Remember Freedom Isn't Free

247 years ago, the first shots of the American Revolution were fired just after daybreak on April 19 in the little town of Lexington, thrusting the farmer-colonists of our yet-to-be-born nation into war.

At every turn since then, when the nation has called for those willing to wear the uniform of our nation in service around the world and here at home, there has been no shortage of people willing to do so. They are people who entered the service knowing full well they might not return.

It is not a day of celebration, nor a holiday to glorify war. Rather, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, a day of honor, and a day of respect. Thank you for your service to those soldiers who did and did not return. Never forget!

Frankie Montas Would be Nice… But I Would not do it!

It is really tempting to make a trade for a pitcher like Frankie Montas, who has made 10 starts for the Oakland A’s. In those 10 starts, he has compiled 66 Strike Outs in 57 IP. He has 15 Walks, and a 0.988 WHIP to go with a 3.28 ERA. Frankie is 29 years old and his only question is durability. He did pitch 187 innings in 2021 but has never accumulated more than 96 innings in his career prior to that. He would look good in the Dodgers’ rotation… no doubt. He’s probably the best pitcher available and it will take a Pirates’ Booty to get him. It would take a couple(at least) of the following pitchers to get him:

Landon Knack, Clayton Beeter, Jordon Leasure, Nick Nastrini, Maddux Bruns, Carlos Duran, Michael Grove, Gavin Stone, Peter Huebeck, Hyun-Il, Choi, Kendall Williams, Nick Robertson, Mark Washington, et al (I probably forgot a couple). I would trade a few of those pitchers, but probably not the one Billy Beane would want. Notice, that I did not include Bobby Miller or Ryan Pepiot – the Dodgers will not be trading either of them.

Of course, not every pitcher listed above will be great or even good, but the more you have in the pipeline, the better the odds are. Growing your own pitching down on the farm is the best way to build a team and the Dodgers pitching pipeline is loaded with excellent prospects who should be traveling the path to Dodger Stadium. We have seen Michael Grove and Ryan Pepiot already this year and a few others are yet possible in 2022.

• The Dodgers have the best record in baseball with a .702 Winning Percentage – that’s on pace to win 114 games, which doesn’t seem likely, but…
• The Dodgers are #1 in Team ERA at 2.67, and WHIP at 1.08;
• The Dodgers are #1 in Starting Pitcher ERA at 2.40; and
• The Dodgers are #3 in Bullpen ERA with about half the bullpen on the IL!

By the way, the Bullpen is #20 in Innings Pitched so they are not overworked. The Starters are averaging 5.7 IP. No other contender has that high of an average. Tyler Anderson, Tony Gonsolin, Julio Urias, Ryan Pepiot, Mitch White, and Michael Grove have all looked solid to good. Andrew Heaney and Clayton Kershaw should be back next month, with the Ace of the staff being the only question mark with a 6-1 record and a 2.91 ERA. I still believe he has been “tinkering” with something that is affecting it, but time will tell. I would not trade for another starting pitcher. I think the Dodgers have enough, but what does Andrew Friedman think?

Dodgers Minor League Notes

• I heard the rumor last night that Diego Cartaya was about to get the call to Great Lakes.
• Of course, a couple, of days ago, Ben Casparius got that call too. He is a guy to watch!

• OKLAHOMA CITY DODGERS
  • Mike Busch was 1-5 
  • Carson Fulmer went 2 innings, allowed 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 1.
  • Noda, Wolters, and Lamb all had  2 hits
• TULSA DRILLERS
  • Brandon Lewis was 2-2.
  • Jordon Leasure went 1 inning, striking out all 3 batters.
• GREAT LAKES LOONS
  • Jorbit Vivas was 2-5 with a double.
  • Jonny DeLuca hit his 13th HR
  • Jose Ramos hit his 2nd HR
• RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES
  • Diego Cartaya was 1-4 in what may have been his last game at RC.