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…
Trades Anyone?
A few weeks ago, I predicted that the Dodgers might make a trade or two in Spring Training. I think that is still possible, but it is a long shot. The Dodgers have a glut of pitchers, although I have heard that you can never have enough pitching. The Dodgers do not have to trade anyone, but if they can get better, they will. The problem is that the Dodgers…
What’s Next?
We were considering buying a condo at Vero Beach about eighteen years ago. It’s a good thing we didn’t, as the Dodgers moved to Arizona. That was our only reason to consider Vero Beach. Well, that was a dope-fiend idea that I had a long time ago… and I had to abandon it. You see, twenty years ago, US Water Systems was in its infancy… and I had to focus…
Spring Training Rants & Raves
We went to three games, and they did not open the gates until 30-35 minutes before the game started. In most parks, it is 1.5 to 2.0 hours before the game. This was repeated for all three games. I talked to several fans, and they said it was like this last year. There was also a big problem with “cutting line” as well. As game time approached, there were large…
What About the Fans?
Most MLB teams usually open stadiums for spring training games one to two hours before game time… but not the Dodgers. It appears to be that the baseball side of the Dodgers under Andrew Friedman and Company is in incredibly good hands. However, it is very apparent to me that whoever is in charge of the business side is incredibly detached from the fan experience… or they simply don’t care….