That is what Andrew Friedman told us at the beginning of the season, and I (for one) believe it. This is a “transition” year. Clayton Kershaw, Noah Syndergaard, Julio Urias, David Peralta, Jake Marisnick, Max Muncy, Jason Heyward, and JD Martinez are all on one-year deals, meaning that the Dodgers have the ability to move on from each of them next year… if they want! The Dodgers have a half…
The Giants are breathing down the Dodgers ‘ necks. I think the D-Bags will fade (somewhat), but I fully expect the Giants to “sell out” for Shohei Ohtani. The Giants will be eager to “gut the farm” to stick it to the Dodgers. Prepare for it because I think it will happen. Hate them all you want – they just play baseball, and a 1-2-3 punch of Webb, Cobb, and…
Since June 15th, the Dodgers have had one of the best bullpen ERAs in baseball. In fact, since that date, which happens to be the date Dave Roberts called out the bullpen and said, “they have to be better,” the Dodgers bullpen is tied for 2nd place in MLB with a 2.64 ERA (tied with the Braves). The Phillies are #1 with a 2.27 bullpen ERA. I am absolutely incredulous…
Gavin Stone’s last outing was a resounding success. Ryan Pepiot FINALLY went two innings in his 2023 debut. They will ramp him up over the next two weeks. Even Noah Syndergaard showed signs of life last night as he went five innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out six and walking nary a batter. Add in Clayton Kershaw, and in early August, Pepiot, Syndergaard, and Kershaw…
Let me start this by telling you that I am not generally in favor of trading or signing Shohei Ohtani. He will be 30 years old next season, and the pure truth about pitchers is that in 2022, 51% of all MLB pitchers went on the IL for varying times. So, there is a pretty good chance that Ohtani, due to his age and due to being a pitcher, spends…
Over the years, I have made plenty of blunders with predictions. I once predicted that Andy LaRoche would be a superstar, and that never came close to working out. I plead insanity on that one. I also predicted great things for Frank McCourt as the owner of the Dodgers – I was looking at it as a small business owner, and I felt that he was in a position where…
As most of us old guys remember, Paul Harvey was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. From 1951 to 2008, his programs reached as many as 24 million people per week. He broadcast News and Comments each morning and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays. His famous “The Rest of the Story” segments were amazing! Here’s one in case you don’t remember: Well, now I am…
Here’s what I have to say: It’s happened and is happening! Beyond the first 3-5 players, I think it’s a crapshoot. I used to follow it to the extreme, but now I really start paying attention when they hit Rancho and GL. Baseball America has excellent coverage of it. Feel free to discuss whatever! That’s all folks! There are lots of places who discuss the draft and in their spare…
In 2021, 51% of all MLB Pitchers went on the IL. Let that sink in a little. Now, what pitcher do you want to trade for? Lane Thomas of the Nats is the latest “flavor of the week,” but a 27-year-old outfielder who is hitting over .300 with a .851 OPS and two more years of control is going to cost a lot… a whole lot! Is this his breakout…
I am not going to belabor this point, but most of us grew up in an era where batting average was king. Von Joshua, who was a Dodger for a few years, had a ten-year major league career with a .273 Batting Average (BA), which is not too bad. However, his On-Base Percentage (OBP) was .306, and his On Base Plus Slugging (OPS) was .686. Actually, a new stat that…