Play in the rookie level Arizona League began on Monday, June 17. The league now has 21 teams in three divisions. They play a 56-game schedule in and around the Phoenix area at the spring training facilities of their parent major league clubs. The AZL Dodgers play their home games at the Camelback Ranch complex shared by the parent Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. The Dodgers for the first time…
Ogden Raptors – 2019 Version
The Ogden Raptors are the Dodgers Rookie League team in the Pioneer League. They are an advanced rookie team that became affiliated with the Dodgers in 2003. Prior to that, the Ogden team was an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Ogden, with a population of about 83,000, claims to be the oldest settlement in Utah dating back to 1845 and has a long history with minor league baseball of over…
Why I Hate Joc Pederson
Some people evidently think I hate Joc, so I went with that catchy headline. In reality, I am not a hater. I don’t hate Joc Pederson and I don’t even hate the Giants. I don’t like the Giants but I don’t hate them. I love the Dodgers, but the opposite of LOVE is not HATE. It’s ambivalence. When you hate something, it controls you. If you are ambivalent about it,…
Chris Parmalee
Let’s go back and revisit the 2006 MLB First Year Player Draft. We Dodger fans remember all too well that Clayton Kershaw was selected as the #7 overall pick that year. But that draft had some other players selected that have gone on and had good ML careers, and potentially another potential HOF pitcher to go with Kersh. 1 – Luke Hochevar 3 – Evan Longoria 5 – Brandon Morrow…
Next Man UP
I recognize and acknowledge that I have been at the forefront of wanting the Dodgers to acquire elite relievers I have also readily acknowledged that they do not need to make that trade at this time. Their competition in the NLWest is not stiff, but winning the NL pennant and WS could prove to be more difficult without that elite bullpen. Those names will become more clear as that July…
Apples to Oranges
Last year when Corey Seager went down with Tommy John Surgery, it was immediately known that he would miss the rest of the season. Thus, the Manny Machado trade. It now appears that Corey will be out a month… maybe less, so there is absolutely NO WAY the Dodgers are going to trade for ANY shortstop, let alone anyone named Lindor. It ain’t happening! Comparing last season to this season…
The Bad News Could Be Good News
Losing Corey Seager just when he was rounding back into form was/is a big blow, but unless you are just resigned to failure, sometimes bad news can be good news. I always say that problems are opportunities in drag. The fact that Corey is out means that Chris Taylor and Kike Hernandez are probably going to get almost “regular” playing time. Of course, that could also be bad… if they…
Bites and Bits by DC
Sorry I can’t offer much advice on what the Dodgers should do about the pen so during the past week I jotted down some minor league happenings, much of it with the Loons. Brett de Geus Pitcher Brett de Geus became the 7th player from the Loons to be added to the East roster for next week’s MWL All-Star Game on June 18 in South Bend, Indiana. He takes the…
It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better
Usually when change is involved, things get worse before they get better. That’s true in just about everything: life, business and sports. Since this is a Dodger Blog, you might be wondering what that has to do with the Dodgers. So, I am talking about three pitchers in general: Joe Kelly, Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw. I think that before Spring Training, the Dodgers had a plan with each pitcher….
Get It Out Of The Ocean
Max Muncy, aka “Mad Max” just cemented his place in Legendary Dodger Lore after jacking a massive home run into McCovey Cove off of Madison Baumgarner. MadBum allegedly took umbrage when Max blasted the 424 foot home run and enjoyed watching it as it left his bat. I mean, what is wrong with that? However, MadBum yelled at Muncy to stop watching the ball and start running, to which MadMax…