It’s how you play the game. That’s what Spring Training is about. Nevermind the record. How did they do? Kershaw was Kershaw Wood was not Good and I can’t be ravin about Ravin. Fabio Castillo pitched well, but he is 28 years old and a career minor leaguer with a 32-50 record and a 4.50 ERA. Nothing to see here folks… move along! Then again, this is baseball… you never…
Paul DePodesta once said “If it can’t be quantified, it’s not important!” I am sure that is part of the reason why he in no longer in baseball. He is now the stat guru for the Cleveland Browns. In the book Moneyball, in which DePo was one of the characters, you also heard that he did not value defense very much. I guess that’s why he is so comfortable in Cleveland…
Only a moron would try and predict what the Opening Day roster will look like this early in the Spring. It’s way too early. There will be injuries – there always are; There will b e surprises – there always are! That is why W.A.G. Predictions are so inaccurate. In fact, you likely have to be a moron to even hazard a guess, so here goes: Starters Grandal -C Gonzalez …
David Hood of TrueBlueLA has a nice writeup of Alex Verdugo whom he has ranked as the Dodgers #5 prospect. I agree with most of what he says, so there is no need to re-hash what he says. Here’s a sample: There’s little doubt in my mind that Verdugo will at least hit for average at the major league level. I’ve seen few players where contact comes as easy to…
I have been telling you a few things over the Winter: Julio Urias is going to have a breakout year; Yasmani Grandal will come close to 40 HR; Willie Calhoun won’t play 2B due to horrible defense and lock of foot speed; Among Ryu, McCarthy and Kazmir, at least two will be contributors; and Cody Bellinger is ready. Former GM, Jim Bowden also has some bold predictions going into Spring…
In case you don’t know, FAZ stands for Friedman, Anthopoulos and Zaidi – the three-headed monster (or braintrust) that ultimately makes the Dodgers deals. I have never been a great fan of sabermetrics, nor am I a fan of platoons, but FAZ is a huge fan of platoon splits… and I know why. I get it – it just doesn’t mean I like it. As most of you know, I…
Ernest Hemingway published a book in in 1940 which was about a young man named Andrew Toles, who once was a top major league prospect that dropped out of baseball due to an anxiety disorder. This book was certainly a work of fiction because young Toles wound up working the early shift (4 AM) at a Kroger Grocery Store in the frozen food department. That may sound like a cool JOB…
A lot has been written about Yasiel Puig’s alleged “Knuckleheadedness” – I confess… lots of it by me. I have been the first to say that he has enormous talent, but his knuckleheaded ways may keep him from realizing his potential. If I could trade him straight up for Ryan Braun, I would probably do it (shoot, I’d probably trade Calhoun and Puig for Braun), because with that right handed-bat…
Dodger Insider writer Cary Osborne provides a wealth of information, much like Jon Weisman did before he moved on to the Big Showtime, but you do have to take it with a grain of salt. Afterall, he is employed by the Dodgers, so there’s that! However, on February 3rd Cary wrote a column that could give Dodger fans a lot of hope for the upcoming season. The focus of the…
If you are expecting the Logan Forsythe of 2015 or 2016 to show up for the Dodgers, you may be shocked to know that I do not think he will be that guy again. In 2015, Logan Forsythe hit .281 with a .359 OB% and a .804 OPS. He followed that up with .264/.333/.778 in 2016. Don’t expect those kinds of numbers again! Actually, I think he will do even…