I watch selected Minor League Games, sometimes switching from OKC to Tulsa to Great Lakes and even to Ranch Cucamonga. Last night I watch Bobby Miller take the mound for the Tulsa Drillers as they played the Wichita Wind Surge at ONEOK Field in Tulsa. Bobby Miller earned his third win of the season as he led the Drillers with a strong night on the mound as Tulsa scored just enough to hold off Wichita 5-4. The win gave the Drillers sole possession of first place in the Texas League North.
Devin Mann was the offensive hero, hitting a 3-Run HR, his 8th, but I was more interested in watching Bobby Miller who throws in the high 90’s and low 100s with what seems to be “little effort.” He went 5.2 innings and while his numbers were not “eye-popping” they were solid. Bobby allowed 6 hits, but five of them were singles (the other was a solo HR by Matt Wallner (his 13th). He gave up 2 Earned Runs and walked 3 while striking out 7. His ERA is 4.60 with a 1.23 WHIP for the year.
Bobby has now pitched 47 innings this year and has allowed 41 hits. He has walked 17 while striking out 50. The walks are certainly too high, but what the stats don’t tell you is that he is not “wild.” When he misses, it’s not by much. Pitches don’t “get away” from him. He has only given up 4 HRs this year and in his 103 minor league innings, he has only allowed 6 dingers. Hitters don’t often “barrel him up.” There is a lot of weak contact induced by his repertoire. Last night’s hits were usually of the “seeing-eye” variety.
If you just look at the stats, then one might conclude that Bobby Miller is another year away, but if you really watch him pitch you may conclude (like me) that he is pretty dang close. Bobby will be 24 years old next April and he could very well be a candidate for the Dodgers rotation by then. Last year was his first professional season and he pitched 57 innings, including in the Arizona Fall League. This year he has 47 innings pitched and I would imagine that he might get 100 to 115 innings this year. He has pitched 80+ in College a couple of times, so he’s not a youngster that has to be babied.
It’s obvious that the Dodger’s developmental staff is working with him on some mechanical aspects of his game, but I have no clue what that is and they certainly are not going to tell me. While his delivery is free and easy, it appears they are working on or experimenting with his best release point. I simply say this: My eyes can’t reconcile his 4.60 ERA with how I see him pitch. He looks much better this year than last year when he put up a 2.40 ERA. What I am trying to say is that Bobby Miller is not far from MLB-Ready. While I do not think we will see him THIS season (unless it is in relief), I think he could definitely be in the 2023 rotation. He is indeed a “horse” and his stuff is filthy!
Future Dodger Prospects
- At OKC last night Mike Busch was 2-4 with a double.
- Jason Martin was also 2-4 with 3 RBI, including his 9th HR.
- However, the hitting star at OKC was Jacob Amaya (who played 2B – McKinstry was at SS) and was 2-4 with 5 RBI, including a Grand Salami!
- Jake Lamb is playing LF probably pending a callup.
- Diego Cartaya was 2-4 for GL with 2 RBI and a BB.
- Leonard (2-5), DeJesus (4-6), and Ramos (3-5) were all part of a 13-run exploding for the Loons.
- Nick Nastrini pitched 4.2 innings and allowed 3 hits (0 Runs) while walking 3 and striking out 9.
I think there is a pretty good chance Diego ends up at Tulsa this season. In other words, Great Lakes will be Sans Diego! See what I did there?
Discussion (29)
Disagree, not disagreeable
These nowadays players doesn’t know bunting. Last year our efective bunters were all pitchers.
Pollock’s OPS is .695
It’s time to shake up this hard to watch boring team !!! J T ,Muncy and Taylor are not everyday players anymore. We need to trade for a righthanded power hitting bat ( we do miss Pollack). We need Rios back sooner than later. We need to bring up some minor leaguer position players and give them a chance. If I was AF and ownership I would not be happy with the all or nothing offensive results.
Fire RVS!
This loss is all on Roberts.
Cleveland gift wrapped it for us in the 9th. Why not have Lux put down a bunt vs a tough LHP ? On Sunday he benched a blazing hot Lux because he did not like that matchup. And with the game on the line he likes it better ?
And when you dont like the matchup bring in Barnes to put down the bunt . With Belli on 3rd chances are good we score and win the game.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!
After a loss like this, I sometimes turn to the farm for consolation.
The good news: OKC, Tulsa and Great Lakes all won. Since moving up to OKC, Amaya is swinging the bat well again.
And there were strong outings from Beeter, Hurt and Lockhart.
Sort of saw that one coming.
Just curious….
Are the Dodgers the worst team in OT or not? In the era of the “placed runner” they sure seem to have failed a lot.
I thought that was a bad look, when the camera panned to the dodger dugout and showed Mookie and Alberto yukking it up
Down to our last strike and they’re joking around, I can only imagine what Tommy would’ve done
Bellinger is at least contributing. I have no faith in Max or JT , What to do?
Absolutely dumb base running there Max. Ran the team right out of a rally. Dumb with a capitol D.
Err, Can it be considered a slide what Max Muncy did?
Man these games are just getting harder and harder to watch.
Something Gotta give
Kershaw… so much run support.
Dodgers need a shock to the system. Offensively. Bench half the team. Bring up half of AAA. Something. Amazing pitching.
Defibrator to the balls.
This is when you shake shit up.
Diego.
I remember a player I won’t name. For Dodger reasons. Came up with the Braves. He couldn’t buy a beer. His son is now a thing. But it made a difference.
Shake shit up!
Maybe! Bellli Maybe!
And look who likes batting lead off!
Well something is up with the lack of offense this year. Hard hit balls in the sweet spot are traveling 311 feet this year which is 6 feet fewer than 21. The difference between expected slugging % and the actual slugging % is something never seen in the stat cast era. So maybe? there’s still hope for Bellinger!
10:10 PM ET
Guardians (32-27)
Dodgers (39-23)
SP Clayton Kershaw L
4-1 2.12 ERA 34IP 36K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
SS Trea Turner R
DH Max Muncy L
C Will Smith R
3B J. Turner R
CF C. Bellinger L
LF Chris Taylor R
2B Gavin Lux L
Clear-day
0% Rain
68° Wind 8 mph Out
A lot of good stuff today.
AF isn’t worried about this team at all. He has the deepest team in baseball and he knows it. Judging by the way he operates, his goal is to build the deepest team in order to withstand injury. Try to get as many of the key players healthy by the post-season. Go to the postseason every year, because that’s where the money is. Winning it all is the byproduct of executing the plan.
In a long baseball season, there are ups and downs. On June 17th, we are now 1/2 game out of first after spending almost the entire year in first, or having the best record in the NL, and / or all of baseball. Even though he had most of his rotation on the IL, we’re still where we are. Even though most of the pen is on the IL, still here. Muncy, Turner and Belli sucking, still here. If this is the low point, I’ll take it.
Not sure how many times a team went from start to finish with the best record in baseball. But, even so, you just can’t guarantee that outcome no matter what. You can’t buy that, you can’t develop it. There is luck, or randomness, or chance or whatever you want to call it involved.
As far as Max, Trea and Belli goes, JT’s career is running on fumes. You can see the decline last year. He’s got bad knees and age (37) is not on his side. He might have a couple of streaks left in him, or a big hit in the postseason, but I don’t see how AF can justify his option. He’ll most likely pass and bring him back on the cheap if they can come to some sort of agreement. But, not a lot of 38 year olds, coming off a -WAR season are going to get too many looks.
Max is in a weird situation. He’s playing injured and who knows if he’s gonna be fine later this year or next year. There’s a club option, it looks like, for 13M. Seems like a reasonable amount to retain him, after that he’s a free agent and who knows?
Cody Bellinger got a raise from 16.1 to 17M after last year’s injury ridden and pathetic year. This year isn’t as bad as last and he’s doing better than JT and Muncy, so there’s that. JT and Muncy aren’t earning any money for their D. Cody is. I know everyone hats him, but he’s just 26. To put that into perspective, that’s the have that Max Muncy started hitting and JT didn’t really start doing damage with the bat until he was 29. Cody is a long ways from being done as a player. Hell, Joc is having his best start to a season and he’s freaking 30 years old! And he’s coming off a very mediocre .238/.310/.422/.732, Don’t give up on Belli! BTW – he was way worse last year and was one of our best hitters in the post season.
As I write, the Dodgers are sittng in 2nd place 0.5 games behind the Pads. I wonder how the team lost ground so fast? Well, I’m sure there are many reasons and you guys have probably addressed them all. I sure am disappointed with the way the team has been playing lately, but then I think about Gonsolin and Anderson. Without the two of them the Dodgers would be in 3rd place, easily 6 or 7 games out of 1st. Count your blessings. Thank God for Tony and Tyler. Somehow that offense is going to get hot again. I can just feel it.
Go Dodgers!
Anthony Rendon out for the season.
The Arte Moreno curse Strikes again.
I’m smelling something different with Diego. At this point it’s the fact that he’s a catcher which might keep the Dodgers from putting him on full fast track.
Ivan Rodriguez made his MLB debut at 19. Never saw AAA. Juan Soto went from A+ to AA to AAA and then MLB in one season (also 19).
Sure, it’s hard to crown Diego as Soto or Pudge at this point. But it’s happened before. Even for a catcher. And it is also almost certain that Pudge was also 20 or 21 at the time.
But I will go on record that we may end up surprised with where he goes this year. He has poise, massive confidence and can just freaking hit. Not sure where they are evaluating his defense at this point. That’s likely the wildcard. But I believe his bat and makeup could play right now. I don’t think I’ve ever said that about any Dodger prospect at his age (or at only high A) before.
Im probably wrong about this. But the chances Diego gets his first big league at bat this year aren’t high. But I also don’t think they are zero.
I don’t think AF is feeling quite as optimistic right about now unless somehow things are going exactly as planned. Fat chance that’s the case. Sadly for the $ spent the Dodgers are coming up short………SO FAR. Still in the running although no longer are best record in baseball or the league or the division. AF did all the things that appeared to be all the ducks in a row. To me the line up looked like they’d win all 162 games. Guess that’s what I get for expecting a temporary fix for my broken heart. But on a good note I’m getting my cataracts removed. While I hope things go better with the Dodgers my eyesight is more important.
Bear,
I really enjoyed your write up on Yogi, but couldn’t respond until today. Your stories are like a time machine that takes me back to my childhood when I fell in love with Baseball.
I got to go to an Angel Yankee game at Wrigley Field in the early sixties. When we got to the park we found out the game was sold out. My Dad paid a scalper $40 for 5 reserved seat t tickets. His weekly paycheck was only $85.00. It was one of the best things he ever did for me and I am still thankful for and appreciate what he did for me. The seats were right behind the Angels dugout . Mickey and Yogi went deep and I will never forget it.
In the nineties I was a district manager for a retail company and for a while I had the Saint Louis district I went to the Hill. An old residential neighborhood with modest houses and some houses that were small family restaurants. I was escorted to a room that I thought would normally be a bedroom which had been set up for dining. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs and it turned out that there were just 2 meatballs, about the size of my fist and they were delicious as was everything else. I could kind of visualize Yogi and Joe playing in the streets. Really fun.
Well Belli is broken (not) and JT is old (not) so Muncy is the only realistic hope to break out. And hopefully Rios can come back be a force with the bat. We really need a prospect bat to break out next year.
As they say:
1. There is a fine line between Genius and Insanity.
2. There s a fine line between Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.
3. There is a fine line between Success and Failure when you swing at a baseball hurling through space!
I am of the opinion that JT, Belli, and Max could break out at any time…
or not!
Well last year they came up “short” winning 106 games. So somebody must be doing something right! I’d double down on 106 all day every day
There are simply too many variables and unknowns to try to figure out what the Dodgers might do moving forward.
As to the rotation, what will be the status of Walker Buehler? What about Clayton Kershaw? Can they work out two to three year deals for Andrew Heaney or Tyler Anderson? Who will actually be ready to step up from the minors —- Ryan Pepiot, Mitch White or …
What about shortstop. If they don’t sign Trea Turner that will leave a big hole, the three hitter. Who will be the shortstop? Will Max Muncy recover? Who knows? Will Cody Bellinger become an impact hitter again? Or will he continue to struggle? What about Justin Turner? They have three hitters definitely coming up short and it’s a drag on offense. Losing AJ Pollock certainly hurt the offense.
I’m guessing you can make the rotation and bullpen work. There seems to be enough options. But the offense is questionable. Again, depending on the status of Buehler, will the Dodgers have enough to compete for a World Series title. The payroll is $310 million, I think that still includes Trevor Bauer until the appeal gets resolved.
San Diego and the Giants seem to be in for the long haul. If the Dodgers come up short in the NL West again, will they reevaluate their approach or double down? No question the farm may be their saving grace, but will those players make an impact in the near future?
As to the short term, do the Dodgers pursue another bat or focus on a starting pitcher or try to come up with both.? The bullpen looks okay. But starting pitchers won’t be cheap. Is there anybody not on the radar that might make a difference? At this point, not sure who that would be. I think we’re another month away from that picture coming into focus.
Right now everyone has to be pleased with Anderson and the continued development of Tony Gonsolin. Now if Kershaw can stay healthy, Urias dominate, the Dodgers may be okay. Hopefully Andrew Heaney comes back with an edge.
Wow, didn’t realize that the Grand Salami was Jake’s first AAA hit. On top of that, those 4 hits by DeJesus were of the cycle variety. Big night for the prospects.
I’m in agreement. A lot of these guys are trade chips since there isn’t enough room in the rotation for everyone. It would be great to keep one of Heaney or Anderson, but I think both would be expensive, they’ll find someone else to fix next year.
I can’t see White becoming trade bait. He’s young, cheap and very useful. He’s also used to pitching in the pen and is becoming comfortable in the rotation. That’s a valuable commodity.
I also think that Pepiot and Miller are probably close to off limits as far as trades go. They seem to have the best pure stuff and the Dodgers won’t want to let that go. It would take a pretty big name to pry one of them away.
I’m still hopeful that Treinen, Kahnle and V-Gone will all be back at some point. V-Gone is the only one of them that went under the knife for debridement, so he should be available to start throwing 6-8 weeks after the surgery, much like Buehler.
I agree with your take on Miller, Mark.
Better than his ERA indicates. A LOT better.
Other than you I think we could see him late in the season as a bullpen piece especially if WB does not come back in time or Treinen is lost for the year. Another flame thrower to give us 2-3 solid innings.
Next season he should be in the running for a starters job. The stuff is just too good not to be in the rotation.
Pepiot, Grove and White could be trade bait come the deadline. Dodgers probably need another big bat in the middle of the lineup unless at least two of Muncy, Belli and JT do not return to their career numbers.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You mean he will be Diego Driller! Are White and Pepiot rotational pieces next year? And what happens to Heaney and Anderson next year if they continue to pitch like this? Are you giving them 2-3 year deals with all this pitching talent knocking on the door?