Now that Ben Casparius has emerged as a MLB LAD pitcher, I thought I would look at the progress made by some of the other LAD MiLB prospects. At the beginning of the season, I never contemplated seeing Casparius in a LAD uni. Good for Ben. He is probably headed for the bullpen as the long member. The new version of Ross Stripling and Mitch White.
Maybe it is the number of injuries, the developmental growth of the prospects, or more likely both, that have led to promotions greater than in previous year…that I can remember. No I am not going to research that.
August was a big month for promotions, and a couple of releases that were a surprise (to me at least).
- 23 year old RHP Kendall Williams was the return from Toronto in the Ross Stripling 2020 trade.
- 21 year old RHP Moises Brito was part of the return from Toronto in the Mitch White/Alex De Jesus trade. The Dodgers still have top prospect, RHP Nick Frasso in the organization. Frasso has missed all of 2024 due to shoulder surgery. He is reportedly going to be ready for ST 2025.
- Not much of a surprise, a pair of RHRP were also released…Madison Jeffrey and Jake Pilarski.
- Also, infielder Chris Owings and former top IFA Luis Rodriguez, CF, were released.
- OF Austin Beck formally retired.
Perhaps the biggest mover this year has been 22 year old Alex Freeland. He had 23 games at Great Lakes (A+), 74 games at Tulsa (AA), and 11 games (thus far) at OKC (AAA). He is now the highest rated SS prospect in the LAD organization, and his scouting report indicates he can stick at SS. He also plays 3B and 2B. He is a bit overmatched in his first 11 games at OKC, but at 22, his future is clearly brightened from the start of 2024. Freeland has blossomed from a prospect outside of all but 1 Top 30 preseason prospect lists (#25 Baseball America), to two top five lists…Baseball America #3, and MLB Pipeline #4.
Dalton Rushing was finally promoted to OKC, but is primarily learning how to play LF. I think AF/BG wanted to see how this transition turns out before considering trading him, especially, for a 2 month rental of a reliever. Although, he is certainly a candidate to be included in a Winter trade.
Organizational depth, INF Brendan Davis and legit RHRP prospect Edgardo Henriquez were also added to the OKC roster.
AA promotions includes one that has been due for a while. 20 year old LHSP Jackson Ferris, who has been positively compared to Blake Snell at the same developmental stage. His 2024 season started out very rough. After his first seven starts at Great Lakes, Ferris’ ERA was at 5.91. In his next 15 games, 81 IP, Ferris pitched to a 2.33 ERA, .174 BA against, .497 OPS against. He had 94 K, but still a too high 31 BB. In his last 7 games he has been even better. 44.2 IP, 0.81 ERA, .127 BA against, and
385 OPS against, 46 K and 15 BB. Jackson Ferris is certainly on the short list for 2025 MLB debuts. IMO, he is about as close to untouchable as LAD has. He does need to work on his control, like most LAD pitcher prospects. Ferris is already at 109 IP for 2024. He started on Tuesday, and could have another 3 additional starts before the season ends.
Defensive whiz SS Noah Miller, power hitting OF Chris Newell, and LHRP Kelvin Bautista were also promoted to Tulsa.
Great Lakes received 5 promoted prospects from Rancho Cordova. One was Matt McLain’s brother, 23 year old SS Sean McLain, LAD 5th round 2022 pick out of Arizona State. After a horrendous start to 2024, on July 4, with 186 PA he was hitting .132/.274/.184/.458. From July 5 to current, McLain is batting .313/.378/.515/.893 after 148 PA, and earned the promotion.
Not yet on the top 30 prospects, but certainly on the watch list is 22 year old LHP Wyatt Crowell. RHRP Christian Ruebeck and C Jesus Galiz were also promoted.
Arizona Rookie Complex League to low A, Rancho Cucamonga promotions included three top 30 prospects…#9 Eduardo Quintero -18 year old OF, #17 Hyun-Seok Jang – 20 year old RHP, #27 Samuel Sanchez – 18 year old RHP. Other promotions from Rookie League:
- 19 year old LHP Sterling Patick
- 19 year old RHP Marco Corcho
- 19 year old C Victor Rodrigues
- 21 year old RHP Dilan Figueredo
We are going to need to wait until next year before we see what 2024 draft picks might be capable of. Only two 2024 draft picks have been assigned. 10th round pick 23 year old RHP, Seamus Barrett, was just assigned to RC (08/15/2024), and 7th round pick 21 year old SS Elijah Hainline, was assigned to RC on July 30. I am looking forward to see where 1st round pick, SS Kellon Lindsey, and 3rd round pick 3B Chase Harlan, end up being assigned at the beginning of the year.
19 year old OF Zyhir Hope had a fantastic 2024 season, even though he has been on the IL most of the year. Hope was the second player returned in the Michael Busch trade to the Cubs.
The Dodgers seem to be building a stable of SS, with three top 10 teenage prospects, all at Rookie League:
- Joendry Vargas #7
- Emil Morales #8
- Kellon Lindsey #10
With Alex Freeland (#4) and Noah Miller (#25), that is 4 top ten and 5 top 25 SS on the prospect ladder.
One other prospect I want to include was my 2024 dark horse candidate, 23 year old RHP Jared Karros. Jared was moved to the Development League after an outstanding start at Tulsa on June 9. He pitched 5.0 shutout innings on 1 hit, 3 BB, and 9 K. Why he was moved to the Development League is a question only LAD personnel can answer, and they have not shared that with me. Maybe working on secondary pitches??? Strengthening his back??? Regardless, he was good enough in 2024 to move from non-top 30 prospect to #22.
You cannot count on rookie league and A level prospects becoming All Stars at the MLB level, but with a limited number of near MLB ready players, the future seems to lie with the younger youngsters.
The Dodgers seem hesitant to move players very quickly through the system, but Alex Freeland was one who did. I do not think he is a candidate to break ST camp as the starting SS next year, but he will be on the short list for MLB promotions in 2025.
Sorry for the early publish, but I needed to get this done before I lock it down for the night with my ice.
Thanks for the update and hope your rehab is going well. What a contrast of home plate umpires – Adam Hamari on Sunday and CB Buckner tonight. That was brutal tonight, When Treinen returns it may be time for Hudson to have a bout of back tightness. He has given up a lot of hard hit balls in his recent relief appearances. A rest would be good for him. Would not be a bad idea to give Will Smith the day off tomorrow for a two day break. He looks lost at the plate and this slump has become over a month of games now. Getting a win when your starter puts ten guys on base in four innings against this Mariner pitching staff is a nice victory. Credit to Jason Heyward for coming up big. Not sure how many more starts that Walker Buehler should get. In addition to a ridiculously high WHIP, his short starts are taxing the bullpen. I am guessing he gets one more but the returns are not encouraging in any sense.
He should be pitching in Oklahoma, if that is legal, and don’t bring him back up until he can dominate down there and pitch at least 6 innings in doing such.
Hey Jeff, hope the recovery is going well and the pain is decreasing. Just a quick correction…..Great Lakes didn’t receive five prospects from Rancho Cordova they got them from Rancho Cucamonga.
I get the mistake with other things on your mind and the quick word association to a city next to Sacramento. I’ve been to Rancho Cordova many times. Hope all is well and thanks for making this the preeminent LA Dodger blog, free of narcissistic ownership and petulant behavior.
Get well!
My bad. Rancho Cordova must have come up in a news bit when I was writing this. I live 10 minutes fro Rancho Cordova. Thanks for the correction.
Guess which team has the best record in baseball.
I’d say I’m stunned, but I’m really not.
That’s why u r the GOAT. Can’t slip anything past u.
I’ve never heard of Casparius before he was mentioned on this site. Will we even see him in this tense stretch we have at season’s end?
I’m really loving the new additions to our bottom of the lineup. KK & Edman, in particular. They look and feel like baseball players. KK is a particularly fine CFer with a command of the turf that is not often seen, imo.
However, it’s a bit late for the pitching auditions to start and Buehler should not be taking the space of some of the more deserving arms that we have like Wrobleski and Knack. Let Buehler work it out on the farm and in next season’s ST. We need to get the gang ready for showtime and Buehler is nowhere near ready, imo. He got creamed tonight.
Exactly…..well said.
Do you really think Rushing could be traded? Will Smith has been wearing down towards the end of the season in recent memory and wouldn’t it benefit the team to have a backup catcher that hits as good as Smith or close to it, to get close to 50/50 playing time out of both of them, so niether one wears down towards the end of the season. I’m thinking because the front office seems to love versitility and there’s 3 catchers in AAA, it was the perfect time to try Rushing at a different position for future versitility.
I agree. It may be smart to treat the catcher position like NFL treats RB’s, and having 2-3 capable ones all play and remain fresh.
If Rushing is the real deal, and if he’s becoming good in LF, next year he can be the catcher 30-40% of the time as well as play LF.
Yes, yes, yes…..great idea Eric…..please somehow try to get it to the people in power who make decisions. They might not be thinking along these lines. They might need a little nudge. -TM
It’s been reported that the White Sox wanted Rushing in a deal for Crochet, and the Dodgers refused.
It might have been different for Crochet + Robert + Kopech…, but getting Kopech + Edman in a three-team swap, and Flaherty in a separate deal seems like low-risk win for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers added three significant players while retaining their top prospects.
I had been pining for a bigger bat with both Mookie and Max out, but now I’m glad it’s Edman
If the Tigers put Skubal on the market, I could imagine Rushing being dealt. I can also imagine him starting in LF for the Dodgers if he can deliver OK defense.
Great win, huge hit by Heyward! Lead still 3 games on SD.
I think Buehler has reached the end of the road with the big league club. You just can not trot him out again and again to see him get hit hard. The guy knows he no longer can overpower hitters, he looks timid and afraid, then he starts nibbling and walking guys. When he is in the strike zone it gets hit hard often.
If you keep him in the rotation you run this pen right into the ground. Especially since Bobby Miller these days is not giving you any length too..
Glasnow and Yamamoto can not return soon enough .
Ferris pitched 3 innings at TUL,0 runs, 2 h, 5 Ks, 2 BB.
Honeywell for me surprsingly cleared waivers and was assigned to OKC. I thought another team would pick him up for sure.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ram, you should watch the post-game interviews more closely. Roberts said there were many positives to his start. He does not look timid at all. What is missing, and Roberts mentioned this also, is command. His stuff is very good, and his control is not really that bad, but his command of the strike zone is not good and that is when he gets in trouble. He was also hampered by several bad calls by the worst umpire in the majors.
Welcome back Jeff. I missed seeing your posts.
Thanks for the comprehensive update on prospects. The future certainly looks bright. I noticed that mlb.com’s top 10 Dodgers prospects includes four shortstops: Freeland and three teenagers.
If Rushing shows he can play LF, we could have a competition between him, Pages and Outman next Spring, assuming that AF makes Teo an acceptable offer. If Rushing sticks, perhaps he could take over 1B when Freddie is ready for a tearful farewell.
Great win today. My takeaways:
–Obviously Heyward isn’t happy with some of us fans wanting to scratch him from the playoff roster. He just made upcoming personnel decisions tougher, especially if Keirmaier keeps playing so well that he reconsiders retirement.
–We got a look at just how good Edman is. That play at SS was spectacular. I used to think AF would sign Adames in the off-season, but Edman will be under contract and he could be the solution. (Better to have the aging Rojas as a back up.) Imagine an up-the-middle defense with Smith at C, Edman at SS, Lux/Rojas at 2B and Mookie at CF. (Why not Mookie?)
–I am no longer concerned that Max and Edman will have trouble getting their games in gear. The outlook for Buehler is unchanged.
–It was JT who screwed up the rundown on Ohtani. He just threw the ball a half-second too soon, enabling Shohei to break back for the bag. A fake throw might have helped.
BTW, while we may not know for sure why a particular prospect was released, the news always seems a bit sad. Flaherty came from Detroit for Sweeney and Liranzo. I wish it had been three-for-one, with Kendall Williams in the deal as well.
Anyway, I hope all the talent that was released finds a soft landing and proves the Dodger management wrong.
I suspect most of us have our payback fantasies.
Yeah, no. Only those who have a ridiculous bone to pick with management.
Good stuff. Emil Morales’ numbers are insane right. Way up there on the watch list.
Jeff nice update on rookies ice is a. Godsend take care
This winter will tell us a lot of what the Dodgers feel about Alex Freeland. If he’s considered a legit SS option, we may see Rojas/Edman, etc at SS until Freeland is ready to take over.
If the Dodgers go out and get a younger SS for a few years, it means Freeland may not be “the guy”, and we need someone for 2-3 years at SS until the next batch of SS’s (Vargas, Morales) are ready.
SS is one of the more intriguing positions to watch this off season. I can’t see Mookie being the plan there so your assessment sounds right. It will depend on the FO thinks of our young SS’s.
Ponder this:
What if, Bobby, the Dodgers think Freeland may be the guy in a year or two?
Same management team that thought Lux should be SS and Vargas should be at 2B…
But maybe they’ve learned from that mistake. And maybe Freeland is that capable.
It’s great to see Lux come to life. Is Mookie-to-the-infield now delayed indefinitely?
While I think Edman is fine at SS, AF may prefer Adames, with Edman in CF
Zero chance AF prefers Adames if he’s a priority FA for anyone else.
But I could see it if Adames doesn’t see a market develop.
Jeff, a nice preview of players to watch for in 2025 . Welcome back. Bear has done an outstanding job of creating content and subject matter to keep us engaged during your absence. I think you would have to be impressed with the daily comment count. The site has remained a civil place to share our thoughts on dodger baseball. Bear, obviously, deserves a raise along with vision and dental plans. Lol.
Another exciting Dodger game last night. Jason Heyward is not going to make it easy on Dodger management with upcoming personnel moves.
CB Buckner. He has to be the next umpire to have the need to spend more tome with his family. The game is hard enough. Between Mookie and Will I don’t know who gets the most shitty calls. It gets tiring to watch. Certainly Will has to curb his displeasure, but I have to commend Mookie on his restraint.
I’m really on the fence with Buehler. Should he continue to be allowed to take up a rotation spot? I happened to catch his post game interview. He says this was his best game since his last return from the IL. He is happy with his progress and is getting closer to being more consistent. Wow. I mean he knows what his body and arm are going through when pitching. But, with those results we saw last night I don’t know if Roberts gives him any further chances. With him being a free agent in 2025 there is no real reason to invest anymore time with his rehab. It’s easy for me to sit here and write something like that, but it’s a performance based business and he ain’t performing. For me, it’s sad to watch him struggle. He is such a competitor and was a fearless pitcher in the big games. With all the youngsters and current starters I don’t see the need to continue with trying to get him on track. I don’t think it’s worth the investment. I guess I just talked myself off the fence.
What a difference it makes having productive MLB players on the field. The lineup is deeper than it’s been in months. Hell, Max Muncy is hitting 7th! I forget who stated that it’s like having another cleanup hitter…in the 7th spot. Kudos to you!
Lately, Kevin Kiermaier has proven most of us wrong with his offensive. And what a joy to watch him in CF. When the ball is hit anywhere between left center and right center my anxiety level is near zero with him out there. It beats watching Pages twirling around while chasing down a fly ball. It’s not Pages fault. His not a CF. He was put into that spot mainly because of the failure offensively of James Outman.
Tommy Edman is quickly becoming a favorite. Unfortunately, this could mean the end of the CT3 era. It’s a costly move, but at this point Edman is a far more valuable player. He has to be the top utility player in baseball right now. Andrew Friedman, with his affinity for utility players, has to be in heaven with his addition to the team.
The team may not be scoring a lot of runs, but with the return and addition of several players, they keep grinding away and finding a way to win. This was somewhat what it was like earlier in the season. With all the injuries and the long season it is easy to forget this is the Dodgers’ winning MO much of the time.
Carry on.
Seattle’s offense is one of the weakest in baseball, yet they took Buehler to the woodshed. Walker says he feels close and he just “has to do it”. Roberts gave no indication he is going to pull him from the rotation. Sounds like we will see this again sometime next week.
Nice to see your byline Jeff. As for the prospects, who among them can help win games in what looks like will be a competitive pennant race? I’d like to see what pitcher is next up. Casparius? Put him out there.
Smith needs a break. It appears obvious so why isn’t it happening? And Feduccia. Why did they bother bringing him up if he isn’t go to play?
This is what Heyward is capable of and that is why he is still here. What a terrific clutch hit.
Edman looks like the baller we all thought he was. Kinda makes CT3 unnecessary doesn’t it?
This team believes in itself. And it shows. With athletic tape, atomic balm, elastic bandages, and rookie starters, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball. A miracle? I’m sure they don’t think so. If you were to ask them I’m sure they’d say “they all will continue to chase us”. It’s scary at times, but it’s good to be a Dodger fan.
It is being reported that Casparius will be optioned when Treinen comes back (maybe today). They did not make the move on Tuesday because they wanted Casparius for bulk innings if Buehler could not get out of the 1st or 2nd inning. He got MLB service time, so good for him. He will be in ML ST next year so we will see what he can do. The current plan is for him to be in the bullpen. We will see if that changes next year.
Great post again Ted……it is now a no-brainer…Tommy Edman is my man at SS or CF or wherever we need him. I’m glad he is signed through next year and I hope beyond once he shows management how valuable he can be. What a Godsend.
As for KK, absolutely, it is so nice not to have to squirm in anxiety watching Pages imitate a seal out there in CF. KK’s glove is enough for me…hopefully he gets a key hit every so often…that would be an added bonus.
That was Buehler feeling better? Oy ve…..
oh, and yes, welcome back, Jeff. I hope your recovery goes smoothly. You were missed but the Bear is the purr-fect substitute teacher.
Oh, I’m glad Michael Kopech got to have two days of rest. Time to do the same for a few other bullpen guys. -TM
Thanks TM. Good point on the Kopech’s days off. Hudson could use a few days off himself. The 37 year old is running on fumes right now. Roberts is pushing the envelope with his recent use of Hudson.
Players that can play a good shortstop essentially can play about any other position on the field other than pitcher and possibly catcher. Like a good tight end can play about any position other than quarter back on the offensive side of the ball. The front office will have a tough decision to make when Taylor is ready to go. Whatever they decide will be controversial and make for great fodder.
Jeff hope your recovery goes well. Physical pain can easily lead to mental pain which sometimes is more problematic.
As bad as CB Buckner was last night (and he was terrible), what the hell was wrong with instant replay guys in NY??
Both the Joe Kelly pickoff throw to 1b and the runner trying to score in the 9th were called wrong on the field, and somehow NOT reversed after multiple angles.
At least we weren’t the only team getting screwed.
I am constantly amazed at how many calls NY still gets wrong after review.
I totally agree, Bobby. I think the default to the call made on the field makes it too easy for NY to stay with the original call, good or bad.
“Indisputable evidence” taints the process. Just look at the call without bias, ignoring the call on the field, and determine safe or out.
Then, if it’s impossible to clearly determine, stay with the call on the field.
Not enough evidence to overturn either. Who knows what they are looking at, but the last call on Rojas trying to score, it was after 1 AM in the morning in NY. Probably wanted to get the hell out of there and go home.
Hey Jeff. Great write up and good to see/read you. Hope the rehab is going well.
So what will the Dodgers do with Taylor?
Taylor can play any outfield position. He can steal bases. He can play 3rd, ss, 2b. He will run into one (homer) occasionally. He has postseason experience and some very good. He is a team player who might even bunt on occasion. That is what is possible.
what he can’t do:
b counted on to put it in play
b a dependable hitter
so it will b interesting to c what the chess players decide.
I don’t see the rush to add Taylor to the roster. Unless there is some time limit as to how long he can be on a rehab assignment. Just wait until September 1 when rosters expand and no need to move anyone off the roster.
Here’s my guess.
They wait until early September and then add CT3 back to the roster when it expands to 28.
That means they don’t have remove Kiermaier, Kike or JHey.
It also means Pages doesn’t come back this year, but they really do seem to gravitate toward the veterans when the season is on the line.
At the end of September they’ll have to make one cut, so those four guys will have a month to audition. One will have to go for the playoffs although they can make changes for each series.
Like Ron Fairly I figure September but again didn’t know if the rehab would b over before September.
is the playoff roster 28 or 26 if u know or if someone knows?
Connor Brogdon rehabbing as well.
Rosters go to 28 September 1 then back to 26 for the playoffs
Thanks
so it makes sense to wait until September on Taylor barring injury.
eat the money and cut his ass loose.
if and when a decision has to be made. I’d keep him on the IL and deal with it this winter. But I’m going to be big pissed if we DFA Heyward, KK or even Kike to employ CT3.
On second thought if it comes down to CT3 or Kike, I don’t care really. The decision between this two should have been made before the season anyway. We haven’t needed both of them on the roster from the beginning.
Yeah, I was surprised when they signed Kike. They are essentially the same player and neither is a difference maker. AF screwed the pooch big time when he gave that ridiculous contract to Taylor.
It will come down to Kike or CT3, for the 13 man playoff roster, baring an injury down the stretch. Maybe the fact that Kike has been playing should make the difference. CT3 hasn’t played since July 24th. Kike’s .210/.600 and .205/.538 doesn’t inspire much confidence but CT3 24 totals of .167/.542 inspire NO confidence.
On 9/1, I’ll take Pages as one of the 14 position players until the playoffs. He gets shit about not being a centerfielder but that’s covered now. I’ll take his bat at .246/.693 and especially his .337/.871 vs LHP. I might actually like that as a pinch hitter for the playoff roster and leaving both Kike and CT3 off that roster.
“On 9/1, I’ll take Pages as one of the 14 position players until the playoffs. He gets shit about not being a centerfielder but that’s covered now. I’ll take his bat at .246/.693 and especially his .337/.871 vs LHP. I might actually like that as a pinch hitter for the playoff roster and leaving both Kike and CT3 off that roster.”
👍 Excellent opinion. I agree.
I don’t get paid to make roster decisions and no one will ask my opinion but my playoff position players would be Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Lux, Rojas, Muncy, Teoscar, Kiermaier, Smith, Barnes, Edman, Heyward and Pages. I agree with Phil and Eric Keke and Taylor are easily replaced. Pitching for the playoffs is to be determined by who is healthy.
Beuhler came out great in the first, 2 outs and 9 pitches. and then lost it, again.
Same problem, different day. He has no command of the strike zone. He doesn’t just miss, like he’s nibbling for strikes, he’s missing by a foot everywhere with non-competitive pitches. His speed is good, his pitches have spin and break; it looks like it should work.
But the pitches are everywhere. his breaking ball bounces in the other batter’s box more then he lands it, and his fastball is 58 feet or 70. You really don’t see many spiked fastballs or cutters but he has big misses. He has zero command of the area code let alone the strike zone.
This creates an interesting dilemma; what now?
Do you see a glimmer of hope and allow him to make another start? Or do you cut him loose now and part ways, as a free agent after this season, anyway?
I think he’ll get more rope. Glasnow and Yamamoto’s progress will determine Walker’s fate.
What can you say about CD Bucknor that hasn’t been said for 24 years? He had 17 misses last night with an 82% called strike accuracy, He refuses to call strikes in the bottom of the zone but everywhere else is fair game. He may have been correct on the Mookie out at home call, as Mookie’s lead foot was above the plate. Not sure on Hudson’s tag on the wild pitch but what the hell was Rivas doing trying to score from 2nd, three runs down?
Should be an excellent match up tonight with Flaherty and Logan Gilbert.
Oh, and nice to see you back, Jeff. I hope your pain is subsiding and your rehab is going well. 😎
For a 3-3 game going into the bottom of the 8th, it sure was a long game. With Buehler having issues with his control and just about going 3-2 with every hitter, Miller throwing a lot of pitches, CB Buckner’s bad calls, and all the replays it was like old times. A three plus hour game.
Concerning the unexplainable time it takes to make a decision with replays I think if they can’t decide in one minute then the call stays. The real purpose of the replay was to correct obvious incorrect calls. That way the human element of the umpire stays in the game. Some say it’s to make every call correct. Last night it is evident it doesn’t. All the calls reviewed couldn’t be overturned because they were either correct or they didn’t have a correct angle on the play. It happens. They shouldn’t take 2-3-4 minutes to determine that.
I don’t know if Buehler is fixable at this point but after Bucknor’s ball call in the fourth that was a strike on Rodriguez Buehler seemed to pitch better to get out of the inning. Might be my imagination he pitched better but maybe he needs a few bad calls to pitch angry. He was mad and just pitched instead of thinking about pitching.
Nice win last night. Loved J-Hey’s PH bomb. He is not going to be the one released if Taylor is indeed put back on the roster. I was really irked by Timmons comments about this site. And I know Jeff is too much of a gentleman to say anything, so I went on there, for the last time, and said my peace. Mark was out of line, and I told him so. I do not think the fans who post here are in any way morons. They are fans who have their own opinions, and while I might not always agree, I at least am willing to hear them out. I am tired of name calling, and belittling fans for simply having an opinion.
The comment that MT referenced on his site and linked to moronic behavior was probably one of the most moronic statements I’ve seen on any blog at any time this year. So there’s that.
Kudos to you Bear.
You’re not dealing with a stable person. That guy really has some deep issues, as I pointed out previously with a Psychology Today article.
👍 I’ve noticed A LOT less posts over there.
The standing O fans gave JT was awesome. We have good fans in LA. Be hard for anyone to cry about this lineup now with Freddie and mookie back. Muncy and Edman and the defensive whizz Kiermaier rooming center on occasion. Get good starters lined up for October. Look out.
Kinda scary:
https://www.mlive.com/sports/saginaw-bay-city/2024/08/great-lakes-loons-pitcher-leaves-field-on-stretcher-after-line-drive.html
It’s also been reported he needed surgery!
A scary moment for LAD #20 prospect, RHP Patrick Copen (correct spelling).
Unacceptable.
Thank you all for the well wishes. I wish I was physically ready to return fulltime, but not just yet. Most of my day is taken up with rehab exercises, icing, keeping my leg propped up, and mini naps since I still cannot sleep through the night.
I am making excellent progress. For those who have had the surgery, you will recognize range of motion progress. At 20 days my knee was at 95 degrees. That is considered ahead of schedule. I need to get to 120 degrees before I am fully released for full activity. That is my goal and I hope to get their before the three months, a time frame I was advised it would take.
I have stated this publicly before, and I will undoubtedly do so again, but I am forever grateful for how Bear has stepped up and carried the mantle for me. He has done an outstanding job, and I hope this partnership will continue when I do return on a more routine basis.
Since I started this blog, I have been blessed with three regular and outstanding article contributors…Harold Uhlman, Rob Schelling, and Bear (Michael Norris). tedraymond even contributed an excellent post, and is welcome to add others if he so desires.
I am grateful for all who come here to contribute. I originally started this site because I wanted to continue to write, and was hoping to have enough contributors so that I was not just writing to myself. Mission accomplished thanks to all of you. I have never been in competition with any other of the excellent LAD blogs (including LA Dodger Talk, the pinnacle of LAD blogs). I have only been concerned about LA Dodger Chronicles, and it is doing just fine thanks to all of you.
I hope to be contributing more routinely, but in the interim, Bear will continue to produce and publish new commentaries. He already has three in the queue.
Something is wrong with a grown man throwing tantrums and name calling to feed his enormous ego.
Mark is who he is. I have no quarrel with the guy. He just said something yesterday on his blog that touched a nerve. Jeff contributed in some small way as did I to the success of his blog. He wrote much of the stuff published, but several other writers, including Bulldogs & Penguins did stories too. I looked back before he closed and then re-opened it earlier this year when I could get on the dashboard, I had written close to 300 posts between when I started in 2020 to when he said he was quitting. In my humble opinion, sometimes his fuse is just a little too short with some of the posters. I will readily admit there were times when I too would wonder where the hell is this guy coming from. But he did nip all the political and non-baseball stuff in the bud pretty fast. Jeff won’t allow that here either. Nor does he stand for name calling, which at one point got out of hand on several sites. I just love what I do, and I do it out of love of the game and the team. I hope to continue doing it for as long as I can.
Thank you and Jeff for all the work you do on this blog.
And you are doing a great job Bear. I enjoy and learn reading your posts. Thank You.
👍
👍 Yep.
Per MLB Glossary:
CT3 went on rehab on August 16. There is no reason whatsoever to DFA anyone just to recall CT3 before September 1 (15 days). Why limit your options?
I expect Walker Buehler to make at least one more start. He will have two more open dates before what should be his next scheduled start, August 27 against Baltimore. If that goes bad, I expect the Dodgers to do nothing until September 1. Buehler cannot be optioned so he needs to stay on the roster or be released. The Dodgers may be loyal, but they are not stupid. If they do intend on releasing him, Buehler will not be released so that he can land on a playoff roster. Must be in the organization on August 31 to be eligible for the playoffs.
Tyler Glasnow is eligible to come off the IL on August 28. There is no reason to push Glasnow to August 28 vs sometime after September 1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still at least 2 weeks from a possible return. They are looking at 2 more sim games before they make a decision on him.
Podcast news.
MLB Pipeline has a new one:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mlb-pipeline/id906717198
Among LAD players noted:
Jackson Ferris
Zyhir Hope
Freeland
Mookie Betts
Extended passage:
He <Ferris> was good last year with the Cubs at single A. And has been better this year. That’s kind of the way things go. It seems like with the Dodgers, when they get guys, they magically become better… And Michael Busch is having a very good season for the Cubs…“but he is throwing more strikes. He’s basically unhittable and it comes down to, if he throws a lot of strikes, I think he’s a frontline starter….And it would not shock me if Hope made our top 100 prospects list at some point next year.”
From MLB Pipeline: Dog Days of Summer, Aug 20, 2024
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dog-days-of-summer/id906717198?i=1000666035542
This material may be protected by copyright.
Players outperforming Lux after ASB (Lux’s slash: .361/.427/.680) are:
Judge
Guerrero
Soto
and Witt.
What a turnaround. So happy for the young man. On July 10th he was hitting .207 with an OPS of .541. And he’s playing outstanding defense. Continuing anywhere near this pace and he’s an all star next year. On another note, one of my favorite players Joc Pederson is having a killer year, OPS of .958. And before you all put him down as strictly a platoon player, he’s hitting .849 against lefties. I’d stick him in LF with those kind of numbers! Good on you Joc.
A win tonight and it looks like we pick up a game on both Pads and Dirtbags. Shut em down Jack!
???
Joc Pederson post All Star game:
.361 .506 .770 1.276
Good for Joc!
Always good to see ex-Dodgers thrive elsewhere.
Miguel Rojas scratched from tonight’s lineup. No reason given. Lineup is the same as last night, Edman at SS batting 8th and Kiermaier in CF batting 9th. Yamamoto is throwing to hitters at Dodger Stadium right now. AF, coaches and Roberts observing.
Next year on the major league roster I would like to see Daulton rushing and Andy Pages and Betts as the outfielders and of course Cheis Taylor will be in the mix but they need one more outfielder. Would it be Teaoscar or do they get a legit centerfielder like a Michael Taylor or Bryson Buxton or Taylor Ward they should be able to trade for someone in off season and keep mookie in right or move him to second base and get a legit shortstop and I do believe get another starter in rotation. There some guys that would help this rotation how about Max Fried and resigning Flarethy with Glasnow Yamamoto and Ohtani. And I would make May the closer big red yep throws hard looks mean could be another Gagne wouldn’t need him as a starter. Could you see when he comes in to the game to close red sirens go off like a fire engine yep. Plus with Rushing making the squad he can catch to sometimes better hitter then Barnes send Barnes like to the As or Rockies.
You do realize that we have a young second baseman playing at an all star level right now. Mookie will be given another shot at SS if he wants it. And I’m pretty sure Gavin Stone will be in our rotation next year.
Just got back from vacation and watched replay of Buehler’s outing last night. I was encouraged. I think his stuff is there and he just needs to keep improving his command and put away hitters with 2 strikes. It’s been almost 2 years since he competed at this level and it’s gonna take some time. I’m in your corner Striker. I predict that Buehler will be pitching for us in October
Welcome back Max!!!!!!!
Its nice to have a healthy lineup performing the way it was expected to