On February 13, 2017, I wrote this: 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. A few days later, I…
Yes, Ryu only went 5 innings. Yes, he threw 105 pitches (that can be either good or bad, depending upon your perspective). Yes, he gave up 8 hits. BUT, he only allowed 2 runs and gave up no HR to one of the best hitting teams in baseball in on of the best hitter’s parks in baseball. So, there is that! As bad as you think Ryu might be he…
Have you noticed that a few certain fans like to bang on Friedman and Company about trading away Cotton, Montas, Holmes, De Leon, Peraza and Schebler but fail to mention anything of value FAZ has done? ME: “Wow, Alex Wood is doing great!” FAZ-BASHER: “Squirrel! That Rich Hill really sucks, even he says so. FAZ is an idiot!” Schebler (.252) and Peraza (.258) are playing OK in a hitter’s ballpark,…
This is the Brandon McCarthy the Dodgers front office wanted. They knew his history but they also knew about changes he had made, both to his pitching mechanics and psyche. Brandon McCarthy is making about $12 million a year and was signed for four years. He has this year and 2018 left on his deal. $12 million a year is a bargain for a pitcher of McCarthy’s standing. Brandon McCarthy…
Ladies and Gentlemen, you are witnessing history! Cody Bellinger is one of those rare talents who come around to a team, once in a lifetime. The thing is, the Dodgers have three of those talents… maybe four. Some of you are going to say “Yeah, but his batting average is only .261.” Yeah, and your momma wears army boots! This kid is the real deal, just like Clayton, Corey and…
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today reinstated outfielder Joc Pederson from the seven-day concussion disabled list and placed first baseman Adrián González on the 10-day disabled list (retroactive to June 12) with lower back discomfort. Pederson, who missed 16 games due to a concussion, made three rehab appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City, going 3-for-9 (.333) with two home runs and four RBI. In 35 games with Los Angeles…
Well, we finally got the server back to normal and this is a test post. Always Compete has an excellent post concerning tomorrow’s Amateur Draft. He’s on vacation – I can’t say where he is – I’m sworn to secrecy, but if he doesn’t post the article in the next couple of hours, I will. I just can’t say where he is and I won’t even offer a clue… On…
As usual, we fans probably don’t have a clue what the Dodgers are up to. Just because we hear rumors from the media, doesn’t make them true. Rumors are just that, and if you expect a straight answer from FAZ about who they are interested in, you are likely smoking something that may be illegal in certain states. I have targeted Marcell Ozuna as a player I want, while we…
I spent all day Wednesday at IRCE in Chicago today. I left at 4 AM and got back at 8 PM while walking about 6 miles. It was fun and always informative, but I really enjoyed the opening speaker, Barabara Corocran… she is riveting. She once sued Donald Trump for $6 million and won! It was a long day, but I watched most of the game on MLB.TV in my truck…
If there ever was any doubt, Chris Taylor erased it yesterday by doing the kind of thing that legends do: Hitting a Grand Slam in the 9th inning, with your team down two runs, to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat! Of course, it was a team effort to come back from a four run deficit – Puig had two hits, but almost everyone (except Grandal) contributed. Chris Taylor…