LAD PROSPECTS – REAL OR HYPE

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1. Great column Jeff.

   I too wonder why Yeiner Fernandez has not gathered more attention. I think he played the 2021 season as an 18-year-old turning 19 in mid-September. He played his first season stateside. He doesn’t yet seem to have Cartaya’s power stroke but is listed at only 5’9″/170 lb compared to Cartaya’s 6’3″/219 lb.

   I like Carson Taylor having watched him with the Loons. He is a player but I think you are correct with the Dodgers MiLB catching depth. I think Taylor will make it to MLB, perhaps not as a Dodger, and perhaps not as a catcher.

   The 2022 season should reveal more about Jesus Galiz.

2. Any thoughts on the 3 rule 5 draft players the Dodgers picked up? Curious the first pick (Rios) appears to be organizational depth. But what about the other two?

   1. Duplantier and Fulmer are former top 10 picks if I remember right. Both are projects with a high risk/high reward possibilities. They heard the fans wanting Kike back, and got Kekai instead.

3. You hit the nail right on it’s proverbial head Jeff. You and I both have seen the so called can’t miss guys miss for years. To me, there is no such thing as can’t miss. For every guy like Seager or Belli, there is a Billy Ashley or 10 who came before them. Then you get a 62nd round pick, made as a courtesy who ends up in the Hall of Fame. Piazza wouldn’t even be drafted today because they don’t have 62 rounds and can’t waste the picks they do have. I was trying to remember the name of the Giant’s can’t miss player in the early 50’s. Had a great nickname, “The Hondo Hurricane” Was that Clint Hartung? Flamed out like a cheap fighter plane. Just in the Dodger organization you can name oh so many who were hyped and never produced a thing. Then a AA guy comes up and is your saves leader and helps win a World Series, Steve Howe. Predicting success for prospects is a very iffy proposition. We differ on our stance with Lux. I know you want to give him the second base gig until July, and I think he really needs to have a solid spring before you just give him the keys to the Rolls. They are all just suspects until they are not. Excellent work again my friend.

4. Wow, after reading this I almost feel like going back to bed and pulling the covers over my head. Kinda like Charlie Brown after falling on his back after another kick attempt.

   But, then I remember that not all 1st round picks become all star players and many players not picked in the 1st round do.

   Here are my truths about prospects and rankings…

   If you didn’t have the prospect pedigree from the beginning, there’s little chance you will be one of the highest rated prospects no matter what you do. Mike Piazza was ranked as high as 10 overall and he was arguably the best catcher ever. Anthony Rizzo never got higher than 47 overall and he’s a 3 time all star and 4 time gold glover.

   Farm System Rankings do not accurately reflect the amount of talent in a system. Rankings are typically devised by taking the ranks of prospects in the top 100 and adding their positions togethers to get to a number then ordering from highest to lowest. It doesn’t include all the other prospects in the system that are outside the MLB top 100. It inherently is biased towards teams that pick higher in the draft. And it mosty considers those that are closest to being MLB ready or younger players with loud tools. It only considers the top 3-4 prospects in each organisation on average.

   Many players in the MLB top 100 don’t turn into great or even good players, so the “experts” aren’t very good at picking prospects.

   I generally want to wait and see what guys do at AA before I start getting too excited about them. Especially with hitters since this is where they see advanced pitching.

   With that said, I think you’re splitting hairs when saying that Mark is wrong about our system being top ten, but also saying it’s more like around 15. I think I know both of your positions based on your personalities. Jeff is a strict rules guy and is more black and white about things. Mark is more of a big picture guy and doesn’t drill down into the nuts and bolts as much as Jeff. Strictly speaking, based on the current criteria of how major publications arrive at their rankings, the Dodgers are probably outside the top 10 when the season begins. However, when you look at the big picture, the Dodgers farm system as a whole with a superior depth of talent, I would say that Mark’s position is more valid.

   I listened to an interview with Baseball America last year discussing the Dodgers farm system and they said the Dodgers have guys in their 28-30 range that would be on almost every other system’s 14-15. If these publications actually considered each system’s top 30 prospects, the Dodgers would be ranked a lot higher.

   As far as your critique of Luiz Rodriguez, I think it’s misleading to say “I kept reading about how great Luis Rodriguez was going to be. He has played in the US one year now, and he has already dropped out of the top ten.” Well, he’s currently listed as the number 11 prospect (just one position outside of the top 10) and he had just 199 AB’s, all as an 18 year old. Everyone ahead of him is two years older except for one other 18 year old, Wilman Diaz, who hit worse than him in the Dominican Summer League. So how the hell did Diaz get ranked higher, just pushing Rodriguez outside the top 10? I think that says more about the depth of the Dodger’s system than it does about the talent of either player.

   I applaud your commitment to watching over 100 minor league games each year. I don’t know how you do it. I pretty much watch close to every inning of all 162 Dodger games each year, I can’t possibly expect myself to watch on average of 7 hours of baseball more than every other day during the season as I assume you’re doing by watching the MLB team every day and all those minor league games. I maybe watch 20-30 college / minor league games per year combined, and I don’t think it makes me any better at picking prospects. I did however, watch games in person every summer for 5 years in a row while my son was playing at the JO’s where all the best prep players play each summer. The one thing that stands out from that time is that the best players then are not only not the best players now, but most of them didn’t make the majors at all. A lot can happen between age 18 and 22, so I won’t discount Luis Rodriguez and I won’t get too excited about him either. Not until he’s a few years and several levels down the road.

   I’m probably a lot more excited about the Dodger’s prospects than you are. I don’t pay much attention to rankings because they aren’t very accurate. I like to study the stats and see how these minor leaguers play against their competition while also considering their age. Then I decide if they have chance or not.

5. Old buddy Yasiel Puig is going to play in Korea. Signing a one year one million dollar deal with a KBO team

6. Dodgers Rumors: LA is Top Team for Freddie Freeman if He Doesn’t Re-sign With Braves!
   by Doug McKain
   Heading into free agency this winter, Freddie Freeman was fully expected to re-sign with the Atlanta Braves, but a deal never got done before the CBA expired leading to widespread speculation that the former MVP could be open to signing elsewhere. With the Dodgers looking to replace a gaping hole left by Corey Seager, LA continues to be linked to the star free agent first baseman.

   According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, Freeman may ultimately decide between signing with the Dodgers or Braves. A decision by Freeman would have to wait until a new CBA is reached, but just because a deal between the Dodgers and Freeman can’t be agreed upon during the lockout doesn’t mean we can’t take we take a look at what a potential lineup could look like if LA were to sign the 5x All-Star.

   Leading off is one of the premier leadoff hitters in the game, Mookie Betts. Following him is one of the most complete hitters in baseball, Freddie Freeman. In the three hole, the reigning NL batting Champion, Trea Turner, who crushed a career-high 28 home runs last season. Cleaning up is the Dodgers most prolific slugger since he joined the club, Max Muncy. Then, batting fifth, is arguably the club’s most clutch bat, who is primed to make his first career all-star team next year, Will Smith.

   If he picks up where he left off in the 2021 postseason, Cody Bellinger could move up in the order quickly, but for now we’ll pencil him in at sixth in the order until he proves that his resurgence is real. Then batting seventh at the DH spot, is Justin Turner. Yes, it’s almost unthinkable to have JT this low in the order, but even before he went down with a hamstring injury that ended his season, there was a strong possibility that he would be moved down in the order. Then, coming off his best year in LA is AJ Pollock, followed by the recently re-signed super-utility man, Chris Taylor. My guess is that Doc’s loyalty and penchant for seniority will lead to JT batting higher in the order and possibly starting the season as the opening day starting third basemen with Chris Taylor starting in left and assigning AJ Pollock the DH duties.

   But the most pressing question for the Dodgers, if they were to sign Freddie Freeman would be: could Max Muncy get the job done playing primarily at second base and possibly some third when he regains full health? Further, the team would also have to decide on what to do with Gavin Lux. Would they look to trade the talented, young infielder in a trade to help fortify a rotation that is in desperate need of another frontline starter following Scherzer’s decision to sign with the Mets and the continued uncertainty with Trevor Bauer? Or will they keep him and groom him for a utility role? So, there will be plenty of questions to be answered if the Dodgers are able to add Freeman, but if you can sign a player of his caliber, for a somewhat reasonable contract, you do it one hundred percent of the time.

7. Starting with the last part first, there is no way Carlos Correa should ever don a Dodgers uniform. All of this was started by an LA Times columnist and others have chipped in along the way. Now it suddenly has “Twitter legs” … but the Dodgers have Trea Turner, a really exciting player, the NL batting champ, the stolen base leader and someone with 25 to 30 home run power. Who needs Carlos, his bad back or his baggage?

   If the Dodgers do seek another bat and that’s a possibility, it would probably be a left side hitter. As to Trevor Bauer, still think he’s gone. If MLB decides not to suspend him, I have no idea how that would work. Maybe he stays with the Dodgers. Maybe he gets traded, but I can’t see LA eating the money. If that occurs, prepare for a major distraction, one that continues throughout the season.

   I was trying to think about players I saw in the minors who I felt were sure bets to make the majors, even become stars.

   Corey Seager is definitely one and so was Cody Bellinger. Saw both in High A, they just stood out. Had a discussion with some scouts at one game, they thought the Dodgers would move Seager to third before he reached the majors. But I thought he was a pretty good shortstop and he would there for years.

   I recall one outfielder Yusniel Diaz, who was a pretty good player. Thought he had a chance, but nothing stood out like Seager or Bellinger. The Dodgers traded him. He is 25 now and in AAA.

   One other player who really stood out was Gavin Lux, liked him in A ball and still high on his skill set.

   Projecting is not an exact science, sometimes more of a sense. Maybe today people get too enamored with data. What makes all this even more difficult is that players can grow, learn and adapt. Injuries often play a big role, but work ethic is also a big factor.

   Everybody seems to be high on catcher Diego Cartaya, believes he is the next big deal for the Dodgers. Read nothing but good reports on him.

   As to Vlad Guerrero Jr., I wrote this elsewhere prior to the international signings back then that Vlad should be the main focus for the Dodgers, that all based on watching some video and reading a couple of scouting reports. Nobody was quite sure where he would fit in on the field, but they believed he could flat out hit. They were right. There was just something special about him. The Dodgers threw around a lot of money and pretty much got nothing for it.

   Really exceptional column today, Jeff.

   1. The rest of the Valdi Guerrero Jr, story. I had forgotten about that.

      https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/side-deal-helped-blue-jays-sign-guerrero-jr/

      And the Vadimir Guerrero Sr. story.

      https://www.latimes.com/sports/mlb/la-sp-dodgers-guerrero-20180728-story.html

      Oh my!

8. I don’t have the time to look it up now, but I believe it was last year that a writer at Fangraphs said that the Dodgers had 38 to 40 prospects in their system who would likely play in the Major Leagues. They did not say that the players would be stars – just that they might make the majors. That is a huge number! When I look at the Top 30 Prospects from 2021 back to 2015, I feel much more confident now than then. In 2015, I felt that Seager and Urias would become stars. At that time I was not sure about Verdugo, whom I came to appreciate after he matured.

   I was never high on Pederson, Holmes, Andreson, De Leon, Sweeney, Schebler, Lee, Leon, Cotton, et al. Cody Bellinger surprised everyone in 2016 and 2017 and I touted Ale Verdugo, but overall the system seemed kind of yawn overall. Now, the Dodgers have about 50 players on the farm that could possibly see PT in the Show. Of course, not all will make it. Some we think will make it will not and some we think won’t … will. There are now only a handful of players 1-50 that I think have no chance to make the show.

   The younger they are, the higher the risk, but Pages, Vargas, Miller, Cartaya, Knack, Diaz, Busch, Beeter, Valera, Leonard, Galiz, De Jesus, Choi (who could be a killer in the bullpen with his splitter) all have a chance to be very, very good. I just like the fact that they are sooooo deep. Development is not linear, but one thing that the Dodgers value is character and work ethic and the system is full of those players.

   I also do not let accusations that cannot be addressed have an impact on my opinion of Trevor Bauer. I am waiting for the process to play out. We don’t know what we don’t know… at least I don’t!

   1. pouring some out for my lost homies:

      verdugo
      gray
      ruiz
      o’neill
      alvarez
      montas
      etc.

      i’ll take our system any day. i’m genuinely excited about cartaya, vargas, busch, pages & ramos. i understand many of these won’t make it, but it’s a numbers game. long-term we have:

      c–smith/cartaya [covered]
      1b–muncy/bellinger [covered for a couple years before maybe vargas/lewis/FA take over]
      2b–lux/busch/vivas [counting CT3 this position in covered]
      ss–trea [covered for 2022 then we can figure things out–lots of options; leonard has helium]
      3b–justin’s getting old; hopefully vargas can take over in 2023. that’s the general plan [hoese/lewis/valera?]
      lf–pollock [would like to see pages ready to take over in 2024]
      cf–beliinger/lux/betts? [outman obviously would be huge if he was legit]
      rf–betts forever and ever and ever

9. 1- they call them prospects for a reason. When you prospect for gold, you might find a nugget but usually you get sand, gravel and fool’s gold. Same with minor leaguers.

   2- there is a bias in favor of your own prospects. It’s a form of a real thing called status quo bias. (Look it up) But it’s not possible that our prospects are always better. I am reminded of Lake Woebegone, where “all of the men are handsome, all of the women are strong and all of the children are above average “
   3- look carefully at the top 25 lists posted and then go back more years. It’s not an exact science.
   4- it sounds to me that the Dodgers have a lot of right handed pitching prospects but not much else. Other than Lux and Cartaya I’m not impressed with what I read about the position players. We saw last year how many AAAA type players the Dodgers have. When injuries happened they came up empty. This includes pitchers and position players. Remember all of the bullpen games (due to the lack of starting pitchers) and Reks, Raley, Peters, Neuse getting playing time at key moments?
   5- I am always interested in non-lawyers making comments about the law. The thing to remember about Bauer is that if the DA doesn’t charge him he can and likely will be suspended. Or even worse, the League can keep him on administrative leave so that the Dodgers still have to pay him but he counts against the luxury tax but can’t play. Either way, I don’t expect him back in Dodger Blue.

   1. status quo bias occurs in stock/bond investing too. at any given moment you should look at your holdings and say, “would i be willing to buy these today at the prices they are?” to determine whether you want to hold them. of course, this ignores things like cost basis and taxes but the point stands.

      the opposite also occurs with prospects we’ve acquired from other teams: josiah gray and jeter downs had the same value for us whether we drafted them or not. talent is talent; worth is worth; value is value.

      i actually think the dodgers’ organization has some value-added attribute [whether coaching, training, equipment, scouting] that does tend to inflate the perception of its prospects. judging our system by its raleys and reks and peters is unfair, as no real prospect hound ever expected anything substantial from this group. even neuse was a wild card and maybe someday he gives us some meaningful at-bats but we are in now counting on him.

   2. From a legal standpoint I think the Bauer case is somewhat interesting. If a sexual partner gives consent or even makes a request for particular acts that under normal circumstances is clearly abuse, is it still legally abuse … or even abuse in a non legal sense?

      The league can do whatever it wants regardless of whether the DA presses charges. He can still be suspended with or without pay. With the 35 million he made last year he can also hire good attorneys who can argue that consensual acts are not part of the domestic abuse policy. And with the 20 game suspension of Ozuna, who clearly engaged in a clear cut example of classic domestic abuse – on video and in front of police – Bauer might have a legal footing to contest any lengthy suspension.

      But I’m not a lawyer.

      I loved Garrison Keillor

10. Where do you slot Nastrini and Sheehan?

    I only ask because I know very little (a euphemism for nothing at all) AND there was this throwaway line in a recent Keith Law blurb on Bobby Miller:

    (Oh, and there was a lot of chatter among scouts this week that their fourth-rounder from this year, Nick Nastrini, and their sixth-rounder, Emmet Sheehan, both pitched like they should have gone in the first round after signing.)

    1. those guys are legit. some real exciting arms in the system that we’ll see more of in 2022. all majorly raw but that’s what our player development program is for.

       1. What I know of him is that an outstanding pitching coach who also happens to be the head baseball coach at UCLA bounced him out of the rotation and pitched him once during the final month. I have known John Savage since 1993, and one thing he knows is pitchers. That being said, he did catch Savage’s eye to get the scholly. He is a strikeout pitcher, and that intrigues LAD evaluators. I am biased. I happen to like pitchers who can command a changeup, and Nastrini does have a good change that could develop into a plus change.

          I know you do not like Fangraphs’ but I had this from the draft on Nastrini:

          “…there’s a lot to like about Nastrini. Beside the fastball, his changeup flashes plus, breaks in both directions, and while the slider and curveball lag behind, they’re still above-average offerings. Along with the four-pitch repertoire, he has a prototypical starter’s build (6-foot-3, 204 lbs.) and a clean, repeatable delivery. That last detail suggests his wavering command is more due to inconsistent release points, which teams could hope to adjust.”

          “It goes without saying that Nastrini’s relief risk is much, much bigger than the average top-round pick (that’s why he’s on this list), but I don’t see a team like the Dodgers or Brewers passing up on 20+ inches of induced vertical break.”

          The last sentence says a lot about the potential of Nick Nastrini. It is nice when the publications know the type of pitcher a specific team looks for. The above was written before the draft.

          He seems to be recovering a bit with his control issues.. At Rancho, he had 6 starts and pitched 13 innings. He struck out 30 batters but walked 7. While his K/BB ratio is fantastic, his walks /9 innings is going to get him in deep trouble as he progresses. He had a 2.08 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00. He allowed 3 earned runs but six runs in total. Some of those walks came back to bite him I am sure.

          Dodgerpatch and I disagreed about the value of Maddux Bruns. It is not Bruns that I am down on. It is that he was selected in the first round, and without a 2nd round selection. Nick Nastini was worth the risk in the 4th round, and LAD may be rewarded. I am not much of a UCLA fan (Okay not at all). But I am a John Savage fan, and I probably follow UCLA baseball more than USC (okay not probably). Nastini is a Savage pitcher even though he had problems in 2021. How much of the pandemic hurt his development for 2020?

          Nastrini is the one pitcher in the 2021 draft that I am most excited about. He is a strikeout pitcher with a potential plus plus change to go along with a mid 90’s fastball that can reach near triple digits. He has HUGE relief risk, but so do most LAD pitching prospects, and especially in the 2021 draft. I hope that he can develop either that slider or curve and give him at least three pitches, to give him a chance at starting.

          What I remember about Sheehan is that he is another strikeout pitcher who pitched on a bad Boston College team. Not highly rated, but a pitcher with the feel for a changeup that he is continuing to develop. When it is good, he is good. When it is bad, so is he. Low to mid-90’s fastball that has a lot of rise at the top of the zone that generates a lot of swing and miss.. He is a two pitch pitcher that seems destined for the bullpen. He pitched in relief all last year in the LAD organization. Could be a late inning high leverage type reliever.

          1. Lael Lockhart might be a guy too. I think the Dodgers find a carrying skill that they feel they can exploit/optimize and take a shot that the rest of their game can catch up. The person matters too as they tend to key in on guys with drive and determination. Seems touchy-feely but some evaluations reveal more than others.

          2. I think you value different things when it comes to the draft. You mentioned the word “safe” on more than one occasion – good command of more than two average to better than average pitches. To me that suggests a high floor and a lower ceiling; in other words, a solid chance at a mid to back of the rotation guy. If safety is the strategy when you pick down in the order, you’re more likely to get mediocrity. The other guys you cited, when looking at scouting reports, didn’t seem particularly exciting.

             I love mentioning this, but Friedman was a Wall Street exec before he even got into baseball, and finding value in the financial market or equities is not altogether different from finding value in baseball. You try to see something that the market doesn’t. You buck consensus. You try to find lighting in a bottle.

             I don’t know a ton about Bruns. I do know that his fastball went from a mid to high 80s offering last year, to a mid to high 90s offering, topping out at 98, and he dominated in exhibition play. 98 from a LHP … especially at 19 … is special. In spite of command issues, that might we worth taking a risk on and building around.

             And no, I doubt the Dodgers organization used a single exhibition game to determine their 1rst round draft selection. Do you really believe they made that decision on something as capricious as a single outing? This is the Dodgers. They have probably the best talent evaluation system in baseball. I’m guessing they have a comprehensive book on him, and AF and the scouting department probably discussed him at length.

             At that draft position, it’s harder to find a prospect that has a real standout talent or pitch … that is “safe.” I think to luck out and get a real impact prospect you have to find one with a standout quality with a flaw that might be fixable, or at least this is what I’m guessing the Dodger thinking was in drafting Bruns.

             1. Here’s the bottom line and nobody as such is wrong: We can either trust the Dodgers’ organization or we can criticize it. I tend to trust it, although they apparently erred wildly in chasing Bauer when it looked like he was ready to sign with NYM. Similarly, drafting and scouting is something that is so far beyond the scope of what we really know that I can’t in good conscience say I think one guy is better than another guy at this stage of the process. Lastly, I am not a fan of Dave Roberts, although perhaps he doesn’t get enough credit for his clubhouse culture. I disagree with many many of his in-game decisions and I feel he has single-handedly cost us 1-2 rings. But it’s hard to argue with the overall record.

             2. DodgerLover, that was an overall excellent post, and I agree with it almost entirely.

                However, you left out a key detail:

                When it comes to internet discussions I’m always right and everyone else is stupid and wrong.

                (obviously a joke)

                In retrospect, Bauer was a mistake, but I don’t consider moves that don’t pan out to be mistakes. That will always happen. Moves are only bad if the thought process that goes into making them is bad.

                AF said he wanted the Dodgers to be “pigs” coming off their WS win. He wanted to deviate from his more frugal way of managing and just use the Dodger resources to push people around. From that vantage point maybe Bauer was an acceptable risk. He did deviate from his normal MO of going after high character guys, on the other hand, and it may have burned him.

             3. I agree with you that the prospects discussed are nothing special. And yet that is what the 2021 draft was all about. Peter Heubeck, the HS pitcher taken in the third round debuted far better than Bruns on the same team. His scouting report says that if everything goes right, his ceiling is a mid-rotation starter. So everything has to go right and then maybe the Dodgers will have a mid-rotation starter. That has long relief written all over it. There was no 2nd round pick, so why the risk on Maddux Bruns in the 1st?

                No, I do not believe the Dodgers based their decision solely on the one tournament game for Bruns. But you have to wonder what they saw during the year, because nobody else saw anything special in him during his senior year. Because he is a LHP and throws hard is no reason to spend $2.2MM on a reach, when they are better selections out there. Nobody had him going in the first round, except of course the Dodgers. I named five pitchers yesterday who would have been better selections (IMO). I advocated for Jaden Hill because he was worthy of a risk like Walker Buehler. Like Buehler he was to be a top ten pick before elbow issues popped up. Buehler waited until after the draft to get the TJ while Hill got his in April. He will be back about the same time as Dustin May. I also advocated for Ty Madden when he slipped to the Dodgers first pick and LAD selected Bruns

                Yes, in the first round, I do want to draft a player who I think will at least become a regular in the rotation or on the diamond. I thought Bo Bichette was the safer pick over Gavin Lux in 2016. There I go again with a “safer” selection. Said so the day of the draft. I thought that Shane McClanahan was a safer pick than JT Ginn. Said so the day of the draft. And I said that I wanted Ty Madden or Jaden Hill over Maddux Bruns. Said so on the day of the draft. Bichette is an All Star, McClanahan is in the Rays rotation. What would you like to bet that both Ty Madden and Jaden Hill will be better pitchers than Bruns. I cannot remember who I was pushing for in 2017 instead of Jeren Kendall, but I know it was not Jeren Kendall. I did think that Walker Buehler was a brilliant selection, and I had no issues with Kody Hoese, no matter how he turns out, or Michael Busch. Both excellent picks where LAD drafted. By your logic, the Dodgers should have passed on both and selected a pair of HS LHP who can throw hard. Interestingly enough, they did select a HS pitcher, Jimmy Lewis, in the 2nd round and found Ryan Pepiot in the 3rd. I liked every one of the 2020 draft picks, but I am not at all enthusiastic on the 2021 draft picks. I actually liked the Jordan Sheffield pick even though there were concerns about control with him. The LAD pitching development team did not do much with his control, but you are convinced they will with Bruns.

                Yes, I do value the draft differently. Apparently, whatever the Dodgers do meets with your approval. But you gave me an idea for another article that you are not going to like either. Outside of 2016 and hopefully 2020, how mediocre the LAD drafts have been in the AF era. And last year, the results in the AAAA talent was evident. Maybe if they had selected someone other than Jeren Kendall in the first round or Morgan Cooper in the 2nd, or the Mitchell Hansen reach in the 2nd round of 2015, they may have had someone other than Zach Reks, a 10th round pick for the roster. Or maybe they would not have picked up Billy McKinney or Steven Souza Jr. At least Luke Raley was selected in a great draft year. They did not miss on a lot above him.

                You seem to admire the fact that AF came out of Wall Street. I do not believe you value baseball talent the same as investments. Any business looks for value, and in that regard, they are the same. Maybe they should look at the New York fashion industry for a baseball executive. They look for value and the next big trend. But baseball talent is far more complex than financial vehicles. That is what I think is wrong with the game today. You think metrics is the answer, while I believe that good old fashioned scouting is the way to determine value. Nobody needed a computer to tell them that Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays could hit and play a pretty good CF. Nobody needed a computer to tell them that Ozzie Smith and Brooks Robinson were special defensive players. Nobody needed a computer to tell them that Maury Wills and Lou Brock and their speed could change the game. Did they need a computer to tell them that Rickey Henderson should be a leadoff hitter? I recognize I am a dinosaur in this regard.

11. At this time I’m thinking there will be no ST and I won’t get to see a few of the kids and see how they do against ML pitching… It pisses me off the way it’s all about the cheddar with these spoiled athletes… Phew, I feel better now!!!
    I think the Dodgers have a great minor lg. system for which we owe to AF and his staff…
    I sort of scratch my bald pate when folks mention Muncy at 2B??? If Freeman is available grab him and plez don’t tell me he’s represented by Boras…
    Andrew’s lineup can get a LAD fan extremely happy…
    All that being said I think I’ll be spending a lot of time/games at Rancho waiting for next wave of prospects…
    Damn, I wish Rancho was still AA…

    1. it kinda sucks the hot stove is now turned off. in some ways i enjoy the offseason more than the real season.

12. Great article, Jeff!
    I am so impressed by the detailed information and prospect knowledge.
    I am familiar with the Rivercats and their stadium in West Sacramento, and appreciate that you discontinued season tickets once they became a Giants affiliate.
    We are lucky to have your expertise, and also lucky to have great commenters with divergent opinions.

    1. Great minor league town.

13. Oops! This is the first time my comment earlier has been rejected or??
    Great article as usual Jeff…

14. Dang Spam! I got it out of jail!

15. Carson Fulmer is tantalizing…

    1. Sure, why not.

    2. Agree. He was a Vandy teammate of Walker Buehler. Jon Duplantier is also worthy of a MiLB contract and both should get ST invites.

16. The sixth and supposedly last guy to interview for the Mets job is Dodger 1B coach, Clayton McCullough.
    He always has a smile on his face. He won’t get the job, but if he did, Max would eat him alive.

17. Heeeeeeeeee’s Back! My favorite whipping boy and one of AF’s worst trades, Tyler White signed a minor league deal with the Brewers. Him and Jedd Gyorko were a total WASTE of roster space.

18. Just want to add. DJ Peters has signed with the Lotte Giants of the KBO. It has been reported but not confirmed. I talked to him tonight. The offer was hard to refuse. He’s headed to Korea.

    Would have loved to see him succeed with the Dodgers. His home town team. But such is baseball. He will likely destroy the Korean HR records.

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