As the season nears its end, I think we have to take a large dose of reality. The reality is that the Dodgers are the best team in baseball. Houston is making a late run, but if they try and catch LA to invoke “Home Field Advantage,” then they are likely to “flame out” in the playoffs. The reality also is that any team can get hot in the playoffs…
I was listening to a conversation a couple of days ago where Person A was arguing that it was “crazy that baseball was making all these changes. The game is just fine – Don’t go changing everything!” Person B had a different take, “Other than the DH and lowering the mound, baseball is the last sport that has changed, and it’s way past time!” What was most interesting about this…
It is August, and the annual let’s get crazy season has started. It never fails this time of year. Fans begin to lose their collective minds. Why? Well, I really have no clue. I just sit back and watch. What amazes me most is that fans who have followed the team and the game for years really have no idea how the roster is set up or how it is…
Actually, it’s past time. I am so done with Craig Kimbrel! Three letters: DFA! It’s over, done; stick a fork in him! So, who’s the closer? Let’s run down the list: Evan Phillips – Tell me he can’t. He has the stuff, and while he has never done it, he looks cold-blooded and calm in these situations. I think he can do it, but can the Dodgers depend upon him…
It has always been hard for me to rank the Top Ten Dodger Prospects, but I am going to give it a stab here before to the All-Star Break. Sometimes the criteria for ranking prospects is a little hazy to define. Do you rank a AAA player who is close to being MLB-Ready higher than someone who may look like a superstar in the making but is in A Ball?…
Austin Barnes was drafted by the Marlins in the 9th round of the 2011 amateur draft. In December of 2014, Austin was acquired by Andrew Friedman in one of his first trades with the Dodgers. He was a key piece in the Dee Gordon trade wherein the Dodgers traded Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, Miguel Rojas, and cash for Chris Hatcher, Andrew Heaney, Kike Hernandez, and Austin Barnes. Austin Barnes might…
BTW: I suggest reading that book! Defensive Efficiency Ratio is a statistic used to evaluate team defense by finding out the rate of times batters reach base, on balls put in play. Basically, for every ball hit into the field of play, how likely is the defense to convert that into an out? The formula for Defensive Efficiency Ratio is: 1 – ((H + ROE – HR) / (PA –…
Losing two straight to the D-Bags is about as low as you can get, and to those who are not worried about the Giants, well, you should start worrying right about now. You should worry about the Dodgers’ infield defense and the lack of hitting, but you can stop worrying about the starting pitching which is the best in baseball. It’s funny, but the starting pitching was just about the…
The Dodgers have not vacillated. To a man, they proclaim that it is” World Series or Bust!” No pressure, but when you have the best team and highest payroll in baseball, nothing but a World Series championship will do. Not only is the big club stacked, but the Minor League Teams are as well. The Dodgers are certainly a Top 10 Farm System – some experts rate them Number One,…
First, to Badger. I love trade scenarios. I do not care how outlandish they are or how realistic they may be. I enjoy reading Bums trade proposals. I am not sure that I ever read one that was realistic, but they are fun. Bluto sometimes gives us scenarios from the baseballtradevalues.com site. They are fun for me. That is what blogs are for. Throw out ideas. To the best of…