Things That Make You Go “What?”

Posted By on September 12, 2022

  • The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes finished the year 68-64 and will miss the playoffs for the first time (not due to COVID-19) since 2014. Scott Hennessey could be in trouble as the manager.
  • The Great Lakes Loon’s season finale was rained out and will not be made up. They finished the season 75-55. On Thursday, they start the playoffs against Lake County in Eastlake, Ohio. If they end up playing Ft. Wayne again, I plan to be there… again!
  • The Tulsa Drillers are 67-63 and have six games left. They will be in the playoffs – having qualified by winning the First Haf Division Title. The Playoffs will start on September 20th, with the opponent to be determined.
  • The Oklahoma City Dodgers are 75-60. They have fifteen games left on the schedule. OKC is in the battle for first place in the East and in control of their fate. If they win the PCL East Division, they will play Reno in a one-game playoff on September 30th. If they win that one, then they will play the winner of the International League in another one-game playoff on October 2nd. Stay tuned! OKC did put up 20 runs yesterday.
  • Emmet Sheehan was promoted to Tulsa and pitched 1.1 innings yesterday, allowing 1 Hit, 3 Runs, 2 BB, and 1 K. He was treated rather rudely. Of course, Frisco also treated every other Tulsa pitcher just as badly, as the Drillers gave up 18 Runs. Move on…. nothing to see here, folks.
  • Keone Kela pitched .2 innings and walked three while striking out 2.
  • V-Gon pitched one inning with a BB and a K.
  • You worry about the Dodgers’ last three hitters… but why?
    • Even with the last three hitters being the weak links, they are the best offensive team in baseball… by far.
    • Cody Bellinger has 55 RBI and is hitting .200, but is 4th in Runs Scored for the Dodgers. 4th! How does he do that? He has scored more runs than Will Smith, Max Muncy, Justin Turner, and Chris Taylor.
  • With a record of 96-43, the Dodgers clinched their 10th straight year in the playoffs. With that kind of record and with the kind of farm system Andrew Friedman has built, I am fine with whoever he puts on the roster. Many of you guys are smarter than him… I sure as hell am not! I’ll let him decide.
  • I am starting to believe that Leonal Valera might have a future as the Dodgers’ SS. Of course, if the Dodgers sign Trea Turner, he doesn’t.

This article has 58 Comments

  1. Catcher Dalton Rushing, the Dodgers’ top draft pick this season, was promoted from Low-A Rancho Cucamonga to High-A Great Lakes on Sunday, in time to join the Loons for the Midwest League playoffs.

    Rushing, selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the draft in July, 40th overall, was a hitting machine in his time with the Quakes, hitting .424/.539/.778, a 225 wRC+ with 11 doubles and eight home runs in 28 games, with as many walks (21) as strikeouts. The 21-year-old reached base in all but one game with Rancho Cucamonga.

    Rushing started 15 games at catcher for the Quakes, plus five games at first base and seven at designated hitter. “We really believe that the catching outcome is going to be possible and a path he can do,” Dodgers vice president of amateur scouting Billy Gasparino said in July after picking Rushing. “We like his strength, we like his athleticism. We thought he could hit with power and control the zone.”

    1. That just might make GL the Favorite to win. I hope they play Ft. Wayne again… I want to get me an interview with Mr. Rushing. Whether they keep him at Catcher is open to question. I do believe he can be a good (not great) defensive Catcher, but the Dodgers have a lot of them. Of course, being LH is a big deal.

      Let’s see how he handles High A Pitching!

  3. 2025 Dodgers Lineup:

    1. Betts RF – R
    2. T-Turner SS – R
    3. Freeman 1B – L
    4. Smith 3B – R
    5. Cartaya C – R
    6. Lux 2B – L
    7. Rushing DH – L
    8. Vargas LF – R
    9. Ramos CF – R

    Bench – Busch, Valera, Pages

    1. I like it. Scout and develop your own talent and trade and sign highly talented ,high character players using your loaded farm system. That is the long term formula for success.

    2. I’ve noticed that Friedman trades away a lot of prospects to get top notch major league players. Therefore, just my opinion based on my first sentence, not all of the 7 guys in your lineup and bench that haven’t made it to the big leagues yet (Including Vargas) are going to be future Dodgers.

    3. LOL

      Next Year, most likely…

      Mookie RF – R
      Lux SS – L
      Freeman 1B – L
      Smith C – R
      Muncy DH – L
      JT – 3B – R
      Outman CF – L
      Vargas – LF – R
      Busch – 2B – L

    4. Works for me… almost.
      You don’t even see Outman on the bench?!? Not even as the 4th outfielder? You rank Pages, Ramos and Vargas higher?
      Or you just overlooked him. I get the impression that Outman has been underestimated in all of these prospect rankings for a long time–but the Dodgers brain trust must know he is better than that. He got called up ahead of Vargas, after all. And Outman certainly has the superior glove.
      Of course, he could be traded. But I don’t see how he can’t be the top MLB-ready OF prospect in the system now.

      That’s an interesting stat about Belli having the 4th most runs scored–especially since he has the worst on-base percentagege among the regulars.
      Today, Belli, Trayce and Taylor had productive days, while Gallo didn’t do much. If Gallo keeps this up, he’ll make the playoff roster decisions easier.

  4. I would imagine they keep Rushing at catcher unless there’s a reason not to. Someone will have to play 1B eventually, so Cartaya and Rushing have a fall back position built in. Power hitting left handed swinging catchers are unicorns. They don’t come around very often. But, let’s not forget how impressive Cartaya has been and the fact that he’s actually younger than Rushing.

    Valera isn’t going to play much shortstop at the Major League level, unless it’s to give Trea or Gavin a day off. With 170 K’s, he has utility guy written all over him. Gavin was once the number 2 prospect in all of baseball as a shortstop. If you think he can’t play short, I have a bridge you might be interested in.

    Yes, Heaney gives up some bombs and they seem to come in bunches, but when he’s not giving up the bombs, he’s striking everyone out. He’s got lefty long man written all over him.

    I’m a little disappointed that they aren’t giving much playing time to Vargas, especially in the field. It sure looks like they’ve already made of their minds regarding who will be on the postseason roster as far as position players go. Captain Obvious says that the guy with the least amount of playing time, who is also a rookie, will draw the short straw.

    James Outman had an outstanding season so far in the minors. His .294/.393/.579/.972 slash line is the best I can remember since Gavin Lux’s .347/.421/.607/1.028. Outman is 25 years old. Gavin did it as a 21 YO. Jason Martin just turned 27 and he put up a .283/.373/.566/.939 playing entirely at AAA, smashing 31 bombs. Like Outman, he bats left handed and can play all three outfield positions. I think this may have earned him a Spring Training invite next year. Belli better work hard this offseason. It’s not entirely out of the question that he doesn’t make it to Spring Training.

    Is anyone celebrating the fact that the Dodgers have an “x” next to their name in the standings? 10 seasons in a row making the post season and all I got was this lousy t-shirt! Champagne will remain on ice until they lock up the Division.

    San Diego’s grip on the Wild Card is fleeting at best. Now, they’re just 2 games ahead of Milwaukee and 1.5 games behind the Phillies. As much as I like whipping them like a rented mule, I would get more enjoyment watching them miss out on the playoffs entirely.

    The Braves don’t have quite the same magic that they had last year after losing two in a row to the upstart Mariners while trying to hold their lead on the Mets. Julio Rodriquez absolutely crushed an 83 MPH looper from Kenley to the tune of 117.2 MPH off the bat. Ouch! That ball was out of the stadium before Julio finished his backswing. They have to remove the dent out of the scoreboard today. Suárez followed it up by depositing a 93 MPH cutter into the stands to walk it off. Kenley’s ERA is now higher than Kimbrel’s.

    1. I don’t like either option: Jansen or Kimbrel!

      One scouts take on Lux: “The only blemish on Lux’s scouting report are his 65 errors since turning pro, the vast majority of which are throwing errors from the shortstop position.

      Another scout: “Lux has the range, hands, athleticism, and above-average arm strength for shortstop, but accuracy issues have him largely projected to second base.”

      It would be wonderful if Lux could play SS. I am skeptical, and so are lots of other people. I think it is more wishful thinking than actually player analysis that leads people to believe he can be a SS.

      1. More than half of those errors came as a teenager, when most (like Trea Turner) are still in college.

      2. Mark, I’ve been keeping an eye on Jacob Amaya as I love his glove and the question is his bat. But he’s hit .255 in AA and AAA this year. Now that’s not earth shattering but it’s not exactly terrible. He wouldn’t be the first SS to get settled in the Big Leagues and improve his bat as he gets more comfortable. I love his D but I hope we sign Trea and Amaya becomes a good trade piece. If not, I would prefer Amaya’s defense at short over Lux, who would stay at 2nd.

    2. Yeah everyone pining for Kenley, where are they now. Look I loved Kenley as much as the next guy but i dont think he is head and shoulder ahead of Kimbrel at this point.

      Dodgers will ride hot hand in the playoffs, whomever that may be…

      1. I don’t think anyone was really “pining” for him some of us just thought he was a better option than Kimbrel….and still do. Kimbrel hasn’t pitched a meaningful inning in a month. A lot easier to get outs with ZERO pressure.

    3. Technically the SD assholes have a 3 game lead over Milwaukee since they won the annual series.
      No game 163

    4. I understand they’ve drained the pool in Arizona so there will be Dodger celebration. LOL

  7. Maybe the reason Bellinger has scored more runs is because of who hits after him. And the reason the others haven’t scored as much is who hits after them!

  8. “Technically” the Dodgers still don’t qualify this year, but really they qualified for this year since last season, and right now they’re pretty much already qualified for next year too!

  9. I don’t know if anyone noticed but yesterday the Braves scored 5 in the top of the 9th to take the lead over the Mariners only to have Kenley Jansen trip over the gas can and give up 2 homers for a blown save and a loss. I’m not rubbing it in but can we just move on? I have no traders remorse over Joc, Kenley, Pollock……….
    By the way I see all these lists with Lux projected as next years SS. Have I mentioned we need to sign Trea Turner?

    1. It may surprise some that Dansby Swanson has a higher WAR this season than Trea Turner.

      1. Yeah, B&P, there are a number of great SS coming on the market. And you can likely cherry pick stats to make a strong case for any of them. I watch them all and for my money Trea Turner is the most complete player of them all. It’s easy to see what he does for the Dodgers without having to guess what someone else could do or how they would fit in. He’s going to be expensive. But we have the money and if he wants to be a Dodger, to me, it’s a no-brainer. Pay the man. He’s worth it.

        1. I agree that WAR sucks…

          Bogaerts .319/.387/.473/.860
          Swanson .283/.338/.445/.783
          T Turner .306/.351/.487/.837
          Lux .293/.368/.428/.797

          If Trea wants to come back, I agree to bring him back with open arms. But, there’s some good options if he doesn’t.

          1. I certainly wouldn’t say WAR sucks, but it’s certainly not the “be all end all” that many make it out to be. It provides a valuable single stat that gives a general idea of how a player helped the team over a period of time. But it doesn’t tell you everything.

            Trea is by far the most consistent hitting SS in baseball. I don’t have any exact stats, but I do not remember Trea going through any significant slump at all this season. His BA and OBP have been remarkably consistent all season.

            In contrast, JT has around 2 WAR this season (depending on who’s WAR calc you’re looking at). That doesn’t tell you the whole story of JT in 2022. He was a negative WAR player for nearly the entire first half of the season. The second half he is in the top 5 in WAR for all third basemen in baseball.

            Trea and Freddy being so remarkably consistent at the top of the order was incredibly valuable for the Dodgers ability to consistently score runs. We all hate the stretches where we win 12 to 1, 10 to 3 and then lose a few by one run. We might have a massive run differential during that period but only be playing .500 baseball. That’s where consistency becomes so important. So regardless of WAR, I think Trea has more value than other options available in the offseason. So I certainly would prefer Trea. In addition to the fact that he seems to fit in very well with the team which would be an unknown for the others. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And pay Trea whatever it takes to keep him in LA.

            At least that’s my take.

  10. In case you have been so stressed you could not sleep because the Trade Simulator’s values had not been recently updated.

    I have great news for you. Prepare for a big sleep! The #s are updated!

    We’ve updated the numbers. Again.
    Teams have just passed the 85% mark of the season, which gave us an excuse to run the numbers again to estimate the offseason trade values for all major leaguers. A few notables: Ohtani went down (a little), Trout went up (back in positive territory). and popular trade candidate Sean Murphy went up even more.

    Ranking the Farm Systems by Trade Value
    Which teams have the strongest farm systems? Which teams have the weakest? Our list is sourced from a cross-section of outlets, and considers factors such as roster status, market demand for certain positions, and recent promotions.
    https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/ranking-the-farm-systems-by-trade-value/

  11. Kimbrel vs Jansen: One gives up more hits but keeps it in the park (Kimbrel) the other gives up more homers (Jansen). The rest of the other important stats are almost identical.

    Which would you rather have? For me it’s Kimbrel.

        1. Apparently you forgot about G2 of 2017 WS. Blowing save instead of a 2-0 lead going into Houston. At that point, it doesn’t really matter how much the Cheatros cheated. We probably in all likelihood win the 2017 WS. KJ didn’t close 2020 WS clincher or last year’s G5 NLDS clincher against the Giants. See a pattern, brah? If AF wanted KJ to be a Dodger this year, he would be!! Thanks for the memories KJ.

          1. For sure. KJ’s numbers look good over the long run with us but, you isolate the last 3-4 season stats, and that’s where it’s prolly gets average to poor.

            Red Sox had M Rivera figured out for a number of years. It all evens out for closers eventually.

    2. Eric, That’s like saying “How do you want to die- by being shot or hung?”

      I reject both options. I did say that Kimbrel made me pine for Kenley but that is tongue in cheek.

      1. Neither are aging that well. I’d take either in their primes over either today. I’m also just fine with bullpen by committee. Diaz is a free agent.

        But, I have to agree with Eric again. I’d rather have Kimbrel than Kenley, simply because Kimbrel never looks defeated and he can at least hold a runner.

        I don’t hold players to their prior postseasons too much. It’s too much of a crapshoot. If it’s that important, go ahead a sit Clayton and his 4.19 ERA down for the postseason.

      3. Lets give Kimbrel some praise he has been good lately.

        If you bang on him when he’s down, only fair to prop up when he is good, unless you just don’t like the guy, which would be odd…..

  12. Mookie airing it out on the bases is some cool sheit. Coming around third at full gas is next level.

    He is a top ten athlete in any sport right now. There’s the ‘Five Tools’ guys and then there’s Mookie.

    1. He’s a freak, that’s for sure! And he plays second base, just for fun on top of it.

  13. 9:40 PM ET

    Dodgers (96-43)
    Diamondbacks (66-73)

    SP Tyler Anderson L
    14-3 2.73 ERA 154.2IP 30BB 117K
    SP Ryne Nelson R
    1-0 .00 ERA 7.0IP 0BB 7K

    Confirmed Lineup
    2B Mookie Betts R
    SS Trea Turner R
    1B F. Freeman L
    C Will Smith R
    3B Max Muncy L
    DH J. Turner R
    LF Joey Gallo L
    RF T. Thompson R
    CF C. Bellinger L

    In Domed Stadium

    NO Dodger League Games Tonight

  14. Los Angeles Dodgers
    @Dodgers

    For the third time this season, Freddie Freeman is your NL Player of the Week!
    Freeman had 12 hits in 22 at-bats last week, hitting .545/.593/1.045 with three home runs and two doubles, driving in eight runs and scoring seven times. He had four hits on Saturday, Freeman’s fifth four-hit game of the season. The three home runs last week matched Freeman’s total for his previous 43 games, during which he was still productive, hitting .325 with 12 doubles.

  15. Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman have been way more proficient hitters then any of us could have hoped for. Their consistency at the plate is unmatched by any home grown Dodger. Freddie has 180 hits as we all know. But he has only gone hitless on consecutive games, 8 times. and he hasn’t gone hitless in 3 straight games all season, playing every game.
    Trea Turner is even more consistent. He has 173 hits, and had one 3 game stretch when he went 0 for 9. He’s gone hitless in 2 games back-to-back only twice and has streaks of 26, 20 and 13 games with hits.
    That’s not exactly Joe DiMaggio but I’ll take it.

  20. Another comprehensive win.

    Dodgers seemed to really click offensively when the “Brainstrust” finally decided to bat Freddie 3rd.
    Imagine how many wins we woulda had by now if we’d employed that order from the get go?

    Will Smith really does deserve a great deal of credit for answering the call to hit Cleanup – and Gavin Lux stepping up and having a break out year was massive in the first half especially.

    JTs second half, plus Max and Trayce coming good has made this an offensive juggernaut.

    Tyler Anderson has to Start in the Post Season.
    For me, Clayton only starts at home. I do not put him on a plane and run the risk of his balky back playing up.

    Any news on Tony’s Bullpen?

    Braves just dropped their third in a row….

  21. RHP Tony Gonsolin (right forearm strain)
    Expected return: TBD
    Gonsolin came out of a Sept. 11 bullpen session “OK,” according to manager Dave Roberts, who said the right-hander was still feeling some soreness after throwing. Gonsolin is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Sept. 14 at Chase Field, and Roberts said he still believes at this time that Gonsolin will be an option to pitch in the postseason.

  22. Sept. 12: INF Gavin Lux set for live BP
    Lux hasn’t played since Sept. 1 because of a neck issue that required a cortisone shot, but he has made considerable progress in recent days. Manager Dave Roberts said Lux was in the batting cage at Chase Field on Monday, doing “all baseball activities” and “feeling good.” The plan is for Lux to take at-bats at the Dodgers’ training facility at Camelback Ranch on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

    Roberts stated “it looks very promising” that Lux could be activated and play during the series in San Francisco this upcoming weekend.

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