- My Dodger Fan Granddaughter says “Peace!”
- 162 in a row baby!
- I heard from a reliable source last October that Striker Buehler was hitting 95 MPH, but they shut him down so as not to rush him. Now, Dave Roberts says he is hitting 92 MPH in bullpen sessions. That worries me as for him to be “his old self” he needs to hit 95+ MPH. Maybe he is not totally stretched out, but this is a little concerning.
- Gavin Lux was pushed back another day and will allegedly start at SS today (we were told that yesterday as well). It is normal to have ups and downs in recovery from surgery, but this is also of some concern. I am not saying the sky is falling, but I am also not naive.
- I am encouraged that James Outman homered off a LHP yesterday, but before we get too giddy, it was Kyle “Freaking” Muller who will not likely make the team (oh, it’s the A’s… maybe he will) who had a 7.60 ERA /1.96 WHIP last season. His single was also off a LHP, namely Francisco Perez, who had a 5.94 ERA/1.50 WHIP last year. Max Muncy also homered off of Perez. This is not a guy they will see in the regular season.
- Look, I have high hopes that James Outman will learn to hit LHP, but it is based on “hope” and not “reality.” Max Muncy has demonstrated that he can hit them in the past… although last year he had issues with LHP. I have voiced my opinion that I do not think Outman will ever hit LHP… although it would be great if he proved me wrong. I said the same about Joc Pederson and he became a very useful MLB player even though he never hit LHP. Outman is better than Pederson. He’s a better athlete. He is in better shape and he appears to be more serious and coachable. He will get a chance to prove he can or can’t.
- Quick, what reliever has the lowest ERA in all of baseball over the past two years? ANSWER: Evan Phillips... barely over 2.00… and the Dodgers need to give up three top prospects for Devin Williams… why?
- Ryan Brasier struck out the side in his only inning. Man, is this bullpen loaded… or what?
- So recently the Dodgers have hired Nelson Cruz, Chris Archer, Andre Ethier and now Matt Kemp as a special assistant. I guess it pays to stay relevant with former players on board.
- Emmett Sheehan is also starting late due to general body soreness. OK….
- I want to give a special “Goodbye” to several “small-minded, miserable, passive-aggressive, little men” at another blog I just left. If you are not that guy, then forget about it! If you are, I pity you – you are miserable individuals. No names will be divulged, but they know who that are. A weight is lifted and others know of who I am speaking! This will not be a pissing contest. I am done with them.
- Just a “heads up:” I will never again allow this blog to sink to the level it did recently. We will play nice and disagree without being disagreeable or you will be shown the door. I have some new software that will rid us of morons. Don’t be one!
More on Max Muncy
There is a great piece in The Athletic today by Fabian Ardaya on Max Muncy. It is entitled “Max Muncy is moving better at third base, a boon for the Dodgers.” It chronicles how Max Muncy’s defensive woes last year were explanable and even fixable. Max plans to be an above-average thord baseman this year and with his weight-loss and physical conditioning, I think he will. In part, it says this:
The ask is simple: While the Dodgers feel Muncy’s average could improve and there is a better offensive version of Muncy possible in 2024, a repeat of 2023 would still be an overall win for the Dodgers.
That is if he provides consistent quality defense at third base.
Getting back to that, however, requires a look back at what caused Muncy’s defense to slip again in the latter half of the season when the grass was set but he found himself struggling to get to balls without discomfort or burst. His steps felt slow. His knee was barking.
“I couldn’t get down into the ground,” Muncy said, “and it’s hard to perform when you can’t do that.”
And opposing clubs noticed.
— Fabian Ardaya
The Athletic
It went on to say:
“So Muncy tweaked his offseason program. After years of strength-focused work — some of which, he said, was seeking to regain the strength levels he lost after rehabbing from a torn ulnar collateral ligament that altered his career — he found his mobility lagging.
The strength is still there, Muncy said, but the intent was centered around getting his body used to different positions without the risk of wearing down. The workouts largely stayed the same, but he familiarized himself with the club’s mobility stick (the “carrot stick,” as Muncy calls it, due to its orange hue) and being diligent about stretching properly.“
It ends with Max is on a Mission.” Yes he is!
Mark,
I’m wondering if the platoon of Heywood/Margot gets off to a slow start if Vargas gets a starting shot.
162 in a row, who says no?
The bullpen is indeed loaded. Could we see at some point only one LHRP in the bullpen?
I wasn’t familiar with Doug McKain and Klein25 are those two folks you follow?
“Serious and coachable,” Is why I’m hoping Outman can break through against left-handed pitching.
Fingers crossed for Striker and Lux. No rush the depth of this team is second to none!
Peace!!
Anything is possible, but it is going to be up to Vargas and yesterday he struck out twice.
There may be just one LHP in the bullpen at times… not counting Yarbrough, who is not the 6th starter (wink, wink)
I actually do not like McKain, but they put out a lot of stuff.
McKain did score the AF interview this off season so I’ll give him props for that. His Youtube videos are laborious and difficult to watch. He packs about 7 minutes of useful Dodger information in a 55 minute video.
Ha!
Thanks, Norcal for the info on McKain. Grabbing an interview with AF in the offseason is impressive but I’ll keep your opinion in mind when checking his stuff out.
I just cannot see Vargas cracking the 26-man without an injury in spring or a trade no one sees coming. I think 25 will be his year with Hernandez and Heyward leaving. Same with Pages, but he is going to need to be healthy and prove he can hit AAA pitching first. With Bellinger going back to Chicago, I think that bodes ill for Michael Busch. Armstrong-Crow is the jewel in the Cubs crown, and he is going to be given every chance to win the starting CF job. If he does, Cody is the Cubs full time first baseman.
Muncy and Outman both homered off of left-handed pitchers yesterday. Some say neither of those guys will pitch in the majors. Might be true, but at least they saw the pitches well and hit them hard. That right there is a confidence builder no matter what. Does it mean they can hit elite LH pitching? No, at this point it does not mean a damn thing, but last year during spring training, Muncy hit 3 homers all spring, two against LHP. Outman also hit 3, also one against LHP. Last spring as a team, they hit 14 off of left-handers. Against righties they hit 20. They had 17 players last spring who struck out more than 10 times against RHP. They had no players with double digit K’s against lefties.
As I said, I am encouraged that Outman especially got the dinger, and he did hit it hard.
Seldom does everything go as planned.
Injuries are seldom forseen. Off years occur. Everything is not static.
This could be the lineup come opening day against Josiah Gray (if he is the starter, or it could be Mackenzie Gore, who is LH):
1. Betts 2B
2. Ohtani DH
3. Freeman 1B
4. Hernandez LF
5. Muncy 3B
6. Smith C
7. Outman CF
8. Heyward RF
9. Lux SS
6 LH batters. This team should kill LHP.
BTW, I have listened to Josiah Gray a lot on MLB. Radio – he is very knowledgeable and engaging. He has a future in broadcasting.
Against tough LHP, the lineup could look like this:
1. Betts 2B
2. Ohtani DH
3. Freeman 1B
4. Hernandez RF
5. Muncy 3B
6. Smith C
7. Vargas LF
8. Margot CF
9. Taylor SS
Only 3 LH Hitters.
As you can see, to me, it makes sense to keep the TOP 6 the same.
They are not playing DC opening day, they open at home on March 28th against the Cardinals. So it could be Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, or one of the other Cardinal starters like Mikolas. They do not play DC until the 15th of April at home. First homestand is four against St. Louis then three with the Giants. Kyle Gibson is also vying for a starting job
Yeah, I don’t know what I was looking at. Drugs are bad! 😉 Theoretically, they start in Korea anyway.
Against SD, it will likely be Musgrove or Darvish and then Sonny Gray against the Cards.
Yes, they start in Korea. Games start at three in the morning. Happy Birthday to Preacher Roe, Roe would be 108 if he were still alive.
Update above on Max Muncy
Per the Dodger page, Bobby Miller will make his first Spring start this Tuesday against the White Sox at Camelback.
3:10 PM ET
Dodgers (3-0 -1))
Rockies (3-1)
SP Ryan Yarbrough L
0-0 .00 ERA
SP Jeff Criswell R
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
2B Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
C A. Barnes R
SS Gavin Lux L
CF M. Margot R
DH M. Vargas R
3B Chris Owings R
RF Kevin Padlo R
Partly-cloudy-day
75° Wind 7 mph Out
Shohei Ohtani’s first Dodgers spring game is Tuesday
Mark, analyze me:
What would you think of me if I had been saying for 10 weeks, every day, that Outman is a fourth OF and Lux can’t play SS?
What would you think of me?
That you have an opinion. I would ask why. If you could articulate why, I would have no issues. I don’t have time now but I will respond more extensively later.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is slated to make his Dodgers spring training debut on Wednesday, with the right-hander to start against the Rangers in Surprise.
I’m glad you’re back! I really enjoy your blog. It’s the best dodger blog.
Margot to the Twins as being reported. Now what? Kiki? Vargas?
Margot traded to the Twins. Is a Enrique Hernandez reunion on the way?
According to Jeff Passan, Kike is finalizing a one year deal with the Dodgers.
Margot to Twins.
Welcome LF Miguel Vargas !!!!!!!!!
Not so fast with Kike coming back, there is not a roster spot for him.
Not going to happen. The K’s will keep in AAA.
He looked bad at the plate today. Vargas is not quite ready. Varland is pitching himself off of the roster.
Open for business. Once again! Welcome back Mr Timmons. Who has the better offensive year Kike or CT3. I’ll take a healthy Kike.
The Dodgers are close to re-signing utility player Enrique Hernández, per Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, though it seems contingent on the reported trade sending Manuel Margot to the Twins being completed. It will be a one-year deal for Hernández, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. It appears the deal is completed, according to Hernández himself on X.
I love CT3 and Kiké in the October games, they raise their level of play, they have the ability to hit the big hit or make a great play at the biggest moment !!!
I agree with that. Also great guys to have over a 162 game season.
I am not sure what Dodger Horse was getting at when he said:
What would you think of me if I had been saying for 10 weeks, every day, that Outman is a fourth OF and Lux can’t play SS?
What would you think of me?
If you are referring to me, I have been saying it for a lot longer than 10 weeks… more like 2 years!
Also, I said that Margot was trade bait and that Kike might be back.
I would say that whoever says that stuff gets lucky a lot! 😉
I could see Rojas getting moved too.
Need Rojas for insurance if Lux goes down. And he hit lefties pretty decently last year.
Taylor and Kike can both play SS.
Not at the same level as Rojas. Kike sucked at SS when the Sox put him there to replace Story. Taylor is good there, but not the defender Rojas is.
Mark, my prediction that for the month of June Vargas would be the LF and Teoscar would be the RF seems to be accelerated with the Margot trade, although I would like Vargas to play in AAA, for at least a month in LF.
I will make another prediction: the Cubs’ Heyward will return and Teoscar will take the RF and that will be the golden opportunity for Vargas to take control of the LF.
We know that the Dodgers are very patient with their players and will give Heyward as much time as possible, that’s why I’m going until June, as the deadline, for Vargas to be the LF and Teoscar the RF.
For now, Kiké and CT3 will play a lot of LF when a left-handed player is on the mound.
Not happening. Vargas will spend most of the season at AAA.
If Vargas is brought up to the Dodgers in June he will have spent most of the season in AAA, Lol!!!
He won’t be called up unless one of the starting outfielders is injured. With both Taylor and Kike as backups, he doesn’t have a roster spot. Heyward is a far superior defender, and Hernandez is making 13 million, so Vargas isn’t going to replace either of those guys. If anything, they are now RH heavy in the outfield. Taylor, Hernandez, Kike, Outman and Heyward the only lefties. Vargas will be on the roster no earlier than September if everyone stays healthy. Otherwise, next year is when he cracks the opening day roster as a left fielder. He needs more experience out there. And so far, his hitting is unimpressive.
Noah Miller is a project, but the move to get him for Margot and Doncan is so Friedman-esque. Here’s what the Twins Prospecty Report says (he is #23):
Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40
Miller is trying to follow in the footsteps of older brother Owen, who was a big league regular for the Guardians in 2022. The younger Miller was the Twins’ pick in the 2021 Competitive Balance Round A, signing for $1.7 million. The Wisconsin high school standout showed some signs of an excellent approach at the plate, albeit without much impact, while playing strong defense in his first full season of pro ball with Single-A Fort Myers in 2022.
There are ingredients for Miller to be a strong all-around infielder. The switch-hitter controls the zone well, drawing walks at an impressive clip, but as often as he was able to work counts, he wasn’t able to show an ability to do damage from either side. Some of that might come with added strength, and fatigue was certainly a factor, but Miller has also worked to make adjustments at the plate to create better angles and more impact. His right-handed swing had improved by the end of last season, but his left-handed one still needs some improvement.
Miller’s calling card will always be his defense. His tools and plus instincts will enable him to play shortstop for a long time, with a strong, accurate arm and the chance to eventually be a plus defender at the premium position. Those bullish on Miller’s all-around skills look at fellow Badger state prep product Gavin Lux, who had modest offensive production in his first full season of pro ball then took off with the bat a year later.
This move makes a lot of sense. I wasn’t feeling Margot. Also opens door for Vargas a bit.
It would have, but they resigned Kike. That shuts the door in his face. Kike and Taylor are more than adequate fill-ins for the three starters, Outman, Hernandez and Heyward. And so far his at bats have not been encouraging.
Good thing everybody will stay healthy all year.
Outfielders usually stay healthier than infielders. The guys ahead of Vargas have good track records that way, besides, all of the guys ahead of him are better defenders, and the Dodgers value that. I like the kid, but he lacks experience and right now, his bat is not looking good.
I think it will take more than 9 AB’s to make a determination.
Dodger Horse does not believe in Jason Heyward. He thinks Vargas will go to AAA for a while and then Teoscar will replace Heyward and Vargas goes to LF.
I can respect that viewpoint… I even understand it.
To me this trade depends on what you consider more important. Better hitting or more versatility.
For their careers against LHP:
Hernandez .257/.343/.458/.801
Margot .281/.341/.420/.760
Conclusion: Margot is better in making contact for hits at about the same rate Hernandez has better power against LHP.
Hernandez slashlines the last 3 years against LHP:
2021 .260/.361/.490/.850
2022 .224/.340/.435/.775
2023 .239/.304/.338/.642
Notice 2 years in a row his slashline dropped against LHP.
Margot slashlines the last 3 years against LHP:
2021 .273/.346/.406/.753
2022 .346/.414/.462/.875
2023 .277/.293/.372/.665
Notice the big rise in his slashline in 2022 his extremely good year, and big drop in 2023.
Conclusion: Margot has been a better hitter against LHP the last 3 years.
As far as Versatility goes, Hernandez is more versatile.
To me this trade is a wash.
Just my 2 cents.