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Shea Spitzbarth

35 posts

2020 Rule 5 Draft Summary

Once again MLB has spoken, and the Dodgers farm system was the #1 shopping source for Rule 5 draftees. In the Major League Phase, the acquiring team “buys” the player for $100,000 and must keep that player on the roster for the entire 2021 season, or offer the player back for $50,000. Overall, 2 of the top 7 picks of the Major League Phase were Dodgers. RHRP Brett de Geus

By Jeff Dominique · December 11, 2020106

AC s 2021 Pitching Preview as of 11-03-2020

While reviewing the list of LAD pitchers, the Dodgers have 66 pitchers currently in their organization. Per Fangraph’s Roster Resource the breakdown is as follows: MLB Starting Pitchers (5) MLB Relief Pitchers (9) MiLB Starting Pitchers (34) – 9 Rule 5 Eligible MiLB Relief Pitchers (18) – 13 Rule 5 Eligible With the pending MiLB contraction, those numbers are obviously going to decrease. Many of these pitchers are organizational depth,

By Jeff Dominique · November 4, 202044

Meet Aaron Ochsenbein Closer in Waiting

There has been considerable discussion on LADT regarding relief pitchers and more specifically what the Dodgers could or should do to strengthen the bullpen. It is a conundrum in that standing pat might fit the definition of doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Yet with relief pitchers who knows. How many have that dominant year and then what follows is not nearly as dominant

By Mark Timmons · December 22, 201930

Rule 5 Draft Considerations

So many of us have been looking at FA possibilities and trade possibilities that most have not paid any attention to the first date that will impact the 2020 Dodgers roster. The 40 man roster needs to be set by November 20, 2019 with all Rule 5 eligible prospects protected. The actual Rule 5 draft will take place on Thursday, December 12, 2019. That gives AF and his staff less

By Jeff Dominique · November 8, 201916

What Do You See?

“What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.” ― John Lubbock, The Beauties of Nature and the Wonders of the World We Live

By Mark Timmons · September 1, 201971

Trust the Process

Through the first four years of the Andrew Friedman Era as the President/General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I have come to realize that there is a Process one from which Andrew rarely deviates. This process can be summarized in ten (10) unwavering rules: The most important rule is this: Build the Farm, Build the Farm, Build the Farm. A Top Farm System is the basis for everything else .

By Mark Timmons · July 2, 201945

The Game is Evolving

On a number of occasions Mark has advised that the game is evolving and we should get used to it. It is difficult to argue with either point. The game has evolved out of necessity to offer a sense of fairness in competition and to, as they say, level the playing field with a standard set of enforceable rules. Actually, if you Google it, there are ample sources following the

By Mark Timmons · May 22, 2019101

Relief Help On The Way?

I have not been shy about stating how I feel about the bullpen. And I do understand that recognizing that there may be a problem and doing something about it can be and often is two different things. Maybe with the way the starting pitching is performing, this will become less of an issue, but I prefer to plan rather than to react. I have never disagreed with Mark about

By Jeff Dominique · May 18, 201923

Heartbreak Hairballs at Petco

If the Dodgers had beat the Padres on Sunday, that would have likely crushed the Padres maybe even ruined their season and the win was within reach until Kenley Jansen snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. If you are a Padre fan, it was like Kirk Gibson hitting the home run in the 1988 World Series, but if you are a Dodger fan it was worse than death itself! That

By Mark Timmons · May 6, 201976

Meet Meaux Landry

Landry is one of those guys who keeps us a bit off base with his name, which is Simon Meaux Landry. From all reports it seems he goes by Meaux, as in “Mo”. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 22nd round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi. He grew up in Ponchatoula, Louisiana and attended high school in his

By Mark Timmons · April 10, 201951

Spring Surprises and Disappointments

First of all, Happy St. Patrick s Day. We are down to 10 ST games with one week to go in Arizona followed by 3 against LAA. Two games in Anaheim and one game at Dodger Stadium. Thus far the Dodgers are 12-8-2, as if that means anything. Who have been the surprises? Offensively, Kike Hernandez and Austin Barnes have been red hot and IMO have established themselves as starters. Kike

By Jeff Dominique · March 17, 201961

Rule 5 Draft Preview

I was going to write about who I thought the three top potential GM candidates might be…Josh Byrnes, Kim Ng, and Chaim Bloom. My money was on Chaim Bloom, Rays Senior VP Baseball Operations. For those who may want to know a little more about Chaim…

By Jeff Dominique · November 11, 201847

All Stars In Waiting

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 Mark Timmons · September 28, 201864

2018 Texas League Champions Tulsa Drillers

The top prospects on the Tulsa roster at the beginning of the season were Mitchell White, Yadier Alvarez, DJ Peters, Yusniel Diaz, Will Smith, and Keibert Ruiz. Mitchell White was injured in the beginning and did not seem to get back on track until the end of the season. Yusniel Diaz was traded to Baltimore in the Manny Machado trade. Will Smith was promoted to AAA on August 1. Yadier

By Jeff Dominique · September 21, 201824

MINOR LEAGUE RECAP PLAYOFF ADDITION

AAA – PCL American Conference Playoff – OKC Dodgers v. Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) Game 1 – Memphis Redbirds 4-2 Win over OKC Dodgers Game 2 – OKC Dodgers 5-4 Win over Memphis Redbirds Because of the wet field postponement on Wednesday, the Dodgers and Redbirds were forced to play a doubleheader on Thursday and came away with a split. The series shifts to Memphis in this best 3 out

By Jeff Dominique · September 7, 201835

Dodger Chatter: Minor League Gleanings

Don’t look now but the minor league season is looking a bit short. Where has it gone? As always there has been much to follow and some surprises. The minor league play-off picture is taking shape with the possibility of five Dodger affiliates extending their season with three already qualifying for the extension. Dominica Summer League Dodgers: The DSL Dodger complement, after a promising start, has run aground. The DSL

By Mark Timmons · July 24, 201854

It May Be Time to Stand Down

Usually at the trade deadline, every team looks to get better so that they can make that special run and maybe, just maybe, catch lightening in a bottle. Me? I am becoming to develop a realization that the Dodgers problems are too complex and deep to solve with more deadline trades. Let s consider what the Dodger s problems might be: Kenley Jansen His velocity is down way down. If you

By Mark Timmons · July 15, 201889

Let The Trades Begin

Three weeks for the trade deadline and rumors without knowledge continue to excite or anger baseball fans across the country. It is fun to read other fans takes on their teams and how their prospects line up with others. I was really enjoying Brewers’ fans takes that Keston Hiura should not be included in any trade for Manny Machado, but the Dodgers are silly for not including Verdugo or Ruiz

By Jeff Dominique · July 10, 201833

Down on the Farm AA

Currently, AA is where most of the top prospects reside. Although still relatively young, some of the current roster will absolutely play at the ML level, but outside of Keibert Ruiz, none project to be perennial AS. There could be some AS performances from some of the higher rated players, but they all have questions that will need to be answered. Keibert Ruiz The second of two likely

By Jeff Dominique · May 30, 201829

Is There Bullpen Help on the Horizon?

It s no secret that the Dodgers bullpen has grossly under-performed this season (so far). Therefore, one might ask the question: Is there any help for the bullpen in the minor leagues THIS Season? Scott Alexander is a possibility IF he can work on his control, which has always been suspect. He s a ground-ball machine if he can get hitters to swing, but too often he puts the pitch too far out

By Mark Timmons · May 4, 201861

What Happens After Corey Seager?

What do the Dodgers do now? Personnel wise – NOTHING . FAZ needs rely on what they have developed. They have shortstops that can play at the ML level, although certainly not at the Corey Seager level. Other than Francisco Lindor or Carlos Correa, there is no other comparable SS. There is absolutely no reason to make a trade for a rental like Manny Machado. But let’s be realistic .

By Jeff Dominique · May 2, 201850

Projected OKC and Tulsa Rosters

We have bandied about a potential LAD 25 man roster, so now I want to take a shot at a possible 25 man roster at OKC and Tulsa. One thing we have learned is that FAZ really wants players who can conceivably be called to LA if needed at AAA. At times there may be a player that has advanced quick enough to move to OKC without a real opportunity

By Jeff Dominique · March 25, 20189

Dodgers Depth

Mark referenced a site, https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-los-angeles-dodgers/ , that I have studied for some time. I went back to look at my notes and do have some observations: There is no way the bench will be comprised of 4 RH hitters and 1 switch hitter. I do not see Segedin or Thompson on the 25 man coming out of Spring. I would project Toles and one of Peter/Muncy/Locastro to replace Segedin

By Jeff Dominique · January 21, 201871

Dodger AFL Pitching Prospects

Yesterday, I discussed the Dodger hitters in the Arizona Fall League and of course Will Smith was the star of the team. Now, we focus on the Dodger pitchers, none of whom are really top prospects, but there are a couple are worth talking about. Of the Dodger hitting prospects, Will Smith was ranked #8, Yusniel Diaz was #5 and Matt Beaty was #30. Of the pitchers, none of them

By Mark Timmons · November 17, 201711

Oh What A Relief It Is

Over the last few years, we Dodger fans have become accustomed to botched relief in post season appearances. Which is why I have included one of my favorite images of reliever Steve Howe and catcher Steve Yeager following the final out of the 1981 WS. I have been fascinated with relievers since my first Dodger hero, Larry Sherry. From Clem Labine, Ron Perranoski, Phil Regan, and Bob Miller to Eric

By Jeff Dominique · November 6, 201743

Going Back to Houston

Some of you oldtimers will remember this: They don t make em like that anymore, but I digress. The Dodgers are in Houston hopefully for a sweep, but I ll take 2 out of 3 and close it in LA. Really, this has the look of a seven game series. Tonight is a very critical game. The winning team will have momentum and that is important. Tonight, Yu Darvish faces the

By Mark Timmons · October 27, 201784

Don t Go Down With The Ship, Doc!

Early in the year, Chase Utley was mired in a horrible slump and fans started calling for him to retire. Dave Roberts had faith in him and after hitting .122 in April, he bounced back by hitting .314 in May, and he has been serviceable since then. He plays great defense, is a wonderful teammate and at 39 years of age, he just looks to be over-matched at the plate

By Mark Timmons · October 19, 201753

Rant Rave Sunday

Let me remind you that the Dodgers only HAVE TO play three more games without Corey Seager. Think about that one. See, this is a team game. When Kershaw went down last year and again this year, they didn t miss a beat. They are just a very talented team of Junkyard Dogs. Kershaw wasn t himself, but he was OK. The bullpen minus el Gasolino was outstanding! They had to get

By Mark Timmons · October 15, 201767

The Quick and the Dead

It was only a month ago that many fans and national pundits said the Dodgers were the biggest choke artists in the game The Diamondbacks and the Indians were the hottest teams in baseball and were everyone s darlings, while the Nationals had the best 1-2 starting punch in baseball which should play well in a short series. The Dodgers dropped to 4th or 5th in the power polls, even though

By Mark Timmons · October 13, 201717

AA Tulsa Drillers 2017 Recap

The Dodgers AA affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers in the Texas League, had a very successful season. They reached the Texas League Championship final game and lost a heartbreaker 1-0. Dennis Santana pitched an outstanding game in a pressure situation, and looks primed for 2018. There were some outstanding performances by individuals as well, and many look to be promoted to AAA for 2018 where they are one step away from

By Jeff Dominique · September 22, 201730