Sleepwalking & Old Age
The Dodgers are 7-2, but it feels like they can do better. Tonight starts the World Series rematch, and the Blue Jays are 4-5. It feels like they have slipped a notch or two in the talent department. It will be fun to watch the series, but games right about now mean very little…
The Dodgers are 7-2, but it feels like they can do better. Tonight starts the World Series rematch, and the Blue Jays are 4-5. It feels like they have slipped a notch or two in the talent department. It will be fun to watch the series, but games right about now mean very little. It also feels like the Dodgers are just sleepwalking.
Mookie Betts again has had another setback. Last year, it was some sickness, and now it’s an oblique. These can linger for some time… ask Max Muncy. As much as I love Mookie Betts, my eyes are wide open. Mookie will be 34 years old in June. He plays the game the right way: HARD! However, at 5′ 9″ tall and 180 pounds, his body takes a toll. When the Dodgers swindled the Red Sox to get him, I said that I worried about the end of his contract. This is his 7th year with the Dodgers after 6 years with the Red Sox. If he makes it to Cooperstown (not a given), he will go in as a Dodger.
The thing is, he has six more years on his contract. He will make $30 to $35 Million a year for those six years. Can his body hold up? I doubt it. He plays at 100% effort all the time… he has to. Freddie Freeman will be 37 this year, but his game is different. Freddie has one more year under contract and will be a free agent in 2028. I love Freddie, but is it prudent to believe that he will be able to play to age 40 with the ability to DH? The Dodgers already have a guy who does that!
Max Muncy will be 36 this year and is signed for one more year on a team-friendly deal. Will Smith turned 31 last month and plays a demanding position. He will need to be spelled by Dalton Rushing frequently. Teoscar Hernandez will be 34 this year and appears to be in the best shape of his life… but you never know. Shohei Ohtani will be 32 this year… YIKES! Yes, he is a freak… maybe he’s Superman… or not.
The oldest of the bunch is Miguel Rojas, at 108, and he will retire after this season. My point is that there may be some hard decisions to be made in the near future. Freddie says he wants to play until he is 40. Can he? Is it wise to re-sign him? JT3 looks like another JT from yesteryear and can play 1B. I think Teoscar could be traded to a team looking for a DH after this season, but the Dodgers have a full pipeline. How long can Mookie play at a high-level? Some of the decisions they will have to make will hurt. Are you ready for it?
Josue DePaula, Mike Sirota, and JT3 are close. Others, such as Hope, Quintero, Morales, and Davalan could also move quickly. Who stays and who goes? Nothing lasts forever.
X-CITES
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Discussion (59)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I have made it abundantly clear that I prefer Freeland to Kim at 2B. I may be wrong. It will not be the first time, and it will not be the last time. But I continue to get frustrated with Alex. He has the exact opposite problem that Pages had last year. He is in the 92nd percentile with chase, but in the 8th percentile in K’s. He does not swing. I cannot count the number of times he has watched two strikes go by and then try to hit the pitchers best pitch. When Freeland was struggling early in MiLB, he asked the coaches what he needed to do to get to the next level. He was told to improve his plate discipline and not chase as much. Mission accomplished. Now start swinging at strikes. The last two games I have seen him watch two strike three’s. They were on the black, but if you are looking to walk, you will never hit. You cannot always watch strikes go by and wait for the mistake. Be aggressive, especially early in the count. Right now he is beating himself.
The Dodgers will miss Juan Soto on the next home stand. He was placed on the IL retroactive to Apirl 4. He would be eligible to come off IL on April 14, but the prognosis for his calf strain injury is 2-3 weeks. That will take him past the Dodgers series April 13-15.
According to Baseball Savant, Freeland is also in the 90th percentile in barrel percentage, 89th percentile in average exit velocity and 86th percentage in hard-hit percentage. You do not quit on that. But you need to swing. to get those results.
7:07 PM ET Dodgers (7-2) Blue Jays (4-5) SP Justin Wrobleski L 0-0 6.75 ERA SP Max Scherzer R 1-0 1.50 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L RF Kyle Tucker L 1B F. Freeman L LF T. Hernandez R 3B Max Muncy L CF Andy Pages R 2B A. Freeland S C D. Rushing L SS Hyeseong Kim L In Domed Stadium
Andy Pages named NL player of week.
Stay hot, D-Rush. And keeping talking that shit to opponents.
Well deserved!
Projected pitching matchups vs Blue Jays: Monday: LHP Justin Wrobleski vs. RHP Max Scherzer Tuesday: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. RHP Kevin Gausman Wednesday: RHP Shohei Ohtani vs. RHP Dylan Cease
On 3 hits? I don’t doubt your analysis Jeff, you’ve always been thorough. But I think maybe there should be a larger sample size.
It would make things fun if Wrobo brushed back that Giminez dude
We have plenty of time and runway to accurately access our young players. Freeland, Kim, Sasaki, Sheehan and Ryan and perhaps Tibbs if we get an OF injury. Let’s see what the numbers look like at the end of May.
The catcher also faces home! Maybe it should be catcher facing positions?
That isn’t me. That is baseball savant. BTW, they also measure batted balls, including outs. He hit a 105 MPH ground ball out the other day and a 95 MPH out.
The knock on Freeland was taking too many strikes. Freeland’s natural position is shortstop while Kim’s is second base. I understand what the Dodgers are selling with Kim playing short, but I think they’re overthinking it.
Hey guys, Here’s my take on the 2026 Dodgers so far…..They good. In depth take am I right? I hope everyone is well over here.
Get to writing more anticipated content, Andes!
Not yet time to blow it up Scott? Time to trade Will Smith tho! Rushing has to be best backup catcher in baseball
Andy Pages playing like Matt Kemp out there (before he ran into the Colorado wall)
Also I really like the way Freeland plays. The bat will come around, but he plays that “gamer’ type defense.
What happened to the team that couldn’t hit?
Oh my god
Yep Defense first Don’t take off at-bats The game will honor you
Crushing
Fuck that punk He’s a nobody
OK. Now I’m serious. Trade Will Smith! TIC The kid has arrived! He needs some time at 1B to rest Freddie