Last Sunday 2D2 posted an article in which he asked us a couple of questions. At the time I did not respond but decided to do so today.
1. What player are you most disappointed in not being able to see play this year? Why?
That is a difficult question for me as I look forward to so many minor league players getting into action. It is difficult to isolate one but forced to do so I would select Zach McKinstry who I want to see debut with the Dodgers.
Zach has been one of my favorites since he debuted with the Loons back in 2016 helping Great Lakes to the league championship. He came up to the Loons after a brief time in the Arizona League which is a bit unusual for a 33rd round selection. I felt he was a significant spoke in the Loons championship wheel and profiled him on January 14, 2017. I have written about many Dodger minor league players but Zach became my favorite way back then.
The answer to why is that he has climbed the impossible mountain with a work ethic, desire and confidence simply willing himself to achieve. He has played beyond all expectations, always smiling and enjoying the moment. He has made himself into a versatile player enhancing his chances to become an MLB player. Zach is super-coachable if that is even a word. At each level, he plays as if it is no more difficult than the previous level.
2. What are you doing to spend your time without baseball?
I must admit it is a major disappointment having made it through the baseball drought that is winter. Our provincial government and federal have asked us to stay home and when out maintain the two-meter separation going out only if really necessary. Elaine and I are adhering to that directive without question.
We have about a 3-acre property so there is quite a bit I can do outside with yard clean-up after winter, pruning trees and shrubs, getting ready to garden, etc. I have been listening to a lot of my kind of music – classic country and western while trying to write a bit.
Oh yes. I don’t know if you folks go through this ritual but it is time for the annual house cleaning here. With the present shutdown, I am a bit of a captive to it. The entire interior of the house gets a cleaning, closets included. Walls and floors get washed as do every piece of glassware and metalware in the house.
Last week I built a learning tower for our grandson Rowan – 18 months old. We delivered it to Jamie and Laura which took us six hours there and back with my faithful 1996 Dodge Dakota. We dropped it off outside, kept our distance and left within five minutes.
Got our income tax done, submitted and refunds received. Pension splitting has been significant for Elaine and I. AC – had both returns right to the penny. That gave me a rush.
Vin Speaks
It is still a blessing to hear Vin speak. As always, he has this right too.
Robot Umps Article
It is on its way. I understand the cry to, “Get it right!”, but I am a traditionalist and not especially looking forward to Robo-ball wondering what the next step will be in electronic baseball. Maybe, playing from home which would work now.
“It’s going to be some time before the Florida State League begins to play, but when it does, the Sunshine State’s Class A Advanced circuit will usher in a whole new era of baseball.
During the 2020 season, nine of the FSL’s 11 stadiums will use HawkEye technology to call balls and strikes. Parks in Bradenton, Charlotte, Clearwater, Dunedin, Fort Myers, Lakeland, St. Lucie and Tampa, as well as the stadium shared by Palm Beach and Jupiter, will have the new system. Daytona and Florida (which will play in North Port beginning this season) will use the more standard umpire setup.
Human umpires won’t be fully replaced at those nine parks, mind you. There will be an umpire behind home relaying HawkEye’s calls — as determined by views from multiple cameras — and to make calls on plays at the plate. But otherwise, the era of automation is coming to the FSL as a test run in 2020, and several farm systems see the coming changes as learning opportunities.”
This is a link to the full MiLB article on Robot Umps.
MiLB Toolshed Teenage Dream Lineup for 2020
In the coming weeks, MiLB Toolshed will craft the best possible prospect lineups, sorted by age groups. This opening edition focuses on teenagers, i.e., those who will be playing at age 17, 18 or 19 in 2020. Eligibility as such will be determined by a player’s age on June 30, roughly the midpoint of a regular season.
No Dodger prospects made this list although catcher Diego Cartaya finished a close second to Francisco Alvarez (18) of the Mets.
Most Intriguing 2019 Draft Selection
Which of the Dodgers 2019 draft selections intrigues you the most? There were 30 of the 40 selections signed. There are certainly a number of interesting choices and AC has previously given clues as to whom his selection might be.
I am intrigued by several but most intrigued by outfielder Jonny DeLuca signed in the 25th round out of the University of Oregon. He had previously been selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 39th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft but chose not to sign out of high school.
He did not have a particularly distinguishing two years at Oregon with a two-year triple slash of .226/.296/.354 over 111 games. He did have a very successful 2018 summer with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League which most likely boasts stronger pitching that regular college leagues. With the Red Sox, he slashed .296/.369/.368.
So why am I intrigued? DeLuca was signed in the last minutes of the draft deadline according to Jim Callis. The Dodgers pursued him right up to the deadline signing him for a bonus of $300,000. His signing bonus ranked seventh for the Dodger signees just below right-hander Jack Little’s signing bonus as the Dodgers sixth overall selection. That was $125,000 over slot.
What enticed the Dodgers? Perhaps his athleticism which is considered to be the best in the Dodgers 2019 draft, perhaps just above 24th selection, outfielder Chet Allison. In college, DeLuca was a two-sport athlete with track and baseball partnering. In the long jump, he reached 23’ 8” in a dual meet against Newbury Park in the long jump setting one of the top early-season marks in the state.
He is a switch hitter and the 5’11”/196 lb. a native of Agoura Hills, California is well suited to patrol center field. To date, his speed has not translated into any significant number of stolen bases although he had nine with the AZL Dodgers in 2019 with no caught stealing. His slash line with the Dodgers was .273/.342/.384 over 26 games. He struck out 8 times and walked seven. Johnny DeLuca Info
Here are his scouting reports.
Baseball America (Rank: 406)
“A 5-foot-11, 196-pound draft-eligible sophomore, DeLuca was drafted by the Twins in the 39th round of the 2017 draft, but instead made it to campus at Oregon where he has struggled to figure out the offensive side of his game. DeLuca is an above-average runner with above-average arm strength who was one of the best athletes in the 2017 class out of high school, where he also was a competitive long jumper and track runner, but he’s hit just .226/.296/.354 over two seasons with the Ducks and he’s striking out more in 2019. His offensive performance, combined with well below-average power might make him a tough draft, but if he can figure out his swing he could impact a team with his defense and running ability.”
Perfect Game (Rank: 426)
“The Ducks of Oregon will keep their eye on the June draft to not only monitor their incoming recruits but also on their draft-eligible sophomore Jonny DeLuca. His numbers from this spring may not jump off the page but he has made improvements across the board and is coming off a solid performance on the Cape in which he hit .296. The big draw with DeLuca is his plus speed and overall athleticism, two traits that help the switch-hitter patrol center field with fluidity to his actions, as well as on the basepaths as he leads the team in both triples and stolen bags.”
Today’s song is, “Odds and Ends, Bits and Pieces” by Tompall and the Glaser Brothers. I thought Bear and DBM might enjoy it.
Discussion (61)
Disagree, not disagreeable
With the run on toilet paper do you think the drug cartels will start smuggling some in and sell it on the street?
Lost another musician friend today. Bassist Larry Bales passed away. Picked with him often years ago. Great guy, used to wear a derby hat all the time.
Wynn was part of the 1974 WS team that lost to the A’s. He was traded after the 75 season to the Braves for Dusty Baker.
Just read the news that the Toy Cannon, Jimmy Wynn passed away today at 78. RIP Cannon, you gave Dodger fans some great moments.
Just watched opening day 2019. 8 homers by the Dodgers. Great fun to watch, but so was game 3 of the series that the Dodgers won, 18-5. Lots of homers, 2 by Cody, Pederson was on base every plate appearance in the leadoff roll, and the best part?> Watching Russell Martin pitch the 9th inning and get the D-Backs out 1-2-3.
P.S. This can evolve into a discussion… just not a political discussion.
But in the next breath, they say that since there is not good testing, it may be 300% under-reported. That brings the death toll down by a multiple of 3X!
I don’t have just one or two players I want to see. I was looking forward to seeing all the Dodger hitters in their second year under Robert Van Socyoc. I was also looking forward to the first year the Dodgers pitchers would be under Mark Prior, Josh Bard, Conner McGinnis, and Rob Hill. I hope this season gets to start at some point, but I am not convinced.
Between 38 million and 54 million people have been stricken with the flu as of March 14, according to the latest CDC data. At least 23,000 have died. This is one of the deadliest flu seasons ever, but the coronavirus with less than 1,000 dead has taken center stage. I am not downplaying the importance of being safe and social distancing, but I think the biggest fear is that we understand the flu, but not COVID-19. Stay Calm, my friends! Stay safe. This shall pass… I just don’t know when.
The percentage is starting to flatten and if like the media says, it has been vasty underreported, then the death rate is vastly exaggerated! Stay Calm!
The Indy 500 was postponed from Memorial Day until August 23rd.
Does Roger Penske know something?
School starts up again next week, so that will be keeping me busy. This week I’ve spent most of my time watching silly shows like World’s Dumbest and Scrubs. I’ve been playing a lot of EU4 too.
I was/am looking forward to how well Betts and Price do as Dodgers.
The player I wanted to see was Betts. He may only be here one year and on this team he might have been the difference maker. We may never know now.
Tommy Davis, Maury Wills for me. I met them both, went to hitting clinic with Davis and though I could already hit pretty good, I got better after a couple days with him. A lot better. Wills played short, my position, and I tried to model my game after him. He was faster. I had more power. Snider and Hodges were older, still good of course, but my favorites were Davis and Wills. And Koufax of course.
I met Snider at his restaurant in Fallbrook, early 70s. He was tending bar. As I recall he wasn’t all that talkative. Pleasant enough I guess, maybe having a bad day, but his answers to my questions were rather short. I know he said Gibson was the toughest pitcher he faced and he didn’t much like playing in the Coliseum. I don’t blame him. Right field was a joke. Since he was past his prime by then I think he felt the team was giving him the middle finger by making the right field fence damm near impossible to reach. Meeting Wills was a hoot. We shared a pizza at a restaurant in Palm Springs.
Thanks for the great post, DC. I’ve been keeping busy reading a book about the history of Dodgers pitching. Some good stories, interesting interviews. I was most looking forward to seeing Mookie Betts, of course, but also seeing whether Kenley and Kersh can regain their old form. Lots of intriguing young pitchers, too: Urias, May, Gonsolin, Santana. Waiting is hard, but it will sure be sweet, as Vin said, when this is over and we can indulge in our “healthy addiction!”
Great post DC and I too thank you for keeping them coming.
Player I was most excited to see play was Mookie Betts of course, but of the youngsters it was Zach Reks. He probably would not have gotten much playing time unless someone was injured, but, like McKinstry, I’ve bee a fan since he was drafted and once I learned his back story, I became more of a fan. He strikes me as a Junior Gilliam type player, with just a tad more power.
With respect to last years draft, I’m looking forward to seeing what we have in Logan Boyer. He could be lights out, or lights off, but what an arm.
Like AC, I became a Dodger fan in 1958. It became serious in 1959, particularly after they came back from an 11-0 drubbing to win the world series against the White Sox. My transistor radio was never out of listening range and I rarely missed a game. by 1960 my parents purchased a TV and getting to watch the Dodgers vs Giants on channel 11 just cemented my devotion to the Dodgers. I remember that Scully would say something to the effect of: “Davenport will lead off, with Mays on deck and McCovey to follow” then he would add “doesn’t seem like Mays and McCovey are always on deck?” I always had to nod in agreement. Of course, I loved Don Demeter, but every Dodger from Koufax to Klippstein and Snider to Essegian were my players. Other than Juan Marichal, I can think of few, if any players that played for the Dodgers that I din’t like.
I was just a young girl during the Boys Of Summer days and it was hard to pry me off the love of Foster Hewitt and my favorite Toronto hockey team, but the Dodgers did. Over the years, Vince Scully became my “Foster Hewitt”. His calling and stories of the game fascinated me. I think the game has changed a lot since then and I accept most of the changes but secretly still long for the exciting “hit and run” or “suicide squeezes”. I remember listening to a game on the radio, while at work that went, I think, 17 innings and they had to put Fernando in the game as an outfielder, if my memory serves me right. My disappointment in not seeing a player do so far this year, mirrors who you all have been saying, Zach McKinstry, Cody Thomas, and yes, especially Corey Seager who I really think will have, if able to play this year, a great year.
I really enjoyed your article DC, and thank you for keeping them coming. The stories of the players and their backgrounds make my day start off better. And yes, I did enjoy the song Odds and Ends, Bits and Pieces.
I was looking forward to following the bullpen this year, want to see if they are going to be as good as I think they can be.
Happy Opening Day Kids! First pitch might not be tossed for another couple of months, but today is still opening day!
Now, time to go buy some Dodger Dogs at Albertsons (if they have any left) and root root root for the Dodgers
Bear – you know everybody. Did a show with Jim Glaser. How cool is that? Jim died about a year ago.
I too am really interested in Cody Thomas but just selecting one I choose Zach. Barbara Mandrell was” Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”. I was a Zach McKinstry fan before being one was cool. He would be my signature 33rd round selection.
I haven’t done anything to transpose my LP’s to CD’s and most likely never will since so much classic country is now available on You Tube and Sirius XM Radio. It would be a major task as I have at least 2,500 long play records.
A number of years ago when real country was disappearing (before the internet for me )I panicked. I spent weekends raiding yard sales and flea markets buying up collections for little and sometimes nothing. They are not catalogued but stored in groups – C&W(major group), POP, Canadian, Classical, Christmas and Orchestra. My favorite orchestras are Bert Kampfert, James Last, Guy Lombardo and Lawrence Welk as well as Billy Vaughn.
MLBTraderumors keeps pumping out the stories. The have a list of rookies in the NL west who might make an impact. One of the comments made me laugh a little. After stating McKinstrey’s multi position talents, the writer said sometimes it seems like the Dodgers grow these guys on trees. He was of course comparing Zack to Kike and Taylor. The other day they did a story on players who could be candidates for extensions. Bellinger was mentioned, although I think that deal is going to be massive. But other guys like Smith, and possibly Lux, could be had for reasonable deals. One thing I have noticed though is that the Dodgers have not really locked in players like that at team friendly deals at all. Other teams have taken that leap, so it will be interesting to see that if in the future, the team shifts that tendency to not do this.
Which player am I most disappointed in not being able to watch this year? For me that is easy. My favorite player is Corey Seager, and I was very much looking forward to see him reignite his career as one of the top three SS in all of MLB. My second pick is David Price. I have no idea (and neither does anyone else) how well he will pitch as a Dodger. But he does represent the best current option the Dodgers have for a strong #3 for the playoffs. With the shortened season, perhaps the reduced innings will play favorably for the LAD playoffs. I recognize there are many out there that believe that Corey is but a shell of his 2016/2017 self, and that David Price is a waste of a roster space, but if the Dodgers win the WS, both are going to be needed to be a major factor this year.
Johnny Deluca is a good choice to follow from the 2019 draft. He represents a true potential CF option that Jeren Kendall has not grabbed. Defensively he is solid with a plus arm. But what is intriguing is his change in his offense. With the reduced strikeouts, I am encouraged that he can continue to climb. The Dodgers have way too many power and swing and miss prospects, that one who might show good bat to ball skills with more than moderate speed is an excellent prospect to follow. Chet Allison is another excellent choice as a 2019 draft prospect to follow. My choice(s) will be revealed tomorrow.
I am not in favor of robo-umps, but I am also not naive. It is just another coming change to a game that I loved growing up with in the 60’s. Just like the DH which I also detest.
I did not get to experience the Boys of Summer era. My first memories of the Dodgers were in 1958, but I did not become a real fanatic until the 1959 WS. My first Vin Scully HR was Charlie Neal in Game 2 of the WS off Bob Shaw. My first LAD hero was Larry Sherry. My earliest favorite Dodger was Junior Gilliam. Not elite at any single aspect of the game, but very good at all of them. Jimmy Lefebvre and Lee Lacy later followed in the Junior Gilliam role and quickly became a favorites as well.
DC, another excellent column.
Well I can see you are keeping busy. Spring is not here yet in Colorado, we still have snow in some places, and being outside very much with the wind the way it has been, well that is not happening. I have plenty of diversions right here to keep me occupied. I am also working on some music, and have been burning some CD’s for my friends. With our discussion yesterday about baseball cards and such, I went through my books and looked on ebay and found a couple of Snider cards I wanted. Another version of his 58 card that shows him as a Brooklyn Dodger, and a reprint of the 1952 card. Tompall and Glaser Brothers. Remember them well. We did a show with Jim Glaser at the bar I worked at in 1977. It was a lot of fun. Of course my favorite Tompall song is “Put Another Log on the Fire” Something people who have fireplaces do a lot in these parts. I was really looking forward to seeing Cody Thomas actually play in a few big league games. The guy has awesome power. Also want to see what McKinstrey can do. I think he is a left handed version of Kike. This will probably be Kike’s last hurrah as a Dodger when ever it finally starts. He is a valuable sub, but just has never quite reached the consistency they would like. MLB reached an agreement with the MLBPA that no matter how many games are played this season, they will be granted a full years service time, which means, Betts will indeed be a free agent at the end of the year.