serán los elegidos para la liga de Arizona ? por favor cuando usted tenga tiempo.

    1. José
       Realmente no sé quién será elegido para la Liga de Otoño de Arizona. Espero que Michael Busch lo haga. También creo que Bobby Miller desde que perdió tiempo en IL este año y Kody Hoese porque también perdió tiempo y tiene que encontrar sus piernas de mar. Espero que Andy Pages sea la selección de la Clase A .. Miguel Vargas también podría ser seleccionado para darle más tiempo contra los mejores jugadores de MiLB. Me gustaría ver a Mark Washington llegar allí y quizás Landon Knack lo haga.

12. Nice team win.
    * Good line up and Lux is looking good enough in left if his bat continues to play. He’s learning and he’ll make some mistakes out there but SS translate well to the OF as we all know.
    * It’s sure fun to watch TT and Mookie in the same line up.
    * Nice to see CK back. He didn’t look himself but I’ll attribute that to rust. He did settle in with the breaking balls. I hope he feels good today ,which is a big test.
    * When I first saw Zac Gallen, he was 23 with Miami. He looked like a star in the making. When Arizona picked him up, I thought it was a terrific acquisition for them. Well progress isn’t linear and he’s regressed. Maybe it’s due to a rebuilding D-Backs team but he looks nothing like what I saw 3 years ago.
    * Bellinger’s double at 107 was his best swing of the year. The new stance already looks to be helping to eliminate that huge head dip that causes a chain of problems. The double swing was great; minimal head dip, like 2 inches instead of 12”, some flex in the knees, wider base. He picked that foot up and set it down on time, which was previously late as his head was still moving with the pitch on the way. His swing took a better path to the high fastball. Less movement and on-time. Nice to see.
    * The previous at bat he was back to the old head dip and giant uppercut, and he popped it up. The swing where he looks like he’s trying to hit a home run in an elevator shaft. It will take some time to groove a new action but it’s certainly encouraging and a step in the right direction.
    * Eventually, I’d like to see in the next phase, perhaps in the winter, with a little bend at the waist with his knees flexed, to a still more athletic posture. A posture that looks more like a golfer where his spine angle has some tilt at the hips and not standing straight up.
    That would also theoretically redefine his strike zone to help on that high strike. The strike zone rectangle 17” wide is supposed to vary according to the batters height when he’s in his stance. I see the pitch Trax box different for Altuve than it is for Judge. When Belli stands straight up at the plate the top of his strike zone is taller than if he flexed at the hips and knees. That’s 2 baseballs plus less height to cover. That would become even more important when the ABS System comes to the game.
    But I really like the adjustments that I’m seeing Belli trying.

    1. Since when they get ABS they will have to “measure” the hitter’s stance.; do you think that will be determined when they are at the plate, or do you think all will have to submit to said measuring to determine their actual zone? Then if a guy gets measured say with the knee bend and slight waist bend, if they stand up straighter, will that effectively lower the zone for them? Just wondering here.
       cheers
       pb+

       1. Good question. The ABS has been used in Fall Ball and A ball but MLB hasn’t been forthcoming on the details. And answers to questions like yours. I guess I could search the internet for that info but it would be nice for MLB to just give us a report. Everything is a secret until they implement it, I guess.
          By the way I’m delighted to see Fall Back this year. I’ll be back in Az in time to watch 3 weeks worth of games. I love Fall Ball.

          1. Perhaps they’re waiting on ABS so it’s going to be yet another bargaining chip in the upcoming negotiations. That would be typical.

             1. It will be interesting for sure. I was just wondering if there was a way ( because if there is players will figure it out ) to “cheat” the system that way if you have a defined zone. Or possibly they have tech that will set the strike zone as the batter takes his stance. I know if it was me I would love to make my zone shrink, or lower the bar so what was thought to be a high one in my zone become dead in the zone by adjusting stance while batting. The horz part of it is easy & no brainer.
                cheers
                pb+

             2. The strike zone used to be interpreted as “when the hitter is in a hitting position”, because that’s how the rule reads. As a player who became an umpire I interpreted that as the position a hitter is in when his swing begins. With Cody that would be after he steps and bends his knees, not when he’s in that weird upright position. That said, I have no idea how today’s umps interpret anything. We see strike zones interpreted differently every night and some of these replay calls, that are supposed to “get it right”, don’t.

    2. I agree with you on Zac Gallen. When the DBacks got him from Miami for Jazz Chisholm, I thought the DBacks got the better of that deal. Gallen was 23 and was looking to be a top of the rotation pitcher. Chisholm had promise but he had not yet proven that he could be an everyday SS at MiLB. I thought he had Jeter Downs promise, but had not yet put it together. Chisholm graduated from AA in 2019 to ML in 2020/2021. Now Downs is laying an egg in AAA, but he is still 23, and I still believe he has a future. Jazz Chisholm has arrived. There are days he explodes, and there are days he just exists (like many youngsters). He has a lot of maturity and development to get to be the AS Miami envisions him to be. This is Gallen’s first year with an ERA north of 2.90. He is 26 and is controlled thru 2025. I think sometimes younger players emulate the team. The DBacks are showing what a loser organization they have become, and I think Gallen has morphed into that realm. I would love to see what he could do for LAD. I think he is going to be a fantastic rotational pitcher. I still push the scales towards Gallen on that trade.

       Also remember that Gallen was part of the Marcell Ozuna trade to St. Louis. The Fish got Sandy Alcantara , Gallen, Magneuris Sierra (OF), and Daniel Castano (LHRP) from that deal. St. Louis has nothing to show for that deal, while Miami has Alcantara, Chisholm (from Gallen), Sierra, and Castano all on the roster. Miami still believes in Sierra, but he is not yet shown the promise he displayed as a prospect at the ML level.

       I appreciate it Phil when you acknowledge talent in other organizations.

    3. Phil,
       LA needs to hire you as a batting coach today. Man, your analysis is so detailed and enlightening. Please send your resume to AF! Great and insightful …thanks, brother.

       TM

       1. Thanks TM. I appreciate it. I loved coaching and one of the challenges was to explain things so the players had a picture in their mind of what suggestions you were trying to convey.

13. Not worried about CK’s velo. He can be a lefty Maddux the rest of his career. He has that much pitching smarts.,

    1. It shows what you can do with your brain more than your brawn. I don’t think his FB went past 90 mph. You mentioning Maddux is a perfect example.

       1. When Zach Davies and the Cubs no hit LA earlier this year, Davies, for 6 innings did it with a fastball that was sitting in the 84-88 range and a lot of off speed stuff. Dodgers are one of the worst off speed hitting teams in the majors.

14. Urias is pitching on Wednesday and they will throw, Buehler, Scherzer and Kersh against the Reds. Kersh will be facing the Reds best pitcher so far this season, Miley. Buehler will get Castillo.

15. Regarding ABS; Yankee broadcast last week said of 25,000 borderline pitches thrown to date, 15,000 would be balls were called strikes and 10,000 would be strikes were called balls. So if ABS were operational that would benefit the hitter 5000 times.

    If you figure there are approximately 150 pitches thrown, per team per game and at the point in question approximately 140 games had been played times 30 teams equates to 630,000 pitches thrown. If 15,000 pitches are called wrong from the batters perspective, then 1 out of every 42 would be balls have been called strikes or around 7 pitches per game.

    Given that the Dodgers like to run up counts, such errors are biased against the Dodgers.

    1. Well-reasoned.

    2. Good reason for ABS. I just think it will make the game SO MUCH BETTER. Pitchers know where the zone is, batters know where the zone is, let the best man win. All you lose potentially is framing & sneaky moves by the catcher to make balls look like strikes to the ump. Make you wonder over the more than a century of bball, how many games have effectively been decided by the umps. Heck, we see it almost every game with safe or out calls at the bases, now that we have video review.
       cheers
       pb+

    3. Once ABS is implemented, as we know pitch presentation (framing) will become irrelevant; thus, pitchers will simply look to master an ability to hit the edges of the strike zone with pin point accuracy. Hard throwers will always have a natural advantage for obvious reasons, but ABS is going create new opportunities for pitchers who possess the ability to exploit the limitations of the ABS with naturally sink and run on pitches that are in and out of the strike zone. I foresee pitchers benefiting the most from ABS.

       1. Interesting take to consider & as likely as my thoughts. I have thought batters might benefit more when they supposedly know exactly where the zone is. I think it is harder for a batter to adjust these days when the ump is calling what are clearly close balls as strikes. Very hard to adjust mid-game or mid-at bat. But when a pitchers sees what they know is a ball called a strike, they very often keep going right back to that area until the ump wises up, if he does at all.
          cheers
          pb+

    4. How are the hitters going react when the ball barely clips a small portion of the plate? I guess there will be adjustments that need to be made for both hitters and pitchers. There could be a lot of squawking initially. In the long run it will be a huge improvement over the inconsistencies we see now.

       1. tedraymond, it’s going to be a big adjustment on pitches that have never been strike; high breaking balls to the upper corners will be a huge adjustment. And pitches 17 inches off the target that the catcher has to lunge across the plate for are never strikes. They will be now. As will cross-up pitches that aren’t handled but in the zone.
          It wouldn’t be needed if we got performances like Alan Porter last night who missed one CK pitch in the 1st that was in the zone that he called a ball. There were NO strikes called last night that were out of the zone despite some of the cat calls. He was great.
          I talked to he grandpa one night at a springer training game. The gentleman ran the umpire’s room at Chase Field and had some good stories. Nice man.

16. 2024:

    1. T. Turner 2B
    2. Lux LF
    3. Betts RF
    4. Bellinger CF
    5. Busch DH
    6. Vargas 3B
    7. Seager SS
    8. Smith C
    9. Muncy 1B or let Muncy walk and Pages learns 1B.

    1. I know you’re extremely persuasive Mark, but how did you convince Trea to re-sign here and become a second baseman permanently when I bunch of other teams would certainly be willing to sign him to be their shortstop.

       1. Rings

          1. There’s lots of options here. Mookie could move to 2B, Seager to 3B, Belli to 1B, etc. The Yankees just moved Torres back to second base and Urshela is supposed to take over at SS and DJLM at 3rd. Clearing room for Corey?

             I don’t think the Dodgers are going to sign both Seager and TT, but you never know. You can also go with a 100% reload lineup just for fun…

             Lux SS L
             Outman LF L
             Vargas 3B R
             Busch 2B L
             Pages RF R
             Rios 1B L
             Ramos CF R
             Cartaya C R

    2. SS T. Turner
       RF Betts
       CF Bellinger
       1B Vargas
       3B Seager
       C Smith
       DH Bush
       LF Pages
       2B Lux

17. Mark, that 2024 lineup of yours looks spot on.

18. Nice write up DC. It looks like the Dodgers have some interesting choices to protect in this year’s Rule 5 Draft. Need to keep improving our bench depth by signing cheap FAs and developing our own players so we don’t have to go through the lack of position players that could help from the minors. How many more games would we have won with a stronger bench this year?

    Everyone take a minute to think about losing Bauer on admin, leave. Because of his kinky ideas of sex ,he did the Dodgers a favor by having AF trade for Scherzer and T Turner. We would never be only 2 and half games behind with Bauer alone. The Dodgers are 8-0 in Scherzer’s starts and T Turner has brought speed and an offensive spark. Who would you rather have going into the playoff Bauer or Scherzer and T Turner?
    Bauer’s salary is not what we as fans should be concerned with, AF and the Dodger organization knows exactly what they’re doing(except for background checks). The Dodger’s revenue stream is huge with home and road attendance, parking, concessions. a lucrative TV contract, sale of Dodger gear etc. Never cry for the poor Dodgers concerning what their bottom line is, They are one of the smartest, riches franchises in all of baseball.

    1. Agree 100%. I said similar yesterday & when Bluto asked if they were just supposed to eat the contract, I said YES. Not my $$cabbagge$$, I am a fan and all I care about is a winning team, whatever that costs within the rules. I am not gonna cry for a bunch of bazillionaires who basically made a bad investment. You pay, get it over with and move on.
       cheers
       pb+

    2. It is not the salaries. Of course the Dodgers can handle that. Per Cot’s Contracts, the Dodgers AAV salaries are $262,111,667. That should translate into a near $20MM CBT. But in addition to the tax, the Dodgers will drop 10 spots on their first round pick. As of now, that would be the 39th pick in the draft.

       If MLB had suspended Bauer without pay in June rather than administrative paid leave, the Dodgers would have had a CBT bill of around $9MM and would not lose those 10 spots. I am still convinced this non-action by MLB was punitive against the Dodgers.

       It is going to be very interesting if the DA decides not to pursue charges against Bauer. What is MLB going to do, suspend Bauer without pay because of his sexual proclivities? Now that is a lawsuit waiting to happen. If MLB found cause in their investigation, Bauer would already be suspended, wouldn’t he? I know many are saying that Bauer will be suspended for the entire 2022 season. Why? If he is not charged, then MLB can only discipline him if they disagree with his sexual preferences. What other evidence is MLB waiting for if it isn’t for the charges to be made or dismissed. They are going to do a more thorough evidentiary finding than what the Pasadena Police did? If they did, then they needed to make their decision before the DA does. If the DA declines, then MLB will have a tough time suspending him in 2022. If they do, Bauer will appeal and the MLBPA will come after them with whatever they have. The penalty will be sheer vindictive. MLB is going to uncover more evidence between when the police finished their discovery and when they hand down the suspension? Now if the DA does decide to charge Bauer criminally, that is another consideration for potentially voiding the contract.

       I am not a Bauer fan, and I did not want the Dodgers to sign him. But this is different.

       1. Jeff ,as you know it was bad signing on a reaction to what the Pads did in the offseason and that the Mets were about to sign him. Not enough real background investigation on the suspect,. Nothing can be done now but wait and see if he is criminally charged. If not, I assume the the Dodgers will pay him the remainder of the contract and try to settle with him for less and release him. I own a real estate development company and my wise attorney taught me early in my career that a bad deal doesn’t get any better even in time. Time to move on.

       2. If charges are filed by the DA I could definitely see MLB giving the Dodgers a waiver on this season’s Bauer salary as far as penalties are concerned. In other words, not count his 2021 salary toward the spending limit (or at least pro rate it by number of games played).

          If no charges are filed, it’s going to be very tricky no matter how they try to play it.

          And for those who say, “I don’t care how much the Dodgers spend on salary. They can afford it.” Those folks probably don’t attend games, buy ballpark food, park a car at the stadium or buy souvenirs because the team needs to try to make some of that salary back somewhere. 2022 price of a Dodger dog will probably be about $42.50.

19. Trayce Thompson back in MLB with the Cubs. Jason Heyward on the concussion protocol IL and TT gets the call. Good for Trayce.

20. Cristobal ain’t leaving beautiful Eugene for shithole downtown LA.

    Dream on.

    1. You really think Cristobal would live anywhere near downtown LA? No, like other USC coaches, I see him on one of the Southern California beaches. Some people like Eugene. I am not one of them. I would be surprised that a Miami kid would rather live in Eugene than on the beach. But you may be right.

       Or maybe he would prefer that his boys get a USC degree and all of their connections rather than a degree from the University of Oregon and a life with Nike. Who knows what motivates people. I loved USC and shithole downtown LA. I loved Westwood, or is Westwood far enough removed from shithole downtown LA. I had a lot of friends that went to UCLA. I visited Eugene and Corvallis before deciding where to go to school. I visited the Bay Area (Cal and Stanford). Yet I chose shithole downtown LA and USC. I never thought I made a bad decision.

       With your attitude, I am guessing that you do not think any MLB FA would ever want to play in shithole downtown LA.

       1. Thank you for your comments on Los Angeles and USC.
          I realize that neither are perfect. Then I doubt anywhere are.
          I to made the choice to live in the Los Angeles area (LCF) and also attend USC (many years ago) – maybe both USC and LA were not the same XX-hole locations when I made the decision in the very early 1970’s.
          But living, working, raising a family, experiencing the beautiful weather, the cultural activities, meeting friends and neighbors makes me very glad I made the decision to stay. Some that know me might say that I made a mistake in giving up the SF Bay area and those SF Giants, but I think it work out pretty good for me.
          This is not to criticize either the Bay Area or the Giants – but Southern California, both the area and the University, are more than adequate for me.

          1. Every city has a xx-hole downtown area. LA has its. But it also has some stunningly beautiful neighborhoods and perfect weather. If you can afford it, living in LA can be grand. Eugene ain’t all that. If SC can get its collective stuff together, that job is one of the best in the nation.

             1. Agree LA is got a lot of things going for it that it didn’t even have 10 years ago. Two years ago I was up on the 30th floor of the Ritz Carlton you could see a vast panorama. I counted 22 cranes working downtown LA

             2. This country and indeed the world has some beautiful places and wonderful people. Before I retired I had the opportunity to visit many areas of this country and would drive my wife crazy by saying how nice other cities and states were.
                That doesn’t mean the world is perfect. Never was and as much as I would like it to be, it never will be.
                Which brings me to my point and my primary complaint.
                Using the web, blogs and other electronic communication modes to degrade, denigrate and bully others is actually a terrible way to deal with others.
                In fact it is actually the sign of a coward and a sign of ignorance.
                “Hit the guy in the back and hide behind an electronic current and somehow believe you are a tough guy.”
                People have value. Even if they do not share your opinions doesn’t mean that yours are correct.
                You would become a far better person if you open your mind to others and close your mouth (or comments) until you fully understand what the other person is saying. You might actually learn something and feel happier about yourself.
                There are some wonderful contributors to this blog and I hope that they continue to contribute. Unfortunately there are no guarantees and it would be rather tragic to lose their input.

21. Tonight’s Lineup:

    HITTERS H-AB RBI HR SB AVG
    M. BettsRF 108-394 53 21 9 .274
    M. Muncy1B 111-441 83 32 2 .252
    T. Turner2B 166-526 59 21 27 .316
    C. SeagerSS 81-287 43 9 1 .282
    J. Turner3B 131-476 80 25 2 .275
    W. SmithC 99-369 69 23 3 .268
    C. BellingerCF 47-292 33 9 2 .161
    G. LuxLF 68-294 38 6 3 .231
    T. GonsolinP 2-13 0 0 0 .154

    1. Bellinger has 2 homers off of Weaver.

22. Justin Turner Nominated For the Prestigious Roberto Clemente Award
    JT has become a very involved member of the community along with his wife Kourtney since coming to the Dodgers. The Justin Turner Foundation aims to support homeless veterans, children battling life-altering illnesses and diseases, and youth baseball organizations all across the county.

    1. He will be allowed to wear #21 on Clemente day.

    2. He needs to win it this year.

    3. He gets nominated almost every year. I think he’s won the award in the past as well. What a great guy to have on the team.

       1. He has not won. Only Dodgers to win the coveted award are Garvey and Kershaw. It is the fourth time in last five years he has been nominated. So he is due.

23. 09/14/21 Los Angeles Dodgers activated RHP Kenley Jansen from the paternity list.
    09/14/21 Los Angeles Dodgers optioned RHP Mitch White to Oklahoma City Dodgers.

    Dodgers News: Chris Taylor IL Decision Should Be Made By Wednesday

24. Ominous sign:

    2010: Giants beat Padres in SF, clinched playoff spot
    2012: Giants beat Padres in SF, clinched playoff spot
    2014: Giants beat Padres in SF, clinched playoff spot
    2021: Giants beat Padres in SF, clinched playoff spot

    1. gross

25. Can we rename this blog (if it’s a recurring one)

    Minor League Matter from Dodger Chatter

26. With Fernandez getting some PT in Rancho this year. I assume he will start next season there and Cartaya will start with the Loons.

27. Kershaw is 38 K’s from catching Sutton for the Dodgers career record.

    1. He is going to need to re-sign with LAD to get that record. So I say, re-sign him.

28. Passan said today that if, as most expect, Bauer is suspended for 2023 then the Dodgers don’t have his salary go against the CBT.

    1. I am in no position to discount what Passan speculates, but if there are no charges, then MLB will be suspending Bauer because they disagree with his sexual choices. If the DA decides to pass on charging Bauer, I would assume that they do not believe there is enough evidence to say that the sex was not consensual. Then what does MLB fall back on? If MLB has evidence now to suspend, then suspend him. If not, then it appears that they are waiting for charges that may or may not be forthcoming. I know, I know, I know, MLB does not need charges to suspend. But they have had more time to investigate than the police and if they have something, show it and suspend him. If they suspend and their are no charges, Bauer will appeal and you know MLBPA will back him with everything they have.

29. Does anyone here have any faith in David Price?

30. It sure looks like the Padres have quit. Jayce Tingler and A J Preller have got to be concerned for their jobs. Preller built of team of quitters and Tingler seems to have lost the clubhouse. Does not say much for the Tatis and Machado pull in the clubhouse. Three hits tonight. They have lost 5 in a row and 7 out of 10. They are now 4 games over .500. St. Louis has now taken the second WC spot, and the Padres are now behind St. Louis and Cincinnati. I couldn’t be happier unless the Giants and NYY were also out of the playoffs.

31. Instead of a Giant stretch drive collapse they are basically unbeatable! Right now we’d have to sweep a double header just to gain a half game on them! Gonsolin must be the least respected sub .250 era pitcher in all of baseball! I love the guy! And I agree dr. I love Price as a person but he wouldn’t be in my playoff bullpen!

32. Nice win. Nice to see Max connect for a couple of hits. Padres are frippen pitiful.

33. It’s seeming like Dodgers have no problem being 2 and a half back. Maybe they can pour it on in the playoffs and feel that’s the ticket. I’m certain they really aren’t comfortable out of the lead but it doesn’t appear they’re as hungry as the Giants are. Let them up in the bay area starve to death is what I say but that will take some help from the other teams and they just don’t want to lend the Dodgers any help. Personally I don’t think wild cards should even have a chance playing in the post series even though Dodgers will have a better record than most division leaders. Maybe the way it should be is a certain number of teams making the playoffs should be the teams with the best records regardless of league or divisions.
    Guess I’m just in a rotten mood as some stupid punk stole my pickup and it seems the so called friends I thought I could call on can’t even come around to give me a ride to where the truck was seen. I’ve got pictures of the guy stealing the truck and they’ve been made. I might soon to be in trouble for rehabilitating a car thief. I know how to cure him.

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