Let me start this by saying “You can NEVER have enough starting pitching”. That much is true, simply because you never do have enough starting pitching. There will always come a day when you could use another one. That is because of injury, especially issues related to repetitive stress injuries and just the dangers and problems associated with throwing a baseball. I just ain’t natural, I tell you. Do the…
Today’s profile is former Dodger first baseman Norm Larker. Norman Howard John Larker was born on December 27, 1930, in Beaver Meadows Pennsylvania. A small mining community. His father, Lewis Larker, worked in the mines. His mom was Susan Zalaznock. He was of Slovak-German descent. His dad played second base and pitched in the county semi-pro leagues. His brother, Melvin, was a year older than he, and Lewis was born…
See what I did there… If you look at Jake Lamb’s bio, you will see it says he plays 1B, 3B, and outfield. Trust me, he does not play those positions very well. He has a .963 Fielding Percentage as a 3B and where he has played the most and has proven to be a defensive liability. He has 47 games at 1B and 25 in the outfield. Of course,…
This is a series I have been thinking about doing for a while. I want to profile players who played for the Dodgers in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles, who were not huge stars, but players who contributed to the team while they were members. The first spotlight is on third baseman Billy Cox. William Richard Cox was born on August 29, 1919, in Newport Pennsylvania. His father Fred worked…
Squat, Zilch, Nada. For guys like Tomas Tellis, Andy Burns, Eddy Alvarez, Jason Martin, and Stefan Romero, this is like a playoff game. They know that they have no chance… but who knows – it feels like it might (this is their thinking), so they are all in. In reality, they are “organizational depth.” They will be parked at AAA, just in case of a disaster. These are “salt of…
I can give you a definite “maybe” or “maybe not.” Who knows what Andrew Friedman will do? I would have thought that he would have signed Kenley Jansen for $16 million rather than sign Tyler Anderson for $8 million. For the sake of this conversation, I am leaving Trevor Bauer out of the conversation, but why do the Dodgers need another #5 starter? Assuming Buehler, Urias and Kershaw are #1,…
I felt Freddie Freeman would get in the vicinity of $200 Million so when I heard $162 million for 6 years, I was shocked. $27 Million a year for the NL MVP… and yet Corey Seager got $325 Million? I’ll take it! Even at his advanced age, I will take Freddie Freeman for half of what Corey Seager got paid! Look at this lineup – just for fun, I am…
The Dodgers’ bench was not really very good last year. Matt Beaty hit .270 with a .363 OB% and was a solid role player (204 ABs). So was Austin Barnes, not so much for his bat, but for his defense and game-calling skills. Zach McKinstry, DJ Peters, Luke Raley. Sheldon Neuse, Billy McKinney, and Zach Reks could not jump out of a boat and hit water. Gavin Lux was simply…
Yesterday, the Braves sent four of their top fourteen players to the Oakland A’s for Matt Olson? Don’t get me wrong, Matt Olsen is an extraordinary player, but Freddie is “extraordinaire!” The Braves are making a lot of money. They are way under the Salary Cap (yes, I know they say it is not a salary cap). Olson makes about $18 Million less a year than Freeman and is controlled…
If you know anything about me, you know that I believe the conventional wisdom is usually wrong… to say nothing of dumb! Insofar as I know, every blog, baseball writer, and a majority of the fans have tried, convicted, and sentenced Trevor Bauer in the Court of Public Opinion. I think that they are wrong! Very wrong – but I am not going to discuss it again… at least not…