Just for kicks, let’s look ahead to the 2026 MLB All-Star game. Here is a note from the color commentator.
“Here in the second inning with two outs, the AL second base all-star is making his first all-star plate appearance. Tampa Bay Ray’s second sacker was selected as the best at his position in this, his third MLB season. Former North Carolina Tar Heel Michael Busch may not be a Joe Morgan with Morgan’s lightening in his glove, but he doesn’t have to be. The thunder in his bat is what got him here and he may just be another Jeff Kent. Kent was a 20th round selection by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1989 and made his MLB debut in 1992. In August of his inaugural season he was traded to the Mets in the David Cone deal. He had been backed up behind 12-time all-star Robbie Alomar who came to the Jays from the San Diego Padres in 1991 along with Joe Carter. Michael Busch was selected in the 2019 June Draft as a compensation pick for the Dodgers failing to sign first round pick JT Ginn in the 2018 MLB Draft. He too was backed up at the keystone position behind NL all-star second baseman Gavin Lux, Zach McKinstry, Omar Estevez and Devin Mann. He came over to the Rays in the Blake Snell trade.”
OK, a guy can dream and that might be my best Orel Hershiser impersonation.
Now back to the future as there was no present for the minor leagues this year. The information from the instructional league was sketchy at best.
During the past few weeks on a number of sites, including LADT, Michael Busch has been a frequent flyer to the prospective trade list. I expect I can understand it a bit as he, opposed to Jeff Kent, has a left-handed bat. He has basically lost two seasons, his first to injury and his second to the pandemic. He might be an iffy second base prospect defensively and perhaps more suited to first base. At this point there are the aforementioned second base options for the Dodgers who are ahead of Busch. He is now 23 as are Gavin Lux and Devin Mann. Omar Estevez is 22 and Zach McKinstry 25.
I tend to overly value prospects and make no apologies for it. They are the future of MLB baseball and I can truly relate to what they are going through. In my chosen profession I was a Zach McKinstry. I cannot relate to MLB players who make millions of dollars and always seem to need more.
So, back to Michael Busch. I expect most LATD readers are familiar with his baseball path but for me this is a refresher so I might just as well share it.
Busch was born in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, and attended Simley High School in his home town. He was a three sport athlete in high school starring in football, playing hockey and baseball. Like Zach McKinstry he came from the colder part of the United States where the baseball season gets squeezed unlike venues in the South and West Coast where baseball can be played year round.
He was not sure what his future held in terms of his athletic abilities, but he perhaps found out with one at-bat in a high school game. Although he made the varsity squad while in grade eight – a rare feat indeed – he made his decision while a sophomore. One of seven children, his older brother Logan spotted the moment when it possibly happened. Busch crushed a pitch, doubling off the wall in the right-center gap – against a future Division I pitcher.
As a high school junior we also get a glimpse of Michael Busch, the young man. When asked what is the best sports advice he ever received he responded:
“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”
Getting back to the short baseball season in Minnesota, Busch tried out for the Minnesota Blizzard when he was 16-years old. He was a standout at tryouts his first year and recalls what it was like on his first day with the program.
“I believe the first time I had heard about the Blizzard was when I was about 13 years old,” Busch said. “Someone had told my dad about it and we started to look more into it. I remember my first year of tryouts being very nervous and excited at the same time. Nervous because I was competing against the best competition not only in the state but the nation.”
Busch played three years in the elite Blizzard program. A brief note about the program. Since 2012, the Blizzard Elite Baseball program has played a full summer program playing in some of the top tournaments and against the best competition in the country. The primary purpose is to assemble the most competitive roster possible to play in great and well-run tournaments. The Minnesota Blizzard has an experienced staff full of veteran coaches who have been in the program for several years to help develop, compete, practice and help players learn the valuable lessons that the Blizzard Big 5 run their program by.
“Busch was different,” Angelo State assistant and former Blizzard director Johnny Anderson said. “At tryouts, the way he moved in the infield was superior to the rest. He was quick and agile, made all the plays – and he could hit! That was what really separated him from the pack. His bat speed and his ability to hit could have put him on a varsity team. I remember thinking – this kid is going to play pro ball someday.”
“Busch is one of those guys where you can catch yourself watching instead of teaching,” Blizzard owner Adam Barta said. “He’s just so smooth in everything he does. You almost forget he is 17.”
“He’s very receptive to instruction and is diligent about how he goes about his business,” Barta continued. “He is dialed in at practice which you don’t see all the time with younger players. It takes patience to really learn how to practice. He’s got it. He’s a gifted athlete who is getting better all the time.”
Following high school Michael Busch headed off to North Carolina after being heavily recruited by the Tar Heals. His freshman season was not one to write home about unless you might be deciding to pack it in. In 135 at bats he almost hit below his current weight of 207 pounds recording a .215 batting average. When things go badly there are two ways to go. One is to accept defeat, continue to wail away, give up or meet the challenge head on confident in your abilities and with confidence in those who are coaching you. Busch took the latter route.
Following his first kick at the can in North Carolina, he headed off to the Northwoods Summer League. With the St. Cloud Rox during the 2017 Northwoods League championship season he played in 49 games hitting .291 with 23 extra base hits, including a team high 17 doubles and driving in 28 runs. Baseball America listed him as the 7th best prospect in the Northwoods League. Of note, catcher Hunter Fedducia was listed at number 4.
During the 2018 college season he posted a triple slash of .317/.465/.521 and an OPS of .986 along with 13 home runs and 64 runs batted in over 63 games. Something had happened. For one thing, Busch stopped trying to hit home runs. For another, he matured as a hitter with his hard work paying off.
“Some people think it’s all about swing mechanics,” Busch said. “But people don’t really notice it’s just the pitch you’re swinging at. The percentage that you’re going to hit that pitch is very, very low until you wait. Even in the ACC, a pitcher’s going to make a mistake maybe once an at-bat.”
https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-sign-draft-pick-michael-busch
Billy Gasparino’s take shortly after selecting Busch whom he likens to Max Muncy.
“Michael is a guy who we thought was one of the better bats in the Cape Cod League, both in terms of performance and swing, as well as overall defensive versatility. He’s been a staple in the UNC program. They rave about his makeup and his character, and we’re excited to add him to our organization. We’re going to challenge Michael and start at second base.”
His 2019 season in professional ball did not go as planned but was pretty much wiped by a hit by pitch hand injury restricting him to only 31 plate appearances in which he had three hits and seven walks. What else do we know about Michael Busch?
MLB Pipeline had this to say about the Minnesota native:
“Busch masterfully controls the strike zone, waiting for pitches he can attack and taking walks when pitchers refuse to challenge him. His sweet left-handed swing features plenty of bat speed and his balanced approach allows him to drive the ball to all fields. He should hit for average and power while drawing more than his share of walks, giving him one of the highest offensive ceilings and floors among 2019 draftees.”
The 2020 minor league season was canceled due to Covid-19. However, the Arizona Instructional League did what it could to help young minor league players get in all the work they could. Statistics were not kept but there were some anecdotal records. This one was widely circulated about Busch.
“Busch earned universal reviews as the top hitter in Arizona. He took high-quality at-bats, turned around upper-90s velocity and showed home run power to center field and both gaps. His balance, bat speed, hand-eye coordination and strike-zone discipline all drew high praise. Evaluators were split on Busch’s defense at second base, but he earned consistent grades as a plus hitter with plus power.”
Oh yes, as someone pointed out a couple of days ago, Prospects Live listed the Dodgers minor league prospects in order of their preference. Michael Busch is listed as their choice for top hitter and second overall prospect behind right-hander Bobby Miller.
The last word goes to Michael
“I really pride myself on having really good at-bats,” Busch said. “Not being that all or nothing hitter, but just being an all-around solid hitter. I don’t focus on getting extra-base hits. Just every at-bat trying to get a hit one at a time and getting on base. I think that approach has helped me improve my game and take it to the next level.”
Great info on the kid. I got my first Michael Busch rookie card the other day. His 2020 Topps Chrome. I would love to see what the kid can do. And you might be right, he might well be a trade chip. But then again, so might Lux. Estevez will most likely be plucked from the organization during the rule 5 draft.
Just reported on Twitter and evidently true. The Chicago Cubs Marquee Sports network is searching for a new TV broadcaster for the Cubs. At the top of the list of candidates is one Joe Davis, who currently is the Dodgers lead announcer on TV, and also works for FOX sports. It must be noted that Davis grew up a Cubs fan and the Chicago TV market is huge.
Busch sure looks the part.
Second baseman. It would appear we have a few. In looking at that Prospect Live list, have to admit I never saw it before, but I like it, Busch is our number 2, McKinstry is our number 14. Estevez is way down the list so if he goes, oh well.
The numbers are interesting. Across the board, Hit, Power, Field, Arm, Run, Busch grades out at 55, 55, 45, 45, 45. McKinstry grades out at 50, 40, 60, 55, 55. I’m one of the 3 out of 2 have trouble with math, but according to those numbers McK grades out higher, but is way down our list of prospects. I’m going to assume hit and hit for power means a whole lot more than field arm and run with today’s players. In my grading system field arm and run average grade would be of equal value to hit. Power stands alone. But that’s me.
The point is, we have 3 pretty darn not too bad second baseman in the pipeline, 4 if you count Estevez, I don’t, all about the same age and all of them hit left handed. The question I have is – which one do we include in the trade for Arenado?
I think McKinstry is down a bit because of hit and power and more so being 25 years of age. Zach has been my number 1 minor leaguer for a while and now I have to hitch my wagon to another as he is ready for MLB.
He looked ready this year. He was blocked.
Hopefully they all get to play competitively this coming year.
DC always appreciate that you keep us up to date on our prospects. Sure hope we get a minor league season in this coming year so all these young guys can continue to develop
Nice write up Harold.
When I looked at the breakdown of Dodger Prospects by position last week, I noticed that we had 4 2Bs and NO 1Bs in the pipeline.
You mentioned that he might not have the best glove out there, so could he move to 1B in the future?
Certainly sounds like a keeper for now.
He played quite a bit of 1B in college and it was a bit of a surprise he was drafted as a 2B player. Billy Gasparino did make a Max Muncy comparison and Max is an unlikely second baseman.
Busch could easily play LF too per the scouts.
Boom! That’s where we need him. Make him a left fielder this year.
DC, so good to see an article from you, one I thoroughly enjoyed. I, too, am a big McKinstry fan. But boy is it ever hard for me to choose between Gavin Lux, Zach McKinstry and Michael Busch. They all have excellent abilities and deserve a chance to move forward in my opinion.
Thank for your article on Busch who sounds like a winner to me. Cannot wait to see what he can do with the big club and hope he gets a chance. Love your way with words, DC, and hope you and family are well and safe in Blue Nose Country and the beautiful province of Nova Scotia.
Excellent article Harold!
Great information on Michael Busch. I appreciate hearing about his high school and college experiences in baseball.
When Busch was drafted, it sounded like he lacked athleticism and was more of a first baseman only that the Dodgers were going to try at second base. His multi-sport background and his work ethic to earn his spots on elite travel ball and collegiate programs are impressive.
Interesting that several of Dodger top prospects have come from the Midwest towns with limited opportunities to play baseball in winters. Busch from Minnesota, Lux from Wisconsin, Hoese from Indiana, and McKinstry from Central Michigan U and Indiana high school.
Thanks for the great research and perspective.
Great article DC. Jeff told me you were writing a story. Glad to see it. Not much baseball news going on right now. I think the rule 5 draft is coming up on Thursday. Dodgers are expecting to lose Omar Estevez. Not sure if any of the others will be taken. It has been a slow couple of days after the initial burst of action Monday. I myself do not expect anything dramatic from the Dodgers.
I just got a call from my sis in California. My brother Steve had a heart attack this morning. He is in the ICU at Torrance Memorial. He has some learning disabilities but he has a job at Harbor General Hospital in Carson as an appointments clerk. My sis is an RN at the same hospital. They said he was pretty lucky as the attack was centered in an area of the heart where it is usually fatal. So he dodged a bullet there. Sis will give me more info later. Looks like he will be in the hospital for a while.
Prayers for your family Bear and for quick healing,recovery.
Sorry to hear that Bear, prayers are with you. I’m familiar with Torrance Memorial. Very good care over there, he’s in good hands.
Mets close to signing McCann. Would take them out of the Realmuto sweepstakes. But allow them to pursue bigger deals with perhaps Bauer and Springer.
Rumors are very hot that the next chip to fall for NYM will be Springer. They wanted to tie up McCann in case they needed to pursue Realmuto. If they get McCann, Springer will not be far behind.
The market for Realmuto is closing. There really are only a couple of teams with the ability to pay. Toronto has a boatload of quality catchers/catching prospects. LAA needs catching, but with Stassi (who they like a lot), they recognize they need pitching more. Nationals might be a fit and they will spend. Tampa Bay, who needs catching badly, is not in the same hemisphere with their ability to meet JTR’s demands. If I was JTR’s agent I would wait until Bauer is signed before I sign. The market becomes more defined. However the word is that JTR wants 7 years. As a 31 year old catcher, that seems very ambitious.
Bear, so sorry to hear about your brother. Prayers and good wishes for him and hope he makes a speedy recovery.
Thank you DBM. Kind of a shock really. He is 50. Hopefully the doctor can convince him to change some things so this does not occur again.
Bear, I am so sorry to hear about your brother’s heart attack, but so very joyful that it was caught in time. Prayers for him and the family,
I hope your brother pulls through Bear. I was just told my younger brother lost his pulse and that they’re trying to……. I now just got a call saying he didn’t make it. I have a strong feeling that the hospital is largely to blame. I don’t know how to get to the bottom of it. Any advice there?
I am so sorry Quas for your loss. My prayers for you and your family. I have no sage advice. In 2004, two months after getting to watch her grandson play for the Red Sox against LAA (in Anaheim) and strikeout against KRod, my mother in law passed away. She went to the hospital with a broken arm, and died that same weekend due to complications from pneumonia. How does that happen? The hospital’s attorneys are much better than those we could have hired, and with much deeper pockets. We could not find a contingency personal wrongful death attorney to take the case.
Again, I am so sorry, and will pray for your brother and the family.
Quas – I too am so sorry for your loss. You and your family are in our prayers as is Bear and his family.
I’m so sorry to hear that. Prayers for you and your bother Quasimodo.
So sorry about your brother, Quas! My only advice is to take your time to mourn and also remember the good times with him. Leave the legal stuff until later. First things first. My heart goes out to you.
RIP, Quas’ brother.
Great stuff AC. A prospect I knew little about. I learn so much about prospects on this site. Thanks for the info.
I have been off the radar screen for a few days but now I have finally caught up. I was in the process of getting back and settled in my condo close to Camelback Ranch. I’m loving being back in Az. Going to be mid 70’s today without a cloud in the sky. Pool time for sure.
I have some thoughts on things from previous posts:
* Bumsrap gets my quote of the week award for “Players like Arenado and Harper who agree to huge contracts that leave less money to build around them need to shut up about a team’s weaknesses and play.” Yup.
* AC, I’m so glad you are feeling better. I too have a history of getting sick almost every winter. I thankfully missed last winter. I get a cold that goes straight to my lungs. Then bronchitis. Same kind of cough you had and zero energy. It hangs of for weeks. That’s one of the reasons covid scares me. My respiratory system is vulnerable.
* For those of you who have been to Camelback Ranch, you will be surprised at the building going on around the complex. If you’ve been there you know that there was one road in and out off of Camelback Rd. That road was a dead end past the stadium. Now that road has been extended north and east all the way to 99 and Westgate, where All-State Stadium sits. That will provide a new way in and out to Camelback Ranch. A new housing development is under construction along that street, called Ballpark Way. You could have a house on the west side of the development and be 500 yards from the ballpark. Every year new construction appears around here like it’s just dropped from the sky.
* I was saddened to see that Dick Allen has passed. Cassidy’s favorite. He was a polarizing figure and ahead of his time. He was a character. Some of you may remember the controversy he created in June of 72 when he appeared on the cover of SI in his White Sox (red) uniform smoking a cigarette and juggling baseballs. A player seen smoking in his uniform was a no-no. Bad role modeling. I don’t thing he really gave a rip.
* As a Phillie, “Richie” Allen was larger than life. He was Paul Bunyan. He wheeled a 40 ounce bat like a toothpick and there were rumors about his awesome strength. One was that he had a surgery and the scalpel had a hard time cutting through his muscles. I was a young Phillies farm hand at the time and we were in awe of him. We believed anything.
* In those days it was the latter days of those scratchy old wool horse blanket uniforms. In the next couple of years the Phillies changed to the blue road uniforms, polyester, and new “P” logo. But we still wore the hot horse blanket stuff that passed down to the minor leagues when the big leaders were done with them. And the uniforms all had the big leaguers’ name stitched inside. So, I ended up with “Richie” Allens old wool pants. I picked them out quickly because, get this, they were lined with white silk. No scratchy wool touched my legs. I loved those pants. That was exactly the kind of thing Allen would get and the kind of thing he demanded. He was beloved and booed at the same time.
* Quite a player and quite a character. I think Dick was attracted with the quote about playing on hard Astroturf, “if cows can’t eat it and I can’t smoke it, I don’t like playing on it!” Something to that effect. I found it interesting the Dick was later a counselor for MLB, mentoring young players on how to behave.
Sad to see him go.
Nice to read all the Hot-Stove stuff. Keep it coming.
ps – Bear, sorry to read about your brother. My prayers are with him and your family.
Thank you Phil, I appreciate it. Rule 5 draft is tomorrow. I expect maybe a couple of signings. People on Twitter going nuts because Kike posted a pic with a cap that had a question mark on it. Most think he should be a starter somewhere. I disagree. He was given that job twice in his Dodger tenure and could not hold it.
Phil, do you know Buster Pidgeon, Keith Henderson and Rick Bosetti?
Good stuff, philjones. Very interesting about Dick Allen . Loved his quote on artificial turf. Congrats on your Condo in AZ. Can’t wait to get your first-hand analysis of ST. Stay safe and well.
Funny thing about Allen DBM was how much I disliked him when he was in Philly. His one year in LA was not all that great, but it wasn’t a total bust either. But from all accounts he and Alston did not get along at all.. And I actually thought the Dodgers got a bad deal when they traded him to the Sox for Tommy John.
Didn’t Allen run into a palm tree in Vero Beach?
I think he knocked it down!
Dodgers extend invitations to OKC, Tulsa, Great Lakes and Rancho Cucamonga to remain as their farm teams. Great Lakes has already accepted.
Good news, Bear.
Great news that the Loons are still in full flight with the Dodgers. Without them I would be basically shut out of following any Dodger related games live.
The Loons apparently will be an advanced A team.
Yes. The Midwest League (Loons) and the California League (RC Quakes) changed A levels. The Midwest League got the nod for High A because their attendance was quite a bit better than the California League. The Loons are the longest tenured affiliate for the Dodgers. This will be their 15th year at Great Lakes. This will be Rancho’s 11th season as a LAD affiliate and the 7th for both Tulsa and OKC. Good MiLB stability. The non-Dodgere owned affiliates are looking for long term licenses.
I’m a little disappointed that the Rancho Quakes will move down to low A. Selfishly, It will likely mean fewer MLB rehab assignments. I’m hoping the proximity to Dodger Stadium will trump the issue about rehabbing players at such a low level.
But that is great news for the Loons. They have a good fan base. There was speculation that the Loons would be dropped and the Dodgers would sign with Spokane. For years my son and I have traded with several friends who are Loons regulars. They’ve sent my son autos and game used stuff and he has had them send out things that he can get signed for them. Players they missed when they were with the Loons. Looks like that process will be reversed from now on. But I’m glad the Dodgers are maintaining continuity.
Bear the other day you were asking about ideas for future articles. I’d like to see how our payroll would play out if we were to sign our big free agents to come. Seager, Belly, Buehler and Urias. Would that be too many max or near max contracts. Up to now our strength has been our depth and production from mid level guys like Muncy, Joc, Kike and Taylor and all the young guys on their way up. In three, four years signing all those guys might severely limit our mid level depth. Interesting to see what AF might be pencilling out with future signings and payroll! Thanks and praying for a speedy recovery for your brother
Cassidy, actually I am working on that as we speak. I have already written that the Dodgers could sign all of their potential free agents (Seager, Belli, Urias, and Buehler) as they come up, and not have it be a huge burden, but I was going to go into it in more detail. It is on its way. I was sort of, kind of, maybe, waiting to see if there is going to be any significant FA signing or trade that will influence it. But I will not hold out too long.
Thx Jeff. Looking forward to your article. Sounds encouraging!
Quas, I am so sorry for your loss. I have no advice on how to do that. I do know that Doctors have much more protection now and proving medical malfeasance is not easy to do. If they are at fault, Jeff is correct that they have the best lawyers money can buy. About the same time you were receiving your call, my sis called me with an update. They placed a stent in my brother and they found there was no significant damage to the heart muscle which is huge. He will probably be back home by tomorrow and have some time off before he has to return to work. Thank all of you for the prayers and well wishes. I have come to view us here at LADT as a family of sorts.
Good news bad news.
Sorry Quas.
Hospital’s fault? It happens. I worked in hospitals for 5 years. Every doctor would complain about the cost of malpractice insurance but they all had it. So do hospitals. Contact a Medical Negligence Attorney. Or two.
Thank you all. My brother’s daughter just left. His ex-wife stayed at my Apt. watching my great nephew while his daughter and myself went to view my little brother dead. The doctor had said earlier his kidneys were not working but I see that not be be the case. They had used a drug called ‘Merced’ which is like Sublimaze or more commonly Fentanyl which doctors like using because patients don’t remember any of the suffering they went through. What I saw was a lot of liquid with blood around his head. It’s my belief he had drowned on the fluid built up in his lungs being flat on his back and they weren’t alert enough to do anything in time. I know they’re very stubborn about getting everybody flat on their backs where that kills many. A bad day.
Hers is a trade proposed by Think Blue LA writer Jesse Pearce that Bum would absolutely love. Dodgers get, Gleyber Torres and prospect Trevor Hauver from the Yankees. Yankees get Francisco Lindor and Matt Beaty, the Indians receive Gavin Lux, and D J Peters from the Dodgers and SS prospect Oswald Peraza from the Yankees. He thinks the Dodgers will end up re-signing Seager, so them just trading for Lindor would be off of the table. Interesting trade. Who says no????
The Giants added 11 players with invites to spring on minor league deals.
So the Dodgers trade, Gavin Lux, DJ Peters, and Matt Beaty for Gleyber Torres and a 22 year old utility 2B/OF who has played at the short season A level (NYY #26 prospect). I would pass on Trevor Hauer. The Dodgers have an abundance of that player. If you believe (as I do) that Lux is going to be a All Star 2B, then I am passing. If you do not believe that Lux is going to be anything special, then the trade makes sense. I would pass, because I want to see what Lux is going to do as a Dodger.
I think Lux will be an All Star. So I’m with you on “no” to this trade.
Of the Giants MiLB signings, former Blue Jay and Cardinals reliever, Dominic Leone (RHRP) seems to be to someone who could stick. I would also think that two former DBack prospects, Silvino Bracho (RHRP), and Anthony Banda (LHRP) will get long looks.
Sub Busch for Lux and add another Dodger going to Cleveland or give them the Yankees prospect.
From a MLB source which listed 17 possible Rule 5 signings. De Geus was listed 3 and Estevez 8.
As a general rule of thumb, there are worse ideas for rebuilding teams to embrace than picking up players deemed to be expendable by the league’s most talented clubs. The Dodgers, for their part, have an embarrassment of riches, meaning that someone with big-league potential was going to be left exposed. To wit, de Geus is an interesting relief prospect whose velocity has improved since he moved to the bullpen on a permanent basis. In addition to the heat, he has a pair of usable secondary pitches, in a cutter and a curveball, and he issued just 13 walks over 60-plus frames split between two levels in 2019. De Geus hasn’t yet pitched above High-A, but he seems certain to get plucked. He has a fair chance of sticking, too.
Estevez has primarily handled shortstop during his minor-league career. While he has soft hands and a tolerable arm, his lack of quick-twitch athleticism is likely to push him to the other side of the bag. (A bold team might even ask him to take up catching in a hail-mary attempt to improve his versatility.) The real draw with Estevez is his bat. He hit .291/.352/.431 in 336 Double-A plate appearances in 2019, and he won’t turn 23 years old until February.
Sam Dykstra writes for MiLB. He identifies 12 names who he thinks are candidates to be taken in the Rule 5 draft. Three of those twelve are Dodger prospects; Brett de Geus, Omar Estevez, and Marshall Kasowski. No other team had more than one prospect identified. Most like Omar Estevez to be selected. I am not so sure. Omar is not a top defensive player, so he makes no sense to come in late in a game for defensive purposes. He can play up the middle, but there are fringe major leaguers who can do the same. He has limited power, but hits a lot of doubles. As someone who does not have much power, he tends to strike out too much. 22.3% for his career. He will be playing as a 23 year old next year, so maybe some team like Pittsburgh can hide him. I cannot see him as a filler for a contender.
I mentioned to DC that I was happy he chose to write about Michael Busch as he is my favorite non pitching prospect for LAD. He has moved past Jacob Amaya for me. I think he has a chance to do well. But then we got to discussing Rule 5, and he brought up de Geus. He knows how much I like de Geus, and I would very much hate to lose him. Brett de Geus is my favorite overall Dodger prospect. But as I was writing to DC, it was my thought that with so many major league experienced relief pitchers available, I was guessing that AF believed he could sneak de Geus through. I also know that the number of potential late inning high leverage relievers LAD has drafted the last couple of years, AF is not worried about losing one. I do draw a distinction between favorite and who I think may be the best prospect. I mentioned Ryan Pepiot who I think will be protected next year, and will be on the roster in 2022. I have gone through the list of potential relievers so many times, but suffice to say there are a bunch. If Brett de Geus is selected in the Rule 5 draft, it will be hard for me as a fan and an advocate, but not for the Dodgers. There are multiple others who will step up.
The same for Marshall Kasowski. I know there are others who forecast him to be special, but I am not one of them. He has one pitch, a fastball that he hides very well to MiLB hitters. I doubt that he gets away with that at the ML level. If he were to develop a 2nd pitch, he has the potential to shine, but until then, I cannot see another team selecting him.
Other publications have listed Jordan Sheffield as someone who could get selected. Technically he is closer to MLB. He is blocked by many on the Dodgers roster, so I wouldn’t mind seeing Seattle select him and let him pitch with his brother. That would be special.
The Dodgers have 37 on their 40 man, but I would not expect the Dodgers to select anyone.
Why only 37?
I don’t think we’d miss any of those guys.
Pedro Moura has his Dodger roster up and Lux isn’t on it. Taylor starts at second with McKinstry as utility. Beaty on bench. Shane Green was also on the team.
They need the room to sign any of their free agents. They will gain one more spot when they can place Ferguson on the 60 day IL.
Makes sense.
Why 37? All the teams range from 34-40. Only Toronto has 40. I am assuming that all teams want space to add FA without designating anyone.
AC, is Sam Dykstra a relative of Lenny Dykstra? I watched Lenny play little league in Garden Grove, Ca many years ago. I would hate to see the Dodgers lose those three players, especially Brian de Geus.
And just a curious question. Why do you think Hernandez only wants a one year contract if that is true?
Kike probably thinks it is the only way he can resign with LA> Doubt they would offer him a multiyear deal since they know he is not starter material having failed at that twice and they know what to expect. And with all of the uncertainty about how the season will eventually play out, I do not think the lower tier free agents can be too picky at this point.
I have no idea if Sam and Lenny are brothers. As far as Kike’ goes, I think I read here that he is looking at a one year deal. I do not know that to be true or untrue. Everything I have read lines him up perfectly with Minnesota. They lost Marwin Gonzalez, and Kike’ could slide right into that role. If he cannot get a multi-year deal, he could find his way back to LAD.
No relation – he put that out there himself!
Thanks Mark.
Ok. Thanks guys. Lenny was a gritty, cocky kid when he was young, but a very good player. My friend’s son was on his team. It is a real shame how he turned out. What a waste.
Al Michaels awarded the Ford C. Frick award and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. 25 years doing baseball. He is now 70 years old. I am watching the original Miracle on 34th Street with Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwynn and Natalie Wood. Still one of the best Christmas movies ever.
My favorite Christmas move is Scrooge with Alastair Sim. It was made in 1951 in merry ole England
I think Sim is the best Scrooge. And the movie does it all without the special effects they have today. I just have always loved Miracle on 34th Street since I was a kid. William Frawley who used to be on I Love Lucy has a part as the Judge’s political advisor, and Jack Albertson, who starred on Chico and the Man has a small role as a postal worker. They have made another version with Anthony Hopkins as Santa, but I do not care for it nearly as much And the movie is titled A Christmas Carol Richie. Scrooge was a musical in 1970 starring Albert Finney There was also a Scrooge movie made in 1935 titled Scrooge and it starred Seymour Hicks. Also the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol with Reginald Owen. There have been maybe 10 movies using the Dickens story as their plot. George C Scott and Sir Patrick Stewart also portrayed him in film.
You didn’t mention Mr. Magoo.
Never saw that version of the story
I’m sorry for your loss Quas, I know the feeling of losing someone, a hug for you and your family.
Don’t lose faith Bear, this world has already had too much bad news.. No more!
A prayer for you and your family and waiting for everything to go well.
I got a call not long after Quas heard about his brother Jorge. They found no major damage to my brothers heart muscle. They put a stent in there and he will be coming home to my sis’s house tomorrow. He probably will get some time off. Thanks for the kind words.
Good to hear it, Bear!
Bad weather moving into the area this evening. And I have to drive to Colorado Springs on Friday. We are supposed to get snow all 3 days. Yanks and Pirates discussing Bell and Tallion.
Quas and Bear, you are in my prayers.
Quas, my prayers are with you and your family. I will pray for him at Mass tomorrow morning. I’m so sorry for your loss.
I’ve been excited about Busch and Hoese since we drafted them. Contact hitters who project at positions of need? Yes, please. I do expect baseball to eventually veer away from the power game/launch angle approach, at least less widespread than it currently is. No hard evidence to support this, just that sports are cyclical. I like Kike and he had some big moments in our post season, but as it’s been mentioned there are several younger utility guys being blocked by him and Taylor. With some big deals awaiting us in future years, I think it makes sense to let him go. If he goes to Minnesota, I’ll probably have to start watching their games when available with three ex-Dodgers that I all liked.
I too am looking forward to seeing Michael Busch in a Rays uniform Harold.