On December 10th, the Rule 5 Draft will be held. The simplest way to explain the Rule 5 draft is that it’s a way for teams to add players who are buried on other teams’ rosters, providing them with a more straightforward path to the major leagues. It originated in 1903, when baseball was “organized,” though a previous version dated back to the 1890s. At the time, every team in…
A few fans have been promoting Donovan of the Cardinals as a fit for the Dodgers. I did not see it… until now! I have concluded that he is a poor man’s Bo Bichette. He hit .287 last year, and his career average is .282, so he’s a good hitter with a career OPS of .775. He would slot nicely at 2B and in the bottom third of the lineup….
A few days ago, The LA Times talked about the Dodgers’ “burgeoning crop of outfield prospects.” They went on to list them as: “Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero and James Tibbs III — who are on track to break into the big leagues by 2027, if not the end of next season.” — Jack Harris – The LA Times In typical LAT fashion, they left out the Prospect…
As fans, we love to think that we know more than we actually do. But the day to day, behind the scenes action is something none of us knows a thing about. We can speculate and guess to our hearts content. But we do not really know what the powers that be felt about the play of Michael Conforto or Teo’s not so spectacular defense. Nor do we have any…
Traditionally, for over twenty (20) years, I have posted the photo below on Thanksgiving, so I am doing it again: Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year, only two of our five kids and four of our seven grandkids can make it, but this was last years feast: The Turkey was on the other counter.
Stephen Wayne Yeager was born in Huntington West Virginia on November 24th, 1948. His father was a businessman and his mother, a homemaker. He was 18 years old when he was drafted by the Dodgers out of Meadowdale High School in Dayton Ohio. Yeager has kept most of his early years private so not much is known. He was taken in the 4th round of the 1967 draft. What is…
When the Dodgers chose to keep Dalton Rushing off the playoff roster instead of Ben Rortvedt, many Dodger fans (Being Olympic Champions at Jumping to Conclusions) assumed the Dodgers would trade him. Not so fast! Of course, anyone could be traded in the right deal, but the Dodgers know that catchers like Dalton do not grow in trees. They are taking their time with him and not rushing him. Rortvedt’s…
He was one of the bigger players ever to put on a Dodger uniform. 6’5″, 215lbs, and his nickname was Moose. Mike Marshall was born in Libertyville, Illinois, on January 12th, 1960. His parents were Frank and Sandy Marshall, and he had a sister, Terri. His father was raised on a farm until he bought a printing business. Libertyville is located about 35-40 miles from downtown Chicago. When he was…
In the winter of 1973, the Dodgers sent longtime center fielder Willie Davis to the Montreal Expos for Mike Marshall, the Expos’ closer who led the league with 31 saves. The Dodgers’ closer at the time was Jim Brewer, a 36-year-old left-hander who had joined the team in a trade with the Cubs in 1964. He had been their primary closer since 1968. Marshall was born in Adrian, Michigan, in…
Last week, I was contracted by a gentleman named Eric Vickrey, who describes himself as an Author and Baseball Historian. Well, I’ll just tell you what he said: “I’m Eric Vickrey, a Washington state-based author and baseball historian. My third book, Before They Wore Dodger Blue: Tommy Lasorda and the Greatest Draft Class in Baseball History, will be published by August Publications on December 7th. In 1968, just three years after MLB…