I saw the photo that accompanies this post on X the other day, and it got me thinking about how some players you just take for granted. Willie Davis was one of those for me.
I saw Willie play many times. He was a gazelle in the outfield. Gliding across the grass to make even the hardest of catches look easy.
From his stance in the left-handed batters box, he could get down to first base about as fast as any player I have ever seen. His speed was his greatest asset.
Born in Mineral Springs, Arkansas on April 15th, 1940, not much is available on the internet as to his family history and upbringing.
In his youth at some point, his family moved to Los Angeles. Willie when he was in high school was a three-sport standout in baseball, basketball and track and field. He went to Theodore Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights.
He once ran a 9.5 in the 100 yard dash and set a city record in the long jump of 25 feet 5 inches. He was scouted by Kenny Myers, who also signed Roy Gleason a few years later.
Davis signed with the Dodgers upon graduation from high school in 1958. He played his first pro game in 1959 when he was sent to Class-C Reno. He hit .365 with 15 homers and 90 RBIs before being promoted to Green Bay’s Class-B team. He only played a handful of games there.
In 1960, the Dodgers sent him to AAA Spokane of the PCL. Davis hit .346 in 147 games and earned a late season call up to the big club, getting into 22 games and hitting .318. 9 of his 28 hits went for extra bases.
He made the roster out of spring training in 1961 and took over as the full time center fielder. He was replacing Hall of Famer Duke Snider.
Willie would hit .254 in his rookie campaign. He hit 12 long balls and drove in 45 runs. He showed some of his speed on the bases with 12 stolen bases. He also had 6 triples.
The Dodgers moved into their new stadium in 1962 and Davis showed some of the promise and skills he had shown in the minors with a much improved, .285 average with 21 homers, 85 driven in, 10 triples and 32 stolen bases.
Although he showed flashes of becoming an outstanding center fielder, he still had some moments where he would not make the easy plays. But he had 11 outfield assists in 62. He would be in double figures for the next five years.
In 1963 the Dodgers were on their way to another pennant and World Series win. Willie Davis saw his production drop a lot. His batting average went down 40 points to .245. He hit 9 homers, drove in 60 runs and stole 25 bases. His OBP was under .300. In the World Series against the Yankees, Willie went 2-12 with 3 driven in.
Many years later I would read a story that claimed Buzzie Bavasi felt Willie was not living up to his skills. And even contemplated trading him at some point.
In 1964, he totally turned it around and hit .294. He had 180 hits, a career high to that point. 42 of those went for extra bases. Willie was not a power hitter, nor did he strike out much. Conversely, he did not walk much either.
His career OBP of .311 speaks to that stat. He also stole 42 bases in 64. Looking forward to 1965, there was a lot of hope that this Willie would be around a while.
In 1965, another pennant and World Series win season, Davis once again went the other way. His batting average sank 56 points to .238.
The next season, his average improved again to .284. The Dodgers would win the pennant again, but were swept in the World Series by the Orioles. Willie had a very forgettable series. He made 3 errors in game two on two consecutive plays.
He was 1-16 at the plate joining all the other members of the team who suffered the indignity of being shut out the last three games.
The next two seasons, the Dodgers were not very good. They finished 8th in 67 and 7th in 68. Sandy Koufax had retired after the 66 season, Wills was traded away, and so was Tommy Davis.
Willie struggled both seasons finishing with marks of .257 and .250. Never one to walk much, his OBP was under .300 both seasons.
The Dodgers improved in 1969 and Willie had his best season. He batted .311, a career high, and he set a Dodger record with a 31 game hitting streak from August 1st to September 3rd. He had 11 homers, 8 triples and 23 doubles. He stole 24 bases, and his OBP was also a career high of .356.
He repeated his success in 1970 with a .305 average, 23 doubles, a career high 16 triples, which led the league, 8 homers and a career high 93 runs batted in. He also stole 38 bases.
He showed no signs of slowing down in 71 at age 31. He hit .309, marking three straight seasons over the .300 mark. He had a career high 198 hits. He had 33 doubles, 10 triples and 10 homers. He only stole 20 bases, and his RBI total dropped to 74, but he made his first All-Star team and won his first gold glove.
It was no surprise that the team improved over those two seasons and finished in 2nd place both years. It was the start of a run of four straight 2nd place finishes.
Willie kept up his production in 72, just under the .300 mark at .289, but he crushed 19 homers, his second highest total in his career, stole 20 bases, had 7 triples and 22 doubles. He also won his second gold glove.
It was more of the same in 1973, .285/16/77. He stole 17 bases. At age 33 he was playing some of his best baseball. He made the All-Star team for the second time and won his third consecutive gold glove.
In doing so, he became the first National League outfielder who threw left-handed to do that. He was the second major leaguer to do that. The first, future Dodger Vic Davalillo.
Willie fared better in his two All-Star appearances than he did in the postseason, going 3-3 with a homer off of Nolan Ryan. He headed home to wait for 1974 and hopefully more success and a pennant for LA.
But it wasn’t to be. At the winter meetings on December 5th, the Dodgers traded Davis to the Expos for reliever Mike Marshall. Marshall would win the Cy Young award and pitch in an incredible 104 games.
Davis was replaced in center by Jimmy Wynn, the Toy Cannon who came over in a trade with the Astros for Claude Osteen and a minor leaguer. This happened the day after Willie was traded.
Davis had a solid year for the Expos. He hit .295, led the team in hits, runs, triples, doubles and RBIs. It was his only season in Montreal. He was traded on Dec 5th again, this time to the Rangers for Don Stanhouse and Pete Mackanin.
He only played in 42 games for Texas and was traded on June 4th to the Cardinals for Ed Brinkman and Tommy Moore.
Willie hit .291 for the Cardinals. Then in October, he was traded for the third time in a year when the Cardinals sent him to San Diego for Dick Sharon. He spent 1976 with the Padres, batting .268 in 141 games.
He went to Japan to play in 1977 and 78, playing for the Chunichi Dragons and Crown Lighter Lions. He returned to the US and spent 43 games with the Angels and then retired at the age of 39.
He finished with 2,561 hits, 182 HR’s, 1053 RBIs, a .279 BA and 338 stolen bases. When he retired, his 2,237 games played in center field trailed only Willie Mays.
Davis married twice and had two daughters and a son. Willie had converted to Buddhism while married to his second wife. He constantly fingered his prayer beads and chanted before games.
When he went to Japan, he hoped his teammates would embrace his religion, but his enthusiastic display of his religion disturbed his Japanese teammates and they felt as if they were at a Buddhist funeral his manager Wally Yonamine said.
Davis appeared on several TV shows while a Dodger. Mr. Ed, The Flying Nun, and Owen Marshall: Attorney at Law. He also co-starred with Jerry Lewis in the film, Which Way to the Front.
As he got older, he fell on hard times. Don Newcombe, who worked for the Dodgers, reached out to help. Newk had been helping many exe players and service men deal with substance abuse and alcohol problems.
Willie was found dead in his home in Burbank on March 9, 2010, by a neighbor who sometimes brought him breakfast.
Willie was 69 years old.
Trade proposal: Arozarena for Vargas, Cartaya & Frasso.
Too much.
Trade Simulator says Frasso plus either Cartaya or Vargas should just about do it.
You could add Ramos to make it a little more interesting.
Fair
I’m used to trades hurting
I have liked Arozarena but I would want to know who else those Dodger players might get in return before using them to get Arozarena.
I can’t imagine a trade with the Rays NOT including Glasnow.
I am duty-bound to include this evergreen tweet by the great Sam Miller:
I loved to watch Willie play CF. He seemed like a cool guy with a great smile and demeanor. I didn’t realize he had over 2500 hits in his career. He was always considered an underachiever by the press and many fans.
I remember being at a game during his hitting streak. He hit a game winning single in the bottom of the ninth that not only won the game, but extended his streak to 30 games. Dodger stadium went crazy!!
Bear, thanks for the research and article on “Three Dog”.
Anytime Ted. Loved the 3-Dog
I remember the first time I saw Davis hit a triple. It was at the Coliseum in ‘60 I think. Maybe ’61. The adults sitting around us were all saying he was the fastest runner they’d ever seen on a baseball field. It felt like I had just watched the fastest runner ever to play baseball hit a triple. Quite a memory.
Davis was a legend in high school track and field in Southern California. Later, in ‘65, my best friend in high school started a back room high school track and field publication and he somehow got a hold of pictures of Davis’ record setting 25’ long jump and 9.5 hundred (world class speed) at Roosevelt High. I had that those pictures for years, but have no idea what happened to them.
Davis had a quad double twice I believe, having double figures in home runs, triples, doubles and stolen bases. I wonder what that would be worth today? He was fun to watch play baseball. There was nobody like him in MLB.
I always loved the type of plays where he would score from second on a bunt.
Gabe Kapler has been hired by Miami as an Assistant General Manager.
Good for Gabe
I just read an Athletic article about Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo. The article was very well written, but never addressed how he became Ohtani’s agent. Wheather it’s Ohtani’s demand or Balelo’s desire, Ohtani is sheltered from the media. He rarely makes himself available to the press other than when he pitches and that’s for a couple of questions.
When Ohtani injured his oblique that ended his season, he shows up when the clubhouse is empty and clears out his locker. No acknowledgement to his teammates or the front office. Very self centered and inconsiderate on his part. I mean six years and then leaves without a word? Why?
It’s like Ohtani shows up for the game and then slides back into the darkness only to reappear again for the next game. I realize there is a language issue, but for an estimated 10 year $500MM contract how does that type “stealth” availability justified? He was like this Japan too. Rarely ventured out into the real world.
With all the parameters and secrecy going on during the signing process, that alone would be enough to have a hard no in spending that much money for 10 years or so. To be constantly on egg shells hoping not to upset the “Great Ohtani”. No thanks. I have learned that if things start out “unusual” or demanding they don’t improve as time goes on. A large reason to justify spending that much money was not only for Ohtani’s baseball skills, but for business relationships as well. How does the business part develop if he doesn’t like or want to be around people or the media?
Bottom line for me is no way I’m signing this enigma no matter how highly skilled he is at baseball. Let me know what you think.
Carry on.
Totally agree. No to Ohtani. Sounds like a clubhouse distraction just waiting to happen. Totally ignorant to put so much of your resources into one player. This isn’t basketball where one or two stars can win a championship. Just ask the Angels.
I could care less about his agent
Sign him
I don’t care about his agent either. Ohtani controls the narrative on how he wants to deal with the public and the media. I assume the agent knows this and abides to his wants. The article was about the agent, but also looked into Ohtani’s baseball life and that was what I was commenting on. Who his agent is isn’t even on the list of why I don’t want Ohtani signed.
I appreciate the response.
If I may, let be try to be a devils advocate on this one. It may just be he doesn’t want to have everything about him and respects the clubhouse so doesn’t want to call attention to himself.
I see him on commercials promoting MLB on MLB Network. Does he not sign autographs? Does he show up late to the ballpark? Does he not get along with teammates?
Why can’t we let people be who they were basically born to be and in that regard not confuse introversion with disdain.
Agree 100% (well, maybe 99%, don’t want you to get swell headed).
Although I’m still thinking I’d rather have YY plus others, feeling that would be a better use of that amount of payroll.
Appreciate the 99% consideration. Totally agree on your thoughts on better use of funds and YY + !
Yamamoto and Snell should produce more wins than Ohtani in obth regular season and playoffs. However if signing Ohtani leads to trading Muncy plus others for pitching, I’ll take the latter.
Snell is not coming to the Dodgers period.
Per your last paragraph I completely understand and agree being an introverted person myself. And doing the basic ballplayer things like showing up, signing autographs, etc isn’t a big ask.
We’re talking a person maybe getting a half billion contract and will be asked to be more than just a baseball player. The Dodgers will want more beyond the ballpark.
This is in by no means being critical of Ohtani. He was born with incredible talents. He prefers time to himself and isn’t comfortable with the press. I get that. But, with the money he is looking for there might be some compromises required.
He’s baseball’s best and most unique player. There is no way he will not be given a lot of attention. Why would a teammate have a problem with that? And, why would Ohtani be concerned? He has a history of greatness. He’s not some one year wonder.
With his health issues, age, huge cash outlay, and introverted tendencies I continue to be in the no sign Ohtani camp.
Sorry for the long response. And thanks for your comment.
Thank you for your response as well. I wasn’t so much disagreeing with you as I was trying to present another side. There are definitely requirements for a high paid star to promote the team even if he would rather someone else be the face of the team. If he signs with the Dodgers it will be interesting to see how visible he will be.
Personally, I could care less about this kind of thing. Most of the public speaking is about hype. Team ‘face’ could be required in some contracts. Unsure how the Dodgers handle this aspect. A little baseball Zen is no problem for me. I like silence.
As always your opinions are well stated Ted. My opinion hasn’t changed, I still believe Ohtani will sign with the Dodgers and I think Friedman will get the pitching that is needed either through FA or trade or maybe both.
In a recent interview with AF and Dodgers Nation, AF mentioned many times about being strategic when contemplating additions to the clubhouse. Mentioned he considers chemistry when a player is under consideration to be added and I got the distinct impression AF and his team of personnel in the front office thoroughly vet a player for coach ability, approachability, personality and a track record of being a good teammate. It was said that last year’s Dodgers were a “tight” clubhouse and that’s an accomplishment of both AF and Doc. If Ohtani was a bad teammate or a “me not we” type of player I think AF wouldn’t give him any consideration at all.
Guardians open to trading All Star closer Emmanuel Clase who is signed for a reasonable $4MM per year for the next three years with a two option years in 27-28. He had an off year in 2023, but with all the excess prospect pitching the Dodgers have why not check it out. Clase, Graterol, Phillips available to close on cheap contracts? All day, everyday!
I just read that. I really like this guys stuff.
Just read where Ohtani probably has already made up his mind where he intends to sign.
I think it is good for professional golf that Tiger is going to try to play once a month.
I read where the Rangers, Mets, and Red Sox are no longer in the Ohtani market. With Seattle out and the Giants being a non winning team it looks like the market is down to the Angels and the Dodgers. If that’s the case, the asking price has to be falling as well. I think the answer is just days away. Then the FA market should break open. Hopefully, AF and Gomes can get a trade or two done before that happens.
Don’t forget the Cubs and Blue Jays.
Although it’s been said he prefers the West Coast, nobody knows that for sure and both Chicago and Toronto might be places he’d enjoy playing.
I can’t see him wanting to play in Canada. But who knows. We will all know the answer really soon.
I still think Seattle is in play regardless of what Seattle might say.
SF is not a home run park. Bad for Ohtani in 2024 and good for him thereafter.
A lot of minor moves happening. Nothing major yet. Marlins hired John Mabry as their hitting coach and Bill Mueller as an assistant.
Props Bear appreciate you sharing Jeffs site here over on LADT. Was looking for another LAD site with an active forum and smart takes.Getting impatient here – need some action 🙂
Lots of duplicate posts
Glad to be of service Cannon
I have been on the Randy Arozarena bandwagon for a while. I just did not think he would be available for a trade. I am still not convinced TB would move him. Randy Arozarena is the exact type of player the Dodgers should be looking at to make a difference in the postseason. In 128 PA (113 AB) in the postseason – .336/.414/.690/1.104, 11 HR, 17 XBH, 17 RBI. He is a RH hitter who is okay defensively in LF. When the playoff lights come on, Arozarena comes to play.
Both Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Teoscar Hernandez would simply cost $$$ in FA, but I think there could be a suitable prospect capital return that would not hurt LAD and could entice TB.
As STB indicated, Cartaya/Vargas/Frasso is an extreme overpay. AF is not used to overpaying. Cartaya and Vargas is a modest overpay, and might be acceptable from the LAD side. But TB is not going to trade Arozarena without getting controllable MLB ready pitching in return (IMO). Cartaya and Stone might work.
I would prefer to see the trade expanded to include Tyler Glasnow. He is injury prone, and that with his $25MM price tag will bring the prospect level down somewhat. He also comes with a $1MM trade assignment bonus. Glasnow is a local kid from Hart High School in Santa Clarita. Wasserman is his agent, so it could be an amenable relationship going forward.
Some interesting trade scenarios on the Simulator for Arozarena and Glasnow.
Arozarena alone – Cartaya/Knack/Bruns/Deluca – AF does not do this deal
Glasnow alone – Michael Grove and Landon Knack – Probably not enough for TB
I doubt that any of them are realistic, but of the group, I like the Andy Pages and Ryan Pepiot for Arozarena and Glasnow deal for both teams. Pages might be a suitable Arozarena replacement and Pepiot is a controllable MLB pitcher. Besides being costly, Glasnow is a risk because of injuries. But when he is healthy, it is hard to find a better pitcher. And Arozarena is the RH bat the Dodgers need, and he is prolific in the playoffs. All trades come with risk.
I would be happier with the other three for both, but I doubt that TB would be.
I like the thought of adding Ohtani, Yamamoto, Arozarena and Glasnow and only having it cost Pages, Pepiot and a lot of money.
I don’t expect Pages to have a good year next year because the first year back from shoulder surgery is usually not very productive. I could be very wrong, but I think he may be worth more now than he will be in 12 months. 24 months might be a whole different story.
I loved what I saw from Pepiot last year and I’d be sorry to see him go, but ya gotta give to get.
Along with all the other positives you mentioned about Randy A, I love his overall attitude on the field. He’s a bit of a showman without being obnoxious about it. We seem to have a team of pretty “vanilla” guys out there. Time to add a little life to the party.
Help wanted: dawgs
Yesterday the Dodgers lost a key development piece. After 8 years in the Dodgers organization, Shaun Larkin is moving to Arizona as the new Director of Player Development. It is not like the Dodgers do not have others in their pipeline, but he will be missed, and Arizona has improved in their development arena.
Agreed.
On one hand its a testament to how well run this organization is.
On the other hand, sooner or later a replacement wont be an unqualified success like Karkin, Anthopolous, Gomes have been
USC has their new defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn is coming over from UCLA to take the position.
Washington beats Oregon to win the last ever Pac-12 title
Maybe the Pac 12 will win a national championship in their last year as we have known it.
If the Dodgers sign Ohtani….
Guardians: Improve the offense
Whether they trade starter Shane Bieber or someone else, the Guardians need to find a way to acquire a Major League-ready bat (preferably with plenty of power). Muncy?
If a three team trade were made…
Royals: Find a starter
The Royals set out this winter to acquire one or two starters they can not only rely on for innings in 2024, but someone who can help the rest of the rotation take a step forward as well.
Cease and after all the other pieces land, Witt to the Dodgers
Dodgers have agreed to a contract with Joe Kelly. Details pending physical
Who gets bounced from the 40 man once Kelly is signed. If the Dodgers want to sign Ohtani before the Winter Meetings, there has to be a trade where they give up more 40 man roster spots than they take back. Hudson, Garland, Victor Gonzalez seem to be the most likely candidates for DFA.
A 25 year old RHRP, who has not yet pitched in a MLB game, an aging LHH platoon RF, and an oft injured RHRP. It is all coming together. Isn’t it?
Dodgers need to move on from Barnes.
Why
So we can give Will Smith more days off without losing so much offense.
I then assume you do not believe the Dodgers will sign their DH, Shohei Ohtani? And you are that convinced that Feduccia is a better hitter than Barnes? I do not. You see Feduccia being able to handle MLB pitching better than either Vargas or Busch? Both much better hitters who struggled at MLB. Barnes was a better MiLB hitter than Feduccia. There is a world of difference between MiLB pitching and MLB pitching. It is very hard to play once a week and be successful, especially hitting. And whatever increase in offense that he might provide, the team will lose just as much from his experience with the pitchers and game calling. If the Dodgers do let him go, and I do think there is a good possibility that he will not be with LAD next year, he will be picked up very quickly. There will be at least 20 teams that would love to have Barnes.
BTW – 2nd half last year (after All-Star game), Barnes hit .268/.330/.378/.708. I do not believe Feduccia can match that.
The Dodgers successful season will not depend one bit as to who the backup catcher is. They did not lose the last two NLDS because Barnes was the backup catcher. For me, bottom line, I would rather have the experience behind the dish in a backup capacity. I see Feduccia differently than most. I see him more as Smith’s replacement for injury because neither Cartaya or Rushing are ready. Instead of signing a veteran catcher (or two) for OKC, it will be Feduccia.
As always, you make some great points. I agree that we have much more pressing problems than our backup catcher. I don’t think Ohtani solves the Dodgers immediate needs.
Neither do I. It is a business transaction, not a baseball need.
Follow the money. Owners are in the business to make money.
Yes they are. And I have zero problem with that. But IMO, that is why the Dodgers are targeting Ohtani.
Exactly, most estimates have him adding millions of dollars to the coffers. More than any other player would.
Barnes is also loved by the pitching staff, and he has a contract for the season. I do not see him getting traded.
“It is all coming together. Isn’t it?”
The major moves are obviously yet to happen. One stick an ace and a rehab project or two and this team is ready to go.
I believe the Dodgers already believe they have their Ace(s) in Buehler and Miller. Giolito, Flaherty, Lugo, Wacha. That is where the Dodgers will go shopping. They will sign two of them and then trade for a marginal pitcher. They are more likely to trade for down valued Shane Bieber than Burnes, Cease, or Glasnow. And still that would be yet another mid-rotation pitcher.
My predictions – Yamamoto – NYM, Imanaga – NYY, Montgomery – Texas/anywhere else other than LAD, Snell – SF/Cubs/anywhere else other than LAD, Burnes – Milwaukee, Cease – Baltimore, Glasnow – Reds/LAA
Every one of those deals is more likely than any of them landing in LA.
There are more rumors that the Dodgers are interested in Nick Pivetta.
But everything will be okay, because the Dodgers will have their $50MM DH, and the owners will have their international marketing magnet. They will also believe that by signing Ohtani, all the LAD fans will be okay even if they do not make another move. I will not be in that group.
I would like to see the Dodgers go after and acquire Imanaga.
I hope the Dodgers pass on Ohtani and use the money for 2 or 3 really good players that make the team better.
You may be right Jeff. But I remain hopeful we can get the best baseball player on the planet AND pitching.
I cannot disagree that Ohtani is the best baseball player on the planet. However for me, he just does not fulfill a baseball need for the Dodgers, like starting pitching.
……”I believe the Dodgers already believe they have their Ace(s) in Buehler and Miller. Giolito, Flaherty, Lugo, Wacha. That is where the Dodgers will go shopping.”
I have always been okay with that as I believe Pepiot will be a big asset as well.
I like Sheehan, Grove, and Stone and look forward to seeing how they do next year. Giolito would be insurance should Sheehan struggle and I suppose Grove and Stone will more likely be traded.
I would trade Muncy for Bieber if they sign Ohtani and realize there could be other players involved. Is Bieber healthy? Will Muncy hit above the Mendoza line?
Buehler, Miller, Pepiot, Bieber, Giolito, Sheehan,
Betts, Freeman, Witt, Ohtani, Smith, Pederson 😀, Outman, Rojas, Heyward,
Not believing for a minute that Witt or Pederson are realistic options. Rosario is more likely to be a Dodger than Witt. However, your pitchers do present a realistic option.
Muncy is not going anywhere. Cleveland needs offense, YES. But they need OF offense, something the Dodgers cannot provide. Cleveland has José Ramírez at 3B, Josh Naylor at DH, and uber prospect Kyle Manzardo at 1B. They got Manzardo from Tampa Bay for Aaron Civale. It’s too bad that neither Vargas nor Busch are OF. The Cardinals, Orioles, Reds, Brewers, and Arizona are among the teams with a surplus in the outfield, and are more likely trade partners for Bieber.
If anyone thinks that Cleveland can upgrade the DH spot, Josh Naylor slashed .308/.354/.489/.842 with just 68 strikeouts in 495 PA (13.7% K rate). He makes too much contact to be of interest for the Dodgers. He is also LH, as is Manzardo. Muncy is not a fit.
For your pitching rotation, that is the AF way. A bunch of mid to back end rotation starters – say 9 deep. No closer. Hmmm, Closer. Remember, that one guy you can trust to shut down the opposition in the 9th no matter who is up. But they do have a lot of setup guys. LAD has lots of depth, enough to win the 162 game regular season. They will then need to pray that one or two get hot in the playoffs. I guess it would also help if the team’s superstars decided to show up in October.
Trade Muncy? I did that already. He doesn’t have to hit above the Mendoza line. He just needs to do what he does.
Witt and Pederson? Nope. Just sign Chapman and give him Muncy’s money. Chapman is projected to have a 2.6 WAR next year. If you don’t like that idea then give that position to Vargas or Busch, for a lot cheaper and less WAR and apply that money to pitching.
There are SO many options out there it’s impossible to know what they will do after signing Ohtani.
Do you realize that, even without knowing the terms of Kelly’s contract, considering how much time he normally spends on the IL, he will almost definitely earn more $ per inning pitched next year than will Yamamoto.
Not to mention the cost per strike thrown.
Yes, coming together Friedman style which is great for those that like anchovies on their pizza.
I prefer anchovies to pineapple.
LOL. Definitely. Anchovies and onions.
Anchovies reek of dead fish. I’ll take the Veggie Delight, hold the pineapple.
Lots of peppers, mushrooms and onions if it’s going to be veggie.
peppers, mushrooms, and onions is my go to as well!
You guys are ill. Give me MEAT!
Can’t do that Bear. It’s bad karma
Karma be damned. I am not eating ruffage on a pizza.
Yeah, that is what salad is for.
From Bob Nightengale – You may not like him, but I think he gets why LAD ownership wants Ohtani…
Ben Nicholson-Smith, who covers the Blue Jays, reports that Ohtani and his agent will be meeting with “a small group of” teams here in L.A. this weekend.
Hopefully that leads to a quick decision because it would lead to a lot of other movement on trades and signings.
C’mon Shohei, the success of the 2023 Winter Meetings depends on your immediate decision. I’m giving you until Moday night, 6:00 PM Nashville time. If no conclusion by then, flip a coin.
Yanks talks on Soto have stalled and the Blue Jays are now actively involved.
Padres interested in Burnes.
3-way deals are fun. Maybe this turns into one.
No way I am putting anchovies and onions on a pizza. Give me the meat lovers. Sausage, peperoni, chicken and hamburger. A cardiac arrest waiting to happen.
Just onions and olives. My wife is a vegetarian.
Okie
The Dodgers need to take care of the ‘edges’ of their roster. Signing Heyward is such a move. Strengthening their bench through astute choices can make or break a season. Everyone is focused on Ohtani. Ohtani doesn’t bat or pitch every inning. Focus on the team and build through talent at each position. No more mobs in LF or infield. Make some hard choices and maximize each position and pitching rotation.No more Mr. Fixit, Mr. Friedman.