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…
Charge!
Dustin May not only showed that he should be on the playoff roster, but he also showed he probably should be the #4 starter in the rotation. Tony Gonsolin has experience in the bullpen while Dustin May does not. Both should be on the playoff rosters. Both should be lethal weapons on the playoff roster. My only concern is that May now has logged 133 innings through AA, AAA, and…
It’s how you end up that counts! Pitching Analysis
Joe Kelly was a trainwreck early in the season, but when I last checked, he was pretty good. The Dodgers plan when they signed him was to change his grip and smooth out his mechanics. In case you have been hiding under a rock, it did not work very well… at least for a while. But, it’s how you end up that counts. They say that good things come to…
What’s Up Doc?
This past week there has been a renewal of negative comments about Dodger manager, Dave Roberts. Some warranted, but most not. AC provided a wonderful up close and personal synopsis yesterday when he shared his son’s feelings about DR being “one of the most genuine people he ever met. He could talk you up and fill you with positive thought all day long.” This seems to be the consensus industry-wide. …
What If…
It has been widely published that the Dodgers are 31 years between World Series Championships. All Dodger fans want to forget that, but what if…I know it sounds like the Kratt Brothers. For those with small children or grandchildren you probably know Wild Kratts. Brooklyn was nine World Series and lost their first seven: 1916 and 1920 (as The Robins – managed by Wilbert Robinson) and did not return for…
Burt “Happy” Hooten
I was doing some research for a post I was trying to put together when I encountered one of my All-Time favorite Dodger pitchers, Burt “Happy” Hooten. I have no idea why, but I seem to favor pitchers from University of Texas, and pitchers from Texas in general. Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Ross Stripling, Howie Reed, Huston Street, Brooks Kieschnick, Ryan Pressly, Greg Swindell, Shawn Tolleson,…
What Does Gavin Lux Have to do to get a Callup – Fly?
(Excuse my first-grade Photoshop skills). Lot’s of guys hit .300 in the Pacific Coast League. The combination of altitude, heat, thin air, juiced baseballs, and fairy dust make it a hitter’s league. Ty France, 3B of the Padres AAA affiliate is hitting .399 with 26 HR in just 276 AB’s. Shoot, AAAA player, Conner Joe is hitting .300. However, not many are hitting .456 while OPS’ing 1.381 in 131 AB’s…