54 posts
Russell Martin Heritage Baseball Card Russell Nathan Coltrane Jeanson Martin Jr. Born 2/15/1983 in East York, Ontario Canada. He is biracial. His father, Russell Martin Sr., is Black Canadian, his mother, Suzanne Jeanson, is Franco-Manitoban. He was named after his father, his…
Hope everyone is well. I was just perusing the 2021 Media Guide. A really good source of information for fans. Unfortunately, they no longer sell them. So Mark got me the download site and now all that info is on my computer right at my fingertips. And the first subject I…
I am not sure they should be called UFO’s but on the other hand undrafted free agents are somewhat like unidentified flying objects. They don’t get any attention during the annual MLB draft but all of a sudden make an appearance when we least expect it. Following the 2021 First-Year Player Draft, in which the Dodgers selected 19 players of whom 12 have been signed, they have signed seven UFO’s.
Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Carlos Carrasco, and the BIG MARKET name, Francisco Lindor. These four have a chance to be top tier in 2021, with Lindor in the elite class. And they have all changed teams this offseason. The first two names have moved the Padres into a top three NL and top four MLB team, while the second two names have moved the NYM to a significant NL East
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
KayBear Ruiz was signed at the tender age of 16 for $140,000 on his birthday, July 20, 2014. In 2015, he hit .300 for the Dominican Dodgers at age 16. In 2016, he split time between Ogden and Arizona, hitting a combined .374 with a .412 OB%. He was still just 17. Before the 2017 season, and still just 18 years old, Ruiz was named the #20 prospect in the
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
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
Frankly, I am a person who believes that conventional wisdom is usually wrong. That leads me to look at things some people don t notice and see things that they don t. It s not a science more of an art that has to be continually refined. When many investors are buying, I may be selling and when they are selling, I am looking to buy. Like anyone, I am not always right,
The Arizona Fall League started nearly a month ago and Tonight they will have their All-Star Game and the Dodgers will be represented by one player, namely Brett de Geus, who has blossomed into an excellent prospect since signing for $75,000 as a 33rd-rounder from Cabrillo (Calif.) JC in 2017, developing a 93-98 mph fastball with running action, a hard slider and a power curveball. He excelled in his full-season
One of the many female artists (and trust there were many) on whom I had a boyhood crush, was the great country-western singer, Skeeter Davis. I loved her name, I mean how could you not love the name Skeeter? After reading some of the comments on Saturday and Sunday, I was reminded of her and her biggest hit song “The End of the World”, which goes in part(with apologies to
Most often when I attempt to communicate the concept of time with my younger grandchildren, I talk in terms of “sleeps.” “Three more sleeps and I’ll be there, or 2 more sleeps and I go home.” We’re at that stage of the season, where we can communicate similarly about the Dodgers. 11 more wins, and we enjoy the parade!! Last year, we were flat out overmatched by the Red Sox.
The Dodgers are still ranked 3rd in MLB Power Rankings and it should not be lost on anyone that the Dodgers were #1 in 2017. What does it all mean? Not much. It s how it all comes together So, as the dust settles, how about the big free-agent signings and trades made by Philadelphia? The team is clearly flawed and Gabe Kapler will likely lose his job, when it should
We may not know what we think we know and don t know what we don t know and I hope we know that we don t know. Confused? I know We know Justin Turner can walk we don t know if he can run. We will find out today. It seems that they are just being cautious and if this were the postseason he would be playing. We know that Dick Mountain
To lose a game without learning something is a sad state of affairs. Yes, the Dodgers lost last night game, but they learned a few things in the process: If you can t jump out of a boat and hit water, you probably won t win (OK, OK, we already knew that); Hyun-jin Ryu has gone from being left off the playoff roster (in some of your minds) back to Cy Young
The sky is falling! The Dodgers are doomed! Kershaw and Ryu are through! We can t win with Jansen as the closer. Bellinger has regressed to the mean! I just hope that these die-hard Dodger “Homeys” are not fooled by all these wins, because the negatives will be more apparent as they get into the playoffs. I think that Colletti did just as good of job with way less money and
After losing the series 2-1 last weekend to the Dark Side the Dodgers are in fine shape. The hitters have been in a funk since after the All-Star Break, but it hard to keep focused when you are 20+ games ahead of the nearest team in your division and are about to clinch a playoff spot in August. Dave Roberts has dialed-down the intensity and is resting players as much
Dustin May not only showed that he should be on the playoff roster, but he also showed he probably should be the #4 starter in the rotation. Tony Gonsolin has experience in the bullpen while Dustin May does not. Both should be on the playoff rosters. Both should be lethal weapons on the playoff roster. My only concern is that May now has logged 133 innings through AA, AAA, and
When the Dodgers acquired Jimmy Rollins, I was pretty vocal that Corey Seager was ready and there was no need for Rollins to be the bridge to Seager. I still think Corey was ready a year earlier, but FAZ made him wait and it turned out OK. FAZ had a plan of succession. In the Spring of 2017, I pronounced Cody Bellinger ready for the Show, but FAZ sent him
While sitting here in my recliner, remote in hand, watching the Dodgers-Red Sox, I have some random thoughts on the passing season (with apologies to Thomas Sowell): • First, and foremost, it is important for all of you to know that I have not made a single mistake in the past 5 10 years as to Dodger in-game decisions, lineups they should have used, and as to trades
I like Austin Barnes. Let me start with that. When Andrew Friedman acquired him, I was elated. In his first full season (102 games) he hit.289 with a .408 OB% and OPS ed .895. Pretty incredible! However, he hit .205 last year and is hitting .207 this year. In parts of 5 MLB seasons, here is what his BA/OB%/OPS is: 2015: .207/.361/.637 2016: .156/.270/.458 2017: .289/.408/.895 2018: .205/.329/.619 2019: .207/.302/.646 I
The Dodgers will go into the All-Star Break at least 30 games over .500. We would all be happier if it were 32 games above, but that depends upon whether the Dodger bats wake up or not. It would be great to see Chicken Strip pitch about 7 shutout innings! I still see him as a great trade chip, especially if he can have a good outing today. Teams need
When MT posted his Remember When post, it got me to thinking about trades. I have been obnoxiously opinionated in my zeal for at least one lock down late inning reliever and would prefer two. But I also know that there are NO GUARANTEES. The Darvish and Machado trades did not result in a WS championship, and they were good trades for the Dodgers. If the Dodgers got both Felipe
Some fans thought the Puig, Kemp, Wood, and Farmer trade was just a salary dump? Some fans thought the Dodgers just had to sign Bryce Harper or Manny Machado to remain relevant? Some fans thought the Dodgers should gut the farm for Corey Kluber? Some fans thought the Dodgers should sign DJ LeMahieu because they needed a 2B? Some fans thought Chris Taylor was horrible? Some fans thought that Kike Hernandez
Dave Roberts Many of you wonder why Dave Roberts does certain things, like oh hit Chris Taylor #3? Some fans almost become enraged when he does such things. Why on earth would he have old man David Freese bat leadoff? Kike Hernandez #5? Why, oh why? Well, simply stated, it s because you are playing checkers and he is playing chess. He s about 6 moves ahead of you. You are thinking
Austin Barnes and Russell Martin have taken the majority of the innings behind the plate this year. After about 25% of the season is complete, Martin is hitting .259 with a .400 OB% in just 39 AB s while Barnes is hitting .206 with a .316 OB%. Barnes started the season hitting well but cooled off quickly and has not shown much since his initial start. Martin has fared better in
Interesting topic on who goes and who stays when Cingrani comes back. Cingrani has pitched in three rehab games (1 with RC, and 2 with OKC). He had three days between his first game and second and dropped it down to 2 games between games 2 and 3. He still needs to show he can go back to back. May 4 – 16 pitches/10 strikes May 7 – 20 pitches/11
Where or where would the Dodgers be without Cody Bellinger? The last time the Dodgers were north of .500 after April was 2017 and was LARGELY due to Justin Turner and his .404/.465/.562/1.026 April metrics. Although, JT only had 1 April HR, he hit 20 from May on, so there is hope for JT’s power to resume when the weather warms up. Those of us who believe that the Dodgers
Why do so few people post when the Dodgers win? With each win in a row, the posts go down inversely to how much the Dodgers win. I guess people love to bitch more than enjoy a win. (SIGH!). With regards to what I call the Andrew Friedman Era, let s look at the Dodger s team scoring average per game, year-over-year: 2015 4.10 Runs per game 2016 4.40 Runs
Mark goes with Rants and Raves, and DC now has his Bites and Bits, so I might as well come up with my own Random Thoughts. I cannot get too excited about the last two losses. It really was to be expected in April, at least by me. Admittedly, I am having a tough time getting excited about this early part of the season. It is going better than I thought
