Some of you posters on here are too young to remember Fresco Thompson, but those of us who were brought up with the Dodgers of the 19’50s and 1960s were treated to his handiwork for many years. And so were some fans in the ’70s. When he died of cancer in late 1968, his last draft class would make a huge impact on Dodger teams for the next decade and beyond.
Lafayette Fresco Thompson was born in Centreville, Alabama on June 6, 1902. His father, Lafayette Sr. was named by his paternal grandmother. She found the name Fresco in a Scottish novel she had read. His father worked his way up and eventually became an executive with the JC Penny stores. They lived in Chicago for a while, then in 1916, they moved to New York City.
Thompson went to school at George Washington high and he was captain of the New York City baseball champions. He then went to Columbia University in NY to play baseball and football. A 5’6″ quarterback on the football team, he was dwarfed by the team’s fullback, 6’2″ 200 plus Lou Gehrig. Thompson really was not interested in school, as he had his eye set on playing pro baseball, and he flunked out before he could join Gehrig on the baseball field. No pro scout was interested in signing him. So he wrote letters and finally got a response from a Class-D league team in Grand Island Nebraska.
They offered him a job if he paid his own bus fare. So in 1923, he joined them as their second baseman. In 1925 he got his first taste of the majors when he was called up to the Pirates in September. They sent him back to the minors after the season. In September 1926, he was brought up by the Giants for a short time, and despite going 5-8, John McGraw traded him to Philadelphia that winter.
Thompson, who was getting recognized as quite the witty fellow said ” Well, the guy they replaced me with was no slouch.” His replacement? Rogers Hornsby. The next 4 years in Philadelphia with the Phil’s he would describe as 4 years of living death. Their home park, Baker Field, was considered a comical excuse for a baseball park. The RF wall was 279 feet away. The park made Chuck Klein a Hall of Famer, and Thompson a .300 hitter. Burt Shotton, the Phillie skipper, who would have his own place in Dodger history later, named him captain. He was the team’s holler guy. Once a teammate saw him gargling with mouthwash and explained he was just getting in shape for the game.
As captain of the team, he would deliver the lineup to the plate prior to the game. Once he presented umpire Bill Klem a lineup and it showed P. Willoughby and others. Klem accused him of making a travesty of the game, Thompson replied, not me, but our pitchers are. Thompson himself was not much help to the Phillie hurlers, finishing 1st or 2nd in errors his entire 4 years with the Phil’s.
After the 1930 season, where the Phil’s lost 102 games despite a team BA of .302, he was traded to Brooklyn along with Lefty O’Doul. That spring he was given a locker next to slugger Babe Herman. Herman complained, ” What’s the idea of me dressing next to a .250 hitter”.?Thompson replied, “How do you think I feel dressing next to a .250 fielder?
One writer for the Brooklyn Eagle said the new 2nd baseman would liven up the Brooklyn infield. Thompson never got the chance. Wilbert Robinson, the manager hated the trade because it cost one of his favorite pitchers, Jumbo Elliot, and saddled him with the excellent hitting, but lead gloved O’Doul. That gave him two real defensive liabilities in the outfield, Herman and O’Doul. It was said at the time that CF Jimmy Fredrick would need a motorcycle to cover the ground they could not.
Resigned to the bench most of the time, Robbie played holdover 2nd baseman, Neal Finn most of the time. After the 1931 season ended, Thompson started his tour of the high minors. In 1938 he began managing and made many stops until towards the end of WWII, he was hired as an assistant to Dodger farm director, Branch Rickey Jr, and doubled as a troubleshooter and scout for Rickey Sr.
He would later say that he had a concentrated baseball education at the tutelage of a master. In 1950, Walter O’Malley bought Rickey out and took control of the team. A lot of his brain trust in the front office went with him to Pittsburgh. But Thompson and Buzzie Bavasi stayed. Most papers thought that O’Malley would name Thompson the GM, but what Walter did was give Bavasi control of the two AAA teams and the parent club roster, and he gave Thompson control of the other two dozen Dodger farm teams and scouting. They were both executive VP’s, but neither held the GM title.
The message was clear, O’Malley was the final word on everything. Walt set a budget and trusted his VP’s to stay within the guidelines and oversee all baseball matters. And to his credit, O’Malley listened to both of them and sometimes took their advice. He listened and heeded Bavasi’s suggestion that he hire an unknown to manage the team after they cut ties with Charlie Dressen in 1953, so Walter Alston took over the job in 1954.
All of them worked on 1-year contracts. O’Malley was pretty cheap when it came to paying, but he offered a pension plan, and profit-sharing to members of the front office, a practice which at that time was unheard of in baseball. On Thompson’s watch, the Dodgers had more ROY’s than any other organization in baseball, FIVE. Joe Black, Jim Gilliam, Frank Howard, Jim Lefebvre, and Ted Sizemore.
His scouts found Koufax, Drysdale and Sutton, Hall of Famers all. As I stated earlier, he was well known for his wit, he said of Willie Davis that he was so fast he could beat out a pop fly. When a young player complained he was hitting just under the ball, Thompson suggested putting lifts in his shoes. A mediocre player himself, he became a huge hit on the banquet circuit. His wife had a great sense of humor too, when an advertisement in a local paper said that he agreed to speak, she commented, “Agrees to Speak? That’s the greatest understatement I have ever heard“.
He was with Rickey who was complaining because, with the war, it was impossible to get a new car with everyone making tanks and planes, Rickey said he wanted to get a new Ford. Thompson replied I want a Cadillac. Rickey asked, how can you afford a Cadillac on your salary? Thompson replied, “If I have to go without a car, I would rather it be a Cadillac rather than a Ford. “
Many thought he would go with Rickey to the Pirates, but he stayed. It was said then that all the Protestants went to Pittsburgh and the Catholics stayed in Brooklyn. There was also at the time, a lot of anti-Catholic sentiment in the borough of Brooklyn, and it was one of the underlying reasons that the Dodgers eventually moved to Los Angeles. But that is a tale for another time.
The Boys of Summer were Rickey’s team. In the winter of 1957, baseball got rid of the bonus rule, the rule that made the Dodgers keep Koufax on the roster for two years, and was responsible for them losing Roberto Clemente in the Rule 5 draft in 1954. Thompson and Bavasi convinced O’Malley to open his wallet, and over the next 2 years, they signed more than 100 players, including Ron Fairly, Willie Davis, and Frank Howard.
During the Rickey years, they looked for certain skills in players, and if they did not see them they passed. Mays, Banks, Rizzuto, Greenburg, and Whitey Ford were deemed lacking in some ways, so you can see the system was not perfect. Later Thompson felt that a player needed at least 4 years in the minors, but the Dodgers did not always adhere to that, with the likes of Tommy Davis, Don Drysdale, Don Sutton, and Willie Davis earning promotions to the bigs before 4 years with the system. I
n the 50s and early 60’s with Reese and then Wills holding down the SS position, former Dodgers SS’s were spread around the league, Chico Carrasquel, Chico Fernandez, Bob Lillis, Bobby Morgan, Don Zimmer. and Billy Hunter. The system was also the breeding ground for some managers, Gene Mauch, Gil Hodges, Don Zimmer, Sparky Anderson, and Dick Williams. Roger Craig would later join that list.
Thompson and Bavasi, thinking Dodger Stadium would be ready by 1960 had begun to build the team based on pitching and speed, but playing the coliseum, that total overhaul would have to wait. Craig, Wills, and Sherry, 3 who were not rated very high were key contributors to the 59 Championship team, and so the rebuild began. By the time they moved into Dodger Stadium in 1962, about the only holdover from Rickey’s leadership was Duke Snider.
Gilliam was still there, but he was part of Thompson’s watch. By 1963 the Dodgers farm system had shrunk from 24 to 8. The Rickey mantra of quality out of quantity was no longer valid, and with all the reduced roster spots it was not possible for him to keep players in the system as they had done previously. Maury Wills, who had spent 8 years in the minors, or Roger Craig who was trying to come back from a sore arm would have not been kept.
Thompson also believed the new generation of players were not willing to spend long years of service in the minor leagues. He felt they would move on if they did not move up fast enough. Like many others of his time, he also did not think the new guys were as tough as the old ones. He said that a bad case of dandruff would put a player on the shelf for several days. Bavasi and Thompson worked together for 18 years in apparent harmony.
That ended in 1968 when Bavasi was granted permission to become part owner and GM of the expansion San Diego Padres. Thompson, at the age of 66 was named GM. 3 months later he became ill with cancer. He underwent 3 operations, one to remove a kidney. He died on November 20, 1968.
But his imprint would remain for years. He was succeeded by Al Campanis, another Rickey hire who would run the team for the next 19 years. There would be 15 players from the last draft he supervised who would later play in the major leagues. Bobby Valentine, Steve Garvey, Bill Buckner, Davey Lopes, Sandy Vance, Ron Cey, Joe Ferguson, Mike Pazik, Geoff Zahn, Tom Paciorek, Bob Randall, Ed Crosby, Doyle Alexander, Bob Gallagher, Ed Ott, and Bob Sheldon. Of those, Lopes and Valentine have had stints as managers in the majors. Thompson was a vital part of building the image of the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Great article about Fresco Thompson, who quietly was one of the great talent evaluators.
Hopefully, this article will talk people down from tall buildings after the Dodger’s one-game losing streak. The reactions of fans to yesterday’s loss is high comedy to me.
Cody will be fine, maybe he needs a day or two off to clear his head, but baseball is a crazy game.
I was looking up a few things last night and I came across this: https://www.walteromalley.com/
WOW! What a source of information. Lot’s to unpack.
Now, Beat the Giants! Come back Corey and Mookie!
Thanks Mark. He was one of the best, and the scouting department he led was very good at finding the kinds of players they wanted. What impressed me about Thompson was the ability to change the way he looked at players early in his executive career, and change the way they were evaluated. Had he not listened to the scout who told him, Willie Mays cannot hit a curve ball, the Dodger outfield could have well been Snider, Mays and Clemente. Wow. Oh yeah, Campy was the one who told them about Mays. And if I remember the story right, the scout who said he could not hit a curve was Clyde Sukeforth.
Excelente artículo Bear, todas esas historias hacen, al menos para mi, que este equipo tenga esa cautivadora magia. Respecto de los comentarios por la pérdida de ayer, estoy consiente de la problemática que pudiera estar pasando en nuestro super belli, pero mi comentario sobre Doc de abrir el line up con el en estos días me parece que es un error, y posiblemente ocasiones aún más presión al muchacho, estoy de acuerdo con Timmons de que tiene que estar activo dentro del equipo para alcanzar su nivel, solo que en séptimo u octavo lugar en donde el pueda sentirse más cómodo. Mi comentario no es tan radical como opinan otros compañeros dentro del blog.
Gracias
Another great article, Bear. Thanks. I would have loved to have Fresco over my house for dinner….he sounds like a great guy.
Okay, SF Giants time. Go Dodgers….Go Cody!
It will tough to score runs if we are without Betts or Muncy in the lineup. Hopefully the former is much better and won’t reinjure himself, and we hope for Mrs Muncy to have a safe delivery.
Thank you TM. One thing about Thompson, he would have kept you entertained with his baseball stories. Imagine playing in Brooklyn at Ebbets Field for the great Wilbert Robinson. And having guys like Babe Herman, Lefty O’Doul and Dazzy Vance. They were known as the Robins then, glad that changed. Also on that team was Hall of Fame manager, Al Lopez. It was Van Mungo’s rookie year. Vance was not even the best pitcher on the team. That title went to Watty Clark who won 14 games and was the teams WAR leader at 6.3. The team itself finished 4th in the league. They also had some guys with great names. A pitcher named Sloppy Thurston, and a guy called Pea Ridge Day. Dolf Luque, who was 40 years old, went 7-6 and pitched 102 innings. Ernie Lombardi, in his only season with the team hit .297 his rookie year before being traded the next season, another Hall of Famer.
Great read Bear. Thank you
Fresco Thompson. I haven’t heard that name in years. I believe the last time was in the voice of Vin Scully.
Something is still not right with Cody. He doesn’t typically miss 92 mph fastballs over the heart of the plate.
Middle of summer and several guys are tweaked. These things happen.
Get well soon.
Thanks Badger, I remember him well, and I think I remember Vin interviewing him during spring a couple of times. He would also tell stories related to him by Thompson.
Thanks for the memories Bear…
Yesterday’s post ended optimistically for me… Hopefully our IL blues will improve the second half…
MT said it right, ” baseball is a crazy game”…
Lock and load…
So this morning over coffee my wife tells me in her dreams I did something stupid so she started throwing rocks at me. Then she dreamed the cat got out through the screen in the office window, jumped the fence and got into a fight with two cats next door. She seemed kinda upset about it all. Then she tells me she thinks Cody’s shoulder isn’t right yet and he needs more therapy. I’ve learned to listen to her when she’s upset. So, I’m going to suggest that Cody get more therapy then I’m going to finish my coffee and go fix the screen.
Yes, the shoulder could be causing his swing mechanics to be a little off.
My wife just wants me to let know when the league championship series starts and until then she tells me I have her confused with someone who cares. I have moved towards her interest in the regular season.
Thanks Peter. I love doing the research on these guys. Bavasi was pretty interesting too.
Well, we’re still pretty banged up. We might have dodged a couple of bullets with the latest Mookie hip injury and Lux’s hamstring pull, er, cramp…mild strain? CK is on the shelf for a couple of weeks which amounts to 7 games against our division rival and then some. This is not the optimal time to play the Giants, but they have their own problems coming off back to back losses against the Cardinals. Maybe we can nudge them over the cliff.
The pitching is set for the series with Gonso facing Gausman in the opener followed by TBD v Woody, Webb v Urias and DeScalfani v Bueler. It’s wildly speculated that Gray will make his MLB debut tomorrow and it just so happens that it will come on 4 days rest, lining up perfectly.
It’s widely speculated that Seager will make his long awaited return after just 3 days of concentrated batting practice at the Arizona complex. It’s rumored that he faced off against Corey Knebel yesterday who is on his own rehab assignment in Arizona. I’m imagining that Corey might have also faced other interesting names like Brandon Morrow, or possibly Tommy Kahnle who had TJ surgery just shy of a year ago. It makes me wonder who else is hanging out at the Arizona complex. Is Caleb Ferguson throwing off a mound yet?
Yesterday was a tough loss in a very winnable game. JT got a double play ball from Kelly and turned it into a run. He graciously wasn’t charged with an error, but everyone watching knows that ball should have been caught at the big league level. Between the brick gloves and shift hits the Rockies got just enough to avoid the sweep. So close to enter the upcoming series in a tie for first place.
Hopefully Muncy’s wife cooperates and is holding off labor until the Rockies series at home, back in time for the Giants on the road. The lineup will look stacked with Seager back, even if Mookie’s hip could hold him out, Belli can’t hit a fastball and Seager hasn’t played in a game in months. It will be a tough road ahead while we face the best pitchers that the Giants have to offer.
Our record in one run games and extra innings is horrendous. Yesterday was a perfect example of the reason why. While Bickford is having a great stay so far with the Dodgers, he’s a far cry from Nelson, Knebel, V-Gone and even Graterol. It’s easy to imagine how that game would have gone if a couple of those guys were in the pen instead of on vacation last night.
Is anyone else tired of all the shifting? It seems they give up 2-3 shift hits a game. Are they really doing the right thing here?
I have an Internet challenge for everyone on this site today. No politics. Ready, set, go!
I like Ike! Oops.
Ike Davis assume. He had one good year with the Mets but that was about it. Can’t say I liked h8m that much.
I am going to give that stat the “glass is half full” treatment. Since we are tied for most wins in the MLB, I say all our record in close games means is that MOST times, even when we lose we are right there. A play or two from winning.
Have to agree with the banged up and still in the race. Giants have injury issues too. The shift is probably going to get modified after the season. There is a lot of sentiment for only allowing 2 infielders on each side of 2nd, and no infielder beyond the dirt. So no more Machado playing in short right like it is a softball game. Also they want to go back to 9 inning double headers. And the thinking on the extra inning rule is that they will modify that too so that it does not start until after the 11th inning.
Morning guys.
Today is a big day here in England – “Freedom Day” as it has been labelled.
After 17 months of mandatory mask wearing and 2m Social Distancing
in most environments, finally today is the day when we can start to properly move forward.
We are going to trust the Vaccines to do their job and try and get back to normal life.
I believe this is going to take some time as many people are understandably apprehensive. I can see divisions developing between those wishing to move on, and those taking a more careful path.
Personally I’m all in. Been a very long journey and as I’ve got less years ahead of me than behind me, I’m excited to get going again.
It’s a scorching day here, and I’m heading into London by train to get on a River Boat by Westminster – for a 6 hour party with no restrictions, cruising on the Thames. Have booked tomorrow morning off.
Time to have some fun.
Have a great time there Watford. I have always admired the British culture, and London is someplace I always wanted to visit simply because it is a city so rich in history. In a lot of movies I see what looks like a destroyer anchored on the Thames. Wondered what the story is behind that. I have been down to San Pedro harbor in California where 2 WWII vintage ships are on display, the troop ship Lane Victory, which you can see in a couple of WWII movies, and the USS Iowa, which has been there as a tourist attraction for a few years. The Iowa was the battleship that had a turret blow up and it killed quite a few sailors. She was also used by Franklin Roosevelt on one of his voyages to meet with Churchill. The room he stayed in on the ship is one of the displays. His wheelchair and the presidential seal on the bedding are easy to view.
Have a great n safe trip Watford my man…
Lots of pitchers have trouble at Coors Field. You have to “learn” how to pitch there.
Kenley has a career ERA of 2.34. At Coors, he is 3.19. Bickford’s outing was only his 2nf at Coors, so I m not losing my stuff.
I have no doubt that Cody is still rehabbing or adjusting to his shoulder surgery. He will be fine.
B&P,
The Dodgers will never release info on players like Morrow, Khanle, Knebel, and the like, but I have thought about getting a drone and getting some video. 😉
Having been to Coors many times and witnessing what happens there close up, I never feel comfortable with any lead, and one run??? Please. Case in point, a few years ago, I think it was 2016, I went to two games there when the Dodgers were there on a weekend. On Saturday night, Maeda was masterful and they won, 4-1 on a AJ Ellis 2 run HR in the second inning. The next day, I sat right behind home plate, 70 bucks, very reasonable, and I was in about the 7th row. The Dodgers went up 7-0 behind Wood, who eventually gave up 5 and left the game. In the bottom of the 8th, the Rockies scored 5 and took a 10-7 lead. In the top of the 9th, Jake McGee came in for Colorado to close it out. The Dodgers scored 5 to take a 12-10 lead, and Jansen shut the door in the 9th and they won. The Dodgers scored those 5 without a HR. The outfield in Colorado is one of the biggest in the league, and gappers can go for triples. I just looked the game up, it was April 24, 2016. Utley started at second and went 2-5 with a double. Seager went 2-5 with a double and a triple. Both had key 9th inning doubles. The only HR in the game was hit by Pederson, who also walked 3 times. Joc is wearing #22 with the Braves as tribute to Kersh.
Good post, Bear.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
I read in the Athletic this morning that we are terrible in fielding %, not so hot in UZR but good in DRS. I don’t understand that as I’ve watched them give away runs game after game. We are capable of great plays now and then but this is not a good defensive club. I believe that contributes to our sorry record in close games.
Are we watching Bellinger becoming the modern day Joe Charboneau? Joe played 131 games for the Cleveland Indians in 1980 hitting .289 BA, 23 HR’s and 87 RBI. He was named rookie of the year and never equaled that success in an abbreviated career.
The next year Charboneau hurt his back in ST and tried to play through the pain but only hit .208 when the season was cut short because of the strike. In 1982 he only played 22 games after hitting just .214 before being sent to he minors. He retired from baseball in 1984 never making it back to the big leagues.
I want Cody to succeed and I’m not saying his career will take the same trajectory as Joe Charboneau but the swing and miss rate is alarming. Love the occasional HR but the .168 BA is quite concerning. Love the optimism by MT and others, but I have some doubt we will ever see anything like his MVP season again.
I’ll be back to eat some crow and will readily gravel and ask for an apology for my negativity but I’m doubtful we’ll see his return to MVP form. The torque on his swing, the stand-up straight batting stance, the flat bat approach on his shoulder equals too many moving parts that does not inspire me with a great deal of confidence he can put it all back together. By comparison….. Max, JT, CT3 , Will Smith and Mookie looked balanced in the box and while they will K from time-to-time they don’t miss the center cut 92 MPH FB at the same alarming rate as Cody.
Time will tell if Cody can put it all together and it would be nice if it could start tonight against the midgets. I’ll be watching.
I guess if people want to keep telling everyone that Belli is done, I’ll keep telling you why he isn’t.
Here’s a video of another upright tall guy that swings from his heels. You’ve probably heard of him…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4lMRmJDxf8
Here’s his line from last year when he was recovering from surgery without a broken leg at age 25…
.190 .291 .366 .657
Here’s Belli’s line this year while recovering from surgery and also a broken leg at age 25…
.168 .284 .282 .566
Here’s the first guys current MVP season at age 27 a little over half way through…
.277 .363 .688 1.051
Here’s Belli’s MVP season at age 23
.305 .406 .629 1.035
The first guy is being called Babe Ruth and Belli’s is being traded for prospects by some on this site.
It’s a bit futile to try to predict what the future will hold, but I’m not ready to Charboneau him just yet. BTW, it case you haven’t noticed, Charboneau’s rookie season at the ripe old age of 25, same season age as Belli this year. I’m also thinking that medical procedures developed over the next 40 years might have saved Charboneau’s career if he suffered the same injury today.
Some people break a nail and think it is cancer. Other’s keep their perspective.
So weird. You would THINK that the revolving door of seemingly half our lineup all year & still having tied for most wins at this point would be nothing but reason for hope & a bit of excitement.
cheers
pb+
The Athletic noted that Cody hasn’t been all that since the All Star break during his MVP season in 2019:
“entering Sunday, he’d hit .234/.339/.457 (a 111 wRC+) since the 2019 All-Star break, a stretch spanning three partial seasons including his MVP year.”
I get the injury thing – sometimes it takes a while and Cody has had major surgery and more than one injury. On the other hand, 2018 wasn’t great – it was good but not great. The 2nd half of 2019 wasn’t great either – good but not great. 2020 was weak and this year has been horrible.
If you assume that the Dodgers are playing for another title this year, Cody’s .168/.284/.282 line isn’t helping. His OPS+ is 58. What do the Dodgers do to try to win?
Last I checked, they are winning. 2nd best record in baseball.
Progress is not linear. Let it play out, Cody will figure it out.
He injured his shoulder in 18 and 19. Yes, he had trouble in the 2nd half of 19 and in 20.
It takes time.
Where is Graterol? He threw well his last time here got sent down and no return.
He is at AAA. His last time out he was not very good. He is working on some problems with his delivery.
I just looked at Cody’s monthly splits for 2019. He started out on fire OPSing 1.397, then cooled off each month after that, but OPS’d over .900 every month but September/October where he OPS’d .891. Second half he OPS’d .917. He did have a bad NLDS. Actually his post season totals aren’t that impressive. Is that what’s causing the misremembering? His 5 year career slash is .266/.359/.529. He’s 26. I sure hope he gets it back. We all do. Rehab Cody. In the mean time, lay down a bunt, steal second, get moved over and score on sac fly. Do that a couple times a game and all will be forgiven.
Notes from Internet:
From Jay Jaffe Chat:
QUESTION: Will Bellinger turn it around in the 2nd half?
Jay Jaffe: I think so. His numbers for July are terrible but his barrel rate for the month is about 14% and he’s hitting a lot of balls in the air.
QUESTION: What do you make of Andrew Friedman’s comments that the Dodgers aren’t necessarily locked in on acquiring starting pitching and may just make ‘pen moves instead?
Jay Jaffe: probably some element of posturing to that
QUESTION: Why did Clayton Kershaw agree to make a commercial where a guy hits a ball so hard off of him that he has to get in a car and drive to catch it?
Jay Jaffe: because he’s got a sense of humor?
Baseball America picks one underrated draft pick for each team.
For the Dodgers it was Dodgers: Ben Harris, LHP to read why:
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/one-underrated-2021-mlb-draft-pick-we-like-from-all-30-teams/
($$$$$)
PODCAST:
Eric Longenhagen and Kevin Goldstein go through the entire draft. Their takeaway for the Dodgers is basically that the entire draft was a big bet on the team’s Player Development system:
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/chin-music-episode-22-1-feel-your-body/
PODCAST:
Keith Law, who I quite like (BUT WARNING HE’S A REAL LIBERAL) also had Logenhagen on. The discussed all drafts, on the Dodgers there was again a nod to the Player Dev, but both are bulling on Nick Nastrini and intrigued by Ronan Kopp.
https://theathletic.com/podcast/168-the-keith-law-show/
Kiley McDaniel looks at the Dodgers draft ($$$$$)
https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/31823283/kiley-mcdaniel-2021-mlb-draft-recap-how-all-30-teams-fared#lad
He concludes:
but I’m not sure I would’ve bet the vast majority of my bonus money on two high school pitchers. If I were to, I’d at least want to have the Dodgers’ track record with pitchers, though.
The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier took an in-depth look at the sticky substances that pitchers have been applying to baseballs. Former Red Sox hurlers Manny Delcarmen and Lenny DiNardo pitched in with hands-on expertise, while Daigo Fujiwara provided graphics to help accentuate the data.
https://apps.bostonglobe.com/sports/graphics/2021/07/mlb-sticky-stuff/
Baseball America updated their top 100 prospects.
Bobby Miller makes an appearence.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/2021-top-100-prospects/
Maybe I’m too optimistic, but it seems like Yoshi Tsutsugo is starting to put things together. He’s now 8-for-15 with three extra-base hits and 6 RBI over the last 5 games.
Future Dodgers takes a look at the Dodgers draft class here:
https://futuredodgers.wordpress.com/2021/07/16/2021-draft-recap-prep-arms-and-pitching-supremacy/
Good stuff Bluto. Thanks.
Dodgers News: Victor González Activated From the Injured List and Jake Reed optioned to Oklahoma City.
Additional Dodger news, they signed Stephen Souza to a minor league deal. He will report to OKC. Initially after his release last week it was thought he was either going to retire or try to hook on with another MLB team. Dodgers still feel he might have some value as a RH bat off of the bench. Seager is back in LA and will have another round of extended simulated game action today at the stadium. Nelson close to returning to the team also. Deadline is 11 days away. Twins have set a high return for Berrios if they decide to trade him. He has stated he wants to set a new bar for starting pitchers in free agency. Refreshing that the guy admits he is going into free agency after next year and looking for a huge payday. Marlins and Marte broke off extension talks. He turned down a 3 year 30 million dollar offer,
This thing between the Dodgers and Giants is going to come down to head to head games in my opinion. The Dodgers need to win at least 3 out of 4, otherwise it will be a failure.
National League Team Stats:
Dodgers are #1 in team batting OPS, Giants are #2.
Dodgers are #1 in team pitching OPS, Giants are #2.
Dodgers are #1 in team pitching ERA, Giants are #2.
Dodgers are #1 in starting pitching ERA, Giants are #3.
Dodgers are #5 in bullpen ERA, Giants are #2.
Lets hope Betts and Seager and Smith play all 4 games and no Lux please. And lets hope Doc handles the bullpen correctly (that’s asking a lot).
Betts will be playing tonight according to most sources, Seager will probably not be in the lineup for game one. They will be waiting to see how he feels after the extended sim game today. Lux will most likely sit out a few games.
Well, I enjoyed my all-star break and got some much needed R&R. I want to thank
Mark, Badger, Zeke, Northmsdodger and tedraymond for encouraging me to get off the bench.
* Tough loss yesterday that’s been adequately addressed here.
* Joe Kelly was in line for the win I think, before the blown save by KJ. It would have been an interesting “win” as he threw exactly 1 strike with his fastball out of 24 pitches and 14 strikes. A 100 mph heater at the top of the zone to strike out Hampson for the second out, was his only FB strike. He got a chase on another heater for the 3rd out. His fastball was everywhere and he seemed only able to land the slider. He’s gone back from Joseph to just old Joe, the slider guy.
* I wanted to chime in on the recent conversations about Bellinger’s struggles. I think we all want him to succeed. We’re all rooting for him. We need his bat in addition to his outstanding defense. I want him to look less lost. He’s made a couple of small changes; maybe getting off the plate a touch and supposedly standing less tall, however I haven’t noticed that one. Maybe I’m wrong, as nobody else has mentioned it, but I think his major head dip, along with stepping severely in the bucket, is a major contributor to his struggles with consistency. Dropping that head a foot, makes it tough to get to fastballs up and soft away. Actually yesterday he swung right throw center cut average fastballs. As I’ve said many times before, I’d Iove to see him bend those knees so he doesn’t have to move his head so severely to get to his launch position. His head is moving downward so much while the pitch is traveling. When his head moves, his eyes move, obviously. That just adds another thing to overcome. Like hitting golf shots and shooting free throws, a still head works better. He’s tall with a lot of moving parts to that complicated swing. He will always struggle with consistency. When he’s on time, he’s a terror. Right now he’s not and he can’t hit. We all hope that changes soon. But it is the way he hits (or not). I wouldn’t, and couldn’t, teach that style.
* As to his superstar status, I understand he struggles with injuries but I had this very conversation with tedraymond some time ago. Belli was other worldly through 2017, 2018 and the half of 2019. His 1.137 1st half was unsustainable. The 2nd half of 2019 he still posted a .921 OPS but his homers dropped from 27 to 20 and his average from .345 to .259. Still those were MVP numbers despite a slide to reality the 2nd half. Since then it’s been .789 and .641. Still nice numbers but trending in the wrong direction.
* The Rockies catcher, Diaz might be the laziest catcher I’ve seen. Why block the ball when you can just reach for it huh? Or run to the backstop and pick it up.
* Chris Owings is having a nice year for the Rockies. He was 2 for 3 yesterday but what impressed me was his hustle. He scored from 2nd on CT3’s dropped pop up. It goes unnoticed as you expect him to score but more than a few guys would have assumed an out and loafed around 3rd, which would have given CT3 a shot at home. Little things matter.
* Orel said it and I thought it the other night. Everybody’s injured to some extent this time of year and it gets only worse during the dog days. Do we need a caution warning label every time a comment is made about a player? “Warning, player performance can be effected by injuries” Well yeah. The first problem is transparency by teams. We never get the truth about injuries so we can’t know. Second , everybody has some discomfort or injuries to play through. So I’m going to assume that if a guy is out there he has to be able to perform at a level better than his replacement. The small, nagging stuff just doesn’t heal unless the player takes time off and if you’re a competitor you want to play. I had “jock irritation” so bad due to wearing a cup everyday for months that no amount of Cruex and Vaseline could help. It’s uncomfortable. Got cleated through my shoe one night and had stitches every other day while refusing to sit. I had a about 4 layers of skin gone on a knee from pop up slides. I’d tear the scab off well before it had time to heal. It would bleed and hurt like hell with every slide on that knee. The schedule is a grind and nobody feels perfect from now on.
* By the trade deadline, my dream deal is Kirsten Watson, Jerry Hairston and cash to the MLB Network for Heidi Watney.
I make that trade in a hearbeat! I noticed something on Saturday while I was watching the game, I had the Rocks video feed and the Dodgers audio. The girl who replaced Alanna Rizzo in Colorado looks a lot like Alanna Rizzo. Jenny Cavnar could be her sister they look so much alike. Cavnar is a little heavier, but she is pregnant.
The best part is that she was there and that idiot Drew was not. Yesterday he was he normal HORRIBLE self. Called JT “Jason Turner” & then when Zmac was batting he called him Chris Taylor. That dude is TERRIBLE.
Gooden was there, I remember him well. He has been their main voice since I moved here. She was always the interview maven. Spilly joined later Huson was there too.
Maybe it was Friday ….. she was doing the PBP on one of them for sure & Drew was not there. She never ONCE said “subaru anything” either. She was better than Drew for sure.
Yep, sorry it was Friday. Just went out on the mlbtv site and no Drew on Friday.
I think that was the one you said you listened to radio only.
Cheers dude
I think that would be akin to trading Yasiel Sierra and Devin Mann for Max Scherzer.
Glad to see you back and posting again! Excellent analysis on Cody and I couldn’t agree more on how important it is for little to no head movement.
Thanks Zeke.
Giants hitters do not have a HR off of Gonsolin. Dodger hitters have 6 off of Gausman. Cody should sit, he is hitting .163 against the RH> Betts, 3, Muncy 2 and Turner own the dingers. Former Dodger pitcher, Jose DeLeon DFA’d by the Reds.
Yesterday at OKC, they lost 10-3 to Reno. DJ Peters went 4-4, and Matt Davison hit his 13th HR. Graterol got rocked in 1/3rd of an inning for 4 runs, all of them earned and got the loss. White pitched 5 innings of 1 run baseball, and stuck out 9. His ERA is now 1.42. On Saturday they hung a loss of Zack Lee. Yep, same guy they traded for Chris Taylor. Davidson and Peters are hot, Peters has a 10 game hitting streak and has raised his average to .242. Davison hit his 9th HR in the last two weeks.
I agree about Cody and stepping in the bucket. I’ve always questioned his his preload. Too much needs to get done between that and contact. There are remedies for everything you mentioned phil. Will he do any of them? He hasn’t yet. If we can see these things, you know hitting instructors must. Looks to me like all they are telling him is keep swinging, it will come back.
Oklahoma AAA success doesn’t appear to be translating to the show Bear.
I know, just was presenting info is all.
Yeah, me too.
Pretty sure that is why they are cycling so many through from AAA. Trying to find someone who is hot and ready. And agree we have only had limited success with that.
Cheers
pb+
Agreed Badger. You know he’s batted his way forever, most likely, and has been successful. I suspect he’s seen all the video and heard all the remedies and hasn’t felt a need to change. Maybe time will fix everything. And maybe not. I’m not suggesting a total makeover here. The initial remedies I think we’d both like to see tried are:
Get off the plate
Don’t step in the bucket which opens everything up
assume a bent-knee posture so he doesn’t have to drop his dome and move his eyes to get to launch
this might allow him to use the whole field.
It’s impossible that he hasn’t heard all of this and more. He apparently feels no need to change. And maybe he doesn’t need to. But I can read his line just like you and he needs to kick it in gear sooner than later.
Yeah, you’re right phil. It feels to me he’s wasting at bats working at it his way. Once you get to 2 strikes why keep doing it the same way that got you there? Shorten up and barrel the ball the other way. We’ve seen him to it so we know he knows how. He’s trying to come out of it by hitting one 450’. Next at bat, next at bat. Hope this the series.
Dodger-Giant pitching matchups:
Tonight – Gausman vs Gonsolin (advantage Giants)
Tues – Wood vs TBD (whomever it is, probably advantage Giants)
Wed – Webb vs Urias (we would probably all agree that Julio is the better pitcher but Webb has the lower ERA)
Thurs – DeSclafani vs Buehler (Buehler is the better pitcher but it’s not a huge advantage and they both have 10 wins)
We need to come into these games wanting to win more than they do.
Put hits together.
No sloppy fielding.
Take advantage of the home crowd.
Put hits together. 7 solo home runs might do it.
No sloppy fielding. Hmm. How about less sloppy fielding? Will less work?
Take advantage of the home crowd. Have you seen ticket prices lately?
Kasten has just raised the prices sky high so Giants fans can’t afford to come.
Tell them you’re a Dodger fan and you know Timmons and you’ll be able to get a 50% discount.
Timmons doesn’t carry the weight he used to. I believe he’s been on a diet.
They will probably charge you more.
The fan who hit Verdugo in the back at Yankee Stadium has been banned for life from attending games by MLB. Verdugo had tossed a ball to a young Red Sox fan, but it was intercepted by a Yankee fan who fired it back on the field and hit Verdugo. Their manager, Boone said the entire incident was embarrassing and uncalled for. Behavior like that will not be tolerated at Yankee Stadium. Yeah Badger, the prices at Dodger Stadium have kept rising the last several years and are way beyond my pay grade anymore. But they still get 40,000 plus every night. And the place will be packed for this series, especially with a Buehler bobblehead give away.
I thought a couple of comments by kershaw were interesting:
Elbow has never bothered him
He needs to stay out longer to be ready for the playoffs
I am paraphrasing on both
Elbow could be because he is throwing 50 percent sliders
A fine time to layoff with the rotation needing him more than ever. There may not b any playoff. Having said that he should be off until he is healthy.
I would not make any serious moves at the trade deadline. We have the players just get healthy. For some reason we just can’t seem to get over the hump. Plug one leak and another springs open. We need to compete against the Giants but realistically how. Muncy possibly out, Taylor back in strikeout mode, Betts can’t stay healthy, Seager out way longer than normal, turner can’t field, bellinger well u know, bullpen game bullpen game bullpen game…., poor d, just things keep cropping up that we can’t get over the hump. The giants are in a much better position to win the series. Smith is hot so doc will probably play Barnes, pollock has been superb. He is a streak hitter can he keep the streak going? Gonsolin could pitch 5 or not make it out of the first. I know we have the second best record or close so there is that.
I have been calling for pitching for a couple of months. AF answered by flooding us with relief pitchers. At this point we might as well go with white,price, gray, or all our bullpen guys. We have options now on our team we didn’t have a month ago. Scherzer is about the best option but he can’t beat San Diego and he would probably just get hurt. Just stand pat AF and we can either win or lose with what we have. Hopefully, we will overcome but every time we get close another injury or poor play stops us cold. The giants are catching us like the pads did.
If a starter can be had for players we won’t miss then I say do it. There is still a lot of season left and every pitcher on this team is going to need some time off between now and October. That’s what depth is for, but we’re getting close to having it used up. Price and Gray might work, but I’m not counting on them.
Todays starting lineup. Betts, RF, Muncy, 1B, Turner, 3B, Smith, C, Bellinger, CF. Taylor, SS. Beaty, LF, McKinstry, 2B. Gonsolin, P.
Lux to the 10 day IL with a hammy strain, Reks recalled. Gray is with the team and has been added to the taxi squad.
JoJo Gray is on the field at Dodger Stadium.
I assume they brought him up to pitch tomorrow and not to replace Roger the Peanut Man.
Only question is whether he’ll start or Doc will use an opener and then bring him in.
My guess is an opener. Start with pitching to the middle of the order.
I agree. Just a matter of how the bullpen is used tonight as to which guy it is.
It would be nice if we could get 4 innings out of Gray tomorrow, no matter what innings those are.
Mookie scratched.
Reks replacing him in the lineup.
I hate not seeing Mookie out there, but I’m very interested in Zach Reks. He looks promising and being 27 years old, he’s not a kid anymore. Hopefully he won’t let playing in the big league overwhelm him. Go Zach!
Hey, that Jake McGee guy is doing pretty well for the Giants….
Remember how the Dodgers were looking for another lefty reliever. Where the hell did the Giants find McGee? Name seems familiar…
OK, snark aside, I’m hoping AF gets in gear.
–An SP is critical. Even if Bauer comes back, it seems like Buhler and Urias are now the most reliable arms left. Kershaw is fragile, Gonsolin is shaky, Price needs to buildup…. plus, Urias , especially, is in danger of being overworked.
–A proven bat would help a lot. The continuing struggles of Belli and Lux, and the uncertainty with Seager, should inspire a deal for someone to bolster the lineup. Gosh, maybe they could even find a guy with a good bat AND glove!
–A top-flight RP would be nice, but Nelson and Knebel should help soon. AF loves him multiple BP options so this would be no surprise. But I’d aim for true impact arm.
Somebody like McGee would be nice…
What’s up with Pollock not starting? Anyone know?
Nothing, RH starter who he has not had much success against. Taylor moved into the lead off spot for tonight’s game, Reks hits 7th, Beaty moved up to 6th.
This is a crap lineup to open the series. Trying to go two down.
Not much choice, Betts out, and Reks in. All lefty outfield. Gray will be activated before tomorrows game to make the start.
Pujols and Pollock are choices. It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this.
Yeah, I get what you’re saying BP. Big game and we got two bench players and one minor leaguer in there. Gulp
Pujols does not hit RH pitching that well now, yes, they should have Pollock in there.
Jv team
Well, that sucked!
It couldn’t get much worse. Well maybe I shouldn’t say that
The giant killer strikes again. Yeah I know
Gonsolin just can’t keep u in a big game. Has no command. Be lucky to last 3 innings. Blowing the game yesterday and having Gonsolin game 1. As I said earlier this team just lacks the winning edge can’t get over the hump. If I could get another pitcher for Gonsolin I would trade him. It’s not just this game he just has no command has lost his fastball and can’t stay healthy. This will b another bullpen game.
So since Gonsolin is no good we can trade him for a better pitcher?
How does that work?
If you have a car that is a lemon, just trade it for a new one?
I’m sorry I should of said somebody who might b a pitcher. Wait same thing ok just somebody else. Just package him with somebody for somebody. Ok I don’t care just find somebody who can throw strikes until he can get healthy. His fastball was down to 88 when he left the game. I don’t believe he is healthy.
Gosolin has lost about 2 mph on his fastball compared to last season. That is big dropoff and he knows it too. Tries to make up for it with nibbling and working more corners but not hitting the spots and walking hitters. When he is in the zone they are lighting up his fastball.
Clearly the man is not at 100% physically.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!
I was wondering how that trade would work myself.
Maybe he’s worried about his kitty’s. Sorry about that
I can’t blame Robert’s he has to pitch the guys he has. Bullpen here we go!!
Am I seeing things or has Bellinger changed his approach at the plate?
I think I’m seeing things.
Holy cow this is the worst that I have ever seen Gonzalez pitch.
One year wonder ?
I have more faith in Vesia than V-Gone.
And there is a lot of criticism about Lux but how about that Bellinger guy ? Wow, I do not remember I saw a former MVP look THAT bad for so LONG as him.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!
V-gone sucks but someone here will make an excuse. Just came off IL, he’ll be ok, yada yada yada.
It’s the big leagues got to get it done and when you don’t you get sent down. Looking for him to get sent down and someone get called up for another BP game.
Oh by the way Gonsolin not too impressive either. AF work some magic and get us some SP
If Tommy Lasorda would have seen those dodger players laughing and joking in the ninth-inning, he would’ve had their ass. You shouldn’t be laughing and joking in the ninth inning when you just got pounded by your rivals
I saw that too. Really gave me a bad feeling to see Buhler yucking it up there, what the f is so funny.. Against the goddamn Giants. They should all be PISSED.
HEADLINE: BATTERED DODGERS LIMP TO LOSS . Giants Roll Over Ailing Dodgers.
Yeah they need the spread tipped over and a few things thrown against the wall
Just got home from another disgusting game at the ballpark. I didn’t have a good feeling when I saw the horrible lineup that Roberts gave us. Where was Pollack? Why is it taking Seager nearly 10 weeks to come back from a fracture of his little pinkie? Why does Roberts continue to pull relievers that are pitching well? I have always questioned his management of the pitching staff….just seems to be harder to understand why he continues to screw things up and is one of the main reasons for our record in the close games.
You know, it’s one thing to get beat. To get beat by a better team. You hold your head up. But to get beat like that in your own house? In your own house! And then the camera finds players joking around and laughing in the dugout in the 9th inning. That’s effed up man.
I am glad I left the game early…..if I saw that I would be pissed too. Our team needs to wake up and take each game seriously or we will find ourselves not playing ball in October. On paper the gnats are not a very good team but they must be playing with a bigger heart that what the Dodgers are showing. It is time to wake up but unfortunately Roberts is no Lasorda so hopefully our loaded team will start playing with the passion for the game that will start to reverse the trend of losing games we should be winning.
Hey, that Jake McGee guy is doing pretty well for the Giants….
Remember how the Dodgers were looking for another lefty reliever. Where the hell did the Giants find McGee? Name seems familiar…
OK, snark aside, I’m hoping AF gets in gear.
–An SP is critical. Even if Bauer comes back, it seems like Buhler and Urias are now the most reliable arms left. Kershaw is fragile, Gonsolin is shaky, Price needs to buildup…. plus, Urias , especially, is in danger of being overworked.
–A proven bat would help a lot. The continuing struggles of Belli and Lux, and the uncertainty with Seager, should inspire a deal for someone to bolster the lineup. Gosh, maybe they could even find a guy with a good bat AND glove!
–A top-flight RP would be nice, but Nelson and Knebel should help soon. AF loves him multiple BP options so this would be no surprise. But I’d aim for true impact arm.
Somebody like McGee would be nice…
Lefty’s in the pen are Gonzalez, Vesia, Alexander, and Nunez. I do not think they need any more lefty’s. As bad as Gonsolin was, the bullpen put the game out of reach. Over their last 2 games they have given up 7 earned runs. I do think Roberts made a mistake pulling Bickford when he did. He had gotten an out and gave up a hit, but he was pitching well. Roberts went with the percentages and Gonzalez kept throwing cookies. Bickford had gotten out of Alexander’s mess, and I would have let him finish the inning. The other thing was that the offense had Gausman on the ropes in the first and second innings and let him off of the hook. After Bellinger walked in the and Smith was hit, they had 2 on and one out. Beaty hit a screaming liner towards left that Flores made a great play on, and then Reks struck out. In the second, McKinstry hits a leadoff double, and neither Gonsolin, who looks like a terrible bunter, or Taylor, who struck out could get him to third. Muncy walked, Turner walked and Smith struck out on a pitch right down the middle. After that, the offense was totally impotent. One good thing I saw was Bellinger making hard contact on a line drive out to left. He does that more often, he is going to get some hits. Otherwise, very forgettable game. But it was only the first of 7 with the Giants over the next 10 days. At the end of that time, we should have a pretty good idea where they stand going into the last 2 months. The trading deadline is the day after the Giants series, and they will be playing Arizona. They have 3 with the Rocks in between
Well, very disappointing game. Could not get the key hit and the pitching was bad too. Will be interesting to see how this next 10 days before the trade deadling play out. It could be already make or breakt time for the Dodgers. Should they lose 4-5 of the next 6 games to the Giants they could dig themself a pretty big hole already.
To be honest I fear this is not our year. too many injuries to key players. too many guys not playing up to their ability and to top it off the Bauer situation. It is astounding that this team still is among the top 5 in wins in all of baseball.
Shows how talented and deep the Dodgers are.
I hope Gray has a good game tonight and gives the Dodgers a shot in the arm (no vaccs) that is desperately needed.
I would also call up Ruiz finally.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!