Random Dodger Bullets

I have been away for a long while and will return to posting a piece now and then, now that I start this new phase in life called “retirement.” Some random Dodger bullets running through my mind.

• As disappointed as many fans are that the Dodgers didn’t land a mega superstar such as Juan Soto, I am actually relieved that the farm system remains intact and strong.  Soto is definitely a megastar and a young one at that, but the ball club has the best record in baseball and is ahead in the division by 11.5 games with 59 to play.  They continue to thrive, on a pace to win 110 games in the regular season.  Who can argue with that success?  If there was ever a year to stand pat, 2022 was that year.

• Truth be told, the biggest late-season acquisitions for the Dodgers just may be Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Chris Taylor, Justin Turner, and Edwin Rios.

• The Padres are trading for the post-season short series wins.  I believe they know the division is out of reach.  Miracles have occurred, but this would rival the ’51 Giants if they were to overcome this lead. I see no sophisticated buzzer system in place for the Pads. As much as they have improved their starting nine, it is still difficult to argue that Padre pitching is much improved and strong enough to beat out the Dodgers in a short series.  With that said, I’d rather face someone else in the postseason, but if they cross our path, the Dodgers should be up to the challenge and prevail.

• Andrew Friedman did Jake Lamb a favor by shipping him to his hometown team, and a contending one at that.  Best of luck to him.  He was a team player from the start of spring training, and he took his lumps, went to Triple-A, raked there, and then came up to the big club and contributed.  You can only express appreciation for what he did as a Dodger, as short as that tenure was.

• The Joey Gallo acquisition I questioned at first, but can he regress much more?  When you hit rock bottom, there’s only one direction to move.  His defensive versatility and power potential could prove valuable to an already deep Dodger roster that is prepping for post-season play.  If he doesn’t contribute, the Dodgers have enough depth to overcome a failing Gallo.  Here’s hoping the hitting gurus (VanScoyoc, Brant Brown, et al, will be able to fix him).

• Evan Phillips just may be the most dangerous arm in the Dodger bullpen.  Let me strike that.  He IS the best reliever in the Dodger pen. What a meteoric improvement for the young man.

• Dave Roberts has been inserting his best reliever into high leverage situations that often are not in the 9^th inning.  I have been clamoring for this to be done for years.  It is refreshing to see it happening now.  The Dodger win in San Francisco on August 2^nd was a prime example of this.  With a 6-0 lead reduced to 6-5 in the 6^th inning, Roberts brought in Phillips to extinguish a Giant rally with two on and none out.  Phillips obliged and extinguished the Giant’s threat. That shutdown was directly responsible for the Dodger win.  Put that one on good managing.

• I’m calling it now, Freddie Freeman will win the National League batting title.  Why teams leave the left side open when he constantly beats the shift is beyond me.  Perhaps advanced scouts know something I don’t because he seems to constantly beat teams on the left side of the diamond.

• Freeman, Trea Turner, and Gavin Lux will all finish hitting over .300.  In this era of advanced stats and the downplaying of Batting Average, I still can’t get over the importance in my mind of that stat and the mystique of hitting over .300.

• Trea Turner impresses me more and more as the season advances.  His defense is stellar; his smooth strides and pristine slides on the base paths are unlike others I remember.  That sweet swing and surprising power are intangibles that I never noticed until watching him on a daily basis.  Unfortunately, I believe he just may be out of our price range as free agency arrives for him.  Gavin Lux is probably the Dodger shortstop of the future.

• I am of the belief that borderline Hall of Famers should be enshrined.  Gil Hodges was the textbook case of an individual who had been wronged for decades.  We can argue numbers up and down, but Hodges was deserving, in my view, as the top 1st baseman of the 1950s. It should be noted that in 1993Hodges was going to make it on the Veteran’s Committee vote, but Roy Campanella, a member of that committee, fell Ill, and Ted Williams, the Vet Committee chair, would not allow him to phone in his vote.  Campy would die shortly afterwards. Gil fell one vote short that year.  Another 29 years would go by before this wrong was righted.  Further evidence that Williams could be a real SOB.

• Few Dodger fans people remember this but Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell, who passed away this week at the age of 88, used to host KABC Radio Sportstalk in the early 1970s during the prime drive time slot in the late afternoons.  I will never forget his reverence for Jackie Robinson and how he eloquently eulogized him on his program when Jackie died in October 1972.  I wish I had the foresight to have recorded it. Russell, known for his curmudgeonly ways and refusal to sign autographs, was actually a very congenial, kind man, especially with kids that would call the program.  Another Hall of Fame great we have lost this week.

• We all have our Vin Scully memories.  His baseball knowledge, storytelling, impeccable preparation, prose, poetic tone, and voice were experienced by us all.  I’m sure we can tell stories about his indelible impact.  As a 56-year-old man on a work assignment living in Argentina five time zones away, I would go to sleep each night with the magic of the internet and MLB’s app to his voice, just as I did five decades earlier with the transistor radio under my pillow each night.  What a blessing it was for all of us to have him in our lives.  As Jackie said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”  I think it is safe to say that Vin Scully impacted millions of Dodger fans’ lives.  A great and humble man has passed on, and we were all better for having him there in our living rooms for decades. I know we are saddened by his loss, but we were truly blessed to have him for so long.  Sincere condolences to his family as we all mourn his passing.

Future Dodgers Down on the Farm (by MT)

• OKC beat Salt Lake 6-1
  • Chris Taylor was 3-4 with 3 RBI and 2 HR
  • Edwin Rios hit his 3rd Double
  • Mike Busch was 1-4 as he played LF
  • Dustin May went four innings and allowed two hits and 1 ER while striking out t6.
  • Justin Bruihl (3-0/1.86 ERA) got the win
  • Pedro Baez pitched a clean inning
  • Yadier Alvarez pitched an inning allowing a hit and a walk
• Tulsa lost to NW Arkansas 6-4
  • Ryan Ward hit his 26th HR
  • Bobby Miller came in for the second inning after Nate Robertson was the opener and promptly gave up six runs on five hits and a walk. He gave up a 3-run and a 3-run HR. You have to wonder how he can do that with the type of stuff hje has.
  • Cole Percival was promoted to Tulsa and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings.
• Great Lakes won 14-4
  • Eddys Leonard hit his 10th HR and had 3 RBIs
  • Jose Ramos hit his 21st HR
  • Emmet Sheehan started and went five innings, allowing 2 ER, o BB and 8 K’s
• IE beat RC 12-4
  • Luis Rodriguez hit his 10th HR. Still only 19… he is a work in progress…

Miguel Freaking Vargas! (by MT)

You just got another glimpse of why Andrew Friedman was loathe to gut the farm like AJ Preller did. We saw Outman last week. This week it was Miguel Vargas who debuted and was 2-4 with 2 RBI and a stolen base. I have heard fans say that he is slow. He is not! He has above-average speed. He has opposite field power – He’s a RH Freddie Freeman. He will get 20+ RBI, but he is a stone-cold hitter.

Here’s the deal: I believe all four or five players the Dodgers would have had to trade to get Soto will be all Stars and what kind of idiot trades four or five All-Stars for one All-Star not named Mike Trout? Only a jackass would do that. Remember that progress is not linear – sometimes, it takes longer for some players to develop. but Miguel Vargas is ready to take out of the oven!

Urias with his 11th win and Kimbrel doing what he does: walking a batter, giving up a hit, and getting the save. I wonder if that is why Andrew Friedman is bringing in Stone and Miller in relief?

The Dodgers are #1 in team ERA – 2.95.

The Dodgers are #1 in starter ERA – 2.78.

The Dodgers are #6 in bullpen ERA – 3.22, but you are going to see them climb and others drop (BIG TIME) – You heard it here first!

The Dodgers are tied with the Yankees in team OPS – .779.

The Dodgers are 2nd to the Yankees in Runs Scored – 567 to 546.

The Dodgers have the #1 record in baseball… and yet some fans evidently want to be Jackass GMs like AJ Preller and gut the Mule Barn. AJ Preller will be looking for a job in two years! Watch and Learn!