It seems that a large number of Dodger fans are seemingly enraged when Austin Barnes catches. Yes, he is no Will Smith. “Will Smith is an All-Star who hits and throws out baserunners.” They go berserk whenever Will Smith is not in the lineup. In their minds, every time that Dave Roberts makes out a lineup card with Austin Barnes’ name on it, they assume that the Dodgers are throwing…
I have to confess that when I hear this, I don’t just chuckle; I erupt into crazed laughter. I mean, how do you construct a team for the playoffs? Maybe you just need to commission someone to make a cyborg for all nine positions? Many fans who read here have been around for fifty, sixty, or seventy years, and most are conditioned to the way it used to be. Or…
It’s not a secret that the Los Angeles Dodgers catchers have not been successful in throwing out runners trying to steal bases for quite some time. This year, Will Smith has given up 13 stolen bases while throwing out 10 of the runners, which isn’t bad, but in 2023, he allowed 72 stolen bases while throwing out just 19 runners. So far this year, Austin Barnes has allowed seven stolen…
A glass containing water to the half-way point is often used to point out the difference between optimists and pessimists: The optimist sees the glass as half full. They focus on what is there. “So much that can be done with half a glass of water.” The pessimist sees the glass as half empty. He sees that the glass used to be full and now half of its contents are gone. Soon it will…
Everyone thinks that Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman are the key to the Dodgers’ offensive success in 2024. I beg to differ. Of course, the Dodgers need the three former MVPs to step up and do what they do, but there are a few other players who could also be the linchpins of their success, namely Teoscar Hernandez, Jason Heyward, James Outman, Gavin Lux, and Will Smith. Teoscar…
What do I make of the game two debacle in Seoul. Very little! We know that the pitchers are better than that. Now, I realize that some Dodgers fans are so skilled in their analysis of players that after one game or one inning they can make a determination as to whether that player needs to go back to OKC or the boneyard. I am not that skilled! I wish…
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 Barnes is one of the worst throwing catchers in MLB, then Will Smith is right there with…
Under Andrew Friedman’s leadership since 2015, the Dodgers have a winning percentage of . 623 (845-512), including a franchise record 111 wins in the 2022 season as well as a club-best . 717 winning percentage during the shortened 2020 season (43-17).There is a lot more to the Dodgers Player Development that just coaching and one-on-one sessions. Entering his tenth season with the club after being named to the post on October 14,…
Is that even possible? It’s never been done. Seven players on one team with at least thirty home runs? That’s not possible… is it? The Dodgers had four players with 30 HR once, but the 2019 Twins and the 2023 Braves are the only clubs in history to have five players reach the 30-homer mark. The Dodgers could obliterate it this year as they have seven (count ’em 7) players…
IF Spring Training were an audition and IF the backup catcher spot were up for grabs, Chris Okey might have a leg up after his two-hit game yesterday, which featured a 3-run home run. However, Austin Barnes is the backup catcher and it will likely stay that way for the rest of this year… barring injury of course! Why is that? you might ask, and that is a very good…