Do the Dodgers Develop or Acquire Their Superstars
As I said on my first post back at LADT, I am a contrarian. While I am not a contrian just to be one, I do have strong takes on the Dodger Farm system, and they do not always ally with the LAD faithful. Over the years, I have fully acknowledged and reported that the Dodgers have…
As I said on my first post back at LADT, I am a contrarian. While I am not a contrian just to be one, I do have strong takes on the Dodger Farm system, and they do not always ally with the LAD faithful.
Over the years, I have fully acknowledged and reported that the Dodgers have put more players into MLB than any other team. Not long ago I did a research project on the Dodgers who were drafted during the AF era and made MLB, and learned that they indeed put more players in the League than any other organization. Houston had the 2nd most. It is probably time for another project.
But my bar goes higher. How many home grown LAD prospects have gone on to become All Stars? A team can develop them, trade for them, or sign them as a FA. LAD does all three, but puts more emphasis on the second two.
The current LAD 26-man roster has 9 home grown players: Will Smith, Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing, Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius, Emmet Sheehan, Jack Dreyer, Edgardo Henriquez, and Alex Freeland. While only two are potential All Stars this year, all will be counted on to produce enough to pull off a 3-peat.
Please do not misunderstand. I completly agree with Mark that Will Smith is a HUGE success when it comes to LAD development. The same appears to be true with Andy Pages, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, and Justin Wrobleski. I will also include River Ryan in that group. He may not have been drafted by LAD, but it was LAD that has fostered his development as a pitcher.
Smith and Pages are absolutely stars who have been developed by the Dodgers system. I was in Smith’s corner when the discussion was Smith or Keibert Ruiz. I have been in Pages’ corner, even to the dismay of many regarding my comments that I prefer Pages over PCA. But let’s not pretend that every organization does not develop stars. They all do.
LAD home grown All Stars since the AF era: Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, Will Smith, and Zach McKinstry (Detroit). Hopefully this year, Andy Pages and Michael Busch (Cubs) will be added.
OTOH, Ned Colletti was the top LAD baseball executive from 2006 to 2014. He drafted, or signed as Amateur Free Agents, multiple players who later became MLB All Stars: Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, Cody Bellinger, Nathan Eovaldi, Yasiel Puig, Julio Urías, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Ross Stripling…Kenley Jansen was signed two years prior to Colletti as a catcher, but he was converted to a HOF reliever and was developed as such under Colletti’s development team.
Home grown Washington Nationals developed under Mike Rizzo from 2009-2019: Stephen Strasburg (2009), Bryce Harper (2010), Robbie Ray (2010), Anthony Rendon (2011), Lucas Giolito (2012), Nick Pivetta (2013), Erick Fedde (2014), and Jesus Luzardo (2016).
Billy Beane and The Athletics have developed Mason Miller, Sonny Gray, Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, and Yoenis Cespedes. Only Kurtz has not made an All Star team…YET.
The difference is that the latter two do not have the necessary $$$$ to retain them, while the Dodgers do, if they choose to. It is hard to develop a consistent contender if you cannot retain your young stars, and are constantly rebuilding.
Now if you want to say that no team scouts better than the Dodgers, you will get no push back from me. From advance scouts at the MLB and MiLB level and amateur scouts (national and international), the Dodgers are at the top of the pyramid. I am not about to do the research, but I find it hard to believe that there are many amateur scouts better than Marty Lamb.
I also fully recognize that where the Dodgers draft, it is difficult to develop superstars compared to teams that are consistently drafting in the top ten. This year, the Dodgers will lose 4 draft picks (2, 3, 5, and 6), and $1MM in International bonus pool $$$. I do not think they are complaining about the losses when compared to adding Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz.
The Dodgers generally draft or sign (IFA) players with higher floors. That works for them, extremely well. No team in MLB comes close to the depth the Dodgers have. Is that scouting or development? Undoubtedly both, but to what degree?
For the majority of stars on the team, they look at trades for All Stars (Mookie and Glasnow) and All Star Free Agents/Purchased (Shohei, Yamamoto, Freddie, Muncy, Teoscar, Tucker, Snell, and Díaz).
I am passionate about the prospects, and I follow them religiously. I root for every one of them, even Maddux Bruns. So I am hopeful that the next group coming up makes more of a mark. But even if you look at the top LAD prospects, 7 of the top 12 came to LAD via trade (Hope, Sirota, Ryan, Ferris, Zazueta, Tibbs III, Serwinowski). Three other Top 30 prospects were acquired via trade: Ehrhard, Hurt, and Miller. I still consider them all home grown.
Which one of De Paula, Hope, Sirota, Quintero, Tibbs III, or Ehrhard will be developed enough to stick with LAD? Some have to be moved, right? Or do they languish in MiLB like Ryan Ward and Kody Hoese?Right behind them is Davalan, Ko, Vidourek, and Tunink. And probaably Chase Harlan whose best position may be a corner OF.
So it is true that the Dodgers do develop players, but they rely more on other avenues to acquire their superstars at the MLB level.
MiLB WRAP
OKC Comets pounded out 18 hits and scored 13 runs on their way to a 13-8 victory over the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) in Las Vegas. OKC sent 5 pitchers to the hill, and only Keynan Middleton was unscored on in 1.1 IP.
The hitting star in this one was Zach Ehrhard who went 4-6 with a pair of doubles and RBIs. Ryan Fitzgerald also with a big night going 4-6 night and 3 RBIs. The big RBI bat belonged to Nick Senzel who went 3-6 with 7 RBIs, including a Grand Slam in the 6th.
Eliézer Alfonzo had 3 hits and a walk. James Tibbs III continued his hot bat with 2 hits, including his 3rd HR and 4th double.
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Discussion (120)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Semaphore
I have a friend who is very connected to the Cubs. Their AAA Affiliate’s press box is named after his dad. He says the Cubs were not interested in re-signing Tucker and felt that he was not “all in.” He told me, “You will find out why the Cubs didn’t want him.” Don’t shoot the messenger – I’m just telling you what someone close to the Cubs said. I have no opinion… but I do have eyes and I am reserving judgement. FYI, the Pressbox is called the Miller Press Box. It was named after longtime South Bend Cubs beat writer Jack Miller (often referred to simply as “Miller” in local circles), who covered the team faithfully for years. One of those classic minor league honors where the guy who told the story every night ends up becoming part of it. It’s a very minor-league baseball kind of tribute — no corporate sponsor, just ink-stained scorecards and a nod to the person who was there for all of it. His son, Matt, is the VP/Operation at US Water Systems. https://uswatersystems.com/pages/about-us
Ontario and Tulsa open their season tonight. Great Lakes opens tomorrow.
Yes, I’ve heard this guy (or others) on ESPN Chicago with that same opinion. Apparently Tucker isn’t the most vocal or talkative guy, and isn’t fiery or anything, and some perceive that to mean he’s not all in. Others feel that’s just his personality but he quietly goes about his business and produces.
Sirota will probably get a quick promotion, assuming he plays well. The good news is that he should get a lot of reps and bat near the top of the order at GL. He’s a bit older than his “top prospect” OF peers, but de Paula and Hope probably have more minor league experience. The OF depth in the minors is ridiculous…
Sirota will probably get a quick promotion, assuming he plays well. The good news is that he should get a lot of reps and bat near the top of the order at GL. He’s a bit older than his “top prospect” OF peers, but de Paula and Hope probably have more minor league experience. The OF depth in the minors is ridiculous…
Doesn’t seem to be a problem for anyone with Shohei who’s hardly an emotional extrovert, so not sure why it would be a problem for Tucker. The nice warm welcome to first base afforded to any base runner by Freddie or the fist bump on reaching second base received by our friendly SS isn’t exactly playing things tough. Some might even see it as “not being all in”. How about we give the guy a chance before we brand him a malcontent. It’s been 6 games!! Good to see Andy Pages continuing his ST form.
I’ve always been a fan and defender of much-maligned Max. He is getting more respect these days and passing Garvey and Cey will earn him more. Speaking of “development,” Max is my favorite example of the non-homegrown player that the Dodgers system turned into a star. Max, Justin Turner, Chris Taylor–all were taken from the proverbial scrap heap of marginal major leaguers and achieved a certain stardom. Max is grindiest of grinders and loyal to a fault. He is paid so much less than many peers by sticking with the Dodgers all these years. Early on, Max played second-fiddle to Bellinger, a Dodger draft pick who seemed on an HOF path before his career went sideways. Belli is an athlete out of central casting, while Max looked like the star of the local bar’s slow-pitch team. But Max will eventually earn the status of “Dodgers legend.” The Dodgers have done even better with pitchers. Every season, there seems to be one or two journeyman RPs who join the Dodgers and get some true-blue polish. Anthony Banda was one. He was pondering retirement and coaching youth baseball when the Dodgers came calling.
The Dodgers should trade Bruns, Ward and probably a few others who could benefit from a change of scenery.
Tucker, like many ML players, peaked at age 26 (5.5 WAR). He would need to put up 7.5 WAR to earn his $60 million AAV. Since nobody anywhere in the sane world (I have no idea where that is anymore) expects that to happen what is expected is for him to slash .273/.373./.493 and help the top of that lineup score runs. What anyone in Chicago thinks of him is irrelevant. The Cubs will be lucky to win 85 games this year.
Hard to imagine Tucker opting out of that fat contract. It’s funny to me how the Dodgers brass says they don’t want to “overpay” before the trade deadline. . . -but then during the winter they overpay the market to get guys like Tucker, Diaz, Tanner Scott and even Conforto. It’s a pity that Ward didn’t get called up when he was playing so well in ’25. He might not have played well, but he might have outplayed Conforto at a much lower cost.
“Long-levered lefty illusionist”…. love the loquacious alliteration!
Acquired for Milton Bradley! Great move.
.354, .357, .500, .545 What the top of the OKC lineup is hitting after 5 games. Maybe they should be on a plane to Washington.
I agree. Let’s send the top 4 guys in our lineup down to OKC to work through their struggles. Top of our lineup should be Kim, Tibbs, Pages and Muncy. We may even score a run in the first three innings!
Watford, My Wife and Daughter are in London this week with two of my Granddaughters. My son-in-law, who is here, told me that my wife got into an argument with a cabbie yesterday. That wasn’t you, I hope! 😉 I am not down on Tucker. I form my own opinions. Just saying what some are thinking. Time is the great revealer!
It may or may not be relevant, but it may or may not go to his character. BTW, it’s good to see you (metaphorically).
They would set attendance records wherever they played. That would be a good thing for thriving metropolises like Round Rock and Albuquerque. “The comeback is always stronger than the setback” – said someone more profound than me. I believe we will see double digit runs scored by this group sometime between now and National That Sucks Day, an unofficial holiday recognizing that life can be difficult and pessimistic, acting as a counterbalance to constant forced optimism. There is such a thing and I’ll let you look it up.
About the only good thing I can discern from this morning’s posts, is that amongst all the ridiculous and rash reactions (both serious and in jest) nobody has called to change the batting coach. YET.
Always have had a soft spot for Max. Before him, it was Joc. He is simply a ballplayer.
I don’t see Tucker leaving either. Funny though, through six games last season, Conforto was hitting .294, Tucker looks a lot worse than he did at the plate so far. I know it won’t last but just making a point. No one griped about Conforto when they signed him.
FIRE VON SHYLOCK!!!! LOL
I want Tucker out of the 2 hole and Betts to replace him,then Freeman,Will,Muncy,Teo,Tucker,Pages and Freeland or Rojas. Tucker is pressing right now and moving down will take the pressure off him.Of course Ontani bats first. Also we need to break up the back to back lefties in Ontani and Tucker.
Mark – sorry to hear about your wife’s travails with the London Cabbie. They really havnt moved on with the times so it doesn’t surprise me. Too “Old School” and proud to change. I’m not a Black Cab Driver, I work for a Private Hire Company and have done for 33 years. If she needs anything please pass her my Email or cell – +44 7703 168863 Bobby – if you need it too. Looking forward to painting the town red with you soon!! Disappointing game for you to see first hand last night! Of any of you are ever in London please let me know.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer signed with the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball’s Long Island Ducks.