Let s Play Twenty Questions
So, since Bruce Bochy has announced he will retire AFTER this season, will Bill Hanselman be hired now or wait until the next off-season? That is, if he really will be the next Giants manager and I have heard he will be. I guess you never know, but it makes sense. Andrew Toles has been his own worst enemy in the past with getting kicked off teams, etc. Is this what is happening again or is it really something
- So, since Bruce Bochy has announced he will retire AFTER this season, will Bill Hanselman be hired now or wait until the next off-season? That is, if he really will be the next Giants manager and I have heard he will be. I guess you never know, but it makes sense.
- Andrew Toles has been his own worst enemy in the past with getting kicked off teams, etc. Is this what is happening again or is it really something beyond his control? I hate to speculate, but you have to… It’s my job. It is being reported he will not report to Spring Training.
- Can Chris Taylor re-capture his 2017 form? Also, a lot has been written about DJ LeMahieu. Conside this: he hit .317/.360/.433 at home and only .229/.277/.422 away from Coors Field. That’s not a one-year blip, because it’s been happening his entire career. Who would you rather have at 2B – DJLM or CT3… and what if DJM cost 10X what CT3 did?
- Will Joe Kelley be “Machine Gun Kelly” or “Wild Man Kelly?” Maybe “effectively wild” is not such a bad thing. We shall find out soon enough. You can’t teach 100 MPH.
- Will Kenley Jansen be better than ever? He trained hard, got his ticker fixed and lost 25 pounds or will it be more of last seasons’s ups and downs? My guess is that he is on a mission…
- Will Corey Seager be good as new and better than ever? From what I have seen, I have to give it definite “maybe.” Getting an “MVP Quality” player back is HUGE. Pedro Moura of The Athletic has a great read on his rehab.
- Can Hyun-jin Ryu reach his great potential and have a career year? That all starts with being lucky… lucky enough to not be injured. Luck is where preparation meets opportunity and he is due for some.
- Is Clayton Kershaw still an elite pitcher after a few injury-plagued years? Father Time catches up to us all. Does Clayton still have more left in the tank and will his new off-season routine help him get back to where he once was?
- Is Cody Bellinger a MVP Contender or a MVP Pretender? Does he have 50 HR potential or is he a “Rob Deer in the headlights?” While I can’t predict what will happen, I have said that the Dodgers will have three TOP 10 MVP candidates. Corey and Cody are two of them.
- Can Austin Barnes and Russell Martin comeback? The Dodgers do not need huge production from them, just great defense and pitch framing, but what if they did put up some good offensive numbers?
- Is the starting pitching as good as it looks? ... and, it looks to be really good. Injuries can play a part, but what will be the legacy of this starting rotation?
- Will Max Muncy be as effective as last year or will he regress? It’s easy to think regression, but it is also possible he could be even better with another year under his belt… I guess it depends upon your perspective and inclinations.
- Will the Dodgers miss Kemp, Puig, Wood and Farmer? They might miss Kyle Farmers’ clubhouse persona, but the rest is … what was the question again?
- Will Pedro Baez continue his progression as a pitcher and become unstoppable… and if a pitch clock is implemented, what will he do? He is the slowest to the plate in MLB. With a pitch clock, he will have to fix it.
- Will Walker Striker Buehler win a Cy Young in his second season? He’s certainly capable. I should also ask, “will he throw a no-hitter?”
- Is Alex Verdugo ready and will the Dodgers give him the chance? Is he over-hyped or is he the real deal? Will we find out THIS year? I think the Dodgers have to give him a big opportunity. It’s now or never.
- Will the Dodgers win over 95 games? It’s a simple yes or no. I say YES!
- Can AJ Pollock stay injury-free? It’s the law of averages at work and I think he’s the third TOP 10 MVP Candidate.
- What will be the outcome of the Dodgers hiring of Robert Van Socyoc and Associates? Will it be the Holy Grail? A dismal failure or just more of the same ole’ same ole’?
- Will the Dodgers win the World Series? Well, that’s why they play the game and the answer is… Oh, sorry I have reached my word limit!
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (87)
Disagree, not disagreeable
10 years. $300 million
Straight up idiots.
So……. ticket prices won’t come cheaper, at any rate.
It all rests at whatever the demand is for whatever product. Even if the whole team and coaches, ground keepers , etc. were to take 50% cut on their salaries if would lower seat prices. All parties are trying to get as much as they’re are able to squeeze out of us turnips. If us turnips were able to make bank at the turnip level we’d middle to make the most of it as well. That’s why there’s value even in the free stuff that comes with the price of a ticket. Just because we all want something that something gets divided so many times there’s not much left for the ‘have nots’. Monsanto continues trying to cover all points of what our needs are and abuse all consumers in many ways that they’d surely go to hell for if there were such a place. Even the government, (it’s not “we the people”) have found a way to squeeze the populace forever just to use ghost worth (money) that only works for it because we’re kept in debt. That is the number one concern of our government, to keep us in debt. Otherwise it’d all fall apart. But I’m sorry my ADD kicking in. but you got me started.
Manny to San Diego
Manny Machado is a Padre
”Because this market is crazy and I do feel players should be owed what they deserve”
And how much do they deserve?
Does anyone think that there are players who deserve $40 million per year?
If you have a $40 million player, how much can you pay the other 24 players?
17. The Dodgers will not win over 95 games.
If the Dodgers really want to eliminate platoons then they have already decided that Verdugo will be the left fielder. Spring training is supposed to get players ready for the season and usually stats gathered in spring are not used to decide who plays to start the season. Players should be able to work on things in the Spring. Still, Joc needs to have a big Spring if Friedman and Roberts (FAR) are serious about limiting platoons.