I saw Tim Kurchin doing this on a podcast with his son. He took baseball uniform numbers and picked his choices as the best ever to wear each number. Some interesting results I thought. But not many I would argue with. So, I thought it might be fun to try this with our posters and see who they would come up with. Some would be easy I would think, others, not so much. Remember, this is one’s personal opinion, not a list made up by experts. Mike Petrillo of MLB.com once ranked each number by how productive it was. Another interesting idea. The dead ball era players miss this list since numbers were not common until the 1920’s. Some of the players on this list were on a list made in 2019 on CBS. We won’t go through all the numbers, that would take too long. Just the ones that make sense.
# 1. Ozzie Smith. Probably the greatest defensive SS in baseball history. The Wizard of Oz was simply unbelievable at times. He was not a very good hitter while a member of the Padres, but when he was traded to the Cardinals, things would change. Every opening day while with the Cardinals he would do a back flip when he got to his position at SS. Smith won 13 gold gloves and had a 37 WAR with his glove alone.
# 2. Derek Jeter. Jeter is 6th on the all-time hit list, 3465. He won 5 rings in an era where that is becoming harder than ever before. He is 11th all-time in runs scored, 1923 and 12th in times on base, 4,717. He was the Yankees captain in an era where very few players are accorded that honor anymore.
# 3. Babe Ruth. No contest. His numbers speak for themselves. 94 wins as a pitcher, also an ERA title. Led the league in shutouts one year, and for many years owned the World Series record for scoreless innings pitched. 714 career home runs, .342 BA. Career OPS of 1.164. Highest WAR ever for any player, 182.6. Still holds the career record for Slugging, .690, OPS, OPS+ 206. And he hasn’t played a game in 90 years. Many credited Ruth with saving baseball after the Black Sox scandal.
# 4. Lou Gehrig. Maybe one of the closer races. Mel Ott slammed 511 homers, but it took him 22 years to do it. He hit more than 40 just once. Gehrig hit 493 in what amounted to a 14-year career. His .340 BA dwarfs Otts .306. Gehrig’s consecutive game streak, 1995 driven in make him the best choice for the best to wear #4. Gehrig was on six championship teams. He batted .361 with 10 homers and 35 driven in during World Series play. All of that in the shadow of the largest personality the game has ever known. For all his power, Gehrig never struck out more than 84 times in any season he played.
# 5. Albert Pujols. Probably the hardest one to make a choice from. You have guys like DiMaggio, Brett, Brooks Robinson and Johnny Bench. Pujols though through the first 11 years was one of the best hitters in major league history. His decline during his years with the Angels do not diminish his overall accomplishments. Tio Albert, or “The Machine” as he was called in St. Louis, would have been a Hall of Famer simply for the numbers he put up in his 12 seasons with the Cardinals. Even as pedestrian as his Angel stats were, he was a career .296 hitter with 3,384 hits, he drove in 2,218 runs, slugged 703 homers, only the fourth man in baseball history to do that, Bonds, Aaron and Ruth are the others, 3-time MVP, ROY winner, and 2-time World Champ.
# 6. Stan Musial. No brainer. Stan the Man was a hitting machine. He had exactly 1815 hits at home and 1815 hits on the road. He won 7 batting titles. Musial along with his career .331 BA, hit 475 homers, 177 triples, 725 doubles, that is 1377 extra base hits. He drove in 1951 runs, walked twice as much as he struck out, 1599-696. He owned the Dodgers. He hit .341 against LA-Brk in his career with 74 of his homers coming off of Dodger pitching. He got his nickname, The Man, after a particularly great doubleheader against Brooklyn. He was dubbed ” The Man” by the Ebbets Field faithful.
#7. Mickey Mantle. Another easy choice. Mantle was one of the best switch-hitters in baseball history. He is a player who according to his OPS+,172, is the seventh best hitter in baseball history, all of that while suffering numerous injuries, and dubious off-field activities which most likely curbed some of his effectiveness. Had he Aaron’s health and a little off field restraint, he might have many career records. As it is, Mantle won three MVP awards and was a WS champ 7 times. He still holds the record for the most World Series homers with 18.
#8. Yogi Berra. This is one of the closer choices to make. I read one poll that had Joe Morgan as the best. Guys who wore #8 include, Willie Stargell, Ripken Jr., Yastrzemski, and Gary Carter. But it has to be Yogi. 10 rings, 3 MVP awards, he finished in the top 4 in MVP voting 7 times. He was also an All-Star 18 times. He did not even look like an athlete. But he made himself into a Hall of Fame catcher who was the glue on so many great teams. He slugged 12 homers in World Series play.
#9. Ted Williams. Again, no contest. Last man to hit .400. 521 career home runs spent almost 5 seasons in the service of the United States during WWII and the Korean War. Flew over 30 combat missions in the Korean War. Career .344 hitter who most certainly would have finished with well over 3,000 hits and 600 plus homers had he played those lost seasons. Not a media darling in his day, but he was one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen.
#10. Lefty Grove. Grove possibly is the greatest left-handed pitcher in baseball history. He has the highest WAR of any left-handed pitcher. 106.8. Lefty won exactly 300 games. Many make a case for Spahn as the best lefty ever or Steve Carlton with 363 and 329 wins respectively. But Grove still has a higher WAR than both. Spahn’s is a tic over 100 and Carlton’s is at 90. Carlton was more of a strikeout pitcher. Carlton and Grove won two titles. Spahn just one.
#11. Barry Larkin. Another close race. Edgar Martinez, probably one of the best hitting DH’s ever, is a close second. Larkin was one of the best SS of his era. He won an MVP award in 1995. He won one ring with the Reds, was a 3-time gold glove winner, and he had a career .295 BA. Martinez was a very good hitter, and one of the stars of some very good Mariners teams. Larkin was elected to the Hall on his third try by the BBWAA.
#12. Roberto Alomar. Originally drafted by the Padres, he blossomed when traded to Toronto. He won 2 rings with the Jays. He stole 476 bases in his career and batted exactly .300. He earned 10 gold gloves, was a 4-time winner of the silver slugger award, and he went to 12 straight All-Star games. A smooth fielder, he was elected to the Hall of Fame on his second try. Image was tarnished some from an incident where he spit on umpire, John Hershbeck during a game in 1996 while a member of the Orioles.
#13. Alex Rodriguez. A-Roid wore #3 for 10 seasons with Seattle and Texas, but seems it was retired when he became a Yankee. He put up some very good numbers with the Yanks winning two MVP awards. 14 time All-star, 9 silver slugger awards, he also earned 2 gold gloves, both as a SS when he was with the Rangers. Moved to 3rd base with the Yankees. They had Jeter at SS. Use of PEDs tarnished his image, and he has not gotten elected to the Hall because of that.
#14. Pete Rose. Another no brainer, there have been some very good players who wore 14 including Gil Hodges, but Rose’s closest competitor would be Ernie Banks. Two-time MVP and considered to be Mr. Cub. Rose is the all-time hit leader, a record that will most likely never be broken. If you count his time in the Japanese League, Ichiro has 111 more hits than Rose. Rose is also not in the Hall, and we all know the reason why.
#15. Carlos Beltran. Beltran never led the league in anything except games played. But he was the ROY in 1999 with the Royals. One place he did excel was in postseason play where he batted .307 with 16 homers and 42 driven in over 65 games. He played in 2 World Series and was with the Astros when they won in 2017. The fact that he was accused of instigating the cheating done by the Astros in that Series, cost him a shot at managing the Mets. He got 70% of the vote in the last HOF election, he should get in the next time. Jim Edmonds would be a close second. One of the best defensive CFs in the game.
# 16. Whitey Ford. The chairman of the board, and the Ace of the Yankees pitching staff in the 50’s and early 60’s. He won 20 games twice, 25 in his Cy Young season of 1961, and 24 in 1963. The Yankees won the Series in 61 and were swept in 63 by the Dodgers. Ford was not a strikeout pitcher, he was like Greg Maddux, a finesse pitcher. He went 10-8 in series play and was on six championship teams.
# 17. Todd Helton. But this will soon change. I think Ohtani will at some point obliterate any Helton records. Helton’s strength was his OBP, which stands at .414, higher than Tony Gwynn, Jackie Robinson and Joe Morgan, busting the myth that he could just hit at Coors. Ohtani already has 3 MVP awards, and he hasn’t even started pitching for the Dodgers yet.
# 18. Johnny Damon. Damon was an excellent defender and leadoff man. He formed one of the best outfields in KC with Beltran and Jermaine Dye. He could steal bases, and he could occasionally supply some power. Damon hit 163 homers in the one slot in the batting order in his career.
# 19. Tie: Robin Yount- Tony Gwynn. Gwynn was the better hitter, Yount had more power and played the demanding position of SS. He won 2 MVP awards, something Gwynn never did, but Gwynn won 8 batting titles and came closer to hitting .400 than any player since 1941 when Ted Williams hit .406. Tony batted .394 in 1994. Gwynn also has a higher by close to 30 points OPS than Yount.
# 20. This is another hard choice, but I have to go with Mike Schmidt. His closest rival would be Frank Robinson. Robinson won a MVP in both leagues. But I have to go with a guy who was probably the best third baseman in baseball history. Scmidt also earned two MVP awards, and he had 10 gold gloves, Robinson never won any. Schmidt was an All-Star 12 times and won 6 silver slugger awards. Robinson was the ROY in 1956 and was an All-Star 14 times. His WAR is just slightly higher than Schmidt’s. Frank played 21 seasons, Schmidt played 18. But Schmidt’s defense makes the difference here.
# 21. Roberto Clemente. Tough choices here too. Roger Clemens and Warren Spahn were also # 21’s. But Clemente being the Latin version of Jackie Robinson, his humanitarianism, and his skills as a hitter and fielder stand out. Clemens felt he needed to use PEDS. He won 7 Cy Youngs and an MVP award. He won 354 games. His WAR is 138.7. He won 2 rungs with the Yankees but was on the losing end 4 times. Clemente won 1 MVP award, was a career .300 hitter, he won 12 gold gloves and was an All-Star 15 times. He was one of the greatest defensive outfielders in baseball history.
# 22. Clayton Kershaw. CK is not finished yet, but his career numbers put him a little in front of Hall of Famer Jim Palmer. They both have 3 Cy Young awards and 2 rings. CK also has a MVP award. Both pitchers also threw no-hitters. Claytons was a near perfect game with 14 Ks.
# 23. Ryne Sandberg. The Hall of Fame second baseman had 9 straight gold gloves, 7-time winner of the silver slugger award, MVP in 1984. 10 c0nsecutive years as an All-Star. Played all but 13 games of his 16-year career with the Cubs after being traded by the Phillies with Larry Bowa for Ivan DeJesus in 1982. Helped the Cubs end their long playoff drought in 1984. Batted .385 in 10 playoff games. Elected to the Hall on his third try. 
# 24. Willie Mays. No contest, perhaps the best all-around player who ever played the game. Great arm, speed, power, hit for average, and just a good person. I still think to this day that Willie was the best player I ever saw play. Some will argue, but Mays was amazing. Always lost his cap when he ran. Rookie of the Year, two-time NL MVP, appeared in 24 All-Star games, 12 consecutive gold gloves. Career .300 hitter. Won only 1 World Series, 1954 with the Giants. Also finished 2nd and 3rd in MVP voting. Lost to Maury Wills in 62. Mays wore 14 his first year in New York.
# 25. Barry Bonds. Bonds wore 24 with the Pirates but was given the same number as his dad wore with the Giants. Bonds would have most certainly been a Hall of Famer by now had he not got caught up in the PED mess. But he did. Closest he came to election was in 2022 when he received 66% of the vote. It was his last year on the ballot. He received zero votes from the Veterans committee in 23. Barry holds the HR record, career base on balls record and the most intentional walks. Baseball reference has him with the highest WAR at 162.8. But Babe Ruth’s WAR is listed as 182.6. The discrepancy comes from Ruth getting close to 20 points of WAR as a pitcher.
# 26. Wade Boggs. Boggs only wore 26 while with the Red Sox, but his stats as a Red Sox player far exceed any other player who wore the number. .338 BA, .428 OBP, 8 All-Star appearances and 7 silver slugger awards in those 11 seasons. He also won 5 AL Batting titles. He was not a power hitter, just 118 in 18 years, but he was a hit machine, 3010 and finished with a career .328 BA. A close second for me would be Chase Utley. Utley had some pop in his bat and was what they call a ballplayer. Think of Edman with more power. The biggest difference is that Utley appeared in 69 post season games to Boggs 39. They both appeared in 2 World Series and each of them has 1 ring.
# 27. This is a hard choice. The writer of the story I read about this chose Scott Rolen, who was one of the better defensive third basemen the game has known. The other candidates are Juan Marichal, Kevin Brown, and Vlad Guererro. Three of those guys are in the Hall. Brown is the only one who is not. My vote goes to Guererro. Rolen was not the offensive force Guererro was. He had 316 homers to Vlad’s 449. Guererro was a career .318 hitter and had a cannon for an arm. Nobody ran on him. He only got to appear in one World Series, Texas’s loss to the Giants in 2010. Rolen has 1 ring. Marichal never won one. Brown got 1 with Florida in 1997.
# 28. Bert Blyleven. Just think how many wins he might have had if he pitched for a really good team. As it was he racked up 3,701 Ks, 60 shutouts. He won 287 games and lost 250. He did manage to win two rings, one with the Pirates in 1979, and another with the Twins in 1987. He was 5-1 in post season play. His career ERA was 3.31. Elected to the Hall in 2011 on his 14th year on the ballot.
# 29. Adrian Beltre. Beltre’s signature move was the hard charge bare-hand pickup of a slow roller to third, and then the rocket like throw to get the runner. He was no slouch with the bat either. His best years were spent with the Rangers. He slugged 199 of his 477 homers with Texas and he was a .304 hitter for them. He finished with 3,166 hits, which puts him slightly ahead of the other #29 of note, Rod Carew.
# 30. Tim Raines. One of the more prolific base stealers of his era, he finished with 808 bags. He reached base more than Roberto Clemente, Tony Gwynn and a few other notable stars. He led the NL in stolen bases four straight years and was a .294 career hitter. He won a ring while with the Yankees in 1996. Raines had 134 outfield assists. He also is one of just 5 players with 800 or more steals. His success rate is the highest for any player with near as many attempts.
#31. Greg Maddux. Another easy choice. In the 9 seasons in which he was given Cy Young votes, he never finished lower in the voting than 5th. He was second once, third twice, fourth once and fifth once. The other four times, he took home the award. From 92-95 he was the best pitcher in the NL if not the majors. Four straight Cy Young years. He was 79-29 over that stretch. In 94, he put up a 1.56 ERA and followed that up with 1.68 in 95. Nicknamed “Mad Dog,” Maddux was something to watch pitch. He did not have a blazing fastball, but what he did have was impeccable control and location. He won 355 games and lost 227 with a 3.16 career ERA. He won double figures in games 20 times in 23 years in the majors.
#32. Steve Carlton. My heart says Sandy Koufax, but the stats say Carlton. Carlton pitched for 24 years, earned 4 Cy Young awards and struck out 4,136 batters. Most of his career was spent with the Phillies. Steve was just coming into the league as Sandy was leaving. Sandy has the edge in rings, 4-1. Carlton was 6-6 in postseason play. He rung up 329 wins against 244 losses. He was elected to the Hall in his first try by 95% of the vote. Then again, Sandy threw 4 no-hitters, Carlton never threw one.
#33. Eddie Murray. Next to Mickey Mantle, one of the best switch-hitters of all time. Murray pounded 504 homers in his 21-year career. He was an All-Star 7 times and won three gold gloves and three silver sluggers. He was on the 83 Orioles championship team. He hit 9 homers and drove in 25 runs in postseason play. He finished his career with 3,255 hits.
#34. Nolan Ryan. The Ryan Express! Owner of 7 no-hitters and 5,714 K’s. Ryan’s won-lost record would have been much better had he not pitched on so many mediocre teams. He won 324 and lost 292. He also holds the record for the most strikeouts in a season, 383. One more than Koufax had in 1965. His career ERA is 3.16. He owns a cattle ranch in Texas, and the Texas League Round Rock team is named the Express, supposedly in his honor.
#35. The guy who did the original poll for CBS chose Phil Niekro, the knuckleball pitcher who had a very successful career. My choice? Frank Thomas, the Big Hurt. Thomas blasted 521 homers in his 19 years in the majors, exactly the same number as Ted Williams. Unlike Niekro, who never won a major award, Thomas has 2 MVPs to his credit and a batting title in 1997. Neither of them were ever on a championship team, and neither was particularly good in postseason play.
Well that ends part 1. I am working on part 2 and will have it ready soon.
MiLB GAME SUMMARIES
El Paso Chihuahuas (SD) 13 – OKC Comets 4
Clayton Kershaw was brilliant for 4.0 scoreless innings. 2 hits allowed, no K. His 4-seam fastball was soft, but for the first 4 innings it induced soft contact. In the 5th, former MLB players Luis Campusano (solo) and Mike Brosseau (2-run) slugged HR. Campusano’s HR was legit. It was 109.1 MPH off the bat and 395 feet, while Brosseau’s HR had a 97.3 MPH exit velo and 376 feet. His HR was to right center, so 376 seems like a short porch.
Kersh threw 66 pitches, 44 for strikes. Other than the two HRs, there were only two other “hard hit” balls. He has potentially two more rehab starts before he is eligible to come off the IL on May 17.
Kershaw left with the Comets up 4-3.
Clayton Kershaw's 3rd inning from behind Home Plate at the Bricktown Ballpark.
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) May 1, 2025
Great outing through 4, curveball was big and it was sharp.
4IP 2H 0R 3Ks 0BB
40 pitches 28 strikes #dodgers pic.twitter.com/ztMyRnj7v2
Clayton Kershaw is done for the day in OKC. He was pitching incredibly well until he gave up two home runs in the 5th. Still a solid day.
— Jacob Brownson (@brownsonjacob2) May 1, 2025
His final line:
5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 66 pitches. pic.twitter.com/PELWvtuSdn
Hyeseong Kim hit his 5th HR in the 2nd for OKC’s first run. In the 3rd Esteury Ruiz doubled ands stole 3rd. Dalton Rushing drew a walk and stole 2nd. With two outs, Ryan Ward singled both runners in. In the 5th with the score tied, Rushing singled and moved to second on ground out. Ward singled to bring home Rushing for the Comets 4th run and the lead.
HYESEONG KIM HOME RUN!!
— Hyeseong Kim Muse 김혜성 (@HyeseongKimMuse) April 30, 2025
Kim smashes the ball to the upper deck in his first at-bat for his fifth home run of the season!
OKC leads 1-0!#김혜성 pic.twitter.com/YmJGK6LPsx
Alec Gamboa and Stephen Ridings were torched for 5 runs each in the last 4 innings for the blow out.
- Dalton Rushing – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs
- Alex Freeland – 2-5
- Ryan Ward – 2-4, 1 BB, 3 RBI
- Hyeseong Kim – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (5)
- Double – Esteury Ruiz (6)
Tulsa Drillers 12 – Arkansas Travelers (Seattle) 10 – 10 innings
José Ramos hit a 2-run walkoff HR (8) with one out in the 10th to give Tulsa a 12-10 win.
#Dodgers OF prospect Jose Ramos hit a walk-off homer for Tulsa today
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) May 1, 2025
Ramos leads the Texas League with eight home runs this season. The 24-year-old has a 1.014 OPS so far in his third Double-A campaign pic.twitter.com/ivQhyjHwnS
Chris Campos allowed a single, hitter reached on catcher’s interference, and 2 walks to force in a run.
In the second, Campos allowed a single, hit the next batter, and then got a DP with the lead runner reaching 3rd, and later scored on a single.
The Drillers Aaron Bracho’s double and Ezequiel Pagan’s single got one run back. Tulsa got a 3-run HR from Bracho in the 4th giving Tulsa a 4-2 lead.
Campos started the 6th but allowed a solo HR, and was relieved by Tanner Kiest. Kiest gave up three runs on a 0.1 inning, giving Arkansas a 6-4 lead.
Tulsa responded with its biggest inning of the season, scoring six runs in the bottom of the seventh to go back in front 10-6. A sacrifice fly from Fernandez brought home the first run before a double from Ramos tied the game at 6-6.
A sharp single from Damon Keith plated the third run to put the Drillers in front, and a sacrifice fly from Bracho upped the margin to two runs.
John Rhodes doubled home another run, and Pagán capped the big inning with a run-scoring single.
The Travelers promptly made things uncomfortable for the Drillers with three runs against Jose Rodriguez in the top of the eighth inning to pull within one run.
Kelvin Ramirez came on for Rodriguez and recorded the final out in the eighth and got the Drillers to within one out of a win when he retired the first two batters in the ninth. But a walk and a ground-rule double put runners at second and third and set up a passed ball that tied the game at 10-10.
In the 10th came the Ramos heroics and the Tulsa win.
Not to be dismissed is the continuous solid pitching from LHRP Jorge Benitez. Benitez pitched 1.2 scoreless innings. He did not allow a hit, but did walk one and K one. He has now pitched in 8 games, 9.2 scoreless IP. He has allowed 4 hits, 2 HBP, 7BB, and 15K.
- José Ramos – 3-5, 1BB, 3 runs, 3 RBI, double (3), HR (8)
- Aaron Bracho – 2-4, 2 runs, 4 RBI, Sac Fly, double (3), HR (4)
- John Rhodes – 2-4, 1 HBP, 2 runs, 4 RBI, double (5)
- Ezequiel Pagan – 2-5, 2 RBI
- Double – Sean McLain (1)
Great Lakes Loons 6 – Quad Cities River Bandits (KC) 5
A Mairo Martinus RBI single in the eighth and a bullpen that went 5.1 scoreless innings pushed the Great Lakes Loons past the Quad Cities River Bandits a 6-5 win.
RBI single Mairo Martinus! pic.twitter.com/2N2OXlRv7B
— Great Lakes Loons (@greatlakesloons) April 30, 2025
In the eighth, with the game tied, Kendall George sliced a payoff pitch with two outs up the left field line. It made the wall, and George reached third, his second triple of the season. Mairo Martinus followed with his go-ahead single. Quad Cities reliever A.J. Causey permitted his first run of the year, the right-hander entered with 10.2 innings, scoreless.
The Loons scored in the first inning, their 10th time through the first 23 games. Josue De Paula walked and was followed by Logan Wagner. Wagner smashed a ball to Buttles Street, 407 feet and 108 mph off the bat to left field. Great Lakes took a 2-0 lead.
Wagner led off the third inning with a single, then a hit-by-pitch put two on. Joe Vetrano up next worked a nine-pitch battle and roped a two-run triple to right field. Martinus would bring Vetrano home with his first RBI single of the night, extending the lead to 5-1.
Great Lakes starter Patrick Copen worked around four walks with four strikeouts through his first three innings. The River Bandits added two in the top of the fourth, a two-out two-run single from Trevor Werner, to pull Quad Cities within two.
The River Bandits got two runs off two Loons errors in the seventh. A double play forced by Livan Reinoso ended the frame. Reinoso in the eighth and Carson Hobbs in the ninth retired the Quad Cities batters in order.
- Logan Wagner – 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI
- Mairo Martinus – 2-4, 2 RBI
- Joe Vetrano – 1-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, triple (2)
- Kendall George – 1-4, 1 run, triple (2)
- Jordan Thompson – 1-3, 1 run, double (6)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3 – Stockton Ports (A’s) 2
Sean Linan started and for the first time this year he was not dominant. He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits (3 XBH), 2 BB, 5 K. He allowed a solo HR in the 3rd, and a double and run scoring single in the 4th.
Rancho got the first run in the first inning. Kellon Lindsey led off with a single, went to second on a WP, and scored on a Samuel Munoz double (6).
The score remained 2-1 going into the bottom of the 9th. Nicolas Perez led off with a double and moved to 3rd on a fly out. Perez came home on a WP to tie the score. With two outs, Victor Rodriguez singled. Lindsey drew a BB and Mike Sirota reached on a fielding error by the pitcher to load the bases. Samuel Munoz drew a BB to bring home the winning run.
Nicolas Cruz and Logan Tabeling each tossed 2.0 scoreless innings in relief. They allowed 1 single, and registered 6 Ks in their 4.0 IP.
No Rancho hitter had a multi-hit game. The Quakes did have 2 crucial doubles:
- Samuel Muñoz (6) and Nicolas Perez (1)
Lakers get sent packing in 5. Nice win for the Dodgers. Pages added to his hit streak and Max finally swung his silver hammer. 3 triples in a game for the first time I can remember. Freddie slammed his 5th and Teo still doing damage.
Beating up on the Marlins–just the therapy this team needs. Sure hope Max keeps it up.
Braves are getting in gear, with a little help from Verdugo. This next series should be a good test.
Conforto’s NL East DNA should kick in and allow him to get untracked.
Weekend matchups for the Braves. Friday: Yamamoto V Holmes. Saturday: Sasaki V Schwellenbach. Sunday: May V Elder. Doc said he hopes Edman’s ankle feels good enough to play on Friday.
Good to see MM get it going. Hopefully this game will be the turning point for him.
Other than Conforto the batting averages collectively are rising up.
Kersh with a solid outing but that fourseamer will not work in the big leagues I fear. If he does not have pinpoint control with it and the slider and curve working well together be prepared to see him hit hard.No margin for error with his current stuff.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know Bear will get on me for this but I still would like to see the Dodgers trade for Robert jun. now.
He is still only hitting .170 but has now 4 HR with 12 SB and playing very good CF. He immediately would upgrade our up the middle defense considerably because not only he will provide GG defense himself but it would enable the Dodgers to move Edman to 2b for good.
It also would put Pages to LF and Conforto to the bench.
Outman, a mid level prospect plus CT3 to make the salary work for Robert jun. makes so much sense for both teams.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At this point, I’d rather see Outman get another chance. But Robert would be an exciting move. Certainly his price has come down.
And if it doesn’t pan out, Hope or Sirota or ??? could step up.
No need for CF with Pages arriving.
Please no!!! Just no!! He has one gold glove in the only year he hit well. It’s amazing how gold glove winners seem to have great years on the other side of the plate.
Ram, you are nothing if not consistent. Book this, Robert Jr. will not be traded to the Dodgers. They do not need him. Period.
“playing very good CF”? Based on what? His DRS is 0, and his OAA is -1. OTOH, Pages has a CF DRS of +3, and overall OF DRS of +5 with a OAA of +2. Pages’ arm value is in the 98th percentile and arm strength in the 94th percentile. Robert Jr. is in the 76th and 59th percentile respectively. Is Pages on his way to a GG? No, but neither is Robert Jr.
Robert Jr – .170/.288/.310/.598, +75 for OPS+, 30.8% K rate
Pages – .292/.370/.521/.891, +152 for OPS+, 24.1% K rate
If the intent is to get Conforto on the bench, an OF of Teo-Edman-Pages, there are other ways than to trade anyone for Robert Jr. Miggy Ro can play GG level 2B, Kiké and CT3 can also play 2B very well defensively.
I would rather have Outman than Robert Jr. CWS does not want to be salary neutral so IMO, there is no way they take CT3. What is your idea of a mid-tier prospect?
Still no Joendry Vargas sighting at RC. His last game was 3 weeks ago. On the team page he is still listed as ACTIVE. No injury assignment mentioned.
Anybody got news about him ?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good eye. I’ll check on it.
Fun report, Bear.
But shame on you for suggesting that Lefty Grove was better than that guy with a statue at Dodger Stadium.
Based on his career WAR, he is. Look, Sandy was magnificent for six years. The other six, he was very pedestrian and there wasn’t anything special about the kid except his blazing fastball. When at the suggestion of Norm Sherry, he quit trying to throw it by everyone, he became the pitcher we all remember. You put that against the total career of Grove, well, Sandy just does not measure up.
Imagine this matchup: Sandy Koufax vs Ty Cobb.
Yep, Muncy ran into one. But his triple was an easy out fly ball lost in the sun.
Kershaw 3 earned in 5. That’s a 5.4 ERA. An 87 mph fastball? He’s far from ready but there is still time.
Gomez looked awful. Gonsolin looked good. 3 earned in 6 is 4.5 ERA. And it was Miami. I sure hope he’s here to stay.
And we think the Dodgers have an issue in centerfield?
Conforto looks inept. He’s had 109 plate appearances. Do they stick with him? Yeah. Probably.
Robert Jr 6 for his last 20 with 2 home runs. He no doubt would appreciate getting out of his situation.
A sweep. Back in first place. But…. the Marlins? Atlanta, 7-3, will be a better test.
I dont judge Gomez on that appearance. Besides, he looked great in his previous one. Not ready to jettison him yet.
Wow, Canfarto is really lost, beyond the point of no return? Maybe but we can afford to give it a little time. If I recall he didn’t have a very good year last year, was it playing in SF or was it just playing the game, period? So far last year doesn’t appear to be a fluke.
Muncy has always been very streaky, has he finally started a good streak because the bad streak he was on was somewhere south of bad.
Catman was rarin to go. I know it was the Marlins, but Catman was throwing strikes and showed incredible command of his pitches, tight spray pattern.
Here’s the good news about Conforto:
1. It’s not even 30 games or 100 ABs yet
2. He’s 32 and has never had a negative WAR season
3. He’s only signed for this year
4. His BB/K is a respectable 17/31
5. He’s the #9 hitter in a stacked lineup
Fair points. I’d guess since 1) it’s only May 1, and 2) we have the best record in baseball, Conforto will get another 3-4 weeks to show what he has.
If he’s still struggling like this thru May, time to find a replacement (Outman, Robert Jr)
Ward, Ruiz too. Nobody in the system screams obvious improvement. Telling that Rushing not getting LF reps.
If there were a clear one-to-one replacement for Conforto, such a move should be considered. However, replacing him probably involves moving around the entire defense [Edman to CF, etc.] and that doesn’t seem prudent. I think we should ride with Conforto until a clear and obvious upgrade emerges. For example, a desire to install Kim at 2B could involve shifting Edman to CF, Pages to RF & Teo back to LF. All of that seems unlikely.
Ward is not on the 40-man roster.
And Lincoln is the capital of Nebraska. Both have about the same to do with my comment.
Wasn’t replying to you. It was in response to Dionysus comment. You would see that if you read what it says under my name.
oops
Ruthless
No, just do not like being called out when I wasn’t replying to him.
.237/20/66. His OPS was .759. He played better in the second half. He had reverse splits last year, he hit .284 against LHP.
I agree that Conforto should be given a longer runway. I have no clue if he will turn it around, just like I have no idea if Max’ HR yesterday turned the corner for him. But with respect to “was it playing in SF or was it just playing the game, period” you can look at his splits and make inferences that it was playing in SF.
Home – .216/.292/.341/.632 – 70 OPS+
Away – .253/.323/.530/.852 – 122 OPS+
What does that portend for 2025? With his swing, I have to believe he will come out of this. But that is just an opinion.
In any event, the bar has been lowered to replacement level.
Certainly Kershaw’s 4-seam velo is a concern. Or is it? He only went 3.0 innings in his last start. After 4.0 IP in his latest start, he did not allow a run on 2 hits, 0 BB, and 3K. He only had 40 pitches after 4 and 28 were strikes. He pushed it an extra inning to ramp up. The results were not as important as was the extra up and down. The Campusano HR was legit, but the Brosseau HR is probably not a HR in most MLB parks. 376 to right center? OKC is not as bad and Albuquerque or Reno, but gives up more than a fair share of HR. One of the reasons why HRs in OKC do not always translate to HRs in MLB. If they did, Ryan Ward would be in LA and not Conforto.
Kershaw is a pitcher way more than a thrower. His slider and curve are still good enough to get swing and miss. He has to get away from his stubbornness for throwing strikes with his 4-seamer. He will give up HRs because he will miss with that 4-seamer. Greg Maddux was similar in velocity at a similar age, and his fastball was no more than 86 closer to the end.
Kersh probably has 2 more rehab starts before he can even be recalled from the 60 day IL (May 17).
Koufax versus Cobb? Wow. But I would have rather seen Cobb versus Drysdale or Bob Gibson.
Good article. Can’t agree with #32 but that’s okay. When I’m bored sometimes without looking at any references I do the same thing just using LA Dodgers. I do slip Reese and Hodges in my listings though they were pretty much through once LA moved.
i respectfully disagree with Badger and Kershaw’s upper 80’s fastball. Of course control will have to play a large part his mistakes will have to be off the plate, but location and change of speed will play large in any league even in the MLB. We don’t know if Kershaw had movement on the fastball and we don’t know if he has totally cut loose yet or is slow playing his velocity as he continues to build up. His first four innings were really really good.
If I made a list with my heart, Gil and Pee Wee would be on it, and Sandy would too. But this is based on overall performance during one’s career. That is why I put Clemente in there over the juicer, Clemens. How ever, no matter how hard I tried, I just could not put Furillo or Garvey ahead of Stan the Man.
Sandy won championships. And I don’t mean he played on teams that won championships. I mean he put the team on his back type participation. Did Cob?
Sandy was a crucial piece of two championship teams. 63-65. He was not a factor in 55, lost his only game in 59, and the same in 66. Why would anyone compare him to Cobb? Cobb wasn’t a pitcher. But Cobb was undoubtedly one of the best hitters in baseball history. And has the highest career BA at .366. But comparing him to Grove is much more realistic. Grove has the same number of World Series wins as Sandy, 4, and one less loss. He won two titles with the A’s and they lost one. His ERA in the World Series is 1.75 plus he had 2 saves. For six seasons Sandy was the best pitcher on the planet. Baseball is a team game; it is not all on Cobb that the Tigers did not win a championship with him on the team. Same with any player. Ted Williams was terrible in his only World Series, doesn’t tarnish his legacy any.
Ha. My bad. I was thinking Cob and Sandy shared numbers.
Good home stand against lesser competition. Muncy showing signs of life. Still looking for a pulse on Conforto. Gonsolin outing was encouraging. Anxious to see how we fare on the road in Atlanta, Miami, and Arizona.
Gonsolin was beyond encouraging. He looked like an immediate and functional member of the 2025 rotation and it’s hard to foresee what could happen [saving his own injury] for him to leave it. He has one more year of club control after this season so he’s a nice back-end piece to eat up innings and provide a contrast to some other members of the rotation. The control/command piece is huge.
Fun article Bear. So far on your list who is the weakest player? Damon?
Damon for sure.
Another fantastic article Bear. Most were easy to choose, but a few were a little tougher. Looking forward to part 2.
The Marlins provided the Dodgers a huge opportunity to get the offense on track. The bottom of the order finally had a productive day. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of some positive offensive contributions from the bottom four.
So nice to Pages have some extended success at the plate. I’ve always liked his swing. He seems to now have a plan with his ABs. And after watching Miami’s Sanchez Little League quality play in CF yesterday, Pages ain’t that bad.
It was awesome to see Gonsolin back out on the mound. Right now it’s a much needed addition to the starting staff.
Looking forward to the Atlanta series. Will the offense continue to be successful against a better team?
Carry on.
It was funny when after two misplays, the next hit to CF was met with an “Uh oh” by the announcer.
Well deserved “uh oh”! It was almost comical. I think he is a 6-7 year veteran, but I don’t what his CF experience has been.
Carlos Duran’s contract was purchased by the A’s. He is due to make his MLB debut. Congratulations to Carlos.
I was to see while I watching highlights this morning that the A’s have a winning record.
*surprised to see
Comments from Kershaw after the game, with comments as to how he thought Dalton Rushing did.
Here is another take on Rush…
He reminds me of a good-hitting O’s prospect. Not sure why.
Kershaw’s comment tells me he is aware of his ability to pump up somebody. I once told a delivery driver after he drove in bad weather and got back to the warehouse well past the end of his shift but still was able to get to our evening Christmas party the he went above and beyond the all of duty and I said it in front of everybody. He told me how much he appreciated it and others told me he loved the recognition. I was new to management and was shocked at how little old me could have such an effect on somebody. Both of us probably still remember the 5 second comment.
The Dodgers will miss Arizona’s closer, Justin Martinez in their upcoming 4 game series due to shoulder inflammation. It doesn’t just happen to LAD pitchers.
Sure doesn’t. Marlins lost Conine for the year. Young outfielder who has played pretty well for them. We all remember his dad, Jeff Conine.
I’m not a Muncy fan. I recognize his contributions and accomplishments though. For quite a few games he seems to have had a singular focus–to hit a home run. He finally got one and acted so relieved.
A home run hitter and a guy that gets walks is his apparent self identity. IMHO, he should have been trying to hit line drives to the opposite field and once he started to make more consistent contact began to swing harder with the count in his favor. Isn’t that the best way to get out of a slump? Will he go back to trying to pull everything out of the ballpark?
Somebody needs to go on the injured list and let Outman play CF.
RF Pages
CF Outman
LF Hernandez
That is a better defense and it doesn’t take anything away from the offense.
Like you Bum, I’m not a big fan of Muncy. He is affordable he’s had a nice OPS because he walks and hits homers. He’ barely passable defensively with no range but has usually made the routine plays. He winds up like a pitcher to get the ball to first but we all put up with him. He is who he is.
And it’s been hard to watch him. And he knows it. It was awesome to see the happiness from his teammates last night after his homer. Freddie was praising the Baseball Gods and Teoscar led a happy welcome to the dugout for Max. It was easy to see how his teammates were pulling of him. It was great to see.
Hey Ram, I vowed to quit complaining about the umpires as Manfred and the minions had a chance to put the challenge system through for this year and they have refused to do it. It may not happen in 2026 either.
But I quit that topic. Since I quit, could you consider quitting lobbying for Robert Jr? All of your reasons are like a broken record. We get it. And disagree. And those reasons have been hashed out a hundred times as well.
How about giving it a rest? Thanks for the consideration.
Dodgers just acquired reliever, Ryan Loutos from the Cardinals for cash. The 26-year-old righthander has made 3 appearances for the Redbirds and not allowed a run. He was recently DFAd by the team. At the same time, they claimed old friend, JP Feyereisen off of waivers from the Diamondbacks. Treinen and Kopech were moved to the 60-day IL to open roster space.
Kopech can come off the IL on May 17 if he was ready. He will not be so that does not matter. Treinen’s injury always seemed more serious than what management led us to believe.
When the Dodgers first traded for Feyereisen I was all in. He was next to untouchable in 2022. Unfortunately he could not replicate his 2022 when he was with the Dodgers. Arizona needs relievers and they could not use him, but the Dodgers need him? I admit I have no idea about Ryan Loutos. The only thing I can come up with is that both Loutos and Bobby Miller were both born in Elk Village, IL 10 weeks apart. They went to different high schools, but I am sure they played against each other.
Why did the Dodgers use two 40 man spots for these two?
Loutos was hired by the Cardinals for his computer science background. He developed a program for their minor leaguers to be able to access data, and they let him pitch as well. Over 134 innings in the minors, he has a 5.10 ERA, a 24.2% strikeout rate and a 10% walk rate. He has pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless ball across 3 games in the majors.
I’m going to take a stab at answering your last question.
No reason not to put Treinen and Kopech on the 60 day, and now they have 2 more guys they can move in and out over the next 20 days when I believe they have 19 games.
Both of the new guys have options remaining and we’re going to definitely need bodies to put out there on the mound. It’s a matter of figuratively throwing pitchers against the wall in the hopes that one or some of them stick.
Bobby Miller still not ready for prime time, 4 innings, 3 hits, 4 earned runs and 6 walks.
No way Barroid Bonds belongs on any list of great players. He cheated. Jim Thome is the best player to wear #25.
Same goes for #13 AFraud. Omar Visquel or Dave Concepcion are more deserving.
Vizquel maybe, Concepcion was nowhere near that good. He was an excellent defensive SS, but his bat left a lot to be desired. Just a 40.1 Career WAR. In my opinion, Vizquel on the other hand belongs in the Hall, but over the last five years he has dipped under 50% of the vote.
I agree with you. But the stats are what they are. His WAR is way higher than Thome.
Much of it achieved by cheating.
Actually, that is wrong. Bonds did not start using steroids until after the 1998 season. By that time, his combined WAR was 99.9. The first year he used them, he was injured and only played 103 games for a 3.8 WAR. After that, it got a little ridiculous. Thome’s career WAR was just 73.1. Had Bonds retired after the 1997 season, he would have easily been elected to the Hall.
But he did choose to use PED’s and disgraced himself and baseball. Should not be recognized for anything but being a cheater.
I totally understand what you are saying, but the fact is, he did it right for a long time and would have made the Hall, the fact that he hasn’t shows that he has not taken responsibility for those actions, nor has he ever apologized to the fans. Same way with Pete Rose.
Ask not for whom the IL tolls. It tolls for thee.
Tigers DFAd Kenta Maeda, Urena elected free agency and the Rangers signed Ty Blach.
Signed as an amateur free agent pitcher.
Hired by the front office to help develop an app.
While he did the latter, he studied and added velocity to become a pitching prospect, reach the majors.
Here is Ryan Loutos’ story:
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/professional/mlb/cardinals/cardinals-hired-a-washington-u-grad-to-help-develop-an-app-he-became-a-pitching/article_ecbd59b2-ce9e-11ee-8658-d7a2a42d1d98.html