DRAFT RESULTS
Let’s remind what the penalties are for exceeding the slot bonus value. Bonuses that exceed the slot value by < 5% are charged an overage tax of 75% of the amount in excess of the slot value. If the bonuses exceed the stipulated slot value from between 5% to 10%, there remains a 75% overage tax assessed for the excess bonus, AND lose next year’s #1 draft pick. A little Dodger news on Sunday/Monday. We have learned that the Dodgers have signed their 6th and final draft pick, RHP Clayton Beeter.
| Round | Player | Slot | Bonus | Savings |
| 1 | Bobby Miller | $2,424,600 | $2,200,000 | $224,600 |
| 2 | Landon Knack | $1,157,400 | $715,000 | $442,400 |
| 2cb | Clayton Beeter | $1,003,300 | $1,196,500 | ($193,200) |
| 3 | Jake Vogel | $581,600 | $1,622,500 | ($1,040,900) |
| 4 | Carson Taylor | $434,300 | $400,000 | $34,300 |
| 5 | Gavin Stone | $327,200 | $100,000 | $227,200 |
| Total | $5,928,400 | $6,234,000 | ($305,600) |
The calculated 5% limitation is $296,420, which at first blush puts the team in a position to lose their 2021 1st draft pick. Not so fast. There is apparently a draft rule that stipulates that there is a $2,500 signing contingency bonus players get when the contract is executed. Some teams count that as part of the signing bonus, allowing them to save $2,500 against the bonus pool. If we look to adjust the contract by reducing the amount by $2,500, the revised contract amounts are as follows:
| Round | Player | Slot | Bonus | Savings |
| 1 | Bobby Miller | $2,424,600 | $2,197,500 | $227,100 |
| 2 | Landon Knack | $1,157,400 | $712,500 | $444,900 |
| 2cb | Clayton Beeter | $1,003,300 | $1,196,500 | ($193,200) |
| 3 | Jake Vogel | $581,600 | $1,622,500 | ($1,040,900) |
| 4 | Carson Taylor | $434,300 | $397,500 | $36,800 |
| 5 | Gavin Stone | $327,200 | $97,500 | $229,700 |
| Total | $5,928,400 | $6,224,000 | ($295,600) |
The revised schedule shows that the Dodgers just barely slid under the more draconian penalty of loss of draft pick by $820. The assessed overage tax calculates to $221,700. I think the Dodgers can afford that.
I have no way of knowing for sure, but it seems apparent to me that Billy Gasparino and his team did their homework and knew exactly what the drafted players had previously agreed to. The player who undoubtedly benefited the most was 2nd round pick Landon Knack. Landon had no leverage being a 5th year senior, but the Dodgers seemingly treated him fairly by allotting him the highest bonus ever offered to a 5th year senior.
There are no can’t miss prospects, but each of them, including Gavin Stone, have promise. Even if none of the four Dodger pitching draft picks becomes a starter, all four have good potential as a reliever. Stone is probably slated as more of a mid-reliever, while the floor for the other three looks to be late inning high leverage relief. Time will tell.
Carson Taylor looks to continue the trend of a more diverse catching prospect as he is capable of playing other positions, but is really penciled in as a catcher. With the number of MiLB catchers who were released, Taylor looks to be in a position to get pushed. Look for Hunter Feduccia and Diego Cartaya also to get pushed.
I thought Jake Vogel was a right hand version of Brett Butler. Ironically, I have always thought that Jeren Kendall should hire Butler to be his hitting coach to take advantage of his speed. Now the Dodgers have drafted another speed merchant to cover CF. Vogel may have some power potential, but he looks to be more of a contact hitter than Jeren. I originally left Kendall off of my potential 60 man pool additions, but I think Kendall can certainly learn from the big leaguers to play within himself. I hope he gets the chance.
Overall a very good draft class. IMO once again LAD management benefitted by looking for depth rather than elite picks they were not going to get at pick #29. Had they selected Cole Wilcox or Jared Kelley, as some have suggested, they would not have been able to draft and sign all of their picks. I am not a scout, but from observing videos, I do not see Wilcox being $800K better than Bobby Miller. High School pitchers like Kelley are really a gamble that the Dodgers have chosen to stay away from. Wilcox and Kelley could go on to be HOF pitchers while the Dodgers 6 man draft may never make it to MLB. I still believe they selected well.
SCHEDULE
The Dodgers schedule has been announced and there are a couple of intriguing early season matchups. As expected, the Dodgers will open at home against the SF Giants in a 4 game series. The Dodgers do not have to wait long before they meet the Houston Asterisks, as after an open date on July 27, the Dodgers travel to Houston for a three game series. What makes this an extra special series is that it looks like Ross Stripling will get his wish and be able to pitch against his home town team in his home town. Strip has been looking forward to this opportunity for some time. Houston comes to LA on September 12 and 13.
The schedules works out as follows:
- SF – 7 Home and 3 Away
- AZ – 3 Home and 7 Away
- SD – 4 Home and 6 Away
- Col – 6 Home and 4 Away
- Hou – 2 Home and 2 Away
- Sea – 2 Home and 2 Away
- LAA – 3 Home and 3 Away
- Tex – 3 Away
- Oak – 3 Home
There is a rather unique 4 game series with the Mariners from August 17 to August 20. The first two games are in LA (August 17 and 18) while the next two games are in Seattle (August 19 and 20). The Dodgers end the regular season at home against the Angels.
Most of the LAD home games will have a starting time of 6:40 PM. We know that the opening game against SF will be a network TV game that starts at 7:08 PM. Their Sunday game also starts at 7:08 PM which indicates that this will be a nationally televised game as well. Two Sunday games against the Rockies in LA will start at 7:10 PM also indicating that they are nationally televised games. One other game that figures to be a nationally televised game is Sunday, September 13 at home against the Asterisks. This has a TBD game time.
JIMMY NELSON
As undoubtedly every Dodger fan knows, Jimmy Nelson has been scratched for the 2020 season as he is scheduled to have lower back (lumbar) surgery which will be performed by renowned back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins. Nelson will now have his 2021 option set at $2MM with a buyout of $500K. Will the Dodgers pick up his option, or buy him out and re-sign him to a MiLB contract with a ST invite? Or just buy him out and release him?
Recently signed Clayton Beeter has been named to the 60 man pool replacing Jimmy Nelson. The 60 man pool stands at 52. It is widely reported and speculated that both Bobby Miller and Landon Knack will be added to the pool. All three figure to be monitored closely, and none of them figure to get into a MLB game. Although, there were also some speculations that Landon Knack could get a peek. I find that very doubtful, but who know how this season will play out.
CLAYTON KERSHAW
Clayton has said that he has been ramping up and may be slightly ahead of Ross Stripling. Kersh expects to have a five inning simulated game this week, and should have no problem getting to 100 pitches by Opening Day. Look for a Clayton Kershaw vs. Johnny Cueto matchup to open the 2020 season on July 23 at Dodger Stadium.
Other Notes from July 6 Intrasquad Game
Besides the K of Mookie Betts by Clayton, Cody Bellinger went 2-2 against Clayton.
Maybe we do not get a 2020 season in, but for now, I am enjoying my twitter feed of baseball action.
Discussion (43)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I love baseball It has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Through all the strikes, PED hoopla, the years where hitters were so dominated by pitching, long stretch without a WS win, I love the game. In February, I was totally excited for a new season and a chance to see the team compete for a title. Some of the kids I saw in the spring games were really impressive, while some of the players who were vets were disappointing. Of course it was spring, and those stats mean nothing when the season starts. But the playoff malaise that hit Pollock and Smith, seemed to be lingering. Both were striking out too much. And not making solid contact. I did see Pollock hit a homer to RF off of the Giants, and that was encouraging because it was one of the few times I saw him try to go the other way. Then it all shut down. And the time dragged on and on, and it seemed like there would be no season at all. Players and owners, who seldom agree on anything were at it again. They finally reached an agreement, and a skimpy 60 game season was agreed upon. They put guide lines in place to keep the players healthy. Protocols for what happens when someone tests positive were implemented. And it seems like there will be baseball at some point this month. But some stars and lesser players are opting out because they still have health concerns. Understandable, especially those with young children, and health issues of their own. And although I want to see baseball. I want to hear the crack of the bat, watching an outfielder glide back and make a spectacular play, I am at the point where I wish they had forgotten the whole thing and just cancelled the season. Too much drama. Too much suspense as to whether they will get any games in or not. And every day you read about another player being tested positive. Some stars have got it. And with each one the number of players available dwindles. You might have a pool of 60 players to draw from, but that might not be enough. The Dodgers have 52 on their list. With the 7 not in camp who are on the list, that leaves 45. So they will have a pool of 15 to draw from unless those players report. I would think Baez is probably because of a Visa. Ruiz tested positive, so he is in quarantine. Pollock has health issues and young children to think of, Price opted out, Kenley has a heart condition, That leaves Lux, Alexander, and Gonsolin. No explanation as to why those 3 are not in camp. But there are un named players who tested positive. Who knows. There is so much secrecy around everything now. Another thing is that among those on the list, many have no MLB experience what so ever. So what you might see from them in what basically is a sprint to the finish is unknown. If all of the 26 players who will take up a bulk of the playing time after the first 4 weeks stay healthy, the team should be fine. But as noted many times. This team is built for the long haul. It will be interesting to say the least in how they perform in a sprint. By the way, ESPN.com says the Rays are going to win the World Series. Go figure.
For those who miss live baseball telecasts, the following info courtesy of Ken Gurnick:
Wednesday’s 6:40 pm intrasquad game will be streamed on the Dodgers’ Twitter and Facebook with commentary from Alanna Rizzo and Nomar Garciaparra.
Please tell me that Manfred and MLB are not going to screw up and jeopardize the season over inept testing results to the teams, in a timely manner. That part wasn’t solidly in place when the agreement was struck? Where ya been Rob? One lab doing results in SLC only?
Truth Hurts touched on an issue that will start to be an issue. “Don’t know the reasons for Lux being away, but a young guy trying to secure his spot in baseball better give it some hard thought right about now.”
So the second guessing begins as to whether a player should play or should opt out. Certainly this may be seen as an opportunity for a player to secure PT or to get exposure to the brass that otherwise wouldn’t be available. Ask Wally Pipp, if he was around and had to do it again, would he have opted out.
But the health issue should not be forgotten or minimize because players are young, fit and seemingly bullet proof. It makes their decision more complex with family and kids and parents in mind. There are still lots of unknowns to ponder. While Mark has Stanford stats saying death rates are far lower than reported, what is not known is if you are a survivor or asymptomatic what long term effects may follow.
I am NOT suggesting that a player should play or not. It’s their call. But we should all respect each individual to do what’s best. It’s not my call, even if I think it could be a great opportunity. Touch call.
Not too many, Singing The Blue. Hope they are all ok and will be there soon if possible, other than Ruiz who is ill and Nelson who is injured.
Media now reporting the following players as not yet in camp. I’m not sure if this is a complete list but as of about 1:00 PM Tuesday, the following were not in camp:
RHP Kenley Jansen
RHP Pedro Baez
LHP Scott Alexander
C Keibert Ruiz
RHP Tony Gonsolin
OF AJ Pollock
IF Gavin Lux
With some players opting out, not reporting to camp, ill, injured, minor leaguers added to the playing roster, etc., wouldn’t it be ironic if we ended up having a minor league system after all, in the big leagues?
Has anyone heard about Puig going to the Gaints, lately?
I believe DBM asked yesterday (or at least recently) about the At MLB.TV subscriptions. I have received an email from then and they have updated their 2020 yearly subscription from $121.99 to $45.18. Subscribers can either request a refund of $76.81 or apply the credit to the 2021 subscription. The MiLB portion of the subscription will be refunded for 2020. However all MiLB subscribers will continue to receive complimentary access to the MiLB.TV archives throughout the end of the year. At MLB TV has added a library of premium content for subscribers including baseball documentaries, classic programming and WS films in addition to news, highlights, and access to archived games.
If your coming from abroad, is there a need to quarantine for 2 weeks?
Great Info Jeff on the slot money and penalties for exceeding the limits. Teams better get their math correct and have deals in place prior to draft day. I forgot the team last year that I followed but they had 13 million for 10 picks and they hit that number right on the head. Thats amazing, skilled draft management. When you consider the challenge due to the dynamics of the draft and knowing the specifics of a player that falls your way, it takes amazing prep. It’s easy to watch the draft and question why a team didn’t take Smith instead of Jones, who graded out higher by all the “experts”, without a clue about signability and the math for that team. it’s quite a difference for the old Pre-slot money days and much more challenging.
Gavin Lux and Pedro Baez also are not in camp yet. No word as to why. Obviously it makes me wonder if both (but especially Lux who won’t have visa issues) tested positive for Covid?
Great Article on Mookie Betts in The Athletic and why he has to play this season. If he doesn’t his free agency is delayed a year.
https://theathletic.com/1913391/2020/07/07/why-mookie-betts-and-other-pending-free-agents-cant-opt-out-of-this-season/?source=dailyemail
Is there a list of players who have yet to report? Are Pollock and Jansen in camp?
They must think a lot of Vogel. Personally, I have seen Kendall a couple of times at Rancho. I was not really impressed with his at bats. But who knows. Some do not get it until a little later in their careers. He can run though. I do not think the Dodgers will exercise the option on Nelson. They might give him a minor league deal and an invite to camp next year. I also seriously doubt anyone gives him a big league deal based on his inability to get passed the first month of spring without injury, and then not being able to restart at all after close to 2 1/2 months off.