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Rants & Raves

I wasn’t going to post today, but I had so many comments to make that I am just making them a post. Esteury Ruiz is an exceptionally fast and athletic outfielder, but his defensive performance in center field has been inconsistent. While his elite speed provides him with…

By Mark Timmons3 min read14 comments

I wasn’t going to post today, but I had so many comments to make that I am just making them a post.

  • Esteury Ruiz is an exceptionally fast and athletic outfielder, but his defensive performance in center field has been inconsistent. While his elite speed provides him with impressive range, his overall defensive metrics suggest he should play LF or DH. Ruiz is on the Taxi Squad!
  • If I were a betting man, I would put money on Conforto before I put it on Ruiz, Outman, or Ward. You can have a man crush on Outman all you want, but he’s never going to hit in MLB with a 54% strikeout rate. That is purely delusional. Ruiz is just a placeholder, but speed kills, so he might have a shot, but he’s purely a LF… never trust him in CF. Ward has the potential to come up and hit a few bombs before flaming out… or he could just flame out. He’s a classic AAAA player. That said, I am not afraid of giving him a shot!
  • I find it extremely silly that fans would question why Kim did not play last night. You can wonder why. But to attach something nefarious to it is not only foolish, it borders on moronic, because you don’t have all the information. Hyeseong Kim did not play on Wednesday because the Dodgers are being cautious with him due to a shoulder injury. He had a labrum surgery in October and is still working his way back to full strength. Sometimes he still experiences soreness.
  • I frequently call myself a moron, so there is that! In building any muscle injury back, when you experience soreness, it is good to rest – they want him to be 100% at the end of the season. I think he is doing pretty well considering he had surgery in October. I used to love NASCAR and IndyCar… not so much anymore! I do remember where I was when Dale died. I was watching the race in the garage, and when he wrecked, I ran to Lowe’s to get some parts. I heard it at Lowe’s and could not believe it!
  • The Dodgers are again loaded with Top 100 Prospects by BA:
  • 2. Roki Sasaki
  • 28. Dalton Rushing
  • 35. Alex Freeland
  • 37. Josue De Paula
  • 40. Zyhir Hope – #40
  • 74. Jackson Ferris
  • 96. Eduardo Quintero
  • 97 Mike Sirota
  • Here’s what they said on Sirota:
  • Mike Sirota, OF, Dodgers (No. 97)
  • Sirota set the California League on fire, and he’s been just as good since his promotion to High-A Great Lakes. While he may not have as much offensive upside as teammates Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope, Sirota is close to their level, and he’s a potentially plus defender in center field.
  • I think the Dodgers now have the second most (8) players in the Top 100 of any team. The Mariners have 9.
https://twitter.com/OKC_comets/status/1930059805701312960
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1930362716742434865
https://twitter.com/RCQuakes/status/1929947729758957716

Discussion (14)

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Be civil — moderation is real. Links may need a moment of review.

  1. BobbyJune 6, 2025

    Tyrese Halliburton is something else. Has anyone ever hit more big shots in 1 postseason??

  2. Mark TimmonsJune 5, 2025

    GREAT SCOTT!

    His velo is back.

    Maybe the pitching gurus “fixed” him.”

    Conforto gets two more days!

  3. Mark TimmonsJune 5, 2025

    Conforto to the rescue.

  4. Mark TimmonsJune 5, 2025

    I have never seen that play…

    The play that tied the score!

  5. dodgerrickJune 5, 2025

    Conforto is in another 0 for 15. He has a 33% K rate and has twice as many Ks (57) as hits (28).

    Landon Knack is not a big league starting pitcher.

  6. Mark TimmonsJune 5, 2025

    Interesting Stats from Around the League:

    Walker Buehler – 4.44 ERA/1.31 WHIP

    Matt Chapman – .242 BA/.797 OPS

    Willy Adames – .199 BA/.603 OPS

    Patrick Bailey – .194 BA/.540 OPS

    Kenley Jansen – 4.66 ERA/1.45 WHIP

    Luis Robert, Jr. .177/.552 OPS

    Miguel Vargas – .237/.730 OPS

    Alex Verdugo – .257 BA/.640 OPS

    Keibert Ruiz – .264 BA/.645 OPS

    Garrett Clevinger – 2.78 ERA/0.93 WHIP

    Trey Sweeney – .222 BA/.591 OPS

    Zach McKinistry – .271/.777 OPS

  7. dodgerdadJune 5, 2025

    it’s not landon knack! it’s landin over the fence!

  8. MattJune 5, 2025

    Outman back with the big club.

  9. dodgerpatchJune 5, 2025

    It’s hard to get a handle on how you truly feel about Outman, because you’re so inscrutable, but I would venture a guess that, maybe, you don’t hold Outman in high regard as a potential MLB player. Perhaps you even considered him nothing more than a 4th or 5th outfielder.

    Because we’ve never read you making this point before, certainly not a million times.

    What are your feelings on Gavin Lux as a shortstop? Do you think he’s capable? We really want to know, oh Wise One.

    BTW, the tweet about Bauer above is another reminder of what an absolutely terrible human being Lindsay Hill is. I hate followed her on X for a bit, and am convinced she has a narcissistic personality disorder.

  10. Andrew Vincent ForteJune 5, 2025

    4:10 PM ET

    Mets (39-23)

    Dodgers (37-25)

    SP David Peterson L

    4-2 2.69 ERA

    SP Landon Knack R

    3-2 4.58 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup

    DH S. Ohtani L

    SS Mookie Betts R

    C Will Smith R

    RF T. Hernandez R

    CF Andy Pages R

    2B Tommy Edman S

    1B E. Hernandez R

    LF M. Conforto L

    3B Miguel Rojas R

    70° Wind 9 mph Out

  11. Andrew Vincent ForteJune 5, 2025

    Playing for October and slow walking the season because of injuries could cost the Dodgers home field advantage. Here are some examples: “Even if the Dodgers split this series against the Mets with a win today, they’ve already lost the season series, which could make October interesting. Teams’ head-to-head records are the first tiebreaker when it comes to postseason seeding, so if these two teams end up with the same record, the Mets will have home field advantage in a potential matchup.

    And the Mets aren’t the only ones: The Dodgers also lost the season series to the Cubs, who would be in the postseason if regular play ended today, and lost two out of three games to the Phillies in April. They’ll have the chance to make up for it in September against the Phillies”..

  12. DanoJune 5, 2025

    Is it too much to ask?

    3 quality starts in a row?

    Nobody has the bullpen’s back right now more than Landon.

    Book em

  13. Andrew Vincent ForteJune 5, 2025

    Wednesday scores

    Reno 6, Oklahoma City 5

    Amarillo 7, Tulsa 3

    San Jose 8, Rancho Cucamonga 3

    ACL Guardians 16, ACL Dodgers 15

    Bobby Miller struggles, Edgardo Henriquez and Nick Frasso scoreless

    Edgardo Henriquez hits 102.3 mph in rehab appearance

    Thursday schedule

    Great Lakes (Wyatt Crowell) at South Bend (Evan Aschenbeck), 3:05 PM PST

    Great Lakes (Eriq Swan) at South Bend (TBA), game 2

    Amarillo (Roman Angelo) at Tulsa (Chris Campos), 5:00 PM PST

    Reno (Bryce Jarvis) at Oklahoma City (Justin Jarvis), 5:05 PM PST

    San Jose (Jacob Bresnahan) at Rancho Cucamonga (Logan Tabeling), 6:30 PM PST

    For more detailed recaps,stats,schedules, standings and box scores for Dodger minor league teams go to the top of this page and cIick on MINOR LEAGUE AFFLIATES.

  14. Andrew Vincent ForteJune 5, 2025

    Three by trade, Hope,Ferris, and Sirota,two by the MLB draft Rushing and Freeland and three by International signings Sasaki,De Paula and Quintero. Nice combination of the three ways to acquire talent especially where the lower position the Dodgers draft each year.

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