Justin Wrobleski has seized the day. This Spring, he has 9.1 IP, a 1.93 ERA, and a 0.75 WHIP. I can see him in the Dodgers’ Starting Rotation in April. Where does he fit in? Well, they could put Tyler Glasnow on the IL recovering from his injury last season. Hold Glasnow out for a while so that he will be strong at the end. Makes sense to me. BTW, in his 9.1 IP, Wrobleski has allowed six hits, struck out nine, and walked just one. He is stating his case with his arm, and oh, by the way, he is LH. The Dodgers could use a LHP in the rotation.
The Dodgers are slowly building Tony Gonsolin up, and let’s not forget that he has an option and can be sent to AAA for 20 days. That could happen, and Landon Knack and Bobby Miller will also be in that rotation—maybe Jackson Ferris. Dustin May has no options, so he has to be on the team (unless he is injured). There are so many great arms on this roster that some are going to get slighted, and at some point, there will be trades.
Rants & Raves
- This year, Michael Conforto might be better than Teo Hernandez. Imagine that! I think he is a better hitter than Teo. He won’t hit 30 HR, but maybe 20 with a .300 BA! The Defensive alignment in LF and RF is a weakness! Tommy Baseball better be prepared to cover a lot of ground because Conforto and Teo can be clocked with sundials.
- James Outman now has 12 strikeouts in 23 AB’s. The Dodgers are giving James and Hyeseong Kim every opportunity – they are right at the top in at-bats, but both are overmatched. Chris Taylor is not off to a good start. In his age 35 season, the decline could be precipitous. He will get a long runway, but Bote is insurance in case CT3 is at the end of the line and has to be cut. You have to consider that a possibility while rooting for the guy.
- Andy Pages needs more time at AAA. Alex Freeland shows he is ready… but will go to AAA to play SS. Is Mookie one and done at SS? I think Mookie wants to win a Gold Glove at SS, but Alex is ready, so one and back to 2B seems about right.
- Clayton is progressing after throwing his first bullpen yesterday. Look for him to be activated as soon as he is eligible off the 60-day IL.
- Remember when we wondered if the Dodgers would ever win a game in Spring Training? Now, they are 10-6 and tied for the most wins in Spring Training. Today, we get to see (maybe) old Friends Jacob Amaya, Miguel Vargas, and maybe Joey Gallo. They are all fighting for jobs on the worst team in baseball. They are all hitting .403 combined!
- The Dodgers reassigned left-handed pitchers Jackson Ferris, Joe Jacques and Jose E. Hernández and right-handers Sam Carlson, Jared Karros, Jack Little and Jose Rodriguez to Minor League camp. Their roster now stands at 45 players total as they work to trim it down to the 31-man travel roster for Tokyo and eventually the 26-man roster for Opening Day”.
- I don’t lose my shit over Jessica Mendoza. She’s not my favorite, but there are worse announcers.
I’m stunned each time I think about how much pitching depth we have.
Other teams would be stoked to have Knack, Wrobleski, Casparius, Gonsolin, and May on their teams, and these guys could all be AAA pitchers for us.
The world has ended if we run out of starting pitchers this year!
You forgot Miller.
Haha, I did! And Sheehan. And Frasso and Ryan.
It’s unreal how much talent we have.
Good call on Wrobleski. He’s been a pleasant surprise this Spring–better than expected, creating a good problem for the brain trust. Dustin May has looked sharp too.
So maybe the season starts like this: Yamamoto and Sasaki in Tokyo, followed by Snell, May, Wrobleski. But what about Glasnow and Gonsolin and Knack and Bobby Miller?
So much depth.
I keep wanting to cook up a good blockbuster–but it’s hard to think of a realistic trade target that could move into the starting lineup today.
But what if a certain guy requested a trade?
How about Miller + Ferris + DePaula + Jeondry Vargas + Taylor + ??? for…. TROUT!
Sadly, he is prone to injury these days. But the Big Three would become the Big Four, with Trout at cleanup followed by Max, Teo, Conforto, Smith, Edman.
Looking ahead to next season, I’m assuming that Freeland and Kim will replace Rojas and Taylor. If Mookie moves to 2B, Kim will have to earn his keep as a UT guy.
Max, I think, will be back at 3B; his option makes him a bargain. Will Conforto earn a return engagement? Bote sure seems determined to earn a place on this team and could stick around awhile……
Getting Trout should include $$ going back to the Angels so with that caveat, how about Taylor, Muncy, Glasnow and??.
Trout would have to play CF one more year or until Conforto was eligible for trade.
Outside of a trade, I think Rojas will start the season at 2nd with Edman in CF. Kike’ will platoon with Max a lot and Taylor to give Rojas occasional rests.
Bench
Barnes, Rojas, Taylor, Kike’
Glad you are not the gm. our farm system would be wiped out.
I really like Tin Neverett and Monday. no screaming,no silly giggles, no over exerting the tonsils!! Just a solid job of broadcasting the game. So if i never hear Mendoza on the air waves again, so happy! Nelson? see Mendoza. i like joe davis as long as he’s not with you know who! i’ve said before, don’t hate her, just don’t like her doing games. She never breathes! … If Edman is going to be the center fielder, who’s playing second? Bote? or maybe a revolving door of taylor, kike, rojas? .. . And Mark , Chris Taylor looks awful! ( at the plate). .130 hitter on this team?? Barnes looks to be resurrected at the plate! Maybe he can help Taylor! Edman can’t play 2 positions at once! And Pages is NOT a center fielder at this point. And if the corner defense is suspect, they absolutely can’t run Pages out there! .. With Max at 3rd. The outfield. And not sure who’s gonna play second, the defense has to be a concern. Plenty of time to make additions or subtractions or both. Not panicking, just wondering. Still think te bench is weak. The next couple of days will be pretty interesting. Will they finally cut ties with Taylor or will they try. one more time to squeeze something out of him? If Bote finishes strong, how do they justify keeping Chris?And please don’t say the money he’s owed, this ain’t pittsburgh!
1. A young player or rookie has to EARN a spot.
2. Ten-year vets like CT3 and Barnes JUST GET a spot; however, they can lose it very quickly!
Totally agree Chris Taylor has earned a “long runway” but also think they’ll have to do something fairly dramatic IF he’s unable to get on track early. I like Barnesy way more than most. He calls a solid game with little fanfare. Quietly very competent. I LIKE Jessica Mendoza. I think a lot of fans (most?) have a problem getting used to a woman who knows the game. In many ways better than most of them know the game.
Two things about Jessica Mendoza:
1. She does have a great understanding of the game… and I appreciate that!
2. She always misses a good opportunity to shut up!
Vinnie was the master of knowing when to STFU! 😉
It’s that F’n annoying laugh that has me muting my TV when she is on.
Move her to the radio team
ALL announcers pale in comparison to the greatest to ever do it – Vinny.
But I think most announcers talk too much. Of course maybe it’s just that I miss Vin so much that no one will ever be good enough.
I see guys say her laughter annoys them. Sheesh guys. The woman laughs, so what?! It’s a helluva lot better than some sourpuss announcing. Its not frickin brain surgery, it’s a game, it’s fun!
I have seen criticism of Rick Monday before, but he is one of my favorites. He brings a knowledge of the game that I think is on a par with anyone. He is also still a hero for his flag capture.
Love Wrobleski. I’m always shocked when I see him ranked like #11 on prospect lists. He’s an MLB-ready SP who touches 97 and has already debuted.
Man, Scott as an easy delivery. Not saying he’ll be automatic, but he should have some stress-free saves.
3:05 PM ET
Dodgers (98-64) (10-6)
White Sox (41-121) (3-10)
SP Tyler Glasnow R
0-0 .00 ERA
SP Shane Smith R
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
SS Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
2B Miguel Rojas R
LF Chris Taylor R
CF Andy Pages R
RF E. Rosario L
63° Wind 2 mph Out
It is fun to guess who might make the roster and who maybe will not. I think May could open the year on the IL. Gonsolin is another IL option. I have zero confidence in Knack. Guy is a Lance Lynn clone. Gives up too many bombs. I can see the rotation out of the gate as Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, Wrobleski and Gonsolin. I just think May needs some more work. They could switch and Tony pitch out of the pen since he has experience doing that. Kim, Outman and possibly Pages headed for AAA.
Did Sasaki get kidnapped?
Nope, he is starting Tuesday against the Guardians.
Giancarlo Stanton has severe problems in both of his elbows. Gerritt Cole has to have imaging on his elbow. Not good news for the Yankees.
Based on those two injuries/absences alone it’s a fairly safe bet to assume they won’t make the playoffs or if they do they won’t advance far. (Unless of course they had Dave Roberts’ ability to manage a walking wounded pitching rotation!).
Sorry, just HAD to get that dig in there.
If I were a Yankees fan I’d be sad already.
GO GO GO DODGERS!
has nothing to do with knowing the game! it’s knowing when to clodse your lips!
Cheer up, Everybody. It could be worse.
You could have this:
Sickening!!!!!
I’m on a roll…
Leave kangaroos alone if they are wearing boxing gloves
They are definitely mean.
dear God Mark ! this is a family site! No room for AAAASSSSROD! .. seriously , those 2 made me puke!
One thing you can say about the Dodgers, they keep the broadcaster’s union happy. They employ 14 different broadcasters. I would think they lead the league in that category.
Every once in a while on this blog in a few others, there are posts (maybe sarcastic, maybe knee – jerky) about how it sucks to be a Dodgers prospect.
If you ever get pains of this, feeling yourself check out this article which alluded to how great the Dodgers development system is:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6186944/2025/03/08/matt-sauer-dodgers-tokyo-roster/?source=user_shared_article
How Matt Sauer got himself onto the Dodgers’ Tokyo travel roster: ‘It was awesome’
Has anyone ever heard a player say, “I wish I wasn’t in the Dodgers’ system?”
I think not…
That’s manufactured stuff…
Sometimes I get pains of this, feelings of myself checking out . . .
There is a great piece in The Athletic on Mookie Betts as a SS. Read it and you will never question how well he will do:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6176208/2025/03/05/dodgers-mookie-betts-shortstop-improvement/?source=weeklyemail&campaign=602288&userId=147501
From Mayo,Callis and Dykstra the Dodger’s minor league system is ranked fourth in 2025 in preseason:
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
2024 midseason rank: 5
2024 preseason rank: 8
2023 midseason rank: 6
2023 preseason rank: 2
“Top 100 prospects: Roki Sasaki, RHP (No. 1); Dalton Rushing, C/OF (No. 30); Josue De Paula, OF (No. 40); Jackson Ferris, LHP (No. 70); Alex Freeland, SS (No. 71); Zyhir Hope, OF (No. 74)
Baseball’s model franchise, the Dodgers have won two World Series in the past five seasons, made 12 straight playoff appearances and assembled one of the game’s strongest farm systems. They signed No. 1 overall prospect Sasaki in January, capping a 12-month period in which they also added two Top 100 prospects (Ferris, Hope) via the Michael Busch/Yency Almonte trade with the Cubs and two high-ceiling shortstops (Emil Morales on the international market, Kellon Lindsey as a first-round pick). Los Angeles may have the best collection of teenage talent in the game, headlined by De Paula, Morales, Lindsey and outfielder Eduardo Quintero”.
Pitching is off the charts! OF is strong and infield is good
Only changes would be deleting Taylor and Muncy, add Freeland, Pages. Kim’s speed and defense would be more valuable to this team than Muncy’ Ks, and dingers. Barnes’ resurgence might be more, “Well, he finally got an honest chance.”. Good for him, bad for the two top catching prospects imprisoned in the minors.
Stick a fork in Gerritt Cole. His arm is ready to fall off.
This is a huge blow to the Yankees. Losing Cole is like the Dodgers losing Snell, Glasnow and Yamamoto.
The Yankees are done with losing SP Gil for at least three months and Stanton with possible ending season surgery. Max Fried has also had arm issues with the Braves in the past and now must step up and be the ace if Cole is out for any significant time. In my opinion the Yankees in the American League before all their injuries were the Dodger’s biggest challenge. Watch out for Boston as an upcoming team.
Yankees also are losing Rookie of the Year SP Gil for at 3 months with shoulder issues and Stanton with possible season ending surgery on both elbows.With all the Yankee injuries, Boston has a chance to win the American League East.
With the Dodgers being so deep in pitching maybe they should do a trade with the Yankees. I understand the Yankees have a former centerfielder who would fit right in with LA.
That is interesting… but I don’t see it happening for lots of reasons.
4:05 PM ET
Athletics (-) (9-5)
Dodgers (98-64) (10-7)
SP Joey Estes R
0-0 .00 ERA
SP Blake Snell L
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
SS Mookie Betts R
2B Tommy Edman S
DH F. Freeman L
RF T. Hernandez R
LF M. Conforto L
3B E. Hernandez R
C A. Barnes R
CF James Outman L
1B David Bote R
71° Wind 3 mph In
“You NEVER have enough pitching”!!!!!
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Michael Grove is out for the season, per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. Grove was seen in a sling Sunday morning, and will miss the 2025 campaign following shoulder surgery.
Cut that Bum Snell!
Outman with a dinger against a lefty today.
Yes, he hit a HR while maintaining a 54% strikeout rate.
He hit a 72 MPH hanging slider delivered by a career minor leaguer who has never pitched above AA.
In AA, James Outman would be a beast!
Today’s HR falls under the category of one of these:
1. Even Blind squirrels find a nut occasionally; or
2. You are bound to run into one sooner or later.
I do not see a future in MLB for James Outman, and (if it makes anyone feel better) even though Miguel Vargas hit a HR against the Dodgers yesterday, he is also toast!
I know when to cut my losses!
The foresight that AF has is frickin off the charts. He knows starters are china dolls, so he stocks up accordingly. The sheer depth of our pitching staff is stunning. And will surely pay off over the course of a grueling regular season and pressure packed October. The Yankees and others will be left at the alter when their marquee studs start dropping like flies. God I wish I could play 4D chess like Andrew.
Book em