I will start off by saying that Jeff Dominique (AC) and his family are in all of our thought’s and prayers. I have scanned the obituaries for Kristopher Stephen Dominique because I was going to send flowers from everyone at LA DODGER TALK, but all I can send are thoughts because I could not find it. Godspeed! At the All-Star Break, the Dodgers and Houston were rated the best defensive…
The Post-Season Bullpen Will Be a Strength
Last night’s bullpen was excellent…. except for the closer, who coughed up another hairball. All season long there has been an ongoing discussion about what many fans perceive is the Dodgers glaring weakness… the bullpen. Since Spring Training, I have consistently said that I had no problem with the Dodger Bullpen and I have repeatedly said that “The Bullpen you see now, will not be the bullpen you see in…
Walter Who?
What are the skills that a successful baseball manager must have? I suspect that there are many possible answers to that question, perhaps as many as those answering the question. No doubt each of us posting on LADT have different preferences or expectations. Some are happy with Dave Roberts, some not so pleased, some neutral. Perhaps each of us has a manager in mind that we think is or has…
Watch Those Knee-Jerk Reactions
It seems to me that just about every time a Dodger player has a bad play, bad game, bad inning, bad pitch, error, blunder or just a mistake, some fans have this automatic knee jerk reaction which often involves one of the following: Get rid of the bum Send him back to the minors Make him a reliever He has no business starting He can’t play that position He should…
For the Love of the Game and Family
I had planned on writing a post dealing with player development today. But the tragic and heartbreaking news of the death of AC’s son has caused my mind to wander in so many different directions and has brought back a flood of memories of my introduction to baseball and how baseball was a language that I and my sons regularly spoke and still do to this day. Today I truly…
A Case For Ross Stripling
Let me preface this by unequivocally stipulating that I believe that Dustin May has a much higher ceiling than does Ross Stripling. Dustin May has had a great start, but has not yet faced any good offensive teams to establish his 2019 bona fides. May is a career starting pitcher and a sudden move to the bullpen could prove to be as problematic as it was for Walker Buehler. I…
Life Is So Fragile
It is with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes that I have to tell you that Always Compete, whose real name is Jeff Dominique has had a personal tragedy in his life that is going to have to make him step away from the blog. I got this e-mail from him this afternoon: Mark, I am done for awhile. My son Kristopher died in his sleep last night. …
Underrated Prospects
We often take a look at minor league players who have never been considered as can’t miss players. Some are very late round draft picks that creep up on the minor league ranks. DC and I have mentioned Zach McKinstry quite a bit this season. Zach was a 33rd round draft Pick (2016) out of that baseball hotbed Central Michigan University. He has continually charged up the organizational ladder and…
Come and Listen to my Story About a Man Named Jedd…
Jedd Gyorko will likely make his Dodger debut this weekend in the ATL. In case you don’t know, he plays every infield position and has logged one game in LF and two at pitcher. At 5′ 10″ and 215 pounds he is best suited for 2B or 3B. At best, he is a utilityman and I am sure the Dodgers hope he is someone who could benefit from the Robert…
Minor League Bites and Bits
DSL Dodgers: Seventeen-year-old Heisell Baro (Bautista)continues to deal. In 40.1 innings he has posted a 1.12 ERA along with a 0.87 WHIP. He has struck out 43 and walked 15 while holding opponents to a .150 batting average against. AZL Dodgers The Dodgers have signed undrafted free agent Luke Mckenzie McKenzie, a dual position player, played 16 games as a freshman at Jones County Junior College in 2018 before being sidelined…