I started LA Dodger Talk over 16 years ago as a place where Dodger fans could come and share their hopes and dreams, tears and fears. Over time, it evolved into a site where no matter what I said, four or five people said the opposite… just because. Yeah, just because! I even proved it by later taking the other side only to have them disagree again. That prompted me…
Rebuilding the Dodger Brand
The Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans have been without a World Championship since 1988 when the greatest event ever in the history of baseball occurred “In a season that has been so improbable, the impossible just happened!” Since then, the brand has eroded to some degree, but that has changed over the past three years and is about to change even more. Al Campanis wrote the book on The…
DODGER PITCHERS ARE (o)K AT THE LOWER LEVELS
Todays Post is by Always Compete. I think he brings a wealth of information and we are fortunate that he has agreed to write for LA Dodger Talk. Enjoy! I am a minor league junkie and when discussions find their way to the lower level players like Shea Spitzbarth and Andrew Istler, my interest gets piqued. Shea Spitzbarth and Andrew Istler are two pitchers I became very familiar with last…
I am Positive That it’s Negative
I told a buddy of mine yesterday that Scott Kazmir’s hip tightness was probably going to keep him out all season. He said “That’s negative – you have to think positive.” So, let me try to get over this negativity: “I am Positive that Scott Kazmir’s hip tightness is probably going to keep him out all season.” How’s that? This is the same problem he had last year which led to other…
Mostly Raves… Except Ravin
Just so everyone is clear, I am a Willie Calhoun fan – I would love to see him overcome the odds of being a slow runner and a bad fielder and become the opposite. I do not denigrate him because of his stature – that is irrelevant! It’s his fielding and running, and when I say he has “tree-trunk legs,” it means that they are huge and stay in one…
Willie Calhoun: How Much Does Attitude Count?
Look, I am a big Positive Thinker. I believe that you get what you believe. A wise man once said: “As you believe so it shall be done unto you.” I have seen it work in my life (big time) , so I admire a guy like Willie Calhoun who is undersized and physically challenged in almost every aspect of the game of baseball… except hitting! When it comes to hitting,…
Future Dodger Starting Pitchers
Yesterday, Bluto called our attention to Q & A session with Jim Callis of Baseball America. Callis has always been high on Yadier Alvarez but now he says he has a “Cy Young ceiling“. He’s still high risk, but he’s really high reward. He also mentioned Caleb Ferguson and AJ Alexy who are in the pipeline as prospects who make make big jumps this year. Neither are in the Top…
Let’s Cut to the Chase…
So, I hear that some people are saying that trading Chase De Jong was really stupid – that’s the word they used: STUPID! Of course, most of these people have an “end game.” They are FAZaphobes! They hate Andrew Friedman for reasons they can’t explain (or care to explain in public) and they prefer to wallow in their negativity. So it was stupid to trade a guy who was like…
Evaluating the Trade of De Jong
At first I was surprised that Chase De Jong was traded, but the more I thought about the more sense it made. Evidently Seattle has been trying to get De Jong for several months. MLB has De Jong rated as the Dodgers #16 prospect and he was currently likely 12th or 13th on the Dodgers starting pitcher depth chart. With a low 90’s fastball with little movement, his arm does…
Not as Bad as we Heard
Yasiel Sierra: Of course, I did not see him pitch yesterday, but the announcers were impressed and so was Dave Roberts. They said he threw a “heavy ball.” His fastball is 97 and he has a heavy slider which he tended to use too much until the Dodgers told him he could not use it until he had two strikes. His problem has always been command. He was switched last…