58 posts
I continue to read about the sensational LAD prospects. Mark has the Dodgers as a top 10 MiLB organization while no major publication does. After the loss of Keibert Ruiz and Jo Jo Gray, the publications dropped them to mid-level (around 15). Certainly not bad, but also not…
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
This is AF’s 5th full year, and hopefully he will continue for several more years. He is human so he is prone to making mistakes, but never has he made an error without a very good reason for making a change. Most of us may not have understood the decisions, but they were always made to help the team. And I recognize and appreciate that it was a rhetorical statement,
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
Some first week observations: It is obvious that the Dodgers offense misses JT; the one clutch hitter in the lineup. The only offense thus far is Yasmani Grandal. Without any concrete evidence, it is my opinion that the Owings HR off of Jansen with two outs in the 9th on the Monday game against the DBacks had a negative impact on the Tuesday and Wednesday games. The Dodgers have
You all know the story in 2014, at age 18, a Dodgers minor league first baseman hit .312 with 3 HR and 34 RBI. That same year, Adrian Gonzalez, the Dodgers 1B, hit .276 with 27 HR and 116 RBI. Three years later, that 18 year-old 1B who was 21 by then, hit 39 Home Runs because he seized the day. Adrian Gonzalez was injured and the Dodgers needed a
The New MLB Pipeline Dodger Top 30 prospeccts have been published. Jim Callis is a premier minor league talent evaluator. He is not the typical sabermetrics talent evaluator. He uses the eye test as well. If he has not seen the player live, he has studied hours of tape. Some people prefer Eric Logenhagen of Fangraphs or Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser, but I am partial to Jim Callis. The
By now it s old news that the Dodgers were named the Organization of the Year in 2017 by Baseball America. If we go back in time to when Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi took over the Dodgers three years ago, the Farm System was ranked number 14 in all of baseball by Baseball America. In one short year, FAZ elevated that ranking to #3 and in 2016, they were ranked
The Hot Stove is Cold We are all going stir-crazy! OK, let s get really crazy: The Dodgers trade Matt Kemp, Pedro Baez and Clayton Kershaw to Texas for Cole Hamels and Jose Leclerc. That frees up $35 million in 2018. Next, they sign Yu Darvish as a Free Agent and trade Yadier Alvarez, Yusneil Diaz, Jordon Sheffield and Kenta Maeda to Pittsburgh for Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole. Rotation: Hamels
A year ago, Dodger fans were wondering whether Adrian Gonzalez had anything left. I stated that if he didn t, the Dodgers had an option at 1B who was ready to take over one Cody Bellinger. I had watched Cody and Corey Seager progress and grow through the ranks of the Dodger farm teams, and I knew he was ready. I have only been that sure with two other current
If the Dodgers do nothing, this is what I would expect come Spring Training. 1B – Bellinger 2B – Forsythe 3B – JT SS – Seager LF – Kike’ and Joc/Toles CF – Taylor RF – Puig C – Barnes Rotation: Kershaw, Hill, Wood, Maeda, Ryu Bullpen: Jansen, Baez, Fields, Garcia, Koehler, Stripling, Avilan, Cingrani Bench: Grandal, 2 of Kike’/Joc/Toles, and Locastro Grandal and JT can relieve Bellinger
Figures don t lie, but liars figure and sometimes they are not even liars they are just using unreliable figures. There are several websites that keep track of teams salaries. In this instant case, I am speaking about the salary obligations of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2018 season. You would think stuff like this would be cut and dried, but it s evidently not. Let s look at a couple
Just because other teams make dope-fiend moves, doesn t mean the Dodger have to. Look, they have been paying the luxury tax for too long and have paid about $300 million in penalties. It started with foolish, long-term deals to Kemp and Ethier and then came THE TRADE (Beckett, Gonzalez and Crawdad). The Dodgers owe Kemp $5.5 million over the next two year, but after next season, most of the obligations
OK, I ll put down my crack pipe, if you put down yours. Stanton and Ohtani were crack! Just say no to drugs! This Team Is Still Pretty Special. The won 104 games and just missed winning the World Series by that much. Let s start with this: The Dodgers are set at a number of positions with some high quality players, most of whom are young enough to improve even more .
I continue to read that Dodger Ownership/Management wants to get under the luxury tax threshold THIS year. That is certainly a laudable goal, and under normal circumstances I can see why that should always be the goal. But is 2018 the year to draw the line? Sometimes you need to spend money to make money. In home building, finishes are upgraded to get buyers to sign. Buyers are visual…bling
Anyone who really believes they know what the Master Plan is could be delusional. One thing I have learned is that one never knows in what direction FAZ goes. Did anyone truly believe that FAZ would have signed all three 2016 FA? Most did not even think Hill was a consideration, and that FAZ would only sign one of Jansen and Turner. I thought that Turner would come back (LA
Lest we forget, the Dodgers were so close, so very close to winning the World Series last year and they were (for the most part) a very young team. The CF, SS and 1B were all under 24. The RF was 26 and the catcher was 27. Next year, they will be even younger after Chase Utley, Andre Ethier and Adrian Gonzalez are gone, but that’s not to say they
This year’s MLB Winter Meetings will be held December 10-14 in Ontario, Florida. On the final day of the MLB’s Winter Meetings, the annual Rule 5 draft takes place. Players eligible for selection must meet the following criteria: Not on the MLB team’s 40 man roster. 5th Year after signing initial contract is signed at 18 or younger, or; 4th year after signing initial contract is signed at 19 or
The Arizona Fall League Championship Game will be played on my birthday, November 18th, but of more importance is how certain Dodger Prospects are performing. Yusniel Diaz has played very well in the Fall League with a .303 Batting Average and a .356 OB%. To date, he has displayed excellent skills in all phases of the game except power. That may or may not come, but the only question I
Many have posited (including me) that the depth the Dodgers have generated were critical in their march to 104 wins. I have also written that the depth needs to be pruned at times so that the organization will continue to grow by clearing the way for new prospects or ML 25 man roster help. That is why I had no problem with sending Jharel Cotton, Grant Holmes, and Frankie Montas
I hate saying that! It was a bitter loss one that I am not likely to get over ever! Early in Game 7 I blamed Roberts for leaving Yu Momma in for more than 3 seconds, and maybe that had an effect on the Dodgers psyche, but when you only score 1 run and are 1-13 with RISP, you can t win. End of story! Justin Turner hit .160 in the
As we await to find out who the Dodgers play in the first round of the playoffs, I think it s appropriate that we look ahead and see what types of changes could be on the horizon for the Dodgers in 2018. Changes in Players Of course, we do know that Andre Ethier s contract us up and unless he wants to sign a Chase Utley type contract, his Dodgers career is
Once a Knucklehead Always a Knucklehead We all saw Puig get thrown out trying to steal 2B at the end of Saturday Night s game and Dave Roberts was unusually vocal in his displeasure. It turns out that the blown steal just may have been the straw that broke the camel s back. I am not privy to what is going on, but I have heard whispers that the Dodgers locker room
The OKC Dodgers finished the 2017 AAA season with a 72-69 record, good enough for 2nd place in the PCL American North Division. However, they were 10.0 games behind the division champion Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Brewers). The Sky Sox then lost to the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) in the American Divisional Series. The El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres) beat the Reno Aces (Dbacks) in the Pacific Division championship series. The Memphis
I am an unabashed and unapologetic supporter of FAZ. They have built a tremendous team and know how to utilize a full 40 man roster to their advantage because they have the depth to do so. I also believe that a winning TEAM is greater than the sum of the individual players. Clayton Kershaw is special. There is no question of that. But he is one of 40, and I
Really, it s not gloom and doom! Last year, when Clayton had the herniated disk, everyone wondered what the team would do. It turns out that Kershaw s injury galvanized them and others stepped up to fill the void. Not only did they not miss a beat, but they thrived. I, for one, do not expect the same thing to happen this year, although I believe there is no reason to panic .
When the Dodgers traded Zach Lee to the Mariners for Chris Taylor, my first reaction was: He’s a backup SS – OK, but not great. He’s a utility guy who is a junkyard dog. Chris Taylor is a baseball rat! He’s an over-achieving utilityman. That means I like him. A couple of days later, I wrote: The more I read about him the more I think Chris Taylor is EXACTLY
So, the Dodgers currently own the best record in baseball at 61-29, which is a .678 winning percentage. With 72 games left, they could go 30-42 and still likely make the playoffs with 91 wins. If they just play .500 ball the rest of the way, they will end up with 97 wins which would be absurd (playing .500 ball and winning 97 games). If they keep up their current
Moment-by-moment, memory-by-memory, the Dodgers have did it again! Dodger Broadcaster, Joe Davis Joe has made it a lot easier not to miss Vin he s not Vin, but in case you haven t listened to the stiffs and homers other teams use, he is near the top of play-by-play baseball announcers. What a comeback and what a way to kill a snake! Now, back to the things at Hand! If the
Gina Lollobrigida turned 90 yesterday. Described in her prime as the most beautiful woman in the world , Lollobrigida, will be receiving a long-overdue star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year. Hopefully, I am not the only one who remembers her. What does that have to do with Andrew Friedman? Absolutely nothing except that Andrew Friedman and Company should be pretty dang beautiful in Dodger fans eyes right
