All Aboard! Get on the Dodger train for the ride of your life! Yes, that is what we fans have done for years. Some of us for a whole lot of years. There have been many ups and downs, but through it all, we remain loyal fans. Oh, we gripe and complain when they lose. If a player is in a slump and not helping the team, we suggest all sorts of solutions to the problem, and we are usually wrong. The owners and the front office operate with a lot more information than we do.
I started riding the train in 1955 when I saw my first baseball game on TV during the World Series. It was black and white, so I had no idea what a real ballpark looked and smelled like until my uncle took me to a game at Wrigley Field in LA to see the Angels of the PCL play. It was pretty cool. When the Dodgers moved to LA, I, like so many other kids seeing big league baseball for the first time, became much more seriously into the game.
It has been a fun ride most of the time because for most of their history in Los Angeles, the Dodgers have been pretty successful. The last 11 years have been the best stretch of Dodger baseball in the team’s history as far as winning the division goes. Only one second place finish, and they won 106 games that year. Of course, they had to play game 163 in 2018 against the Rockies. But Walker Buehler pitched a great game, and they were the division champ again.
We have been fortunate to have so many great memories after a long period of frustration and dealing with two ownership groups that were not the best. O’Malley’s ownership featured a team that was almost like family. Managers stayed for many years; prices were family friendly. They kept many of their homegrown players which many of the fans loved. Fans loved going to Dodger Stadium as a family and it was very affordable.
Things changed when Fox bought the team, and almost immediately alienated the fan base by trading the Dodgers best player, Mike Piazza. Prices began rising too. The team not winning had a lot to do with fan discontent. In 2000, Dodger attendance slipped under 3 million for the first time in many years. They were over 3 million by just 11,000 in 2001. By 2004, the team had another new owner, Frank McCourt. They did make the playoffs but were knocked out in four games by the Cardinals.
The team would reach the playoffs under McCourt’s reign four times, never getting past the LCS. Behind the scenes, the divorce and McCourt having cash flow problems, plus him raising ticket prices almost every year, were causing some fan discontent. But we still had moments like Finley’s walk off grand slam to win the division. Manny Ramirez’s arrival caused a lot of excitement. But MLB stepped in and took over control of the team, forcing McCourt to sell, and virtually ending all his money problems when the Guggenheim Group bought the team.
Lucky for them, because even with the mismanagement McCourt brought, he did have some very baseball savvy people on the payroll. Not the least of whom was Logan White who was the scouting director from 2002-06, then again from 2010-14. Many of the homegrown players Guggenheim inherited, were his draft picks. Of course, sooner or later, Guggenheim would want their own people in place. Ned Colletti stuck around as GM until after the 2014 season when Andrew Freidman was brought in as President of Baseball Operations and Farhan Zaidi became the GM.
I must admit, I was not a huge fan of Freidman when he first came on board. That was probably due to the fact that he traded one of my favorite players, Matt Kemp, for a known PED user, Yasmani Grandal. He then traded another favorite, Dee Gordon, for a bunch of guys. Two of them are on the team now, Barnes and Kike. Rojas went to Miami with Gordon in that trade. To me, Gordon was the only guy on the Dodgers with any speed.
Yet, his decisions changed the face of the franchise. The best part was they were winning, not the big prize, but they were winning. There have been numerous comparisons to the Braves of the early 90’s and beginning of the 2000’s. All those division titles and just 1 World Series win. Much like LA, they lost 3 of the 4 they played in. Freidman’s Dodgers are 2-2. Winning a World Series in this day and age takes a lot more than it used to, but we all know that. The Dodgers first four came with just the World Series to be played.
As a fan in this era of Dodger baseball, I have learned to temper my expectations. The season is long, and too many things can affect the outcome, among them, injuries to key players. We are going through another stretch of that this season. Just look at the names of the guys on the IL and you will see that this team is missing some major contributors. It has been that way for the last several years. How the Dodgers manage those losses will be key to how they end up.
I have to trust their judgement on these things because like so many fans, I sometimes think with my heart rather than my brain. Many fans want the kids brought up to see what they can do. The Dodger brass has opted so far to keep the kids on the farm developing and hopefully improving their skills. We will know soon enough how it works out. It is now May. Bu July, we should have some idea of how this team is going to perform.
MiLB GAME SUMMARIES
Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado) 6 – OKC Comets 3
Clayton Kershaw started for OKC and pitched well for the first 3 innings. He allowed 0 hits 1 walk, and 1 HBP. In the 4th, he allowed a walk, single, a 6-4-3 DP, and 2-run HR. He threw an efficient 57 pitches/35 strikes. He does not get his 4-seamer to 90, so if anyone is expecting Kersh to dominate, they will be disappointed. I see no reason why he should make another rehab start. He should be in a position to start one of the games against LAA. He is going to need to rely on his pitchability and hitting edges and corners to induce weak ground balls.
#Dodgers Clayton Kershaw showing the kids his glove still plays. Nice play #22!!! @DodgersBeat pic.twitter.com/E49YxV7gxP
— 🇺🇸 DooM_Sal (@msalas24) May 11, 2025
OKC had a 3-0 lead going into the 4th. In the 1st, Esteury Ruiz drew a leadoff BB, moved to 2nd on a WP, to 3rd on a PB, and scored on a Ryan Ward double. In the 2nd inning, Nick Senzel drew a BB and scored on a Justin Dean triple. Dean scored the Comets 3rd run after a throwing error on an Alex Freeland ground ball.
Kershaw turned it over to Michael Kopech in the 5th. This was a different Kopech. He did not walk anyone, but did allow a double and register 2 K in 1.0 IP.
Michael Kopech (@Dodgers) is back on track in his latest rehab outing with the @OKC_comets:
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 11, 2025
1 IP
1 H
0 R
0 BB
2 K
14 pitches; 10 strikes pic.twitter.com/7VCbcl9xHb
Noah Davis followed Kopech, and could not have pitched any better. He retired all 7 batters he faced. He threw 25 pitches and after getting the first out in the 8th inning, Davis was replaced by Jose Rodriguez. Rodriguez allowed 4 runs, on 3 hits, and a HBP in 0.2 IP. The runs were scored on a solo HR and a 3-run HR. Contrary to some, Jose Rodriguez is not ready to take over for Tanner Scott or Kirby Yates.
With the score 6-3 in favor of the Isotopes, that is how the game ended.
- Ryan Ward – 2-4, double (7)
- Justin Dean – 2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, triple (4)
Amarillo Sod Poodles (Arizona) 6 – Tulsa Drillers 1
With the loss, the Drillers finished 2-4 for the week and have now lost all three road series played this season.
The afternoon began with each team scoring a run in the second inning. Tulsa used three singles to load the bases with one out and scored the run when Ezequiel Pagan beat out a 4-6-3 double play attempt.
A double, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI groundout in the bottom half produced Amarillo’s first run to tie the game at 1-1.
After allowing the one run, Tulsa starting pitcher Jackson Ferris was working on an impressive start until he ran into trouble in the fifth inning. To that point, Ferris had allowed just two hits, one run and had not issued a walk to go with four strikeouts.
In the fifth, Ferris surrendered five hits and one walk that led to four Amarillo runs, ending his afternoon as Tulsa trailed 5-1.
Amarillo added its sixth run in the seventh inning on two singles and an error.
Similar to the game before, the Drillers could not string anything together at the hitter friendly HODGETOWN. Tulsa’s offense finished 1-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine baserunners. The second was the only inning that Tulsa earned more than one hit in an inning.
- Taylor Young – 2-4, 1 BB
- Griffin Lockwood-Powell – 2-4, 1 run
- John Rhodes – 2-3. 1 BB
Great Lakes Loons 7 – Dayton Dragons (Reds) 2
The Great Lakes Loons for the second straight game did damage against a rehabbing pitcher, today scoring five against Dayton Dragons starter Rhett Lowder in a 7-2 win.
Kendall George accounted for the first three runs. George reached on an error in the first inning. He stole two bases, his second forcing a bad throw and an easy trot home. In the third, George ripped a 0-2 pitch 112 mph to right field, a two-run single. George reached three times out of the leadoff spot this afternoon.
Sean Linan made his Loons debut and was impeccable, throwing four scoreless innings. The 20-year-old right-hander struck out three and would strand two Dragons in the second.
@greatlakesloons Sean Linan's day is done. Linan pitched a solid four scoreless innings for the Loons. His line 66P / 43S / 4IP / 2H / 0R / 1BB / 3K pic.twitter.com/BNsuf9kp77
— 🇺🇸 DooM_Sal (@msalas24) May 11, 2025
Kole Myers gave Great Lakes a 5-0 lead in the third. He plated both Jordan Thompson and Joe Vetrano, who both singled, with a single of his own. The Loons grabbed five hits in three innings facing Lowder.
Roque Guiterrez earned his second win of the week. He went four innings, striking out five. Roque did surrender two runs on three hits in the fifth but would only have two reach through the next three innings.
The Loons would leave 10 on base in the final five innings but padded their lead with two runs. Zyhir Hope added his 27th RBI, second-best in the Midwest League, with an RBI single in the sixth inning. Hope drove in six runs in the series.
Robinson Ortiz gained the final three outs, punching out two.
- Joe Vetrano – 3-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 2 doubles (10)
- Kendall George – 2-5, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI
- Kole Myers – 2-3, 2 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI
- Zyhir Hope – 1-3, 2 BB, 1 RBI
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 14 – Visalia Rawhide (Arizona) 3
The Quakes blew out the Visalia Rawhide yet again on Sunday, taking a 14-3 win to give them four of six in the series.
Mike Sirota went deep twice and drove in five runs, as the Quakes moved their lead in the division to a season-best eight games over Visalia and Lake Elsinore.
Mike Sirota 2 HR game(and every dodger fan posted it) pic.twitter.com/9Ac7Ev2lZd
— Soo-Min (@Min_6822) May 12, 2025
Sirota’s first-inning blast put the Quakes ahead to stay against Visalia starter Grayson Hitt, as his sixth of the year made it 2-0.
A Jaron Elkins two-run single in the second gave Rancho everything they’d need, moving the lead to 4-0.
In the 4th, RC loaded the bases on a single and 2 walks with no outs. The run scored on a 5-4-3 DP.
In the 5th, Jose Meza led off by being HBP. He stole 2nd, and with two outs he scored on a Roger Lasso single. Victor Rodriguez drew a BB. Eduardo Guerrero slugged a two-run triple and scored on an Eduardo Quintero single.
The Quakes scored an unearned run in the 6th. On Leading 10-3 in the seventh, Sirota struck again. His third hit of the day was a three-run shot, giving him a league-best seven round-trippers on the year, as the Quakes took a 13-3 lead.
Jaron Elkins and Jose Meza hit one out doubles for the final run in the 9th.
Offensively, Rancho posted a series-high 16 hits and scored in seven of the nine innings.
On the hill, Logan Tabeling fired three scoreless, hitless innings in his first career start. Nicolas Cruz was credited with the win, after he worked 2.2 innings of relief.
Jakob Wright is scheduled to throw for Rancho, while Inland Empire will counter with Peyton Olejnik. Game time for the series-opener is 6:30pm.
- Mike Sirota – 3-6, 2 runs, 5 RBI, 2 HR (7)
- Jaron Elkins – 2-6, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (5)
- Mairo Martinus – 3-6, double (2)
- Jose Meza – 2-3, 1 BB, 2 HBP, double (3)
- Roger Lasso – 2-4, 2 runs, 1RBI, double (1)
- Eduardo Guerrero – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, triple (1)
- Eduardo Quintero – 1-3, 3 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI
Born June 14th, 1948, in Los Angeles California. AKA The Bear
Minor leagues starting to cook. We got some outfielders in the system. Let’s push ’em. We 100% have an opening next year and a couple years after that too. Come one, come all.
Snell shut down again, still feeling discomfort in his shoulder. He and Glasnow will see teams doctor on Monday. Not good news.
Please promote Sirota already. Has nothing left to prove in low A ball.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wish I was out in California so I could see Sirota play. LA back in first as Colorado wins their first game under their new manager.
I may literally ride the train down to San Diego’s Petco Park this summer if the schedule lines up. Back in the ’80s, I worked in downtown SD and I hear that Petco is a great place to watch a game….
I do enjoy these reports from the farm. Great news about Linan after his promotion. I hope Sirota joins him in Great Lakes soon. Nice to see progress from Kendall George too.
Also great to read about Kopech bouncing back with decent control in his rehab stint. With Treinen and Phillips out, it would be great to have Kopech back. He can follow Kershaw with an extra 10 mph of velocity.
Old friend Ryan Yarbrough started today’s game for the Yankees, who’ve gotten a big boost this season from old Dodgers nemesis Trent Grisham, a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.
It’s entirely possible that the ’25 Series could be a rematch of ’24–and the Yankees will want payback.
Goldschmidt might give him a run for his money; he is hitting .349. He is not showing the same power, but he is getting a ton of hits. Bellinger on the other hand is batting just .221. He is also striking out a lot more too.
Walk Judge
What’s happening with Freeland.
Phil, read your last post late. Solid takes. Mookie. Agree. Seager. I was one who figured eventually he would move to third, though I wasn’t calling for it. I didn’t think he was a particular good fielding shortstop but he proved me wrong. Wish we still had him.
Ferris. His numbers look bad. Is there something to report with him?
Kershaw. His fastball may be gone at this point but his guile might get him through. Time to bring him up.
Are bullpen games “obvious”. Can we expect them to happen the rest of the year? Is every team employing that strategy now? I still believe they stress the bullpen but I have no evidence of that. Admittedly I haven’t really looked for it either. Openers? Yeah I get that. Have guys like Knack and Wrobleski face the top of the lineup once. But bullpen games? I don’t like them.
Ohtani still chasing, but getting hits. He has a lot of games like that. I believe he could hit .350 if he laid off pitches out of the strike zone. If it were me, I would try breaking stuff outside the edges on ever at bat. He’ll swing. If you walk him, so what. With this Dodgers offense I think the strategy would be get to the Muncy part of the lineup as quickly as possible. The bottom of that lineup will leave men on base.
Day off is a good thing. Knack tomorrow. Then Yamamoto Sasaki. A’s at .513. But they have a -38 run differential. 2 out 3?
Re Jackson Ferris – I do not believe there is anything to be concerned with. He was outstanding in his 1st two starts, and then was placed on the Development List. We never know why. But when he returned 12 days later he was hammered in 1.1 IP in relief. He pitched in relief 4 days later and got hit hard again in 4 IP..
On May 4, Jackson returned to starting and pitched a very solid 5.0 IP. His next start was Sunday and for 4.0 IP he was excellent. His only blemish was a ground rule double down the left field line, a sac bunt, and a run scoring ground out in the 2nd. He allowed an infield single in the 4th. For 4.0 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 walks and 4 K.
The 5th did not go as well. 4 runs, 5 hits, 1 BB.
He just turned 21 and is pitching AA. He has not allowed a HR this year.
I have no idea if the coaching/development staff was working on something that he has not yet conquered. But he is striking out 11.52/9 innings. However like almost EVERY LAD MiLB pitcher, he walks waaaaaay too many. For such a ballyhooed pitching development staff, they certainly have not figured out a way to stop walking so many.
Need evidence:
· OKC leads PCL with 209 BB, 8 more than #2, and 14 more than #3
· Tulsa leads Texas League with 176 BB, 29 over #2
· Great Lakes leads Midwest League with 223, 31 over #2
· RC #5 in California League with 164
· LAD ACL #2 in ACL with 36, 4 behind leader who has an 0-6 record
Even in the California League, Rancho has the pitcher with the #2 most walks (Aidan Foeller) and #4 most walks (Hyun-Seok Jang).
· Aidan Foeller – 22 BB in 29.0 IP
· Hyun Seok-Jang – 19 BB in 24.1 IP
· Marco Corcho – 10 BB in 13.0 IP
· Connor Goodwin – 10 BB in 4.1 IP
· Sean Linen – 10 BB in 29.2 IP
· Cristian Zazueta – 10 BB in 24.2 IP
· Jholbran Herder – 7 BB in 22.2 IP
· Samuel Sanchez – 4 BB in 17.0 IP
Something is going on in Tulsa. Jared Karros is supposed to be a control pitcher, and he had been until he reached Tulsa last year. He went from 1.85/9 BB at Great Lakes to 4.01 at Tulsa. This year is not much better at 3.91. This from a pitcher never more than 2.8/9 before getting to Tulsa.
The biggest MiLB jump is from A+ to AA.
Dodgers minor league teams leading in walks and we get to see Outman take strikes when he moves up from Dodger walk happy minor league team. Hmm
Love this!
super interesting.
i wonder what is happening….
This is really interesting, and I’ve found nothing really on point.
BUT. Found these two things! (LOVE lunchtime rabbit holes)
An interview with Rob Hill, Director of Minor League pitching
About 24 minutes in Hill in a conversation about Reynaldo Yean, speaks a little bit about walks.
“… the walks are still like a thing. The ways he’s getting to those walks is different than they used to be. It’s not <a pitch> scattershot left <the next pitch> scattershot right. It’s more like <a pitch> just missed, <forced a> foul ball. It’s a competitive at bat and you walk him on a 3-2 count after seven pitches. That’s progress, and we’re moving in the right direction.
”
And in this very laudatory article by DiGiovanna about Dodgers pitching development there’s nary a mention of focusing on control or limiting walks. It’s more about changing grips, developing pitches and customizing approaches:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2024-01-14/dodgers-pitching-turnaround-mechanics-data
“They’re just better at weeding out what works and what doesn’t work, you know?” said Anderson, who went 6-6 with a 5.43 ERA in his first season with the Angels in 2023. “Some guys need help with pitch grips, some need help with mechanics, some need help with mental stuff. They’re good at figuring out which guy needs what.
“There’s no secret recipe. It’s just good, hard, quantitative work. They do the [stuff] that matters.”
For the first half of the season at the very least with regard to bullpen games, especially (and primarily?) because they are trying to keep the pitchers on a 1x per week schedule pretty dogmatically. That and the fact that the organization is loathe to burn call-ups for single games, and I see the wisdom in that.
The BoSox are the main other team I follow, they haven’t done a ‘pen game yet this year, but did plenty last season.
Freeland seems to be in a slump; his BA is down to .270.
Sweep
philjones, like Badger, I read your post from yesterday this morning. I never understood the logic of Mookie being the everyday SS. Initially, it was stated that it was to put less stress on his legs as he ages. What? Common sense tells me standing in the outfield is less stressful physically than playing SS. It seemed Mookie was driving the narrative that he wanted to play SS and was not a front office move. But, who knows? The bottom line is that it appears playing SS has effected Mookie’s offensive performance. And, as Bumsrap mentioned, the beginning of the season illness certainly didn’t help. Maybe, with Kim on the team, some days off might be helpful with Mookie’s conditioning and an opportunity to regain some strength.
I agree with those that think Ohtani should be moved down to third in the order with Mookie leading off and Freeman hitting second. A lineup as follows might be in order:
Mookie SS, Freeman 1B, Ohtani DH, Teoscar LF, Smith C, Pages RF, Edman CF,
Muncy 3B, and Kim 2B.
Freddie Freeman is a marvel. He’s the Dodger MVP so far this season and is a league MVP candidate as well.
I think Bear mentioned Ohtani’s poor pitch recognition. It’s amazing to me how such a talented player can look so bad hitting several times a game. It’s like he has already made up his mind to swing at a pitch before the pitch is thrown. Could you imagine the stats he could put up if he was more disciplined? Regardless, he’s still a must watch AB each and every game.
Carry on.
Disagree Ted. Mookie was slated to play second when Lux moved back to SS, but he got injured and Mookie became the everyday guy. He wants to play the infield, but I don’t think he would mind if he was playing second. I think his offense is more affected by his illness that he contracted while they were in Japan. Mookie will get some time off because that is what Roberts does. He gets his regulars off of their feet in blowouts and scheduled days off. Mookie will get better as the season goes on. His career numbers bear that out. A .286 career hitter in the first half, he hits .304 in the second half, and his OPS in the second half is over 9. Dude is almost 33 now, some regression will come, probably sooner than later but he is a superb athlete and knows how to adjust. I think we expect way too much of our players sometimes.
Yeah but…
Always a but…
Mookie’s career numbers reflect a lot of years when he wasn’t 32 and he wasn’t playing the most demanding position facing the batter. Admittedly he is doing better out there but the long season will wear on him. How can it not?
I’m hoping Kim figures the Major League game out. Leave him on the infield and keep giving him at bats.
Sasaki. Find the edges buddy. Yamamoto. 90 pitch limit. Every other pitcher on the starting staff…. see Yamamoto.
These long seasons are arduous. Especially when you add high stress games in October.
Ted – good read.
Betts is doing just fine offensively and defensively.
Edman might not be a 150+ game regular.
Kim has holes, big holes in his swing.
Outman probably has only a few more at bats to hit with the pitch before he plays in OK.
Conforto looking better.
Kershaw pain free and yet can’t hit 89 mph.
Also, does Barnes really now have an arm as weak as it has been on his last 3 to 5 throws to second?
Down the road, might Barnes become the next Dodgers manager?
Does Barnes want to manage?
I do not think he has ever said. I just think it is expected that he will. OTOH, Miggy Ro has stated that he wants to manage.
Outman looks like a AAAA guy all the way. Great physical ability but not enough bat-to-ball skills to stay up.
Will more at bats help? Doesn’t look like it. He appears to not have a plan. In my opinion it begins with the first thing we all learned in Little League – get a good pitch to hit. After looking at strike one he eventually waves at strike three 8” off the plate low and away. 10 Ks in 17 plate appearances? I think I could do that. I believe it’s time he goes someplace where he has less pressure to figure it out. Pittsburgh might work for him. He’s from the West Coast. Maybe the A’s or Angels could help him out. Let Mike Trout work with him. Their swings are similar
I am an Outman fan, but he is so easy to pitch to. He generally does not swing at 1st pitch, so the pitcher often lays in a 95 MPH 4-seamer for strike one. Then nothing but soft stuff with movement on the edges and often outside of the zone that he swings over. Even the announcers know Outman is not getting anything hard after strike 1. It is not a secret. Even my wife, who is his biggest fan outside of his family, is cheering when he actually hits the ball.
He clearly was surprised to get the 3 pitches he got. Others weren’t hitting those pitches either but unlike Outman swung at pitches they could hit.
Great to see Gonzo pitch well. Nothing fancy. Pitch to contact with well placed pitches and nice sequencing. His stuff doesn’t knock your sox off but he just gets outs. I love it. Exactly what many of us have lobbied to see more of. Location as opposed to max velocity. It would be nice to see this continue for Cat-Man even more so if Snell and Glasnow are unavailable.
I really hope this was a springboard for Conforto’s confidence. We could sure use him to not be one of two automatic outs in the lineup.
Enjoy the day off.
After reading the report of Kershaw’s success for 3 innings in AAA, without his 4-seam velocity, I had a thought that might get me banned to the White Sox blog.
When he comes back, what about a role in the bullpen? Another LHRP?
That would be less taxing on his body, add pitch and innings management and effectively get through an inning or 2. His slider and curveball can still be out pitches with well located fastballs serving as a change-up.
I have no idea if that role would interest him but it might be worth a conversation.
What we need is a couple/few guys who can come into a game we are leading and pitch the final three innings to ensure the win.
Casparius, Dreyer, Frasso?, Sheehan?, Ohtani?
Worked for John Smoltz.
News from Internet:
MLB Pipeline updated their top 100:
https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects
15. C/1B/OF Dalton Rushing
33. OF Josue De Paula
45. OF Zyhir Hope
48. INF Alex Freeland
63. LHP Jackson Ferris
Baseball America’s 3rd mock draft ($$$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-mlb-mock-draft-3-0-first-round-pick-predictions-for-every-team/
40. Dodgers — Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
…but the Dodgers might be a team that’s happy to scoop up his arm talent and help him find the zone more consistently….
Ben Clemens had a chat:
Lord Thunder: LAD’s Muncy has had bad starts before, but usually heats up by now. How much of leash does he have to stay in the lineup?
Ben Clemens: Muncy, I’m pretty worried here, he’s 34, and the way he’s failing is the way you’d expect Max Muncy to fail. I’m sure teh Dodgers have more visibility into this than me but this looks bad! the skills that don’t seem likely to age, his plate discipline, are’nt aging
Tacoby Bellsbury: I’m loving the back-and-forth years of Judge and Ohtani. What’s Shohei going to do to one-up this in 2027?
Ben Clemens: what about a 50-homer, 150 IP season
Recent Dodger Farm promotions:
-RHP Jose Rodriguez —> AAA
-RHP Livan Reynoso —> AA
-RHP Shawndrick Oduber —> A
-IF Mairoshendrick Martinus —> A
-RHP prospects Sean Linan and Alex Makarewich have been promoted from Single-A to High-A
Note Bene: Linan had a 1.21 ERA, 44.2% strikeout rate and .146 AVG this year for RC, while Makarewich had an 0.68 ERA and 49.1% K in relief
From Future Projection: Episode 124: May Top 100 Prospect Update—The Up/Down Names To Know, May 9, 2025
This material may be protected by copyright.”
“the two Dodgers, outfielders that they have right now in the Midwest League with Zyhir Hope and Josue De Paula. I would have both of these guys juiced even more than we do right now. We have De Paula 38, we have Zyhir Hope 40.
I think these are two elite young hitting prospects.”
Jerry Espinoza has a new sleeper prospect:
“For all you prospect watchers, Dodgers RHP Yoryi Simarra Arizona Complex League. Dodgers find them, this one is from Cartagena Columbia.””
Jay Jaffe had a chat:
12 to 6: will smith’s career ops is 74 points lower in the second half. he’s hammering the ball so far this year – given feduccia and rushing on the cusp, and knowing how the dodgers run smith into the ground during regular season, can we *please* get the fresh prince an “il” blow every once in a while to keep him fresh(er)?
Jay Jaffe: I tend to agree. I think once Ohtani is pitching and takes the occasional day off from DHing there will be a lane for Smith to get a bit of DH time and maybe take a look at Rushing, but I think his future as a receiver might lie in another organization.
Sirota was also acknowledged as a top performer by MLB Pipeline:
https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/top-prospect-performers-for-may-11-2025?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage
“…his first career multihomer game as part of a three-hit, five-RBI performance, cranking a two-run shot in the first and a three-run shot in the seventh.”
Brendan Tunink, DePaula, Hope, Eduardo Quintero and Sirota (OFs) make the Baseball America Hotsheet ($$$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/ranking-the-20-hottest-mlb-prospects-hot-sheet-5-12-25/
“Tunink was an overslot signing for $412,500 at 250th overall and was an athletic testing standout.”
“…on Thursday night when he went deep twice, showcasing his power to both the opposite field and his pull side. The 19-year-old also swiped three bases, flashing his 60-grade speed. ”
“It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Sirota may have already outgrown Low-A.”
“One scout described De Paula as having a Ken Griffey Jr.-esque swing. That kind of comparison brings some Bigfoot-sized shoes to fill, but so far, De Paula is backing it up..”
“The Dodgers have worked closely with Hope to better recognize and attack hittable pitches…”
DodgersDaily interviewed Dalton Rushing:
Good stuff about his progression as a catcher and a little bit on him as a left fielder.
Thomas Nestico breaks down Casparius:
https://x.com/TJStats/status/1917957188561052050
On the Baseball America Mock Draft, the Dodgers were slated for RHP, Patrick Forbes. And you included a blurb from the Draft projection:
…but the Dodgers might be a team that’s happy to scoop up his arm talent and help him find the zone more consistently….
But they don’t. How many more examples do we need. The Dodgers’ affiliates walk more batters than any other team, by a bunch. I have already reported walks and IP for many of the RC pitchers:
OKC
• Bobby Miller – 23 BB in 27.0 IP
• Justin Wrobeleski – 18 BB in 30.1 IP
• Nick Frasso – 15 BB in 26.1 IP
• Ben Harris – 13 BB in 15.0 IP
• Ryan Sublette – 13 BB in 13.0 IP
• Alec Gamboa – 12 BB in 19.1 IP
• Logan Boyer – 11 BB in 15.2 IP
• Landon Knack – 9 BB in 20.1 IP – And he came to the Dodgers with a rep of throwing strikes, and being a control pitcher
Tulsa
• Jacob Meador – 17 BB in 21.1 IP
• Jerming Rosario – 15 BB in 26.0 IP
• Jackson Ferris – 14 BB in 25.0 IP
• Lucas Wepf – 12 BB in 15.0 IP
• Kelvin Bautista – 11 BB in 12.2 IP
• Peter Heubeck – 11 BB in 15.2 IP
• Jared Karros – 11 BB in 25.1 IP
• Ronan Kopp – 11 BB in 9.0 IP
• Brandon Neeck – 11 BB in 11.2 IP
• Christian Suarez – 11 BB in 16.0 IP
• Jorge Benitez – 10 BB in 13.0 IP
• Kelvin Ramirez – 9 BB in 11.1 IP
Great Lakes
• Patrick Copen – 24 BB in 25.2 IP
• Luke Fox – 20 BB in 21.2 IP
• Wyatt Crowell – 19 BB in 14.1 IP
• Brooks Auger – 18 BB in 27.1 IP
• Noah Ruen – 15 BB in 10.0 IP
• Christian Ruebeck – 13 BB in 8.2 IP
• Joseilyn Gonzalez – 11 BB in 13.2 IP
• Robinson Ortiz – 10 BB in 14.0 IP
• Eriq Swan – 10 BB in 14.1 IP
• Reynaldo Yean – 9 BB in 7.1 IP
That does not include the king of the BB, Maddux Bruns, who is hurt yet again.
No, the Dodgers have not proven to me that they have the ability to fix control problems.
There is an anomaly on the Tulsa staff. The far less heralded Chris Campos – 4 BB in 25.0 IP. The problem with Campos is that he does not throw hard enough for the scouting gurus and talent evaluators. Per Fangraphs:
Campos has climbed to Tulsa as a strike-throwing starter with below-average stuff, though his slider has played like a plus pitch because of his precise command of it. He can throw strikes with a changeup and a curveball, but neither is especially nasty.
He throws strikes and gets outs. I like him.
Damn, Jeff those stats are terrible. I hate walks.
So what’s your take on the reason our guys can’t throw strikes throughout the organization. Is it where we draft? Who we look for; hard throwers who we think we can fix, do we care. Maybe they are just chips to hope to use in trades, although I don’t have much value in guys who walk the ballpark.
I think sometimes we are a little smug in thinking we can fix guys, veterans and prospects, and make chicken salad out of chicken shit.
Thoughts?
It may be just me but my confidence in Mark Prior is fading. That may be misplaced but after reading his ideas in an article in the Athletic, I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Not over my head, just sort of organizational gibberish. I’m not calling for his head, as there are lots on issues but I’m becoming less impressed with the guy.
I know I’m blessed not being a Rockies or White Sox fan.
Certainly where the Dodgers draft has an impact on the quality of pitching available. I believe that AF/BG understand that elite draft pitching talent is not going to be there when they draft. They are not going to be able to draft Paul Skenes, Hunter Greene, Casey Mize, Jackson Jobe, Andrew Painter, Rhett Lowder, Cade Horton…But there is always hope for landing a Tarik Skubal or Jacob de Grom.
That will be especially true when they draft #40 and #41 this year. The discussions that I have researched seem to point to power & stuff over pitchability. They certainly believe they can work on control, but it is harder to find elite hard stuff where they draft. Thus the Maddux Bruns and Bobby Miller draft picks. They throw hard, but have no idea where the pitch is going. Bruns is looking more like a bust than someone who can be resurrected. His starting options are running on fumes about now. Maybe they can harness his power into a late inning reliever.
They seem to focus on that pitcher that can be developed into a star. They need velo and stuff for that. Guys like Landon Knack and Ben Casparius were not guys with elite stuff (still aren’t), but somehow they found ways to get outs. Neither one is going to get a lot of K’s, but neither one should walk a lot. They are still hoping for the same from Justin Wrobleski.
If we take a deeper dive into what pitchers have more helium in their prospect status, it usually is due to a plus plus changeup or slider. Guys that throw hard and count on that pitch, just do not seem to stick in the LAD plans. Bobby Miller, Maddux Bruns, Ronan Kopp, Ben Harris, Reynaldo Yean.
Just my opinion on what I have observed.
They don’t want them throwing strikes. That puts the ball in play. They want guys to chase edge pitches, or pitches outside the zone. Next time you watch a Dodgers game, pay attention to how many 3-ball counts there are. This is why none of the starters go more than 5 innings. It’s 3-2 on every hitter, plus foul balls, almost every hitter is 8-10 pitches.
They don’t want any ball put in play, they believe there is too much “batted ball variance, or luck”. It’s not just the Dodgers, almost every other team is doing this now. They don’t care about walks. This is why the guy that pounds the zone, the control pitcher, is very rare these days. Notice how many guys are throwing sweepers now? Almost every reliever.
I don’t agree with it, but this is how the game is now.
I think this isn’t 💯 correct, but it really points in the right direction. Insightful.
I’m not sure if Scott meant it this way, but the sweeper and the change (two pictures the Dodgers seem to really push in their development.) do you have a lot of horizontal or vertical break. And the more break a picture has, the more likely it is to end up outside the strike zone?
This is correct, from what I understand. I think the sweeper has more horizontal break. I’m no expert by any means, but this is what I understand.
The sweeper can be a really great tool in the pitcher’s toolbox if utilized correctly. I would like to see more weak contact induced, batted ball luck be damned. If you trust your infielders, then it should be ok.
I’m thinking of writing an article on this. Would probably make for an interesting read and discussion.
If memory serves, these used to called frisbee curves and considered more hittable as they stay on the plane of the bat longer. Most breaking balls, those with depth, are considered harder to hit. Now I’m sure these new sweepers have a high spin rate so there would be more movement on them.
I don’t care about those stats Jeff, I’m just happy the Dodgers might draft a RHP.
Never have enough RHP.
BTW, I think this might have legs. A Louisville prospect has LAD Super Scout Marty Lamb probably all over this. If Lamb is pushing for a draft pick, he quite often gets it. Plus he has a flexor strain, so he is automatically a LAD prospect.
Good lord those are horrible numbers
Yes, they are.
Really appreciate these snippets, Bluto. Always an interesting read.
Could you tell me who this was written about? Is it one guy or two?
“…on Thursday night when he went deep twice, showcasing his power to both the opposite field and his pull side. The 19-year-old also swiped three bases, flashing his 60-grade speed. ”
Thank you for pointing out my omission.
its about Quintero and if any editor can edit that in, I’d be happy.
Quintero and Sirota belong in Great Lakes and De Paula and Hope belong in Tulsa. There is not a Tulsa OF who comes close to the ceiling of any of the 4. Why hold them back? 3 of the 4 are in the LAD top 10 prospects with 2 in the top 100 overall. Sirota should make top ten this year. Both Quintero and Sirota (with his newfound power) could be knocking on the top 100 door by next year. Sirota is putting up better numbers than Slade Caldwell (CF), the Dbacks #2 prospect. I fully acknowledge that Sirota is 3 years older. Sirota is #2 in the California League in batting average (.354), #4 OBP (.443), #1 SLG (.687), and #1 OPS 1.130. He is the only player in the Cal League with a OPS > 1.000. Sirota has nothing left to prove in the California League. What is the holdup. I will look again at the Rancho transactions to see if Sirota got promoted.
Only reason I can think of for keeping them down: Maximizing their trade value. If they promote them and they donßt do as well as hoped it could diminsh their trade value.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Good read. Thanks.
“Landon Knack – 9 BB in 20.1 IP – And he came to the Dodgers with a rep of throwing strikes, and being a control pitcher”.
He does have the best walks/9 innings pitched of all the pitchers listed in AAA. So from that standpoint he’s meeting expectations.
The rep came from his East Tennessee State days. 17 walks in 122.0 IP. That is 1.254 BB/9. If you are happy with a 3.98 BB/9 okay. I expect more from a control pitcher. This year at MLB he is 4.61/9 IP, while last year he was at 2.35/9 IP. More pitches, more baserunners. This issue needs to improve organization wide. I am hoping Landon Knack takes a page out of Gonsolin’s pitch book. Hit the edges. He has stayed away from HRs more this year.
Is it too early to start thinking about what might be available at the trade deadline that could improve the Dodgers?
Right now I only see the White Sox, Angels, Rockies, Nationals, Pirates and Marlins as sellers. The Reds and Orioles are borderline.
And don’t even mention Luis Robert Jr.
I mean we need to see what they are going to need. It’s pretty much a loaded roster right now, so I see more unloading than loading.
Dodgers just acquired OF Steward Berroa from the Blue Jays for cash.
This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to me. Granted we have no knowledge as to what is behind this decision or what decisions may be pending. But Berroa is a lesser Esteury Ruiz. Probably a lesser Justin Dean? Outman is on his way back to OKC. Ryan Ward remains there and he is not getting a chance at LAD.
Why not promote José Ramos, thus opening up a spot for Josue De Paula to AA and Mike SIrota to Great Lakes.
Usually I side with no risk or downside on these types of additions. But in this case, the continuing blocking of of De Paula, Hope, Sirota, and Quintero is prevalent. Are the Dodgers less enamored of those four so much that signing a Steward Berroa makes sense to them?
Couldn’t agree more.
I’m guessing Berroa replaces Outman tomorrow and the hope is that either (or both) Teo or Edman are back within a few games.
At that point they cut Berroa loose. In other words the plan is to roster him for just a few games and not have to move any other pieces around.
Looks like I’m wrong already. Apparently Berroa has been sent to OKC. Maybe there’s a trade in the works and they’re going to need an extra outfielder down there.
Or maybe Andrew is just messing with me.
Yes. He is on the OKC roster. He is one of four listed OF. Of course they can always use Nick Senzel or Austin Gauthier in the OF. Plus, I hear there is a guy named Dalton Rushing who can play in the OF if needed. No matter how you draw it up, it does not make sense to those of us who were not in the decision process.
What if Outman is shot into the sun?
Much needed. I”ve been harping about this move for some time now.
First of 30 purchases.