Let me start this by saying that Cody Bellinger is one of the best First Basemen I have ever seen. Ever! That said, he will not be playing first base for a long, long time, because he happens to be an elite Right Fielder. Cody Bellinger anchors an outfield that is quite likely the best defensive outfield in MLB. Here’s a quote from The LA Times:
“Our outfield defensively, collectively, and obviously I haven’t seen every team play, but it is playing as good as anyone I can imagine,” Roberts said.
Roberts said the organization’s internal defensive metrics support his hunch. Publicly available information also indicates the Dodgers’ outfield defense has made a leap from last season. One metric is defensive runs saved. The Dodgers outfield ranked 12th in the majors with 11 defensive runs saved in 2018, according to FanGraphs. This season, they lead baseball with 20.
The Dodger’s outfield could set a record for defensive runs saved this season and Cody Bellinger is a big part of that metric. I don’t care if he is the best 1B in baseball. He is also the best RF in baseball and can impact the game more there than at 1B. There’s a reason they put guys with big bats who aren’t good fielders at 1B: They can become solid there with repetition but to play RF at the level Cody does, you have to be a Natural.
Cody Bellinger is an elite athlete. His athleticism is wasted at 1B. Cody Bellinger has a cannon for an arm, which is wasted at 1B. Cody Bellinger has TOP 20 Speed (in all of baseball), which is wasted at 1B. Did you know that Cody has more “sub 4 second times to 1B than anyone in baseball, including Dee Gordon and Billy Hamilton? He’s freaky fast. That kind of speed needs to be in the outfield. Cody Bellinger will be an outfielder until he’s around 30… and THEN, and ONLY THEN, he might move back to 1B and win a few more Gold Gloves there.
Enjoy Cody Bellinger in RF because that is where he will be… for a long time. It also doesn’t hurt that he prefers to play RF and his hitting is awesome there. Yes, he may be the best 1B in baseball, but it would weaken the team to pit him there, because there is no one close to being as good as Cody in RF.
Kershaw vs. deGrom
It seems that many Dodger fans have written Clayton Kershaw off as the Dodgers Ace. I say “Not so fast.” Last year, fans were begging the Dodgers to trade for Jacob deGrom so that they could have a “real ace”. What if Andrew Friedman had pulled the trigger and gutted the farm to do that? It would have taken Verdugo, Ruiz, May, and Gonsolin… at least. We should all be happy he didn’t make the dope-fiend move many of you prayed for. deGrom is a good pitcher, but Kershaw is still better.
Kershaw has a 3.45 ERA, while deGrom is at .3.71. The Dodgers have won like 15 in a row of Clayton’s starts. He is re-inventing himself… and I am confident he will figure it out. He has more quality starts than anyone in the NL.
Of course, fans are so fickle. Now they want Max Scherzer, who has a 3.26 ERA. I’m sorry (no I’m not), but why are some of you “Hatin’ on Clayton?” Watch and learn! He will figure it out. This is a “work-in-progress.” He’s healthy and learning how to pitch in the low 90’s. I hear he has been working on a changeup. If he could master that pitch, I see another Cy Young.
Rants & Raves
- Alex Verdugo plays the game right and does a lot of things that don’t show up in the boxscore, like a sacrifice fly with 1 out and a runner on 3B. He seems to always throw to the right base. Solid… if not spectacular.
- I am anxious to see Will Smith at the MLB level – I’ve watched him a lot in the minors, but The Show is s different animal.
- So, the Dodgers don’t need two “utility players, like CT3 and Kike?” Ha, Ha! Surely you jest!
- Joc Pederson went 3-3 with no extra-base hits. The last time we saw that was like NEVER! He is now OPS’ing over 1.000. Now hopefully, they will introduce him to some weak lefties to start the process.
- I feel bad for Joe Kelly – whatever is happening with his isn’t good. But this is a bottom-line game. Last night was a perfect game to bring in Kelly because they had a big margin of error. I expect that’s where we will see him utilized for a while. Roger Askew was the “voice of reason” on this. He wrote this yesterday, and we can all learn from it:
I know we all want to torch Kelly, but we all felt the same way with El Gasolino Baez last year, and look at where he is this year. Call me crazy, but all we need him for is about 3 weeks in October. He sucked most of the season last year for the Sahx, then mowed down everyone else, including us in the postseason. He still has value for us, and that’s why Doc keeps trotting him out there. As fans, we can rag on Kelly all we want, but Roberts as the manager HAS to give Kelly a chance to get his head right. The guy can throw smoke, he just needs to lock in. Once again, tar and feather my ass all the way out of town, but I still think Kelly will be an important bullpen piece come October, just like a healthy Pollock will be huge for us in the playoffs. Gotta trust the process, even though it gets messy at times.
Minor League Report by DC
Player of the Day – Cameron Perkins
Perkins had four hits for the Dodgers, two of them doubles, along with two runs batted in. In his last 10 games Perkins has hit .351.
Great Lakes Loons 3 – Fort Wayne TinCaps 8 (San Diego)
Left-hander Jon Rooney started for the Loons and after two strong innings things fell apart in the third
Inning. By the time he exited the game with one out in the third inning on 67 pitches he had given up five hits, three runs, and three walks leaving the bases full for right-hander Justin Hagenman. It didn’t take long for the TinCaps to empty the bases as the first hitter he faced hit a dribble double down the third base line scoring three more runs. Hagenman pitched three innings and his record will show one hit, one run, one walk, and two strikeouts. He left with a runner on second base after a throwing error by Jacob Amaya and was replaced by Brett de Geus who could not strand the runner. De Geus did finish 2.2 innings with no more damage done. Jasiel Alvino came on to finish up the ninth inning and gave up one more run.
The Loons scored first in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Dillon Paulson bringing Miguel Vargas home. They made a bit more noise in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Paulson two-run home run. Great Lakes had only five hits, two by James Outman.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
The Quakes begin a two-game at Lake Elisnore on Tuesday before returning home for a seven game home stand. They presently lead the Lancaster JetHawks by two games.
Tulsa Drillers
The Drillers also had Memorial Day off and headed to Springfield to start a six-game road trip on Tuesday. Three of those games will be the Arkansas Travelers whom they trail by 5.5 games.
OKC Dodgers 3 – Omaha Storm Chasers 7 (Kansas City)
In the first game of a double header right-hander Mitchell White started for the Dodgers looking for a better start after his two previous starts. He did so with four strong innings on five hits, one run, one walk and three strikeouts. He made 54 pitches, 34 of them for strikes. He was followed by Joe Broussard who gave up six runs in his two innings pitched, two of them in the fifth inning on a home run by right-fielder Brett Phillips with the other unearned. Phillips struck again in the bottom of the sixth inning, this time with a three-run home run.
Offensively the Dodgers battled back from a 4-0 deficit with two runs in the top of the sixth inning on a Connor Joe home run before falling behind 7-2. The closest they could get was 7-3 with a single run in the top of the seventh inning.
OKC Dodgers 5 – Omaha Storm Chasers 6 (Kansas City)
Ben Holmes got the call in game two and went into the bottom of the fourth inning with a 5-1 lead. It quickly evaporated when Storm Chaser catcher Xavier Fernandez hit a three-run home run. Kevin Quackenbush came on in the bottom of the fifth inning and pitched a clean inning. Josh Sborz took over in the sixth inning and gave up two runs blowing the save and taking the loss.
The Dodgers started quickly in game two of the doubleheader scoring a run on a Connor Joe and a Cameron Perkins double in the top of the first inning. The Storm Chasers answered right back with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the second inning, Connor Joe had his second hit driving in Jake Peter with a second run scoring on a Cameron Perkins single. In the third inning, the Dodgers tacked on one more on a Peter sacrifice fly as well as a run in the fourth on a Shane Peterson single following a Cameron Perkins double. The Dodgers outhit Omaha 11-5 but still lost.
Photo Credit: AP/Jae Hong
Discussion (81)
Disagree, not disagreeable
To Bobby,
This current version of Kershaw is 5-0. He is not the dominant pitcher he used to be. He is not KO’ing batters at his former clip. He is giving up too many HR’s and hits, yet he undefeated this season. Our great offensive juggernaut has helped him out. On a lesser team, he would probably have some losses by now. But, you know what, he’s got a great chance to become more clever with his stuff and accept the natural decline that every pitcher will face in their career. I don’t see a need to name someone else the ‘ace’. I don’t see a need to name CK the ‘ace’. I don’t see a need to rent an ‘ace’ or even trade or sign a FA ‘ace’. Kershaw is quietly on his way to a great season. Maybe this will change his approach to the playoffs. I know I would give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s still got some magic left. I wonder which catcher he likes working with.
I wasn’t able to watch the game and was really looking forward to seeing Will Smith perform. I see he was able to hit, but was he able to play an MLB level defensive catching position?
Hindsight is 20/20 but maybe just bring in Stripling in the first place? He did it anyway after Garcia, Floro and Alex put guys on. Urias is another option but perhaps not after Hill. Floro had just overpowered his last batter for a K and could have been left in. Smith had a night to remember, Cody went deep, the Dodgers will be fine. Doc is going to do this sometimes and the guys have to come through.
Roberts is such an idiot. If only he would bring in Britton to pitch to lefties and Ottavino to pitch to righties we’d be fine! Oops that was the Yankees!
I think Roberts makes some dumb moves but what difference does it make. Garcia, floro, Alexander, Kelly , and whoever else I am missing can’t throw strikes and if they do not quality strikes. I repeat Alexander is pitiful. The bullpen is so bad they can’t get out guys like difo, altherr, and others hitting 150. Roberts can’t do anything but pitch who he has. No matter who he throws out there except maybe Baez and Jansen they suck. They can’t all be this bad can they? My fear is the Dodgers will keep winning and AF will let the bullpen keep sucking until it is too late.
Who’s worse Kelly or Alexander?
U gotta love this bullpen. Without it we’d clinch by the end of June. This way it will be more interesting! Anybody want to remind Roberts what lefties hit against Alexander!!!!!!
The Dodgers win games in spite of Roberts, not because of him. He’s lucky to have such a talented team behind him.
This bullpen has to be fixed. How is it for the starter to hold a team to 2 runs in 6 innings only for the stinkers in the ‘pen to allow 4 runs immediately?
The scary thing is that Floro and Alexander are, after Jansen and El Gasolino, the best relief options that Roberts has.
Looking forward to the bullpen related comments.
FU Roberts!
Freaking Roberts. Yimi to walk one hitter, then Floro to walk the next.
Don’t take this the wrong way. Put your humor caps on.
Will Smith reminds me of a young Leave it to Beaver.
Ok wow, now THAT was a throw by the catcher!! When’s the last time a Dodger catcher had an arm like that? Angel Pena?
Hey AC and Mark, can you do some research and see where Colletti’s guys and Freidmans guys meet on this years team? I know Colletti drafted Joc, Seager, Urias, Bellinger, Verdugo, Kershaw, Sripling (I’m sure Logan White, the super scout, had alot to do with this.) Did he also get Ryu anjd Maeda overseas? Of course we all know Uncle Ned picked up JT off the trash heap and converted Kenley to a reliever, but who drafted Bueller, Barnes, Ferguson, Beatty, Mays, Gonsolin, Yimi, Gavin Lux, and Kebier Ruiz? And who dug up Baez and Muncy? How is Freidman’s draft record?Just curious.
This is like watching Mannywood in 2008 all over again
Welcome to the show kid! Atta boy!
That was awesome! Will Smith has a hit in his first at-bat, in front of his parents and girlfriend.
Awesome!
Groupthink is NOT a good thing. Individual thinking is where the mind belongs.
Now, Cody Bellinger. I don’t know if any Dodger fan was ever in favor of giving up on Belli, but those who were in that camp are obviously mentally ill. I feel the same about Verdugo, Joc and Seager.
I am with Jeff and sticking with No Trades, unless it involves OUR junk players, not getting some other teams Junk. I won’t list whom I consider Junk, but there are a few that are consistent problems, better to dump that load.
Not yet their not! Pump the breaks a little until at least the end of July
Howard Cole (who is generally pretty negative) about the Dodgers has a nice piece on the State of The Dodgers:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/howardcole/2019/05/28/grading-dodgers-and-cody-bellinger-at-one-third-mark-of-2019-season/#5d6e98277ef2
Here’s what he said about management:
Management: The Dodgers are surging and look to be a better club than either of the last pennant-winning two. That can’t happen without the skipper and front office getting all the credit in the world. Dave Roberts gets an A. Period.
Andrew Friedman, all things considered, including headcase Kelly (and to a lesser extent, Pollock) gets a generous B. The bullpen simply must be fixed, once and for all. We’ll see about that during the next third of the season.
Who ever thought that “El Gassolina” would be our most trustworthy reliever. Gives us some hope for Kelly and the rest of our “bullpen”!
2 statements that I believe are absolutely true.
1 You can never have enough good pitching.
2 Good pitching beats good hitting.
If the Dodgers have a weak spot, it’s pitching more specifically bullpen pitching.
The only guy I trust in the bullpen is Baez.
Somewhat trust Urias, Jansen.
Concerning kershaw I totally agree with what Bobby said. Nobody is hating on kershaw we just want to win a World Series. Kershaw gives you a chance to win almost every start in the regular season. But in the playoffs the talent comes to the front because they only have to concentrate a short time. I don’t want to trade the farm for degrom but he is a dominant scary pitcher in a short playoff. Cy young winner last year. If the Dodgers had a chance to face kershaw or degrom in the postseason well that is a nobrainer.
Bellinger is just a tremendous athlete who is a true 5 tool player. I posted before the season started that he is a fantastic athlete who could breakout. Of course that now looks like a gross understatement. Right now you would be hard pressed to find anyone more valuable to the future of any team as a positional player. I like Bums idea of getting Diaz from the Mets but the deal would not include cespedes unless it is a 3 team deal.
A lot of posters are stuck on the idea of moving seager to third. I think he is a tremendous shortstop. His health is his issue. When healthy he is right at the top at ss and his offense will get on track. He projects as a top 5 player who will make a run at mvp in the near future probably to be beaten out by bellinger.
If their potential is realized the Dodgers already have 2 young dominating aces in buehler and urias. These 2 will go a long way in making people forget about the up and coming padres. G cole anyone? It’s a dream which I doubt the Dodgers would pay for. Don’t know what that contract will look like but he seems like a grienke type going to the highest bidder. He was not happy with the pirates financial management.
Well we all know who the .469 OBP belongs to. Next guys I’d guess Turner, JOC and Verdugo. Most clutch Belly, Verdugo and Muncy then Turner
Who belongs to these lines line when runners are in scoring position through 5/27?
.393 .455 .464 .919 = Player A
.364 .456 .614 1.070 = Player B
.333 .390 .545 .936 = Player C
.323 .436 .871 1.307 = Player D
.316 .396 .447 .843 = Player E
Who belongs to these OBPs through 5/27?
.469 = Player F
.400 = Player G
.396 = Player H
.384 = Player I
.376 = Player J
.360 = Player K
357 = Player L
After the completion of yesterday’s game, we are officially 1/3 of the way through the season, in 1st place, 8 games lead in our division, 10 games above 500 against teams that are above 500, and have the NL’s best record by 4.5 games.
Impressive!
Most of everything Mark says above I agree with and have said in my previous posts. Yeah I am kinda gloating but any which way it’s good to see the team with the energy they’re displaying and there’s only signs it’ll get better further along…….knock on wood that the ugly head of injury don’t show it’s putrid face. Is it too bold to say 109 wins? It surely ain’t out of the question. 2019 is the end of the championship drought! CHEERS!!!
I’m not interested in DeGrom because of his age, I’m interested in Noah S in a trade or Cole as an FA
Bumsrap, you’re joking! Right? And Betts like many others had a great year. Trout does it EVERY year! This year right now Belly is the best player in baseball both offensively and defensively! Incredible!
Dirk – That’s a tough one… I think its Betts in RF for now.. He is an incredible OF’er and has been doing it a little longer…
59 – Caught you throwing out ‘Fresh Prince’… Very cool…
Who would you rather have in right field, Mookie Betts or Belli, and why? Just wondering.
Umm, I would take deGrom and Scherzer over this Clayton Kershaw any day of the week. I’d also take their postseason stats over any Clayton Kershaw any day of the week.
The guy has choked almost every playoff series we’ve been in, and NOW we expect this new version to go out and dominate in October??? Even Charlie Brown had less confidence in Lucy holding the damn football than some people do in Kershaw in October.
Kersh is a 3 or a 4 now, and I don’t care if we’ve won his last 15 starts. We’ve won because of offense and defense, not because Kershaw has dominated. He’s a good pitcher now, not a great pitcher anymore, and I guarantee no team will be scared of him come October.
Cody Bellinger put on an amazing display last night on national television; I wonder how he’ll do in All Star voting? Will our fans vote this year?
Bum is correct about James Loney’s defense; he was sooo good! I thought he’d become our Wally Joyner/Keith Hernandez type 1b.
Looking forward to seeing Will Smith tonight; if anyone is going, remember, it’s $1 Dodger Dog night. So be sure to bring your bp meds and antacid pills with you!
Mark, how was the Indi 500?? I’ve always wanted to experience that and the Kentucky Derby (and I could really care less about cars or horses going in circles); I just want the experience of it.
Any word from MJ?
Also, why the hell are we discussing the Philadelphia 76ers?? Let’s talk about our embarrassment of a team/front office here!
Looking ahead to the draft is always a crap shoot but it’s fun to anticipate. Looking ahead to off season signings was eye opening:
They have one player on his last arbitration year-Cingrani making $2.6M. He may be done or at least gone.
Final Arb year:
Joc-$5M
KIke-$3.725 M
Baez-$2.1M
Garcia-$710K
2 more arb years:
Cory-$4M
CT3-$3.5M
Team Control (not sure who gets 1st arb year in 2020)
Cody
Stripling
Alexander
Barnes
Muncy
Beuhler
Floro
Urias
Verdugo
Caleb
They stand to lose only 1 player-Cingrani and have control over every other young option.
Free agents:
Ryu-$17.9M
Hill-$16M
Freese-$5M
Martin-$3.4M (CBT $0)
Jansen-$18M (player opt out) Doubt seriously he would opt out.
They currently have a payroll of $196M (4th in baseball) but are set up to shed payroll again next season.
One player who will push his way onto the major league roster soon is Lux. We already have Smith and Beaty. Pretty close are May, White, Gonsolin, Ruiz, Kasowski and possibly Garlic and Rios. There is not room for everyone and some will be prime candidates for a deadline deal. The picture as a whole is pretty exciting for the long term. They could use another starter next year but maybe that’s Ryu. JT will be in his final year next year, do they bring him back for another year or two? This team is set up so well it’s scary but I will just enjoy this year for now.
Belli plays some mean defense with a laser arm. Right now he is the best right fielder in MLB. His hitting has been fair to middlin too. But we all need to wait before we anoint him the next Joe Dimaggio… or Mike Trout, who is probably actually the best ever in MLB. Meanwhile I’m really enjoying Belli’s eye popping performances and the Dodgers kicking butt. This is the best Dodger team yet in these last 7 years….so far.
1. I wonder if Cody has 20/10 eyesight like Williams was supposed to have.
2. Maybe above all else, Cody has great bat to ball skills and could win a contest hitting golf ball sized baseballs with a 1 inch diameter stick.
3. I was a James Loney fan, much like I am now a Joc fan and Loney has to be included in the list of all time great Dodger defensive first basemen along with Wes Parker and those already mentioned by AC.
4. CT3 has been better than good for several weeks now and could soon get more innings at second base than Kike’.
5. I like Pollock much better than half the commenters here and believe he will be an asset when he comes back. However, if Joc and Alex continue to excel, Pollock is no longer a crucial piece.
6. Cespedes owed $58.5M through 2020 and on IL all of 2019. Mets need outfielders and relief pitchers. Pollock, Floro, Fergusson for Diaz and Cespedes?
7. It’s always fun to witness a prospect make their debut especially when they have a chance to be a key part of the Dodgers for a long time–Go Smith.
8. Joc is more and more letting the shift giveth instead of just taketh.
9. Yesterday’s game might have been one of the most entertaining games ever outside of post season. It had everything; small ball, big ball, relay throws, outfield assists, lots of hits and action, Kershaw, deGrom, and more.
10. Dodgers are playing well.
I think the premier athlete in all of MLB is Mike Trout, but this year Cody is showing that he belongs in that discussion. The greatest RF I ever witnessed was Roberto Clemente. Vlad Guerrero was as good a RF that has ever played the game in the last 50 years. It is hard to find a more memorable and historic RF than Henry Aaron. I did not follow the AL when growing up, but I did catch Al Kaline on more than a couple of occasions and it was hard not to admire his abilities. I never got to admire the game of Carl Furillo, but he was certainly the class of the last of the Brooklyn teams. Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, Paul Waner…all well before my time. Cody Bellinger is having a career year, but those players had great overall careers, and it is waaaaaay too early to put Cody in that class. But right now, it is hard to argue that Cody Bellinger doesn’t deserve to be in that discussion as well.
I agree with Mark that you cannot take a player with that speed and that arm out of RF and put him at 1B. I never saw Gil Hodges in his prime. The best overall 1B that I saw was Eddie Murray. Maybe the best defensive 1B I saw a great deal of was the Mets’ Keith Hernandez. But there is no way he could have played RF. The best of the 1B in my era were generally more hit/hit for power than defense at 1B…Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, Harmon Killebrew, Willie McCovey, Albert Pujols. I believe Belli could very well put his name with Murray if he were to stay at 1B, but he has more impact of the overall outcome of the game in RF.
Before the season it was hard to argue that there might be a downturn in RF defense with the loss of Puig. While Puig was certainly exhilarating to watch in RF, there is no way that he was ever as consistent as Belli is. With Belli in RF, Verdugo in CF, and Joc in LF, it is hard (if not impossible) to find a better defensive OF in all of MLB. Growing up a Dodger fan in the late 50’s and 60’s, you had to become a fan of pitching and defense, and that remains the most important aspect(s) of the game for me. With the hitting, maybe the 2019 version of Dodgers baseball could remind fans of the 50’s Brooklyn Dodgers??? I never had the pleasure of watching those teams.
The LA Dodgers have been blessed with some high-level RF. Andre Ethier, Shawn Green, Raul Mondesi, Reggie Smith, Yasiel Puig, Darryl Strawberry, Ron Fairly, and others. If Cody stays out in RF, he could go down as the greatest LA Dodger RF of all-time.
Tonight the Will Smith era begins. I have no desire to get in between the Mark/Bums discussion of Smith vs. Ruiz. I am fine with the knowledge that the Dodgers are blessed with two highly touted catchers; one of which could be a fixture at catcher for the Dodgers for a long time. Well at least until Diego Cartaya comes along.
Interesting post today. Belli is certainly a great right fielder. Hell, he’s probably a great center fielder with more time out there. Verdugo is pretty close, better? 8 DRS across 3 positions, playing part time is pretty damn impressive. Then there’s AJ Pollock, who is actually a GG winner on the DL right now. That’s three Center Fielders. But wait, there’s more! Do you remember when Joc came up (as a Center Fielder) and he was the best defensive outfielder in the system? I know he isn’t that guy anymore, but it’s still fun to point out. Kike and Taylor who both play Center Field make 6 guys that can play CF!!! So, what happens if/when they’re all healthy? The power of the Kike Pederson platoon was on display last night going 4-5 with 3 RBI, 2 Runs and a HR. Don’t look now, but Joc is OPSing > 1.
Pollock is on a new deal, he isn’t going anywhere except for right back to CF when he comes off the DL. Verdugo and Pederson have never played anywhere but in the outfield. What do you think is going to happen when Pollock comes back with respect to all these outfielders? Who plays where?
The good guys are on a nice roll right now. 8-2 in their last 10 and still sitting on top of the world of the National League and only the TWINS have a better record in MLB. THE TWINS!!!!!
I am starting to feel sad for Kelly. A local boy with a big fastball, just what the doctor ordered to bridge the gap to Jansen, keeps floundering. I hope he figures it out soon because it’s sad to see him struggle so much for the team he grew up rooting for. Should we all start praying for him?
Speaking of Jansen, was put into a scary situation last night and got the job done. Thank you Belli! Then a triple sandwiched between 3 Ks in the ninth. He’s starting to look like his old self again. But, it would be better if he didn’t have to pitch multiple innings to close out a game with a big lead. We still have another 2 months before the deadline. But, it seems that any improvements are a moving target right now. It’s really hard to improve a very good, very deep team that seems to have no holes. Especially when you have an All-Star right handed bat on the DL.
I’m looking forward to seeing the Fresh Prince make his MLB debut tonight. I hope he gets the opportunity to throw out a would be base stealer.
Can’t wait to see Will Smith tonight.
He’s a ripple of the next wave of talent that’s rolling in.
In recent years: Joc, Seager, Stripling, Urias, Bellinger, Buehler. Now, Verdugo (Ferguson, Santana). Next up is Smith, soon to be followed by more.
Been off the LADT grid for a bit while the wife and I travel the country visiting some ball parks. Saw Wrigley Field, Miller Park, Progressive Field and last Friday saw the Dodgers at PNC Park.
I’ve now visited 20 stadiums with Yankee Stadium today and Petco in August. Hard to say which one is my favorite since all are unique in their own way.
Saw a great game in Pittsburgh where Bellinger threw me a ball during BP (yes I gave the ball to a kid in a Dodger jersey who was waiting patiently).
Dodgers are playing some great baseball and I look forward to seeing what Will Smith will look like.
I’ll try to report what I think of Yankee Stadium in a couple
of days.
Happy belated Memorial Day to all!
Here’s who The Athletic predicts the Dodgers will take in the Draft:
No. 25: Los Angeles Dodgers
Anthony Volpe, SS, Delbarton High School
With Billy Gasparino as scouting director, the Dodgers have repeatedly demonstrated that they most value upside this high in the draft. They have selected a pitcher bound for Tommy John surgery, a center fielder who struggles to make contact and another pitcher who declined to sign with them. Volpe is a high school shortstop who might not fit into any of those categories, but scouts say he has a lot of upside. Also, he is committed to Vanderbilt, and the Dodgers and Vanderbilt have a lot in common. — Pedro Moura (@pedromoura)
No. 31: Los Angeles Dodgers
Maurice Hampton, OF, Memphis University School
This is the choice the Dodgers received when they did not sign their first-round pick last year. They could use the slot money that comes with this pick to pounce on a talented player who has slipped to their earlier spot because of bonus concerns, or they could draft a player who fits into this region of the draft. Hampton would be the latter. The high school outfielder is an elite athlete who is also a four-star recruit as a cornerback, committed to Louisiana State. You might remember the Dodgers parted with their biggest bonus ever to pry an athlete, Zach Lee, from a football scholarship to LSU. Hampton would not need to surpass Lee’s $5.25 million figure. — Pedro Moura (@pedromoura)
However, it’s very unlikely anyone will get more than 5 or 6 picks right, which is why I don’t even try. This guy would probably get more right than any prognosticator: