I was saddened to read of the passing of our friend and colleague, Roberto Baly, creator of a very popular blog in the early days of Dodger blogs by the name of “Vin Scully Is My Homeboy (VSIMHB).” He has been ill for quite some time and was unable to keep the site going because of that. There was a time that Roberto’s website may have been the most popular “go-to” site for Dodger news and information. He played a pivotal role in growing the reputation of blogosphere writers and providing news for Dodger fans when it came to events, Dodger Autograph sightings, and more.
It was Roberto who sent me an email to let me know of a Dave Kingman signing event near my residence out in Stockton, California, which allowed me the opportunity to approach the man and get his insight on the Tommy Lasorda blow-up regarding his three-homer game against the Dodgers in 1977. It was Roberto who publicized one of my articles once that essentially put my old blog on the map and gave it some recognition.
I met Roberto Baly in person about a year after corresponding with him. My former blog had a readership that was rather pedestrian. At first, it was essentially my mom, my brother, and a few friends that would read it. That may be an exaggeration, but not too much of one. On a good day, I’d have maybe 150-200 readers. Roberto’s VSIMHB was huge at the time. He noticed one of my pieces and gave it a mention on his page by linking it up. Suddenly I had 3,000 hits in a two-hour period. I emailed him and thanked him. My readership grew exponentially.
We corresponded back and forth. Within a few days, we were fast friends. It turned out we attended the same elementary school and had the same sixth-grade teacher who had made an impact on us both. Though we had an age difference of over twenty years, there was this link, and we shared that passion for Dodger baseball.
At the first blogger’s night organized by Josh Rawitch, Roberto and I spent most of the evening together yucking it up and cracking some good jokes. He coveted a Koufax bobblehead that was on display that was to be a future promotional item. I told him I’d block Rawitch’s view, and he could make a getaway with it and hold it for ransom, and we could split the profits. He thought about it for a second and said his getaway vehicle was too far away. I specifically remember discussing how we needed to keep photos of the Son’s of Steve Garvey guys with their faces blurred to maintain their anonymity.
In 2011, when I was in Southern California at an Andre Ethier signing event with my grandkids, Roberto was there. He told me he was expecting a son to be born any day, and he was super excited about it. He was very kind to my grandkids. I watched kids in line for Ethier’s autograph, just as excited to meet Roberto and pose for pictures with him. He told me that there were people actually asking him for his autograph and that he wasn’t that comfortable with it. But that was the draw of VSIMHB. It was huge at the time. He had a niche and a fanbase, and it caught on.
When there was a Dodger Blogger softball tournament shortly after that event, my blog’s team drew VSIMHB in the first round. (They beat us pretty soundly; probably, his readership drew from a lot of good players that joined his team). Roberto batted himself last; my wife, our catcher, and a really lousy one at that talked a lot of smack to him when he came to the plate. “Who is this little kid playing with all these massive guys,” she said. “Are you the ringer?” When I told her that was Roberto, she was a little embarrassed. They had a good laugh afterward; he gave it back to her when she wiffed in her at-bat.
Over the years, I’m sorry to say that I lost contact with Roberto. I knew he was ill, and I gave him his privacy. He fought a valiant fight. He suffered from Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD). For the past five years, he has been unable to attend Dodger games or events, and his lungs were attacked by the disease. He loved his son Andrew, and they had a special bond. He hardly ever wrote a piece for his site. He mainly just cited good Dodger websites and autograph signing and promotional events for fans. He did write an occasional piece thought that was pretty solid. A random Barry Bonds sighting at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles comes to mind. It was a pretty funny piece and gave some insight into his talents as a writer as well.
His death approximately one month after the passing of Vin Scully is poignant. They had met, and Vin was a good sport about the website. He could have made a legal issue about it due to the use of his name, but he didn’t. Roberto was concerned about that and did all he could to maintain decorum and respect for Vin on his site at all times.
My deepest condolences to Roberto and his family and especially to his 11-year-old son Andrew. This is a sad day.
There is a Go Fund Me Page set up by Roberto’s younger brother Jack. They are attempting to raise $30,000 to defray funeral expenses. If you are inclined to donate, the link is HERE.
A very sad and touching story. Thanks for sharing Evan. I offer condolences for your loss.
I too remember Roberto’s blog at VSIMHB and visited the site often for Dodger news.
Sad story indeed. RIP Roberto.
I want to second B&P and offer my condolences as well.
A very nice win yesterday , especially the way it was constructed . Two unheralded relief pitchers with ERAs over 6 and 9 respectively with key outs and the save in the end.
And Gavin with 3 huge RBis and key defensive plays came threw again in a big way.
However the struggles of MM, Gallo, Belli continued. Dodgers IMHO have to many weak bats in their lineup to withold against playoff caliber pitching. We will get another dose of that kind of pitching tonight.
Outman with another cycle in 4 games!Wow!Kid is on FIRE!
OTOH Treinen got scored upon again. He does not look the same as before. At least so far.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I do not put a lot of stock in minor league rehab stats. Caleb Ferguson had a 7.35 ERA at AAA and sits at 1.16 with the big club. It’s all about being healthy and getting your timing and “feel” back. Treinen, Gonzolaez, and Kahnle have all missed significant time, so I just want to see what they can do for the MLB club.
There is still a lot of time to determine who is on the playoff roster. Vargas is headed to NYC.
Gavin Stone has not pitched in 11 days.
Alberto could be left off the playoff roster and still be in the dugout… which I think is a possibility.
Speaking of the playoff roster, Doc hinted that the roster for one series isn’t going to be the same as the roster for another series. I immediately thought of stacking all the lefties on the staff against he Mets.
Pretty cool, it looks that Vargas is getting the September call. He’s deserving and his bat is the real deal. I especially like his head first slide and stealing 3rd the last time he was up. His horrible defense and slow baserunning was greatly exaggerated it seems. Although, I don’t know how you win a defense award with a fielding percentage just over 900. Maybe the first basemen in the minors can’t pick ’em?
Man you must be a pessimist. Can you ever be postive??
You probably thought the Rams would lose to the 9ers as well right??
Have some faith man!!!
Evan, thank you for sharing about your friend. He seemed to be a kind and good person. My heart and prayers go out to his family especially to his son Andrew. I lost my father at a similar age and it’s was a huge blow.
Rest In Peace Roberto. Thanks for the great stories Evan. I was a regular reader of VSIMHB and enjoyed it very much.
Alonso running thru bats lately. Drama. Ho-hum.
Heaney is always watchable. Living on the edge with that high heat.
Nice, tidy win.
I still don’t understand why the Dodgers picked up Jake Reed for the second time but it sure was nice seeing his emotion. I was very happy for him.
Not to worry JR, he’s on the tippy top of the DFA list with Hembree.
And no doubt he knows this… which is another reason for the emotion.
I admire these guys who bounce around and just keep battling.
Me too. Good point.
90 Wins with 34 games remaining. 110 wins is almost a guarantee. I’m a little worried about too much time off at the end of the season with a buy that gives the team another 5 days off between the last game of the season and first game of the postseason.
If we play 500 the rest of the way, we finish with 107. If we merely win each series, we win 111 games.
If we keep pace with our overall winning percentage, we finish with 114.
We’re probably not going to break the all-time record, but a solid finish to the regular season and a ring will put this team in the conversation as one of the best ever.
This team is pretty special.
We do need someone to be a hero in October…whether thats Mookie, Freddie, CT3, Lux, Catman, whomever. Going to be a fun ride…
It’ll be Doc.
There – that’s what known as optimism
I hope you’re right. Fake it until you make it. On the job training for 7 years now.
RIP Roberto…….
I too used to enjoy reading VSIMHB and your old blog Evan and thank you for sharing your stories about Roberto.
I hope they give Vargas a shot in LF and see if he can handle MLB pitching. Alberto, Gallo and Belli seemed doomed to fail with October pitching.
I did not start reading blogs until after I retired from driving, so I missed his blog. Sorry for the loss of a friend Evan. I did not even know those two guys were on the roster until I watched the game. Muncy’s heads up tag of Escobar set up that DP. Nice work. Cassidy, they are not going to bring a rookie in to play left field for the playoffs. Especially when the guy is basically an infielder. Doomed to fail is a little heavy there dude. Bellinger was doing far worse last year and played very well in the playoffs. Alberto is what he is, he has a good track record against lefty’s. Thompson is going to get more time in left. Gallo is iffy to even be on the playoff roster. Whatever progress he made his first few AB’s with the team has evaporated. Taylor is the guy who has looked the worst. Bellinger at least is getting some wood on the ball. Taylor’s bat seems allergic to baseballs. Having the best record doesn’t mean a thing unless you win it all. The two teams with the most wins in MLB history, the Mariners and the Cubs, did not win the World Series. deGrom tonight. Now we get to see what they can do against one of the best the league has to offer.
And therein lies the problem.
The best team doesnt always win. Make no mistake the 2022 Dodgers are the best team in MLB.
I think there should be no day off between game 3 of the WC round and Game 1 of the DS. Why should the team get an extra day off if they need to play 3 games in the WC? They shouldn’t be rewarded with a day off, play a day game and let them travel for a night game in the DS game 1. Give the biggest advantage possible to the team that was the best all thru 162…..
The Braves won 87 games last year. We could forfeit all our games the rest of the way and STILL have a better record than what they put up last year.
I agree 100% regarding the off day. It’s total BS to give time off between the WC and DS, especially since some of those won’t go 3 games giving the WC team to reset their pitching. But, we all know that Manfed is a turd.
Right if the WC series ends in 2 games that team now gets 2 days off. Total BS.
Look I dont think it will matter we will beat either team, however the BEST team should be afforded the best advantage….
Yes, zero chance of Vargas being the LF for the playoffs.
I actually think Cassidy was joking about this.
Doubt it. He has mentioned it more than once,
Strange how Trayce is getting overlooked here.
He should be starting in the playoffs.
Deep dive on Phillip’s streak (29 straight).
https://apple.news/AO2QD18lwQaO6KH8vGbw6WA
I hate seeing these stats because my negative thinking is “he’s due for a bad one.'”
I just hope that bad one or happens now and not in Oct
* How bad is Ted Barrett behind the dish? He didn’t just have a bad night either. He’s had a bad career. He refuses to call low strikes. High pitches are a crap shoot and he expands the plate east and west. And then he doesn’t, He had a game earlier this season with 71% accuracy. You can’t adjust to his zone because you don’t know where it is, one pitch to the next. He’s a poster-boy for ABS.
* Rick Monday has about reached my shelf life. I’m going to be forced to listen to the Mets broadcast with Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez. Rick was rattling on after the walk to Muncy in the 3rd, about who between Walker and Gallo would adjust to the wildness. Rick, I think Walker pitched around Muncy with a base open and 2 outs. That idea never came up. Then it backfired as Walker hit Gallo.
He later talked about how a catcher’s adjusting the target, even late, can tip off location. To whom? From experience that might tip off everybody in the stadium, except the hitter. Unless the catcher’s shadow is visible to the batter, he better not be peaking back there. Rick has a lot of Tim McCarver in the kind of bullshit he throws at the less knowledgable fan.
* I see Buck and the Mets are using that currently popular cut-off play on throws home. The one where the pitcher is the cut guy in front of the catcher. Walker’s always been a lazy, underachiever. Now he looking more and more like like Bartolo Colon (who I loved) Walker’s too fat and lazy to back up home.
*Heaney throws too many gopher balls, again. As I mentioned before, that makes him a poor candidate for high leverage, short relief in the playoffs.
* Max is back in dead pull mode again.
* I think we develop pitchers better than hitters. I think today’s technology benefits pitchers over hitters. All the high tech stuff helps pitchers shape pitches and spin rates, maximizing their stuff. And advance scouting finds holes in a swing based on a pitcher’s strengths. It’s never been harder to hit. We have home grown successes at the plate with Lux and Smith. We’ve saved the careers of CT3 and JT. Thompson’s improvements vs RHP might be attributed to the hitting staff. But our 3 best hitters came from other organizations. Vargas and Cartaya might add to our home grown success.
* The Dodgers have a great staff and technology to improve pitchers. The examples are everywhere in our system. And AF has a knack to find projects on the cheap.
90 wins. Pretty impressive stuff.
Always love reading your takes, Phil. Gets the baseball brain in gear.
A few comments:
Rick Monday – although I enjoyed him as a player, I’ve never warmed up to him as a broadcaster. He thinks silence is not to be tolerated, filling every second with words. Also sounds like a college professor explaining Einstein’s theory of relativity to a first grade class. JMO. I know others love him.
Heaney – although his strike out percentage might seem to make him a good candidate for high leverage, as you point out his gopher ball proclivity negates that. On the other hand, I think he’d make a strong multi inning reliever for the post season.
Max – back in dead pull mode, practicing for next year when the shift won’t be there to aggravate him. His batting average should go up substantially as some of those many many ground balls to the right side roll through to right field.
Home grown hitters – maybe we should add the name Outman to that list. He’s gone absolutely crazy since going back to OKC. Some guys sulk. He’s gone super-human, which I think says a lot about his makeup.
A strong multi-inning reliever! That’s the ticket. Andrew Miller.
Thanks STB. Great Einstein analogy. I’m with you on Heaney being a multi inning middle guy when needed.
I’ve been attending some A+ games locally where shifts are banned. It’s like watching real baseball again. Not a fan of the rover. The games are fast as well with the pitch clock.
I like Outman a lot. I’m hoping he can stabilize LF next year.
Hey B&P, when you learn how Monday picked up the catcher tipping pitch location, without a shadow, for 19 years without peaking and getting drilled, let me know. Maybe he has eyes in the back of his head.
Energy equals mass times the speed of light times the speed of light. It’s no wonder why I ran out of energy years ago.
I don’t think you get to see too many shadows with the stadium lights coming from all directions.
I think I’ll defer to Monday and his 19-year career in the bigs on whether the catcher is tipping location.
Pick your poison with Muncy and Gallo. It could be that he got wild while trying to pitch carefully to Muncy. You used to see that all the time with intentional walks. After throwing wide for 4 in a row, pitchers often had a hard time finding the plate again. Another thing they ruined with all the unnecessary rule changes.
I’m not gonna go to his because I know he’s not gonna come to mine. Man, I guess I’ll be the last man on this planet. Only the good die young.
Very cryptic.
I hope Vargas gets a few starts at 3B so we’ll all get a better idea what he can do.
Maybe more than a few.
Remember how Seager came up and basically took over for Jimmy Rollins?
Not that I expect anything like that. But late call-ups like Seager and Arozarena can make an impact.
The 2023 Spring Training Schedule at Camelback Ranch just pop up in my inbox:
The 2023 schedule kicks off on Saturday, February 25, when the White Sox open the spring home slate against the San Diego Padres. There are 30 games in total with each club hosting 15 home games. Schedule highlights include:
The Dodgers open their home schedule on Sunday, February 26 against the Cubs, then welcome the Reds on February 28 and D-backs on March 2. We also host popular opponents in March, such as the Padres (March 6), Angels (March 10), and Giants (March 21).
The White Sox welcome the crosstown rival Cubs on Friday, March 17, then host the Dodgers on Saturday, March 18, to form a can’t-miss weekend lineup. They also host World Baseball Classic action on Thursday, March 9.
The Dodgers and White Sox square off two times: Sunday, March 5 and Saturday, March 18.
It looks like the last game in Az at Camelback is March 25 against KC.
ST seems to end earlier and earlier.
Via Sarah Langs:
Best run differential thru 1st 128 games of season, since 1900:
1939 Yankees: +377
1927 Yankees: +320
1944 Cardinals: +303
1936 Yankees: +292
1902 Pirates: +291
2022 Dodgers: +287
Glad to see Vargas called up. I had thought Rios would be the one brought up on Sept 1st. Looks like Rios has dropped on the depth chart. Would be surprised to see him trade during the off season.
Agreed. Rios can’t make a case for himself as he can’t stay on the field. Setting up for a log jam at 3rd. next spring
Agree that Rios is probably not thinking good things about his Dodger future right now, although maybe the choice of Vargas over Rios was more due to their wanting a righty bat.
I’d be very happy to see Gallo dfa’d and replaced with either Rios or Outman. I don’t see Gallo here long term so why not see what either of those other two can do for the next month?
I would confuse the 3rd base overload even more at ST by starting to groom Will Smith there for the future. See what he can do. Catchers transition nicely to 1st and 3rd and Will is athletic enough. That paves the way someday for Will to get out from behind the dish and keep his bat in the line up if Cartaya proves to be the real deal.
I agree on Outman.
I think there’s just a glut of lefty bats who need to be fed some playing time. I personally like Rios and think, with a full and healthy season, he could be a borderline stud as a platoon 3B/DH.
I’m confused by this and Cassidy’s recent comment.
Does anyone really think Gallo has a chance of being DFA’d?
Does anyone really think Vargas is going to be playing left?
A couple of days ago someone actually wrote they think the team should bring up Stone or Miller, even with the glut of current or near current pitching.
Are we not aware of how well-run and highly performing things are right now?
Yes, I think Gallo has a chance of being DFA’d.
He’s 3 for his last 23 with 12 strike outs.
Outman is just as good a fielder and I’d love to see him given a chance to do better than what Gallo has been producing. Of course, AF has to agree with the above analysis since I can’t DFA Gallo.
He’s slumping for 5-6 games so DFA him?!?!!?
Jake Reed is currently on the roster. Does that mean he’ll be on the playoff roster? I mean, the Dodgers are rolling, right? Why rock the boat?
I think all of those scenarios you cited are unlikely, although Gallo, if he continues his current downward trend, stands a chance.
No, Vargas won’t be in left, but the idea of a right handed option who can play left is intriguing. I don’t think the Dodgers have really replaced Pollock.
A right handed option that can play left. Hmmm, who could that be besides CT3 and Trayce Thompson? Maybe Vargas can platoon with Trayce against lefties.
Jake Reed isn’t long for this roster. The boat is a rockin! Right now, it looks more like Spring Training than a pennant race after virtually clinching the Division in August. Treinen comes back this weekend, Gonsolin is eligible to come off the following weekend. Maybe they’ll do something ballsy and cut Kimbrel or Price to keep Reed? Doubtful, but a possibility.
CT3’s K rate is “Alarming” according to Doc. Another reason Vargas is in play.
It makes a lot of sense that they would rather have a guy that’s been getting consistent AB’s for the last two years over a guy that’s spent the last two years on the IL.
It also might just be a postseason tryout. Hanser isn’t exactly lighting it up this year and he plays 2B and 3B. It might make sense for Vargas to get his spot on the post-season roster since he can play Hanser’s positions plus outfield as well.
I think the reason they signed Hanser is because he’s an above average glove at multiple infield positions and is a decent right handed bat. Vargas has not established himself as an above average glove at any position … and AF’s MO is having veterans on the post-season roster.
Vargas’s time will come. I don’t think he’ll be on the post season roster, though I could be surprised.
I agree that it’s a slim chance, but you have to consider that Vargas just earned a best defense at 3B award. You made the same assumption about his foot speed. They got Taylor or Hanser if they need a glove. It makes sense to have a guy that can hit on the bench.
Yeah, it’d be nice to have a legit right handed bat off the bench. Who knows? Maybe they’re bringing him up to see if it might be possible to have him on the post-season roster. It would just be out of character for AF to have a rookie in the playoffs. Maybe he goes of Randy Arozarena style.
Keep in mind that Trayce has reverse splits. He is killing right-handed pitching.
Based on 2022 performance, Trayce is far superior to Belli, Gallo, Taylor.
If Dodgers put Trayce in a platoon, his best partner might be Taylor. Strikes out too much but is more effective against lefties, and provides versatility.
Outman is exciting but unproven. It would be nice to see him again. When he was first invited to spring training, his athleticism just shined, and now he’s added more muscle and power.
If Vargas shows up well, is there room for him too?
7:10 PM ET
Dodgers (90-38)
Mets (82-48)
SP Tyler Anderson L
13-2 2.69 ERA 140.2IP 30BB 111K
SP Jacob deGrom R
3-1 2.15 ERA 29.1IP 2 BB 46K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
SS Trea Turner R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
DH Max Muncy L
3B J. Turner R
2B Gavin Lux L
LF Joey Gallo L
CF C. Bellinger L
Clear-day
0% Rain
81° Wind 9 mph Out
Wednesday Dodger Minor League Schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Carlos Duran) vs. Lake County (Rodney Boone)
4:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Gavin Stone) at Round Rock (TBD)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Nick Frasso) vs. Northwest Arkansas (Anthony Veneziano)
7:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (TBD) at Inland Empire (Kelvin Caceres)
Andrew Vincent Forte
I like that you include the minor league schedule and the Dodgers minor league starting pitchers. It saves me time and effort. Thank you.
You’re welcome!
Danny Duffy is the latest #Dodgers rehabber to join OKC. He has arrived in Round Rock and is scheduled to pitch at some point tonight.
This last month is a little like an end-of-season Spring Training style tryout for the playoffs. There is time to figure out who is back, who is not, and who kind of sucks. V-Gone will also be vying for a spot that isn’t guaranteed simply because he was good in 2020.
His 3.57 ERA last year wasn’t exactly bad.
The Dodgers could have a bullpen at some point with not one pitcher with an ERA in the 3’s!
L Price 2.58
L Vesia 2.49
R Reed 2.45
L Heaney 2.12
R Martin 1.59
R Phillips 1.22
L Ferguson 1.16
R Almonte 1.15
Treinen is at 3.00 right now and V-Gone hasn’t pitched yet.
Jake Reed is being interviewed right now. He sounds like he really wants to be a Dodger. It’ll be sad when they DFA him again.
Not bad, but his wildness came back. He and Vesia are the same guy. I would think it would be one or the other, and Vesia has been doing it all year. If he comes back throwing darts then who knows?
Danny Duffy struck out all 3 batters he faced in the 6th with AAA Oklahoma City last night.
One great catch away from a tie game. That was playoff baseball tonight. I like that we stole some bases and tried to manufacture some runs. And we saw that Bellinger and Gallo will be useless against playoff pitching.
Agree, the Cody and Joey show is horrible right about now. Play Trayce even against tough RHP because back-to-back AB’s from Cody and Joey are automatic outs often without a ball even put into play. CT3 doesn’t appear to be a viable option now either.
Cody’s body language shows his frustration and it seems he looks defeated mentally. No swag, no confidence. Doc is looking for someone to get hot but no one appears ready to step up.
The hope that Gallo and/or Bellinger run into one doesn’t seem to be a winning hand right now.
That’s how it’s gonna be with the Mets in the playoffs in Degrom and Scherzer‘s starts then Ottavino and then Diaz. That’s going to be tough.
This. A pitcher like DeGrom we have to try to compete the at bat. Gallo and Bellinger reminded me “Baseball Bugs”
123, youuuuurrrrrr OUT!!
I know I’m going to take some heat for this, but I would trade 25 to 30 points off Freddy’s average, for 12 to 15 more home runs.
When you get in the playoffs against the better pitching, it’s hard to string hits together.
Don’t get me wrong I love Freddy, I just wish he was more of a home run threat like in his past
It seems like we’ve gone back down the rabbit hole with the black hole gang again
No heat at all. At least from me because you’re right about stringing hits together for runs.
Yes I would to.I think he will hit more in the next couple of years,he has in the past.He is as good an all around hitter as there is today.Yes as good as we have been we could hit better in 3 or 4 spots .
I think the next time the Dodgers face deGrom they’ll have studied tonight’s game and have a better plan and and come out ahead. That is if Anderson is the matchup, he held his own pretty damn good.
I love the fact that Tyler Anderson v Jacob DeGrom is considered a pitcher’s duel this year!
Uh-maze-Ing.
It is! Mark can you put up some of the comments of the peanut gallery when AF signed Anderson and Heaney? I’m sure that I said something stupid!
I certainly ripped the Heaney signing–and his HR history is still an issue. I didn’t know much about Anderson and thought, “whatever…” He was envisioned as a long man/spot starter, but became an all-star. And yeah, going toe-to-toe against DeGrom for 7 innings… amazing.
Let us pause a moment to praise Mookie, who often seems to come through when others aren’t. He reached a new career high in HRs with about a month to go. (I think his HR pace during the covid-afflicted 2020 season was similar.)
And props to Justin , who but for Nimmo’s absolutely great play nearly stuck it to the team that stupidly let him go. Mets fans everywhere look at Justin with great regret. On that note, it was pretty cool–and surprising to me–that Jake Reed got another moment before the anticipated DFA.
One observation/complaint: Trayce has much, much better stats this season against righthanded pitching than either Belli or Gallo. (I also think he’s a better defender than Gallo.)
My impression is that Roberts still wants to give these guys with bigger reputation and potential that “runway” to prove themselves and get back on track. But I’d have sat one (probably Gallo) and gone with Trayce.
Checking some stats now…
With the Dodgers, Trayce has an overall OPS of .962 in 133 ABs–not really a tiny sample size. Gallo’s vaunted revival with LA has him at a .771 OPS, and Belli is at .653 (with an awful .261 OBP).
Against righthanded pitching, Trayce’s OPS is at 1.210 in 75 ABs. That is nearly 300 points better than Freddie, the next best Dodger.
So he’s very, very hot. Sort of like a smoldering volcano that is now erupting.
It would be interesting to hear the conversations that Roberts must be having with Trayce. What does the OF depth chart look like now heading toward the playoffs?
I’d rank them as Betts No. 1 and Trayce No.2.
Then there’s really pretty big drop to former all-stars Belli, Gallo and Taylor.
Dodgers narrowly lost this game against probably the best pitcher in the game–and Roberts didn’t field his best lineup.
I would say that Roberts was not the only one involved in that decision.