This first item falls under the category of “that Ship Has Sailed.” I had always predicted big things for Kike Hernandez. In fact I likened him to JD Martines. I had hoped that Andrew Friedman would keep him, but ultimately Kike wanted to start, and Boston gave him that opportunity. He racked up 585 AB’s for Boston and hit 20 HR while OPS’ing .786 with a .250 BA and a…
Every Dodger fan knows that when you score more than four runs for Max Scherzer his record is something like 103 -2. Well, last night was a strange one, because the Dodgers scored five early runs for Max and he promptly gave them all back, plus one. Actually, the defense gave him plenty of help in giving back runs. But while the Padres were busy dancing and smiling when they…
There sometimes comes a player who might not be the best on the team, but his contributions are admirable, The perennial bench guy… and not some super-sub like Kike, but a guy who has the ability to keep the team lose, and make some positive impact on the team. Mickey Hatcher was one of those guys. Michael Vaughn Hatcher was born on March 15th, 1955 in Cleveland Ohio. He played…
I would seldom say that, but the Dodgers and Giants are 9 and 9 in the W – L column and tonight’s game breaks the tie. Whoever wins will have the advantage for tiebreakers, home field advantage or whatever tie needs to be decided by their season records against each other. It may or may not be a thing… depending upon how the season ends, but it at least gives…
First, to Badger. I love trade scenarios. I do not care how outlandish they are or how realistic they may be. I enjoy reading Bums trade proposals. I am not sure that I ever read one that was realistic, but they are fun. Bluto sometimes gives us scenarios from the baseballtradevalues.com site. They are fun for me. That is what blogs are for. Throw out ideas. To the best of…
Being no-hit in baseball is humbling, humiliating, embarrassing, and in this case, it is a wake-up-call! Bear was right yesterday, these are not the 2020 Dodgers. This version is different from last year. Gone are the “all-or-nothing” bats of Kike and Joc who have been replaced by McKinstry and Lux. That has not been a problem. The problems is that the team has gotten poor production from Betts, Seager and…
Over the years, I have taken a lot of heat when I say things like: Alex Verdugo will be Tony Gwnnn-esque! I was not excited that Alex was traded, but I guess Betts was a key cog in the 2020 Championship… and I’m OK with it unless Betts never comes out of this slump. Why trade for Rollins, Seager is ready! Cody Bellinger is ready! A year before others thought…
If this is who Gavin Lux is (from what he has shown this Spring), then the Dodgers are going to have an incredible offense. If he keeps hitting (and I can’t see why he won’t) he is going to be very difficult to keep at the bottom of the lineup. With his speed and baserunning ability, he is a perfect #2 hitter behind Mookie Betts. Speed Kills! That moves Seager to #3 and the trickle-down starts. I doubt that Gavin begins the season as the #2 hitter, but if he earns that spot, look out! This 2021 Dodger Offense is once again going to be the Big Blue Wrecking Crew!
Please, not another Tom Hanks movie reference! I contemplated as to whether I should write the following column. It is not about the Dodgers, but it does reflect on how stupid some can be in a position at the highest level in a MLB organization. This issue is going to be heavily considered in the upcoming CBA negotiations, so it is important from a MLB standpoint. The Seattle Mariners are now…
Now some think they are really going to miss Kike and Joc. Possibly, they both had memorable moments as Dodgers. But neither was a starter. Joc’s inability to hit LH pitching relegated him to platoon duty of sorts. Although his glove is excellent, Kike could not hold the starting second base job when it was given to him. Twice.