Will the Dodgers Be Rushing Dalton to Catch?

Posted By on June 11, 2026

NOTE: I wrote this BEFORE the Dodgers announced that Will Smith was going on the IL,

Will Smith has been one of the best, if not THE best, catchers in baseball for the past few years. But Will Smith is not a big guy – he is on the smallish side, while Dalton Rushing is a little “burly.” I’ll get right to the point: Will Smith is experiencing what happens to your body when it starts to break down as you age. I think Will needs to go to a less demanding position or risk sitting out half the games. Will’s bat (when healthy) is valuable. I have suggested in the past that he should move to 3B, but now I think that 2B is a better solution. The reasons why:

  1. He has a little experience there;
  2. 2B is likely easier to learn than 3B;
  3. Max is signed for another year and can platoon with Freeland, Edman, or whoever; and
  4. Rushing is ready!

Some say, “Well, Rushing is a hothead!” OK, maybe, or maybe he is just the guy you want to go to war with! I’d rather rein in my lions than teach my sheep to hunt! It’s also said, “It’s better to live 1 day as a lion than live a 1,000 days as a sheep.” A lineup with BOTH a HEALTHY Will Smith and Dalton Rushing would be a better lineup:

  1. Ohtani DH
  2. Pages CF
  3. Freeman 1B
  4. Rushing C
  5. Smith 2B
  6. Muncy 3B
  7. Betts SS
  8. Teo/Ward LF
  9. Tucker RF

If you don’t like where you are hitting… then hit your way out of it!

Last night’s game – Never happened! Write it off, but take note. Don’t worry… Be Happy! This is the same bullpen that went about 40 shutout innings earlier. Pitchers pitch well and then sometimes get out of sync. It happens all the time. Vesia, Hurt, and Dreyer didn’t have it last night. It happens. They just weren’t executing their pitches. You are going to win 50 games accidentally and lose 50 games accidentally. The other 62 determine your fate.

Case in point: Kyle Hurt – In 6 games in April, he had a 1.50 ERA. In May, he appeared in 12 games and sported a 0.75 ERA. So far in June, he has 4 appearances and a 21.60 ERA. So, let’s throw the baby out with the bathwater? Maybe he needs a tweak, or maybe he needs to go back to OKC to tweak more. The Dodgers know best. I’ll leave it to them. Games like last night are sometimes going to happen. DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT!

MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS

OKC Comets 10 – Charlotte Knights 1

This was not RHSP River Ryan’s finest start, but it was not bad either.  He pitched 4.0 shutout endings with stress, but in the 5th he allowed 2 leadoff singles and was lifted for RHRP Paul Gervase.  Gervase got a forceout at 2nd, but then surrendered a RBI single, a run charged to Ryan.  Gervase finished the inning with 2 walks and 2 K.

RHRP Evan Phillips continued his rehab assignment.  He competed 1.0 shutout inning, allowing 1 hit, 1 BB, and 1 HBP, with 1 K.  This was his 3rd rehab game.

LHRP Ronan Kopp allowed 2 singles, but struck out the side.  RHRP Griff McGarry and RHRP Keynan Middleton also pitched a scoreless inning each, but each walked one.

OKC took the lead in the 5th.  With one out, LF Ryan Fitzgerald singled.  With 2 outs, SS Hyeseong Kim singled.  The duo pulled off a double steal and scored on the catcher’s throwing error.

After the Knights pulled within 1, OKC put up 5 in the 6th.  RF Zach Ehrhard reached on a fielding error and stole 2B.  Ehrhard moved to 3rd on a 2B Tommy Edman ground out.  1B James Tibbs III singled to score Ehrhard.  DH Jack Suwinski followed with his 15th HR.  CF Alek Thomas started it up again with a single.  With 2 outs, 3B Noah Miller walked and Kim doubled (3) both home.

In the 7th, 3 walks and balk brought home another run.  In the 9th, the first two batters made outs.  JTIII walked, Suwinski singled, and Thomas walked to load the bases.  R. Fitzgerald singled home a pair to finish the scoring.

  • Jack Suwinski – 3-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (15)
  • Hyeseong Kim – 3-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, double (3)
  • Ryan Fitzgerald – 2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI

Box Score

Tulsa Drillers 5 – Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota) 2

RHSP Payton Martin continues to grow.  He now has two consecutive starts with 6.0 completed innings.  In April, Martin pitched 12.0 innings with a2 11.25 ERA.  For May and June (to date), Martin has pitched 36.1 innings and has compiled a 2.97 ERA over those 36.1 innings.

Remember, Martin was a high school SS with some mound time.  He was committed to play SS for East Carolina.  Dodgers liked his pitching prospects and drafted him in the 19th round, giving him a way above slot of $125K bonus.  He reached #18 with BA in 2025.

On Wednesday, Martin’s first 4.0 IP were scoreless with 1 hit and 1 BB to go with 4 K.  In the 5th, the leadoff hitter doubled and scored on a single.  It was déjà vu again in the 6th with a double and single scoring a second run.  He exited the game with a 3-2 lead.

RHRP Carson Hobbs pitched 2.0 scoreless innings while RHRP Cam Day pitched a scoreless 9th for the save.

In the first inning, DH Josue De Paula led off with a BB, stole 2nd , and moved to 3rd on the catcher’s throwing error.  CF Mike Sirota continued his mastery of reaching base safely with his 49th consecutive game.

After Wichita tied the score in the top of the 5th, Tulsa retook the lead in the bottom of the inning.  With 2 outs, RF Zyhir Hope drew a BB and scored ahead of 2B Jake Gelof’s 11th HR.  Gelof has been on a HR tear of late, with his 5th HR of June.

In the 7th, SS Sean McLain led off with a BB, and JDP (21) and Sirota (7) each doubled to plate 2 runs, giving Tulsa a 5-2 lead.

  • Josue De Paula – 1-2, 2 BB, 2 runs, double (21)
  • Mike Sirota – 2-4, 3 RBI, double (7)
  • Jake Gelof – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (11)

Box Score

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee) 5 – Great Lakes Loons 0 – Game 1, 7 innings

It was 0-0 for the first 5.0 innings.  Great Lakes did not score in the top of the 6th, but Wisconsin put up 5 off RHRP Dilan Figueredo, including a 3-run HR.

RHSP Aidan Foeller pitched the 1st three innings facing just 10 batters.  The only base runner was a single.  Foeller struck out 4. 

RHRP Robby Porco pitched 2 scoreless innings.

With 5 hits and 5 BB, GL had more baserunners than Wisconsin (10-7).  But nothing to show for it.

Box Score

Great Lakes Loons vs Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee) – Game 2 Postponed – Makeup Game Thursday

Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 6 – Ontario Tower Buzzers 1

RHSP Mason Estrada started and completed 4.0 IP.  In the first, after a one out BB, there was a two out RBO double giving  the Storm a 1-0 lead.  In the 4th, Estrada walked the leadoff batter and back to back WP put the runner on 3rd, where he scored on sac fly.

Even with the offense not showing up, the team was still in OK position going into the bottom of the 7th.  RHRP Jose Cabrera entered in the 7th as relief for RHRP Angel Cruz.  Cabrera walked the 1st batter.  He struck out batter two, and threw a WP allowing the runner to reach 2nd.  He struck out the next batter as well, but it was on a WP so the batter reached base and the runner moved to 3rd.  Next batter walked to load the bases. His third WP scored one run with the runner on 2nd moving to 3rd.  The runner on 1st stole 2B.  Next batter doubles to score two.  The runner steals 3rd and scores on a sac fly.

In the 9th, 1B Easton Shelton doubled (13) and scored on SS Joendry Vargas’ RBI single to break up the shutout.

  • Easton Shelton – 2-4, 1 run, 2 doubles (13)
  • Joendry Vargas – 2-4, 1 RBI
  • Bryan Gonzalez Garcia – double (1)

Box Score

ACL Royals 15 – ACL Dodgers 9

The ACL Dodgers had leads of 3-2 and 5-2, before the Royals scored 3 in the 6th to tie the score.  Then everything went south.  The Royals scored 10 runs in the 7th…4 singles, 2 HBP, 2 BB, 2 errors, 1 fielders choice, and 1 WP.

The Dodgers scored a pair in the 7th and 9th to close the gap.

  • 1B Oswaldo Osorio – 3-4, 1 BB, 3 runs, 2 RBI, 2 doubles (4), HR (3)
  • 3B Moises Bolivar – 2-4, 1 BB, 4 runs, 1 RBI, HR (6)
  • C Eduardo Rojas – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, double (1)
  • DH Daniel Mielcarek – 2-5, 3 RBI, 2 doubles (3)

The ACL Dodgers are 9-21 good for 15th out of 15 teams.  The run differential is -92.  Next closest -58.  They are half way through the season.

After winning the 2024 ACL Championship, the 2025 ACL Dodgers dropped below .500, and this year’s version is not very good. Okay, they are bad.  More on that later.

Box Score

DSL Padres Gold 9 – DSL LAD Mega 0

LAD Mega managed two hits, both doubles:  SS Yojackson Laya (2) and RF Hendry Arvelo (1).

No need to mention the pitching.

Box Score

This article has 104 Comments

      1. I think you are spot on about moving Tuck and Mookie down in the order. Having a cleanup hitter below the Mendoza line doesn’t inspire confidence in the fans, and everyone can see how both are struggling. Way too many swings at first pitches for outs.

  2. Sirota and DePaula are both hitting way over .300, but Sirota is OPS’ing 120 points higher. That’s likely because he is older… and stronger. Both of these guys are better than Kyle Tucker… RIGHT NOW! Just my opinion. These two guys are elite! This is the OF, I’d like to see:

    LF – DePaula
    CF – Pages
    RF – Sirota

    I think Sirota might be a better CF than Pages, but why mess with success?

    1. On the trade deadline, I’m going to sit back and make a pot of green tea and watch us do the unexpected: probably trade a starting player for another prospect!

  3. In his last 5 outings, 4.1 innings, Kyle Hurt has given up 8 earned runs. In Dreyer’s last 5 outings he’s given up 3 home runs. Tanner Scott’s last 5 outings, only 4 innings, he’s given up 5 earned. Hernandez also got bombed his last time out, and 7 earned with 3 HR in his last 5 outings he’s given

    For any pitcher, the last 5 outings is a big deal. Is this something to be concerned about? Kinda feels like it.

    “Will Smith is smallish.” To you maybe. He’s a stout 195 pounds, which is not far from the Major League average of 200 pounds. And second or third base? Generally speaking second requires more range and footwork while third demands elite reflexes and arm strength. I would try him at third, but then that’s where Muncy plays. If Will Smith is indeed breaking down, the Dodgers have a problem. He’s only 31. He should be fine. For a while anyway.

    Load management. We’ve been talking a lot about this. Well, I have anyway. Be careful.

    I don’t believe any of our minor league players are better than Kyle Tucker. Tucker’s OPS+ is 103. It will improve.

  4. That was the BPs second stinker in 4 days. They blew Sunday’s game too. Phillips and Stewart should be back soon along with Edman. And another roster crunch will emerge. Can Chukie Robinson be this year’s Rortvedt? The kid who pitched for the Angels and gave up 9 first inning runs is headed for TJ surgery. Can’t pronounce his name, let alone spell it. John: Saw your comment on Larker from yesterday’s thread. I had heard that about him. He just looked like one of those guys who was never happy. But he did have that one great season as a Dodger.

  5. Feels like an eternity that our bullpen had not given up a run in over 38 innings.
    Shows how quickly things can change in this game. For better or worse.
    Mookie and Tucker have become bona fide rallye killers.

  6. The odds of Sirota and/or depaula having any MLB impact this year 0- minus 5. Unless massive injuries

  7. There were also some strikes that were called balls at critical times in the 8th inning last night. It happens.

    1. That umpire last night was awful. He missed so many calls. The more I watch Tucker, the less I see of the player he was in Houston. His approach and swing are horrible. I am surprised he is hitting .230.

      1. I watched him a lot in Chicago last year. He is very unimpressive and average… or below.

        No one has been more pro-Friedman than me, but THIS is a blunder!

        However, if Conforto was worth $17 million to the Dodgers, then Tucker is worth double that. The problem is that they are paying him 4X that!

        1. Terrible contract,terrible player for the money! Could have had Ward for less than a million for one year. Veteran players are NOT always the answer on a roster for success.

          1. Its frigging June fellas. Give the guy a little bit of time, check the back of his baseball card

            Geez…..this place loses its mind after a loss….

          2. Matt old buddy, he has hit better on the road than at home. I will give him that. But watching his approach at the plate, I don’t see him making any adjustments to how they are pitching him. He still is chasing bad pitches, swinging way too much at first pitches that he CANNOT drive. I firmly believe he is FEELING the pressure of that contact and playing for an organization that is EXPECTED to win.

          3. I agree Andrew about Ward being better than Tucker and a bonus savings.
            I don’t typically cry over spilled milk but I remember lobbying hard for Ward last season when he was tearing up AAA and the Dodgers refused to promote him preferring to stay with Conforto. Had they given Ward a change, it’s possible a deal for Tucker would have never happened.
            AF screw Ward which lead to screwing the Dodgers with Tucker’s contract.

      2. Once Pitt burned their two challenges, the ump didn’t give them anything close to the plate, either during batting or pitching. He knew they couldn’t do anything about it and if the manager complained about balls/strikes, he gets tossed. But I bet Catcher Rodriguez got a sermon on challenges after the game. It would have been an ass chewing if they lost. Lol.

  8. Tough loss especially with a 6-1 lead. Maybe we need another bullpen arm at the deadline. Seems like Jack Dryer needs more work. His fastball last night was on a tee and very hittable.

    Win today and win the series. Then we are on to the White Sox. They just won the series against the Braves so they are playing well. It was only the 4th series the Braves have lost all year.

    1. They have Phillips on a rehab assignment, so he should be back soon. I could see them swinging a trade for another arm though.

  9. My opinion of Tucker was formed after watching him last year and part of this season. In his last season in Houston (where he missed over 80 games with injury), he OPS’d .993. Last year, he OPS’d .841. This year, his OPS is .720. I think you have to be bat-shit crazy to have much hope. I see a trend… and that is DECLINE! The league may have him figured out, or maybe he is not hungry since he got paid… or BOTH! This has the potential of being the worst signing in MLB history.

    Also, I am very concerned with Mookie. He is a world-class human, but you can see his foot speed has declined. Last year he OPS’d. 732. This year it is .606. He is still an asset defensively, but I will be shocked if he OPS’s much over .700.

    I agree with David that the Dodgers will likely not promote DePaula or Sirota to LA this year, but they should. It is not Andrew Friedman’s MO to sign a guy like Tucker. I think some day we will find out that ownership pressured him.

    Tucker, Betts, and Freeman are in decline. Freddie is still feared; Tucker and Betts… not so much. Several baseball people I respect think the league has caught up to Tucker, and they believe Mookie is on a steep downhill slope.

    1. So what are you suggesting? Clean house on a squad that is on pace for 102 wins?

      Mookie left his bat in his locker when he moved to short. You wanted Luis Aparicio? You got him. Luis OPS’d under 100 all the way to age 39. Made the HOF. Maybe Betts can do it too. The difference is, Luis was always an SS, made a dozen All Star teams there and won 9 Gold Gloves.

      Kyle Tucker is 29 years old. He is still in his prime.

      Fix the pen, get another quality starter in July, and cruise to another Division Championship. Matt is right. It’s June. Plenty of time to correct course.

      1. I think they will win 100, and I still see them as Odds-On-Favorites to win the World Series, but I felt Tucker was a bad move at the time and am even more convinced of it. We can live with Mookie for a couple of years…

          1. Diving into Kyle Tucker 2025 season, it’s pretty apparent he had an MVP type first half, then suffered some injury which crushed his 2nd half; hence the 2025 total OPS. Look at the first half OPS and second half OPS.

    2. I was pissed and disappointed in Mookie when he failed to run out the pop up he thought would be caught.
      He loafed.
      Some skippers would bench a guy for that but I guess Mookie has enough credit and troubles without that. But it was BAD baseball.

      1. Totally agree. I think it was in a playoff game when Teo hit a ball he thought was a homer, so he did not bust it out of the box. The ball hit the wall, and they held him to a long single. Bad baseball.

  10. Forget Skubal go get Aroldis Chapman and his 0.46 ERA. Can never have enough shutdown relievers.

        1. Oh really? They had no problem signing Bauer despite clear character issues and Chapman’s suspension was 11+ years ago. They will be in on him just like they were Miller last year and they wouldn’t have to sign him it would be a pure rental.

          1. It was 11 years ago. And if anyone remembers, LA had a deal in place to acquire Chapman. He would be welcome in this bullpen. Has a no BS mentality and throws lightning bolts.

  11. I agree with Mark, Sirota and DePaula are untouchable, to me Sirota is our #1 prospect. DePaula has more BBs than strikeouts and Sirota is close (50bb 54k) very rare in todays game. Sirota has reached base in 49 consecutive games and hitting .340 overall so far over 2 levels. As far as pen goes, they are going through a bad stretch and thats going to happen over a long season, but in our last 2 losses, Doc left both relievers(hernandez and hurt) in way too long when they clearly didn’t have it

  12. Tough loss? Absolutely! Pirates returned the favor from Tuesday. Wish Doc had continued the “6” innings from Ohtani game plan! lol!
    The bullpen has evolved from untouchable, to unreliable! Is it some fatigue? Doubt it. Maybe they are just not as good as they appeared a few weeks ago. Phillips will most certainly help. Stewart? Hopefully he can stay off the injury list. Hurt might be hurt! Dryer? I have no clue. I agree with Bear. A trade may be coming soon for some additional bullpen depth.
    I’m still believing in Mookie! But. He does swing at the first pitch way too much. It does seem to kill rallies every time he does!
    Ryan Ward is having a great time in the majors! I’m having a great time watching him! Hate the thought of him being sent back down! He’s out performing Tucker since he arrived! I believe he’s a mlb player. Maybe not a star, but there’s a place for him somewhere in the majors!

    I love it when dodgers players win awards. I love it more when they win World Series! More than likely, Ohtani will win another MVP. It seems that he wants the cy young award more. At some point, he has to become fatigued to the point where it hurts him and the team. I know he is superhuman, but does it make sense for him to wear himself out? Not my call, but skipping a start now and then , would make sense, right?
    Felt bad for Max last night. He makes that play 99 times out of a Hundred!

    Watched a little bit of the finals last night. Is it just me or does the NBA not even remotely resemble the game of the eighties and nineties? I don’t know, but it doesn’t appeal to me that much. I’ve said for a long time, the officiating is almost WWE style! Just me.

    1. LA is 4-10 at Pittsburgh over the last 5 seasons. They play LA tough no matter who they have in the lineup

  13. Is it just me or is Ward playing a solid LF and hitting with his strength? Mark penciled him and Teo in left, which is a common sense platoon. Those chase down and sliding catches show his experience in the outfield and he did a great interview a few days ago which showed his maturity and common sense. He understands the system and accepts it. The grand slam was a 400 foot rope at 24 degrees and got the whole bench on their feet. If there’s room for Ward, I think he will reward management.

    1. He’s surprisingly good but elite stuff still stymies him. I hope he gets traded to a team that can use him.

  14. Skubal comes off of the IL on Saturday and Mize will join him on Sunday. Time for the Tigers to make their push or become sellers at the deadline.

    1. I am looking for a push to the front for Detroit. They are 5.5 back for a WC and 8.5 back in a weak division that has CWS in first. My money is on Detroit. They will be buyers at the deadline, not sellers.

      For me, this bodes well for Snell who istarted his throwing program last Friday. AF/BG will not rush him like Skubal was, because there is no need to.

  15. If you keep Ward does Call go? One would think the Dodgers could pick up a decent reliever for either Call or Ward or both. They both deserve to be on a MLB roster. Maybe it’s just not a fit with the Dodgers.

  16. It’s good that Rushing will get a lot of reps with Smith out. Some “load management” for Smith now should help both him and Rushing in the long run.
    Rushing has been a streaky hitter and more games should help him become more consistent on offense and defense. If he shows that he can match or exceed Smith’s performance, that would be gravy.
    Is there any evidence that supports the notion that bigger catchers are sturdier? I’m not aware of any. I assume baseball teams have studied the relationship between size, body type and injury. Look around the majors and you see big dudes like Cal Raleigh and Perez and shorter guys like Alejandro Kirk, listed at 5-8 tall and about the same wide, at 245 pounds. Felix Fermin is listed at 5-11–but only 160 pounds.
    Yogi Berra, all-time great, was not a big guy. He was 5-7, and about 175-185 pounds in his prime. He was one of the sturdiest catchers ever. He played 19 seasons–long ones, because he helped the Yankees win 10 championships–and was an all-star 18 times. Sometimes caught both ends of doubleheaders.
    Will Smith is listed at 5-10, 195 pounds. He is injured at the moment, but showed his durability every inning of the WS, including an 18-inning marathon. Yes, Rushing is absolutely built like a tank, but does that mean he’s immune to injury? I don’t think so.
    In a few years, maybe Smith or Rushing will be asked to move to a position of need, most likely 3B or 1B. For Smith, 2B is an interesting idea…. Shades of Craig Biggio!…. But I don’t think it’s easier to play a stellar 2B than stellar 3B. Joe Torre and others played both catcher and 3B. Quick reactions and a strong arm are more vital at the hot corner, while playing 2B requires more range and perhaps technical aptitude for the double play.
    Both Smith and Rushing might seem a bit short to play 1B. But then, so was Steve Garvey.

    1. I think Smith could step in for Freddie if he is not resigned. No guarantee that after 27 Freeman still wants to play. He will be 38 years old.

  17. with such good NBA and NHL playoffs, it’s hard to really get excited over dodger roster moves that will never happen in a zillion years

  18. Epic game 4 last night in NY. Last 6 minutes of game Spurs looked like our bullpen! Given it up!
    Don’t forget that in Oct, Sasaki, Wrobo and Sheehan will also be in our pen. Mookie and Tucker saving themselves for post season.
    But can they please do it at the bottom of our lineup for now.

  19. Eno Sarris has a wonderful articles on “6 pitchers who have improved their stuff” ($$$$)
    https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7342665/2026/06/09/mlb-starting-pitching-improved-stuff-aaron-nola-justin-wrobleski/

    Sheehan, Sasaki AND Wrobo all make the article:

    Sheehan:
    He’s added more cut to his slider and leaned into its usage. He seems to be de-emphasizing the changeup. And lefties slug .496 against him. These things seem related, since the changeup should be a big weapon for him versus lefties.

    Sasaki:
    It’s nice when the process stats line up with a complete change in results, as they have with Roki Sasaki. His move to a harder splitter in favor of the forkball has given him more in-zone options and pushed his strikeout minus walk rate from terrible to elite in a four-start stretch. Finding another tick on the fastball has to be part of the story, but for the entire perspective, read Fabian Ardaya’s excellent piece on the subject.
    https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7337779/2026/06/06/roki-sasaki-dodgers-velocity/

    Wrobo:
    Two things stand out at first when you look at Wrobleski through the lens of Stuff+. For one, his slider is two ticks harder than it was at the beginning of the season. And two, his changeup is dropping three inches more than it did to start the season, thanks to a new split-change grip that he’s refined. Of course, the first is more important as he’s throwing the slider two-fifths of the time and the changeup a handful of times a game. But they’ve both contributed to his run of success.

  20. With regards to Will Smith moving from behind the dish, I’ve always thought catchers have an easier transition to 3rd or 1st.
    Mark stated “2B is likely easier to learn than 3B”.
    Not to cherry pick one statement, but I disagree.
    “Easier” is pretty subjective but I think 2nd is more challenging physically and mentally.
    Physically, catchers are used to seeing 100mph baseballs flying their way and picking short hops. They need good quick exchanges and footwork to get the ball in the air. But only one arm angle. Quick feet mean more than lateral range. Charging bunts and swinging bunts would be a new skill.
    Second requires much more range in every direction. Knowing at least 3 different pivots at 2nd is necessary to be any good at turning double plays (being a first baseman, a cross-one and a drop step), along with multiple arm angles. Working in tandem with the shortstop, pop flys and cut-off plays are all more challenging than at 3rd.
    Arm strength is valuable at 3rd but getting the ball in the air quickly with arm strength plays at both positions.
    Mentally, learning the pick off plays, covering first on bunt coverages, covering 2nd, backing up and cut-off plays are all more challenging in the middle infield than they are at the corners.
    Teams can hide guys at the corners. But not up the middle.
    Will is a smart guy and a good athlete. But for me a transition to playing third is “easier” than a move to 2nd. Some time at 1st would be way to spell Freddie.

  21. PJ,

    You may be right, but for me, 2B was easier to learn than 3B… but I never played in MLB or MiLB. I was just a hack. 😉 But I loved it. I started as a SS in high school, moved to 3B in my mid-20’s and then to 2B at about 35.

    1. Mark I actually had difficulty moving between short and 2nd. It sounds ridiculous but the spin of a hard hit ball was opposite and required an adjustment.
      The “cut-spin” versus the “hook-spin” of hard hit grounders was the exact opposite at 2nd than what I was used to at SS, so that first hop was opposite.
      Does that make sense?
      But it doesn’t seem to make any difference to Miggy Ro who can pick it with a pair of tweezers.

      1. Anyone who plays golf knows draws roll further than fades. Top spin.

        I played short and second before I ever played 3rd. I wasn’t eager to play third because of ego and how fast balls got to you so I was surprised how much fun it was to field a hot one at 3rd.

        1. For sure Bum. It’s the hot-corner for a reason. To my point, catchers see 100mph fastballs so they don’t do much flinching at pea-rod ground balls or short hops.

          Something else I hated as an infielder was a shitty fungo hitter who hit backspin ground balls. In a real game, I don’t remember any backspin ground balls. Those are typically pop-ups of fly balls. I wanted top spin fungoes or balls with hook or slice spin.
          Now days they have “live fungoes” practice which I wish I would have thought of. The fungo hitter gets a soft toss from the side and hits hard fungoes to infielders, at game speed with real type spin. It replicates game type grounders far better.
          Good fungo hitters are valuabe like good BP pitchers.

      2. I am a lefty, I played first or the outfield. I caught in slo pitch games. I also did a little pitching. I loved playing 1st base.

      3. There were a lot more right handed hitters in every league I ever played in. They hit cue shots to second. Every team in the Majors has a balance. Second basemen are fielding a lot more top spin grounders in the bigs.

  22. Outside the box thought: What if Freeland is traded off his relatively productive start and our potential redundant coverage of IF?

  25. Snakes just got swept 2-0 by the Marlins and are now 9 games behind the Champs in the Western Division.

    1. Snakes are overrated. Only two players on that team I would take are Carroll and Marte.

  26. Thursday’s Dodgers Affiliates’ Schedule
    3:10 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Christian Zazueta) at Wisconsin (Ethan Dorchies)
    Game 2: Great Lakes (JTBD) vs. Wisconsin (Tanner Perry)
    4:04 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Christian Romero) at Charlotte (Joe Rock)
    5:00 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Patrick Copen) vs. Wichita (Sam Armstrong)
    6:05 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Lake Elsinore (Bryan Balzer)

    1. If I haven’t said it before, thanks for this especially. It lets me know when to check the kids’ scores and stats!

  27. Tucker played in 14 games in spring training and has played in 64 regular season games. he hit .233 this spring. He is hitting .237 right now. Perhaps we are seeing exactly what we will get from the guy.

    1. Of course not.

      This is silly.

      This devalues his entire career and absurdly over-values spring training.

      1. Bluto, you take shit way too seriously. And you do not get my subtle sarcasm. Get over it dude. If he hits like the back of his baseball card, we will all be believers.

          1. Thanks Bum. Everyone talks about it is only 65 games. Not the point. In a few games, he will have been to the plate, 250 times. Most experts I have ever listened to say you can tell what kind of a year a player is going to have after 150 trips to the plate. If Tucker gets 500 AB’s, pretty much a lock with that contract, and he stays on this pace, he will wind up with 10 homers and 64 RBIs and 112 hits. Now we all hope Kyle gets his shit together and at least starts looking like he did to begin last season. He hit better on the road last year for the Cubs than he did at Wrigley. He only hit 7 homers at Wrigley. He is hitting .287 on the road this year and .181 at Dodger Stadium. Maybe they should just play him in away games.

  28. I’m not a fan of signing Tucker; I would have preferred Bellinger, but it’s done, so there’s nothing left to do but support him. This is just the beginning. It’s annoying, but not painful, to lose these kinds of games, and they’re still in first place with a pretty big lead. There’s nothing to worry about; the current bullpen won’t be the same one they have in the playoffs. There’s still plenty of time for Confortucker to have a decent season, he’s playoff material, so we have to wait a few more months before we can evaluate and criticize.

  29. 6:40 PM ET

    Dodgers (43-25)
    Pirates (35-33)

    SP Justin Wrobleski L
    7-2 2.62 ERA
    SP Mitch Keller R
    5-3 4.81 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup
    DH S. Ohtani L
    CF Andy Pages R
    1B F. Freeman L
    SS Mookie Betts R
    3B Max Muncy L
    RF Kyle Tucker L
    LF Ryan Ward L
    C D. Rushing L
    2B A. Freeland S

    87° Wind 11 mph R-L

    2. Sorry, but it is time to move Mookie out of the four hole and put him down where Rushing is.

  30. Happy World Cup Opening Day!

    Bobby’s Rules for Soccer (or, football as Watford would say): if you don’t have a dog in the fight, just root for the country with the best food and or cutest girls

    1. How was Rod Bobby? An Englishman who cheers for Scotland!!

      The more of Freddie I watch, the more I realise how many Outs he makes because of his incredible “Picks”, but mainly because of his enormous reach. Crushing is short – I’m not sure 1B is in his future.
      I do like Dalton’s aggressive approach, it’s what this team needs. Hope they don’t knock it out of him.

  31. My 13 year old daughter made a running catch down the LF foul line the other night. Her momentum took her crashing into the fence. My first reaction was surprise with a bit of pride that she made the catch since she normally plays 1st base or 2nd base. Then I immediately thought to myself that Kyle Tucker wouldn’t have made that play. He would have pulled up. My biggest disappointment with him so far has been his defense. He’s soft. He’s timid near the walls whether it be the outfield walls or in foul territory.

    I figure at some point he will remember how to hit but the defense has been bad and he looks soft. I’m not going to anoint Ward so quickly. I hope he keeps it up but the league will adjust to him. Will he have what it takes to adjust? I hope so if only to increase his trade value. De Paula and Sirota will be beating on the door next year.

  32. What is going on here?

    Despite the fact that Will Smith has never said he wants to stop playing catcher
    Despite the fact that he has an remote, but possible path to being a HOF catcher
    And despite the fact that the club has never even intimated that he should play another position there’s discussion about moving him to an already occupied spot???!??!?

    And Kyle Tucker, a multiple time All-star, WS champ, Gold Glove/Silver Slugger winner. Whose credentials also include leading the AL in RBIs (an antediluvian statistical love of some here) is being caricatured and devalued?

    Guys. Girls. Come the fuck on.

    The Dodgers are coming off two WS wins. They have the 2nd most wins this year, with Betts and Tucker underperforming and two key starters and the bullpen closer all injured.

    Life is great for a fan. Why are we wasting it on useless fantastical banter?

    1. It is the greatest time ever to be a Dodger fan, but let’s look at a little history:

      The Astros did not draft Craig Biggio with a long-term master plan to make him a second baseman. He was drafted out of Seton Hall University as a catcher in 1987, developed as a catcher, reached the majors as a catcher in 1988, and became an All-Star catcher in 1991.

      What did happen is that Astros management began to worry that catching would wear down one of their best athletes. Biggio had unusual speed for a catcher, stole bases, and projected as a player whose legs could be a major weapon. The Astros even experimented with him in the outfield part-time in 1990 to reduce the physical toll of catching.

      By the winter before the 1992 season, the Astros actively pushed for a move to second base. According to longtime Astros coach Matt Galante, the organization believed that moving Biggio off catcher would prolong his career and allow them to take full advantage of his athleticism. Biggio reportedly resisted the idea at first because he was already an All-Star catcher.

      In hindsight, it was one of the smartest position changes in baseball history:

      All-Star catcher in 1991.
      Moved to second base in 1992.
      Became the first player ever selected to All-Star Games as both a catcher and a second baseman.
      Won four Gold Gloves at second base.
      Played 20 seasons and collected 3,000+ hits.

      Will Smith would bennefit as well.

      Insofar as Slack Jaw Tucker, I hated the signing and hate it now. They will win in spite of him!

      1. Is it possible that Biggio is an outlier?

        Even if he isn’t, he’s a horrible proof of concept.

        Biggio played 2B in college. He relied on his speed to produce value, thus moving to 2B helped him retain value. He was small for a catcher. He led the league in passed balls and was in the bottom quartile in throwing runners out.

        There is ZERO relevancy from his situation to Smith’s.

        I again cite the fact that nary a Dodger official nor anyone named Will Smith wants him to move to another positon. But you think he would benefit!

  33. Wow. So many giving up on a player in early June. I hope he’s serving crow in September/October.

    1. I hope he is too, but he looks pretty pathetic right now. His numbers at Dodger Stadium, where most of their remaining games will be played, are dismal.

        2. You mean that 61 MPH bloop over 3rd base? Please. The only thing he is crushing is beer cans.

    2. Wasn’t that long ago, that many were wanting to move Ohtani down in the batting order. Haven’t heard much of that lately…….

  37. Kristen just said Ohtani has a knee contusion and Wrobo has a hammy problem. Definitely looks like a pitching call up tomorrow.

    River Ryan, come on down!

    1. Roberts said he had discomfort behind his knee. So, they pulled him as a precaution. He said they will wait and see how he feels tomorrow in Chicago when he goes through his pregame drills. As for Wrobo, he is fine. He just got hit in his hammy and got a big bruise. Ryan is not coming down.

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