First Game Takeaways

Posted By on February 21, 2026

I always try not to draw any conclusions from just one game, but I do have eyes, and here are a few things worth considering:

  • Teoscar Hernandez looks fitter than ever, and his bat looks ready. He just lost a ball in the sun. That does not concern me.
  • Andy Pages impressed me with his pitch selection and solid hits.
  • Zyhir Hope‘s weight training and thickness are going to be a problem for him. He has added a lot of muscle and weight over the last couple of years. He loves hitting balls out of sight, and his power is tremendous, but his bulging muscles do not impress me. He looks like a linebacker, not an outfielder.
  • Strikeouts are Ryan Ward‘s Kryptonite. Shades of James Outman.
  • Many fans have forgotten that Nick Senzel was once a highly touted prospect. He bears watching as he was once the #2 Draft Pick. He can play IF and OF. He is a nice RH bat, but is not on the 40-man roster.
  • Luke Fox has a live arm and could move up rapidly. Look for him in 2027.
  • The game against the Angels was more about how BAD they are, not how GOOD the Dodgers are.
  • Ryan Fitzgerald is worth watching. He will be 31 shortly.
  • Jack Suwinski is an interesting pickup. In 2023, he hit 26 HR and OPS’ed .793 in his Sophomore Season. Next, his strikeout percentage dropped, as did his hard hit rate… and he has tanked ever since. Still only 27, he’s “fixable.”
  • I had forgotten about it, but long ago, I said that Gavin Lux was not a SS. It turns out I was right. I also said that he would be traded. I took a lot of flak for that one, too. Thanks to Brian for the reminder.
  • For the record, I think Hyeseong Kim makes the opening day roster along with Rojas and Rushing. There could be some surprises as well. I think it is likely Alex Freeland starts at OKC, but he could play his way onto the team. So could some others.
  • I will be at the games next Tuesday and Thursday at the Ranch.

This article has 32 Comments

  1. In addition, Kim drive in 3 with 2 clutch hits. Fitzgerald and Pages’ each had a triple and a double. Maybe Andy got his funk figured out.

    Erdhard hit well and drove in one. Lots of extra base hits. Teo was 3 for 3. Erhard and Ward played 1B. Yes the Angels are bad but 15 runs means they got hammered.

    1. I am not trying to take anything away from Kim, as he did have two hits, but they were opposite-field, weak contact. Still, it’s the result that counts. Fitzgerald, Teo, and Pages impressed me the most, and Hope absolutely scalded the ball. The Angels are really bad! The Dodgers are really good.

      3. Funny way of not taking credit away from Kim.
        He got two hits–and you complain that he didn’t pull the ball. Yes, Kim’s glass is half-empty.
        What’s wrong with hitting to the opposite field?
        Kim batted .280 as a rookie, just .002 behind Shohei. If he hits .280 this season and replaces some of his Ks with walks, we should be pleased.
        He’s also the fastest guy on the team. He’ll score from first on a lot of doubles, and if Shohei strikes out, there might be an opportunity to steal. He stole 13 in 14 tries in ’25. By comparison, Pages stole 14 in 21 tries.

        2. Hey Duke, The Kim fan club is growing! Lol. You hit on a lot of positives about to our guy. I am surprised that the Dodgers don’t value speed but combining Kim , Ohtani Pages’ and Tucker in the order should increase the havoc on the base paths, especially with Kim’s success rate. And having speed on the bases in front of Ohtani forces the pitchers to go out of the stretch. We have enough slugging to compensate for a few singles hitters.

  2. This is what happens when players are disciplined at the plate and make contact as a priority. Homers will come from those able, but contact is essential to runs being scored and taking stress off the starting pitchers and BP.
    As the Angels, why has Trout not demanded a trade? A wasted career in a dumpster known as the LA Angels.

    1. 1. Mike Trout will be 34 this year.
      2. He is owed $185 Million over 5 more years.
      3. He has not played 140 games since 2018
      4. In the last 7 years, he has played more than 100 games 3 times.
      5. In 2024, he was a 1.1 WAR player, and in 2025, he was a 1.5 WAR Player.
      6. Now he is insisting on playing CF.
      7. I am beginning to think that Mr. Trout does not care about winning.
      8. What team in their right mind would trade for him?
      9. His contract is worse than Rendons.

        1. I will go out on a limb and say that if the Angels paid $100 Million of the $185 Million he is owed, they would probably have no takers.

      2. Mark,
        He hasn’t seen winning since highschool. He probably has no concept of it. The good news is he can buy the state of NJ , run for governor and become a HOFer. Probably enough for him. I assume they will try to buy him out.

      3. Contract worse than Rendon’s???
        Not even close.
        There’s no reason to insult Trout, whose production has declined from injuries. He’ll still be a first-ballot HOFer.
        There were plenty of reasons to diss Rendon.

        1. Well, we agree that Trout is a first-ballot HOF’er, but Trout signed a deal worth $426 Million in 2020. They still owe him $186 Million. From 2012 to 2019, Trout averaged 9.0 WAR a year on his old deal. His new $426 Million Deal started in 2020. From 2020 to 2026, he has averaged 2.5 WAR. In MLB, each point of WAR is averaged at about $8 Million. He was great under his old deal. In 2016, the Angels paid him for 2 WAR and he delivered 10.4 WAR. Now, they are paying him $37 Million fpor 2.5 WAR. The last 2 years, his WAR was 1.1 and 1.5. His WAR will continue to decline and they still owe him $186 Million until 2030.

          It was his old deal that paid him for him his best years. Under his new deal of $426 Million he is absolutely the worst contract ever… even worse than Rendon because they are paying him $200 Million more for hardly any production. Miggy RO was a 1.9 WAR last year for about $5 Million. Yes, Trout is a Hall of Famer and YES, the Contract may absolutely be the worst of all time!

  5. Someone asked about Tony Gonsolin a while back. Here’s the latest:

    Gonsolin underwent right-elbow internal brace and flexor repair surgery in August 2025, a recovery typically estimated at 8–10 months, meaning he’s expected to miss a significant portion of 2026 while rehabbing.

    There are emerging reports online (not confirmed yet by MLB sources) suggesting that the San Francisco Giants are exploring a deal with Gonsolin, likely one that reflects his injury status (e.g., short-term with performance incentives), though nothing official has been announced.

    Recent buzz (unofficial reporting) suggests the Atlanta Braves could be a team that might take a chance on Gonsolin as a late-season depth arm, assuming his rehab progresses well — though no deal has been officially announced.

    I think Tony will sign with another team in the next 60 days.

    1. Sometimes we forget how good Tony was. In the early days (2018-2019), Tony could hit triple digits as a reliever. They converted him to a starter, and his fastball settled in at 94-95 MPH. In 2022, he was an All-Star and went 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA and a 0.875 WHIP, in just 130 innings. He was unhittable that year anc then his arm started unraveling. Hopefully, he can come back, but it is doubtful he will do it as a Dodger. I guess you never know.

  6. not a fan of 3v3 hockey.

    Big fan of Ardaya:
    https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7061342/2026/02/20/dodgers-spring-training-betts-yamamoto/?source=user_shared_article

    Nice anecdote on Dodger pitching development and Will Klein:
    Then Klein rotated the baseball 90 degrees and put on the same grip, just with different seams in play. This is his new slider.

    “It just kind of catches the seams and shifts it to that 3 o’clock tilt, and that’s what gets it going left a little bit more now,” Klein said. “That was something I didn’t know I could do, make it turn as much as it does.”

    Klein’s old slider generated an average of 0.6 inches of horizontal movement. His new sweeper gets 9.8 inches of horizontal break on average. It’s made a huge difference, especially against right-handed hitters.

  7. I get to watch this one. Lineup already out.

    Ferris
    Tucker
    Tibbs
    Ehrhard
    Ward
    Siani

    Ones to watch

    1. I think Ehrhard will at least be a 4th OF for us, possibly a full-time LF.

      DePaula should be a full-time RF someday.

      Quintero might be the best of them, but a ways off. I see him in CF.

  8. 3:10 PM ET

    Dodgers (93-69)
    Padres (90-72)

    SP Jackson Ferris L
    0-0 .00 ERA
    SP Randy Vasquez R
    0-0 .00 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup
    SS Miguel Rojas R
    RF Kyle Tucker L
    C Will Smith R
    1B Ryan Ward L
    3B Nick Senzel R
    LF James Tibbs L
    DH Zach Ehrhard R
    2B R. Fitzgerald L
    CF M. Siani L

    77° Wind 9 mph In

      2. Now that he’s on the 40, it’s an easier pathway to playing in LA.

        Even easier if he can do it at multiple positions.

  9. Mark, I remember several years ago you asked us to guess the opening day bullpen. I think it would be 1. Hard, 2. Very lucky if someone could guess OKC outfielders on there opening day. None are currently listed and we have an abundance of candidates. You try and make a guess then the club goes and signs another veteran.

    David Bote tore it up in spring training last year. He refused to play at OKC so he was placed on the restricted list. He’s still on it. When does that end and why would the Dodgers hold on to him.

    Thank you for your advice.

    1. 1. I would not even attempt to guess this bullpen. It’s a total crapshoot among about 500 pitchers.

      2. Bote refused his assignment and was placed on the restricted list. He is likely to retire – officially,

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