It’s (About, Finally, Way-Past) Time for Dodger Baseball

Before we start the season, let me say that I am extremely excited that Mookie Betts will end his career (probably) in Dodger Blue. Unlike many of you, I am not surprised. We all know how much Andrew Friedman loves his top prospects and he simply was not going to part with three top prospects (including Tony Gwynn-esque, Alex Verdugo) for a rental. Do the math! I think Alex Verdugo will be a very good player in his own right, but not one of the Top Three in baseball, like Betts. Andrew Friedman will not make dope-fiend moves, but he is not afraid to spend if it makes sense (witness the offer to Gerrit Cole).

Let’s not forget that Mookie is very versatile. He is a Gold Glove Right-Fielder, but he can also play CF (however, the Dodgers have a Gold Glover there already) and he can play 2B. It would not surprise me if Cody Thomas or some other outfielder who could play RF allowed Mookie to move to 2B someday. This was a great move by AF and I am sure that Farhan is very pissed – the Giants were going to layout a War Chest for Mookie. I think this also tells you that Mookie wants to be a Dodger! Yes, he absolutely does!

A lot of you mocked Andrew Friedman for failing to sign big-name free agent pitchers (including the guy they are facing tonight), but he was just trying to win while building a dynasty. McCarthy, Kazmir, Anderson and others were just “bridges” to get him where he wanted to be. Where he wanted to be is where he is at. He has a plethora of live arms in the minors and Jo Jo Gray, Tony Gonsolin, Mitch White, Dustin May, Bobby Miller, and other starters are trending towards Chavez Ravine.

McCarthy, Kaz, Anderson, and Company were just a sign of the times. AF had to win and rebuild at the same time. No one has successfully done that… until now. Watch and Enjoy the ride! Get ready to hoist a World Championship Pennant over Dodger stadium! As a final aside: Not all players age well, but “little guys” (he not really “little” but at 5′ 9″ he’s not big, nor is he bulky) seem to age better physically. I can see Mookie being successful until his late 30’s. I would not sign Corey Seager to that kind of deal as bigger guys seem to have more areas to “break down.” I am sure AF considered that side as well, when deciding to sign Mookie. Mookie instantly becomes the face of the franchise and listen carefully to what he said:

“I’m here to win some rings and bring rings back to L.A. — that’s all I’m focused on,” Betts said after signing a landmark 12-year contract extension that runs through 2032.

“This is what I’ve been working for my whole life. I know the Dodgers are going to be good for a long time. I love being here, everything about being here. The people here made me feel so comfortable. Everybody’s amazing. This organization is a well-oiled machine. I love it.”

OK, Cut to the Chase

Today is Opening Day (finally) and expectations are extremely high. Andrew Friedman has built the best team in baseball – a juggernaut and nothing short of a World Championship will make this season a success. NOTHING! Oh, you can disagree with me that this is the best team is baseball, but you would be wrong!  The Dodgers are better (on paper) than any team in baseball… even without David Price.

The 2020 season begins today and it’s like every team in baseball is tied for first place after 102 games.  With 60 games left, a champion will be determined.  This is no longer a marathon, but rather, a sprint!

The Athletic has the Dodgers as a “near unanimous” pick as the best team in baseball. Just about everyone else has the Dodgers as the favorite to win it all, but as we all understand, no championships are bestowed upon you because you look good on paper.  You have to actually play the game. You also have to be physically and mentally ready to play the game and what I have witnesses during this Summer Training is a team that is as “locked and loaded” as any Dodger team I have ever seen – probably more so!

Yes, there are a few new players: Betts (Price… well almost), Treinen, and a couple of others, but the “core” of the team is essentially the same as in 2017, 2018 and 2019.  They know they have not fulfilled their promise as a group and they also know that 2020 might be the last time this group has a chance to win together.  Kike and Joc seem destined to move on (still, you never know). I get a sense that they are completely locked in on the ultimate goal, but they also realize they have to win TODAY in order to achieve that goal. One win at a time!

If you look below the surface, I think you will see a “quiet rage” also drives them.  They know they were the best team in 2017 and were robbed by the Houston A-H_________s!  They know they had a let down in 2018 and in 2019, they were again the best team in baseball and completely failed to execute.  They know they could very easily have two or three World Championship Flags flying above Dodger Stadium.  They are embarrassed by that, but 2020 can cure it all.

If you watched the first two scrimmages against the Diamondbacks and the game with the Angels, you saw a team that was again the Big Blue Wrecking Crew with their bats.  What may or may not be as evident is that this team also has incredible pitching.  Let’s take a quick look:

Starting Pitching

Even minus David Price, who looked like the “old David Price” in Spring Training, these starters are as good, top-to-bottom, as any team in baseball.  Clayton Kershaw is looking more and more like the old Clayton (or maybe I should say Young Clayton) and he’s now incorporating a changeup into his repertoire. He hasn’t mastered it, but it’s encouraging to see him finally trying. I have always said that if he can develop a change up, he will win another Cy Young.  That didn’t take into consideration that Rob Hill and Driveline Baseball could add another 2 or 3 MPH back on his fastball.  He is the Ace of the staff.

As the season stacks up, Walker Buehler may not start until game five against Houston due to the fact that he has not really been stretched out for some unexplained reason.  Dave Roberts has said that Dustin May and Walker Buehler will pitch in tandem for the first few starts of the season.

Ross “Chicken Strip” Stripling may be as good of a Number Five as there is in the game, however, he will start the season as the Number Two.   I look for big things from Ross this season.  It’s his time and Ross needs to seize the day. He has been a good soldier, doing whatever was asked, but he has asked to start and deserves that chance. He’s getting it. Let’s not forget that he was once an All-Star and that his career ERA is 3.51. That’s pretty dang good for a number five!

Julio Urias will likely start as the Number Four and we are now seeing why he has been so hyped.  His 95+ MPH fastball is supported by an arsenal of three or four other pitches including a hammer curve.  He is also stretched out and has no inning limits in this sprint. The Number Three starter is Alex Wood, who is looking like the Alex Wood of the first half of 2017 when he was an All-Star.  The only question is “can he stay healthy?”  If he can, what a weapon!  If he can’t then there are Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and Mitch White at the ready.

Relief Pitching

Within recent memory, I have never seen such a bunch of pitchers in the Dodgers bullpen with so many “live”arms. Kenley Jansen looks to be the old Kenley Jansen and Blake Treinen looks as filthy as ever. Then there is 101+ MPH Graterol, Dustin May (who has looked outstanding out of the pen), Pedro Baez, who has not pitched for obvious reasons. He’s now healthy and will be phased back in a little at a time.

Jake McGee hasn’t impressed me at all. Well, I take that back – he could instill confidence into hitters taking batting practice, but AF knows him and Mark Prior must think he can “fix” him. He can still hit 95 MPH. The Dodgers have been “saving” Joe Kelly – he has some undisclosed issue, but his four-seamer (which he could not throw last year) has been filthy (according to people who have watched him).

Dennis Santana looks to be the most improved pitcher in camp and Scott Alexander, Dylan Floro, and Adam Kolarek round out the pen. They only need to be league average. They are role players and there are a number of players at USC that will see time. You will see some shuffling between the 30, 28, 26-man roster, and the COVID-19 squad.

Position Players

The Big Blue Wrecking Crew (I can’t think of a better name) is back and they are flat-out loaded. Mookie is going to be loose and put up some amazing numbers. I have said it before and I will say it again: “The Dodgers have six players who could potentially be in the MVP Race (I mean… like Top 10).”

• Mookie Betts
• Cody Bellinger
• Corey Seager (he’s back!)
• Justin Turner
• Max Muncy (won’t win, but in the conversation)
• Joc Pederson (has hit some LH pitching already – he’s capable of being Top 10)

Of course, I doubt that all of it happens, but they are capable. I was sad to see that Zach McKinstry did not make the 30-man, but he will be back. The Dodgers have lots of LH hitters so he was the odd-man-out. Beaty, Raley, and Rios are all LH and ahead of Zach. Next year, Zach and CT3 will likely be the L – R Swiss Army Knives. I would love to keep Kike, but that doesn’t seem likely.

Most positions are set:

C – Will Smith with Austin Barnes as his backup. If Austin falters, look for Keibert Ruiz sooner than later.

1B – Max Muncy can play 2B or 3B, but I see him staying at 1B all year (except for regular rest).

2B – Pick one between Kike and CT3 . The hot hand will play. Both are solid but Kike is the better defender at 2B. Both players will also play other positions.

SS – Corey Seager will re-claim his place as one of the TOP THREE shortstops in baseball. He could be the MVP. Ken Gurnick of Dodgers.com com predicts just that: “He’s healthy, driven and overlooked. Since Day 1 of the real Spring Training in Arizona, Seager has looked comfortable, confident and especially healthy. If he can stay that way, finally fully recovered from elbow and hip operations, it will be fun to watch just how good he can be on both sides of the ball.” CT3 is the backup SS.

3B – Justin Turner is the “heart-and-soul” of the Dodgers and if he can stay healthy for 60 games, he will be a dynamic force. Edwin Rios looks to be the backup.

LF – I see a strict platoon between Joc Pederson and AJ Pollock. LF is a strength… not a weakness. Joc is playing for a big contract and he looks to be laser-focused to do so. I think he will be a monster! AJ is healthy and motivated as well.

CF – Cody Bellinger is the reigning MVP and he is certainly in the discussion for 2020. CT3 is the backup.

RF – Mookie Betts – Odds-on-favorite to win the MVP. He is special, that’s for sure! Kike is likely the backup and might play an inning or two here.

DH – Depending upon the matchups, it will be the hot hand between Edwin “Light Tower Power” Rios and Matt “Lunch Bucket” Beaty on the LH side and Kike and CT3 on the RH side.

This lineup is illegal in 49 states! OK, what am I predicting?

1. 45 Wins – That’s right 45-15
2. A World Championship

Anything else does not compute. If they don’t win, you can’t fire the players, but you can fire the manager. Get it right, Doc! This is your chance.

Dodger Dogs

• Will going to what is essentially “minor league camp” be a stepping stone or stumbling block for Gavin Lux?
• I sure could use a dose of a one-man booth.  I think Joe Davis could pull that off and Orel could go somewhere else.  I don’t hate Orel, but I do not enjoy the dynamic.  Joe Davis is a young Vin Scully – he can spin some tales.
• MLB.Radio asked who the first player would be who would hit a HR in an empty stadium and respond to a “fake” curtain call.  The consensus answer was Kike Hernandez! Shoot, he might do that curtain call in a banana outfit!

How About Some Music?

FYI, Elle King’s parents are Rob Schneider and London King.

UPDATE – Press Release

DODGERS ANNOUNCE OPENING DAY 30-MAN ROSTER

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced their Opening Day 30-man roster ahead of the 2020 60-game regular season, which begins this evening at 7:08 p.m. against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman made the announcement.

The 30-man roster as broken down by position:

Pitchers (16):

Scott Alexander (L)                                             

Pedro Báez

Walker Buehler

Caleb Ferguson (L)

Dylan Floro

Brusdar Graterol

Kenley Jansen

Joe Kelly

Clayton Kershaw (L)

Adam Kolarek (L)

Jake McGee (L)

Dennis Santana

Ross Stripling

Blake Treinen

Julio Urías (L)

Alex Wood (L)

Catchers (2):

Austin Barnes

Will Smith

Infielders (5):

Matt Beaty

Max Muncy

Corey Seager

Edwin Ríos

Justin Turner

Outfielders (5):

Cody Bellinger

Mookie Betts

Terrance Gore

Joc Pederson

AJ Pollock

Infielder/Outfielder (2):

Kiké Hernández

Chris Taylor

Injured List (1):

Jimmy Nelson, RHP (45-day, low-back surgery)