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 elite. Just this week DodgerLover said the team needs to clear the deck for the next wave of prospect talent. Is there…
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…