One of my all-time favorite movies is “The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn” starring Sidney Poitier. In it, Poitier plays Noah Dearborn, a 91‑year old carpenter who lives a simple life and existence, detached from modern life. His only interest is woodworking, at which he is very gifted. In his hands, woodworking tools are not just tools, they become instruments for creating works of art. Poitier, who is also a…
Will the Real Keibert Ruiz Please Step Up?
KayBear Ruiz was signed at the tender age of 16 for $140,000 on his birthday, July 20, 2014. In 2015, he hit .300 for the Dominican Dodgers at age 16. In 2016, he split time between Ogden and Arizona, hitting a combined .374 with a .412 OB%. He was still just 17. Before the 2017 season, and still just 18 years old, Ruiz was named the #20 prospect in the…
Late Bloomers
With the excellent column by DC on the teenage players, and with the outstanding article in The Athletic on Zach Reks, I thought I would take a look at late bloomers. If Zach Reks does make it to the Majors, he would certainly be a late bloomer, but he hardly is the only one. A young infielder was drafted in the 9th round out of South Carolina and had a…
Dodgers Teenage Team for 2020 – Position Players
In attempting to isolate any group there is always a chance that there might be other members who belong in the group who are not selected and yet others who are simply missed. With that risk in mind, I had a bit of a slow day yesterday so decided to look at the teenage group preparing for the 2020 minor league season. Some had successful 2019 seasons while others did…
The Designated Runner
With a team so stacked with few weaknesses and limited roster spots available, can the Dodgers actually be thinking about making the 26th man a designated runner? There doesn’t seem to be much difference between Herb Washington and Terrance Gore except that Washington was a better hitter. OK, that was a cold shot. My point is that I can’t fathom the Dodgers leaving one of the young core that deserves…
Braidyn Fink – Sooner or Dodger?
Before I got sidetracked with the spring training heroics of Cody Thomas and Zach McKinstry, I had been providing a thumbnail sketch of the relief pitchers the Dodgers had signed in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft. Those profiles included Logan Boyer, Jacob Cantleberry, Jeff Belge, Nick Robertson, and Alec Gamboa as well as Ryan Pepiot whom I think will start the 2020 season in a starting role. There are still…
My Thoughts on the Bullpen and Others
I have been away for a bit due to some unexpected personal family matters, but I have continued to read the blog everyday. Last week when Mark proclaimed, “This could not only be the best Dodger bullpen of All-Time, but it could also be one of the best in the game… maybe ever!”, many unsurprisingly jumped on that testament. I have been a huge critic of the bullpen makeup, and…
McKinstry – Ex-Zach-ly Knocking on the Door
I have followed Zach McKinstry since he was selected by the Dodgers in the 33rd round of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. I especially took notice when he was advanced to the Loons in 2016 and became an important cog in their championship run by moving to the third base position, a position he had not previously played. The 6’/180…
Rowan and Martin
Abbreviated Spring Time Random Thoughts – by 2Demeter2 (aka/Rowan) I was hoping to finish my article on Alanna Rizzo this week, but I have been down and out with the flu and a cold for the past 4 days, feeling rather punkish. So that article will have to wait for another day. On the other hand, one of the “benefits” of being down and out was that I got to…
The Kershawshank Redemption
Ninety-Three! That’s all you need to know. Clayton Kershaw was clocked at 93 MPH in yesterday’s game. The last time he did that was over 2 years ago! This was his first Spring Game and he was giddy after it… because he knows there is more left in the tank. 94? 95? Maybe… but every MPH of separation between his fastball and slider is HUGE! He sat at 91-92 most…