A Championship Without a Designated Closer

September 29, 2022

I have always wondered about the predictability of having a closer and why teams have simply gone in the direction of having a 9th inning man, no matter what the situation was.  If you really think about it, throwing that “stopper” out there for the final three outs night after night is probably not the best managerial strategy.  It may be for teams with limited bullpen resources, but not with…

Read More >>

Nothing is so Constant as Change… Except in Baseball!

September 11, 2022

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…

Read More >>

Bullpen Makeup in the Championship Years

September 5, 2022

I thought it would be interesting and appropriate to look at the Dodger bullpens in the seasons they won the World Series. This is simply because so much of what I have read lately on our site pertains to the makeup for the post-season of our relief staff. For the record, the 1955 team used 15 pitchers during the season. Five were primarily starters, Newcombe, Erskine, Podres, Meyer, and Loes….

Read More >>

Jim Brewer, Master of the Screwball

August 8, 2022

On December 13, 1963, the Chicago Cubs, looking for a RHP, traded Jim Brewer and C Cuno Barragan to the Dodgers for Dick Scott. The trade would be very one-sided in the Dodger’s favor even though Barragan never played a single game in L.A. Scott spent 1964 with the Cubs and was gone. Brewer would go on to be an integral part of the Dodger bullpen for 12 seasons. A…

Read More >>

Twenty Things I (Think I) Know

July 28, 2022

The Dodgers can score six runs in 2/3 of an inning off of a pitcher who has a 6.49 ERA and is a total mess but can only score one run off of average to below-average pitchers in 7-1/3 innings. When the best part of Max Muncy’s game is his defense (and it is actually pretty good), the time has come to do something with Max Muncy. Maybe Andrew has…

Read More >>

What Happens to Austin Barnes?

May 22, 2022

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…

Read More >>

LAD PROSPECTS – REAL OR HYPE

December 9, 2021

I continue to read about the sensational LAD prospects.  Mark has the Dodgers as a top 10 MiLB organization while no major publication does.  After the loss of Keibert Ruiz and Jo Jo Gray, the publications dropped them to mid-level (around 15).  Certainly not bad, but also not elite.  Just this week DodgerLover said the team needs to clear the deck for the next wave of prospect talent.  Is there…

Read More >>

My Current Dodger Observations

July 25, 2021

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…

Read More >>

You Want Depth? We Got It!!

February 20, 2021

Now some think they are really going to miss Kike and Joc. Possibly, they both had memorable moments as Dodgers. But neither was a starter. Joc’s inability to hit LH pitching relegated him to platoon duty of sorts. Although his glove is excellent, Kike could not hold the starting second base job when it was given to him. Twice.

Read More >>

Has San Diego Caught The Dodgers?

January 25, 2021

There has been a lot of talk by MLB fans in general how the Padres may have caught the Dodgers.  On the East coast, most in NY and Atlanta believe they have better 26-man rosters.  Dodger fans of course take offense at such a charge.  None of the four teams are finished completing their rosters, but I thought I would take a more in depth look at a Dodgers/Padres comp,…

Read More >>