Spring Training Rants & Raves
“ Lockwood-Powell ” is too long a name to be on a jersey. Griffin, sit down with your parents and either become Lockwood or Powell. Geeeeezzzz. Zyhir Hope is so talented and so muscle-bound. It’s slightly freakish. I worry about injury, but he really hits that ball soooooo hard…
- “Lockwood-Powell” is too long a name to be on a jersey. Griffin, sit down with your parents and either become Lockwood or Powell. Geeeeezzzz.
- Zyhir Hope is so talented and so muscle-bound. It’s slightly freakish. I worry about injury, but he really hits that ball soooooo hard. When he was traded to the Dodgers, he weighed about 185-190. Now he’s at 230+. I am not sure that is conducive to any longevity or sustainability.
- I was going to say yesterday that today was a chance for Landon Knack to step up and show what he’s got. Instead, he showed us what he ain’t got: The ability to pitch to MLB hitters.
- James Tibbs III may start the year at OKC. He will be a solid 4th outfielder for the Dodgers… soon.
- Ditto with Noah Miller, who is already a defensive wizard at SS. If he can just hit a little, Mookie might have to go to 2B in the future.
- Logan Wagner will likely start at Tulsa, but I like him a lot. Watch him.
- Blake Treinen, Jack Dreyer, Kyle Hurt, and Alex Vesia are roster locks.
- The Big question is: Will Josue DePaula start at Tulsa or OKC? Could the outfield in Tulsa be: DePaula in LF, Mike Sirota in CF, and Zyhir Hope in RF? Eduardo Quintero will likely start in CF at Great Lakes.
- The Dodgers are 7-3 after 10 games. These games don’t mean much, but if they can play like that in the regular season, that puts them on pace for 113 to 114 wins, and I would say that is about right!
- Can someone check for Bobby Miller at Lost & Found? He has been seen on the back diamonds, but it appears that his shoulder is acting up as well. He is not throwing yet.
- The Dodgers have a boatload of outfield prospects: DePaula, Quintero, Sirota, Tibbs III, Hope, Davalan, George, Ko, Tunink, and Ehrhard. DePaula, Hope, and Sirota are close. Tibbs III, Davalan, and Ehrhard are slightly less talented but not to be underestimated. Ko and Tunink are under development.
- Andy Pages is young, and Michael Tucker is signed for four years (unless he opts out). My point is that there is a logjam in the outfield.
- Teoscar Hernandez could be traded after this year, but some of these outfielders are going to have to be packaged in deals. Which ones? They need to pick wisely… not that they generally don’t!
- Next year, Rojas, Kike, Call, Teoscar, and Kim could all be gone.
- Siani has an option left this year, but he could be gone in 2027. Nothing is as constant as change.
- Ryan Ward will likely be lost (or maybe not) when he is sent back to OKC.
- Alex Verdugo, who some moron predicted would win a batting title, signed a minor league deal with the Padres. Maybe he will become a pitcher? When he was drafted, they struggled to decide if he would pitch or hit. Turns out he couldn’t hit! We do, however, know what he is:
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Discussion (45)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Regarding Noah Miller, I’m happy we’re starting to see a few types along with maybe Ehrhard who are a different profile. Ernie Clement was a killer. Barger scary. I like these guys on a team. Not all toolboxes
Hope is built like a fight day UFC light heavyweight
Will Klein has not pitched that well, but he is kind of a folk hero for what he did in game 3, but that buys just so much leeway. Hurt looks like a better option. BP will be Diaz, Vesia, Scott, Treinen, Hurt, and Dreyer with one more arm to be determined.
Miller was 2/2 , Tibbs and Erdhard are holding their own. I remember when the became Dodgers and Erdhard didn’t get as much love as Tibbs (to the 3rd power). His speed seems to have strengthened up his game. Looking for a great year for all three.
I am so disappointed in Graterol. He may be finished. His clock is ticking.
Yeah, that’s a nice group. Miller from Twins for Margot [dump], Rayne Doncon [lottery ticket prospect] and cash.
Klein is in “will never have to buy another round” territory. Hope he has a good season. It could’ve been a freak occurrence
With regard to Tibbs, and the weird non-prediction prediction, the OF picture as I see it is pretty bereft of prospects: As we learned last year with Ward, it’s all about the 40. If your not on it, it’s very hard to get on it unless you are disposable. Not impossible. Not easy. For OF depth on the 40, it’s gotta start with Call and Siani and Edman’s an option once he’s back. Then there’s Jack Suwinski, who I don’t think has played yet but is on the 40. After those 3 there’s still Ward, who’s not very good in the OF, but Gomes has said he will get a shot at some point this season. Then, off the 40 and in front of any prospects are Ryan Fitzgerald and Senzel who should start in AAA. That’s 6 OF deep , and doesn’t include Kim.
I’ve never thought that Knack has the necessary composure to be a big league pitcher.
A blogger who was assessing the Dodgers ‘ pitching depth ranked a bunch of starters and finished with this: “Landon Knack still exists.” Ouch.
Noah’s defense is very impressive. There might be 20 guys in the Dodgers system who could have a bright future on another team.
In hindsight, the Los Angeles Dodgers are widely considered the clear winners of the July 31, 2025, trade that sent Dustin May to the Boston Red Sox. The trade is often described by analysts as a “heist” for the Dodgers due to the following outcomes: Trade Details Dodgers Received: Outfield prospects James Tibbs III (Boston’s No. 5 prospect at the time) and Zach Ehrhard (No. 27). Red Sox Received: RHP Dustin May. Why the Dodgers Won Performance Gap: May struggled significantly in Boston, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over just 28.1 innings. His tenure was further marred by elbow neuritis in September, continuing a career-long trend of injuries. Prospect Growth: James Tibbs III flourished after joining the Dodgers organization, posting a .900 OPS in Double-A Tulsa. Both Tibbs and Ehrhard are now considered potential 2026 contributors for the Dodgers. Rental Value: The Dodgers traded May while his value was declining and he was entering free agency. Following the season, May signed a one-year, “prove-it” deal with the St. Louis Cardinals for 2026. Rotation Surplus: At the time of the trade, the Dodgers had a surplus of starting pitching with the impending return of Blake Snell, making May the “odd man out” in their rotation. I really like Tibbs and Ehrhard from I’ve seen in Spring Training games thus far.
A few comebacks: 1. Yesterday, I was at one of my wife’s restaurants for brunch, and a friend of mine who lives in Bloomington (home of IU) and his wife came in. They sat down and asked me to join them. He asked about my trip to Camelback, and we chatted. Then he said, “Did you see Will Klein?” and we talked about his accomplishments. He told me that Will’s father was one of his best friends. Small world. Will went to Bloomington North HS. 2. In every at-bat this Spring (all 17), Ryan Ward looks overmatched. Shades of James Outman. He has struck out 35% of the time. I think he gets DFA’ed, and there are no takers. He was who we thought he was! 3. In Landon Knack’s first season, he pitched 69 Innings, allowed 58 hits, and struck out 69 with a 1.101 WHIP. The red flag was that he gave up 14 HR. He showed promise as a 5th starter. Nothing more, but the league soon figured out that his strikes looked like strikes and were indeed strikes. Good pitchers throw pitches that look like strikes in the beginning and then leave the zone. His pitches that look like strikes are strikes, so the next year (2025), his ERA and HR Ratio went up. I doubt that he can learn to throw pitches that don’t end up as strikes, but look like strikes and that is why his confidence is shot.
MLBPA executive director stands firm on anti-salary cap stance “Due in large part to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ free agency spending habits, many in the MLB world have called for the league to implement a salary cap. However, new interim MLB Player’s Association executive director Bruce Meyer isn’t of that belief. “He thinks that a salary cap would only further line the pockets of MLB’s owners. Because of that, he made a staunch anti-cap statement on Sunday, via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press”. “Our position, both historically and now, is pretty clear. This union, and every executive director of this union, has always been of the view that it’s bad for players, and for that reason, historically, we’ve been opposed to it,” Meyer said. “I don’t see any reason to change our view on that subject. It’s a subject I can and have gotten into at great length, but at the end of the day, the owners want it, not because it’s good for players, but it’s good for them.” “That’s always been the position of the union,” he continued. “We have a legal duty to consider anything they propose, and whatever they propose, we will evaluate it and report to our players. The fundamental nature of a salary cap is bad for players on multiple levels, so that’s always been out view.” “With a salary cap in place, top tier players would be limited to how much they could make. There would also be a floor in place, meaning franchises can’t just wallow in mediocrity. But that wouldn’t stop the Dodgers from bringing in as much talent as possible still under the new guidelines”. “Perhaps Los Angeles winning their third-straight World Series will really ramp up salary cap discussion. But at least for now, the MLBPA leader has no interest in introducing it”. It appears to be a strong possibility of long lockout beginning on December 1.
Antoine Kelly on the radar: https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/onsi/news/dodgers-sign-former-brewers-pitching-prospect This transaction didn’t register with me when it happened
Compared to Bruce Meyer, Tony Clark was a Gentleman. Meyer is a Terrorist! I do not see this ending well, because logic dictates that there must be a salary cap and a salary minimum. There are strict rules for everything else in the game. Why not this? I see a long lockout, and baseball may never be the same after 2027!
3:10 PM ET Dodgers (93-69) (7-3) Rockies (43-119) (6-4) SP River Ryan R 0-0 .00 ERA SP Jimmy Herget R 0-0 .00 ERA Confirmed Lineup LF Alex Call R 2B A. Freeland S SS Mookie Betts R C D. Rushing L 3B S. Espinal R DH Ryan Ward L 1B James Tibbs L RF Zach Ehrhard R CF M. Siani L 88° Wind 7 mph Out
Another way of saying “trade bait “. Package Knack with Ward for international money or a blue chipper. We have enough OF and SP. I just hate to dump Ward without a tryout,, but baseball is still a business.
Espinal is so making this team.
Tibbs & Ehrhard are everyday guys.
I like both of these guys. There is some real talent and potential there. If not with the Dodgers,maybe trade pieces in the future. IMO both have more value than Ryan Ward.
At the expense of who?
Ryan Ward has a negative value. Several of these guys will likely be ready by 2027… if not sooner.
The Dodgers have announced that Kyle Hurt and Bobby Miller will work out of the bullpen… Hurt as potentially, a multi-inning reliever. Of course, Miller has to get healthy…
Maybe Freeland? Can we keep Espinal on the roster in AAA?