2019 Top Prospects Update

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1. Great info AC. Thanks.

   How often is Zach McKinstry in the middle of things when a run is needed? He will make it to MLB as a utility type player. His favoritism for me goes back to 2016 when he was promoted to the Loons in their championship year. He came in as a second baseman and solidified third base which had been a revolving door for the Loons.

   Not sure about the juiced balls at AAA or at the MLB level where arm swings seem to put the ball out, Kirk Gibson style. I prefer to think that the players, DJ in particular, are just hitting better. He has always had power so his power with OKC is no surprise. His bat to ball skill improvement is. As mentioned yesterday, he credits Scott Coolbaugh for the improvement. In any event, all Pacific Coast League players are hitting the same balls so if our guys are knocking the tar out of it now, that is still a good thing. It is all relative. The nature of the ball doesn’t determine how much contact you make. The transition from the PCL to MLB doesn’t seemed to have affected Matt Beaty. Perhaps the hitting philosophy brought on by RVS has something to with it for Beaty, Smith, DJ, Lux, Garlick, Reks, etc.

   Speaking of Matt Beaty (12th round), he is so cool. He ran the bases as if hitting a 3-run pinch hit homer is just another at bat. No jumping, shouting, or even smiling. Confident in himself and respectful to his opponents.

   1. Matt Beaty is really a professional hitter. I like this guy a lot and he can hit RH and LH pitching. The Dodgers could probably get Will Smith for him. I would not do it!

      Great Prospect Coverage, AC. Very in-depth and complete. I am still amazed the Dodgers have a TOP FARM SYSTEM and have won the division 7 straight years and been to the WS twice in a row. To get a Top reliever, the farm is going to have to take a gutshot!

2. Josiah Gray at AA
   Mitchell White at AAA
   Edwin Rios at AAA

   For Ken Giles.

   1. OOps add Dennis Santana to the list here.

3. Jeter Downs at A Advanced
   Connor Wong at AA
   Edwin Uceta at AA

   For Shane Greene.

   1. Giles and Greene both have extensive histories of pitching poorly and/or chocking in the clutch. Anytime you trade for a reliever, you run the risk that they will not be the pitcher they are at their new digs. Both are RH and the Dodgers need a LH Reliever. I would not risk trading for either pitcher.

      Felipe Vasquez is the closest thing to a sure thing that there is and I know the Pirates would have to be overwhelmed to trade him. A trade for Vasquez is going to hurt and I believe it has to include one of each of the following pairs:

      Downs or Peters
      Gray or May
      Smith or Lux

      The picker is the Pirates. Are you prepared to do that deal?

      Now I know, that the Cubs got Chapman for just Torres (I say “just” as if it weren’t much, but it was), but they only had Chapman for 2 months. Vasquez is controlled for 2 months PLUS THREE YEARS! It’s going to take 3 TOP PROSPECTS to get him.

      Giles and/or Greene have great potential to be Jim Johnson revisited.

      1. Vasquez is going to cost way more than that IF the Pirates make him available.

         Giles and Greene to me are the best choices without trading Lux, May, Smith, Ruiz, Gonsolin, DJ Peters.

         We don’t need a lefty, we need the best available that won’t cost us a fortune. Giles is great against left handed hitters, so is Baez, Greene is good against left handed hitters. And we still have lefty Urias in the pen. Hill is set to return in September.

         Well what the hell do you want to do, sell 3 or 4 of our top 5 prospects for Vasquez, who may not be available anyways. Or just go with what we have.

         I’m sorry Mark the Giles/Greene Jim Johnson comparison is assinine.

         1. Wish List Trade Idea : Get Giles and Hudson from the blue jays and maybe a Tony Watson type for LHP. Do not give much. Giles cannot be compared to Jim Johnson. He has struggled with Astros but has had really good numbers for some seasons and this year has been really good. Hudson has experience and could be better than Yimmi and Floro for another Bullpen Arm and a Lefty as experienced as Watson can help the team as Ferguson has not worked and Alexander is injured and has not been good in the clutch. Watson pitched very good in 2017 WS against Astros was one of the few relievers that responded in WS. I think team could get these relievers without giving up the best prospects. Maybe give out Edwin Rios, Santana (Pitcher), and some low level prospects . Just an idea.

            Vasquez would be very good but will cost too much and might not even be traded. I think Bullpen is not great for Dodgers but also Roberts does not manage it well as most of you here would agree !! Last night Kershaw pitching a gem why dint let him pitch the 7th inning !!! I do not get why Roberts when he has a lead thinks the game is easily won and disrespects the opposition and starts getting anxious and making changes like game 4 of 2018 WS . Also defense did not help Ferguson but again why did he not let Kershaw pitch one more inning. They could have lost the game !! Kershaw did not get the W and again just bad managing of the bullpen .

            I think team should call up Smith after deadline and let him catch at least part time and if he hits will let him take over starting position. For September or earlier they should call up : Lux, May, Peters. Team does not really need a hitter for deadline but maybe if a good RH Batter falls in their laps a deal could be made.

            Respectfully and have great day !

            Carlos

            1. 14 game lead, team up by 6. Why keep Kershaw in? Roberts did nothing wrong. If the pitchers he brought in can’t throw strikes/get outs in that type of situation they have no business being on the team.

      2. By the way take a look at Vasquez OPS against left handed hitting this year, that 794 OPS looks pretty bad to me.

         1. He is over hyped. He would be very good to get but not at the asking price. He is good but he is not Chapman either.

      3. Forget Vásquez. No indication the Pirates would actually trade him and if they did the price would be too high. No way they should give up Smith, Lux or May. Like Ned Colletti said, anytime you pick up a relief pitcher from a losing team, there is always risk because you don’t know how they will react to the pressure of a pennant race/playoff environment or the the change of city/team.

   2. If that isn’t enough for Shane Greene then add in Cristian Santana at AA.

4. If the NL adds the DH, the Dodgers would have one of the best in Beaty.

   I still believe in Ferguson but not in Garcia. If I were the Giants I would accept Ferguson and Estevez for Will Smith. In the long run though, the Dodgers probably would better off with years of Ferguson than a few months of Smith.

   1. Maybe Zaidi would trade with Dodgers but i do not think the Giants Brass will let him do a deal with Dodgers at the end and they are almost at .500 i think they would deal oustide of division and maybe Watson would be possible but i doubt they will get a deal done. with Giants. Someone else will overpay for Smith. Dodgers would not want to give great prospects to division and franchise rival Giants.

      1. Carlos

         Your right there will not be a trade between the Dodgers and Giants.

         And as far as Watson is concerned, nice 814 OPS vs left handed hitting. Not.

5. Maeda looked good out of the pen Fri day night. If Hill makes it back, he could be the lefty out of the pen. We still have Stripling. We have some pieces internally that could be good out of the pen. What to do with Urias. He is good out of the pen and also a good starter. I have a feeling there is not going to be much relief pitching available at the deadline unless they receive a deal they cannot refuse. Friedman just has not given up the farm kids he wants to keep.

   1. Idahoal

      Stats indicate Urias is better in the pen than starting so far this year. the opposite for Stripling, he’s better as a starter.

      Maeda is dominate vs right handed hitters, a good ROOGY in the pen in the playoffs.

   2. This is why I’m not sweating the bullpen issue as much as others. First, if we can get Hill back, which is sounding like it might happen in time, then we add Stripling and Kenta to the pen. Those two, along with Baez, Urias, and to a degree Kenley, I think have been fairly consistent and dependable all year long. If our starters can get thru 6 innings, we have 5 guys to close it out which should be do-able, provided Roberts doesn’t go overly aggressive playing chess with the opposing manager. I think, realistically, we have keep Jansen fresh to be most effective. Urias, I believe, can help close. Of course, Kelly is the wild card and if we can add him to this list, then I really like our chances. At all costs, avoid the deeper end of the bullpen as I think they’re the real culprit behind our erratic bullpen performance this year.

6. All the relievers have warts… even Vasquez.

7. Even though the Dodgers are in desperate need of a BP upgrade, it may not occur for the regular season and instead we’ll see Stripling, Maeda, Urias out of the BP during the post season. Combine them with the likes of Baez, Kelly and KJ and the BP doesn’t look so bad.

   I just don’t see the FO getting some of the more notable RP’s given the parity for the wild card playoff spot and what it might cost to acquire RP. The FO is not parting with May, Lux, Peters, Smith, Ruiz.

   Ferguson should be sent back to OKC as it appears his confidence is completely gone in addition to his FB command. Yimi looks pedestrian, but has AF pulled another rabbit out of his hat with Casey Sadler?

   What’s up with the defense? Corey’s glove work scares me and Max appears shaky with the glove. Seven straight games with at least two errors. That’s horrible, but lets hope Doc uses the off day tomorrow for some defensive drills. The team could use a full day off especially at home, but the way they’ve played I can see some defense work in their future. Would not be surprised to see Belli get a rest day today. He did get three BB’s last night but it appears he might be scuffling a bit and could benefit from a day off.

8. Could the Dodgers play better in the second half of the season than they did in the first half?
   Corey is starting to get his groove back and Pollock is contributing. Hernandez is hitting better.

   It is possible that we haven’t seen the best this team can be.

   I want to see this line up.

   Verdugo
   Seager
   Turner
   Bellinger
   Muncy
   Pollock
   Joc/Freeze/Beaty
   Barnes/Smith/Martin

   Go Dodgers Sweep the Fish!

   1. Okay,

      Verdugo RF
      Seager SS
      Turner 3B
      Bellinger 1B
      Muncy 2B
      Pollock CF
      Joc LF
      Smith C

      Against Lefties, Freese to 1B, Verdugo to LF, Belli to RF

   2. I agree. I do think Verdugo would be better suited as leadoff than Joc. I might also try Pollock 2nd sometimes.

9. Wow, our bullpen flat out sucks! It’s almost like they know they suck and they want AF to replace as many of them as possible.

   Now, add that to the fact that Doc sucks at managing the bullpen and you have a real potential for post season disaster.

   Doc doing what he always does, tries to get that 4th out from Shaggy to start the inning instead of giving Caleb a clean sheet to start with. It always starts this way.

   Then he has to over manage by playing musical chairs with the defense while taking out his best defensive player in the process.

   After Caleb allows a double and a walk, a deserved quick hook brings in Yimi. Sac Fly, Walk, Double, mound visit. His talk must have been inspirational as Yimi responds by plunking the next hitter with a full count.

   Finally, Baez enters the game, but can’t escape with the lead because his first baseman can’t hold onto the ball. The one who can is sitting on the bench after musical chairs.

   Thank God Beaty rescued this game with a dramatic HR. He wouldn’t have had to if it weren’t for an inept bullpen that can’t get outs and a bumbling manager that has a penchant for over-complicating late inning pitching changes and defensive re-positioning.

   Still can’t fix Doc. Gonna have to fix the pen.

   Sorry guys, Matt Beaty is the flavor of the day, but he’s trade bait. I’m very glad he’s doing well, he might just trick another GM into trading for him. He’s bad in the outfield and at 1B and has no chance of being a starter.

   The trade deadline can’t come soon enough. This bullpen is making me ill.

   1. The FO strategy of not bolstering the BP and defense sufficiently but relying on the offensive power of the positional players to win, reminds me of Don Nelson when he used to coach the Warriors. He was an offensive genius and always made his teams dangerous. His philosophy was the best defense was a great offense. As a Warrrior fan, I hated him. But the great lesson to be learned is you have to field a complete team. Disregarding any aspect of the game, will usually come back to bite you. Nelson never won any rings for the Warriors. They were never good enough for the championship level. Old Don would never learn that his philosophy suffered. When he was let go, he slid off into obscurity. I just hope that this FO can pull it off this October, because if it can’t, we have to question whether they have what it takes to be #1. For me, it still is 3 strikes and you’re out

      1. 59, you made an interesting comment about Beaty having poor defensive skills. I honestly can’t remember him flubbing any plays this year, but that could just be my old brain. Refresh my memory, please. I also wonder about his outfield skills if he were to replace Joc. Many are probably thinking Beaty is first class material and he may be, but we need a larger sample size to make any definitive statement about his all around playing. His PH has been awesome, though. A true candidate for DH.

         1. He’s shaky on defense but not worse than the other non-Bellinger’s at 1st. Especially Joc. It’s nice that he’s being rewarded with a start today. I think if he plays every day he’s an avg. defender at best but will hit.

         2. Bad range and fielding pct at 3B in the minors, which is why he normally plays 1B. He’s played <20 games as an outfielder in 4 years in the minors. Outfielders almost never make errors, and they don't get a ton of chances. I can only go by the eye test when it comes to the outfield, and I've seen a couple of miscues. This isn't to say he won't ever be an adequate outfielder, but he doesn't have the tools to be a good defensive outfielder and he never hit <15 HRs in the minors, so you can't bank on enough power to play a corner.

            He's in LF today. Lemme know how you see things. Again, he should only get on average 3 chances, so if you blink you might miss it.

      2. Don Nelson is having a great life on Maui growing Marijuana. The Lakers might have had something to do with his defeats too.

         1. Nelson always did like to indulge himself. He was a real prick with his players. Too bad he wasn’t smoking anything when he coached.

10. Relievers are a crap shoot. Just look at Diaz for Mets.
    Last year he was young, brilliant and controllable with nasty stuff. This year a disaster. No way I’m giving up 2 of our top 3-4 prospects for Vasquez. For me Lux and May are untouchable especially for a reliever. Don’t think we have a shot for the top 3 lefties so gonna have to go next level and not use our top 5 prospects. I’d like Greene and Oberg. If Hill comes back at his previous level then I’d leave Urias in the pen and maybe in playoffs use him more often with one inning stints as our lefty shutdown guy. A playoff bullpen of Jansen, Kelly and he’s looking better, Baez, Maeda, Urias, Greene and Oberg should be enough.

11. You’re right 59 that’s our best team but only if Belli is willing to switch between the two spots. And as far as our defense long layoffs don’t affect just offense. Pollock and Seager will get better defensively and Muncy as well with consistent play at 2nd. Use Taylor and Hernandez as utility to give guys rest.

12. Beaty did a good job of making the pitcher pay for throwing a cream puff up there. Well, at least throwing it right in his wheelhouse. Don’t get a ton of mistakes at this level. Beaty has made em pay.

13. This is a strange season. The Dodgers are having a great year, coasting to the playoffs, and yet unless they make major changes to the bullpen, I don’t think we have a credible chance of winning the title. It is somewhat like those cartoons where the character runs off the cliff, is still confidently racing along, until he thinks to look down, and plummets to the ground. I don’t closely follow all the teams, but we have to have the worst bullpen of any major contender. And I blame that on the ownership, which seems to have no interest in ever making major or expensive long-term changes, and on the front office, which has done a remarkable job in finding diamonds in the rough for the lineup, but has not been impressive when it comes to bullpen pieces.

    It should never have gotten to this point. We did nothing to improve the bullpen after last year, except to get Kelly, who has had one good year in his career. Every year, we see the same guys out there: Baez, Garcia, Chargois, the various people we regularly bring up and send down again. I mentioned the Yankees before; they systematically built that superb bullpen, by spending big money, and taking a few risks on very talented players with some “ifs” in their background. It really is no surprise that we are in this spot. Jansen was having some problems last year, and counting on him to return to closer greatness was either very optimistic, or simply laziness or cheapness on the ownership’s part.

    Right now, there is not one reliever on staff about whom we could say, “Okay, he’s in, we’ll shut them down for this inning or two.” Maybe Urias, but he has to be used sparingly. How many games have we seen where our starter has left with a two-run or more lead, and the bullpen immediately gives up runs? Do that in the playoffs, and you lose . So all that prologue leads to my thought that unless we make major changes, pick up three relievers, at least one of whom is topnotch, we will end the year with more regrets and excuses. And since the goal is to win titles, not divisions, I want to see us give up almost whatever it takes, I don’t care if one or two of them become major league stars. The other alternative is to protect such players, give up lesser talents, get average relievers at best, and waste another season. I have always rooted against the Yankees, but they are what the Dodgers are not, an organization determined to win multiple titles. It took them some years to rebuild after some mistakes, but now I could see them winning five or so championships of the next ten, while the Dodgers ultimately lose their entire title window, and end up battling the Padres and maybe the Giants to make the playoffs from the NL West in upcoming seasons. If you want to win a title, you need an ace closer. We do not have one. So getting someone like Vasquez for multiple seasons is actually a necessity beyond this season. Meanwhile, we wait for the Cubs to utilize Kimbrel, while Keuchel, not a closer, of course, but very good, will give the Braves a big lift. And we float along, trying not to look down. We’ve got ten days to get this done.

    1. William

       Baez has been reliable all this season besides that one game he was tipping his pitches. Dave Roberts went to the mound and told him that he was tipping his pitches then Baez struck out the side.

14. Seagers exit velocity is 87.6. League average is 88.8. Not sure if this is relevant, or even accurate, but it seems low for a guy that used to break fences.

15. I’m with MT on Giles and Greene. Some are not built for the bright lights. I like Vasquez but would not overpay. Will Smith probably fits the best but the giant-dodger thing. Maybe AF can do a 3 way to minimize the rivalry thing. In absence of a deal that AF can live with I would do the following assuming Hill returns.

    You could start Ryu, Buehler, and Kershaw while using maeda,hill,and urias out of the bullpen. Then, when it came time for a 4th starter you could start the one who is most rested or a worse option would be to start stripling in a 4th game. Roberts would need to thread the needle but Boston did it last year. I prefer these options to trading for a Jim Johnson type or throwing away prospects. In summary, I would try to get wsmith first, Vasquez 2nd but would not overpay for either one. If healthy we have the guys here if managed right.

    Our bullpen is terrible at this point and we have to fix it. We have a long way to go though so I am sure AF is looking at all possibilities.

16. Baez has given up multiple runs 7 times in 45 appearances and 6 runs in his last 7 appearances. He has been the best RP on the team in preventing inherited runners from scoring but he is an OK option, not a great one. He looks great on the Dodgers because he has been the best RP, except Urias, on the team this year. He leads all RP in WHIP and BAA, but he’s blown 5 saves and has 2 losses. Of the team’s 35 losses, the ‘pen has 18 of them, and 19 BS.

17. To get your minds off our horrible bullpen, our struggling defense, and the Will Smith/Austin Barnes debate, here is a youtube video of Fernando’s tribute last night . It was done well:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMA8d_8eC8Q

18. Andrew Friedman: “We always feel pressure to make a deal and improve our team. We have to balance that with not being stupid.”

    1. Also, Friedman went on with this interesting quote as found in the LAT:
       … Friedman believes the farm system is deep enough to absorb another trade-deadline acquisition, “but at some point we have to think about ways to replenish it, because the only downside of competing every year is you’re never selling off pieces to get young players,” Friedman said.
       “It’s a credit to our scouting staff, our player-development staff, that we still have a deep system. We just have to continue to be mindful of it and not take it for granted or we’ll wake up one day and be in the bottom of the league in farm-system ranking, and it’s really difficult to sustain success when you’re there.”

       I wonder if that means the team is looking to move Maeda or Stripling (Pederson if he has any value, I guess)

       1. Perhaps trading Joc during the off season

       2. I think so Bluto. He was able to do it with Puig last year. I wonder if CT3 or Kike gets traded with the arrival of Lux? Maeda, Stripling and Pederson are all options.

          The flip side is that you can’t keep everyone either. A couple of guys were selected in the Rule 5 draft last year and we have a ton of guys that could be subjected to it again this year.

          With the fake salary cap, expiring contracts, large market, record TV deal, highest attendance, rising ticket prices and all, he has the financial resources to invest in Scouting, Player Dev, Analytics etc. As a result, we’re in a better position to be smart about the guys we draft and acquire. He’s doing a great job with the balancing act. But, if you never win the championship, how can you really call what your doing a success?

          1. Puig went with a pitcher who could be #1 or #2 in the Reds rotation.

             AND the Dodgers had to take back salary.

             Not sure Puig had any value in that transaction.

19. 22YO Leo Crawford’s last 5 starts at Rancho:

    (6/29) 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K’s
    (7/4) 5.2 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K’s
    (7/9) 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K’s
    (7/14) 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K’s
    (7/20) 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K’s

    Also.

    Old friend Puig is heating up:

    Since 5/1
    .292 .340 .560 .899

    1. I noticed the same stats on Crawford, Bluto. He started his Dodger career as a real hot prospect and then tailed off, but it looks like he may be on the way back. Still young enough to make an impact in L.A. some day or, of course, as a trade piece.

       1. Could be a trade piece if Dodgers don’t want to part with top guys.

    2. Identical as last year with a little lower .OBP this year I believe. Starts the year trying to hard, presses, then slowly digs out of that hole. Reds fans love him. Hopefully, he learned a few things going from the penthouse to the outhouse. I think he’s stole quite a few bases too.

    3. DC and I have been talking about Leo since 2016. He does indeed look like he is getting his mojo back, but before we declare him a prospect again, he needs to pitch to AA batters. He could indeed be a trade option in a package.

20. Nice write up AC! Nice to be reminded that our cupboard is not bare and that there are players coming up through the pipeline to fill in the gaps as they arise.

    I have never been one to concern himself with how are system is rated or how many prospects we have in the Baseball America top 100, etc. They make for nice reads, but quite often they get it wrong too. I remember how for years they touted Craig Jeffries as the second coming of Mickey Mantle and Ben MacDonald as the next Tom Seaver. They weren’t and ended up having mediocre careers at best. Same holds true for the “draft experts.” In 2012, virtually every expert would taken Mark Appel with the first pick and few considered Carlos Correa to be in the top 10 picks. Apparently Houston knew better. I’m also one of those conspiracy theorists who believes that there is a strong East Coast bias when it comes to many of these lists. Most of the writers/commentators are avid Redsox and Yankee fans. I could say more than that, but I’ll leave that for another time.

    As the trade deadline approaches, it is also good to be reminded that we have player currency available to make trades and yet, prospects will remain so we don’t have to step into the prospect breadline.

21. Today’s sweep lineup:

    Joc (RF)
    JT
    Seager
    Muncy (1b)
    Pollock
    Beaty (LF)
    Kike
    Barnes
    Bueher

22. I do not remember well, but I think some of you wanted Holland, well, here is the opportunity to get it

    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/07/giants-designate-derek-holland.html

23. Old friend Ian Kennedy coming home?

    https://www.dodgersnation.com/the-la-dodgers-target-royals-reliever-ian-kennedy-in-a-trade/2019/07/21/

    1. I brought up Kennedy about two month’s ago, but never really pushed the idea because of the $$$. I am also a Kennedy fan because he is a Trojan.

    2. Hard to imagine the FO springing for $16M for a reliever that is not a top-tier closer.

24. Stripling’s trade value

    https://www.dodgersnation.com/evaluating-the-trade-value-of-la-dodgers-starting-pitcher-ross-stripling/2019/07/21/

25. I do not remember well, but I think some of you wanted Holland, well, here is the opportunity to get it

    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/07/giants-designate-derek-holland.html

    1. That was Greg Holland, the closer, and not Derek Holland, the starter.

       1. You’re right, that’s why I said I did not remember well

26. From the two above links:

    Stripling, Gonsolin, Cartaya for Vasquez

    Edwin Rios or Dennis Santana plus Jeren Kendall and Cody Thomas for Ian Kennedy

    Ruiz, Fergusson for Hand (I substituted Fergusson for Stripling because usually it is hard to trade Stripling to two teams)

    1. Send Ross to one team, and Strip to the other? They’d never know!

       1. Send Stewart to one of them and tell them it’s Ross, maybe they won’t notice.

    2. Why would Cleveland give up their closer when they are in the playoff picture? Can’t imagine them doing this. They are only 3 games out of 1st place!

       The Vazquez deal could have legs.

27. Despite the danger of sounding like a broken record because I have posted on this subject twice before….
    We all want the bullpen fixed but don’t like the price it may cost us, but there is another fix that needs to be made that won’t cost us anything. Our defense stinks and is making our pitching look even worse than it is. We have 7 straight games of 2 or more errors, including 3 last night. But that is only half the story, because misplays are not always called errors. We are also playing sloppy, missing double plays, dropping throws, etc. that are costing us runs but not showing up as errors in the box score. Only two teams in MLB have more errors than double plays and we are one of them. The “pitcher’s best friend” is not showing up often enough because we just don’t turn the double play well.
    All of this puts added pressure on our pitchers and runs up the pitch count. It is demoralizing for the whole team and nothing causes more discouragement than missed plays in the field. My theory is that constantly moving players around is a significant contributor to poor play in the field. Players do better when they have one primary (that means they can move around when necessary) position that they can practice for and know they are going to play every day. Our SS-2B combination need to work together and get the play down, like a well oiled machine. We need to assess the good and bad of the versatility we are so proud of (and thankful for).
    I know it is often posted that CB likes to play LF more than 1B, but for the sake of the team, we need him at 1B. He would be a Gold Glove candidate there and we need someone that can make all the plays there. If he plays LF he makes one position better, but if he plays 1b he makes several positions better. He catches wild throws better than anyone and saves what would be errors, and saves runs too. His play at first goes a long way toward making our infield better, and as important as they are Max has made 14 errors this year and Seager has made 11—they need to play together and have a 1B they can depend on to help them out once in a while.
    We need to shore up the defense any way we can because it is really killing us.

    1. Killing

    2. That’s why our record is so bad!

       I think the defensive lapses are due to being so far ahead in the standings and focused on the Post-Season. I think it means ZIP, ZERO, ZILCH!

    3. Gee, I wonder if DJLM would have looked good at 2B in a Dodger uni? Oh that’s right, he is over 30 and cannot hit outside of Coors. He has won two consecutive GG and is on his way to his 3rd. Not directed at you Campy. I too believe in a strong D.

       1. I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong on that one. Lux coming up the system also made me shy away.

       2. Yankee Stadium is tailored for him. Yes, they could have used him, but not on the deal he got. Also, I do not believe he would be as good in Dodger Stadium. He has surprised me as well, but I’m not looking back, unless he can pitch…

28. JOC must read this site bc every time we start ragging on him and trading him he heats up. Keep it up JOC we hate you!

    1. It does not seem to work with Barnes !!! He i think has been the most criticized here because of his low offensive performance !

29. Snow flake chiming in…A little while back 59 tried to stir up a little anti Doc sentiment and it never really took off… It seems to me he should have parlayed a Doc vs. Donny rampage…
    Really liked seeing Bernie Williams put down a lil riff from Metallica and a great rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”..
    The HOF inductions!!! Well I’ve often said you don’t HAVE TO Make adds just to make em!!
    Walker Kentucky Ranger made it look boring today…
    Damn, Too EZ right now…
    40-12 @ home with MLB’s best record…

30. AC thx for a great update on all our prospects. Always fun. Is Morgan Cooper pitching this year? Always thought he might be a good bullpen piece!

    1. Not yet. I have heard that he may pitch in August, but I have not heard anything lately.

31. Everybody’s favorite whipping boy Pollock had a game today. This is the AJ that used to torment us on the D-Bags all those years. Hope he keeps it up, he looked good.

32. I thought Caleb looked better today. Hope he gets his confidence back soon.

    1. Most people’s knees should be sore today because as the Dodgers swept the Marlins, there have been so many “knee jerk reactions” about Roberts, Ferguson, Barnes and other idiotic issues. Sorry, but I have to stop now as my “moron detector” is going off.

       

33. Well, that didn’t take long. Keibert Ruiz just hit his first Triple-A homer, and he’s 2-4 with 4 RBIs so far in his debut.

    1. Jonah Keri, who is in the news for horrible reasons, has an interesting and informative interview with Stan Kasten:

       Pay

       https://theathletic.com/podcast/17-the-opener/?episode=43

    2. Bring him up now!

34. Well with Barnes our knees have been jerking for a year and a half. Please make the pain go away! He has finally sank below the Mendoza line!

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