If you had asked me in March what minor league pitcher would make the most impact for the Dodgers in 2022, I would have probably said Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot, Mike Grove, or some other pitcher. I do not think I would have tabbed Gavin Stone with that moniker.
The Dodgers drafted Gavin Stone in the 5th Round of the 20202 Draft. Looking back today, it is hard to believe that there were 158 players better than him. I am going to preface this with the fact that he has only logged 138 innings since then, but I have watched him get better and better with every game he starts.
In 2021 he pitched 70 innings at Rancho Cucamonga and followed that up with 21 innings at Great Lakes. He ended the year with 22 games started, a 2-2 record, 1.23 WHIP, and a 3.76 ERA. This year, he started back at Great Lakes and was a man among boys as he pitched 25 innings, and allowed 19 hits with 28 strikeouts and a 1.00 WHIP.
So, he was moved to AA Tulsa, where he currently has a 2-1 record with a 0.41 ERA (0.91 WHIP) and in 22 innings he has walked 3 batters and struck out 37… including 13 last night in 6 innings against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. I guess you could say that the naturals got “Stoned.” Gavin Stone’s 13-strikeout performance Tuesday night has only been topped by one Tulsa Drillers pitcher during the team’s 12 years at ONEOK Field. In 2019, Dustin May fanned 14 in his final Drillers appearance and pitched later that season in the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Gavin Stone has a fastball that is typically 94-96 MPH but can touch 98 MPH. To me, he very much resembles Walker Buehler. He is not a big guy and has a high effort delivery, which you would expect. He has added a very good (and getting better) changeup and a solid slider to go with his fastball which he seems to use to set up all his other pitches. Additionally, he has much better control than most young pitchers in his stage of development.
It is becoming abundantly clear to that Gavin Stone has no challenges left at A or AA. Why wait? Send him to AAA and see what happens? I have always thought of him as a multi-inning reliever and if he pitches well at OKC, then move him to the Show. He can pitch in multi-inning relief because as Heaney and Kershaw return from the IL, they are likely going to pitch 3-5 innings for a while so guys like Mitch White (who has shown he deserves to start), Ryan Pepiot and Gavin Stone could be valuable. To me, Gavin Stone is more advanced than Pepiot, Grove, or Miller. I think he could make the biggest impact for the Dodgers THIS season.
According to Stone, a key to his success has been “mental focus.” “Each day come in with the right attitude, right mental focus, prepare well and that just takes me to have the confidence that I have going out on the mound,” Stone said. “This year I’ve really focused on my mental preparedness.” Sounds like a mature young man, who just might be ready to pitch inn the Big Leagues.
The question mark is Walker Buehler. How long before he irons out his issues? … and what exactly are those issues? He could be fine his next start or it could take two months. If Gavin Stone can pitch at OKC, then I would bring him up to the Big Club. The jury is still out on Andrew Heaney. Can he continue what he did in his first two starts? Yes, he has a new pitch, but it’s nit like he didn’t have filthy stuff before that. I will not be surprised if he continues his dominance, but we have to wait and see. Tyler Anderson continues to pitch “within” himself. While not a “soft tosser” he is a crafty lefty who has benefited greatly from the Dodgers’ tutledge. He may not end the year with a 2.59 ERA, but I do not think it will be 4.00 either… and maybe he has “reinvented” himself. That’s what makes baseball so interesting. You just never know.
The Price is Not Right
David Price is an expensive batting practice pitcher. He has not been right since he came to LA. It’s time to end this nonsense. Time to DFA him. Munch on what’s left of the $16 Million he is owed. Moven on, Andrew – there is nothing to see here!
Dodger Minor League Notes
- In a tie game in the 9th inning last night, witha runner on, Max Muncy hit a walk-off HR. Maybe he is coming around?
- Carson Fulmer got the win on Max’s blast!
- As mentioned above Gavin Stone fanned 13 hitters last night in 6 innings for Tulsa.
- Andy Pages hit a triple and two HR for Tulsa as he went 3-4 (.256 BA/.866 OPS). He also made an outstanding catch at the wall. You can see him growing daily!
- Alex De Jesus of Great Lakes, went 2-3 with a double and 3 RBI. (.320 BA/.993 OPS).
- Damon Keith of RC went 2-4 with 2 HR (.316 BA/.979 OPS).
- Luis Rodriguez was 2-4.
- Dylan Betances pitched an inning for Arizona and gave up 1 run on 2 hits.
Discussion (18)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Well if Gonsolin wants to remain as our ace ahead of Anderson then he can’t be giving up as many runs as he did tonight!
Dodgers win. All is well in the world. Belli, Smith and Trea homer. Gonsolin gives up nothing but a solo shot.
All Star Ballots are out!
Here’s my criteria for filling out the ballot.
NL – Only pick Dodgers. Might as well be the only team in the league.
AL – No Astros because they got caught cheating
No Indians because the changed their name to something stupid.
Don’t pick the best player at every position, more like the 2-4th best. We don’t want the AL to win after all.
Looking through the ballots, I’m more convinced than ever that the ball needs to be replaced. They absolutely got it wrong. Too many stars with Belli numbers.
Dave Roberts is right now the more protective manager in all baseball, specially with our pitchers. Pitching decisions ultimately are his, although they are consulted with MPryor. We played 31 games in 30 days and these last 10 days the bullpen really felt it. If you want one 1 out in the fifth the usual names are Vesia, Graterol, both of them getting hammered in their last outings. DPrice previous 2 times coming to get a 3rd out made the job. Personally I will have got warming Almonte.
Here is some disturbing news!!!!
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Today will be Max Muncy’s last game at OKC. Dave Roberts said Muncy could be in lineup tomorrow for final game of series. #Dodgers #WhiteSox
Maddon and Scioscia have about as a much of a chance of being hired by the Dodgers as I do.
Roberts makes perplexing moves at times. But we have no idea how many of these moves are his decisions alone. He’s a “modern” manager. Which means he takes his orders from above. The Dodgers don’t invest the amount of money they do in analytic talent so little David Roberts can go with his “gut” every game. Modern managers manage the players and are essentially team spokesmen. I don’t believe he makes anywhere near the number of decisions as it may appear. Roberts knew what the job would be when he took it. He knew the brain trust that was being assembled under AF. This is how modern teams are run, like it or not.
Maddon is “old school”. So is Scioscia. And I believe that’s why nobody has knocked down Scioscia’s door in years. I believe the Angels are a mess because there is no consistent plan, there has not been a consistent plan for years and they have an owner who is an impulsive micromanager. Nobody in that org is on the same page, seemingly ever. Not scouting. Not player development. Not coaches.
People can complain about analytics all they want (and I’m the first to admit it’s made the game less enjoyable to watch), but it works. Teams who employ a consistent methodology up and down the organization win. Period.
There is a reason the Dodgers and the Rays are always in it (and why the As are in contention way more often than they should be) Despite the massive difference in budget. They run their orgs effectively. I don’t always know or understand the reasoning for many on-field moves. I scratch my head a lot. But I guarantee there is a reason. They just get it wrong sometimes.
Maddon is a dinosaur. Managers like him will not be hired by winning organizations. Not anymore. That said, I’m sure the Reds or the Orioles might give him a call at some point.
Max Muncy 0-4 with 2 more Ks this afternoon for AAA Oklahoma City is batting .143 thus far. Looks like he is no better than he was before he went on the IL.
8:10 PM ET
Dodgers (35-20)
White Sox (26-27)
SPTony Gonsolin R
6-0 1.59 ERA 51IP 49K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
SS Trea Turner R
C Will Smith R
3B J. Turner R
CF C. Bellinger L
LF Chris Taylor R
DH Eddy Alvarez S
2B Gavin Lux L
36% Rain
60° Wind 7 mph Out
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Clayton Kershaw just finished playing catch and said he is preparing to start Sunday in SF. #Dodgers
On any given day I read how bad Muncy, Bellinger, Taylor, Lux, Buehler, Price, Kershaw, and many others are…
People bitch incessantly about how bad the Dodgers players are EXCEPT when they want to blame it all on Dave Roberts and then suddenly the Dodgers are the27 Yankees and Dave Roberts is liverwurst!
Classic circular thinking which works every time.
I agree also. Seen enough to know he will not regain his MVP play (actually won that award on a torrid start to the season but was average after the midway point) anytime soon. He’s good, but not great and not worthy of a $15-19 million AAV.
Not sure he has any trade value but I can see a demotion to AAA or a DFA if there is not marked improvement. Not a chance he will ever get a multi-year contract from the Dodgers without significant and meaningful improvement.
Fire Roberts? Not going to happen anytime soon. And, replace with Maddon? Sure, let’s take advantage of the incompetent Angel front office by hiring a free thinking, out of the box manager like Maddon. That’s not going to ever happen with the current Dodger front office in place. Until I hear otherwise, I believe the front office dictates what happens on the field on game days. For AF, Roberts is the perfect soldier. When Roberts has made head scratching decisions in the past he tried to explain it away during post game sessions with the press. It’s nothing but pure worthless, bullshit explanations. It’s the front office who is making most of those decisions and they have Roberts to dutifully take responsibility when those decisions don’t work out. Do you think Maddon is going to agree to those situations? Not a chance. And, now with the DH, strategy moves are reduced. Basically, The only important decisions a manager has to make are BP moves. Unfortunately, that’s where Roberts (front office?) continues to have problems.
Why is David Price still a Dodger? Like many mentions above he has been an outcast by the fans and maybe the team. In my eyes he is not a Dodger. Add in his crappy performance as a pitcher there is no reason to have him on the team. White or Price? Ferguson or Price? Clevenger or Price? All Dodger pitcher currently on the roster or Price? Yes, in every case.
I posed this questions a couple of weeks ago and got no response. So, I’ll try again. Are Cody Bellinger’s 2017-2019 stats an anomaly? Does his disturbing increased strikeout rate show that he cannot consistently make contact with a baseball? Even with injuries no longer an excuse for his poor performance recently Cody continues to approach hitting with a stance that is not working anymore. An approach that continues to try swing as hard as he can on most of the pitches he sees regardless of the game situation. An approach that has Cody looking like a little leaguer when he makes the rare attempt to hit the pitch to the opposite field. I say he will not approach those first three year stats. The pitchers are aware of how to pitch to Cody. If they are somewhat successful with their location Cody will not be productive. Mark has said that Cody is smart, coachable, a hard worker, and a great athlete. If all are true, how can Cody possibility not return to his greatness we saw to start his career? Something is missing here. If all above are true, then why does his stance remain very close to what it was in 2017? If all the above are true then why does his approach of swinging out of his shoes on most pitches regardless of the game situation. If all the above are true then why can’t Cody hit LF/LC more consistently. I’ll concede that Cody is one of the most athletic player in baseball and that he is a hard worker. Coachable or baseball smart? I’m not convinced. I think Cody may be traded by the trade deadline this year, but most likely trade in the off season. There is no way he is deserving of a contract of more than $15MM a year. And that’s only because of his GG caliber defense at three positions and his speed on the base paths. He has become a Chris Taylor. Offensively, limited periods of outstanding offense with huge strikeout rates and outstanding defensive versatility. Taylor’s salary? $15MM a year.
Let me know what everyone thinks.
Before we fire the Manager and push the red button, remember The White Sox are a nice team with pitching as a strength. Kopech is a dude. I can live with these loses where a stud just hands us our ass.
I like the Sox and watch them alot at Camelback Ranch. They are my favorite AL team and I’m hoping for a White Sox -Dodger World Series.
Bickford gives up a couple of singles but gets 2 outs and Doc couldn’t wait to get Bigfoot in there who promptly gave up Phil’s 2 runs and 2 of his own. But we can pick on our pitching all we want but you win ZERO games when you score zero.
We’re not playing well and the Sox are. Play better today.
Dave Roberts has the best winning percentage of any manager in baseball, so anyone you replace him with will be someone with a lesser record… just sayin’
You are what your record says you are!
Well I don’t think Roberts will be fired and replaced by Maddon, Girardi or anyone else. He does tend to have a long leash with his players and I think that is what happened with Price last night. Pollock smelled blood and saw a deer in the headlights you could tell in the batters box and was drooling in anticipation. You could see the car crash coming before it happened.
He also got out managed in the Mets series by Showalter in my opinion. You win the first 2 games of the series against the other top of the NL Team and can’t find a way to win one more in games 3 and 4 with your 1 and 2 pitcher.
Oh well that is the joy of baseball. It’s easy to second guess from the keyboard, time to move on and see if Gonsolin and Anderson can keep up their magic before going to SF.
It does seem like we only go if Mookie, Freddie and Trea go. Sure could use more run and Rbi production from the middle and bottom of the order or pick up a stick at the deadline. I know we lead in a lot of offensive categories but sometimes it sure doesn’t seem like it. Losing the close games 4-6 in 1 run games and 0-4 in extra innings sure is frustrating.
There it is. The first official let’s fire Roberts post. I love it! Because it’s all his fault that his 2 best pitchers aren’t delivering anything close to ace performances. And he has only 3 consistent productive hitters. And of course it’s always his fault when relievers don’t pitch shutout innings. So of course, let’s bring in the guy with a 12 game losing streak! Don’t know if this has been discussed but could Buehler be tipping his pitches?
Agree 100 percent on Price.
Addition threw subtraction. DFA him today. He is absolutely useless.
Bring up Cleavinger for LHP relief.
Speaking of Roberts: I want him gone. I know the Dodgers have a fantastic record in the regular season under him but that is not because of him but despite of him.
I always liked Maddon a lot and if I had my way I would fire Roberts and bring in Maddon. Now.
That vaunted lineup everyone raved about before the season started -me included- does not look so formidable after one third of the season in the books.
MOF it looks rather ordinary in relation to the money spent on it. Freeman seems to have lost all power he had, Smith can not hit his weight, JT well below his worst season numbers so far, Bellinger in a 2 year slump .
Without Mookie putting up career numbers this team would be in deep deep trouble.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
The thing I dislike about the Dodgers is that they often have more deserving players off roster than on the 26 man. I get the strategy, to stockpile as many useful players as possible to guard against injury. David Price is one of those guys.
I really had high hopes for David. He absolutely crushed us in the World Series against the Red Sox and had all those great years during his prime. He looked like a 1A to Clayton Kershaw as the best lefty starter in baseball for a while. But, with the Dodgers, he’s been absolute crap! Opting out of the COVID season was his first step in the wrong direction with the team. I thought having the cyst removed from his wrist would inject new life into his arm and his career. His fastball ticked up a little, but the results have been nothing more than mediocre until last night, which was a total shit show.
Of course, David’s demise was possible by Mr. Magoo’s nearsightedness. How the hell didn’t Doc see that after bringing in a lefty that the Sox would bring in Pollock to destroy that lefty in a tie game with runners on? With the DH in the NL, Doc’s decisions to negatively effect the game have been diminished, but not completely mitigated. At least it happens a lot less often, but it does happen as evidenced last night.
The good news is that Mitch White keeps taking steps forward. With a tired pen, it probably would have been a good idea to let Mitch pitch. At least another inning. But, no. Let’s bring in the guy straight from the Minors and put him in there, then turn to the worst pitcher in the pen to get out of a sticky situation.
Mookie cooled down a little bit as has TT. Freddie is slumping and no one else is doing much to pick up the slack. Hopefully the bats start to come around. The big news last night was Muncy’s walk off, and it was a majestic blast! It might have even gone out of the yard during a MLB game with those nerfed baseballs that are used this year. Forget about the 3 strikeouts he had last night, one with the bases juiced!
Alright, lets face facts. You aren’t going to make a trade that sends anything back, or eats money for Price and his contract. He’s got 2/3 of a season remaining on the 3 years his contract brought us. He hasn’t done anything other that some mediocre middle relief appearances since he’s been here. He isn’t pitching multiple innings. He isn’t making any quality starts. He isn’t doing anything that Ryan Pepiot or Michael Grove can’t do. Just cut him now and eat the cash. You’ve already eaten it anyways. I would much rather see Cleavinger get Price’s innings.
Price didn’t necessarily lose last night’s game. You still can’t win a game in which you don’t score. But, pitching batting practice like he did to a team that had nothing going against Mitch White says it all.
And don’t forget all this was made possible by a weak ass grounder off the end of the bat rolling slowly through the shift. Man, I hate modern baseball. But, it’s still better than no baseball and all the other sports.
Along with Muncy’s walk-off, he struck out three times and walked once. Not ready for prime time.