Wong Time!

At one time, Kolten Wong was a very good second baseman. While never an All-Star, as a LH hitter, he has a career .742 OPS against RHP. He is exclusively a second baseman and plays Gold Glove defense at the position. He likely has no future in 2024 with the Dodgers, but he could have a future in October for them! In 2021, Eddie Rosario, who was a journeyman, was traded to the Braves and proceeded to go off in the playoffs.

The same thing happened with Ronnie Belliard in 2009. The Dodgers traded Luis Garcia and Victor Garate to the Nationals on August 31m 2009, and the Dodgers “First Belli” proceeded to hit .351 with a 1.034 OPS the last month of the season. He also had 5 HR and seven doubles! He also hit .316 in the NLCS, which the Dodgers lost to the Phillies in five games.

Kolten Wong is 5′ 7″ tall and is a LH batter who, in the past, has hit 15 HR and up to 32 doubles in a season. He will be 33 years old on October 10th, and this could be his time! He played eight seasons with the Cardinals and then was signed as a Free Agent with the Brewers in 2021. He had decent years in 2021 and 2022, with the Brewers hitting 14 HR with 32 doubles in 2021 and 15 HR with 24 doubles in 2022. At the beginning of this season, he signed a $10 million dollar deal with Seattle and proceeded to fall off the face of the earth! In 216 Plate Appearances, he made Miguel Vargas look like Babe Ruth, as he hit .169.

Kolten was released by the Mariners on August 3, 2023, and the Dodgers signed him six days later! At OKC, the Dodgers worked with him on his swing and in 13 ABs he had 7 hits and OPSed 1.494. In order to be “Playoff Ready,” the Dodgers had to promote him to the roster yesterday. Yonny Hernandez was the odd-man-out. Kolten arrived at the same last night and proceeded to pinch hit in the 8th inning with the Dodgers down 6-0.

That three-run shot could be just what the Doctor ordered! Sometimes, you just catch lightning in a bottle, and maybe the Dodgers did that with Kolen Wong! We shall see… this could be a story for the ages. The Dodgers need a LH 2B to platoon with Mookie, Kike, or Rosario. He could be IT! He certainly knows how to start his Dodger career… however short it may be.

I am not worried that the Dodgers have lost two straight to the Braves. I would like to see a split, but I will not worry, even if the Braves sweep the Series. I want the Dodgers to have that fresh in their memories. I am not worried about Lance Lynn – he is who he is, and he will figure it out. I am worried about Julio Urias! His velocity is noticeably diminished. Earlier in the season, he could hit 95 or 96 MP – now he struggles to hit 92 MPH. After watching him closely last night, I believe he is concealing an arm injury. Tommy John may be knocking on Julio’s door!

Who will step up? The Old Man and the Kid, plus Pepiot? Maybe Sheehan, Grove, and/or Stone and Yarbrough! Julio is pitching himself off the playoff roster. Of course, he has a few weeks to right the ship, but if it is that dreaded UCL, this ain’t good! This could be fun to watch! Or not…

Minor League News

At Rancho Cucamonga, Kendall George is raking like a madman and has 12 SB in 76 ABs. He had two hits last night as did Thayron Liranzo, Wilman Diaz, and Jake Gelof. This is the new wave of Dodger prospects.

R.I.P. Jimmy Buffett

This article has 69 Comments

  1. Last year, Julio attacked the top of the strike zone with a 95 mph F/ball — a foundational pitch for him.
    This season? ..a long-ago memory.

    If Urias falters down the stretch, then it looks like Kersh and Miller are the 1/2 SP’s in the playoffs.

    Then maybe Prior & his coaches can “tweak” Sheehan/Grove/Stone to squeeze out a little more velo and movement on their hard stuff, while also streamlining their pitch selection. Then throw some combination of those 3 & Pepiot & Lynn together to piggyback off one another to create a “3rd playoff starter.”

    I’m just brainstorming here. If my idea is stupid, then it’s stupid.

    1. Not stupid. You have to bloom where you are plated, and legends have been made out of adversity. We know this team is resilient!

      1. For sure! This year’s team looks packed with strong-willed guys. If there is a will, …there is a way.

        1. Ok. So the euphoria of August is over. So this is a preview of possible playoff scenario.
          Our starters pitch 4 or 5 innings, their guys go 6-7.
          Urias–Looks like he will be joining Gonsolin sometime soon.
          We strike out ALOT!!! 27 times in 2 games.
          So team needs to kick it up a notch against quality pitching.
          Lets see what the next 2 games show. Can we limit them to one homer each game?

  2. I guess for the first time this season I am really worried. You can’t lose May, Buehler, Goslin, and now Urias and think you have enough for the World Series. Lynn is about average but that is all. I do like what Pepiot is doing and that may help but we now have all our hopes on Clayton staying healthy and that is a huge gamble. Most teams go as far as their pitching takes them (see the Dodgers for the last 50 years) but this year we go as far as our offensive and top two players take us. We could set the record for the most piggyback games in the post season.

    1. I have always been of the opinion that when one door closes, another door opens. You just have to pick the right door!

  3. Before the season I thought this team would go as far as the pitching would that them.
    I underestimated the offense which is absolutely championship caliber. But as you said the injuries to our starters and the underperformance of Julio will probably be our downfall iln the playoffs.
    Too much quality lost with Buehler, May and Gonsolin. And Julio is just not pitching like an ace.

    Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!

  4. Julio Urias.

    Is he hurt? Or is it something else. Maybe mental.

    Just when you think he’s turning it around, two awful outings in a row, 11 runs in 11 innings, including six homeruns.

    Not exactly someone you want to hand the ball to for a playoff game.

    I’m guessing this is end of his Dodger career. Not to mention LA’s relationship with super agent Scott Boros is in the tank after he criticized and blamed the Dodgers for Bellinger’s troubles the
    past couple of years.

    Andrew Feiedman’s reaction tells the story. Ouch. Boras tried to backtrack. Too late.

    Okay, the Braves/Dodgers really is meaningless, other than to point out that Max Fried is a pretty good pitcher. But we already knew that.

    Lynn and Urias both flamed out, now we get to see the kids.

    I do like the young pitchers.

    1. Just like Gonso–I think his problem is physical I don’t think you lose speed because of mental issues.

        1. That was what was said about Gonso too for months. We know how that ended.
          I think Julio has some kind of injury and hopes to pitch threw it on his way to a big new contract.

          Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          1. Either way it doesn’t workout for him. Pitch crappy and lose millions on next contract. Or have surgery and lose millions on next contract

  5. Sometimes you just have to sit back with an open mind and analyze your team and what is needs to win in the playoffs. One most Important thing needed is quality starting pitching, which means one has to have quality starting pitchers. We all know good pitching can stop good hitting. The All Star games mostly prove that.

    Do we have that? Let’s analyze together…..

    1. Clayton…..check
    2. Urias…….hasn’t shown it this year (for the most part)
    3. Lynn…..maybe
    4. Miller…..maybe
    5. Pepiot…..maybe
    6. Stone or Grove…..probably not

    As I analyze this list, it seems to me we would at least need two dependable quality starters….but I only count one and a lot of ?

    Clearly, those Guys could surprise and come through, but it’s also as likely they won’t. So, it looks to me that we are going into this year’s playoffs worse off than last year….in fact, one could even say, “far worse off.” Nevertheless, we still root and hope for the best because ….you never know.

    1. This could help us. We go into playoffs as underdogs. And even Kersh–only can go 5 innings

      It will be exciting. If we can score 7 runs a game that should do it!!!

      1. Lol….how many did we score off Max Fried? We did better off of Strider, but not near 7. That’s the thing mate….each team in the playoffs generally have 2-3 quality starters with ERAs under 4. You can’t expect to beat these guys up, although yes, it does happen occasionally.

      2. Being the #1 seed can be a dangerous spot. Look what happened last season. All of the division leaders, and the team with the second-best record and 100 wins, the Mets, all lost to lesser teams. It makes you a target. Everyone wants your butt. I think our pitchers will up their game in the playoffs. I also think Kersh is going to be more than just a 5-inning pitcher. He has been building up his workload since he came off of the IL. He lost one game where he was pitching well due to that premature call to cover the field by the Indians. Julio can change his whole free agency by pitching like he did in 21 the rest of the way. I trust the kids to follow their lead. TM, one game does not a season make. They have owned Freid in the playoffs.

        1. Bear, everything you wrote sounds good until one considers Julio is probably pitching hurt like Gonso, and thus all bets are off. There is no rebounding to play (or pitch) “better” until those injuries are healed. For Urias, that may not happen till next year. And for Kersh, even he has question marks on his health.

          The reality is that barring injuries to the Braves best pitchers, they’re just better than ours right now.

          So it’s probable the Dodgers will have to overcome their SP problems in the playoffs by thinking outside-the-box for unconventional solutions –like maybe using a starter-by-committee approach like the one I posited earlier.

          1. Very true, but my point is this, it doesn’t matter how many games you win during the regular season once you are in the playoffs. All three NL teams who won 100 plus games last season lost in the playoffs, including the Dodgers and their 111 wins. The Braves and Mets, both won 101 games with the Braves winning the division because they had more wins against the Mets. How many times have we seen the underdog team win over the last several years? As for Julio pitching hurt, no one knows exactly what is happening with him health wise except him and the trainers. And given all the hoopla lately over Boras’ statement that the Dodgers made Cody play hurt, which he retracted, I seriously doubt they would do that with Urias. There are tons of reasons for a pitcher’s velocity to decrease and one of them is mechanics. Also, at least to me, he looks out of shape. He looks like he is afraid to attack hitters and nibbles too much again. The Dodgers will indeed have to make adjustments. But I think they will at least win their division series, and we will see who they play from there. Atlanta looks like the favorite, but anything can happen in a short series as the Phillies showed last year. If the playoffs started today, Atlanta would have to face whoever won the wild card series. Four teams are in the hunt for the three playoff wild card spots. Phils, Giants, Cubs and D-Backs. The Reds and Miami are the closest to cracking into the top three. Phils and Cubs have 4.5 and 2 game leads on the rest of the pack. Cincy is a game back, and Miami is 2 games back of the Cubs.. The Padres are 7.5 games off of the pace. So, the wild card is still very much a toss-up, The Padres only have 26 games left, so they are pretty much toast.

        2. Either way, I AM confident the Dodgers are working on something clever to shore up their SP woes by the playoffs. And they have over a month to implement that plan. Time is still on LA’s side to rectify this.

    2. Just a reminder: AF tried to get Eduardo Rodriguez too, but Eduardo strangely rejected the opportunity. AF knew the pitching was thin,

  6. Lights go down on Margaritaville.

    That album hit while we were on adventure in Mexico/Belize and thereabouts.

    Rum, weed and lobster on beachfront bars with the Locals. Soundtrack courtesy Jimmy B & Coral Reefer.

    Great times. RIP Jimmy B

  7. RIP Jimmy Buffett. I think my favorite song he did was Come Monday. I remember him doing a guest spot on Blue Bloods. He played a guy who was impersonating him and himself. Pretty cool. Shut the game off after Julio gave up the third homer and then when the ump called a pitch a ball that he thought was a strike, he just stood out there grinning like something was funny. I haven’t had faith in him in months. Oh, he pitched well for a few weeks. But he doesn’t look at all like the guy who was on the bump when they won the World Series. Happy for Wong, that has got to be a huge confidence booster. Sometimes you eat the beast, and sometimes the beast eats you. Freid has a better regular season record against LA than he does in the playoffs where he is 0-2 against them.

      1. Fried is not a free agent until after 2025. Here are the un-restricted free agent starters available after the season.
        1, Urias
        2. Ohtani
        3. Kershaw
        4. Ryu
        5. Perez
        6. Wood
        7. Greinke
        8. Carrasco
        9. Giolito
        10. Nola
        11. Gray
        12. Snell
        13. Severino
        14. Gibson
        15. Montgomery
        16. Paxton
        17. Lorenzen
        18. Hill
        19. Odorizzi
        20. Montas
        21. Mahle
        22. Keller
        23. Flaherty
        24. Teheran
        25. Weaver
        26. Ross
        27. Yamamoto
        I would think that Giolito, Nola, Yamamoto, Lorenzen, Keller and a couple of others, might garner some interest from the Dodgers. There are several others who have either team or player options.
        23.

        1. Montgomery and Gray would probably be two others on that list who might get some consideration, depending upon who else Andrew is able to sign or trade for.

          When I saw the name Keller, I thought it was Mitch and was ready to go after him, but it’s Brad, so no thanks.

          And Max asked me to tell you his name is spelled Fried.

        2. A lot of talent out there….
          I hope Kershaw comes back and I assume Julio will leave. Then again, his subpar performance might decrease his market and he’ll decide to stay. My guess is that AF will pick up Lynn’s $18 million option. (He was willing to pay more for one seaons of Tyler Anderson.)
          If I could pick just one of the others, it might be Sonny Gray, who now seems to be living up to his talent.
          As SoCal boys, Lorenzen and Giolito might have an extra desire to play for the Dodgers.
          Right now, these seem to be the only sure bets for the 2024 rotation: Buhler, Miller, one of Pepiot/Sheehan/Stone… May expected back in midseason.
          Oh, also want AF to bring back Dick Mountain and keep him around until he qualifies for Social Security

          1. Hard to win when you go 2-22 with men in scoring position. My guess on next year’s rotation. Miller, Buehler, Pepiot, Lynn and a free agent or two to fill it out, Kersh retires or leaves in free agency to go home to Texas. May, I do not trust him to be ready to be a starter by mid-season. I think he could become an important back end of the bullpen piece. I re-sign Brasier, Phillips and Graterol. I dump every lefty reliever in the pen and find some new guys. I really do think they kick the tires on Giolito. They will exercise Muncy’s option. Rosario and Kike are redundant with Taylor around. I would love to see them move Mookie to second base permanently. Lux will get the first shot at being the starting SS. Rojas has one more year on his deal. I also believe they will bring back Heyward and sign a RH hitting outfielder with some pop. JD will be gone. Vargas will get a shot at the starting 3B job.

  8. Buehler has a re-hab game tomorrow. Martinez will join the Dodgers in DC as long as he has no setbacks in his games with OKC. Kelly is also close to returning. Sheehan will most likely get the start today against Elder. Freid is the only Atl starter who does not have double digit wins. The only Dodgers with double digit wins are Urias and Kersh. Miller pitches tomorrow against Charlie Morton.

  9. Julio’s velocity is concerning. But it only took two losses to the Braves for the doom and gloom to come back.

    Let not forget, the Braves are a very good team. We faced their two best starters, beat one of them up pretty good (well, Mookie did). The other had a great game yesterday. While Julio didn’t look very good at all, this is a monster lineup. They will, on any given day, beat up good pitchers. Just as the Dodgers can. And the Braves know we are their greatest threat in the post season. So I knew they’d come out with guns blazing. We lost these two games by a total of 4 runs. So it’s not like the Dodgers are getting run over.

    Our strength going into the last month certainly isn’t our starters. It’s our lineup and our bullpen. They need to stay hot and keep the energy up. There is no reason the panic because of this series. Regardless what happens. We have enough young arms to go into the playoffs with as good a chance as any. And our lineup is only equaled by the Braves.

    Going into this series I expected this to be a brawl. I had no expectation that we would win this series. A split was my best case scenario. Acuna wants the MVP and is playing with that chip on his shoulder. He wants to prove himself against the team with the only two guys who could deny him that trophy. We need to outhit this team. They will score runs on us.

    The fact that we have secured the devision gives the team ample opportunity to determine which young arms are playoff ready. At this point, Julio can’t be relied upon to be who he was in the past. But the Dodgers have time and the talent to figure the rotation out for the playoffs. For me, the key will be keeping the energy in the clubhouse at a high level going into the post season. This team can win it all with or without Julio.

  10. Good for Kolten Wong, but I’m not sure why we need 5 second basemen. That gives Doc/theWizard about 720 possible combinations up the middle. I liked the fact that there were only about 2 platoons being employed early this season, both in the plootooning outfielders vs LHP and RHP. And Mookie getting time at 2nd. Getting Kike, Rosario, CT3 back and now Wong, that’s all changed.
    Once again, we get a cushion leading the division and start the lineup de jour bullshit. Guys moved around just for the hell of it and no set lineup. Kike is going to start somewhere every day. This scheme has NOT been successful in preparing for the playoffs. These guys aren’t made of crystal and don’t need the rest . Play a predictable line up and stay sharp. The Wong signing and taking playing time pisses me off.
    Instead our focus should be getting veteran starters going. They’ve been pampered along to be ready for Sept and the playoffs. Now, its time to step up. Kershaw wasn’t anything special his last start, aided by great run support. Lynn got roughed up and Urias has had two poor outings. I love Miller and Pepiot but the veterans need to be better.
    The Braves announcers were amazed at Urias’ lack of velocity and stuff. They pointed out that his fastball last year had more movement and played at 94 – 95, Not the 91 he lived at last night. And he’s not landing the breaking ball. It’s imperative he pitches better.
    He just doesn’t look right.

  11. Despite the last two games, the Dodgers are having a great season that is exceeding my expectations. Especially considering the numerous injuries to the entire pitching staff.
    My guess is that Julio is pitching hurt. Not only is his velocity down but his command and effectiveness are suffering. He has a 4.60 era this year compared to a career era coming into this year around 2.82. His performance decline seems similar to Buehler in 2022 and Gonsolin this year before their injuries were announced.
    No matter what happens in this series, the Dodgers should still secure the #2 seed and they did win 2 out of 3 from the Braves in ATL earlier this year. The top seed does not always win the pennant and the Dodgers will have a good chance to win in the playoffs.

  12. I am not concerned about Julio. He will either get the job done, earn his huge payday, or he won’t. No in-betweens. Baseball is a fickle game. You can be on top one minute and on the junk-heap the next. I have said from the beginning that I expect Urias to leave the team at the end of the season. Is he pitching hurt? Pure speculation. He doesn’t pass the eye test of even being close to the pitcher he was in 21-22. But all players have down years. This might just be his. I like our kids; I like the fact that Buehler at some point is going to be back. What I really like is how much deeper this lineup will be when JD returns. They are missing his bat in this series. JD is 7-14 with a double, three homers and five driven in against the Braves.

  13. There’s voodoo in the kettle with a superb pitching performance ahead for the faithful, of which I’m a part of. The Dodgers are nobody’s little brother.

  14. I assume that the Dodgers have a better idea as to the status and effectiveness of Urias going forward. If they have any doubts as to his future viability, then I seriously doubt that they will pursue him this winter for any long term deal. They have plenty of their own good young pitching that they may be able to rely on, and if they don’t pursue Urias, they will be able to allocate funds for any other free agent pitcher or pitchers who may be on the market.

    There are doubts going forward this season, but rest assured that AF and company are working on solutions both long and short term. But also rest assured that they’re very unlikely to let us know what they’re thinking. As fans we just have to wait and see. As for me, I figure that at my age I may have another 30 seconds or another 30 years, so I am not going to worry whether I live to see it or not. Billions of years have come before me and billions will come after. What the Dodgers do in the next several weeks or months is fairly inconsequential.

  15. #Dodgers Lineup vs #Braves RHP, Bryce Elder:

    Betts 2B
    Freeman 1B
    Smith DH
    Muncy 3B
    Peralta LF
    Heyward RF
    Outman CF
    Rojas SS
    Barnes C

    Emmet Sheehan P

  16. Friday scores
    Round Rock 4, Oklahoma City 2
    Arkansas 9, Tulsa 3
    Great Lakes 6, Dayton 1
    Rancho Cucamonga 8, Stockton 1

    Saturday schedule
    4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Maddux Bruns) vs. Dayton (Ryan Cardona)
    5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Robert Dugger) vs. Round Rock (TBA)
    5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Robbie Peto) vs. Arkansas (Shawn Semple)
    6:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Roque Gutierrez) at Stockton (Wander Guante)

    1. He is missing fastballs he was crushing earlier in the year. He might be having mechanical issues. I do not want Vesia coming in again in a tight game. I still think Roberts main fault is handling a bullpen in close games. He used up his best arms when his offense is sputtering like a model-T. If Freeman and Betts are not setting the table, the offense is usually flat. Ump robbed Mookie during that bases loaded at bat. I am really looking forward to them having some sort of challenge system, and if that doesn’t work, the electronic strike zone. Or simply fire umpires who continually make bad calls.

  17. That strike call on Mookie was CRIMINAL. I have seen more than enough bad calls this year than I ever care to see. SHAMEFULL. And with Freddie, and Will Smith, etc., coming up there is no telling how many runs the Dodgers might have scored. The mediocrity of calls I’ve seen this year is getting tiresome.

  18. That called third strike may have cost the Dodgers more than a single run, given that Freddie was on deck.

  19. As soon as Orel said, get some momentum back getting a first pitch strike, I could just see it coming

  20. Let me revise what I said in my previous post. The called third strike on Mookie, barring a comeback in the bottom of the 10th, cost the Dodgers this game.

      1. Well, they may not have been only one for 10 with men in scoring position if the ump had made the proper call.

  21. We have no reliable left handed relievers and Robert’s still struggles in games like this. Troubling.

  22. The outcome of this game had nothing to do with having a reliable left handed reliever. It had everything to do with their inability to score runs.

  23. Separate issue, but this series could demoralize this team, have a bad feeling what a sweep will do to them.

    1. Yup, I consider tomorrow’s game a must win for them, or else that “bad feeling” probably becomes a reality.

  24. Maybe they didn’t score because the Braves pitchers did their jobs. My problem is that I have always disliked platoons. Roberts does it all of the time. I think you win or lose with your best players on the field. He burned their best three relievers. Then he brings Vesia back out to start the 10th. Sorry, I have no trust in that guy.

    1. The negative effects of Martinez’s prolonged absence is becoming more pronounced as time goes on.

      I’m fine with platooning (at most) 2 positions occasionally in some games, ..but not doing it A LOT in most games as Doc is doing now.

      So okay Bear – I’m curious if you were running the show, who your “best players on the field” within this present roster would be to win or lose with.

      1. 1B-Freeman. 2B. Betts, 3B, Muncy, DH Martinez, SS, Rojas, LF, Peralta, RF, Heyward. CF Outman. C Smith. Rosario, Taylor, Busch, Kike, Wong, Barnes, all ride the bench. PH if needed or late inning replacements in blow outs. I do not use Vesia, Gonzalez or Ferguson in close games. I have seen enough of Sheehan to believe he can be a good bullpen piece. One of the reasons I leave the LH hitters in against lefties is because the Dodger left-handed hitters are hitting .267 against LHP. The right-handed bats are hitting .236 against them. So much for guys like Rosario and Kike hitting lefties better. They have almost400 less at bats against lefties than the RH’s do, but they also hit for close to the same average off of RHP. .266.

        1. Yeah, I like it. But my only platoon would be Kiki/Peralta in the outfield regardless of their stats. But that’s it.

          One thing the Dodgers need to figure out right now is how “hot” is Wong really. Is his recent batting streak for real, ..or just a flash in the pan. I’d give him more AB’s to find out.

  25. Acuna’s blast had an exit velocity of 121.2 mph.
    Egad.
    Hope the Dodgers can avoid a sweep. Either way, the Braves should be a confident team. We can hope for over-confident. But the Dodgers clearly need to be at their best against this team.

    1. But is “their best” good enough to beat the Braves? You have to wonder after witnessing our “reliable” veteran SP’s (minus Kersh) get rocked in this series.

      1. Even if the Braves’ best is better than the Dodgers’ best, they have to play the game.
        It’s obviously close. Dodgers nearly came back from 7-1 in the opener and this game was arguably decided by a terrible third strike call.
        In the postgame, Roberts said he’d never seen an HR like Acuna’s 450-foot line drive, which had the highest velocity of any hit this year. “I didn’t know that was possible,” Roberts said.
        I distinctly remember the hardest hit I witnessed–a Canseco screamer that was just a couple of feet over the SS’s head and kept rising. Nobody clocked the exit velocity in those days, but it got out of the park with astonishing speed

        1. Hardest hit ball I ever saw was a Frank Howard shot into the pavilion that shattered the back of one of those old bench type seats they had out there. Willie Stargell’s shot that went OVER the RF pavilion roof was hit pretty hard too.

    1. Acunia hasn’t necessarily wrapped up the NL MVP yet, but yeah, with their overall performance in this series so far, the Braves have made a statement as the best …for now. But at least this series has revealed for the Dodgers exactly where they need to get better.

        1. The best did not win it all last year. As a matter of fact, the three best teams in the NL all lost in the playoffs. Including the Braves. It ain’t over until ya play em all.

  26. The Dodgers collected their first minor league title this season as the Dominican Summer League concluded their season today and LAD Bautista won the best-of-3 series, two games to one game over the Pirates Gold team, winning the third game 9-5.

    In the winner-take-all final, 17-year-old Joendry Vargas homered in the first inning to give his team a lead that they never lost. Vargas would go 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. The Dodgers would take a 8-2 lead before Pirates scored three runs in the late inning to make the final score.

    Vargas signed last January for 2.08 million and had an excellent professional debut in the Dominican Summer League. Vargas hit .328/.423/.529 in 208 plate appearances, with 31 strikeouts against 30 walks. Listed at 6’4”/175 and not turning 18 until November, it will be interesting to see if he stays at shortstop.

    1. 3 other players form the DSL to keep an eye on:
      Eduardo Quintero, cf
      Angel Diaz, c
      Tillero, P

      All three of them should go to RC next season.

      Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comments are closed.