16 posts
Left-hander Justin Bruihl was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dodgers on July 15,2017. Born in Petaluma, California, Bruihl attended Casa Grande High school in his home town where he hit .302 as a senior. On the mound in seven appearances with the Gauchos he did not allow an earned run in 17.1 innings. Following graduation from high school, he checked out California State University, Northridge and the
It s amazing to me that after 25 games, fans can pronounce a certain player or players as failures. If they are really that good, they should be making millions helping teams make those decisions. If they happen to not be making millions for those decisions, then maybe they really aren t as qualified as they believe. If they bench guys like Taylor, Hernandez, Barnes, et al, how are they ever going
The more we read about minor league ball players, the more we learn about the commitments they make, not just as baseball players, but as young men. They have all of the challenges in life just as young men who do not pursue an athletic career have, plus they have the near impossible task of navigating a road to MLB littered with speed bumps. Many, or most, are
Well okay then. The Dodgers have finally spoken or more appropriately…ROARED. Once again Andrew Co. has done the impossible and freed up a lot of cash and moved players who were reportedly upset with how they were being played. I will miss all three Dodgers, especially Alex Wood. I know others were very partial to Yasiel Puig and he will be missed. Matt Kemp’s homecoming was well worth it.
A bit of a busy day today so I found it difficult to sit down and write. I had an idea that would take quite a bit of time but 2demeter2 and dionysis came to the rescue with their mention on another thread of the Loons 2018 shortstop. I have a few names on my list that includes Deacon Liput. Another is Luke Heyer, but Deacon draws the short straw
The past number of days AC and MT have been on fire. I’m not sure a blog has ever seen such in depth analyses of Dodger needs and possible solutions. I doubt that AF has as much on the big board in his office. However, I do expect he has some ideas. If not, he should read LADT regularly. To try to follow in the path blazed by AC
John Sickels has just released his 2018 top-20 Dodger Prospects list. I looked at his list with some interest, well quite a bit of interest. I take top prospect lists with a grain of salt as they are in a constant state of flux and no doubt subject to the baseball biases of those compiling the lists. Intangibles most likely are not able to be part of those attributes being ascribed
I was wrong. Imagine that. I predicted a 3-K series in which Kershaw, Kenley and Kemp would play significant roles in the Dodgers play-off push. Perhaps their roles were significant in the final outcome but not in the manner I had envisioned. Clayton demonstrated to us that he…
First baseman Jared Walker, currently playing with the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League, was selected by the Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. Although he had committed to Kennesaw State University in Georgia, he quickly signed with the Dodgers being the first player from that draft to sign on the dotted line. He
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
Dodger Chatter: All-Stars in Waiting Position Players By now you all know I am a huge fan of minor league baseball. Naturally in following the Dodgers minor league system I have favorite players that may not be highly rated prospects or all-stars. However, they put in all of the same hard work as the more highly rated players and are battling much greater odds than the more gifted
By now everyone knows that the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes defeated the Visalia Rawhide 9-1 to claim the 2018 California League Advanced A League Championship. This was Drew Saylor’s first in his third year. RC last won a California League Championship in 2015 when Alex Verdugo and Cody Bellinger were on the roster. The Quakes won the first half with a 35-35 record but turned it on the second half with
On Saturday, AC had an amazing summary of the Dodgers minor league middle infielders. Two players that were mentioned that have not drawn a lot of attention are third baseman Brandon Montgomery and shortstop Zach McKinstry. Actually their listed position is in name only as they have played at a number of positions during their minor league careers. These guys are among the many foot soldiers in minor league baseball .
I would not have re-signed Kenley Jansen and I said so at the time. It s not that I don t like him, but he is fully capable of blowing a game and he s expensive. Let me remind you that the Astros won the World Series without a good dominant closer. It surprised me that FAZ re-signed Kenley, but they did. Maybe they HAD to re-sign him for the fans who knows?
Has another vulture emerged? It is not the same way Phil Regan used to do it, but in the Rancho Cucumonga Quakes first 8 games, Alex Hermeling has a 3-0 record with all three wins coming in relief. A lot of attention has been directed to Mitchell White and Walker Buehler, and deservedly so. But on April 7, it was Alex Hermeling that pitched the final three innings in the RC
We now know who comprises the 25 man roster. Is it what I would have chosen? Probably not, but I do understand the reasons for the selections. I was disappointed that Chris Taylor was not selected, but I understand why Kike’ was valued more as utility player. I understand that Taylor is an infielder that needs to learn OF. If Seager goes on the DL, it will not be Kike’
