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…
Dodger fans have been lamenting the fact that Dodger starting pitchers (not named Clayton Kershaw) are not pitching deep into games. I have listened to this so much it makes me want to puke. 200 innings used to be the landmark by which starting pitchers were judged. Shoot, in 1963, Don Drysdale pitched 315 innings and Sandy Koufax pitched 311 innings. Johnny Podres pitched 198 innings and between the three…
The thing is, we don’t have to trade for this player. He is already on the team, and while the Dodgers could go on to win if he plays poorly, they could easily win it all if he lives up to his potential. We all know who it is. “The Wild Horse” has as much talent as anyone I have ever seen play the game. He has shown plenty of…
It was almost sixteen years ago that I started LA DODGER TALK and up until a year ago, when I took a year off, it has been pretty much part of my life. When I originally started I had some rules which gradually eroded over the years. I am not going to get into the details or blame anyone, because to solve a problem you have to recognize your share…
Bluto had a good comment: The Grandal trade is borderline robbery. The Chris Reed for Grant Dayton trade is ridiculously good. OTHERS SAY: “They traded away Matt Kemp” “They sign injury-prone pitchers.” That got me thinking about FAZ has done, and I make no bones about it – FAZ has made their share of mistakes. Olivera was a big one, but they recovered nicely and moved him. However, I do…
A little over two years ago, I held these opinions: Julio Urias would someday be the Dodgers Ace or Co-Ace with Clayton Kershaw; Jose De Leon would be a close #2; Corey Seager would be an impact MVP-Type Shortstop; Joc Pederson would be a 4th or 5th outfielder (at best); Yasiel Puig had immense talent but we should trade him immediately; and THE TRADE (Crawfish and A-Gon) really hamstrings the…
Every Spring there seems to be some non-roster invitee who steps up and either makes the club or comes close and makes it interesting. This year, there 21 non-roster invitees who have a shot. Ken Gurnick of Dodgers .com lists them: The complete list: Pitchers: Ralston Cash, Fabio Castillo, Steve Geltz, Brandon Morrow, Trevor Oaks, Josh Sborz, Patrick Schuster, Yaisel Sierra and Madison Younginer. Catchers: Jack Murphy, Wynston Sawyer, Bobby Wilson….