In my opinion, Ryan Pepiot has graduated from AAA as has Mitch White. There is nothing for them to do or accomplish there – It is time for the Show. That also might apply to Mike Busch. By the All-Star Break, he could be in the Show, as he hit his 4th AAA HR last night. He needs to bring his BA up… and he will.
Jake Lamb allegedly has an “opt-out” in July. I really can’t see him coming to LA, so it was nice knowing you, Jake! But, stranger things have happened. Jake could certainly DH. He is hitting .292 with a .921 OPS. He couldn’t hit any worse than Muncy or JT! Could he?
If Cody Bellinger is not in CF, Jason Martin could get a chance. He is hitting .282 for OKC with a .899 OPS. He had a stretch of 40 or 50 ABs at the end of last season where he hit over .300 for Texas. He might get the opportunity if Belli can get it untracked.
Of course, Miguel Vargas could still get a short in the Show this season, as he is hitting a solid .277 and has a .853 OPS. He is still young and probably needs most of the season at AAA. He is improving incrementally with his defensive play.
Marshall Kasowski has flashed a new change up and some people say it is good. I have not been impressed – it just looks like a slow fastball, but his 2.03 ERA at AAA might require a look. The same is true with Carson Fulmer (2.03 ERA).
At Tulsa, James Outman hit his 14th HR last night and is batting .292 with a .963 OB%. I guess it is not out of the realm of probability that he could get his ticket punched for OKC and get a shot at the Show later this year, but it’s a stretch. He’s LF, has found his power and can play CF. Hummmm….
Andy Pages is heating up slowly at Tulsa. He hit his 10th HR last night and is batting .260 after a very slow start. It would seem that he is a year away. Ryan Ward is quietly putting together a nice season (.271 BA/.839 OPS/14 HR) for Tulsa be he is a project.
In Great Lakes, there are several players with lots of promise, but none with as much as Diego Cartaya. There is no way he sees the Show this year, but it is possible he could in 2023… just don’t bet on it. Vivas and Leonard are both two years away. Alex DeJesus is also a player to watch.
On the pitching side, of course, Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone could see the Show in an emergency, but it is unlikely. Still, both pitchers are on the fast track.
In my opinion, Damon Keith is the most advanced player at Rancho Cucamonga. A 6′ 3″ RH Power hitter who can play all three outfield positions makes him intriguing. He is hitting .302 with a .429 OB% and .947 OPS. In his two years in the minors, he has done nothing but hit.
There are lots of players to choose from in the Dodger’s deep system, but the ones I mentioned are the ones I think will be of the greatest help in short order. A few we will see this year! Stay Tuned!
Starting Pitching
On March 26, 2022, I wrote this:
“Tony Gonsolin – I think he will break out like Julio did last year
Tyler Anderson – who looked outstanding in his last 3 innings of work.
Andrew Heaney – He has the stuff, but can he harness it?”
The jury is still out on Heaney, but there is ample reason to believe he is the real deal, but Gonsolin has indeed broken out and is pitching like an ACE. Tyler Anderson almost had his name immortalized in baseball history last night and it is time to stop saying “Well, he has never done that before.” Evidently, the Dodger Braintrust saw something in Anderson and Heaney and believed they could make a difference. To their credit, Heaney and Anderson were ready, willing, and able. This is Dodger player development at it’s finest. Too bad they can’t perform the same magic with a few hitters!
I have anticipated Tony Gonsolin “breaking out” for the past couple of years. I think this is the real Tony Gonsolin. I also think that Heaney and Anderson will have solid seasons. Now, if Kershaw, Urias, Pepiot, and/or White can stay healthy, the starting staff will be OK. I am not counting on Walker Buehler for anything, but if he comes back, then good on him!
The Long View
The Padres are going to give the Dodgers a run for their money, and the Giants are not going away as many people have wishfully predicted. It will be a hard fight in the West. Right about now, even with all of the hitting woes, the Dodgers are experiencing, they are sitting in a good spot. Hopefully, they get hot soon.
What a performance by Anderson last night! I wish he would have gotten those last two outs. He certainly deserved it.
Dodgers probably should give Anderson a couple of days extra rest before his next start. With Heaney expected back this weekend and Pepiot and White doing nothing but impresse this should be a no brainer.
As I said yesterday Roberts by sitting Lux on Sunday really cooled this smoking bat down. Way to go, Doc. Lol.
It is not that we could use every hot bat we can find.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And don’t forget about Dustin May! Heartbreak for Anderson! Sooooooo close! If Buehler comes back too late to build up, how about a playoff tandem of him and May for a combined 9 innings!
I really think May will be limited to 2-3 innings per outing this year.
If Kimbrel continues to falter as closer and if WB can come back in time I vote for Butane to close games down the stretch.
Should May come back mid to late July they can easily work him up to be a starter for the stretch run and postseaon to take WB spot in the rotation.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If 1 blown for every 12 saves, I’ll go ahead and take that “falter”. Our old guy (Jansen) overall numbers look better, but 3 blown for 18 saves is worse at the one job you’re supposed to do.
I’ll admit that Kimbrel doesn’t look sharp, but results are results. There’s 18 guys with at least 10 saves. Out of those 18 guys, he has the third highest ERA to go along with the 3rd highest K rate. But, he is in a 4 way tie Hader, Soto and Bednar as the only ones with just one blown save. Everyone else has more.
I’ll vote for Bueller and May both joining the rotation. We have plenty of great relievers. Down the stretch, Kimbrel, Hudson, Treinen, Phillips, Kahnle, Ferguson, A-Gone, Vesia, Moronta, Almonte is way more than enough and that doesn’t even consider Anderson, Heaney, Duffy all lefty starters that may have to pitch in the pen.
I’m with you on this one B&P and not particularly concerned about Kimbrel. I expect him to get less scary as the season heads into the second half.
On the other hand, I think there’s a decent chance that we won’t see Kahnle or VGon again this year and I’m not all that sure about Treinen. And even if these guys come back, we don’t know they’ll be as efficient as they have been.
You tore into Juan Toribio the other day for saying Buehler would be out for more than a couple months, but I’m sure you’ve seen by now that the Dodgers themselves are saying he won’t even pick up a ball for the next 6-8 weeks. Sometimes the media gets it right.
If we don’t have any other major injuries to starters between now and July I’m guessing AF won’t spend the prospect capital on a major starter (Montas/Castillo), but I could see him picking up an Anderson-like veteran who could either start or come out of the bullpen.
Anderson came back with a vengeance from the dud in his previous outing. The game started on a really weird play, which was a catch, that was ruled a hit, then later changed to an error. After reviewing it again, how the hell did they come up with an error instead of a catch? Tongue in cheek, Orel and Joe were commenting how the play could be a problem if he goes on to pitch a no hitter. No one thought that was going to happen, then it just about did. Too bad Shohei broke it up, but if someone is going to, it might as well have been him.
Same ole story with the offense. 4 runs on 6 hits is less than outstanding with 11 runners left on base. Last night was another really weird night with the bats. Several guys on both teams really laid into some balls that just died in the outfield. Trout robbed one from CT3 and Will just missed his second of the game. Trout hit one well and he thought he had something off the bat, but it didn’t even make it to the warning track. I’m amazed that they still haven’t thrown out those humidors.
Cody went the other way for a hit, he has the abilities to make solid contact when he isn’t trying to jerk it over the fence. But, offense as a whole is just sad this season. I thought I heard someone say it’s the worst it’s been in the modern era. I don’t see how the product on the field has improved with new rules and a deadened ball.
Of course, the pitching has been tremendous even with all the injuries. It hurts that our worst pitcher, former best pitcher, went on the IL for a couple of months. But, at least we have a bunch of lefties getting the job done. And so far, the minor leaguers have answered the bell for the most part. Yes, they’ve had some short starts, but while they’re in there, they’re mostly good. About half of the bullpen is on the IL and the All-Star break is rapidly approaching. So, we might just get Treinen, Kahnle, V-Gone back fairly soon. Danny Duffy might even be in play at some point.
Heaney is going to have a soft landing. He’ll be pitching against the Guardians, or the Reds with extra rest. Off days bookend this weekend series before we go out on the road to finish the month, except for that last day when we play the Padres on the road. Kershaw, Urias, Heaney, Gonso, Anderson in some order for the foreseeable future with mostly White and Pepiot if needed. Like Mark says, Mitch White could be the next Tony Gonsolin. I’m not sure he’s that good, but he’s certainly serviceable. With all these arms, I’m not sure I believe any rumors that the Dodgers are interested in acquiring pitching. But, you don’t want to go into the postseason with a half loaded gun.
I just don’t see many pitchers available than what we already have. Don’t forget, Dustin May might just pitch again this season. Sometimes guys throw harder when they come back from JT. Could you imagine Dustin May throwing harder? What the hell would that look like?
So much is said about the Padres and the Giants. The Padres are right with us with one of the best players on the league on the IL. But, Hosmer and Manny are starting to slow down after a hot start and Tatis is an error machine at SS. Sure, he’ll have some moments with the bat, but the wrist is a concern and his shoulder never got fixed. He might not suddenly turn into Bellinger, but I’m not sure he’ll be an MVP in waiting this season either.
Hopefully, we get out of our offensive doldrums against one of the best pitching teams in the AL coming up this weekend. Will Smith is our only hot hitter right now, so look to Doc to sit him on Friday with Kershaw on the hill and Sunday with a day game after a night game. Hopefully, he at least lets him DH meaning Lux will probably have some time off in favor of Muncy. The shadows for the 4PM game on Saturday will not be kind to the bats.
I have a few thoughts to now share:
1. Who would have thought Gonso and Anderson would be 8-0? Definitely not me. In fact, I said on here early in the season that TG scares me with all his walks. Go figure…
2. I’m not counting on May to do much if anything at all. Maybe one inning or possibly two out of the pen or on a bullpen day.
3. Likewise, my expectations for WB have sunk fast…..pitchers with serious arm injuries just need time.
4. I’m expecting Clayton to be Clayton though.
5. You guys know how I feel about Cody, so no need to be redundant.
6. I’m not giving up on Marvelous Max yet, nor will I for the remainder of the season. I will review my thoughts after the season though.
7. I’m not worried about Kimbrel one bit. Sure, he has made the 9th inning more dramatic than my heart wants it to be, but look at all his strikeouts….and still, only one blown save.
8. This last comment won’t be popular but I do believe we will need another PROVEN starting pitcher at the deadline if one is out there. I still don’t feel warm and fuzzy with the guys we got in playoff pressure. Maybe trading Cody to land that guy will be necessary. Just thinking out loud…..
TM
Went to see Jurassic World yesterday. Pretty good movie. We went to dinner at Sizzler and the game was on there. Saw Turner’s dinger so that was cool. Came home to watch the rest of the game. Loved Anderson’s grit. Offense spotty and it has been that way for a bit too long for my liking.
Wow. I hated it. Really hated it. Completely devoid of ideas or innovation.
The only cool thing I liked in that movie was those laser-guided Dinosaurs. But they were in the movie for like 30 minutes.
The thing watching that movie made me realize is/was HOW GREAT the original JP is.
Just an amazing movie that Universal is still squeezing for profits.
Different strokes I liked the story and was glad to see Neill and Dern back together. The giant grasshoppers were awesome.
SO sad that Anderson lost the No-No but at if it had to happen then losing it to the reigning MVP is a (very) minor compensation. Also not losing it on some little dribbler single.
And Ohtani ain’t just a “reigning MVP.” He is a player for the ages–not even Ruth did double duty like Ohtani has… So yeah, he can some day tell his grandkids, “I lost the no-hitter to Ohtani.”
When I commented yesterday that I’d be happy if Belli turned himself into a .320 hitting slap hitter with his gold glove defense, a couple of you pushed back on that.
I’m sticking by my position on this one. What I described is basically a better hitting version of Lux playing gold glove centerfield. At a .320 batting average, he’d probably be at about .370 (or higher ) OBP. I would take that along with his great defense six ways to Sunday over the Bellinger we currently have.
We don’t have to have every guy in the lineup striving for 20 or more homers. That’s part of our problem in not scoring runs, moving runners along, etc. Every lineup of 9 batters has room for 2 or 3 really good “slap hitters”.
There’s nary room in the entire MLB for slap hitters, much less for the best team in all of MLB.
Are we talking semantics here, Bluto?
How about a savvy, non-power, excellent fielding ballplayer who isn’t a catcher and doesn’t play a corner infield or outfield position?
And with the shift going away next year, I think offensive strategies are due for a change as well.
Meet next year’s center fielder, Slappy Bellinger…………………….er, make that Savvy Bellinger.
And, as we converse today, the best team in all of MLB plays in New York. The better L.A. team has a massive offensive hole in the middle of its lineup which would be very much helped by a .300 hitter, even if he hardly ever hit a homer.
I can’t be blamed if nobody else realizes this but me, LOL.
I dunno.
I could be wrong. Are there any, beyond Kiermier, non-power CFs?
It’s a different position, but I imagine vizquel or Ozzie Smith would be a hard fit at SS, and he is a HOFer.
I think Nick Madrigal fits this MO for me. Nicky Two-Strikes has been set back by injury since last year. I hated the White Sox for trading him to the Cubs where he hasn’t caught on. When right, he’s a .300 hitter with zero power. I’d take him in my line up to set the table. Obviously not an outfielder.
I hope he comes back wit a vengeance.
I know we once had a great one.Brett Butler might fit what the mold.He was a special lead off hitter.One of my favorites.
I agree STB but the term slap hitter is what got you the pushback. I think Bellinger would be better if he hit to all fields and accumulated doubles. If his power comes from the big looping uppercut then he is in trouble if he wants to be a power hitter.
I’ve always been open to the idea of bringing guys up from the minors to replace guys or bench guys that are no longer good or are in a long term funk.
Why not give McKinstry, Outman, White, Kasowski a shot at the big league. Price could be released and Alvarez, Alberto, Bickford could be optioned.
Bench 2 of Muncy, J Turner, Bellinger for awhile and option Alvarez, Alberto and give McKinstry and Outman a shot at starting. They can’t do any worse than Muncy, J Turner, Bellinger.
Same is true for White and Kasowski they can’t do any worse than Price and Bickford.
Don’t the constraints on roster sizes make this very problematic?
Not to mention service time clocks?
I never fully understood service time clocks but as for roster size there isn’t a problem because I’m subtracting the same amount that I am adding.
No chance Alberto gets optioned anywhere. Guy has been in the majors seven years. His option days are far behind him. McKinstry is a lefty, so is Outman. They are not going to have that many LH bats on the roster. Price might get released but White would be up long before Kasowski.
Help me out here. Does White have the arsenal to follow in Gonsolin’s footsteps?
No, and he doesn’t have Zappa look to him either
When he first came up I knew that Gonoslin was something special
I thought he as good if not better than May
He just needed to be more efficient which is certainly coming around
I am glad he wasn’t traded
Tony Gonsolin has 4 very good pitches. White has 2 good pitches and 1 pretty good pitch and 1 average pitch, but he can be very solid. I have always said that Gonsolin has the upside of a #2.
Surely we should have a look at Jake Lamb before he opts out?
Otherwise, what was the point?
He was insurance. In case Max Muncy crashed? 😉
Nice win. Boy Gonzo and Anderson have been lights out the last 2 games. Who’d a thunk it?
* Doc had a tough decision with Tyler Anderson last night as his pitch count was getting up there. It’s weird now days. While you want to see a no hitter, it’s almost a relief when the pitcher gives up a hit so they can keep within the pitch count.
I don’t know if Doc and Anderson had a conversation about him continuing. As you can see, I’ve been drinking the “pitch-count Kool Aid” for even talking about it. He finished at 127 pitches. That was par not long ago and wasn’t a form of adult abuse. Now at 100 pitches, it’s red alert time. To make matters worse, Anderson kept looking like he had hurt something with all the gyrations and forearm stretches. He really looked uncomfortable in the dugout. I guess that’s normal for him but it would make me really uneasy if I was the Skipper deciding if he should continue.
* How about Phil Maton of the Asstros with 2 emaculate innings in the same game. The best part is it was the same 3 hitters.
* Reid Detmers looks to me like he’s been thrown into the grease by the Angels. The kid needs to be in high A or AA ball ball learning to pitch. Can you say David Clyde?
* The spin on Belli now is interesting. It’s gone from – he’s injured and he’ll find himself, to any sighs of contact drawing a celebration, to sending him to AAA or Arizona instruction. Now Joe and Orel are talking his value despite his inability to hit. How his value goes beyond his numbers. We will see what that value actually is when he hits free agency. I’m getting ahead of myself but you can bet that he and Boras will seek a lot more than the $17 million he currently makes. Obviously things change but current outfielders who make $17 million are Lorenzo Cain, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. How does Bellinger’s value play in that group?
* Orel had an interesting point last night about picking up the ball from a “drop down” release point. How the eyes of the hitter needs to focus on a different spot to pick up the release. I was taught to focus on the pitcher’s logo on his cap and shift to the release point. This avoided any funky body movements and other distractions. But that focus has to be redirected with a “Laredo Guy” or “Sidewinder”. I’d never thought of that before.
Thanks for the movie review, Bear. Plan to see it.
There seems to be little question the Padres are in the race for the long haul and the Giants continue to be competitive with non stars, relics and spare parts from the heap. Farhan is either incredibly lucky or exceptionally good. Maybe a bit of both.
The Dodgers are too star driven to use a similar approach, but Andrew Friedman did well with Andrew Heaney and Tyler Anderson. The Dodgers simply have a far better organization because of their farm system. The draft and development side gives them an edge.
The only thing holding LA back is the lack of offensive prowess. On paper, looking to the past, this is very potent line-up. Maybe all that comes together and then LA goes on a big-time roll. Someone needs to step up elsewhere in the line-up, the obvious answer would be Max Muncy, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger. I don’t see the Dodgers pulling up any prospects to step up and fill those roles. Not sure a trade exists out there to solve the rather big holes in the line-up. We’ll know more in July. But I suspect pitching will be the focus.
Still, being able to plug in another productive bat could be a difference maker. Okay, this would never happen, but it’s time for Artie Moreno to rebuild and he could start by trading Mike Trout to the Dodgers. We could put together a great package. Okay, seriously, again, that’s not going to happen. But in truth, if Moreno was objective, it might make some sense.
MLB would love it, Trout would get a chance to perform in the fall. Does anybody actually expect Shohei Ohtani to stick around. If the DH was in place in the NL back when the Dodgers were pursuing him, does anyone believe he wouldn’t be a Dodger today? There are already indications he wants to move on and have the opportunity to win a championship. The Angels, a hapless, dysfunctional group.
Oh and Bellinger still has the ability to make a big difference with more of a contact, go the other way approach. Hit the ball into left, steal second. Maybe he won’t hit the long home runs, but could become an offensive weapon with that approach. Those who adapt and adjust find success.
I doubt the Angels will ever trade Trout, at least as long as he continues to produce.
On the other hand, Ohtani can leave after 2023 and they can’t do anything about that if he decides he’s had enough of Arte.
By then, Kershaw, JT and Belli could very well be gone and that leaves quite a bit of money to waive at Ohtani who, in actuality is two players in one.
OK, I am going to pull a Bluto?
Would you trade Miguel Vargas, Mike Busch, Jacob Amaya, Diego Cartaya, Bobby Miller, and Andy Pages for Mike Trout?
1. Betts RF
2. Freeman 1B
3. Turner SS
4. Trout CF
5. Muncy 3B
6. Smith C
7. Lamb DH
8. Taylor LF
9. Lux 2B
No thanks. I might have considered it for a 27 year old Trout but not an almost 31 year old.
The team might be pretty exciting for the next 2-3 years but what do you do after that? You’ve given away most of your best prospects, you always draft low in line and you can’t keep replenishing players with expensive free agents if you’re already paying Mookie and Freddie and Trout (and might want to pay Buehler and Urias).
You need those prospects to fold into your roster so you can afford the free agents you want to go after.
No way !
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sub in Bellinger and Muncy and keep Cartaya
Yeah, Arte will want that!
A big fat no for any deal that includes Diego Cartaya…
Cartaya may wind up being more valuable than Trout because of the position he plays and he’s got all the tools to become the next great catcher. Then, there’s the upcoming decline years. Yes, he’s still elite. But, he’s not going to steal bases anymore and his current slump is alarming.
Then, there’s the contact. $35M AAV for all of his decline years through age 38. He’s 30 now, so 8 more seasons.
Trade value simulator says:
Trout 152.3 points
Amaya 7 points
Busch 23 points
Cartaya 41 points
Miller 26 points
Pages 16 points
Vargas 22 points
Total 135
Angels say NO.
I was close. Throw in Pepiot and Ward.
JT and Belli will be gone after this year and maybe Kersh depending on his health. Too much to give up for Trout. Maybe three of those guys and change. You never know with Arte!
Cody isn’t a free agent until after next year, or are you expecting them to trade or non tender him?
I doubt he can be traded!
He can be traded. If we pay half his salary and accept a half eaten Klondike Bar in return.
Belli can be traded and you might get a lotto ticket low level, high upside prospect back and you might not even have to eat much salary.
Adam Duvall parlayed .228/.281/.491/.772 last year into almost 10M entering his age 33 season and this is what they’re getting from him this year…
.206/.271/.360/.631
Belli is hitting better than him, has less K’s, plays better defense and steals bases.
I’ll say it again. Belli wouldn’t look half bad if it weren’t for the dead ball this year. As far as Center Fielders go, he’s tied for 8th in homers and everyone above him on that list has less doubles except for Mike Trout. He’s 13th in OPS, so he’s at least a little better offensively that more than half of the Center Fielders in the league. Adam Duvall, Julio Rodriguez and Adolis Garcia even have more K’s.
I don’t think people on this site are paying enough attention to how bad offense is around the league. He’s not even our worst hitter and that’s what everyone wants to talk about.
As far as the $17 M per year argument goes and how his value is against Lorenzo Cain, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge? Lorenzo Cain is 36 and is making Belli look like Babe Ruth with his 461 OPS and he isn’t a very good fielder anymore. Aaron Judge is a bad Center Fielder with a great bat and will be making north of 30M when he signs his next contract. He just turned down 7/213.5. Soto is shooting for 40M. So, 17M looks pretty good to me.
Hey, he’s going to arbitration and he isn’t going to get much of a raise if he keeps up his current rates. If he gets less than 20M, I think that’s reasonable and maybe he’s better next year than he is this year. Fine by me until you know you have someone better to replace him with. As usual, not many, if any valid options.
If you think Arte is going to trade us Mike Trout, you must be hanging out with Brandon’s son. (That’s a crack pipe reference).
I think Artie would do that deal. I did it say I would
Judging by his Dodgers envy, there is no way in hell he would trade Trout to the Dodgers. It would cost him half his fans. He’s doesn’t have enough to spare. If the trades him anywhere else, they won’t be able to take a short drive up the 5 to him play.
Jayne Cobb, LOL who leaves a Klondike bar half eaten.
I’m fat. So I really don’t know. I assume somebody.
14 years ago I was at Dodger Stadium watching Kershaw vs Cleveland. It was the last time I was at the ravine. 12 inning loss to Indians. Clayton gets revenge for the no discission tonight. I wish for just one more time we could hear Vin on the mic. ………LIVE! I’d hang on every word and try etching them in my head.
Tomorrow, off day tonight. 😉
Damn! And here I was countin off the minutes for the game. Good thing to let me know. Thanks!
… and it is an Apple+ TV night!
They were horrible for the last one. Not looking forward to it. Is there anything besides Ted Lasso to watch on that service?
Mosquito Coast – Very Good.
See – Excellent!
That’s it!
Slow Horses and Severance.
The latter may be the best show on TV.
Fun to speculate about blockbuster trades. Of course, Trout is under contract.
But about stars who could choose to leave their present team?
What if Judge makes it clear he won’t sign an extension with the Yankees?
Or what if Ohtani does likewise?
I fully expect the Yankees and Angels to keep these guys… but think about it: Ohtani is a front-line starter and top-tier DH. And he’s just 27.
Ohtani yes. Judge no. Too old too big. He’s a big candidate to break down physically