52 posts
I am just going to jump right into this one: In 2023, the best Caught Stealing Rate by Catchers was +9. That means that the best catcher was good for +9 Runs Over League Average. Will Smith was -1 Run Below Average and Austin Barnes was -4 Runs Below League Average. If Austin…
We know what we know – that’s the easy part, but what about what we don’t know about what we don’t know? That’s the hard part. So, let’s just stick with what we know or maybe think we know. We know that Will Smith will be the starting catcher . That’s good. He’s likely one of…
This is the time of year where everyone has an opinion and that means the intelligent and the morons. Unfortunately, the latter seems to get a lot of play. The calls from some for the Dodgers to break the bank and shell out hundreds of millions on 30 year old stars in deals that…
Not a Damn Thing! That’s what’s wrong. He is just failing to make any dope-fiend moves. Now, I want to give you a full disclaimer: It is possible that some of the dope-fiend moves made by other teams could have good short-term consequences (possible, but also not likely). I am…
Just how good were the Dodgers in 2022? Well, of course, they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs, so that is all many of us remember. However, a lot went wrong throughout the year. Consider this: How many teams could win 111 games and have their ACE pitch in just 11…
Now that the smoke has cleared, we can see pretty clearly that things have changed. Let’s consider what has happened or likely will happen: Craig Kimbrel is gone (YAY); Justin Turner’s option was not picked up; Andrew Heaney is likely gone; David Price allegedly retired; Danny…
Every Dodger fan has their own idea of how to “fix” the Dodgers or how to build them for the playoffs. First of all, the Dodgers don’t need “fixed” – they won 111 games and picked a horrible time to turn cold. After leading MLB in hitting with RISP with a .272 BA (Houston was…
A better question is: Who cares what happens next year, this year? Here we are with three games to play, and the Dodgers are stuck on 110 wins. Will they lose 50 games this year? It’s a strong possibility. To put it in perspective, the Dodgers are 61 games over .500. There are…
The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes finished the year 68-64 and will miss the playoffs for the first time (not due to COVID-19) since 2014. Scott Hennessey could be in trouble as the manager. The Great Lakes Loon’s season finale was rained out and will not be made up. They finished the…
I had already started this blog post when Whistling Ranger (welcome to LADT) posted this: “I look for the Dodgers to concentrate on roster management in the offseason. There is extreme competition for the 40-man roster. Look for them to trade older players for younger, promising…
EVER! The Dodgers have scored more runs than any other team in baseball. The Dodgers have allowed the fewest runs of any team in baseball. The Dodgers are the Best Defensive Team in Baseball . That’s a pretty good formula for winning. I tried to think of a better formula and…
I have been away for a long while and will return to posting a piece now and then, now that I start this new phase in life called “retirement.” Some random Dodger bullets running through my mind. Friday, July 29th – Last Day before Retirement As disappointed as many fans are…
A lot of Dodger fans have postulated that the Dodgers should “ just extend Trea Turner ” right about now, like “ just push a button, ” and he will be extended. If it were only that simple. I think that right about now, Trea Turner is the best SS in baseball. The Rangers signed…
As the season passes the halfway point, Miguel Vargas is poised to make his debut in LA sometime in the next 30 days (that’s my opinion, not a fact). Miguel has made a lot of progress this year defensively. I think he can play an “above-average” Third-Base RIGHT ABOUT NOW, but…
The Dodgers are the class of the National League once again at the midway mark for the season and with the All-Star game upon us. Voting is complete and the starters have been selected by the fans. The reserves are selected by a combination of a Player Ballot where coaches…
As you know, a couple of weeks ago I went to Ft. Wayne to see the Great Lakes Loons play the Ft. Wayne Tin Caps and interview some future Dodgers. Earlier this week, I posted the interview with Future Dodger Manager Austin Chubb (I just made that up, but who says it won’t…
I hate to say I told you so, but I told you I did not think Clayton Kershaw would pitch well last night. After the game was over Clayton said: “ I’m not going to overthink it. “I just sucked today. I haven’t been that bad in a long time.” What was first? The chicken or the egg…
In the immortal words of Mr. Cub himself, the great Ernie Banks is known for saying “ Let’s play two !” Ernie Banks played for the sheer joy of it! He always had a smile on his face and played the game like a little boy. Ernie Banks has been gone since January of 2015, but you…
The Dodgers have more RH hitters than LH hitters, but it is close – 7 righties to 5 lefties. Of course, the ratio of LH to RH is not nearly as great, so in that respect, the Dodgers are unique. The problem is that at least three of the LH hitters are the same guy… at least right…
But that has never stopped us before… has it? We will say whatever we damn well please… and worry about the consequences later. So, here is what I think I know, and if you disagree you must be some kind of derelict! After all, 10 games into the season, we should have all the…
After 10 games, the Dodgers are 8-2. Not a bad start! First place belongs only to the Dodgers now. Clayton Kershaw, while no longer an Ace, is very, very good. Best #3 in Baseball! Andrew Heaney has made a lot of Dodger Fans eat crow. Gonsolin and Anderson are a nice #5 until…
Squat, Zilch, Nada. For guys like Tomas Tellis, Andy Burns, Eddy Alvarez, Jason Martin, and Stefan Romero, this is like a playoff game. They know that they have no chance… but who knows – it feels like it might (this is their thinking), so they are all in. In reality, they are…
I thought I would go back and see who had the best individual seasons in the history of the team. Won’t do all of the categories. That would be an incredibly long post. So I will try to stick to the main stats. WAR Robinson This is a relatively new way to gauge a player’s worth…
Earlier in the week I had a dialogue with MT and Bluto regarding the lack of confidence I have in RVS as a competent MLB Team Batting Coach. I have no doubts that his methodology can and does work for some, but each batter is different and needs a different approach. At least…
Well, let the bidding begin. A number of publications have put out their top 50 Free Agents list. MLBTR is one of my favorites to follow. They are no better with their prognostications than are any other publication. They run contests every year, and many of the readers have…
There has been a lot of speculation about FA the Dodgers may want to re-sign or sign. We have no idea what the CBT will be, or what the penalties will be if a team exceeds that limit with the upcoming CBA. Currently the taxes can reach a maximum 50% for all salaries above the…
Now that the WS is over, the MLB calendar is set (maybe). Maybe because we have no idea what will become of the CBA after the current CBA expires on 12-1. Tentatively, the MLB dates: November 3 – 160 players were declared Free Agents. The Dodgers have 11. November 3 – 7 – Free…
In a Theme from a Halloween Movie, the Dodgers came back from the grave and led by Christ Aylor’s three-home run night (see what I did there) scored 11 runs as they pounded the Atlanta Braves 11-2, and send the series back to the ATL on Saturday. The Braves are putting on a…
The Dodgers were in this same position last year. They were down 3-1 to the Braves and won three straight games. I was confident that they could do that… LAST YEAR! I do not think they can do it THIS YEAR! If you have a great team, The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts…
In this NLDS, the Dodgers and Giants have played three games. The Dodgers have outscored the Giants 9-7. The Dodgers have outhit the Giants 21-16. The Dodgers are hitting .208 while the Giants are hitting .176. The Dodgers have a .252 OB% while the Giants have a .208 OB%. The…
