One of the better mid-season trades that the Dodgers ever made was acquiring Reggie Smith from the Cardinals for Freddie Tisdale, Bob Detherage and Joe Ferguson in June 1976. While many Dodger fans were heartbroken to see Tisdale leave the Dodger family, getting Smith more than made up for that loss. After joining the Dodgers, Smith hit .280 with 10 homers and 26 RBI in the 65 games following the…
I am old school. Never have claimed to be anything but. Baseball has been a part of my life, a big part, for over 60 years. LA was a minor league city until the Dodgers moved here in 1958. We played the game anywhere we could, usually on our school playground. Some played little league, others did not. I never really had any coaching until I played little league. Then…
May 14, 1998 started as a very special day in my household. It was my oldest son’s 18th birthday. We had some special plans to celebrate his birthday, once he finished with his school day. The big news of the day was that Frank Sinatra had died. Sad news certainly, but not anything that affected our family in any significant way. That afternoon, by the time I went to my…
For two seasons, you could argue that Tommy Davis was the best young player in the National League. In 1962, at age 23, he finished third in MVP voting (behind teammate Maury Wills and Willie Mays of the Giants). What did he do that year? Nothing much, but lead the NL with a .346 batting average, 240 hits, and 153 RBI. The RBI are still a team record. The 240…
First, I want to say how appreciative my wife and I were with the kind words, thoughts, and prayers that were written last week. I say my wife, because she read them all to me while I was waiting for the next doctor to poke and prod. Suffice to say, I had a scare that has dissipated since my Tuesday ER visit. I had my last follow ups on Thursday…
I always have a fascination with young players who are selection in the last few rounds of the First-Year Player Draft. Often, they are “take a chance” picks for high school players who most likely will not sign. Two such players that may well have been steals had they signed with the Dodgers after being selected in the last three rounds of the 2018 draft opted to go to college….
The Arizona Fall League began play yesterday. The league was founded back in 1992 as a way to give young minor league players a way to extend their season without playing in winter ball or traveling long distances. It is often described as a “finishing school” giving a bevy of young players not only an opportunity to extend their seasons but compete against elite players and continue to work on the…
Last week DC discussed a Dodger reliever from every level in the organization. Every reliever on that list has the potential to be at least a MLB middle reliever. Some may become high leverage relievers. Zach Pop was certainly drafted last year for just that reason. One other that I started to follow last year in the DSL was Elio Serrano, who could be special. But at 19 he has…
I would like to take a different approach for this post. Sometimes we need a little levity. Bumsrap has been a strong fan/advocate for Joc Pederson, and Mark has been a huge fan/advocate for Yasmani Grandal. I am not the biggest fan of either (other than being a fan because they are Dodgers), but I am a big Alex Wood fan. I was also an unapologetic fan of Zach Lee….
Do you really understand what the Dodgers have in Cody Bellinger? When I tell you… you are going to say that it is too soon to say that. You are going to say that the league will adjust. You will say it is too small a sampling. OK… I know what you will say. But, I am going to say it anyway! Cody Bellinger is a once in a generation talent!…