Right now Dodger catcher Will Smith is the talk of the town and perhaps rightfully so. Just a few short weeks ago he was being thrown on the scrap heap by some Dodger faithful. I for one am not surprised that he has stepped up to claim the starting role as the Dodgers’ catcher. It was mentioned the other day that there was nothing to suggest that this transformation could…
Halfway through the year and some things are clear, while others, not so much. The Dodgers are clearly the class of the NL if not all of MLB. The Dodgers are 3.5 games better than the Cubs and 4.0 games better than the Padres. If the season were to end today, the three division champions would be: Dodgers Cubs Braves 2nd Place Teams would be: Padres Cardinals Marlins Current Wild…
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…
I am very partial to AAAA players. I know they waaaaaay too often get labeled as dung heap players, dumpster diving players, etc. Never mind that they competed at a higher level than almost everyone on these blog sites who love to denigrate their baseball abilities. I guess that is why I have never been down on guys like Tyler White. I wrote about Max Muncy before most Dodger fans…
I do not consider myself an apologist for Alex Wood, but ever since he put on his #57 jersey I have found myself in that position. It seems that most Dodgers fans want the team to have five Aces. Alex Wood is not an Ace, or anywhere near a top of the rotation pitcher. He is what he has always been a good #5. Like all #5 SP, not every…
I had the pleasure of participating in the Dodgers Monday, May 18, Zoom Party. To the best of my memory, the following is what transpired. Attendees (as pictured below): Joe Davis Alanna Rizzo Andre Ethier Austin Barnes JT Doc Alex Wood Clayton Kershaw David Price Cody Bellinger Dieter Ruhle for pre-Zoom and 7th inning stretch Later joined by Jo Koy (stand-up comic) – I have no idea who he is…
Earlier I listed the teams in each of their proposed divisions. At the time, it was anticipated that the Braves and Pirates would switch divisions, but otherwise the two West divisions, the two Central divisions, and the two East divisions would join together to form a single West, Central, and East division. The starting pitching in the West figures to range from terrific to bad to really bad. The Dodgers…
It is time for a little Devil’s Advocacy. I have been an unapologetic fan of Andrew Friedman and what he has accomplished, and just as critical as to what he has NOT accomplished. I was critical when AF did not beat out the Astros offer for Gerrit Cole before the 2018 season. The Astros traded a #5 SP in Joe Musgrove, a decent but unceremonious 3B, Colin Moran, a RHRP…
As we are getting ready to see who the Dodgers first opponent will be in the post season, it is extremely difficult for me to consume any negativity ascribed to the Dodgers after this season. No conditional statements…they were great. The best team in LA Dodgers history. I say LA Dodgers because the 1953 team that 105, did so with 8 less games. I still read from some how bad…
Most teams realize that the best and least cost approach to building a perennial winner is through draft and development. With a little more than 3 weeks before the June Amateur Draft, teams are very busy looking at who the next Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, or Aaron Judge may be. If it were an exact science all three would have been the overall #1 pick and yet they were not….