Depth, Depth and More Depth

Thanks Mark

The comparison is more striking when they are not wearing hats…..they both have the same hair. I also think their eyes are very similar, I wonder how their eyesight compares. Teddy Ballgame had fantastic vision.

I believe that if Agon can get his stroke and timing back that he can be a dangerous pinch hitter and DH when needed. Roberts does an excellent job of getting reserves playing time and resting regulars and we have two months to set the roster up for the playoffs. I like Cody at firstbase….he is an exceptional defensive 1st sacker.

I think they may consider signing Yu to an extension. Having Maeda and him around certainly won’t hurt their chances of getting Otani.

Kershaw

Yu

Hill

Maeda

Wood

with Bueller in the bullpen to start the season, along with Stewart and Stripling. McCarthy and Ryu to the highest bidder.

Nice article and while I can’t completely disagree with your assessment on Forsythe, his AB’s are often painful to watch. Strike one looking, strike two looking, and strike three either looking or swinging. I love his grit, what he adds to the team chemistry and his defense but Chase gives the team more pop and if Agon comes back healthy and swinging a hot bat, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Cody move to LF occasionally and see CT3 at 2B.

Call me crazy but with the contracts for Crawford, Guerrerro, Eithier and the possibility the option is declined on Forsythe and BMac is moved a lot of money becomes available to invest in Yu. Would the FO do it? Who knows but they just might. After the 2018 season, Agon is off the books as well as Kazmir (with the exception of deferred $) I think the FO would strongly consider trying to get Yu signed, but for now I’m enjoying this season. WS or bust!

Do I dare say one more time, Taylor looks tired to me.

I might add Max Scherzer to the list of pitchers Yu would not be the Ace for the team he was on, but other than Kershaw/Sale/Scherzer there are not too many you can make an argument that Yu would not be the Ace. Lester and Greinke have legit arguments, but so does Yu when compared to those two.

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Because of Kershaw/Wood/Hill/and now Darvish are getting the publicity, Kenta Maeda is quietly putting together a very good 2 month run. For June and July, Maeda has pitched in 10 games (8 starts). He has compiled 46.2 IP with a record of 6-2 and one save. His ERA is 2.31, batting average against in .212, with an OBP against of .272. He has walked 11 with 44 strikeouts, for a very good 4-1 K/BB ratio. He has allowed 4 home runs (less than 1 per nine innings).

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Maeda is on pace for another 10 starts which will give him 27, for an additional $3.5M in incentive bonus for starts. He has already earned $1M, and will get a 2nd $1M after start 20, and $1.5M after start 25. He is also in his innings pitched incentive bonus run. He has earned $250K after 90 innings. He will earn another $250K for every 10 innings. The way Kenta is pitching, he will should get to 150 and maybe 160 innings.

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Many complained that Maeda had a great start in 2016 and a bad summer, running out of gas. He turned it around this year, with a bad start and is on a very good run. Like Mark, I do not care that he pitches 5-6 innings. The Dodgers are winning with this formula. Come October, there will not be as many pitches in those arms. As has been chronicled on numerous occasions, starting pitching is not 7-8-9 innings in the post season. It is the bullpen that is becoming important. When October comes, two seasoned starting pitchers, Maeda and Ryu, will be in the bullpen. What a difference pure depth makes.

The Dodgers are going to get under the luxury cap. They will not sign Darvish when they have Beuhler at a much cheaper option. They have the money. That is not the issue. Where you draft players is changed by the luxury cap, that is what will force the Dodgers to change. I hope we can give Darvish a WS ring and say thank you very much. Good luck on your next job.

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I really think the bull pen is going to be lights out. Watson is looking pretty good. When you have Morrow, Baez, and Watson before you get to Jansen, you have pretty good flame throwers. The best part is that they all have other pitches. They are all pitchers, not just flame throwers.

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If Agon comes back and is hitting well. I would not be afraid to move Bellinger to left and Taylor to center. I do not think think it hurts us defensely. If Agon is hitting better than Joc, that is the move to make.

Pitching –Check

Defense–Check

Offense–Check

Clubhouse–Check

Coaching–Check

Bench–Check

Managing–Check

Depth–Check

All-for-one-one-for-all–Check

One thing I think is huge that we all don’t talk too much about is the way that the Dodgers keep coming back from 3 or 4 run deficits to win games. Yeah, we all get caught up in the hoopla, myself included, but this is a so important going forward into the play-offs. How many times in the last 5 years, and I am bringing up some ghosts here, did the Giants and the Cardinals (you s.o,b, s, dont’ tell me you didn’t hit Hanley in the ribs on purpose) rise from the dead and come back in so many play-off games. WE have that hammer now, the aura that no matter what, you better drive a stake through our heart to take us down. I remember so many seasons ago, back in the Donnie baseball days, that a team would get a lead in the play-off game and you could just see the air go out of the dugout. I know we all think Ethier is a stand up guy, which he has mellowed over the years, but don’ forget Donnies last year when the Mets knocked us out and before the whole national baseball audience you could see him barking at Mattingley in the dugout to just f**ing manage.Never forget that. Do you think Roberts would put up with that? He commands so much respect in the dugout and brings that all for the cause mentality. I’m going to get the whip out and beat that dead horse, but the Dodgers have become what our arch rivals used to be. Grinders, Junkyard Dogs, and just flat out scary in the late innings.