Brad Miller turned some heads, this Spring with a .348 BA and .400 OB% in 23 AB’s, but it turns out the Dodgers were committed to Alex Verdugo and had no room for another LH hitting utilityman. I am sure he is happy the Dodgers gave him the opportunity – he would have made the team had Corey Seager not been ready to answer the bell.
Andrew Friedman likes to be prepared for the unexpected, so Miller was signed as insurance for Seager. It turns out that Seager is fine… actually more than fine, so Brad was going to have to accept a minor league assignment and wait for the next injury… or opt out. He will likely get picked up by another team and a little better deal. Good for him. Move on people, there’s nothing to see here. He was having a a good spring. That’s all! Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reported Miller’s last comments:
“You either make the team or you get to see what your options are,” Miller said before exercising his opt-out clause. “It’s pretty easy for my end. If another team has a big league opportunity, I’m a big league player. I want to make this club. It’s a good team with a lot of good players. It’s a good fit, a winning club and I’ve never played in a postseason. I chose to come here over other spots.
“The biggest thing is, they care to win here. They’ve uncovered every stone, from Minor League signings to trades to waivers to big league signings, everything to get good players on their team and reward them if they perform. That was the biggest draw for me.”
Miller knows what kind of organization the Dodgers are. He just got caught up in a numbers game and wants to be paid as a major league player. I am sure he is leaving with high respect for the organization.
So, it looks like the team is pretty well set on position players:
- Barnes
- Martin
- Muncy
- Hernandez
- Seager
- Turner
- Pederson
- Pollock
- Bellinger
- Verdugo
- Taylor
- Freese
The pitchers are becoming more clear as well:
- Hill
- Ryu
- Maeda
- Stripling
- Buehler
- Urias
- Garcia
- Alexander
- Jansen
- Baez
- Floro
- Kelly
- Ferguson
Caleb Ferguson is the one on the bubble. He has not had a good spring as he tries to get the “feel” of his curveball. There are candidates to take that spot, but I can’t begin to predict how they are thinking, so that’s my projection.
Tony Gonsolin makes another start today against the D-Bags. He might be the first one to go 5! The Dodgers aren’t going to be able to keep him down long. The same is true for May. Gonsolin and May are two of the hottest pitching prospects on the planet.
This is a very, very solid team. How good they are will be determined by injuries and/or progression or regression of players. Everyone has an opinion, but they play the game because opinions are like… well never mind! Will Muncy progress or impress? Will CT3 figure it out? Will Corey become the best SS in baseball? Will Martin and Barnes form a solid catching duo? Will Cody revert back to his rookie form? Will AJ Stay healthy? What does Clayton have left? Who will unexpectedly step up? Who will fall down?
This is why they play the game. In less than a week, we will start to find out. The thing is, the Dodgers are in a much better position that any other team because they have more plan B’s. If Corey goes down, CT3 can go to SS. If Muncy falters Cody can go to 1B and Alex can go to RF. If Turner…. and so one and so on. And… if they need another RH bat, they have to pieces to do so. The Dodgers are primed for another excellent season. Even if you are a “glass half full” person, you have to like their chances.
By the way, the picture of Russ Martin was taken the year before his rookie year, by me at Vero Beach. He was always the first player out on the field and the last to leave. Now, he’s primed to be the comeback player of the year.
Brooklyn Dodger, You asked about World Water Day.…
Discussion (64)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I wish Brock Stewart the best in his quixotic quest to claim a roster spot. Hope he knows how to hold a mop.
I suggested early in Spring Training that Urias might force his way into the rotation this year. I was immediately disagreed with. I got it right again when I predicted he would be the one that replaced Hill.
I said I hoped Stewart would make the 25 on opening day and was disagreed with and now it looks like he might.
I was right when I said Taylor could be the second baseman the Dodgers were looking for in the winter before the 2017 season.
So, don’t pile on too deeply when I say that Joc will get an extension this year and probably sooner than later.
I attended today’s game. I do not understand Doc. Why play Carrera in LF? He is not going to make the team. Where is Verdugo? The Snakes threw a right hander. Where is Joc? Maybe Carrera is going to start in LF. Sometimes Doc is just leaves me wondering.
SO Mark. Who are Cody Thomas and The Deacon Lilyliput?
These two, especially Thomas have great numbers. Thomas seems like a Peters type. Power and K’s.
I would like for Stewart to make opening day roster.
Ryu Opening Day Starter.
per Bill Plunkett’s Twitter feed, “Andrew Friedman confirms Julio Urias will start the season in #Dodgers rotation but only until Rich Hill is ready. Hill injury is “a short-term thing,” Friedman said”
Apparently the thinking is still that Urias would be used in relief, primarily as someone to tag team with Buehler until Buehler is ready for a full outing. That would leave the fifth spot open. Julio is supposed to be the long reliever and maybe they don’t want to take him out of that role just yet.
Caleb is just not a good pitcher unless his curveball is working, and I do not think he is a viable starter this year anyway.
Dennis Santana and Brock Stewart are the only other possible starters on the 40 man. Santana has pitched 5.2 MLB innings this spring, while Stewart has 3.0 IP. I have no idea if either have been stretched out at all in minor league camp.
Tony Gonsolin is more of a possibility, and there are some spots on the 40 man available. The Dodgers have 39 on the 40 man (holding one for Martin who opted out), including Toles who is on the 40 man but also the restricted. So there are two spots available. Gonsolin would have to be added to the 40 man next winter, so it is not all bad. He still should spend almost the entire year in MiLB anyway so they would not run up a lot of service time. I also do not see the use of an option this year being an impediment.
I see the rotation to start the season as:
Ryu
Strip
Buehler/Urias
Maeda
Gonsolin
If that were to be the case, Gonsolin would make his MLB debut against SFG as did Strip in April 2016.
Once Hill comes back, Gonsolin would probably be headed back to MiLB, with Ferguson due for shipment out once Kershaw is back. Urias would necessarily piggy back with Kershaw once Buehler is at full throttle.
At least Hill didn’t sprain his blisters!
Rich Hill To Begin Season On Injured List
By Steve Adams | March 22, 2019 at 1:04pm CDT
Dodgers lefty Rich Hill will open the season on the injured list with what the team has described to the media as a medial collateral ligament strain in his left knee (Twitter links via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). The team also revealed that lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu will start Opening Day, with right-hander Ross Stripling is lined up to start the second game of the season.
Hill will join fellow southpaw Clayton Kershaw on the IL to open the season. Kershaw estimated Wedmesday that he’ll need 20 days to build up to game readiness after his latest throwing session (via Gurnick), while Hill will be out for at least a “couple weeks,” though the team hasn’t put forth a more specific timeline than that.
With Kershaw and Hill both out for the start of the season, the Dodgers will look to Ryu, Stripling, Walker Buehler and Kenta Maeda to start games in the early-going. It doesn’t appear as though the Dodgers have definitively determined who’ll open the year as the fifth starter, although Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets that manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that Julio Urias might have to open the year as a starter rather than a reliever.
The rotation for the first 5 games prediction:
Ryu
Stripling
Urias
Buehler
Maeda
I might have Maeda and Buehler reversed.
SI is out with their Annual Baseball Issue.
They pick the Dodgers as the overall best team in the NL with OVER 93.5 Wins, but pick the Phillies to beat them in the NLCS. They pick the Astros to win the World Series. The project the Dodgers and Astros to win 100 games. A few Blurbs:
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see Buhler win the Cy Young.”
“Cody Bellinger is an MVP Candidate.”
“The Dodgers Triple A Rotation has a chance to be better than a few major league staffs.”
“If they don’t make the World Series, it will be a disappointment.”
“The Dodgers are a lock to win the NL West for the seventh straight year.”
Good read from an interview with Baseball America’s Kyle Glazer on Tony Gonsolin and Gavin Lux.
https://www.truebluela.com/2019/3/22/18275299/interview-baseball-america-kyle-glaser-dodgers-prospects-tony-gonsolin-gavin-lux-minor-league
Rich Hill said on Friday that he has a strained left knee and doesn’t know if he’ll be able to start the season in the Dodgers rotation.
That is why a team with “so much” pitching looks at a pitcher like Corey Kluber. Does this surprise anyone? Now management has to consider Urias for the rotation at the outset. Only one Dodger starter has pitched into the 6th, and he did not get out of it. And his ST is probably done. So with Hill out, Ryu should be the opening day pitcher and he has not pitched past 5.2. Bullpen better get ready.
I fixed the roster by adding Taylor.
I tried to clone Bellinger but it didn’t work….
Yes, there are always questions after ST. First base and LF are the two for me. Freeze is certainly an option at FB. I really like Pollock and Freeze. Two very good professional players.
The bull pen is certainly a lot better than previous years. However, they will be tested early with SP going 5-6 innings.
I want to thank Mark, AC and D.C. For keeping us in the game this off season. It was long. Now I have something to do each evening. I play a lot of golf and bridge. I do not get to see every game live. With the MLB TV, I watch them even if I know who won.
Go Dodgers.
I agree with Mark’s opening day roster, all 25. The position players were set before ST almost and the pitchers dictated by health and performance. They need some length in the BP so Urias and Ferguson make the most sense for now until starters get stretched out and/or Kershaw returns. Garcia earned his spot being out of options. If we are being honest Urias should be in the top 5 and Strip or Maeda in the pen but that will happen later in the season by design. Maybe Kershaw is getting his almost annual shut down out of the way early and is fresher when he is really needed. Seager being ready to go was hasta la vista for Miller-who would you rather have?
In related news Hell freezes over!
36K’s – .173 BA combined for Joc & CT3 – Ours is not to wonder why!!! But it sure gives me heartburn though..
Expecting 5 IP and a good outing by Gonsolin…
I really wonder if the FO gets alot of calls trying to pry our young gun pitchers apart???
It’s going to be fun to see Verdugo start to get comfortable and get in his hittong groves that he usually gets in come season. He’s been working on using different bat sizes all spring but It seems he is going back to the same size as last year, I’m predicting big things from him this year, I believe he is going to rise up to the hype and show everyone here who has questioned his ability because an average ST, and make supporters out of the haters….. it will be glorious to see. I’ve watched him day in and day out for a few years now and he is the real deal.
No surprises here with the roster. Miller was a long shot to make the team. We might have been able to squeeze him on the Opening Day roster, but what next? He doesn’t have options, so he would have been in limbo before too long.
We’re almost ready to get started. A little banged up with Pederson’s back spasms, Muncy’s wrist and Kershaw’s entire body, but we’re pretty much good to go. It’s going to be really weird watching Ryu or Hill on the mound to start the season because it’s too bad that Kershaw and Bueller aren’t ready to answer the bell. It was nice to see Muncy make some contact yesterday, but the pitchers all had one of those games we would like to forget. I’m hoping to see a Major League lineup today, Sunday and Monday. Usually the last game of the Freeway series is like game 162. Same thing for the getaway game on Saturday.
May and Gonsolin look ready to help the big club. May looks a little more polished to me. The bullpen is going to have their work cut out for them in the early going. My biggest disappointment this Spring is Kershaw not being able to answer the bell after an off-season that was designed for a return to his previous form. I sure hope something good comes out of this, but I’m very apprehensive.
I can’t wait for the season to start after such a weird offseason and Spring training.
Miller looked very good, I was hoping he would accept going to OKC but he did not want that.
I am disappointed with Verdugo´s spring so far but that is probably due to my expectations of the stats I thought he would have. I think Pederson is having a spring like last year and I see another year of the same from him, he will hit for power but most likely will fail to hit when most needed, with runners on base, Verdugo needs to play and will prove ( my opinion ) to be the more valuable player.
Mark, take out one Bellinger and add one Taylor.