Because I have no clue as to what the Dodgers will do or what type of players the Pirates actually want for Vasquez, etc., I don’t typically spend much, if any, time speculating as to what type of trade the Dodgers are going to make or what players will be involved. I know for many it’s a lot of fun, and I don’t cluck my tongue at those that do. …
The Will Smith Era
The Will Smith era has officially begun. In his first game as the primary catcher for the LAD, he caught Clayton Kershaw. There were no noticeable miscommunications between the two. Kersh got off to a rough start, but settled in nicely for still another QS. Offensively, you could not ask for a better game. 3-3 with 2 doubles, a HR, sac fly, and 6 RBIs. This new offensive threat for…
Random Thoughts
1. Dodgerpatch indicated that I was taking the criticism of Austin Barnes too personally. Not true. I would never take criticism alone personally. What I take personally is the name calling. A week ago I stated that Barnes had option(s) remaining and that he should be considered to be optioned to OKC, and bring up Will Smith to get better acclimated to the pitchers. When the name calling started, I…
Rant & Rave Friday
OK, you want to be “all in?” Let’s go dream: The Mets trade Yoenis Cespedes, Noah Syndegard and Edwin Diaz to the Dodgers for Keibert Ruiz, Tony Gonsolin, Ross Stripling and Joc Pederson. Maybe there is one more piece… It’s a salary dump for the Mets and the Dodgers save some prospects, including May in the deal. I really like Tony Gonsolin, but Dustin May is a player I would…
Who are the Buyers or Sellers?
We are going to talk about a couple of my favorite sayings today: “Relievers are fickle;” and “What you see today, ain’t what you will see tomorrow!” Who is buying and selling? It’s not entirely clear right about now, but the Giants are the hottest team in baseball. MadBum says this is the best run he has ever been on. I’m sure Farhan hates it, but he may have to…
The Audacity to Doubt the Veracity of a Man of my Capacity…
Do you have the audacity to doubt my veracity? Or even to insinuate that I would prevaricate? While I’ll thrust my phalanges into your physiognomy with such intensity, That it will horizontalize your purpendicularity. I like the sound of that. It just rolls off the tongue… That was fun! So, Revisionist Historians like to believe that the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman won the World Series for them in 2016. Well, it’s true that…
When Push Come to Shove…
It seems to me that most Dodger fans believe that the only thing standing between a World Championship Trophy and the LA Dodgers are a couple of relief pitchers. Some say one, some say two, some say three. They often use the example of the 2016 Cubs who went out and got Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees as a two-month rental. The narrative is that Chapman was the missing piece…
It Feels a Bit Drafty in Here
On June 9th AC gave us an excellent recap of the players the Dodgers drafted. Now that the signing period has come and gone, I thought I might provide an analysis of what the Dodgers might have in the players that were signed. Bear in mind, we probably won’t see the fruits of this draft until 2021 – 2023. Not much, if anything, that I have written here is original. …
2019 Top Prospects Update
It’s that time of again. Many of the mid-year prospect updates are in. My top three favorite sources of prospect lists are Baseball America, FanGraphs, and MLB Pipeline (in no particular order). Baseball America came out in early July with their update, now including the 2019 draft picks. FanGraphs came out with their update and also included current year draftees and IFA. Future Dodgers updated their Top 101 Dodger prospect…
The Plan of Succession
When the Dodgers acquired Jimmy Rollins, I was pretty vocal that Corey Seager was ready and there was no need for Rollins to be the “bridge” to Seager. I still think Corey was ready a year earlier, but FAZ made him wait… and it turned out OK. FAZ had a plan of succession. In the Spring of 2017, I pronounced Cody Bellinger ready for the Show, but FAZ sent him…