In 2017, the Dodgers struck out 25.5% of the time and in 2018, it went up slightly as they struck out 25.7% of the time. They were not even close to being the worst in baseball in striking out, but they were in the bottom 30%. In 2016, the Houston Astros almost led the AL in strikeouts. Tampa Bay barely beat them. In 2017, the very next year, the Astros…
Yesterday I looked at what might the team be looking at/for in 2019 with pitching (starting and relief) and catchers. Today I am looking at the infielders and outfielders. Infielders: Much of this will be determined by how Corey Seager rehabs. Will he be able to play SS as well as he did his first two years? Many do not believe that he will be able to, but much of…
I hope you all bear with me. I would like to somewhat continue the FAZ discussion from yesterday. And then to give one last autopsy report on the 2018 WS. As Mark indicated, FAZ took over a team that had a payroll in excess of $250MM. One would think that a team with that payroll would be loaded. However when they arrived on the scene, the team had only 3…
I was going to discus the State of the Pitching, but now I am going to wait until next week when we have a better idea what is happening with one Clayton Kershaw. That can change everything. Also, what follows is something that I think needs to be discussed. As most of you know, the Dodgers won the World Series in 1988 as heavy underdogs, and then did not again…
Before We Start… At least we now know that Clayton Kershaw wants to stay with the Dodgers, if possible, AND the Dodgers want Clayton Kershaw to be a Dodger for life, if possible. I think this is more than an “extension” – I think it may be a lifetime services contract. There’s a lot to discuss and decide. The fact that both sides agreed to postpone the deadline shows that BOTH…
OK, let’s get a bunch of things straight! Not a bad finish for a team that “was just trying to get under the luxury tax.” Yep, I heard that all year. It wasn’t about winning, it was only about Tax Evasion. Evidently, FAZ wasn’t too bad for guys who don’t care about winning. But, I do and it was a bitter end to a tumultous season. The Dodgers were beaten…
WHAT A GAME!!! 18 innings – 7 ½ hours. My nine-year-old granddaughter picked a great game to see her 1st ML baseball game. My daughter-in-law and granddaughter were decked out in Dodger gear, while my son was non-committal. They stayed all 18 innings. He just texted me (1:35 AM) and said UNBELIEVABLE! Max Muncy comes close in the 15th, and then unloads going oppo in the 18th for the…
Do you Seriously believe that? If you really think that FAZ is really that stupid or if you believe that because it fits your own personal narrative, then you should probably stop reading right about now… because what I am going to say will really piss you off! My 9 year-old grandaughter knows that moving a runner, productive outs and sacrifices are most generally better than strikeouts. Only hitting into…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5anMTZjVsL8 The nearer your destination, the more you’re slip slidin’ away! Being down 2-0 in the World Series is not indicative of anything… except that you are two games away from being swept. I guess we are not surprised. It’s been this way throughout the season – these guys can look horrible and then come back the next game and score 15 runs. Somehow, I don’t think that is going…
WELCOME TO THE FALL CLASSIC 2018!! By the time the Dodgers and Red Sox square off in Game 1 of the 2018 World Series, it will have been 356 days since the Dodgers went down in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. It will be 30 year’s this month since the last Dodgers WS victory. This year’s WS can make all of those bad memories go away (at least…