There are thirteen pitchers who love Austin Barnes. He is an “on-the-field-pitching coach.” He is not going anywhere, so get that out of your mind. Hunter Feduccia, who happens to be LH, may or may not be a better hitter, and maybe his arm is slightly better, but he is no Austin Barnes insofar as a receiver. Unless Barnes is injured, he is not going anywhere (did I mention that…
I am just going to jump right into this one: In 2023, the best Caught Stealing Rate by Catchers was +9. That means that the best catcher was good for +9 Runs Over League Average. Will Smith was -1 Run Below Average and Austin Barnes was -4 Runs Below League Average. If Austin Barnes is one of the worst throwing catchers in MLB, then Will Smith is right there with…
A lot of Dodger fans have been impressed with Chris Okey, Austin Gauthier, and Andy Pages. That’s fine. I like them too, but none will be on the team out of Spring Training… unless disaster strikes. Spring Training is just that: Training of your body and Training to play Baseball. In the scheme of things, it means very little for the immediate future, but it does mean something. One player…
“Miguel Vargas only hit .195 and was a colossal failure in 2023. Michael Busch did even worse. The Dodgers need to do better in 2024 than Vargas and Busch!” — Actual Quote from an Actual Moron! DISCLAIMER: No Morons were injured during the production of this blog! I was listening to MLB. Radio yesterday, and Harold Reynolds was talking about Ohtani going to the Dodgers. He said, “Really, what other…
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 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs. Clubs…
Why Shohei Ohtani is not Coming to the Dodgers It is fun to think about Ohtani in the Dodgers lineup. There is a lot of talk about marketing opportunities, reaching the Japanese population, and jersey sales. However, let us not forget that the Dodgers put more butts in seats than any other team and already are a marketing dynamo. I seriously doubt that signing Ohtani will improve the bottom line….
A few years ago, a player was called up by the Dodgers, and in his first call-up, he hit .143 with a .250 OB%. It was just eight plate appearances, so there was not much to go on. In his second season, he had 239 plate appearances and hit .215 with a .272 OB%. Well, like many of you would be quick to do, the Dodgers traded him, and that…
I really do. I also have an irrational fear of them. The Dodgers begin their postseason quest on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are fresh off of the Wild Card sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in what could likely be Craig Counsell’s last game for the Brewers. It is widely speculated that he will leave the Brewers for the Mets, as his contract is now up. There are two…
I was somewhat surprised that Kyle Hurt was added to the roster, but there is no denying that he has the profile of a reliever… and maybe a “lockdown reliever.” I just did not expect to see him this year. I do not think Kyle will ever be a starter because his curve and slider are way below average, and his control is very erratic. However, his fastball moves with…
Doc just took all the pressure off of Max Muncy by announcing the following: “The results haven’t been there consistently, I’m aware of that. But I do think that stuff under the hood has shown better for me. … I’m going to continue to give him runway. I certainly still expect quality at-bats, but right now, I’m gonna ride with Max. … It’s gonna be that way until it’s not.”…