30 posts
NOTE: There was recently some discussion about the Rule 5 Draft, so we will discuss it right about now. On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, teams must add eligible minor leaguers to their 40-man rosters or risk losing them in the Rule 5 Draft by 5 p.m. CT. Every December, the Rule 5…
Pitching changes, lineups, and strategy decisions are subjective… VERY subjective. Additionally, second guessers are seldom wrong. I rarely question tactical decisions because I know that there are frequently underlying reasons. I think I was dead on in what I said about Caleb…
Since becoming a Dodgers fan at age 9, sixty years ago, I have seen this story so many times that I laugh instead of panic. Most years, the Dodgers had no chance, but I rooted for them anyway. In 1988, they had no chance, but the impossible happened! Over the past ten years…
For the record, it was discussed yesterday whether Clayton Kershaw was a #1, #2, or #3. I think the answer is d. Neither – Clayton is a #2.5. There. That’s my final statement on it. How many aces have 33 starts anymore? Only 31 pitchers in MLB had more than 31 starts last…
Or… maybe it’s more like, “ Mookie looks good on SS .” Either way, I think this is one of those situations whereby Mookie could transition to SS seamlessly. The Dodgers play injuries very close to the vest, but I have to believe that there is talk within the Dodge Front Office…
There are a few things that drive me crazy. I’ll beat you to the punch: “ That’s not a drive… that’s a short putt!” OK, whatever! Things that drive me crazy are things that defy logic, so if you apply some logic, it won’t drive me as crazy! Being Resistant to Moving Will Smith…
I predicted that Will Smith would be a good backup catcher… and that was based on his defensive prowess at the time. No one, ZIP, ZERO, or NADA, ever expected him to become a feared power hitter. He has disappointed somewhat on the defensive side. Well, disappointed is not the…
Almost Zero! Almost Zip! Almost Nada! In case you haven’t been paying attention to the Cactus League, the KC Royals have scored 110 Runs and given up 67 Runs. They have a 12-2 record, and if you think Spring Training means something, then march yourself right up to the nearest…
Eight games into Spring Training… and James Outman is seizing the day. Of course, there are three weeks left, but if it ended today, James Outman would be in the squad. All he has done is hit the ball, run the bases and play excellent defense. In other words, he has done…
It appears that Andrew Friedman wasn’t not just posturing as I thought when he said he wasn’t worried about the CBT. After adding journeyman outfielder, David Peralta yesterday and another $6 or $7 Million onto the payroll, it’s clear Friedman is not concerned with re-setting…
Austin Barnes was drafted by the Marlins in the 9th round of the 2011 amateur draft. In December of 2014, Austin was acquired by Andrew Friedman in one of his first trades with the Dodgers. He was a key piece in the Dee Gordon trade wherein the Dodgers traded Dee Gordon, Dan…
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 .
Today is the day that pitchers and catchers are due to report to Camelback Ranch for the Dodgers. Tomorrow is the first day of workouts. Full squad reports February 22, with the first full squad workout scheduled for February 23. The Dodgers play their first spring training game on Sunday, February 28 against the Oakland A’s at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. There will be some rules in effect that
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.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have reported to Dodger Stadium; or at least some of them have. There are some who have apparently tested positive for the coronavirus, while others (so far only David Price) has opted to sit out the 2020 season. I am perfectly comfortable with any player or management personnel deciding that it is in their best interests to opt out for the season. I just hope that
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
A few weeks back there was a recommendation that we provide our opinion on the risers and fallers this year in the LAD Minor League system, and suggested that the AS break would be a good time. DC offered his input a week or so ago, and now I would like to provide my admittedly myopic (and shortsighted?) insight. I apologize for the length, but it is hard for me
The Great Lakes Loons continue their resurgence after a slow start to the season and continued to love day baseball. On Wednesday afternoon, playing as Camels, they took down the Dayton Dragons 8-3 continuing to jockey for first place with the Lake County Captains, Bowling Green Hot Rods and South Bend Cubs. They played before a sellout crowd of 5,063 on School Kids Day. The player of the day was
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
The strength of the Farm system is unquestionably the pitching. It is not even close. The breakdown of the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects is: 12 RHP 2 – LHP 4 Catchers 5 – SS/2B 4 – 3B/1B 3 – OF Baseball America pretty much resembles MLB Pipeline’s prospect list except BA includes reliever Josh Sborz, and OF Carlos Rincon, replacing Braydon Fisher, Marshall Kasowski, and Leonel Valera .
The Loons kick off their 2019 season on Thursday, April 4 away from home against the Lake County Captains. They play the Captains again on Friday before returning to Midland for a six-game home stand, two against Lake County and four against the South Bend Cubs. It should not be too difficult to get a better start to the season after the 2018 season in which they went 7-13 in
First of all, Happy St. Patrick s Day. We are down to 10 ST games with one week to go in Arizona followed by 3 against LAA. Two games in Anaheim and one game at Dodger Stadium. Thus far the Dodgers are 12-8-2, as if that means anything. Who have been the surprises? Offensively, Kike Hernandez and Austin Barnes have been red hot and IMO have established themselves as starters. Kike
I listened to the Kyle Glazer (BA) podcast on the state of the Dodger prospects a couple of times last week. Besides some excellent information on few of the Dodger prospects (Lux, Ruiz, Smith, May, Verdugo…), he had some commentary on the 2016 draft by LAD. Recognizing where the Dodgers drafted he was more than complimentary on the draft and stated that it may be one of the very best
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
As we are winding down to less than 2 weeks before pitchers and catchers report, I was having a tough time trying to find a single topic to write a novel on. So I am going to just give some of my thoughts on a few topics. 1. Yes, Stan Kasten stuck his massive foot square in his mouth at the FanFest, and for no good reason. I am by
I am sitting continuing to try to understand how the Board of Trustees and the AD at USC have chosen to retain perhaps the most over his head coach in all of NCAA Football, Clay Helton. Rudy mentioned that both Westwood and South Bend are cheering loudly, but my radar has all of the Pac 12 and South Bend laughing at this. Oh well, enough pity party for me. It’s
Dodger Chatter: All-Stars in Waiting Position Players By now you all know I am a huge fan of minor league baseball. Naturally in following the Dodgers minor league system I have favorite players that may not be highly rated prospects or all-stars. However, they put in all of the same hard work as the more highly rated players and are battling much greater odds than the more gifted
In 2017 the Dodgers affiliate in Ogden won their first Pioneer League championship since the Raptors were born in 1994. They were after a repeat championship in 2018 and came oh so close qualifying for a play-off berth with a 26-12 record in the first half of the season. They finished the season with a league best 46-30 record. However, a second consecutive championship was not to be. They dropped
The Great Lakes Loons of the Class-A Midwest League really presented a “Tale of Two Cities” scenario during the 2018 season. In the the first half of the season they posted a 24-44 won-loss record, the lowest in the Midwest League and perhaps challenging for the lowest in all of Class-A ball. During the second half they put together a record of 36-33 with a blistering 27-10 stretch starting during the
