Recently, Rob propounded a very valid question: LA has one black player, yet he is not “Home Grown “.Why is that, for a MLB club that takes pride in Jackie Robinson ?It’s 2025, for gosh sakes. That is a very good and very valid question. One of the few MLB teams that use DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) as a mantra is the Los Angeles Dodgers. In fact, DEI is…
Only LA DODGER TALK
No more… no less! I will check in occasionally and post sometimes, but I have a lot going on, and it’s all good. Book writing, vacations, cruises, Disneyland, Doctor Appointments, Construction at our house, looking for a warehouse/office in Phoenix, training my 140-pound puppy, and playing with the grandkids. I’ve just got too many things happening. I have to step back for a while. I’ll be here, but don’t expect…
Andrew Friedman Cost Me Many Friends
About ten years ago, when Andrew Friedman was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers, I was ecstatic, but most Dodger fans were not! In fact, not only were most fans not happy, but they were flat-out opposed to Andrew Friedman and blasted and ridiculed him at every opportunity they had. Now, wait just a minute… I want to tell you why I was so excited: In 2003, Friedman met Stuart Sternberg,…
Is Dalton Rushing Ready?
The short answer is “No!” At least… not yet! Will Smith is entrenched as the Dodger Catcher but is not an everyday player. He needs to have a couple of days each week off from catching. Austin Barnes is getting older. Dalton Rushing is the future platoon partner of Smith. Hunter Feduccia is potentially a great backup Catcher… for many teams. Feduccia is trade bait! There is no need to…
Matt Sauer: Who Knew?
Matthew David Sauer was born in Santa Maria, CA, on January 21, 1999. He is barely older than my youngest son. He was drafted in 2017 by the Yankees in the second round with a $2,497,500 signing bonus. That’s pretty dang good for 2017. He had Tommy John surgery early in 2019, then lost the next year when the minor league season was canceled in the midst of the pandemic….
Justin Wrobleski May be in the April Rotation
Justin Wrobleski has seized the day. This Spring, he has 9.1 IP, a 1.93 ERA, and a 0.75 WHIP. I can see him in the Dodgers’ Starting Rotation in April. Where does he fit in? Well, they could put Tyler Glasnow on the IL recovering from his injury last season. Hold Glasnow out for a while so that he will be strong at the end. Makes sense to me. BTW,…
The Bullpen Shakedown… ‘er Shakeout
Just like every season, especially in the Spring, things never turn out the way you think… especially due to injuries, and the Dodgers have quietly had quite a few on the pitching side. Here’s the short list of injuries that will shape the Dodger’s Opening Day Roster: We are pretty sure these pitchers will be in the bullpen: By the Way, the Rotation will be: That leaves one spot in…
Clayton Kershaw, Sandy Koufax… and Pete Rose
Yesterday, it was mentioned that Clayton Kershaw has never had Tommy John Surgery after seventeen years in the league. It was my opinion that this occurred because Clayton made a conscious decision not to throw with maximum effort on each pitch. There was a time early in his career when he hit 97 to 98 MPH. In 2015, his average fastball velocity was 94.3 MP, and now it is right…
Where There’s a Will, There’s an Injury.
Will Smith did not play a game in Spring Training until February 28th, when he had three at-bats and struck out twice. He has been nursing an ankle injury that has kept him out of the lineup, and it turns out that this has been a problem for him since early June of 2024! Many of us thought that he was injured, and it turned out that we were right!…
Don’t Rock the Bote… or You Will Be Out Man!
Just to be clear, the Dodgers’ position player roster is pretty well fixed. Barring injury (or trade), we know that these players are a lock to make the team: That leaves just one spot up for grabs, but before I tell you who I think it will be, let me articulate how important Chris Taylor and Kike Hernandez are to the Dodger’s depth. Both players can play all three outfield…