I had a great conversation with a wise old sage about Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland. This old sage goes by the name of “AI”, and here was our conversation: Mark: What is the real story on why Hyeseong Kim was sent to the minors over Alex Freeland? AI: Short answer: this wasn’t about spring stats. It was about role fit, development path, and how the Dodgers think offense actually…
Zach Root burst onto the Dodger scene Saturday night, looking like the reincarnation of Sandy Koufax … with an altered delivery. The story of Zach Root is actually a pretty classic “late-blooming, grinder-to-dude” arc with a few sharp turns along the way. He is not a can’t-miss phenom — He’s more like a slow-burning fuse. Let me explain. He was born on Feb 6, 2004, in Fort Myers, Florida, and…
Even before Andrew Friedman was hired as President of Baseball Operations, I had called for the hiring of someone like him. When he was hired, I supported it from day one with a level of excitement that I had never felt. Immediately, I was attacked by morons who shall remain nameless. I have rarely second-guessed anything he does, for two reasons: What I am about to say is not second-guessing,…
I have been sick for a couple of days. I had a bug, but some of it was A-Fib. I am going to have another cardioversion shortly (just waiting for the call). My cardiologist is a friend, so he usually gets me in quickly. It’s always good for old guys to have a cardiologist as a friend. 😉 I keep mine on speed dial. This last cardioversion has lasted nearly…
James Tibbs III seems to have improved since joining the Dodgers. He changed his leg kick from being a “timing mechanism” to being a “metronome tap.” When he came to the Dodgers, they knew his swing did not need to be overhauled, like Justin Turner’s. The Dodgers reportedly encouraged him to return closer to the swing that made him a star at Florida State rather than chasing exit-velocity tweaks. Mechanically,…
The grass is riz. I wonder where the flowers is? Baseball America just published a piece titled: “One Intriguing 2026 Spring Training Performance For Each MLB Team.” In it, they featured River Ryan as the Dodgers’ “Intriguing Player.” In part, they wrote: “The big question for Ryan was whether he could return to health and his pre-injury stuff. Back from Tommy John surgery, Ryan needed one spring training outing to…
The Dodgers optioned OF Ryan Ward and LHP Ronan Kopp to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and sent pitchers Carlos Duran, Carson Hobbs, Garrett McDaniels, Jackson Ferris, Wyatt Mills, Jordan Weems, and Lucas Wepf, catcher Griffin Lockwood-Powell, and OFs Josue De Paula and Kendall George to minor league camp. That should narrow it down to 50-something players in Camp. Ryan Ward had his shot and did almost nothing… The field is narrowed……
The Dodgers’ roster right now looks a little less like a youth movement and a little more like a high school reunion where everyone keeps saying, “Wow… has it really been 15 years?” For the record, I don’t dislike Alex Call or Santiago Espinal. Not at all. Both are perfectly respectable utility players. The baseball equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. Not flashy, but handy when you need to open…
Spring Training is baseball’s annual mirage season. A few weeks in Arizona or Florida and suddenly a utility infielder is Babe Ruth, a 29-year-old minor leaguer looks like the next MVP, and fans begin carving statues before Opening Day. Then… the roster comes out and that hero of March is riding a bus to Triple-A. Right about now, many Dodger fans are anointing Santiago Espinal as the World MVP. After…
