29 posts
I continue to read about the sensational LAD prospects. Mark has the Dodgers as a top 10 MiLB organization while no major publication does. After the loss of Keibert Ruiz and Jo Jo Gray, the publications dropped them to mid-level (around 15). Certainly not bad, but also not…
With Mark on the 10-day inactive list to attend to family business in Las Vegas (ever notice how these trips are never to Des Moines, Iowa or Wichita, Kansas?), Jeff (AC) was desperate for some assistance on the LADT writers roster. With his options limited, he had to resort to adding someone from the alternate training site, and had no choice but to call on me, the Zack Reks/Edwin Uceta
It has been a long time since I have felt a desire to write. I am hoping that I can at least finish this one. I have been trying to finish a certain blog post that I started last March, but have not been able to do so. I was able to write a somewhat complete email to Harold (DC) last week, and responded to two very close friends last
As you watch this here 2021 version of the Dodgers, you realize that there are just some days when everyone (or almost everyone) is just sleep-walking and are flatter than pancakes. Sunday was one of those days. I mean when 86-year-old Albert Pujols is your only offense, you have to be flatter than pancakes. The Dodgers need a Kirk Gibson someone who will step up and call his teammates out .
Going into last night s game, Clayton Kershaw had the highest ERA I can remember at this juncture. His ERA was 3.33 before the game and 3.66 after he gave up 5 ER. However, his WHIP sits at 1.01 which is barely above his career average of 1.00. He is now 33 years-old and has started 369 games and pitched 2,403 innings with 2,603 strikeouts. He has 77 strikeouts in about
Casey was selected by the Dodgers in the 20th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Boston College. Going into the draft he was ranked No. 128 by MLB.com suggesting he would be selected in the first ten rounds. The Dodgers might just have executed another steal in acquiring the 6’2”/190-pound right-handed hitter and versatile outfielder as late in the draft as they did. The native of Stratford,
There is always the debate as to whether prospects are meant to be held onto so as to build from within, or should they be used as prospect capital to acquire existing MLB stars. Of course, these trades need to be made at the peak of the prospect trade value in order to maximize the return. The Dodgers have had a perennial top 10 farm club since AF signed on
One of the problems the Dodgers have of going “big game hunting” is that in order to get someone special, one needs to give up someone special. More than most teams, the Dodgers are very reluctant to give up their top prospects. Is it any surprise that teams are requiring Gavin Lux or Dustin May for an elite difference making pitcher (or Lindor or Mookie)? There is a big gap
So many of us have been looking at FA possibilities and trade possibilities that most have not paid any attention to the first date that will impact the 2020 Dodgers roster. The 40 man roster needs to be set by November 20, 2019 with all Rule 5 eligible prospects protected. The actual Rule 5 draft will take place on Thursday, December 12, 2019. That gives AF and his staff less
To lose a game without learning something is a sad state of affairs. Yes, the Dodgers lost last night game, but they learned a few things in the process: If you can t jump out of a boat and hit water, you probably won t win (OK, OK, we already knew that); Hyun-jin Ryu has gone from being left off the playoff roster (in some of your minds) back to Cy Young
Well, it s always been serious, but with two weeks left in the season, it s Playoff Tune-up Time which is very serious. It s likely that Rich Hill and Alex Verdugo will not be ready for the NLDS or maybe the NLCS and the World Series. David Freese and Justin Turner are banged up and we have no clue how healthy they will be. This is the hand the Dodgers have to
I love the movie, Legends of the Fall and so with the kickoff of the Arizona Fall League, I always use this as an excuse to play this Ending Scene from the movie: The Arizona Fall League begins play this year on September 18, and there are a plethora of Top Prospects invited to play. Here is the Dodger list so far (it could be added to) for the Glendale
The minor league season is quickly drawing to a close. It seems impossible but it is so. The good news is that five of the Dodgers affiliates will extend their season a bit by competing for the league championship. Those five affiliates are AZL Dodgers Mota, Ogden Raptors, Great Lakes Loons, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, and Tulsa drillers. End-of-Season All-Stars to date: Some leagues have not yet announced the All-Stars. Twenty-year-old
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
Last Thursday AC completed a review of all nine Dodgers minor league teams. It was an exhaustive review in terms of its depth and probably a bit exhaustive for the author. AC looked at the players, from his perspective, who are on an uphill trajectory. He included 45 players, some on a seemingly quick ascent and others on a more slow but steady climb. The list certainly included some surprises
Sorry I can’t offer much advice on what the Dodgers should do about the pen so during the past week I jotted down some minor league happenings, much of it with the Loons. Brett de Geus Pitcher Brett de Geus became the 7th player from the Loons to be added to the East roster for next week s MWL All-Star Game on June 18 in South Bend, Indiana. He takes the
Minor League Roster Sizes I have always had some difficulty knowing the exact roster size for the minor league affiliates although 25 and 35 were relatively safe numbers. I contacted Jeff Lantz, Senior Director of Communications for MiLB, for exact information. I had not been aware of the years of service restrictions at the lower levels although they make perfect sense. I thought perhaps some LADT posters may be interested
Mark goes with Rants and Raves, and DC now has his Bites and Bits, so I might as well come up with my own Random Thoughts. I cannot get too excited about the last two losses. It really was to be expected in April, at least by me. Admittedly, I am having a tough time getting excited about this early part of the season. It is going better than I thought
Up until April 15 Niko Hulsizer was a name with which many, or most Dodgers fans were not familiar. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 18th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft as a junior out of Morehead State University in Morehead Kentucky. He has now burst upon the scene with his three-home run game against the South Bend Cubs on Monday evening. For some his outburst
I wrote about the possibility of a slow start for the Dodgers but did not predict one. I know Mark liked to chide me with that after the first two series. But 5-2 against arguably two of the worst 3 teams in the NL was nothing to brag about. The Padres played the same two teams and went 4-3. And now LAD gets to face the Rockies without having to
Per JT on the Suits: We trust them, said the third baseman and team leader. The front office has done a great job. They build a 40-man roster, not a 25-man roster, and that s the biggest difference between the Dodgers and other teams. I have been saying that for 4 years running. AF is a master at building the 40-man roster to play in a 162-game season. The Dodgers should
Because of the lack of player personnel movement, all of the national publications and national writers are creating the best of the remaining lists. Where will the top 10 remaining free agents land? How about where will the top 15 free agents and major trade personnel land? They all have opinions, and some of them are well thought out. However, while they have much better contacts, none of them no
MLB Pipeline came out with their top 100 MLB prospects, and a new Top 30 for each team. The MLB Pipeline prospect list is put together by Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, two excellent minor league and amateur talent evaluators. Padres – 4 Top 25; 1 top 26-50; 2 top 51 to 75; 1 top 76 to 100 Top 100 = 8 Braves – 2 Top
Three weeks for the trade deadline and rumors without knowledge continue to excite or anger baseball fans across the country. It is fun to read other fans takes on their teams and how their prospects line up with others. I was really enjoying Brewers’ fans takes that Keston Hiura should not be included in any trade for Manny Machado, but the Dodgers are silly for not including Verdugo or Ruiz
Reviewing Class A players and projecting is very premature, but it does get done. That is why so many A level and even rookie level players are included on Top prospects lists, only to fall out later. The most difficult jump in professional baseball is from A Ball to AA. So there is a lot of guessing that goes on with these evaluations. Depending on the age, it is doubtful
The New MLB Pipeline Dodger Top 30 prospeccts have been published. Jim Callis is a premier minor league talent evaluator. He is not the typical sabermetrics talent evaluator. He uses the eye test as well. If he has not seen the player live, he has studied hours of tape. Some people prefer Eric Logenhagen of Fangraphs or Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser, but I am partial to Jim Callis. The
Mark referenced a site, https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-los-angeles-dodgers/ , that I have studied for some time. I went back to look at my notes and do have some observations: There is no way the bench will be comprised of 4 RH hitters and 1 switch hitter. I do not see Segedin or Thompson on the 25 man coming out of Spring. I would project Toles and one of Peter/Muncy/Locastro to replace Segedin
Last Monday when the Dodgers acquired Yu Darvish, Tony Watson, and Tony Cingrani, the Dodgers traded four players from their top 30 prospect list; Willie Calhoun, Brendon Davis, AJ Alexy, and Oneil Cruz. That opened the door for four new members of the Dodgers top 30. Jacob Rhame returned to the top 30 and #is now listed at #28. Three new members of the top 30 are: #27 Cristian Santana
DRAFT UPDATE The 2017 MLB Draft is in the books, and the signing deadline has come and now gone. The Dodgers had 40 draft picks, and signed 33. Each of the first 13 picks signed, and 19 of the first 20 signed. 8 signed from picks 21-30, and 6 signed from picks 31-40. For comparison purposes, the Dodgers drafted 42 in 2015 and 2016, and signed 36 and 33 respectively.
