I am planning a series of blogs on each aspect of the Dodger team. Today we are going to talk about starting pitching. As it currently stands, Rich Hill and Hyun-jin Ryu are free agents. I would let Ryu walk unless he agreed to a 2-year deal under $38 million. Rich Hill is welcome back on an incentive-laden deal that would put him in the bullpen. Bottom Line: Neither will…
I’ll Trade You My Shooter Marble For Your Cat’s Eye
The off-season is fully here yet, but the banter about the free-agents we should sign or acquire by trade has already begun in full-force. I thought I might join in on the speculation, and throw out some names that haven’t been mentioned before, or at least not recently. Keep in mind that I have not made any in-depth statistical analysis of these players, I don’t have any of their medical…
The Beginning of the End
Yesterday, I wrote that the Dodgers were a young team and what I was specifically referring to was that the “core” was young, especially if Ryu, Hill, Freese, and Martin are not back. The Dodgers had seven (7) rookies impact the team this year: Will Smith Alex Verdugo Gavin Lux Tony Gonsolin Dustin May Kyle Garlick Matt Beaty Next year they will also have a few. The Dodgers are built…
Evolution, not Revolution!
In case you have forgotten, the 2019 LA Dodgers are a young team (overall), with a very deep and very god farm system and accomplished the following: Most Wins in LA Dodger History – 106 Best Team ERA in MLB Yes, it has been 32 years since the Dodgers have won the Worl Series. Yes, 2019 was a bitter pill to swallow. Yes, it is way past time for the…
Einstein Insanity
Einstein insanity…“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” So the team should stay as they are with little to no change? There are many who believe the team is worthy of a WS championship as it is currently constructed with a couple of tweaks. Another year with RVS as hitting coach will obviously make the Dodgers even better hitters than they were in 2019….
For the Final Time: The Bullpen was not the Problem
This past regular season, the Washington Nationals had the worst bullpen in baseball. Out of 30 MLB teams, they were #30 in ERA at 5.66. MLB average was 4.43 and the Dodgers were #4 in MLB in ERA. The Nationals bullpen was also worst in baseball allowing hitters a .266 batting average. To say that their bullpen was horrible would be kind. Yet, here they are on the way to…
Rube Walker – A Pitcher’s Pitching Coach
As a youngster growing up on the east coast of Canada in the golden years of baseball in the 1950s, I fell into the Vin Scully trap on radio and became a lifer with the Dodgers even when they abandoned me for the far west coast in California. The memories of Duke, Pee Wee, Jackie, Campy and so many other stars still remain fresh in my mind. At the same…
Mythbusting
I think it’s time to debunk some myths that have been propounded since the “Debacle of Game 5” (That’s what I call it). In the interest of full disclosure, I called for Dave Roberts firing… and still would fire him, but some of what you all believe about him is incorrect and I’m here to debunk it… among other things. By the way: I can still live with Doc and…
Dodgers Lost – So What?
Before game 5 with the Nats, I admit I had periods of apprehension that Nats would win. By the time I turned on the TV, Kike had just hit his homerun. 3 runs of Strasburg in 1 plus innings. Now I was feeling pretty positive. But, as we all know, the Dodgers lost – – – I was shocked, to say the least. I was as disappointed as I could…
What Next? If Not 2020, When?
2020 is a critical year for LAD. That window is closing a bit, and what they do to prepare for 2020 will dictate whether they open it a bit more or nail it shut. Perhaps the team does not spend smart, but they are not cheap. After getting under the CBT for 2018, they went back over in 2019. Because of vesting bonuses, Clayton Kershaw ($3MM) and Kenta Maeda ($5.4),…