I have been away for a bit due to some unexpected personal family matters, but I have continued to read the blog everyday. Last week when Mark proclaimed, “This could not only be the best Dodger bullpen of All-Time, but it could also be one of the best in the game… maybe ever!”, many unsurprisingly jumped on that testament. I have been a huge critic of the bullpen makeup, and…
On Saturday, AC provided us with an amazing analysis of questions to be answered this spring. It prompted me to go back a few years and see what the pressing questions were in the spring for the past few seasons and how they were answered: Last year, the top questions facing the Dodgers heading into Spring training were: • Is Clayton Kershaw definitely in decline? I would feel safe to…
A short Super Bowl Sunday, busy at work weekend, random thoughts post. • My last post was replaced by the tragic news of the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and the 7 others who lost their lives in the crash of the helicopter in Calabasas, California • This is written on Saturday morning, and I wouldn’t mind at all if this post is replaced by one, announcing the happy…
It’s not a subject that fans often pay any particular time or attention to, but starting next Monday (Feb. 3) arbitration hearings will begin for those arbitration-eligible players, who were unable to negotiate a contract with their team prior to the date to exchange salary figures. The last time the Dodgers went to arbitration was in 2007 with Joe Beimel. The last time the Dodgers went to arbitration with a…
Let’s get this out of the way: The Dodgers have a closer… his name is Kenley Jansen. He had an off-year in 2019 and the Dodger coaches, as well as Kenley himself, believe he will return to form in 2020. It’s not like this has never happened to other relievers before. Even the greatest ones (well maybe except Mariano Rivera) had off-years. The great Trevor Hoffman had many up and…
Despite the frustrating end to this past season, the Dodgers provided me with some memorable moments in 2019. Opening day with the 8 home runs was a nice start to the season. Bellinger just going insane for the first 2-3 months of the year. Ryu going 6-0 in May. Buehler’s 16K complete game against the Rockies. The rookies’ 3 successive walk-off homerun weekends. Will Smith’s first major league home…
If in response to the above question, you said “Not Much!” I will say you may or may not be right. See, indecision may or may not be part of my problem, and no one knows what a bullpen guy will do from year-to-year, but I will say that you cannot look at the past and predict what a bullpen pitcher will do in the future. You can guess… even…
Enjoying a Veterans Day weekend in Atascadero, CA celebrating my youngest grand daughter’s first birthday. Frankly, my thoughts are filled with her and not so much Dodger baseball. Trade proposals have been flying around this blog with renewed fervor over the past few weeks. I admit those discussions have a certain excitement to them, much like anticipating that new toy you want for Christmas, all the while knowing that most…
The off-season is fully here yet, but the banter about the free-agents we should sign or acquire by trade has already begun in full-force. I thought I might join in on the speculation, and throw out some names that haven’t been mentioned before, or at least not recently. Keep in mind that I have not made any in-depth statistical analysis of these players, I don’t have any of their medical…
In case you have forgotten, the 2019 LA Dodgers are a young team (overall), with a very deep and very god farm system and accomplished the following: Most Wins in LA Dodger History – 106 Best Team ERA in MLB Yes, it has been 32 years since the Dodgers have won the Worl Series. Yes, 2019 was a bitter pill to swallow. Yes, it is way past time for the…