The LA Dodgers Farm System just got some more accolades from the new 2023 Baseball America Prospect Handbook. The Baseball America Prospect Handbook has been published for 23 years and is the creme de la creme for identifying and rating prospects. How do I know? Well, I just do, and it so happens that I have every one of them ever published… except this year’s copy, which is allegedly on the way, but they do send an advance electronic copy, which everyone who bought one has.
The first year it was published was 2001, which was a little smaller in size than the ones produced after that. But, before that, from 1983 until 2000, BA published the rankings of each team’s top 10 Prospects. Someday we might take a look back at that. But, I now have the Baseball America Top 30 Prospects for each team. We had the TOP 10 a couple of weeks ago when they released that – now we have the entire TOP 30.
To refresh your memory, here are the Dodgers’ Top 10 Prospects:
- Diego Cartaya – C
- Bobby Miller – RHP
- Miguel Vargas – 3B
- Michael Busch – 2B
- Ryan Pepiot – RHP
- Gavin Stone RHP
- Andy Pages – OF
- Dalton Rushing – C
- Nick Nastrini – RHP
- James Outman – OF
Before we talk about the next twenty, there are some comments that are worth reviewing. Kyle Glazer opened with this:
“The Dodgers won a franchise record 111 games in 2022 despite setbacks that would have sunk almost any other team.“
Kyle Glaser
… and who was the manager of that team? He then went on to enumerate all the losses of players and injuries and the combination of sub-par seasons by Bellinger, Muncy, Gallo, JT, and Kimbrel, et al. It makes you wonder how the Dodgers won 111 games, but of course, Dave Roberts gets no credit for that – he only gets credit for the losses. Glaser finished with this:
“The faces may be changing, but just as has been the case with the Dodgers for years, the winning ways should continue unabated.”
–Kyle Galser
He also wrote that “The Dodgers boast not only one of the best farm systems in baseball but one of the most major league-ready!”
It is positively the best time in history to be a Dodger fan!
Dodger Prospects 11-30
11. Jacob Amaya – SS (of course, he is gone);
12. Nick Frasso – RHP
13. Josue De Paula – OF
14. Emmet Shehan – RHP
15. Eddys Leonard – SS/2B
16. Ronan Kopp, LHP
17. River Ryan, RHP
18. Jonny DeLuca – OF
19. Michael Grove – RHP
20. Maddux Bruns – LHP
21. Jorbit Vivas – 2B
22. Devin Mann – 2B/OF
23. Landon Knack – RHP
24. Jose Ramos – OF
25. Yeiner Fernandez C/2B
26. Peter Heubeck – RHP
27. Damon Keith – OF
28. Kyle Hurt – RHP
29. Carlos Duran – RHP
30. Justin Wrobleski – LHP
A couple of things I learned: I wondered why Landon Knack seemed “stalled” in his development. Glaser wrote that Knack had lost his pinpoint control as his conditioning had worsened. They say he has poor nutrition and poor sleep habits that affect his weight and make it difficult for him to maintain his delivery. They also say that his poor conditioning is the root of the frequent muscle pulls and strains he suffers every year. It is reported in BA that the Dodgers have challenged him to improve his fitness in 2023.
If Landon Knack improves his fitness, sleep habits, nutrition, and overall conditioning, he could be a stud. If not, he is on the “dud” pile!
This is the best Dodger Farm System I can remember. Rating prospects is not an exact science, and of course, not all of these prospects will make it, but there are some very high-quality players here. It’s amazing the Dodgers keep coming up with more.
Where to Order:
You can order the 2023 Baseball America Prospect Handbook at www.BaseballAmerica.com or www.Amazon.com.
MLB Pipline Names Vargas #5 Best 3B Prospect
… and he might not even play 3B. Also, Joendry Vargas was named the #3 Best International Prospect. He is a 6′ 4′ SS out of the DR. Did I mention that 2023 is a great time to be a Dodger fan?
Where is Rushing?
#8.
Wow, Ramos really fell.
Did they not rank Joendry Vargas because he signed after the cut-off?
I wonder where he’d be–#11 to #15 is my guess.
Stacked list. Really about 20 strong of legit mlb prospects with tons of potential movers.
Even #30 is a real one.
There is no way many don’t get away at the rule 5 deadline next year. What a great problem to have.
#17 River Ryan (RHP) – I didn’t recognize the name. He’s the guy the Dodgers obtained from San Diego in exchange for Matt Beatty. Not a bad find. The Padres used him as a position player in Arizona rookie league where he excelled with the bat in 2021 (.308BA/.349OBP/.785OPS), but we put him on the mound in 2022 and between Rancho and Great Lakes he has a stat line of 13 games started, 47 IP, 2.45 ERA, 70 strikeouts (13.2 K’s per 9).
… and he dosn’t have much wear and tear on his arm and shoulder.
He’s just flowin’
I was thinking the same thing re rule 5 next couple years. I could see the Dodgers packaging a couple upper level prospects who look to be blocked on the MLB roster along with CT3 as a payroll dump. Maybe get back a few lower level prospects. Kill two birds with one stone. Rule 5 could really hit hard next year if they do nothing. It’s actually a good problem to have. Our system has been TOO productive to keep all the prospects.
Since we’re talking about prospects today and I recently finished my top 10 (well top 11) prospects list, I thought I’d post it today.
Because this is the baseball off season, I decided to look carefully at Dodgers prospects and come up with my top ten prospects list, actually top 11 because I didn’t want to leave someone off that is ranked in the top 10 on dodgers.com. Here are the things I based it on:
1 Readiness/who’s most ready to enter MLB.
2 The stats that are important to me, with more consideration to AA and AAA stats. Because to me the real test starts at AA ball, and you never know about guys in the lower levels, they might fall off a cliff in the upper levels like Pages did from A+ to AA.
4 Any noticeable decrease or increase in stats as they go up the ladder from league to league with large enough samples.
5 A bias towards pitchers when it was a close call, due to past history of the Dodgers producing better pitchers than hitters. There was only one time that happened and it was numbers 5 and 6 on my list.
6 Little consideration of scouting grades and rankings using dodgers.com, because scouting grades go from 50 to 55 overall grades with 2 exceptions, Cartaya at 60 overall and Sheehan at 45 overall, both to me are outliers. So I don’t take scouting as gospel like others seem to do, nothing wrong with that just a difference of opinion. But I’m a show me guy, show me the stats.
And:
7 As someone pointed out to me, Cartaya was playing injured for awhile. So I gave his stats what I think is a fair adjustment up.
8 This isn’t a pure prediction of future results in the big leagues by rank, it’s just how I see it now and things can change next year since I’m a stats guy. But I will say I think the top 2 on my list will have better careers than the bottom 2.
9 There’s most likely big disagreements with me about where Stone and Outman are on my list and how low Cartaya and Pages are. But that’s all right because nobody agrees on everything and the experts are not infallible.
10 This is all just my opinion and I’m not saying I’m right.
My top 10 including one that others rank in the top 10 for a total of 11:
1 Gavin Stone
2 James Outman
3 Miguel Vargas
4 Bobby Miller
5 Ryan Pepiot
6 Michael Busch
7 Dalton Rushing
8 Diego Cartaya
9 Emmet Sheehan
10 Nick Nastrini
11 Andy Pages
I was tempted to put Sheehan above Cartaya, but I didn’t due to having Cartaya a lot lower than the experts.
There was a discussion on another board, Eric, about the purpose of playing and managing in the minors for an organization like the Dodgers.
If you were a minor league manager, would you deem winning important? Developing? Teaching fundamentals? Getting to playoffs?
I think time had shown its first and foremost about hitting and pitching development.
That’s the problem with using stats to evaluate. One, as you note, the stats you privilege are probably not the one’s the Dodgers front office will. But more importantly, prospects aren’t in the minor league to achieve statistically, they are there to develop into major leaguers.
Take Outman or Will Smith, who had their swings and approaches redone. Or Bruns, whose release point is being changed. Stats cannot and will not capture their development or value.
All that said, I’m clueless on a better way to evaluate.
I think it should be development targeted at the top prospects. Does winning in the minor leagues really matter that much? I guess it does apparently. But it should be all about the major leagues. Work with those top prospects to get them ready for the major leagues.
I don’t know, but if they fall off a cliff statistically from one league to another I think it’s telling and it’s more telling if their stats decrease (not off a cliff) a second year or vise versa.
Eric,
With just statistics, you probably get about a third of the picture about a player. Look at these stats:
2016 – Rookie – .321
2016- GL – .256
2016 – RC – .217
2017 – RC – .232
2017 – Tu;as – .000
2017- AFL – .371
2018 – Tulsa – .264
2018 – OKC – .138
2019 – OKC – ..268
Using your statistical method of evaluating, you might have written this player off s he regressed at time. , but in 2020, he ht .290 with 23 Big Flies. Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet Will Smith.
Stats are important, but they can’t capture the human spirit and the ability to grow.
Mark I hear what you’re saying and your example of Smith growing is all good, but the same can happen the other way getting worse climbing the ladder (see Pages from A+ to AA) and I mentioned that when I said the first test is AA. When Smith ended AA I took notice of him. Also that first Smith OKC number is a small sample, 3 times smaller than the second OKC number in 2 different years.
Also I don’t look at anything below A ball and fall leagues are small samples. I mentioned small samples in my post.
So I hear your point. But you look at more leagues than I do, I think you look at small samples too and I don’t, I don’t know if you take in consideration that guys can get worse as they go up the ladder, and this one is just about me I consider the first test being AA.
I don’t know who you were talking about specifically on my list? Was it Pages or Cartaya or both?
Or was it that 7-11 on my list are guys that haven’t completed a full season of AA besides Pages, meaning all of them could grow? If so I agree but the opposite could happen too and that’s why to me the first test is AA.
So right now I don’t specifically know what you mean. By any chance are you saying I should listen to the experts/scouts a lot more than I do?
And again I do get your point about growing, but I also know declining happens too.
I think you’re vastly underrating Cartaya. That kid will be a stud. I’d put him #1 on any list.
Unlike Mark, I’m not 100% convinced Rushing is the next big thing. I’m high on the guy, don’t get me wrong. Simply too few ABs to evaluate. I’ve seen many guys dominate the CA League for 150-200 ABs who did not perform at the same clip at higher levels. And that was back when Rancho was a high A teams. They’re low A now. A full season with the Loons/AA will answer my reservations.
On the flip side, Cartaya has put up solid numbers over 600 minor league ABs. I’m quite confident he is what he seems.
“I’ve seen many guys dominate the CA League for 150-200 ABs who did not perform at the same clip at higher levels.”
That’s what I was pointing out in my original post, so I agree that can happen, but I can see it also happen with plenty of at bats in the lower levels. See Andy Pages.
The Angels announced that the Moreno family is ending the exploratory process to sell the team and will continue ownership throughout the 2023 season and beyond.
“During this process, it became clear that we have unfinished business and feel we can make a positive impact on the future of the team and the fan experience,” owner Arte Moreno says in a statement released by the club. “This offseason we committed to a franchise record player payroll and still want to accomplish our goal of bringing a World Series Championship back to our fans. We are excited about this next chapter of Angels Baseball. We are grateful to Galatioto Sports Partners for their outstanding efforts throughout the process that allowed us to meet with a number of highly qualified individuals and groups who expressed strong interest in the Club. However, as discussions advanced and began to crystallize, we realized our hearts remain with the Angels, and we are not ready to part ways with the fans, players and our employees.”
My friends who are Angel fans are pissed! It was likely Ohtani would move on regardless of ownership. But there is zero chance he sticks around with Arte as owner. Had he traded Ohtani at the deadline last year fans would have crucified him (vast majority already hate him) but could have received a haul of talent in return. Now if they trade Ohtani at the deadline (assuming they aren’t in serious playoff contention) they will get back a fraction in return for Ohtani as a rental. And they won’t trade him to the Dodgers no matter what. I have a feeling they will end up letting one of greatest talents in MLB history walk with nothing in return.
Very happy that I’m a Dodger fan.
Because they would never let one of their stars walk without getting anything in return outside of the QO PICK?
The couple times was able to watch Knack pitch in ST came away impressed and was baffled as to why didn’t hear his name spoken of much. Chalked it up to unlucky stints on IL. Here’s to him getting it together the potential is there
I know way too little about the prospects and the minors, but to me it has always seemed that the Dodgers, especially over the last several years, concentrated on development more than winning in the minors. Having a team that wins in the minors is usually a byproduct of good coaching and development. You take the skills a kid comes to your organization with, and you improve them if you can. Getting to the majors on raw ability alone, is not that easy. You learn from failure. You don’t fail, you get cocky and by the time you are in the majors, MLB scouts and players will find your weakness and exploit it. Out of that list of 30, I think maybe five or six of those guys will ever make an impact for the Dodgers at the major league level. Some will be lost in the rule 5 draft as soon as next year, and some will be used as trade fodder for needs on the big-league roster. That is what usually happens and what will continue to happen in the future.
Interesting to see young Mr. De Paula ranked at No. 13…..I hadn’t heard of him until a couple of weeks back.
So who gets packaged for Ohtani? Or maybe Adames or Reynolds?
Or maybe tossed into some sort of salary dump…
Beyond these 30 is a lot more talent, including the various international signings and recent draftees. There’s no reason to hoard prospects if good deals can be done.
It’s too bad that Ryan Noda was lost in the Rule 5 draft, going to Oakland. Great for him, certainly, but couldn’t Noda have been flipped for a young prospect?
Noda has good power and on-base percentage. Surprising speed. But he was blocked at 1B, not just by Freddie and Max, but also Busch and Vargas. I hope the A’s give him some of that runway.
I do not think there is a snowballs chance in hell that Moreno would trade Ohtani to the Dodgers. The fan base would riot. I also think Reynolds or Adames is a pipe dream. And surely not even considered before the trade deadline. I think at this point what bothers me the most is the fact that Dodger fans are or seem to be not willing to let these guys play and see what they have coming out of spring training. Hell, Lux may surprise us all and become a great SS. Heyward can have a resurgence. It has happened before and even Freddie said the guy is on a mission and has a fire burning to prove he can still play at a high level. Fans have a tendency to write players off. Anything can and often does happen. It is way too early to judge this team.
Ohtani is leaving Anaheim. I think the fans around here know that. They also know with him they haven’t won jack so trading him might be a good idea. Who would give up top prospects for a one year rental? I think several teams would. The Dodgers? I doubt it.
Ohtani could put a playoff team over the top. So I think you’re right. Angels would get some good prospects in return. But no way the Dodgers will even be considered. Regardless what they offered. Moreno wouldn’t do that out of pride. Sending arguably your biggest star up the freeway? No way.
Arte should have traded him last year. Could have been a franchise altering trade.
The pitchers listed are mostly SPs, but all of them should be considered BP depth for 2023. I’ve mentioned before how Welch and Dave Stewart started in the BP before morphing into ace-quality starters.
For some reason I kept forgetting about Pedro Martinez…
Yeah, I have visions of Frasso pitching in relief in October.
You are right about Stewart who did not become a full-time starter until he joined Oakland. He had started some in Texas. But Welch was primarily a starter from the day he signed with the organization. Like many kids before him, he was broken in by getting time out of the pen. But in his first two years, almost half his outings were as a starter.
This is for Johnny who was talking about River Ryan “just Flowin'”
Evan Bladh made a point about Rule 5 and how the Dodgers will lose some players next year.
That is probably true… and the Dodgers may see fit to trade some, such as Mike Grove, Leonard or Vivas, Mann, and others who are close but blocked, as Bear alluded to.
The Trade deadline will be very interesting this year. I can already see the complainers about Friedman trading away prospects, but when you are stocked so heavy, is there really any other alternative?
One of the purposes of having a strong farm system is to have the trade pieces available when it comes time to acquire a player that fills a hole at the Major League level. Not everyone is going to be a Dodger in the show.
The Hall of Fame will announce today who made it.
I predict the following players will make it in:
1. Todd Helton 17 years – Career BA: .316/Career OPS: 953 – 61.8 WAR -No way he doesn’t get in. Good Defender too
2. Scott Rolen – 17 years – Career BA .281/Career OPS .855 – 70 WAR – He is borderline IMHO, but he was a great defender too.
3. Billy Wagner – 16 Years One of the great closers of All-Time. 2.31 Career ERA and 0.998 WHIP – He is borderline, but his 422 Saves pave the way. In his last year, he had an 1.43 ERA and 0,865 WHIP
Jeff Kent should be in but his personality will keep him out. He deserves to be in.
I read that “personality” thing about Kent this morning at Chronicles. I had a reaction. If Kent’s play deserves a HOF induction, and I think it does, he should be voted in.
I never understood the animosity against Kent. It was very unfair. Yeah, he was a curmudgeon, and he showed a gruff exterior, but there are a lot of those guys int he game.
Jeff actually attended my church in the Bay Area and is a very private person, but super nice when he opens up. I could tell stories, but there are some things that you keep to yourself out of respect and privacy. I’ll just say this. If people knew the things he did behind the scenes, he would be viewed in a completely different light.
Good to hear about Kent. He should be in the HOF. I would put him in just for getting in Barry Melonheads business. Maybe he will go in as a Dodger.
All I know is Kent pissed off Bonds and then went to the Dodgers. That alone is worthy of a few HOF votes.
Possible trades players by deadline I read yesterday Amed Rasorio Cleveland Indians SS landing spots dodgers braves Yankees, Bryan Reynolds CF pirates possible landing spots dodgers braves Phillies Yankees, Tyler O’Neil LF possible landing spots Giants Dodgers Padres Mariners, David Bednar Pirates Closer Dodgers Yankees Twins Cubs, Max Kepler Twins CF possible landing spots Dodgers Phillies Tampa Bay. Just some rumors on MLB.com that could be made during spring training if some players don’t plan out for teams.
The Dodgers and Yankees are almost always on the list of possible landing spots for star players. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean jack. How many times has a player ACTUALLY been traded to one of the teams mentioned. When the Dodgers got Machado there was no chatter whatsoever. Same thing when they landed Scherzer and Turner. MLBTR is a GREAT place for rumors, but actual facts, not so much.
Name the last trade Andrew Friedman did where we knew about it long before it happened!
Signed a few more has been, never was, played out relief pitchers to minor league deals. Depressing it is all the while hoping to acquire difference makers that could actually help
Michael, If they wanted to, they could have signed any of the premium free agents over the winter. But they did not. They seem to have a plan and they are sticking to it. You might disagree with the players they are signing to minor league deals, but they are just AAA fodder. If any of them contribute to a winning season, that is a plus.
Oh I guess then we wouldn’t need any ogmg those players I mentioned were solid with two rookies paying the outfield according to Old Bear. Boy I don’t. I sure would feel better with a Reynolds or O’Neil in the out field or a Rosorio playing shortstop with playoff experience but again Old Bear thinks the Dodgers are fine.
You always take everything I say personally. All I am saying is that there probably won’t be a deal done before spring training. Where did I say the Dodgers are fine? I think the front office has a better idea of what they have than you do. Those are rumors, not facts. Sure you would feel better, but your not the one making the player decisions, AF is. I believe Friedman is waiting to see how the players they do have perform in spring training. Cleveland is not going to trade Rosario as long as they feel they can win their division. That is a fact, not a rumor. You keep throwing crap against the wall hoping for them to make a trade that is not happening in the near future. If Reynolds, O’Neil, Rosario or any of the other players mentioned are traded, it will most likely be by the deadline. Not sooner. I think the Dodger brain trust has a better handle on what they have than you or I.
I think the Dodgers are fine. Providing most of the squad stays healthy all year, they’ve got a playoff worthy team as is. If it’s clear they require a piece or two mid season they’ve got the prospect depth to get what they need. That’s sounds fine to me.
I doubt there is anyone who posts on this site who would not want the Dodgers to make a major move and improve the team at positions that some of us feel they are thin at. Namely, the outfield, left and center, shortstop, third base and in the pitching department. Now we all read the rumors and almost every major player who is said to be on the trading block, or who actually is, usually are linked to the Dodgers. We all know Bryan Reynolds want’s out of Pittsburgh, but so far, the Pirates are disinclined to trade him at this point. Now, that can change, but if the Pirates do decide to trade Reynolds, they will most likely wait until a point in time when they can maximize their return. They want a bidding war for his services. Get the Yankees and Dodgers or another team involved, and they can get a lot of prospects in return. As we all have seen so far this offseason, the team seems unwilling to spend a lot of money, hence they did not sign any of the major stars who were on the market. They have made no major trades, even though their division rivals have. To many fans the lack of signing major star is really depressing and it seems like the front office does not really want to win. In reality, it is the perfect time for them to allow some of their prime prospects a chance to crack the lineup. SO what if they play two kids in the outfield? Right now, that is a real possibility. There is not a person here who can predict how any of these players are going to produce. No one here can predict whether or not Gavin Lux will be good at SS or a bust. Why would they trade for Rosario when they can sign him as a free agent next season if Lux and Rojas do not do the job? Makes no sense to give up a bunch of prospects for a rental. Especially when at this point in time, they really do not know how the roster is going to shake out. Have some patience, trust the powers that be to do the right thing when it is needed. Freidman since he has been here has not made one single major trade before or during spring training. I trust the man’s track record and that is what I base my opinion on. You can agree or disagree. That is your choice.
You don’t think the dodgers could trade with Cleveland say a Taylor and Thompson trade and a young pitcher we have. For a Rosorio SS and a Indian Outfielder with playoff experience. I would think the two teams would get what they needed. The Dodgers a legit shortstop and guardians a veteran platoon player and Thompson a good outfielder and a young pitcher in the minors. I think so. And for the Reynoldss deal they want two of our young pitchers and cartaya or stallings I would keep stallings an say heck yeah to that deal. Because the two starting pitchers for the Dodgers would be in OKC this season any way we allready have a six man rotation. That’s why I would make the move in spring training and keep Lux at 2B. Muncy at 3b. Then u have Reynolds in CF and Betts in RF. And the two rookies in LF in Vargas and Outman. Fans would like that mix of veterans and rookies then waiting for deadline. Guess you can say I ain’t a fan of Taylor or Thompso. I think the Dodgers could trade them to a team for some good players that start. Another team the Cardinals they would take those two players and they always have good outfielders that can hit. I guess Old Bear. I am tired of seeing Taylor and Thompson trying to hit the ball out with every dam swing. Rather then just get on base.
Oh they could, I never said they would not. Taylor and Thompson and a young pitcher? No, the Indians would not do that deal. And you forget that Rosario would only be a rental unless they could sign him long term. The Indians are a contender. Why should they do a trade that weakens them at one of the most important positions on the field? SS. As for Reynolds, the Pirates might eventually trade him. But at this point in time they are in no rush. What you seem to not grasp is that major trades happen in the offseason, but rarely do name players get traded in February or January for that matter. You can be tired of Taylor and Thompson, but that is the way hitters are trained in these days, lift and launch. K’s do not mean as much to the powers that be as they used to. Now, with the shift being banned, maybe players will go back to the way it used to be and just try to hit the ball hard. You keep wanting to put Reynolds out in CF, but he is not that great of a defender out there. I would rather see Taylor, Thompson, or Outman playing that position. Even Mookie is a better choice. In order to trade a player, teams have to want him. If you do not want Taylor or Thompson, what makes you think anyone else would? You mentioned O’Neill from the Cardinals. Who had a higher BA last year, O’Neill or Thompson? Thompson did. He hit .268. O’Neill struck out over 100 times in 90 games. He is strictly a left fielder. He struck out 168 times the year before. O’Neill hit only 1 homer more than Thompson and Thompson struck out 23 times less. As for Taylor, he is owed 45 million dollars over the next three years. Not many teams willing to pay that much to a super utility player.
I understand all that Bear but still can’t help but hope for good news in acquiring that extra help I feel we’ll need come October. It’s a long way between now and playoffs and a lot will change by then. I’m optimistic some we don’t see coming just yet could step up and surprise plus the deadline. Honestly excited about coming year and our chances and kinda like not being heavy favorites for a change. I’m anxious to get it rolling and to get that foul taste from last years flop out of the way. All in all I think Friedman is playing it brilliantly as he usually does barring a mistake here and there like Gallo. We’re gonna be just fine and I think much better than some of the predictions. Never know could be going to a parade
If anything at all transpires, it will most likely come at the deadline. By then AF will have a real handle on what kind of team he has, where the weaknesses are, and who is available at the cost he feels comfortable paying. If you look at AF’s track record, he does not overpay. Look at the Machado trade. How many of those 5 players are in the majors now? None.
One of my first thoughts after last year’s embarrassment was need to shake things up and there doing just that
When the Giants won three World Series in six years a few years ago, Bruce Bochy became a genius, but the truth is the Giants had a few players, including Lincecum, Mad Bum, Pence, Posey, Panik, Sandavol, and a bunch of rag-tag pitchers who stepped up in the World Series. They made Bochy a genius. The Dodgers have had players who just didn’t show up in the playoffs or the World Series. The fans blamed Doc, but in reality, it was the players. It always is.
So, AF cut-bait, and this year we are going to see an infusion of talent from the farm system. Let the words from Baseball America sink in:
The Dodgers boast not only one of the best farm systems in baseball but one of the most major league-ready!”
It’s time for an infusion of enthusiasm, desire, and youth. There may be some trades, and Reynolds could be a target, but there is likely not going to be a big trade until well into the season. Let the Kids play! Sometimes what happens is the guy you trade for a star, ends up being better than the guy you got.
Remember Pedro Martinez?
Patience Grasshoppers!
Last year it wasn’t Doc’s fault. The offense sucked, not in 1 game or 2, all of them except 1. But in the past I have seen Doc make the wrong calls going against the stats in 2019 or 2021 or both, I can’t remember right now. So sometimes it’s purely the players fault, but sometimes it’s Doc’s fault.
He might pull a pitcher when we think it is a wrong move, Hill in the 2018 series, pitching Kersh for more than an inning in 19, and maybe another couple of gaffs that the fans lay on him. But, it is up to the players to perform. Unfortunately, in those instances they did not. But performance is always on the player. You cannot blame the manager for the players performance good or bad. The game is won and lost by the players, not the manager. I always held Walter Alston accountable for the loss in game 3 of the playoff against the Giants in 62 because he brought in Stan Williams instead of using Drydale, who could have pitched and actually begged Alston to put him in. But the bottom line is that Williams was wild, and gave up the tying and go ahead runs. The only thing Alston was really guilty of was letting reliever Ed Roebuck, who was gassed by then, go back out to pitch the 9th instead of bringing in a fresh arm.
Alston was saving Drysdale for Game 1 against the Yankees. Probably the most bonehead move ever made by a Dodger manager in history.
I remember that. Duke Snider was one of the players telling Walt to put Big D in. He said later that Alston had told him he was saving Drysdale for game one of the World Series forgetting that ya gotta get there first. Koufax was still suffering from effects of his circulatory problem and had been hammered in game one. Alston should have never sent Roebuck back out to pitch the 9th. And he should have also had someone ready when the first Giant got on base.
No Bear. Players have their flaws and it up to the manager to not expose those flaws.
I totally disagree. How is the manager supposed to know ahead of time that a player is going to implode in a certain situation. In 17, Jansen saved 41 games and blew only one. Yet in the World Series, in a pivotal game, he gave up the game winning hit in the 10th inning. How could Roberts predict that. Jansen had already saved game one. He would save game six also. You can never predict how good or bad a player might be. By that logic, Roberts should have never went to his pen at all in 2018. Flaws? Jansen was nails all season. Nobody saw that coming.
There are allegedly 13 Major League Players with these stats for their career:
1. 9000 Games
2. .300 BA
3. .400 OB%
4. .500 SLG%
Todd Helton is one of them.
9000 games is every game for 55 seasons at 162 games a year.That would have to be a manager from the early days.
No player has ever played in 9000 games. He is probably referring to at bats.
Scott Rolen is the only on who made it!
That is a travesty!
Kent missed and is now off of the ballot. Billy Wagner will get in next year so will Helton. Utley is on the ballot next year.
Bradley
The playoffs are a lot of luck, I’m starting to think all luck. So all you need is a good enough team to get to the playoffs and hope for luck.
Yes they are Eric. The Braves were not the better team in 21. But they got hot at exactly the right time, and the Dodgers usual clutch guys, Seager and JT were not. Taylor, Pujols, and Bellinger were their best hitters during that playoff run. They also had just played a mentally draining series against the Giants. Not like the old days when all you had to do to get to the series was win your league. Now it is a gauntlet.
Yep that’s what the braves did. Made good moves and changed there outfielders and won a world series. Why? because that team played together as a unit. When you get a team that clicks. Its hard to beat a team like that. The year we beat the A’s we clicked as a unit. But on paper look at that roster the As had we should have been killed by them. But nope. The Kirk Gibson home run in game one all the momentum went to the dodgers after that shock in game one. Gibson one at bat and yet Dempsey Hatcher Sax Marshall were hitting and Hershisser was lights out. And they beat the A’s That was a team that played like there captain and it started in spring training with Gibson who taught toughness.
In 2020, they had the Dodgers by the throat down 3-1. The difference was in 2020 the Dodgers got huge clutch hitting from the bench and their stars. That did not happen in 21. Gibson was not the team captain, they had none, what he was was a leader in the clubhouse and he brought mental toughness to a team he considered soft.
Now you are getting it!
I agree and sure was hoping Wagner would make it. He got two more years eligibility I believe he will in next two. I’m all for bringing on the youngsters. makes next year even more exciting. Totally agree it’s on the players their highly paid professionals who shouldn’t need outside motivation. At same time wish Roberts would of kicked some dirt on a ump or something of the sort team needed firing up
That is not his personality. Only seen him tossed when he was protecting one of his players. Alston never kicked anyone’s butt. He also rarely argued with umps, unlike Lasorda. Those kinds of managers are not prevalent in today’s game. The Weaver’s, Anderson’s, those kinds of guys are dinosaurs. You have to be an ego massager to manage today’s players.
When was the last time you saw that?
Bobby Cox or Lou Pinella?
Not acceptable anymore!
The Dodgers announced their promotions for the first half of the season. The first give away comes on April 1st against the D-Backs. A Freddie Freeman bobblehead. Other bobbleheads scheduled for giveaways the first half, Urias, April 3rd, May, May 1st, Betts May 15th, Will Smith, June 13th, Kershaw , June 15th, Lux, July 3rd. Gonsolin, July 6th. Also of note they are giving away a Vin Scully jersey on April 18th.
I get it in that those type of managers don’t fit into today’s game but just can’t sit back watch team perform in a lackluster manner in playoff games and not try to find some way to pump em up. I’m not one of those calling for his firing he does a lot of things really well. Being a big part of creating a winning culture for one
This offseason is a changing of the guard. Gone are Belli, JT, TT, and others. There is an opening in the locker room for some leader or leaders.
Maybe Mookie was reluctant to step up with JT and TT and Belli there. Now, there are some openings.
What do Mookie, JDM, Miguel Rojas, Freddie Freeman, and Jason Heyward all have in common? They are leaders!
Will Smith and Max Muncy are also leaders in their own way.
The personality of this team is evolving!
You forgot the captain, Austin Barnes!
What’s the purpose of building a strong farm system unless you actually make use of it. I’m very hopeful that that’s what the Dodgers are planning to do this year.
There’s a strong possibility that we will see younger players taking prominent roles all over the diamond; the infield, outfield, and on the pitching staff, both starters and in the bullpen.
I know all of the favorites, but I also believe that we might see some surprises, as there’s a chance we’ll see some unexpected youngsters step up. Some trades involving young players to obtain established veterans are possible, but I also believe that the Dodgers are serious about avoiding the CBT, and sticking with young players is the best way to accomplish that.
Amen
Here are a couple of things I know to be fact. 1. JT had trouble catching up to fastballs all year long. Someone tracked his contact rate against fastballs 95 or better and it was way below what he had done in the past. And it did not just start last season. He was showing signs of that in 21. So when SD would bring in one of their bullpen flame throwers, he was simply overmatched. No way LA was going to pay him what he is getting in Boston no matter how much of a clubhouse leader he was. 2. Trea Turner was as good as gone as soon as they were out of the playoffs. He is an east coast guy and most figured he would want to play there. And the Dodgers were not going to pay him what the Phillies are and what the Padres offered, which was about 50 million more than Philadelphia. 3. Even though Bellinger raised his average 50 points, the Dodgers were unwilling to pay him 18 mil simply because of his superior defense. I for one think the change of scenery is going to be a huge benefit for him and he will have a resurgence in Chicago. 4. Heaney and Anderson both wanted multi-year deals. The Dodgers were not inclined to offer that to either of them. They have this year’s reclamation project in Syndergaard, who career wise has had more success than both of those guys despite his injury history. If he is right this season, look out, he has Ace type stuff. 5. Despite what many fans think, they seem committed to keeping the payroll as low as possible. For Ohtani next year? Possibly, but close to 500 million for one player, even a two-way guy like Ohtani? Doubtful. I think it weakens your ability to add what you might need later. They have to think about Urias being a free agent, replacing most likely 3 spots in the starting rotation if Kersh, Urias and Syndergaard are all gone after this year. Fans say trade Muncy or Taylor and get rid of some payroll. if they traded Taylor at all, they would most likely have to eat some of his salary. Muncy’s trade value is at an all time low. Same with Taylor. Who wants a player who strikes out that much? No, I do not see any trades in their immediate future. They want to see what they have in spring training and go from there.