The phenomenon, AKA Shohei Ohtani, has just been a marvel. I think you can count on one hand the number of players who can play offense at or near the level of Shohei. But NONE of them are under the world wide scrutiny as is Shohei. It is remarkable as he just brushes all that away and just plays baseball. Doc has said that Ohtani is due to be back in a Cactus League game on Friday against Cleveland.
OTOH, Yoshinobu Yamamoto looks to be better than advertised. I remember an early Twitter video where other teams’ fans were watching Yamamoto in a bullpen session, and told us all how hittable he is going to be. In his LAD debut against Texas and most of their starting lineup…2.0 IP, 19 pitches, 16 strikes. His splitter is unhittable. His fastball is almost unhittable. He threw all 4 of his pitches and for strikes. Will he get hit and beat in games? Of course. They all do. But I do not see him losing many. Will we get to see another ROY and CY in the same year? Last one was Fernando in 1981. Hmmmm. The Dodgers won a WS that year against NYY. I think a repeat would be outstanding.
The Dodgers will have Yoshinobu Yamamoto embarrassing hitters with his devastating splitter for the next 12 years
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) February 28, 2024
What did Shohei think of Yamamoto’s debut?
Yoshinobu Yamamoto on how he’s feeling after his spring debut for the Dodgers: “Relieved.”
As for Shohei Ohtani’s evaluation of his outing? “So-so,” Yamamoto said with a laugh.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) February 28, 2024
The Dodgers have played 7 games and have started 7 different pitchers. Three (Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller, and Yoshi Yamamoto) are in the rotation. The other four (Landon Knack, Gavin Stone, Kyle Hurt, and Ryan Yarbrough) will be vying for spots in the rotation. Emmit Sheehan and Walker Buehler have not yet pitched this spring due to injuries.
Sheehan has general soreness, and I suspect the Dodgers will take their sweet time in starting him up. We have been told that Buehler will not pitch in the Cactus League, but Buehler believes he might be able to pitch in the Freeway Series. We will find out in less than 4 weeks.
James Paxton will become the 8th starter when he is expected to pitch against the Reds in a night game on Thursday.
Two veteran late inning high leverage relievers returning from injuries have pitched in the spring. Daniel Hudson has appeared in 2 games, pitching 1.0 scoreless inning each time. He has 2 BB and 2 K. Blake Treinen has appeared in 1 game and pitched a scoreless 1.0 inning with a K.
Ryan Brasier and Evan Phillips look to be in mid-season form. If Treinen and Hudson get back to their high expectations, with Brasier and Phillips, the late innings look to be locked down.
Two pitchers have pitched in 3 games with demonstrably different results. Ricky Vanasco has been terrific. 1.0 IP in each of this three games. He has allowed 0 runs on 1 hit combined in those three games, with no walks and 3 K. The second pitcher? Elieser Hernández. He has not pitched nearly as well. He was hurt a bit in Wednesday’s game by some poor CF play by Travis Swaggerty, and runner interference from Griffin Lockwood-Powell, but it did not alleviate the hard hit balls. He has allowed 6 runs on 6 hits in 2.2 IP, with 1 BB and 4 K.
A couple of MiLB LHRP are getting noticed (and should be). Alec Gamboa and John Rooney have both pitched in 2 games with 2.0 scoreless IP. Both pitchers had 2 Ks. We might see one or both in LA some time this summer.
Another LHRP, Ben Harris, has faced one batter in 2 games and retired both via a K. Harris is another big strikeout pitcher with wildness. If he can harness that control, he is another one to watch.
Joe Kelly looked very rusty in his first outing on Wednesday. He will be ready to go when the season starts.
Offensively, it has been the kids who have opened eyes. Four NRI have appeared in each of the seven games: Drew Avans, Travis Swaggerty, Austin Gauthier, and Ryan Ward.
Gauthier (Mr. OBP) had 3 hits in 10 AB with 3 other BB. His OBP is .462 with only 1 K. He really is a baseball player who will get a shot in MLB. He has played exclusively at 2B (his best position) this Spring, but I believe he will play all over when he returns to MiLB camp. I hope he gets some OF work.
Ryan Ward has hit the ball hard and in clutch situations all Spring. He leads the team with 6 RBIs. He has 4 hits in 10 AB with 3 doubles. Two other MiLB players have 5 RBIs. Catcher Chris Okey is 3-4 with 5 RBIs (HR) and Andy Pages is 4-10 with a HR and triple, and 5 RBIs.
The fear for Pages was that he was returning from shoulder surgery, and his offense (especially power) might be a little tardy in coming back. Well, the HR hit on Wednesday was absolutely obliterated. He also had a triple off the wall, that probably would have been caught with Leody Tavares in CF. But the hard hits and power seem to be just fine thus far.
Another RF that has been a star this Spring has been José Ramos. I do not know if something has clicked, but he has been fantastic. He leads the team in hits with 5, including a double and HR. Admittedly, I have not been his biggest advocate, but he is making me a believer.
Another NRI who is having a good spring is 1B Kevin Padlo. Kevin is 3-9 with 5 BB and 3 K. He will undoubtedly start the season at OKC at 1B. Chris Owings has shown that he can still play offensively and defensively at the MLB level.
SS Trey Sweeney looks to be a better defensive SS than expected, with a solid arm. He also has 3 hits in the Spring. He is getting a good look.
I can envision a Padlo, Gauthier, Sweeney, and Owings starting infield in OKC.
Mookie and Freddie have not had many PA, but have had a good Spring thus far. Another of the regulars, Max Muncy, has had a good start, including a HR and single off a LHP. But Max was hit in the hand by a Cody Bradford pitch and was eventually removed from the game. It is being ruled a left hand contusion. Just to be sure Max is scheduled for an Xray on Thursday. This seems eerily like the JT broken wrist from a 2018 Spring HBP by Kendall Graveman.
It looks like Kiké Hernández will be in the lineup on Friday. As Phil Jones mentioned, Jason Heyward has faced 3 LHP before hitting 2 RHP. He has hit the ball well against LHP, but his 1 hit was against a RHP.
I do not believe we can draw any conclusions from one defensive play by Gavin Lux. It wasn’t good, but let’s see more before we can draw any conclusions. He has hit the ball well this Spring, including a couple of long oppo drives that just died at the fence. Overall he is 3-11 (singles) with 1 BB and 1 K. Being out for a full year, he has seemingly returned.
Overall, what the Dodgers have shown for the first week of ST is that their kids (NRI and MiLB) are better than their opponents. The Dodgers have 14 Cactus League games remaining before they leave for Seoul, South Korea. I would expect that the regulars will get a little longer look. But the Dodgers depth is unassailable, and both OKC and Tulsa should have some outstanding players knocking on the door.
Finally, after watching these two Twitter videos, tell me that the Dodgers, with Ohtani, are not living free in Giants’ fans heads.
Live reaction to Ohtani’s first at bat as a Dodger.
This is not a reenactment. pic.twitter.com/rI6Z0IRsFX
— KNBR (@KNBR) February 27, 2024
to KNBR's credit … they did air the Ohtani 2-run HR later …. https://t.co/KNPLK51Z8f
— Peter Sison (@pksison) February 27, 2024
Yamamoto opened up some eyes. Concerned about Muncy being hit. I have seen a couple of stars have their seasons ruined because of spring injuries. Remember Pedro Guererro???? Thurs and Friday are both night games. Reds tomorrow.
How did we Dodger fans get so lucky to go from Rick Honeycutt to Mark Prior as pitching coaches. It’s nice not having a revolving door there, wondering if the next guy is going to know what he is doing. We always know Prior has everything under control. I’m sure there is a lot of support from the analytic department.
Thanks for the comprehensive report. A lot of reasons for optimism.
I wonder if a guy like Ryan Ward has a chance when guys like Pages, Ramos and Vargas are perceived to have more upside.
As good as Yamamoto is, Sasaki may have even better “stuff”. Hopefully he wants to be part of a three headed monster who dominates MLB next year! And Brandon Davis’s bat speed looked scary yesterday. Love to see more of him
You mean Brendon, not Brandon. (I had to look it up.)
Really interesting that he’s back with the Dodgers after all these years.
I vaguely recall him being drafted by the Dodgers out of Lakewood High back in 2015, just because I tend to notice the SoCal draftees. Then he was part of of the package in the Yu Darvish trade.
He’s really knocked around the minors since then: The Crawdads, the Wood Ducks, RoughRiders, Sounds, Dust Devils, Trash Pandas, Mud Hens….Are they allowed to keep their jerseys? That would be a great collection.
And now he’s returned to the Dodgers in January as a minor league free agent, assigned to Tulsa.
Hope he makes it to LA.
He better have kept those jerseys, come on, Crawdads, Trash Pandas, Mud Hens. His only big miss would be not having a Modesto Nuts jersey.
Can anyone else supply awesome minor league team names?
Banana Slugs
Isn’t that that’s the University of Santa Cruz?
Oops, thx
Didn’t see this
Don’t know Branfon Davis. What’s his story?
I am a little worried that Sasaki is going to end up in San Diego. The Pads are loading up on International Bonus $$$. They have recently traded for $2MM in additional bonus $$$.
Stop it.
Remember, all those guys were perceived to be better than James Outman. I am not saying Ward can be an Outman, but you never know. One thing we do know, is that Ward is nowhere near the level of defensive chops than Outman is at.
What if Gauthier becomes Outman 2.0 and sneaks up to grab a starting job? He could play 2b if Mookie moves back to RF next year.
Vargas being made more irrelevant every day.
Still worry a little bit about 3B long-term. Maybe Joendry slides over.
Gauthier does look good but I have a feeling Mookie is the permanent 2b. I doubt he’s moving anywhere.
Fair
I do like what I see from Ramos
I’ve always liked him even though the prospect rankings tend to treat him poorly
Always bet on tools
Mookie will be playing where he wants to play. And that’s how it should be for years to come. (And I wouldn’t bet against him winning a gold glove at 2B in the next three years.)
Assuming that Gauthier continues to progress, he could get called up if either Taylor or Kike get hurt. He’d be considered, but the brass could decide to bring up an outfielder or a guy like Sweeney instead.
I like Gauthier’s chances in ’25. The contracts of both Kike and Taylor expire at the end of ’24, though the Dodgers have a club option to bring Taylor back on a $12m option. (Max should have hired Taylor’s agent.)
On offense, Gauthier is practically the opposite of Taylor. Gauthier is a contact hitter with great plate discipline who walks more than he Ks. Taylor is a free-swinger how strikes out a lot but flashes power. One defense, both Taylor and Kike are more versatile and I assume they are better defenders. But if Gauthier is at least competent in the field he’s got a chance at a good career.
Jeff–Great job on this site. It’s professional and polished.
I second that. Best Dodger blog by far.
I’m enjoying spring training so far. Yamamoto was electric yesterday. Nice to see Ohtani hit one out in his first game. I would think both were nervous, but with their performances that should be a non issue going forward.
Some observations:
Max Muncy, the former round mound of the long ball, looks to be in great shape. Hopefully, he will change his hitting approach and swing at more first pitch strikes!
Lots of good stuff from many prospects. Very impressed with Pages and Ramos so far. Productive seasons in AAA might create some competition in the OF in 2025.
I’m a fan and a defender of Gavin Lux at SS. His bat should play well and would like to see him in the ninth spot like in 2022. In that spot he becomes a potential bottom of the order on base hitter for Betts, Ohtani, and Freeman. MT has forever stated that he can’t play SS. I felt if he could play equal to Seager or even average it would be fine considering his offense and the rest of the team’s offensive could overcome any deficiencies in the field. So, sure as S#&%! the first ball hit to him completely has a brain fart. Charges the ball, catches the ball, and with plenty of time to make the play, while throwing off the wrong foot, limp arms a 40 foot throw half way to first base. So, it might not be his ability to physically play the position, but the mental aspect of playing defense. Let’s see what happens.
The pitching has been solid so far by most of the staff. Even most of the prospects and NRI’s. Know it’s only two hitters, but I like Harris’s stuff. I didn’t realize he had control issues. With the three hitter rule he is definitely going to have to get that “under control” if he wants to pitch for the Dodgers.
I’ve been a fan of Miguel Vargas. But, this spring he hasn’t looked very positive. Currently, he is being passed by Pages and Ramos. But, it’s still early. I will be really disappointed if he proves to be another overrated Dodger position prospect.
James Outman is having a rough start. But, he’s a grinder and I look for him to continue his success. I guess the Outman – Margot platoon that was strongly predicted by Timmons isn’t going to happen. I didn’t get the logic behind that platoon idea. I know Outman only hit one of his 23 HRs off a LH pitcher. But, to suggest that Margot should platoon with Outman in order to increase the power against LH pitching was flawed. Why? Because Margot hit ONE HR against LH pitching in 2023. But, now irrelevant.
A few days ago I mentioned that it would be nice to have Kiki on the team this year. At the time it looked like either the Angels or Giants would be his next team. Old Bear declared that there was no way he would be a Dodger. It just couldn’t happen. There was no place for Kiki on the Dodgers. Everyone knew this. Until there was! It’s cool to have him on the team. He’ll definitely keep the team loose on their quest to a World Series victory. He’ll add the cherry on top to a team that’s going to be amazing to watch and cheer for.
Phil Jones, it’s nice to have you contributing here. Your analysis and thoughts are always informative.
Carry on.
Thanks Ted. I really enjoy this site. Jeff is great and I like the civility here. Keep up your great posts.
I hope I didn’t spoil your opinion with my following post.
Lux may have had plenty of time to make a less rushed throw but then maybe in Spring Training he wanted to practice making a quick catch and throw or maybe the runner was loafing down the line and gave Lux more time than he thought he had. That said, that play was hard to watch.
Hey, maybe Lux just wants to get his errors out of the way early….
Or he wants to create low expectations, so we’ll be pleasantly surprised when he doesn’t screw up.
Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Just saw, on replay, another error by Lux.
I think he’s botched the first two balls hit to him Bad throw on the first, bobbled the second.
Yeah, just wants to get the errors out the way early.
Okay Ted I blew the Kike deal. Had they not traded Margot, he would not have been re-signed, so I was partially right. I think they paid to get rid of Margot and they did not want him in the first place. All that was said after the Glasnow trade was a Dodger smoke screen. Lux did not throw the ball, as Monday opined, he tossed it. There was nothing on that limp toss. They valued Kike’s versatility, so they made the move.
The Dodgers had to take Margot to get Glasnow. Nuff said. They never were fully invested in him. Kike for Margot is a wash financially and offensively. Kike adds more versatility. I was OK with seeing what Margot could do in a platoon against lefties. I guess we will see.
I was wrong. I thought Margot was safe.
Kike fits much better than Margot because of his versatility. Margot is a good fit for the Twins because Buxton has trouble staying in CF and could move to DH.
Beyond the baseball skills, it’s obvious that the Dodgers organization sees Kike as a great addition to team chemistry. The Dodgers made a point of acquiring him last season, and now a point of bringing him “home” again.
Kike said that, in the end, he chose the Dodgers over an offer from the Yankees. Some of the teams that expressed interest, including the Angels, did not make a formal offer.
I’m intrigued by the report that the Dodgers explored a Margot-for-Kenley deal, if only because it could mean AF is not done tinkering with the bullpen.
Just giving you a bad time Bear. After the Margot trade and the signing of Kiki and I couldn’t let that go. Lol.
I can tell you right off Yamamoto would drive me crazy in the dugout. Maybe the interpreter can coach Yamamoto up on US dugout protocol, at least as I encourage. In the top of the first, with your team batting, don’t pace around the dugout with your glove on waiting for a double play so you can get out there and pitch. Back when, it was selfish and bad luck. Maybe watch your teammates and root them on, instead. Or go up the tunnel to rep your mechanics, not in full view in the dugout. It’s not being an interested and attentive, supportive teammate. This isn’t Japan anymore. But maybe they put up with it since he’s unhittable.
I personally like players during games to try to work on situational hitting, even in Spring Training games. You can bang away and swing with no plan in BP or the cage but in Spring games I like guys to practice whats called for. After CT3’s lead off double, Lux took a big hack on the first pitch he saw and popped it up to left. WTF. Take that pitch and try to get something to pull to move the runner. It’s a wasted at bat, even in spring training.
Rick Monday stats me to death and makes points that I guess he thinks are insightful that are frequently lame. He has a little Tim McCarver in his over analyst bag. Right off he pointed out that Yamamoto shows his pitch grip in his glove…….to the centerfield camera! He talked about it Yamamoto’s entire outing. He’s like a dog on a pot roast. He then went on to point out its illegal to use technology to see that from centerfield. So WTF is the point of that? I guess he’s advocating; changing the kids mechanics and glove position to prevent cheating? Anyone can sit at home all day and watch pitchers grips in there gloves from the centerfield camera, especially a camera directly behind the pitcher. I wouldn’t be eager to change anything with this kid right now, He obviously takes his mechanics seriously, and I’d make sure he could easily move his glove closed before I started tinkering.
Later Rick stated how we could tell what was coming, “Because of the position of his hand on the baseball”. Brilliant. I kinda think the position of the hand on the baseball determines EVERY pitch, by everybody. He and Neverette reach their expiration date quickly with me.
Is Vargas ever going to hit a pitch on the barrel with a nice quick, short hack? How about a line drive or hard ground ball, even? I know lifting the pitch is all the rage but he is long and loopy; fouls off or pops up, everything. Vargas has 3 outcomes; sweep swing and miss, foul pop up or fair pop.
Let’s not make Barnes, Yamamoto personal catcher, please. With Kershaw out for now,let’s not go there.
I’m learning to like Jose Ramos, the 23 yr old non-roster invitee. He’s now 5 for 9 and I like his game. Same for Pages. We can use outfield depth in the organization.
The most improved Dodger is Kirsten Watson. She doesn’t mumble down her shirt anymore. Her interviews with players are so much better then when she started. Now shows humor and her personality.
Night game at Goodyear. Should be another beautiful 75 degree night.
Gotta love it.
If Yamamoto’s put he’s can be seen from the centerfield camera could a runner on second see them as well. Obviously the runner will be off second base by some distance.
Sam, yes a baserunner at 2nd could perhaps pick up the grip in Yamamoto’s glove, perhaps if they took a short lead. It’s like runners picking up the catchers sequence of signs prior to Pitch Com. But the runner has to get that information to the hitter; either pitch type or location. Teams have guys who are adept at listening for any verbal tips to the hitter or body movements. Some hitters don’t want that information for fear of being crossed up. I loved having the pitcher and catcher reverse the signal. It takes about one time to throw a fastball under a hitters chin when he was sitting on a curve to eliminate that nonsense.
Well, I’m pretty sure all of these concerns would have been an issue in Japan too.
But Yamamoto still did pretty well.
I had to laugh. When Rick Monday made that comment about Yamamoto, my wife yelled at the TV, SHUT UP!!! Why do you have to say that? I have never been a fan of Tim Neverett. Not only is Monday stats happy, but he gives the same stat over and over again about 4-5 times a game…Every Game. How often do we need to hear how many times Vargas has struck out looking at pitches on the outside of the plate. Where is dog gone that Doggett?
One thing I am confident about is that it is more than doubtful that the Dodgers will try to tinker with anything he is doing until it becomes a problem. Is anyone surprised that we can see the grip on the ball from the CF camera? Does anyone think the Dodgers are unaware?
I have not been overly optimistic about José Ramos in my writing. I am sure some would eliminate the word overly in that statement. But he is winning me over big time. He is laying off the high fastball a lot more, and is making good contact on the breaking stuff. These were his kryptonite. His arm is as good (if not better) than Pages. He deserves to start in AAA, but I fear he will be starting in AA. With Pages, Swaggerty, Avans, and Ward in the OKC OF, he needs consistent ABs. I am not sure that I block Ramos with Swaggerty. I understand why they signed Swaggerty to a MiLB contract (like Austin Beck and Lolo Sanchez), but both Pages and Ramos look like they belong no lower than AAA. Ramos is currently assigned to Tulsa, but that does not mean a thing.
Agree 100% on your Kirsten Watson comment. Kirsten was very hard to listen to in 2021. She improved tremendously in 2022, but you always knew the questions she was going to ask the players, like it was rehearsed. Almost the same question for every player…What was going through your mind when… This year she seems totally at ease, comfortable, and confident.
I think your wife is fun to watch ballgames with and I think she picks the right Dodger to have as her favorite.
She is fun to watch games with. If there is a HR well over the CF fence and Outman is not playing, she will just blurt out, Outman would have had it. 😀
Maybe she can stop James from adjusting his batting gloves after every pitch. I tried and was unsuccessful.
Give the guy a pass. It was his first game. I think as he pitches more, there will be less of that. Ohtani was pacing his first game too. Funniest moment was after the third out in the second inning was recorded, Yamamoto forgot there were three outs and Ohtani had to morion him to get off of the field. I do not care about the in-game interviews. In spring, ok, but during the regular season, it distracts from the action. Watson has improved, but I think all that fluff is unnecessary.
After the game, Yamamoto mentioned that be was a bit nervous.
I’m hoping he continues to be nervous if it means he keeps pitching like that.
No change in my opinion of you Phil. Lol.
I agree with all your comments. I too thought the circus in the dugout was a bit concerning. It seemed too many interpreters and congestion around him. I would be surprised if that continues once the season starts.
I meant to comment on Kirsten’s improvement. I was watching one of the first few games where she was interviewing, I think, Landon Knack after his outing. He has a good personality. I thought “wow”! She has really improved and is now able to ask questions that aren’t the garden variety, who gives a @#%& type stuff. I felt I knew more about Landon after the interview which what fans are looking for.
The Giants announced this morning that Tristan Beck has been diagnosed with an aneurysm in his upper arm. That does not sound good at all. In fact it sounds downright scary. He will not open the season on the roster, and the Giants do not know how long he will be out. Maybe some of our more medically knowledgeable commenters can provide some information as to how scary this may or may not be. Regardless, even though he is a Giant, I hope he has a full recovery of this.
I learned that the Dodgers new SS prospect, Noah Miller, is the brother of Brewers utility player, Owen Miller. I also learned that Miller led all MiLB SS in defensive runs saved. He is an outstanding defensive SS who has the ability to stay there. Too often we hear about a SS who will undoubtedly be moved to 2nd or 3rd. We are hearing more rumbling that 6’ 4” Joendry Vargas will probably end up at 3rd. But they said the same thing about Corey Seager.
I have always been a big defensive fan, which is why I was always a Jacob Amaya fan. But at some point they have to hit, thus I was not upset with the Miguel Rojas trade last year. And the same will be true with Miller. This was a fun quote from Noah:
“We’ve been the opposite our whole lives. I’ve been the defensive guy. He’s been the hitting guy. So it’s kind of nice because in the offseasons I’m teaching him how to field, and he’s teaching me how to hit. It’s 100 percent been a huge impact to the game for me, having an older brother who’s been through it … me struggling offensively a little bit, I have a guy to talk to. He was hitting .300 in the big leagues in May so it’s nice to go to somebody and have somebody who’s been through it in the big leagues to talk to.”
For those interested in hearing more on Noah:
Good to see the Dodgers get reinforcements at SS. Perhaps Noah Miller is the Miguel Rojas of the future.
Jeff, the big difference in your blog and LADT is that you are subjective and Mark is objective. I prefer your approach.
Thank you and all who have made similar comments. Below, I have an editorial on the subject. I have had multiple emails on the subject of Mark reopening LADT, so I thought I would address them all with a single editorial.
Are you sure you didn’t get those descriptions reversed? Subjective – prone to bias or personal feelings. Objective – less prone to bias and personal feelings.
Why even bring that up? Mark has his style and his personality. Some people (ok, many) aren’t into that style. Just let it go.
Yep Patch, my bad. I got them reversed. LADT and Mark are more subjective and LADC and Jeff are more objective.
And, why not bring it up? Does it bother you? Too bad. Let it go.
Hmm. That was rude and unnecessary. But hey! At least you’re not being passive aggressive.
It bothers me because it’s just taking a stab at someone who’s no longer here b/c you happen not to like him. It’s gratuitous. …and I’ve been guilty of the same thing at times.
Yes, I think the gentlefan from Ohio has his descriptions reversed….
But sometimes Mark is objectionable.
I have been asked by several out there if I have noticed a change in LADC since Mark reopened LADT. The answer is NO. I did not start LADC to be in competition with LADT, and I have never tried to compete with Mark. I fully acknowledge that he has more followers than me, and by a wiiiiiiidddddeeeee margin. But I started LADC for me. I love to write, I love the Dodgers, and I like doing so without the name calling and constant consternation. I am not going to change who I am because Mark has more followers, and I suspect Mark did not like playing in a less combative environment at LADC and felt more comfortable reopening LADT. Good for Mark. I do not need to wish him luck because he does not need it.
My developer has constantly been after me to do more to increase my traffic. I am not willing to spend that kind of money to get more clicks. That is not why I started LADC, and not why I continue it.
I think most commenters here at LADC also comment on LADT. I certainly expect the number of comments on this site to subside a bit, but not the content. The commenters at LADC are extremely knowledgeable and can appreciate different points of view without taking exception to the disagreement. Sometimes I respond to comments because I have a point of view, but never to increase comment count. Many times I never respond. Mark has always been welcome here to comment, but I doubt that he will now that LADT is back up and running.
Hopefully Bear will continue to write here. He has not told me otherwise, so I expect him to continue. BTW, I do have one more of his in the queue.
Bottom line, I am paid up through another season, and I do not plan on leaving. I enjoy writing about the Dodgers. Hopefully all of you will continue as well.
And you write well about the Dodgers.
Working on two more Jeff. I will continue to write for as long as I am able. Mark has not invited me to write for LADT, so you have my undivided attention,
Stay here, Bear. You have stories yet to tell.
Good to hear Bear! Your research and write some of the best historical baseball articles found anywhere.
Thanks Ted. I appreciate it.
As a daily visitor to both LADC and LADT, I’m glad to see that Mark has re-started his blog. I view it as the Yin to LADC’s Yang. The blogs have very different personalities, and although I prefer the atmosphere over here, I get a lot from each of them.
I compliment Mark on behaving himself over here, but I’m sure he’s much happier in his own back yard (so to speak).
Add me to the list of Rick Monday non-fans. He’s like the professor who put you to sleep in the lecture hall. Always impressing himself with knowledge that nobody came to hear. And I hate his style which makes every sentence into a question. Oh well, to each his own. I have no problem with Neverett. And yes, Kirsten has improved dramatically.
Love what I’m seeing from both Ramos and Pages but we’re looking at a very small sample size, often against minor league pitching, so let’s not get too excited just yet. Maybe Ramos has turned a corner, but remember that AF has now left him unprotected in two Rule 5 drafts. Pages, on the other hand, has really surprised me by showing great swings after major shoulder surgery. If I had to bet on one of the two, my money would be on Andy.
Phil, give YY a break on his pacing before going out to pitch yesterday. It was his first outing after signing a huge contract. He was anxious to show everyone (and himself) he was worth the money.
Sideline reporting is difficult. It always seemed like Joe and Orel would announce the information before they asked Alanna Rizzo to report it from the dugout.
I dislike sideline reporters’ period. I don’t think you need all that fluff. Monday is better than some, worse than others. If you were forced to listen to the Rockies crew, you would like Monday better. And remember, he does very few TV games during the season. He is usually on the radio with Charlie. And I would rather listen to Rick than have Orel prattle on all night.
STB, I view Mark’s blog as the Yang to Jeff’s Yin if I had to compare it. Yin is softer and gentler. Yang is more martial.
Agreed about Ramos and Pages. Good looking prospects, Owings, Padlo, & Sweeney, also deserve some watching and more ABs.
2nd error in b2b games for Lux. Something to keep one’s eyes on. YY looks like a stud. Knack looks very nervous and fidgety on the mound. Is he always like this? I have some concerns about him. Teo Hernandez is going to be very good for us, I believe. I don’t think Outman will turn his SOs around. I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone else take over CF. Vargas is loosing his appeal quickly. Rising from the farm is no easy task for many players. Some just can’t fit into the MLB game.
On the whole, I think our pitching is going to be stellar. Last season’s appalling play is clearly behind us.
“I don’t think Outman will turn his SOs around. I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone else take over CF.”
The last sentence?
Kike was interviewed on Foul Territory today. Said he had a deal worked out with AF to come back a month ago but that deal was dependent upon moving Margot, which Andrew thought he had accomplished. But the deal fell apart overnight so Kike was left waiting.
Finally told AF he had to sign early this week or he would have to go somewhere else and Andrew finally got it done.
Kike said if he hadn’t signed here he probably would have gone to the Yankees.
Welcome back, Banana Boy!
TrueBlueLA reports that Dodgers tried to trade Margot to the Red Sox for Kenley, but the talks didn’t progress.
If true, this suggests that AF is indeed in the market for a closer.
I think the bullpen is strong, but I’d still like to see Devin Williams facing Soto and Judge in October and prefer to thank Kenley for the memories.
Bluto edits his stupid response before too many people see it.
Duke, the price for Williams would be high. And I am not trading Lux for Adames. He would be a one-year rental.
Okay I’ll bite. What is the General Body Soreness that Sheehan is experiencing. Like really.
They haven’t explained it at all. Could be anything with a pitcher. Bad back, knees hurting, sore groin.
You missed sore arm/elbow/shoulder, which I would think would be more likely with a pitcher. And also more concerning.
“We’re waiting to figure out how to spin this”
I feel like Vin Scully would’ve described Paxton’s delivery as being powered by ropes and pulleys.
Sweeney hits a bomb in the 8th inning. Lux had a hit and an RBI and an error.
Really interesting interview with Kike on the YouTube show “Foul Territory.”
One nugget: He said he called “Andrew” to get a sense of the state of negotiations, to let him know his agent wasn’t bluffing and needed to get a deal done soon or he’d have to sign elsewhere. Within a couple days, Margot was traded.
Also said he thought he had worked out a deal with the Dodgers a month ago but the Dodgers need to move Mar
Gowdy and Knack are fun to watch