In my last post, we discussed the infield options the Dodgers have, and there were many. The catching position itself has three players on the active roster.
The starter, and main man as we all know is Will Smith. Smith just signed a 10-year deal, so he is going to be around for a while. Will he spend that entire contract behind the plate? That remains to be seen. Will is considered to be one of the better offensive catchers in baseball. His defense is adequate, but where he really improved last season was throwing out opposing runners. His bat slumped in the second half, but his defense did not.
Austin Barnes is his backup and has been since Will broke into the lineup in 2019. Barnes had one of his better offensive seasons BA wise. He only had one homer, and 11 driven in. But the pitchers love pitching to the guy, and he is solid defensively. Also, one of the better game callers in the game.
The third man on the 40-man roster is Hunter Feduccia. Feduccia turns 28 in June. A little old to be considered a prospect. Feduccia has actually hit better at AAA than he did at the lower levels. In his three seasons at AAA he slashed, .273/.383/.447. He hit 24 homers and drove in 132 runs. He is not a power threat but will occasionally give you a home run ball. His OPS was .830 over those 3 seasons. His K rate is about 22%. His most likely path to the majors would be a trade to a team in need of catching.
Right behind him, but not on the roster is Dalton Rushing. Rushing, who turns 24 this month, will most likely start the season at AAA OKC. He will also likely get the bulk of the catching starts. Feduccia and Okey will be his backups. At this point, Rushing is not polished as a receiver and has been given starts in LF to get his bat into the lineup. He hit 26 homers and drove in 85 in 114 games split between AA and AAA.
The outfield has numerous options. Teo and Conforto are both corner outfielders and will get the bulk of the playing time at those positions. Pages is more suited as a corner outfielder and could be the backup for Conforto since he crushes left-handed pitching. Taylor can play any of the three outfield spots. He has made some spectacular plays while playing left, one in the 2016 playoffs and another when he threw out the tying run at the plate to end a game against the Padres a couple years ago. Kike is in the mix if he is resigned. 
Center Field for now belongs to Tommy Edman, although I think he is better served as a super-sub. But he is the current listed starter. Depending on his spring training performance, James Outman, could be tossed into the mix. Outman is an excellent defender. Kike and Taylor play this position as well.
Offensively the group has a lot of power. Conforto should be good for at least 20 plus homers. Teo close to 30, and Outman, who hit 23 his rookie year could come close to the same if he shows he has improved from last year’s dismal performance.
Edman is in there for his defense and speed. He is a decent hitter, but no power threat. Most he has hit in his career was 11. Many would love to see the Dodgers trade for someone like Luis Robert, but it seems at this point, that ship was never even in port. No discussions I have seen on any outlet even suggesting the Dodgers want to deal for Robert. I also think the Sox want to see if he can have a resurgent start to 25 to make him more valuable on the trade market.
As always, injuries could shake up the whole thing. I would like to see Ryan Ward, a decent power guy, get some looks in spring, if for no other reason than to showcase him for a trade. Zahir Hope, and Kendall George, still a few years from consideration.
Getting out of here this afternoon. I have been here four weeks and 2 days, plus 6 days in the main hospital. Something I never wish to repeat. Had a visit yesterday from two musician friends of mine, Barbara and Max McGuire. They live in Indiana, but are out here visiting her mom, who is 92 years young and lives in San Pedro. They had a band called Sierra back in the day. I used to sit in with them all the time. Great people.
Great news, Bear. There is no place like home.
Great news Bear! Glad you are on the way home.
Good to see you are doing better. Bear!
Have a good and safe trip home.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Ram, much appreciated.
Good to know you are moving out.
Pretty great to see old friends, too. A silver lining to your travails.
Bear it has been a long ordeal. I am happy for you that it is coming to an end and you can get back home. I am glad that you had friends drop in to see you.
Thanks Jeff, I am glad that I am getting back to a computer that allows me to do better research on any subject I want to do a post on.
Coming off the IL Bear, just in time to report to camp for Spring Training!
It’s great to hear you are doing so much better. It looks like you have lost some weight during your ordeal. You’re looking good and it’s so good to hear you’re back.
Lost over 20 pounds. Down to 250. First time in years.
Good for you Bear! Safe travels home!
Glad your time on the IL is coming to an end Bear.
Same here.
If Pages or Outman crushes it in ST there could be a spot in CF for them and moving Edman to 2nd base. Can Pages play a decent enough CF? Does Kim make the roster? Does Kiké return? Would Dodgers trade Rojas? Does CT3 bounce back? What about injuries? A lot of what ifs for Dodger bench in 25.
No to Pages, Outman, Kike, or Taylor playing CF with one exception….Outman can play it occasionally to give Edman a day off here and there.
That’s what Spring Training is for 😉
Anybody here who says they knows the answers is lying.
No one here has ever clamed to know all the answers. We are like all fans, guesses and gut feelings, plus following the front offices tendencies since AF took over.
Pages is not a center fielder. He does not read the ball well off of the bat and runs horrible routes. He made 2 of his 3 errors in CF. He was perfect in RF in 40 games, 21 as a starter. He only played 6 games in left and made 1 error. Once spring training opens, we should know if Kike will be back. Kike is actually better in left and right than he is in CF, and no matter what, he is nothing more than a utility guy. Every chance he has had as a starter, he failed to keep the position. Taylor is slightly better as a CF than Kike.
I agree about Pages. He runs some interesting patterns in center and while he could likely improve, why push it? He’s way better suited for right field and against LHP. We have others who can roam center, more skillfully.
I like Edman there and I like his bat as a contact, speed guy in the line up, surrounded by the boppers.
It should be interesting and I hope Outman makes Kike unnecessary. I also think Feduccia has been a good soldier but has basically had a wasted career behind Barnes and no path next year with Rushing preferred as the next back up. He could have been an everyday guy in many organizations. Impossible lineup to crack in many positions for not-so-youngsters, these days.
I’ll say it again: Best plausible scenario is that Outman wins the thick side of a platoon in CF, probably pairing with Edman.
The upside: Outman had 22 HRs against RHP in ’23, with an OBP near .350. His rookie season was much stronger than Pages’s. It puzzles me that some fans have more faith in Pages, who has yet to show consistent production against RHP–ie, the majority of pitchers.
Both Outman and Edman are quality defenders in center, while Pages is better off in a corner.
Pages could take the thin side of a platoon with Conforto–but Conforto had reverse splits last season, so perhaps he doesn’t need a partner. Besides, both Taylor and Kike, assuming he returns, could play RF if Pages starts in OKC, where he could play everyday while waiting for an opportunity. To fulfill his potential, Pages needs to improve against RHP.
Success from Outman would unlock Edman’s full value as a UT guy, either starting or off the bench.
Edman has been great since joining the Dodgers, but he’s been a league-average hitter for his career. He’s a well-above-average player because of his versatility, defense and speed. (Switch-hitting doesn’t hurt.)
Perhaps there will be an Edman-Kim job share at 2B to help ease Kim into the majors. Both guys have won gold gloves at the position, albeit on different continents.
Edman, Kim, Rojas, Taylor, Kike–all can play multiple positions well.
And Mookie is no slouch.
Centerfield, shortstop and second base, up the middle defense by committee. They are all excellent players so it could work out well over the course of a long season.
I don’t understand not wanting Edman to be the everyday CF. He’s deserving of being in the lineup every day and it’s probably best for the team to have him consistently in one position. We just signed him to a big contract and if we didn’t have three HOFers atop the lineup he’d probably be the leadoff hitter or #2 guy.
Yes, yes, yes…..I’m glad to know I’m not the only voice crying out in the wilderness for Tommy Edman to be the everyday CF. No need to worry about him. Worry about Max or whoever plays 2B instead.
He doesn’t hit right-handed pitching all that well, but he murders lefties. He is more suited to play second. Center field is usually a power spot in the line-up and Edman is far from being a power hitter.
I trust the Dodgers.
So do I, but I also trust the metrics and my eyes. The guy is better suited for a corner outfield position. One this team, he is at least fourth on the depth chart behind Edman, Taaylor and Outman.
Twins are signing Harrison Bader.
And the Mets finally inked Alonso….
Pham to the Pirates.
They are now Phamily.
bravo
Somebody was looking for a complete list of non roster invitees.
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/roster/nri
Jeff – thanks for the comprehensive Eric Swan analysis. Our system does look stacked.
Gotta say I had little interest in our Prospects until you started writing but I’m a convert now.
Hoping to see Rushing before long.
Interesting pitching article in The Athletic by Eno Sarris called “The Baseball Stat that’s Changing MLB”. It talks about the “Stuff+” stat and how the elements of certain pitch shapes and velocities max out a pitches effectiveness.
And looks to me like another step in turning pitchers into robots.
Read it. Interesting stuff + a lot of links.
I still think that every coach, and player for that matter should read The Physics of Baseball by Dr Robert Adair. It’s all there. Once you understand the physics of a spinning baseball the rest will fall into place.
And here’s another thing, if as a hitter in the upper leagues you don’t have 20/10 vision the odds of picking up spin early enough to ID the pitch drop dramatically.
Stuff+ is a metric I have been trying to understand, but I have not garnered a good enough understanding to write about. I know that it is more of a predictive tool. It is more convoluted than FIP and SIERA. It is interesting to see that 4 of the top 20 Stuff+ pitchers are Dodgers:
The first three are legit top of the rotation pitchers (#1 or #2), while Miller is a surprise to see this high. I can see why the Dodgers are very reluctant to move Miller. He apparently has Ace like “stuff”. It will be fun to watch where Sasaki and Ohtani land on this list during the year.
Thanks for pointing out the stuff+ article Jeff.
I will try to get access. But doesn’t Eno Saris have a stuff+ metric he uses. Is this just an article praising his own statistic?
If Glasnow is top 10 in baseball then it may measure potential more than success. Glasnow is 32 this year and has a career record of 39-33 with a 3.81 career ERA. Last year, he pitched for the best team in baseball and was 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA. He is already past the normal prime years of a MLB pitcher, yet he is consistently touted as one of the best pitchers in baseball. Both Glasnow and Kershaw became pros at 18, but at the same age, Kershaw was 170-74 with 3 CY and a 2.45 ERA. I am still in the Missouri, “show-me” state with Glasnow.
Actually it was “philjones” who first commented on Eno Sarris’ article. Yes, you are correct that Eno did create the metric with Max Bay. Sarris is still involved in maintaining and improving the model.
Fangraphs will be including this metric in their pitcher analysis and it is being reported that it will be updated daily. Here is a Fangraphs’ primer on Stuff+, Pitching+, and Location+.
You are correct that it measures predictive outcomes vs actual outcomes.
BTW, I do not believe it is a secret that I am a Tyler Glasnow advocate. But I do not believe anyone has ever compared Glasnow to Kershaw. I certainly have not. If Kershaw is the standard for comparison, then a there are going to be a lot of disappointments. I also like Bobby Miller. Both may never reach their potential…but what if they do.
Thanks Jeff. Great response as always. And thanks Phil for the article.
I appreciate the info on Stuff+.
Jeff, I’m not all that surprised with Miller’s Stuff+ rating. There is so much there to like if he could just get out of his own way.
Bear, you bring up one of my favorite points on Austin Barnes. In your last two sentences, you have accurately described what a backup catcher is. Manage the pitching game. Yes, give the starting catcher a break, but make sure you have a catcher the pitcher can relate to and trust. That is Austin Barnes.
Hunter Feduccia is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. He has never been a poor hitter, but Bear has described his offensive upside well. He is the perfect backup catcher type with excellent defensive tools. For 2024, in 668 total chances, 3 errors, and 4 passed balls. Career wise, in 3811 total chances, he has a .994 fielding percentage and 33 passed balls.
Dalton Rushing is an intriguing option at catcher because of his bat. But he is not going to replace a 2X All Star catcher in Will Smith, who is under contract through 2033 at a more than respectable rate. So Rushing started to play some LF to keep his bat in the lineup. All the reports I have read said he did okay out there, and is athletic enough to improve. The question for me is can he get to the gap quickly enough? Will he have to play deeper in LF to cut down on the XBH over his head thus letting balls fall for singles in front of him? If his bat is potent enough, the Dodgers can look past some of those shortcomings. BTW, another tidbit I learned about Clayton is that he gets pissed at moving the OF back and then having balls drop in for singles. He is not a fan of shifts, and really hates moving OF back. I have no idea how the other pitchers feel about this.
The Dodgers have already said that Rushing is going back to OKC to CATCH. He is athletic enough to block, but he needs to call a game better. He did not get that training at Louisville. He was a backup catcher at Louisville for two years. I hope he joins Austin Barnes at the hip this ST and garners as much knowledge as possible for calling a game and working with pitchers. He is not ready to become an everyday catcher for a contending team, and I would have zero desire to have my top prospect, and consensus top 30 prospect overall, sitting on the bench 5-6 games a week when he could be working on his receiving and game calling tools and hitting every day at AAA.
BTW, Will Smith was a catcher almost exclusively at Louisville, and has been horrible in his limited time at 3B in MiLB. 14 errors in 129 total chances with a range factor of 1.98 per game (not good at all). Smith is an All Star catcher, and that is where he should stay. Maybe more 1B after Freddie departs.
Why not see if he could play 3B? We don’t need him in LF.
Maybe Rushing could be eased into the MLB by catching one day a week, playing first one day a week, and DHing when Ohtani pitches. That won’t happen as long as Barnes is the Backup, which he will be at least through 2025.
Do players on the 40 accumulate years toward MLB pension benefits?
I thought the book on Miller was great stuff, adequate control/command and some anxiety issues. Maybe he will overcome the latter like Zack Greinke did.
Need to be in the Major Leagues (on 26 man roster) to accrue Major League service. Diego Cartaya has been on the 40 man for 2 years and has 0 major league service. That being said, if a player is on the 26 man, and is placed on the IL, they do continue to accrue major league service.
I do agree on Bobby Miller.
Ohtani can pitch and DH at the same time, so no, Rushing won’t be put in that role.
Right. But as the season progresses, Roberts might try to ease the physical demands on Shohei and give him some days off. (Given the depth of the roster and the emphasis on the playoffs, I expect stalwarts like Freddie, Mookie and Teo to get more rest this season.)
I’m glad the Dodgers will have Rushing focus on catching. That’s his highest value, either as a Dodger or a trade chip.
If Smith or Barnes gets hurt, either Rushing or Feduccia could be summoned
Come 2026, perhaps Rushing be more than a “back up.” Let’s call it a job-share, with Smith starting 100 games and Rushing starting 62. To get his bat in the lineup, Rushing could also see action in LF and backup 1B. He has a lot of 1B experience and, with Smith locked in at catcher, perhaps Rushing could be Freddie’s successor.
And I still wonder if Rushing could wind up as Max’s successor too…
Barnes had a semi-decent season in ’24, but in ’23 he was awful, with a .458 OPS. Not a typo: four-five-eight.
But I remember when it seemed like he’d become the starter. One day in 2017, I was listening to the game on the radio and Barnes went off. Can’t remember it precisely, but I think he had a HR and two doubles–something like that. That season, over 102 games and 262 plate appearances, he produced an .895 OPS. Where did that guy go?
In seasons since, he achieved an OPS over .700 only once–and just barely, at .704 in ’22.
He’s 35 now, and I wouldn’t feel too bad if an oblique strain in May sidelined Barnes to give Rushing or Feduccia a chance. I’m impatient enough to hope for Rushing. Perhaps Barnes can move to a coaching role in ’26.
Congratulations on your escape bear. Hope you are feeling better and thanks for all you do for the site.
Thank you Keith
Conforto given # 23, Kim is # 6, Yates gets # 38.
Michael Elizondo has an interesting piece on TrueBlueLA about the crazy, Swiftian prices for the Dodgers-Cubs openers in Tokyo:
The Cubs, of course, had Imanaga and Suzuki. Very good chance the season opens with Imanaga pitching to Shohei.
As we might expect, the tickets for the exhibitions against Japanese teams are pricey as well–and much more so for the Dodgers than the Cubs.
Just occurred to me that the Dodgers could face Ryan Brasier, who might have a little extra adrenaline against his old teammates. I suspect that Brasier would like to show AF and BG than they DFA’d the wrong guy.
Josue De Paula might be in the OF mix too someday, even though he profiles best as a DH. He’s not that fast, doesn’t have a great arm. Zyhir Hope and Mike Sirota are legit outfielders–but De Paula is a project. Shouldn’t the Dodgers get the tall, rangy guy a first baseman’s glove?
De Paula’s bat gets a lot of hype. But of all the top prospects, he’s the one most blocked by Shohei. If he could handle 1B, he’d have a chance to someday succeed Freddie.
More likely, it would just enhance his trade value.
“The main concern with him is that he’s a well below-average runner already at age 18, and has so much projection left to his body that he might grow himself right into first base,” Law wrote. “The combination of bat speed, selectivity, present power, and big physical projection could make him among the best hitters in baseball at his peak, and if so, whether it’s at first base or in an outfield corner won’t really matter.”
He’s 19. He has a few years yet to improve defensively. I see him as a corner outfielder. I hope the Dodgers keep and develop him. If he is used in a trade I’m sure it will be for a player that steps right into the lineup and immediately helps the Dodgers win.
If his bat is legit, I’m sure he could survive in LF
Got out of the hospital yesterday afternoon. At my sister’s house until we head for Colorado next week. Nice relaxing day. Feeling great. Using a walker to get around but not pain in the ankle.
Glad you are feeling better and back on your feet.
Pitchers and Catchers report in 5 days.
I saw an article on Yahoo Sports (although I didn’t read it all) about which trio is more dangerous or powerful between Ohtani-Betts-Freeman and Lindor-Soto-Alonso, but they didn’t come up with any results. I think that obviously the Mets trio is more powerful, but definitely the Dodgers trio is more dangerous!
Not sure why you think the Mets trio is necessarily more powerful. They had 108 homers last year to the Dodgers’ guys 95 but Mookie missed a lot of time and Freddie missed some also.
And Alonso’s numbers have been decreasing.
Maybe it will be 4, 5, and 6 as the difference makers plus pitching.
Or Kike and Edman in October. You never know
The Angels signed Yoan Moncada, probably as an insurance policy if big ticket bust, Anthony Rendon is once again unable to play regularly. They also lost their arbitration hearing with Luis Rengifo, making them 0-2 since they lost to Moniak too.
MLB.com’s John Denton reports that the Cardinals have reengaged with the Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers about possible restructured deals for Arenado.
Arenado is signed through 2027, but his annual salary goes down over the next three seasons. He is set to make $32 million this season, $27 million in 2026, and $15 million in the final year of his deal. Of the $74 million he’s still owed, the Rockies will pay $5 million in each of the next two seasons.
I see the Cards are still trying hard to unload Arenado. Are the Dodgers really interested???
I would consider trading for him if the Cards took Taylor. Taylor is owed $17M and Arenado is owed $74M with the Rockies paying $10M of that. So $64M.
I’m down for bringing him in
More flexibility and think he would
mash in this lineup
If they take Taylor and Muncy I would be all in.
Hate give up Max but if they pay 1/2 salary I’m goodnwith it. Max is 34 and injury prone
The Dodgers aren’t paying Edman 74 million to be another CT3 or Kike, although he could obviously do that job well if he had to.
No, Edman was brought over to start and play most of the time….somewhere. It looks like CF is it to start with, and I’m happy with that. But even if somehow he is needed to play the infield due to an injury, I’m sure that will be fine too.
Bottom line….the guy is too valuable to just insert part-time or even half the time. I think the Dodgers rightfully know this too. I hope guys here can warmly embrace this and stop looking for what they believe could be an upgrade. If you want an upgrade, look to 3B or possibly 2B depending on who will be the starter at that position. -TM