What are the skills that a successful baseball manager must have? I suspect that there are many possible answers to that question, perhaps as many as those answering the question. No doubt each of us posting on LADT have different preferences or expectations. Some are happy with Dave Roberts, some not so pleased, some neutral. Perhaps each of us has a manager in mind that we think is or has…
I had planned on writing a post dealing with player development today. But the tragic and heartbreaking news of the death of AC’s son has caused my mind to wander in so many different directions and has brought back a flood of memories of my introduction to baseball and how baseball was a language that I and my sons regularly spoke and still do to this day. Today I truly…
Jedd Gyorko will likely make his Dodger debut this weekend in the ATL. In case you don’t know, he plays every infield position and has logged one game in LF and two at pitcher. At 5′ 10″ and 215 pounds he is best suited for 2B or 3B. At best, he is a utilityman and I am sure the Dodgers hope he is someone who could benefit from the Robert…
Joe Kelly was a trainwreck early in the season, but when I last checked, he was pretty good. The Dodgers plan when they signed him was to change his grip and smooth out his mechanics. In case you have been hiding under a rock, it did not work very well… at least for a while. But, it’s how you end up that counts. They say that good things come to…
This past week there has been a renewal of negative comments about Dodger manager, Dave Roberts. Some warranted, but most not. AC provided a wonderful up close and personal synopsis yesterday when he shared his son’s feelings about DR being “one of the most genuine people he ever met. He could talk you up and fill you with positive thought all day long.” This seems to be the consensus industry-wide. …
(Excuse my first-grade Photoshop skills). Lot’s of guys hit .300 in the Pacific Coast League. The combination of altitude, heat, thin air, juiced baseballs, and fairy dust make it a hitter’s league. Ty France, 3B of the Padres AAA affiliate is hitting .399 with 26 HR in just 276 AB’s. Shoot, AAAA player, Conner Joe is hitting .300. However, not many are hitting .456 while OPS’ing 1.381 in 131 AB’s…
Playoffs? It’s been a long week and it’s only Thursday. Sunday Night my wife and I took my daughter and son-in-law out for their anniversary. They live 3 hours away but came to Indy because he had neck surgery scheduled the next morning. Monday Morning I got up at 4 AM to meet my daughter at the hospital and sat with her until my son-in-law got out of surgery at…
Since getting off dairy products after last season, Clayton Kershaw has seen no flareup of his back issues and every game he has started he puts up at least 6 innings… or more. Simply put, Clayton is still the Dodger’s Ace, even if Hyun-jin Ryu wins the Cy Young Award. He is now 11-2 and has a 2.77 ERA to go with a 1.04 WHIP. He’s the amazing part: His…
Just a few notes on the minor league happenings that may or may not be news to LADT posters. In any event, here goes. The Pioneer-Northwest League All-Star game is scheduled for Tuesday at Memorial Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Six Raptors were on the Pioneer League squad, the most of any team in the league. Raptors manager, Austin Chubb, had this to say about his players selected as all-stars. Malisheski: “Kevin’s…
While sitting in my office preparing for a trial, wishing I was at home in my recliner, watching the Dodgers and Padres game, I have some more random thoughts on the passing season: • I don’t know about you all, but there is something special for me to see the young prospects come through the system and do well for the Dodgers. Saturday night was special!! What a treat…