Trust the Process

Through the first four years of the Andrew Friedman Era as the President/General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I have come to realize that there is a “Process”… one from which Andrew rarely deviates. This process can be summarized in ten (10) unwavering rules:

1. The most important rule is this: Build the Farm, Build the Farm, Build the Farm. A Top Farm System is the basis for everything else.
2. Do not… I repeat: DO NOT give out big long-term deals. Never, Ever, Never… unless it’s for your own homegrown stars (Kershaw, Bellinger, Seager and to a lesser extent, Jansen and Turner).
3. Cap any other free agent signings at $50 to $60 Million.
4. Don’t make dope-fiend moves or knee-jerk reactions.
5. Character counts over anything else (bye, bye Aroldis Chapman).
6. Do not overpay for bullpen arms. You can NEVER and I mean NEVER, predict success on a bullpen arm.
7. Draft players who are closer to the Show rather than young high schoolers whose projections are difficult (there are exceptions).
8. Put the best coaches and instructors in place for the body, mind and soul development of players.
9. Have your own list of untouchable players and stick to it (Seager, Urias, Buehler, Verdugo, Bellinger were all on it. Ruiz, May, and Gonsolin are also on it).
10. Stick to the process.

More About the Bullpen

I was listening to MLB.Radio yesterday and Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe was asked about the Red Sox Bullpen problems. He replied that Dave Dombrowski does not value relievers highly and that the bullpen last year was pretty bad… they just got lucky and caught “lightning in a bottle” in the World Series.

Some of that had to do with the Old Dodger hitting ways. I’d like to think that this year they will respond better. Cody is MUCH better, Alex is here, Corey should be healthy and JT hopefully can stay healthy. Then there is AJ… Luck is where “preparation meets opportunity.” They are prepared, but they also need some luck.

Here’s what Ken Gurnick of Dodgers.com says about trading for a top reliever:

“According to MLB Pipeline, the top five prospects in the Dodgers system are catcher Keibert Ruiz, shortstop Gavin Lux, pitcher Dustin May, pitcher Tony Gonsolin and catcher Will Smith. If I was Giants president Farhan Zaidi and the Dodgers wanted, say, reliever Will Smith, I would want two of those five. And if I was the Dodgers, I wouldn’t trade two of those five.” 

So, there you have it. If Will Smith costs that much, Vasquez (who is signed for 5 more years) will command all 5 prospects! Most fans have no clue how to pull off a trade. The Dodgers may trade for a pitcher or two, but not the ones you want or think! No one knows what Andrew Friedman has up his sleeve!

The DH

I have it on pretty good authority that Rob Manfred wanted to implement the DH in the NL in 2019 and was prepared to expand the rosters to 26 or 27, but Tony Clark of the players association would have nothing to do with it. So, Manfred pulled it off the table. If Tony Clark is there for the next CBA, there is going to be a lot of contention… maybe a strike.

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Best QB of All Time

It is my opinion that the greatest Quarterback of all time is not Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Bart Star, Johnny Unitas, Terry Bradshaw, Drew Brees, Joe Montana or any other QB, including Andrew Luck (I live in Indy). The greatest QB of all time (in my opinion) was Dan Mario. He just happened to have a coach who evolved into believing that a running game was unimportant when you have Dan and the Marks Brothers.

Put Dan Marino on a team coached by Chuck Knoll, Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh or Bill Belichick and the narrative is entirely different. No one is the history of the game had the arm, compact release, and accuracy of Dan Marino. Brady, Star, Montana and others are “systems quarterbacks.” Marino was better all around. That’s the value of a genius coach. Dan never had one….

Baseball Power Ratings

The LA Dodgers are #1 in every poll. The Athletic says this about the Dodgers at the All-Star Break:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (57-29)
In: Cody Bellinger, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw
Deserving: Max Muncy, Justin Turner, Alex Verdugo
You could maybe even add Pedro Báez and Julio Urías to that list if you wanted to. The Dodgers are absolutely stacked right now, and it’s not just an aging team that’s hitting its prime all at the same time — a large number of rookies and young players (including All-Stars Verdugo and Buehler) are contributing at a high level as well.
It’s a good time to be a Dodgers fan. Just… stop trying to hug Cody Bellinger.

Help Wanted

So, if you think I probably need psychiatric help, you may be right, but you could also be “write.” That’s right, we are looking for a person or two to write for us. A day a week or a minor league report a week. If you are interested, let us know. I would like to cut back a little and am looking for someone or someones to help. The pay is bad…. there isn’t any! Let me know if you are interested or have any questions. mark@uswatersystems.com

Here’s the deal: My wife and I started US Water Systems, Inc. almost 20 years ago in our garage. It took us a while to figure it out, but we are now growing 20 to 30% month over month and may double in 2020. My title is “visionary” and I am having a lot of fun. I am not tied to a schedule, but I frequently put in 10 hour days and add 2 or 5 hours in my home office. I also routinely wear shorts to the office. Somedays I go in at 10 AM or 7:30 AM . Somedays I leave at 3PM (usually when the Dodgers are on) or at 10 PM. It’s a great gig! I love it!

This is not the only blog I write. I also write ASK THE WATER DOCTOR.com as well as all the questions and comments and all the copy on US Water Systems. I never thought my title would be “writer” but that is what I do.

I will soon be 66 and am blessed with great health, except for that damn arthritis. My son will start buying us out soon but I will likely work into my 70’s… or longer because I love what I am doing. We help people all over the world improve their lives with water. In fact, we even save peoples’ lives by purifying their water. I love the Dodgers, but I love my business and this is the time to build that legacy. No pressure… only pleasure and fun for me. If I am ever not excited to get up and go to work, then I’ll know its time to retire.

My wife, son, brother, son-in-law, and several other relatives work for us as well (we have 45 employees). Right now, I am writing this blog 4 times a week. I would like to cut back to 2 or 3 times a week. AC plans to retire someday soon and I have no idea what he plans to do. DC is a marvel. As he approaches 90, he remains sharp as a tack. We are a great group. Want to join us? Let us know.

DC’s Minor League Lowdown

It was a day of debuts at the AZL level and a day of home runs with 14 hit in the system.

DSL Dodgers (Bautista) 0 – DSL Astros 8

On the mound Rafael Tua (3), Raidel Chacon (2)  and Cristian Peralta (3) gave up all 8 runs over their 6 innings pitched. Axel Acevedo finished up with 3 strong innings on one hit and 3 strikeouts. He has lowered his ERA to 1.76 over 15.1 innings.

At the plate they had 4 hits

DSL Dodgers (Shoemaker) 7 – DSL Indians/Brewers 2

Pitching was a different story for the Shoemakers. Benony Robles pitched 4 innings with one run, Stiven Gutierrez 2 innings with one run, Juan De la Cruz 2 scoreless innings and Fran Castro a scoreless inning.

Offensively they scored 2 runs in the first inning on a WP and a Juan Diaz single. They added another run in the 3rd inning on a Julio Enrique single and capped it off with 4 runs in the 5th on a WP, a Julio Enrique single, and another WP.  Luis Izturis had 4 walks while Enrique had 2 hits.

AZL Dodgers (Lasorda) 2 – AZL Athletics (Gold) 4

Jose Rodulfo started for the Dodgers and gave 5 good innings with just 2 runs, one earned. He was followed by 2019 18th round selection Jeff Belge who gave up one run in his 0.2 innings pitched in hi debut.  Riley Ottesen got the last out in that inning. Seventh round 2019 selection Nick Robertson pitched a scoreless 7th and Max Gamboa a scoreless 8th.

Lasorda’s Dodgers scored one run in the 2nd inning on a double by rehabbing Steve Berman and one in the 7th on a Rolando Lebron single.

AZL Dodgers (Mota) 8 – AZL Cubs (1) 9

Jeffry Abreu got the call for the Mota’s Dodgers and gave up five runs over 3 innings. After that it was a coming out party for the 2019 draftees. Four new Dodgers made their debut and pitched one inning each with no runs, one hit, one walk and 10 strikeouts: Mitchell Tyranski (12th), Jacob Cantleberry (17th), Aaron Ochsenbein (6th), Ryan Pepiot (3rd). Carlos De Los Santos pitched a perfect 8thand 9th inning but ran into trouble in the 10th giving up 4 runs aided by 2 errors and a passed ball.

The Dodgers scored 4 in the first inning with 2 on a double by rehabbing Romer Cuadrado and 2 more on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly. They picked up another run in the 5th inning on an Alex De Jesus double. Romer Cuadardo brought the Dodgers within one in the bottom of the 10th inning with a 3-run home run.

Ogden Raptors  14 – Orem Owlz (LAA) 5

Kevin Malisheski had his second consecutive good start going 6 innings with 4 hits, one run and striking out 8. Hunter Speer and Edward Cuello followed giving up one and 2 runs respectively.

With the bats the Raptors scored early with a 2-run home run by Justin Yurchak in the first inning and a Yurchak  single in the second inning. They picked up 6 runs in the 7th inning on a solo home run by Andy Pages, four consecutive walks and a Zac Ching  grand slam. Apparently 9 wasn’t enough as they scored  5 more in the 9th on 2 home runs. Justin Yurchak hit his second of the game, a 3-run shot, while Sam McWilliams hit a 2-run opposite field dinger. Yurchak has 6 runs batted in.

Great Lakes Loons 16 – Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego) 9

John Rooney started for the Loons and it was not a pitcher’s duel. He gave up 5 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits and 3 walks. Yeisel Cespedes, Justin Bruihl  each tossed a scoreless inning while Guillermo Zuniga gave up 2 runs in his 1.2 innings pitched. Outfielder Chris Roller came in to try to get the final out and had just a little trouble finding the plate. He threw 17 pitches, 16 of them balls along with 2 wild pitches.The Loons were forced to bring in Justin Hagenman to try for that final out which he got by a strikeout.

Offensively the Loons bats were electric but also helped by a porous TinCaps defense which made five errors leading to 8 unearned runs. The power display included a 2-run triple by Jacob Amaya, a 3-run home run by Dillon Paulson and two home runs by Miguel Vargas, one a 3-run shot and the other a solo home run. Vargas now has consecutive 2-home run games. Paulson moved into 3rd place in the league with 48 runs batted in. Vargas with a .325 batting average is second in the league.

Ranch Cucamonga Quakes  7 – Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego) 5

Michael Grove started and had a bit of a shaky 2nd inning giving up 2 run but completed 4 innings with just those 2 runs. Wills Mongomerie finished up the next 5 innings allowing 3 runs, just one earned.

The offense played double and home run ball. Devin Mann had a 2-run double in the bottom of the first inning followed by a Jeren Kendall home run. Nick Yarnell had a 2-run double in the 5th inning and Marcus Chiu completed the scoring with  a 2-run home run in the 7th, his 10th of the year

Tulsa Drillers 6 – Springfield Cardinals 4

Logan Bawcom started and went 5.2 innings with 7 hits and 4 runs with 5 strikeouts. Michael Boyle, Logan Salow and Ryan Moseley combined for a scoreless 1.1 innings. In his AA debut Salow walked two.  Nolan Long pitched the final 2 innings with one walk and 2 strikeouts.

At the plate the Drillers scored 3 on a Logan Landon home run in the second inning. They picked up 3 more in the 7th inning on a Zach McKinstry home run and a Chris Parmalee single.

OKC Dodgers  3 – Nashville Sounds (Texas) 4

Tony Gonsolin started for the Dodgers and had less than an expected outing. He pitched only 3.2 innings giving up 5 hits and 4 runs while walking 4. Shea Spitzbarth, Jaime Schultz and Caleb Ferguson finished up with 4.1 scoreless innings.

The Dodgers scored one run in the 5th inning on a Gavin Lux double and another in the 8th on 3 singles, the last by catcher Josh Thole. They drew within one run of the Sounds in the top of the 9th on a Shane Peterson double  but that is as close as they got.