Why do I think that there is virtually no chance that the Dodgers will sign Bryce Harper this winter? Primarily because I do believe the leaked report that the Dodgers will not go over the CBT threshold for the next four years. I believe the Dodgers are looking at next year’s salaries and next year’s FA class and saying that it makes much more sense to wait one year before…
In the United Kingdom, the “sophomore slump” is more commonly referred to as “second year blues”. A sophomore jinx is the popularly held belief that after a successful rookie season, a player in his second year will be jinxed and not have the same success. Most players suffer the “sophomore jinx” simply because scouting reports on the former rookie are now available and his weaknesses are known around the league. Many players have suffered the sophmore…
This time two years ago, and again, this time last year, the Rabid Friedman Bashers (RFB) were predicting that Clayton Kershaw would opt out of his contract due to the Dodgers failures in the World Series. The Bashers look for anything they might spin their way to make Friedman look bad and when that fails they move on to something else. I’m not sure she meant it as a compliment,…
With Hyun-jin Ryu accepting the Dodgers qualifying offer, the Dodgers are now able to field an all LH Rotation: Kershaw Hill Urias Ryu Wood Of course, they would have to leave Buehler and Maeda out of the rotation in order to do that. Not only that, but the Dodgers have some prospects who could possibly slot into the rotation as soon as 2019. Everyone has an opinion as to who…
Coming in before the David Freese signing, the Dodgers first off-season transaction appears to be the trade on Thursday that sent left-hander Manny Banuelos to the Chicago for infielder Justin Yurchak. This is no doubt one of many off-season transactions to follow especially at the minor league level. It also appears the Dodgers did not see a role on the team for the 27-year-old Banuelos who most likely would…
The Dodgers Will Win The NL West a 7th Consecutive Season… and then what happens next depends upon what happens over the next few weeks. By early next week, we will find out if Yasmani Grandal takes the Qualifying Offer – my guess is he will not unless some personal circumstances dictate he stay in Southern California. I think some other team (and there are lots of interested teams) will…
Right about now, we have a few more days until we find out if Hyun-jin Ryu and Yasmani Grandal accept or reject the Dodgers Qualifying Offers. I predict that Ryu will accept and Grandal will reject. Then the fun begins… in the the measntime, the Dodgers have a few vacancies to fill throughout their organization. They are in need of a third-base coach, hitting coach and, what else….. Oh yeah……
It is raining quite hard here today, so I am housebound and about to rant a bit. I love baseball. I love the Dodgers. I am in love with minor league baseball. However, the game now frustrates me. Every little move on the field it seems is a pre-calculation (if that is a word), before something even happens. Dave Roberts is ready to come striding out briskly to take…
In 2017, the Dodgers struck out 25.5% of the time and in 2018, it went up slightly as they struck out 25.7% of the time. They were not even close to being the worst in baseball in striking out, but they were in the bottom 30%. In 2016, the Houston Astros almost led the AL in strikeouts. Tampa Bay barely beat them. In 2017, the very next year, the Astros…
I was going to discus the State of the Pitching, but now I am going to wait until next week when we have a better idea what is happening with one Clayton Kershaw. That can change everything. Also, what follows is something that I think needs to be discussed. As most of you know, the Dodgers won the World Series in 1988 as heavy underdogs, and then did not again…