Once again MLB has spoken, and the Dodgers farm system was the #1 shopping source for Rule 5 draftees. In the Major League Phase, the acquiring team “buys” the player for $100,000 and must keep that player on the roster for the entire 2021 season, or offer the player back for $50,000. Overall, 2 of the top 7 picks of the Major League Phase were Dodgers. RHRP Brett de Geus…
Maybe you missed it, but the 2020 Dodgers are the World Champions. Yes, by golly, they won it again after just 32 short years. It wasn’t a fluke and going into 2021, they are the odds on favorite to win it all again. “Hey You’all, watch this: I’ll blow up the team and make dope-fiend trades just because I can”, said the stupid Redneck! “I’ll do it out by my…
While reviewing the list of LAD pitchers, the Dodgers have 66 pitchers currently in their organization. Per Fangraph’s Roster Resource the breakdown is as follows: MLB Starting Pitchers (5) MLB Relief Pitchers (9) MiLB Starting Pitchers (34) – 9 Rule 5 Eligible MiLB Relief Pitchers (18) – 13 Rule 5 Eligible With the pending MiLB contraction, those numbers are obviously going to decrease. Many of these pitchers are organizational depth,…
Over the past few days, I have listened to several interviews, heard rumors and news. Here are few things I would like to share: I am so impressed with Edwin Rios (the person). He is mature beyond his years, poised, thoughtful, determined, and fully understands the role hard work plays in becoming a great player. He has singled-out Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw, and Mookie Betts for teaching him the importance…
Dodger’s Offseason Plans The Dodgers won the World Series in 1988 and it only took thirty-two more years to win another Championship. I guarantee the next ones (notice I did not say “one?”) will be much sooner. Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman got the proverbial monkey off their backs and both can now rightly take their respective places as “baseball icons.” I do want to say a few things about…
This definitely has turned out to be a different summer which is also slipping away very quickly. Starting on Friday we will be wearing masks for indoor activities. My best friend since the sixties has just completed 20 radiation treatments for prostate cancer and we are under a heat wave with very high humidity. Baseball has resumed at the MLB level, at least temporarily, and as fans we should be…
DRAFT RESULTS Let’s remind what the penalties are for exceeding the slot bonus value. Bonuses that exceed the slot value by < 5% are charged an overage tax of 75% of the amount in excess of the slot value. If the bonuses exceed the stipulated slot value from between 5% to 10%, there remains a 75% overage tax assessed for the excess bonus, AND lose next year’s #1 draft pick. …
We are on the eve of the one meaningful positive news event thus far for the 2020 MLB season. Even the event has warts as we have reduced the number of draft picks from 40 to 5, but it still lends to something good to look forward to. We have all read and heard what a throw of the dice the draft is, and with 6 picks, how does that…
There’s not much to do with the MLB season on hold, the NBA season on hold, the NCAA Tournament canceled, High School Tournaments in limbo, schools closed, and restaurants and theaters are persona non-Grotta. My youngest son and I spent the day plumbing his house, the house he has had since he was 18 (he’s almost 21 now) and has totally gutted and rebuilt it. It was built in 1900…
Ninety-Three! That’s all you need to know. Clayton Kershaw was clocked at 93 MPH in yesterday’s game. The last time he did that was over 2 years ago! This was his first Spring Game and he was giddy after it… because he knows there is more left in the tank. 94? 95? Maybe… but every MPH of separation between his fastball and slider is HUGE! He sat at 91-92 most…