Moving On to Greener Pastures

Not me… the Dodgers. I do not think the Dodgers have signed a single Draftee. Just sayin’…

• JT may go on the IL;
• CT3 may go on a rehab assignment within a week;
• Heaney will be back this week;
• Treinen sounds like he is two weeks away;
• The Bazooka may get activated this week;
• Dustin May is about 2 weeks away;
• Buehler is set for September (make him a lockdown reliever); and
• No word on Duffy, Gonzalez, Kahnle, and Rios.

I think as soon as the Trade Deadline passes, the Dodgers will convert Landon Knack and Ryan Pepiot to relief pitchers. I do not think that either one is a starter and if both can just focus on two or three pitches and pitching in shorter duration, I do believe both can be lockdown relievers. However, they have more trade value as starters, so Andrew Friedman will just let this play out. If he can get a deal for Luis Castillo that involves Pepiot and/or Knack then he should do it. He can always find a couple of more bullpen arms. After all, they grow on trees!

Reyes Moronta and Phil Bickford have their tickets punched to OKC and their bags are packed. David Price is on a bus to Uranus. Speaking of Uranus, here’s a local fudge company’s website:

You can’t make the $hit up! However, I digress. David Price is not present mentally. He might be a good dude and helped out minor leguers, but his head is not in the game. He’s somewhere else… Uranus, maybe. He needs to go bye-bye too! So, Dustin May, Andrew Heaney, and Blake Treinen can take their places… soon! Moronta needs to drop a couple of pounds in the process. See what I say about relievers? They are fickle… good one year, bad the next. That doesn’t apply to all of them, but a high percentage fall into that category.

Jake Reed is a possibility as is Garrett Cleavinger, as is Carson Fulmer, and then in the next month, there will be several others.

Future Dodgers Down on the Farm

• OKC won 8-4
  • Mike Busch was 2-2 with 2 runs scored and 2 BB, with a monster shot HR to CF. It would have been a hoimerun in any Park in America… including Yellowstone.
  • Miguel Vargas was 1-3 with a run scored , a BB, and an RBI.
  • Michael Grove went 3.2 Innings, allowing 2 hits and 0 Runs, He struck out 4 and walked ZERO. For the record, he’s another pitcher I think should be in the bullpen.
  • Dellin Betances sucks while Jake Reed and Garrett Ceavinger don’t! Jake Reed would be a nice addition to the bullpen.
• Tulsa won 10-4
  • Andy Pages hit his 16th HR and was 2-5
  • Leonal Valera was again 2-4 with a HR.
  • I am removing Clayton Beeter from my watch list. More about that later.
  • On the other hand, Jordon Leasure is back on it!
• Great Lakes lost 3-2
  • Nick Nastrini deserved better than getting the loss, as he pitched 6 innings, allowing but 3 hits and 2 ER. He walked 1 and struck out 5.
• Rancho Ciucaminga lost 4-2
  • Nothing to see here…

My Minor League Watch List

I am well into the process of compiling my Dodger Minor League Watch List. There are lots of “feel good” stories in the minor leagues. You know, guys who overcame long odds and made into the AA before having to quit. LIke the guy who was born with one leg and was blind in one eye and had the Yips , but he overcame it all to play Rookie Ball before joining the military (of course, I made all that up just to make a point).

We will cover all kinds of prospects here, but in reality, even the Top Prospects face long odds of making it to the Show. Some may never make it and others just have a cup of coffee. For example, if you look at Tulsa, here is what I see with regard to a few Dodger prospects:

• Jonny DeLuca – He can play CF and has 21 HR across A and AA, but he is borderline. I have him as a longshot. His is 24 years old.
• Ryan Ward – A 24-year-old LH hitter, Ryan has 24 HR in AA. He is another on the borderline, but borderline guys seldom make it.
• Andy Pages – A 21-year-old RH hitter, Andy has not shown the progress many expected this year. Still when you watch him, you realize he is different. He has more tools and, do not forget “Progress is not linear.”

These are but three examples of how I evaluate players. At AA, Kody Hoese, Justin Yurchak, Devin Mann, and Brandon Lewis fall into the “Non-Prospect” Category. That doesn’t mean that none of them will make it, but the odds are long. Sometimes a “light just flips on” and they jump levels. It is not an exact science.

AT OKC, there are some very interesting players that are not on my Top Prospect List who could make the Show:

• Drew Avans – A 26-year-old LH batter, he lacks power but is a good outfielder and can steal a base (he has 19 this year). He is hitting .293 with a .382 OB% while OPS’ing .851. He has a shot at being a 5th outfielder, but there is still work to do.
• Ryan Noda – He is another 26-year-old LH hitter. He hit 27 HR at Tulsa but has 13 this year at OKC as he has struck out 99 times in 295 AB’s. He also walks a lot as his .377 OB% indicates (he is batting .261).

So, I will have three lists:

• Can’t Miss List – This is for Bobby Miller, Diego Cartaya, Miguel Vargas, Ryan Pepiot, Mike Busch and a few others. It’s under 10.
• Borderline List – It’s good to be on this list – it’s up to you whether you make the Show. It includes Nick Nastrini, Jacob Amaya, Leonal Valera, Mike Grove and a few others. This list is under 20.
• Nice Guy List – While these players are “nice guys” I believe they have No Shot at making the Show. This includes James Outman, Justin Yurchak, and Ryan Noda.

These list will evolve and I will try and be definitive and not talk out of both sides of my mouth “He has a chance at being great but also at being bad.” PICK ONE and make it short and concise. I will attempt to do that. Of course, by doing that I will be wrong more often, but so what? The pay is lousey here anyway!

Hopefully, Clayton can push the broom today. By the way: The Dodgers are tied with the Yankees for the best record in baseball with a .677 winning percentage. They are tid at .776 OPS for the best OPS in baseball and the Dodgers at #1 in ERA (2.95 to 3.18 for the Yanks).

Why Dave Roberts Keeps Rolling out Muncy and Bellinger

Because he can… well it;s actually different for both. Cody brings something few players have: Elite Defense at a crucial position; and superb baserinning skills… and he runs into one occasionally. He will keep playing. Both players are beloved by their teammates and are hardworkers and team players, but if Max doesn’t start hitting soon, Dave or Andrew will have to do something. Max does not bring all the intangibles that Cody does. It all starts with confidence, but ultimately the Dodgers cannot carry both players. This all goes away if Max gets hot… which is what I am hoping for!