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…
Some players only get one shot at a big payday in Free Agency, and knowing that, they have to take the best offer. Their agent plays a part as well, after all, he gets a percentage of their contract – why would he negotiate a deal that will get him less money? Some free agents, say “it’s not about the money” when we all know that it is and if…
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…
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…