2018
As good as the 2016 draft was, the 2018 draft was dismal, and I think that is putting it kindly. From the 2018 draft, three players have reached MLB thus far: RHRP Michael Grove, OF James Outman, and RHRP Stephen Kolek (San Diego). Thus, the 2018 draft resulted in 2 non high leverage/late inning relief pitchers, and an OF currently in AAA. One of the relievers is on the IL, thus currently one 2018 LAD draftee is in MLB.
There are also two players who could reach MLB for LAD: one probable (Hunter Feduccia) and one probably not (Drew Avans).
The first pick was HS RHP, JT Ginn. Ginn did not sign, and instead decided to honor his commitment to Mississippi State. Ginn had his TJ surgery in March of his collegiate sophomore (and draft) year. NYM selected him in the 2nd round in 2020. He was later traded to Oakland with RHRP Adam Oller for RHSP Chris Bassitt. Ginn has been on and off the IL his entire professional career, and is currently in Las Vegas, the AAA affiliate of Oakland. Ginn’s current career metrics – 220.1 IP, 4.66 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, .250 batting average against, 17 HR, 74 BB, 210 K. He is looking more like a long or middle reliever than a top of the rotation starting pitcher.
Some of you may recall that I was on my band box after the 2018 draft because Shane McClanahan fell into the LAD laps and they chose Ginn over him. At the time I wrote – Mistake, Big Mistake. Tampa Bay said thank you very much and selected him the very next pick.
The Dodgers offered Ginn an above slot $2.4MM, which he declined. McClanahan signed for $2.23MM, so it was not due to $$$.
The Dodgers did receive a compensatory pick in 2019. They chose to bypass SS Gunnar Henderson a 2nd time, and selected Michael Busch, presumably because he had more slug. More on 2019 is coming up.
As a follow up, Ginn faced OKC on Monday and he allowed 6 runs (all earned) on 6 hits, 5 BB, 3 K and 4.2 IP.
Rounds 2-12 for LAD:
RHP Michael Grove – Grove had TJ surgery May 2017 and missed his entire final collegiate season. The Dodgers drafted him in the 2nd round, and he signed for an above slot $1.23MM. Grove has primarily (almost exclusively) a starting pitcher in MiLB.
Grove made his MLB debut May 15, 2022, at home against Philadelphia. He completed 3.2 IP, allowing 4 runs (all earned), on 4 hits, 3 BB, with 3 K. Grove has been transitioned to middle relief and opener. He has transitioned very well until his current injury, right intercostal strain, has him on the IL. He went on the IL on June 16, and is eligible to come off today (although he will not).
LHRP John Rooney – Has been fully transitioned from starting pitcher to reliever. He is currently at OKC, but has multiple relievers slated as better options for LAD. Recognizing that relievers can crack an MLB roster later in their careers, there is a chance for John Rooney, but it will not be with LAD. Rooney is perhaps best known for his elite pickoff move to 1B.
RHRP Braydon Fisher – He will be the answer to a trivia question in the years to come. Who was traded to Toronto for Cavan Biggio? Fisher reached AAA with LAD this year, and is now assigned to Toronto’s AA affiliate.
Utility Devin Mann – Mann (another Louisville product), is the Swiss army knife of MLB. He has played 1B (97 games), 2B (237 games), 3B (128 games), SS (12 games), LF (44 games), CF (8 games), RF (22 games), DH (47 games). He was traded with SS Derlin Figueroa to KC for LHP Ryan Yarbrough. Mann is currently assigned to Omah, KC’s AAA affiliate, and is playing primarily 1B, 2B, and DH.
LHP Bryan Warzak – Was released by LAD (from AA affiliate) 09/2021. Signed by Seattle 05/2022 and released 08/2022. He is currently playing in Indy League.
CF James Outman – 7th round pick out of Sacramento State, and had his swing fully broken down and built up again. Burst onto the MLB scene on July 31 – August 4, 2022. On his MLB debut in Colorado, James homered in his 1st AB off German Márquez. He also singled and doubled in his inaugural game with LAD. He was optioned after 4 games where he was 6-13 with 2 BB, 2 doubles, and 1 HR. He also had 7 K’s.
James went on to be the regular CF for LAD in 2023, where he batted .248/.353/.437/.790 with 23 HRs, 70 RBI, and 181 K. James got off to a horrendous start in 2024, and was optioned to OKC on May 17, 2024. Outman is as streaky as CT3, and strikes out as much as CT3. Then again CT3 is making $13MM per year for the next two years with a $4MM buyout of his 2026 club option.
Andy Pages has basically taken the CF role for 2024. Outman’s best hope is as a platoon CF with Pages for 2024 or be traded. I do not believe Outman would shed a tear if he were traded, and I would suspect the same result for most LAD fans. Although I do think some have come to appreciate his defensive chops in CF when compared to Pages.
2B Luke Heyer – Another Marty Lamb signee, but from Kentucky. Reached High A before being released.
OF Josh McLain – Reached full season A ball and retired 11-7-2019.
SS Deacon Liput – Reached OKC for 36 PA, bypassing AA, in 2021. He was placed on the restricted list by LAD on 03-07-2022. This means he has not retired, was not released, and is still the “property” of the Dodgers if he decides to return to baseball.
RHRP Stephen Kolek – Drafted by LAD in 11th round, and reached AA with LAD. He was traded to Seattle on 04-28-2021 for cash considerations. San Diego selected him in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft on 12-06-2023, made the opening day roster, and is still on the 26 man roster for San Diego. For 2024, Kolek has pitched 39.0 innings, accumulated a 4.62 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, .298 batting average against, 3 HR, 10 BB, and 32 K.
C Hunter Feduccia – 12th round selection out of LSU, thus he automatically has made my favorite list. Love LSU baseball, second only to USC. Hunter is in his 2nd year at AAA and is batting .282/.390/.463/.853, almost a duplicate of his 2023 metrics with a slight improvement in each of the slash metrics.
LH hitting Feduccia, 27, is currently blocked by Austin Barnes at LAD. Barnes has a club option for 2025, so that may be the time for the transition to Feduccia as the Dodgers backup catcher. But he is going to have to prove to LAD management that he can perform the most important game function for a backup catcher…call and control the pitch game. Any offense is extra. Barnes was a better hitter at AAA than Feduccia. It his hard to hit at the MLB level playing regularly. It is especially difficult when playing once or twice a week. DO NOT expect Feduccia to hit at the same level as he is with OKC. He is currently sharing catching duties with Diego Cartaya at OKC.
CF Drew Avans – LH hitting Avans, 28, was the 33rd round pick in the 2018 draft. This is his 4th full season at AAA, and is enjoying his best season. He is slashing .288/.378/.447/.825. IMO this is a shame that Drew has not been traded. A southern boy who went to Southeaster Louisiana did not grow up a LAD fan, so his heart would not have been broken to try and break in with another team.
There were a couple of other draft picks that did get that chance, although it did not work out well for them either. But they did get the opportunity.
1B Dillon Paulson – 13th rounder, LH hitter from USC, so you know I have to bring him up. On 12/29/2020 Dillon was traded to Philadelphia for LHRP Garrett Cleavinger. LAD then traded (08-21-2022) Cleavinger to Tampa Bay for OF German Tapia. This one did not turn out so well for AF. Cleavinger is a solid reliever for Tampa Bay with 7 holds and 3 saves out of 4 save opportunities this year for the Rays. 37 games, 34.0 IP, 2.91 ERA, 19 BB, 44 K.
OF Niko Hulsizer – RH hitter was traded 07/31/2019 to Tampa Bay for LHRP Adam Kolarek. Before the 3-batter rule, Kolarek was an outstanding Loogy for LAD.
Both Paulson and Hulsizer were subsequently released and are both out of organized baseball.
For the 2018 draft:
Drafted 40, signed 32.
- RHP – 12 drafted (7 signed)
- LHP – 7 drafted and signed
- 2B/SS – 1 drafted and signed
- OF – 13 drafted and 10 signed (James Outman and Drew Avans)
- C – 3 drafted and signed (Hunter Feduccia)
- 1B – 2 drafted and signed
- 2B – 2 drafted and signed
The Dodgers drafted a lot of college seniors. The overwhelming reason for this is cost. College seniors do not command much in $$$ and have no leverage.
- College Seniors – 10
- College Juniors – 14
- College Sophomores – 1
- Junior College – 9
- High School – 6
One other consideration, 2018 was the year that MLB “instructed” LAD to get under the threshold because their debt coverage ratio was too high. Their payroll went from $254MM in 2017 to $186MM in 2018 to meet MLB’s criterion.
There are still a couple of 2018 LAD draft picks that can reach MLB, but 2018 has to go down as somewhat of a bust. There will not be one MLB regular position player from the 2018 LAD draft, or a starting pitcher. The one hope is still James Outman.
2019
This is the draft that might have been. I do know that HS SS Gunnar Henderson was high on the LAD list. But Kody Hoese was also on that list after his marvelous power laden junior season at Tulane – .392/.486/.779/1.265. Tulane is in a mid-tier NCAA D-1 Conference (American Athletic Association). It just so happens that it is also Andrew Friedman’s alma mater, and where he had a baseball scholarship. Coincidence????
So the Dodgers passed on not only Henderson, but also Anthony Volpe to draft Kody Hoese. How did that work out? Okay they missed on Henderson once, but twice? Yep. The Dodgers chose Michael Busch over Henderson.
3B Kody Hoese – Hoese was considered to be the RH power 3B they were looking for. It just has not turned out that way. For the last three years, his best season was last year at Tulsa when he slashed .244/.300/.390/.690 with 11 HR. But this year has been a great recovery for him as he is slashing .302/.366/.465/.831 with 7 HRs. This was the first season he has had an OPS > .700 since low A in 2019. He is more contact over slug now. For the last year and a half, Hoese’s K rate has been 19.3%. One area of some concern is his BAbip of .364 this season. This is 70 points higher his career average.
Hoese has now put himself in the crosshairs of possible trade targets. Maybe he should have been in the discussion for a call to LAD instead of trading for Cavan Biggio. I know, I know, Biggio is LH hitting and Hoese is RH hitting. Could he be hitting worse than Biggio?
2B – Michael Busch – For the last few years the discussion has been who the best hitter in the LAD MiLB was – Miguel Vargas or Michael Busch. Both had their followings. Admittedly, I was on team Busch. Well Busch has since been traded to the Cubs in what should turn out to be a very fair trade for both sides. In return the Dodgers received LHSP Jackson Ferris (LAD #6) and OF Zyhir Hope (LAD #20). Busch is currently on the 26 man Chicago Cubs roster.
RHP Jimmy Lewis – Lewis reached a high of full season (low) A. He was released after 2023 after accumulating a career 90 career IP. No longer in professional baseball.
RHP Ryan Pepiot – Pepiot was a personal favorite since draft day. He rose through the ranks, and made his MLB debut May 11, 2022, after only 26.1 AAA innings. He was penciled to be in the LAD rotation for 2023 when a left oblique strain put him on the shelf. He came back late in the season to start 8 games and throw 42.0 innings.
This past Winter, Ryan was traded to Tampa Bay with OF Jonny DeLuca for RHP Tyler Glasnow and OF Manuel Margot.
3B/1B Brandon Lewis – This is Lewis’ 3rd year at Tulsa. Maybe he will have a restart to his career like Hoese did after he spent 3 years at Tulsa. In 2022, Lewis hit .209/.271/.438/.709 with 24 HR and 33.7% K rate. His numbers went backwards in 2023. In 2024, he is improving while still struggling. In 194 PA, Lewis is batting .235/.314/.424/.738. His K rate is 30.9%. He is a 25 year old corner OF, and these are not encouraging number for that prospect.
I admit he is a personal favorite as well as he went to Bishop Alemany High School where my two sons (and daughter) attended. He also went to Pierce College (JC) where my son Kris played baseball.
RHP Jack Little – Little was a star reliever for Stanford, good enough to be selected in the 5th round. 2024 has been his most worked season. His previous season high was 30.2 IP in 2021. He is currently sitting at 29.2 IP this year. He has reached AAA in 2024.
RHP Aaron Ochsenbein – Ochsenbein reached AAA in 2022 and then voluntarily retired.
RHP Nick Robertson – Robertson was always on a faster track as a relief pitcher. He made his MLB debut on June 7, 2023, with 2.0 perfect innings against Cincinnati with 3 K. On July 25, 2023, Nick was traded with RHP Justin Hagenman to Boston for Kiké Hernández. On December 8, 2023, Nick was traded with RHP Victor Santos to St. Louis for OF Tyler O’Neill. Nick is currently with the Cardinals AAA affiliate.
OF Ryan Ward – Ryan is a 26 year old OF who is in his second full season with OKC. Ryan had a brief stint on the IL this year (2+ weeks), but has played almost equally at LF, RF, 1B, and DH. Ward leads PCL with 20 HRs even while missing more than 2 weeks. For the season, Ward is batting .276/.331/.627/.958. He has the #1 SLG and the #3 OPS in the PCL. Prospects with a lot less accomplishments have made their MLB debuts. Why not Ward?
LHP Alec Gamboa – Is in AAA, and is completing his full transition to reliever. His last two outings are not reflective of how well he has pitched this year. He is currently on the Temporary Inactive List. Don’t read too much into it. This could be for a lot of reasons.
SS Zac Ching – Reached Great Lakes in 2022 before being released. No longer in professional baseball.
11th Round RHP Logan Boyer – Boyer was out all of 2022 and 2023 due to injury. He is 26 years old and has been assigned to Tulsa for all of 2024. He has appeared in 22 Games, 27.0 IP, 1.67 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .191 BAA, 5 saves in 6 save opportunities. He is currently on the 7 day IL, but that could be for innings monitoring. Don’t know for sure, but he did not pitch for 2 years, and he has been placed in high leverage high stress situations.
25th Round OF – Jonny DeLuca – Jonny is 25 year old and grew up in Southern California. He was a LAD fan who attended Agoura High School before heading to University of Oregon. He made his MLB debut also on June 7 (same as Nick Robertson) against Cincinnati. He got his first MLB hit on June 9, a single against Ranger Suárez. He was traded with Ryan Pepiot to Tampa Bay on December 16, 2023, for RHP Tyler Glasnow and OF Manual Margot.
The Dodgers focused on college players with 28 out of 41 college players. The draft also included 5 junior college players, 7 high school players , and 1 Puerto Rico Academy player.
Position wise, here is the 2019 draft.
- RHP – 13 drafted (10 signed)
- LHP – 7 drafted (6 signed)
- OF – 10 drafted (7 signed)
- SS – 5 drafted (3 signed)
- 3B – 3 drafted and signed
- C – 2 drafted (1 signed)
- 2B – 1 drafted and signed (and traded)
Thus far, the 2019 draft has produced 4 players who have reached MLB. One is a regular 1B/DH for Chicago Cubs, Michael Busch. He will get ROY votes this year. One is in the Tampa Bay rotation, Ryan Pepiot. One is a reliever currently optioned in AAA, Nick Robertson. One is a platoon OF in the Tampa Bay roster, Jonny DeLuca.
I do believe Kody Hoese will play MLB, and I did not always think that. There is still a lot of hope for relievers Jack Little, Alec Gamboa, and Logan Boyer. And I do believe that Ryan Ward deserves that chance, and I think he will get it.
2020
This draft was limited to 5 rounds due to Covid. The Dodgers picked up a Competitive Balance Round B Pick between the 2nd and 3rd rounds. The Dodgers had 3 of the first 66 picks (29, 60, and 66). There were a total of 160 players selected in the five rounds. The LAD picks:
- RHP Bobby Miller – #29 overall
- RHP Landon Knack – #60 overall
- RHP Clayton Beeter – #66 overall
- OF Jake Vogel – #100 overall
- C Carson Taylor – #130 overall
- RHP Gavin Stone – #159 overall
RHP Bobby Miller made his MLB debut May 23, 2023, against Atlanta. He pitched 5.0 innings allowed 1 run, 4 hits, 1 BB, and 5 K. It was not only a successful debut, but it was the start of 4 outstanding starts. His first 4 starts – 23 IP, 0.78 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, .150 BAA.
His next four starts did not go as well. 21.0 IP, 20 runs, 27 hits, 8 BB, 19 K. That was a 8.57 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP.
For the season, he had 22 starts, compiled 124.1 IP, 3.76 ERA, 3.51 WHIP, 1.10 WHIP, .226 BA, 32 BB, and 119 K.
He started Game 2 in the NLDS against Arizona, and it did not go well. 1.2 IP, 4 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 2 BB, 1 K. 52 pitches.
For the second year in a row, Miller was slowed at the start of the season due to shoulder issue. The 2024 delay was more pronounced. Thus far, he has 5 starts in 2024. For 2024, Miller has 20.0 IP, with a 6.75 ERA, 5.346 FIP, 1.650 WHIP. His BB/9 has increased from 2.3 to 5.4. His hit/9 has increased from 7.6 to 9.5. His HR/9 has doubled from 0.9 to 1.8.
I wrote this before his scheduled Tuesday start against Arizona.
RHP Landon Knack – Had a rough AA season in 2022. There were questions about his desire and his lack of conditioning. He went on a strong conditioning regiment after 2022 and came into 2023 with a new attitude. He was a solid pitcher in 2023.
Knack began the year at Tulsa and started 12 games. He compiled 57.1 innings, 2.20 ERA, 0.94 WHIP. He was promoted to AAA and started 10 games and threw 43.0 innings. He had a 2.93 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. He had 18 BB and 38 K.
Knack made his MLB debut on April 17, 2024 with 5.0 IP against the Washington Nationals. He allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, 1 BB, 4 K, and 1 HR.
Knack is currently in the LAD rotation and is having an outstanding start to his MLB career. He is projected to be a back end of the rotation SP.
RHP Clayton Beeter – Made his MLB debut on March 29, 2024, with 1.0 inning against Houston. He was the third pitcher from the LAD draft to make his MLB debut.
Beeter was optioned after his March 29 debut. He has 7 AAA starts. He has 32.0 IP, 2.53 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, .216 BAA, 21 BB and 44 K.
On August 2, 2022 Beeter was traded to NYY for Joey Gallo.
CF Jake Vogel – Another swing and miss on a speedy CF. It did not go well with Jeren Kendall, and Jake Vogel is not going well either. Vogel is in his 2nd full year at Great Lakes, and he is going backwards. 2023 at GL – .236/.312/.325/.637. 2024 at GL – .177/.310/.262/.572. The biggest difference is that in 369 AB for 2023, 22 doubles. In 164 AB for 2024, he has 3 doubles. He had 3 HRs in 2023 and 2024.
C Carson Taylor – He was selected in the MiLB Rule 5 draft last December and has had a marvelous year at AA with Philadelphia. He just turned 25. For 2024, Taylor has been converted to a 1B/DH. He is batting career bests of .286/.380/.495/.875 with 242 PA. He has 10 HR and 53 RBI which is one shy of his career best 54 in 2021.
Carson has to be ecstatic that Philadelphia chose him in the MiLB phase of the Rule 5 draft.
RHP Gavin Stone – Beginning of the year, Dionysus said that Gavin Stone would be ROY and #4 in rotation. He is certainly in the running for ROY, but he is much better than #4 in the rotation. He is at least #2 and it could be argued that he is the best LAD starting pitcher thus far in 2024.
Stone was #159 draft pick out of a total of 160.
After being tabbed MiLB Pitcher of the Year for LAD in 2022, Stone was looking forward to 2023. He made his MLB debut on May 3, 2023, against Philadelphia. He went 4.0 IP, allowed 5 runs (4 earned), 8 hits, 2 BB, and 1 K. For the year, he regressed from there. 31.0 IP, 9.00 ERA, 1.903 WHIP, 13.4 H/9, 2.3 HR/9, 3.8 BB/9. 6.4 K/9.
In 2024, Stone has 15 starts and 89.0 IP. He has a 2.73 ERA, 1.124 WHIP, 7.6 H/9, 0.6 HR/9, 2.5 BB/9, and 7.1 K/9. He is still not striking many lot, which pushes his FIP up.
He does have a complete game shutout for 2024.
Players who were available other than Jake Vogel:
- Coby Mayo
- Nick Frasso
- Spencer Strider
- Colt Keith
- Kyle Hurt
- Brandon Pfaadt
- Bryce Elder
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS
OKC Baseball Club 11 – Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 6
Back and forth game. OKC up 3-0. LV up 4-3. OKC up 5-4. LV up 6-5. Tie 6-6. OKC then scores 5 unanswered in the 8th and 9th. Every OKC batter got a hit. Diego Cartaya reached base 5 times going 4-4 with a walk. He had a double (1) and HR (1). He is having a good start to AAA. He is batting .320 with an .850 OPS.
#Dodgers C prospect Diego Cartaya’s first Triple-A homer came in a big spot, giving OKC a late lead
Cartaya has an .804 OPS since being promoted to Triple-A pic.twitter.com/nNRM8DRl7q
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) July 3, 2024
Chris Vallimont started and went 4.0 IP. He gave up 6 runs (5 earned) on 6 hits and 5 BB. In his last 5 games, Vallimont has allowed 30 runs (29 earned) in 22.0.
Earlier we learned that Jonathan Araúz was released to make room for new 2B addition Alan Trejo. Trejo enjoyed his initial game in the LAD organization. He reached base 4 times with 2 doubles and 2 walks.
Welcome to the team, Alan Trejo!
He hits a RBI double to deep center field to tie the game in the fourth inning. pic.twitter.com/AQHMi7CCnt
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) July 3, 2024
Ryan Ward hit his PCL leading 21st HR.
On the 10th pitch of the at-bat, Ryan Ward hits his league-leading 21st home run of the season! pic.twitter.com/P6yZ1I7CWi
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) July 3, 2024
Kody Hoese continued his hot 2024 season with another pair of hits. He has his average up to .304 and his OPS up to .831.
Kody Hoese rips his second RBI single of the night! pic.twitter.com/0DNxTZ8hDS
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) July 3, 2024
Four relievers followed Vallimont and pitched 5.0 scoreless innings. They allowed a combined 4 hits, 1 BB, and 4 K. Jack Dreyer was again brilliant, and has to be considered for a possible relief role with LAD at some point this year. He has not allowed an earned run since May 17. That is over 12 games.
- Diego Cartaya – 4-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (1), HR (1)
- Kody Hoese – 2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI
- Alan Trejo – 2-3, 2 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, 2 doubles (2)
- Ryan Ward – 1-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (21)
Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota) 6 – Tulsa Drillers 2
Jerming Rosario lasted all of 2.2 innings. He only allowed 1 hit, but issued 6 walks, a HBP, and a WP. That was good enough for 3 runs allowed. Michael Hobbs also allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and a BB in his 2.0 IP.
Ryan Sublette 2.1 IP with 3 K and Edgardo Henriquez with a perfect 1.0 IP and 2 Ks.
The Drillers broke through for two in the 8th. Alex Freeland drew a BB and moved to 3rd on a Taylor Young double. Dalton Rushing hit a ground rule double to score Freeland, and José Ramos hit a SF to score Young.
- Dalton Rushing – 2-5, 1 RBI, double (12)
West Michigan White Caps (Detroit) 6 – Great Lakes Loons 1
Jacob Meador completed 4.1 innings, with 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 BB, and 3 K. In the 3rd, he gave up a pair of singles putting runners on the corners and then a SF gave West Michigan a 1-0 lead. A single and 2-run HR gave the White Caps a couple more runs off Meador in the 5th.
Livan Reinoso relieved Meador with one out in the 5th and nobody on. A single, double, and single gave West Michigan two more in the inning and a 5-0 lead. Jesus Luna gave up a one-out single, a two-out walk and a two-out run scoring single in the 7th.
The Loons finally scored in the 9th. Noah Miller drew a BB that was followed by a pair of singles by Dylan Campbell and Chris Newell.
On the game, Great Lakes had 5 hits, all singles.
- Dylan Campbell – 2-4
Visalia Rawhide (Arizona) 13 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4
Joe Kelly started the game for his rehab. He allowed a single that was erased on a DP. Kelly threw 5 pitches (3 strikes).
— Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (@RCQuakes) July 3, 2024
19 year old RHP Christian Zazueta followed Kelly and was hit hard in his 3.1 innings. He allowed 8 runs (all earned) on 8 hits, 3 BB, and 4 K. One of the hits was a solo HR.
Pedro Santillan allowed 2 runs on 3 hits. Noah Ruen gave up a 2-run HR in the 9th and another from a BB, single, SF.
The Quakes scored a pair of runs in the 4th and 7th. Wilman Diaz hit a 2-run scoring triple and Jesus Galiz and Cameron Decker both singled. In the 7th, Samuel Munoz singled, Juan Alonso walked, and Oswaldo Osorio was HBP to load the bases. Jose Meza singled home Munoz and Galiz hit a SF.
- Jose Meza – 2-4, 1 RBI, double (3)
- Jesus Galiz – 2-3, 1 run, 1 RBI, Sac Fly
- Wilman Diaz – 1-4, 2 RBI, Triple (5)
Good to see Reynaldo Yean back on the bump and dominating again. Yean hit 104 earlier this year & had strung 11 scoreless outings in a row. Then he gave up a 4 spot, then went on the IL, which explained things. He just got back last week and looked fully back last night.… pic.twitter.com/Hx2gQ2oHpF
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) July 2, 2024
ACL Reds 9 – ACL Dodgers 0
That didn’t take long. Justin Wrobleski has been activated from the Development List 1 day after being placed on it.
When do you think we might see him pitch?
As soon as the next starter goes down or Glasnow or Stone get a start or two off to rest a bit.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They need a starter the next 2 Sundays. Wrobleski? Bullpen?
The Dodgers passed on Gunnar Henderson twice and Volpe once?
D’oh!
And here I assumed that the chronic low draft pick was the reason the Dodgers hadn’t found a good young SS. That and AF’s misguided confidence in Lux.
Can you imagine Henderson on this Dodgers team?
Right now is at top ten hitter, and I think he just turned 23.
Damn…
Well, I can find comfort in the Dodgers come-from-behind win tonight. And it seemed fitting that Joc put the D’backs ahead, just some more personal glory at Dodger Stadium…
And the Dodgers whiffed on Shane McClanahan too?
Oof.
It was a nail biter, to be sure. Joc is still slamming RHP. Miller looks like he is getting back. His body looked strong but his efficiency is still absent. Our BP seems to be burping lately. Treinen, Vesia, and Phillips, all look hitable. Top of the order are firing on all cylinders. Ohtani is really living up to his contract.
Don’t want to think about Henderson. I’m sure that AF has passed up many opportunities to upgrade the team looking for bargains. How hard can it be to come up with a SS who is better than what we have?
Have we seen the last of Vargas? I don’t understand their plan at all or if they have one. Maybe they are winging it.
Would rather have outman and vargas playing over kike and heyward maybe after trade deadline if they are still Dodgers lts that same old song scrap heap vets over rookies thanks AF
Heyward is in a free fall at the plate. We now basically have with Kike, Barnes, Lux , Heyward, CT3 (though doing better lately) , Biggio 6 bats on the roster at or below the Mendoza line. Amazing that we still lead by 8.5 games.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Heyward is hitting the ball very hard, but right at fielder. More bad luck than not hitting. He has not been striking out much.
So you keep reminding us.
Hey, bad luck is bad luck. I remember Smith creaming the ball for several games and having nothing to show for it. All part of the game there Fredo.
You will have a hard time coming up with a better shortstop than Rojas.
I’m all for Rojas playing SS, but we need a long term player as Rojas is aging and I doubt the FO looks to him to fill this for the long term. He was originally signed as a stop gap but the wheels fell off this cart when Mookie went down. Lux is ill equipped for the starting jobs.
We can address the SS position in the off season. Rojas can handle it this season. Dodgers have more pressing needs in the outfield and starting rotation. Adames, Kim, and DeJong are FA after this season.
Agreed.
Right, but that’s not one of our needs now. Less likely to have to overpay for anyone after the season
Not saying that it is. Our pitching is falling apart and the bottom of the order is ‘out of order’.
Miller has not gotten all his velo back. Sitting 96-97 mph, last year he consistenly was 98-99 mph while getting up to 100 regularly. But it was improvement yesterday.
Wiggling out of that base loaded, no out after giving up the HR was a good sign IMHO.
Great to see Cartaya rake at AAA. If nothing else it will increase his trade value should the Dodgers include him in a trade.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!
Miller made some progress last night. Much better than his previous start. He is still struggling with the command of his breaking stuff. I think that will continue to improve as he pitches more.
I’ve always felt the baseball draft is more of a crapshoot than any of the other sports. What the Dodgers allegedly do better than others is development. Well, that and sign free agents.
JJ Reddick said something at his press conference that I felt rang true and that is reference to the group. Those teams that go far in the playoffs have depth. Obviously no professional sport plays more games than does baseball so it makes sense to me that the team with the deepest 40 man has a clear advantage.
Something else that I’ve been hammering came up in conversation on air last night and that is “recovery”. Players must have proper rest between performances and it’s my opinion the Dodgers, and maybe all teams, are not allowing enough time to recover. All starters should have 5 days and no relievers should pitch back to back days. MLB finally expanded rosters to 26, long overdue, and in my opinion rosters should be expanded again. Also in my opinion the option rules should be revisited. I don’t have a plan for that I only have the belief that with the number of injuries we are seeing these days anyone on the 40 should be able to help without the team being punished by using them. Maybe with the 26 there could be a 30 allowed in case of injury. I haven’t measured that to conclusions but you get the idea.
I think our veterans, guys like Freddie and Smith, are going to need days off soon. Even Ohtani might. This team needs better depth than Kiké, Taylor and Heyward and it needs a better bat than Lux. Getting Muncy and Mookie back will obviously help but I believe they need a more productive bench.
Back in the day when I was a kid, I don’t remember any conversations about days off and recovery. What has taken place since then in MLB to warrant such a change?
Guaranteed contracts is a factor. Players used to play through injuries. Emphasis on velo is tearing arms apart. Throwing like fastpitch pitchers do would help, but we won’t see that. I had that discussion with fellow umpires in ‘76. Would it be legal?
Yep. Have to protect that investment.
Jeff and Badger: Can you help me understand why teams continue to push pitchers to throw a million miles an hour — inevitably leading to arm problems or TJ — when they have so much money invested in guaranteed contracts? Seems illogical.
Jeff can answer that more articulately than I can. The most obvious answer to me is young kids start it early to get noticed. High school and college kids do it to get drafted. Those drafted continue doing it to get that big contract. After that, they just try to hang on.
As for the franchises I’m assuming all those contracts are insured. I don’t know that but it makes sense to me. What also makes sense is there’s so much money in baseball it doesn’t matter if one goes down, there’s a dozen more to take their place.
I know this sounds kinda crazy, but maybe it would take a rule such as a starting pitcher must go 6 innings — except for injury— before they’re allowed to come out. That would force pitchers to actually pitch vs just throwing high heat with no nuance knowing they’ll be lifted after 80 pitches no matter what.
That was one proposal the league office was discussing, the double hook, if the starter doesn’t go 6 you lose the DH. Also reducing the number of pitchers on the roster to 11. More or less force players to go from throwers to pitchers.
I think the idea has merit. I doubt if the players union would go for it unless the clubs did something like adding a couple more players onto the everyday roster to mitigate the loss of MLB pitching jobs.
Can you imagine a starter being pulled after 3 and Ohtani only getting 1 at bat. Fans might complain
When has Manfred the clown ever worried about fans complaining
And why would you do if he’s at a hundred pictures after 5?
If teams do have insurance on these guys I have to imagine premiums are going to go sky high with what’s happened this year.
If you can read the missing bats series at The Athletic
Just read it. I had forgotten that our man AF led the charge to help turn baseball into a bunch of data points instead of a game.
That’s not the article I alluded to.
It was never just a game.
Beeter for Gallo, really bad trade. Almost as bad as Tyler White. Gallo did hit seven bombs and made some nice plays on defense. But he was left off of the playoff roster. Do not tell me this team does not have some bulldog in them. Two outs, no one on and one of the better closers in the game on the mound. His ERA was below 1. Two two out doubles, Freddie when down to his last strike, and Teo with a seeing eye single to score the winner. Nice. There will be some moves, we all know and expect that. But AF and Gomes are not going to overpay either. I do not expect them to trade for a superstar player or overpay for someone like Robert Jr. Flaherty is hurt now, he will miss his next start due to back pain. He got an injection for it. Brewers made their first significant trade landing Civale from the Rays to bolster their starting rotation.
Tampa Bay traded RHP Aaron Civale to Milwaukee for 20 year old infield prospect (High A) Gregory Barrios. Barrios was #21 prospect in Milwaukee MLB Pipeline Prospect list and is now the #19 prospect in the Tampa Bay MLB Pipeline Prospect list.
I don’t know how much Civale bolsters the Brewers rotation. He is very HR prone, and he will be pitching in one of the most HR friendly stadiums. Tampa Bay has another one of their patented plug and play middle infield prospects. They keep churning them out.
Yep, perfect reclamation project for LA. I haven’t seen Milwaukee fix too many pitchers.
Actually, Gallo was on the ’22 playoff roster, along with Miguel Vargas, Barnes and Trayce Thompson (who was actually outplaying Belli at the time.)
I can’t blame AF for Belli’s collapses but he sure did a lousy job of preparing for the playoffs. I can understand the deal for Gallo, but Vargas basically proved he was not ready for prime time. As I recall it, both Gallo and Vargas stayed on the bench while the Dodgers were eliminated.
When Roberts needed a righty bat to hit for Belli, he summoned Barnes–and it was actually the right move given the options.
pretty good game last night. Miller looks to be still finding his sea legs. Happy 4th guys.
I hope you have an awesome 4th yourself Scott. I am going to a friends for a BBQ, then I will come home and watch the game.
Thanks Bear, you too.
Couple of quickies:
One courtesy of Casey Porter:
https://x.com/dodger_daily/status/1808563410306806107
Two courtesy of Baseball America where Alex Freeland (who I know Jeff will cover in the final installment of his series) cracked the top 100 list for July.
($$$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/tracking-2024-in-season-top-100-prospect-movement/
Alex Freeland, SS, Dodgers
Oh look. It’s another Dodgers hitting prospect. Freeland was a third-round pick in 2022. ..
Two teams, the Rockies and the Rays are open to trading starting pitching. The Rays, who traded Civale to the Brewers today, have a starting pitcher surplus. Zack Elfin is said to be on the block. The Rockies said they are willing to listen to offers for Austin Gomber and Cal Quantrill.
I could easily see AF get Arozarena and Eflin from Tampa Bay. It would probably take Outman, a couple of arms and a catcher. Tampa’s catching is kind of dismal at ML level.
I like that trade. Arozarena is an exciting player who brings a ton of energy to the game. He also from all accounts is very coachable and he adds a ton of speed to the outfield. Would move Teo back to right field permanently. He has also played some center field. He is arbitration eligible in 25, and he is under team control until 27. How about, Outman, Vargas, and two AA arms? Makes sense to me. Arozarena has a .336 average and 11 homers in his post season career. That is better than Mookie Betts.
I would have no problem with Vargas instead of a catcher. It’s just Tampa doesn’t have a lot at the major league level. They only have one catcher in their top 30 prospects.
Send them Rushing or Feduccia. Cartaya is finally starting to get it.
When you put it that way, it seems like a no brainer.
They would have to go a long way to match the 68 draft class. Still the best in LA history.
I didn’t get a chance to watch last night’s game until today. Fun win. One pitch from defeat and 2 doubles and a base hit later we were celebrating. A few thoughts:
*Miller looked okay in all but the 4th inning where he had some misfortune. 3 singles a homer and walk were tough but Rojas had 2 difficult plays that went as hits it was a mistake to Walker. The thing I like is he rallied to only give up 2.
He just needs to pitch and get some work. When he was yanking stuff into the left hand batters box it look like rust to me. He suffers from some inconsistency with his mechanics and doesn’t repeat like he wants to.
Specifically, a key for every pitcher is posture, balance and alignment. These lead to proper sequencing and consistency. His balance was shitty, falling off to his glove side and not in alignment with his target. When he was right it was right through Will’s mitt. He’ll be fine with some time.
*I’m actually going to listen to Steve Beriathune and Bob Brenley tonight. I do that some to get a different perspective. Plus, I can’t take Karros anymore. For a guy who played 14 years, he just says stupid shit all the time. Lots of Tim McCarver in him.
*I was particularly thinking “shut-up” when he was going on and on about how hard baseball is. About how stressful it is mentally and physically with the emotional hardships. What a hard job it is.
Please. Stressful jobs are firefighters who rush into a burning building. Or police who take on an armed crazy or a young soldier in Afghanistan.
Yeah, there’s stress to play well in MLB but I think Karros has forgotten this is playing a game for a living. He drives me friggin crazy.
How dare you besmirch Eric Karros, father of future Dodger Hall of Famer, Jared Karros. 😂
You missed Betts in the booth which was nice most of the time. Karros asked good questions. But yes, that hard game yesterday was annoying.
The Twins announced that they have selected the contract of prospect Brooks Lee. Infielder Royce Lewis has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor strain, opening an active roster spot for Lee.
Just how many times is Royce Lewis going to be on the IL? I think if the Dodgers ever did trade for him, he would trip on the dugout stairs.
We need to trade for Lewis, Buxton and Robert Jr while at the same time keeping Vargas. Maybe then he’d get a chance to play an inning once in a while.
Some of you are suggesting that we trade for Zack Eflin. We already had him once, for about 24 hours.
We traded Matt Kemp and Tim Federowicz for Eflin, Joe Wieland and Bear’s favorite all-time catcher Yasmani Grandal. 24 hours later we shipped Eflin off to the Phillies for Jimmy Rollins.
Did you really remember those details or had to look them up?
J.P. Feyereisen has been outrighted off the 40 man to make room for Matt Gage.
Is Feyereisen gone altogether or just off the 40-man? I know he’s been pretty awful this year but I haven’t given up on him. He may just need a full year to get back to where he was, which was pretty good.
I do not know if he has been outrighted before or not. If he has not been he needs to report to OKC. If he has been outrighted before, he can select free agency. Does he feel he will get a MLB contract? He has one now. I do not think it is a split contract. He may want to keep the sure thing and go free agent after the season.
Sometimes this team is just hard to watch.
So true!
but at least the games are much shorter!
Not this last one.
Another stinker.