We all follow the Dodgers minor league players with special interest as they move up the mountain towards MLB. It is a most difficult climb as the terrain is littered with land mines of various kinds. The task of the parent organization, in its own special interest and in the interest of the young men with whom they have been entrusted, is to smooth out the path up the mountain…
I always have a fascination with young players who are selection in the last few rounds of the First-Year Player Draft. Often, they are “take a chance” picks for high school players who most likely will not sign. Two such players that may well have been steals had they signed with the Dodgers after being selected in the last three rounds of the 2018 draft opted to go to college….
Last week Mark kind of stole my thunder with his remarks about Raul Ibanez who is a Special Assistant now to Andrew Friedman. He had signed with the Dodgers in February of 2016 along with Greg Maddux. The reasons for my interest in Raul Ibanez was that first, it was recently rumored he had an opportunity to move to another organization and didn’t. Secondly, suggestions were made that others were deserting…
As baseball fans and Dodger enthusiasts, fanatics, maniacs, zealots or whatever mantra might apply to us, we spend the season following MLB and the minor leagues, especially the Dodger affiliates. We also pay some attention to high school ball and college ball, both of which wind up in June and are more of interest around the time of the First-Year Player Draft. However, there is another layer of baseball that does…
In a previous article I included a brief sketch of Pedro Montero who was promoted to the Tulsa Drillers for the 2019 season serving as the Drillers bench coach. As mentioned, Montero is a high energy, excitable young man who has an infectious effect on the players he coaches. In fact, with any young players with whom he makes contact. It is difficult to see him without a smile on…
While looking around a bit at the coaches in the Dodgers minor league system, I was pleasantly surprised at the trend that seems to permeate among those selected to be coaches down on the farm. Well actually, it was not as much of a surprise as a confirmation of what appeared to be a continuing trend. That is, a movement towards youthful coaches, often catchers, and an emphasis on dealing…
Jeremy Rodriguez – Bench Coach Rodriguez will serve as the team’s primary third base coach, work with the infielders and help with defensive positioning in games. He’s the staff’s youngest member at just 29. He played five seasons within the Padres’ organization. The former catcher was born in Burbank, California and graduated from Crespi Carmelite High School in neighboring Encino. He was selected by the San Diego Padres in the…
Last Wednesday the Dodgers announced their minor league coaching staffs. There were some changes of assignments within the organization, some not returning, and others added from outside. The shuffling of the assignments is always a bit mind boggling as some coaches move to lower levels such as Justin Viele moving from Rancho Cucamonga to Great Lakes and Seth Connor moving from Great Lakes to Ogden. Others moved up such as…
The more we read about minor league ball players, the more we learn about the commitments they make, not just as baseball players, but as young men. They have all of the challenges in life just as young men who do not pursue an athletic career have, plus they have the near impossible task of navigating a road to MLB littered with speed bumps. Many, or most, are…
On Tuesday it was announced that the Dodgers had acquired right-hander Jaime Schultz from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for 22-year-old right-hander Caleb Sampen who had been selected by the Dodgers in the 20th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft. On January 4 the Rays had designated Schultz for assignment after receiving right-hander Oliver Drake from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations. Drake had also…