Maybe some of you need to understand how I look at all things Dodgers. I have been a Dodger fan for over 60 years and have seen a lot. I am not a journalist or a baseball writer. I am not a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (nor will I ever be). When I say a “fan,” let me qualify that:
- I have been to over 25 Spring Trainings from three days to two weeks at a time;
- I have watched hundreds (maybe thousands) of minor league games of the Dodgers since the Internet was a thing;
- I have been to hundreds of games (minors and majors);
- I was the first blogger to sit in the Pressbox at Dodger Stadium;
- Maybe (not sure) I was the first blogger to sit in the Pressbox in Wrigley Field;
- I have had on-field and locker room access with numerous Media Passes I have obtained:
- I have been to the Winter Meetings and interviewed executives;
- I have been interviewed numerous times on the radio;
- I have interviewed many players and front-office executives in my career.
That said, I know very little about baseball. I don’t have enough time. Until last year, I worked 60-80 hours a week, and baseball was just a hobby… not my job. However, running the Dodgers is Andrew Friedman’s job, and he has an army of full-time (and when I say full-time, I mean 80 hours a week) employees who are experts at baseball. Just so that you understand the magnitude of brain power Andrew has at his disposal, here are most of his team members (not in any particular order):
- Dave Roberts
- Denny Lehmann
- Aaron Bates
- Robert Van Scoyoc
- Mark Prior
- Dino Ebel
- Josh Bard
- Conner McGuiness
- Chris Woodward
- Bob Geren
- Brandon McDaniel
- Brandon Gomes
- Josh Byrnes
- Jeffrey Kingston
- Alex Slater
- Damon Jones
- Billy Gasparino
- David Finley
- Ismael Cruz
- Galen Carr
- Brandon McDaniel
- Ellen Harrigan
- Scott Asasaki
- Duncan Webb
- Jeffery G. McAvoy
- Megan Schroeder
- Alex Torres
- Brian McBurney
- John Focht
- Brian Stoneberg
- Leo Ruiz
- Richard Anderson
- Yuji Akimoto
- Kelsey Ring
- Emilee Fragapane
- David Hill
- Max Weinstein
- Jon Deeble
- Zachary Fitzpatrick
- Matt McGrath
- Chris Dunaway
- Yayoi Sato
- Will Irenton
- Patricia Romero-Gilmore
- Ethan Levitt
- Jonathan Funkhouser
- Javier Camps
- Drew Troxell
- Lucas Geoghegan
- Andrea LaPointe
- Chase Utley
- Thomas Allison
- Miguel Tosar
- Ron Roenicke
- John Sears
- Joel Peralta
- Jose Vizcaino
- Juliana Ortega
- Jalen Phillips
- Will Vandenberg
- Jonathan Rhymes
- Craig Weinhaus
- Tyler Duncan
- Jose Castillo
- Francisco Herrera
- Gabriel Esparza Torres
- AJ LaLonde
- Petie Montero
- Ryan Casey
- Timothy Reen
- Brennan Ojeda
- Erica Castro
- Alex Arriola
- Riley Wartenberg
- Sam Fleischer
- Justin Williams
- Brendon Cooley
- Melissa Hooke
- Maxwell Bay
- Grace Peng
- Jack Rogers
- Clayton Green
- Sherman Lu
- Matt Popowitz
- Charlie Willingham
- Caitlin Trombatore
- Jordan Rivera
- Sean Young
- Mark Kozhaya
- James Weilbrenner
- Carlos Hernandez
- Hasti Khaksari
- Raul Ibanez
- Thomas Albert
- Bernard Li
- Yoshke Nakajima
- Ron Porterfield
- Brent Walker
- Jonathan Erb
- Joey Greany
- Eric Tavarone
- Greg Barajas
- Jiro Kinno
- Travis Smith
- Ralph Esquibel
- Hisayo Yoshiike
- Christain Gallardo
- Michael Lim
- Steven Perez
- Brian Tuttle
- Jason Smallwood
- Stephanie L. Acosta
- Anthony Valdez
- Anthony Mulero
- Natalie Reyes
- Scott Tuttle
- Brian Lee
- Dominique Babers
- Saqib Bahadar
- Jacob Toliver
- Michelle Esperanza De Leon Sapon
- Jerry Granillo
- Fabian Caraballo
- Geraldo Macias
- Thomas Albert
- Dr. Neal ElAttrache
- Greg Barajas
- Travis Smith
- Eric Yavarone
- Tyrone Hall
- Andy Otovic
- Kristen DeCesare
… and I probably forgot a few! These people are managers, coaches, advisors, trainers, statisticians, analysts, and strategists. During the season, many of them spend all their waking time compiling reports and statistics as well as coaching and managing the players.
AND YET, SOME FANS THINK THEY KNOW BETTER! Yeah… right. The Dodgers are a full-time job for the people above, and that does not include all the staff at the minor league complexes. So, when I hear that a certain player has to go or they should do something that they are not doing…. I just laugh. Jimmy Buffett said it right, “there is no dumbass vaccine.”
See, as fans, we get to use our eyes and read news from various sources, but we only know what they tell us. We have access to statistics, but I guarantee that they have analytics that go so much farther than we can see. They have coaches, trainers, doctors, psychologists, and all types of professionals who advise the team and know if a player has a physical problem, family problem, or a hemorrhoid. We know none of that.
So we can have our favorite players who we think should play, but we only have a fraction of the information. That’s part of the reason I do not have a favorite player… well, outside of Alex Freeland, because I love his story. I like all the Dodgers players. They are my team, but some morons accuse me of loving Michael Conforto. To me, Conforto is just a guy who happens to be LH and happens to have hit 33 HR in a year. Since most pitchers are RH, the Dodgers could certainly use a LH power-hitting outfielder. To say that Conforto hasn’t delivered is an understatement, but he has more runway.
Evidently, the Dodgers staff thinks that he can (might) turn it around as well, but that won’t last forever. The fact that he is making $17 million will not stop them from releasing him if they need to. We see a lot about him… they see a whole lot more. Progress is not linear… it has taken Miguel Vargas two more years to develop (if he is truly evolving into the player many believe him to be). It has taken two years to show us that James Outman is not the player he looked like in his rookie year. I think part of the reason Lux is gone was his insistence that he could play SS. Andrew Friedman said last week in an interview that they make mistakes all the time… and yet they have so much more information than we do. However, so many fans insist that they know better. Yeah, Right!
Fans will be fans… but we need to understand that frequently, we do not know Jack Shit!
Discussion (15)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Great seriers win, GUTTY.
Dont look now but SD is playing liken horse S.
Ahhh….
A three-run homer from Teo–off Burnes.
And a strong start from Dustin May–six innings, five hits and one walk, just one run (HR) and 8 Ks.
Keep it up… Beat the Dbacks.
I’m here to kiss Mark’s ass:
Damn, what an unbelievable comeback by the Pacers! Wonder if this reminds New Yorkers of 5th inning, game 5???
Grow up boys. You’re losing people’s interest.
Great time to be a fan of the Blue!
Book em
Man, I’d never tell you what to do, Mark; after last night’s game I was expecting a good discussion here and some back and forth. Instead, the focus is on “fans” that opine despite having little to no information , and the inclusion of a CV as if someone is questioning the legitimacy of LADT (I guess we can conclude the omission of “morons” as progress). Oh well, I’ll still read, contribute very little and enjoy the laughs. With a blog like this, I imagine some takes will be less than stellar; basically, a bunch of malarkey and “hot” takes that are sometimes as cold as the far side of Pluto.
The game: Edman with the biggest at bat of the night, went with the pitch the other way on 0-2, what a set up by Tanks. I was nice to see Muncy get the walk-off; a few years back, I’d argue Muncy was the dodger you’d most feel comfortable with in that situation: bases loaded, less than two out- need contact, a fly ball or a walk. Times are different for Muncy now but he may be turning it around. Perhaps he’s lost some bat speed (or patience), as evidenced by his continual early jump on pitches that are smashed but pulled waaaaay foul (maybe it’s a timing thing). Nevertheless, a good win.
Big road trip looming, should be interesting.
“Mark…..Mark….Mark” some
of you guys remind me of, “Marsha…..Marsha…..Marsha” from “The Brady Bunch”.
Mark is sometimes right and sometimes wrong JUST LIKE ALL OF US! If any of us were frequently right we’d be on that list of experts he posted.
I noticed some fans having conniptions over Dave sending Scott back out there only to give up another bomb. But Dave wanted to save the remainder of his bullpen and like all of us most likely expected to lose that game. So it kinda counts as more than just a win on the season record.
PS: Just imagine how it aggravated the living schit outta the Padres to hear the Dodgers pulled one out at the very end after they also expected us to lose! Thats almost better than winning it at all!
10:10 PM ET
Diamondbacks (26-23)
Dodgers (30-19)
SP Corbin Burnes R
3-1 2.56 ERA
SP Dustin May R
1-4 4.43 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
SS Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
RF T. Hernandez R
LF Andy Pages R
3B Max Muncy L
CF Tommy Edman S
C D. Rushing L
2B Miguel Rojas R
79° Wind 10 mph Out
NO Conforto in the starting lineup
I just think its not necessary to post, ‘I guess you know more than AF’ Everytime someone wonders about a particular player on the team and why he is not let go or benched or playing another position. If we can’t discuss opposing opinions then why have a blog? That’s what fans do!!! Otherwise We can just read pr statements from the team and Roberts announcements.
What I don’t get is WHY some few always need to correct somebody for stuff instead of letting it slide.
Whether Mark mis-typed (oh my gosh -that has never happened to anyone else) or intentionally stated that Outman won the ROY – who gives a CRAP!
I noted it as soon as I read his post – and moved on – I didn’t feel the need to issue a corrections or asked if he meant it (from previous posts I am aware that Mark really does know that he didn’t win ROY) , or if he stated it metaphorically to make a point.
I know that my thoughts and decisions are based on the information I have available at that time – if a parameter or variable changes I usually hope I am smart enough to then update my thoughts or decisions accordingly (i.e. change my mind!).
With regard with Conforto – my fan side wants to bench him ASAP, however, I think half a season is not unreasonable to see if he gets out of his so far season-long slump.
AGAIN – as badly as they have played this past week – they will still win the division – so realistically the Dodgers are not risking anything (except pissing off some fans).
The Dodger brain trust made a decision in spring to sign Conforto – I thought it made sense at the time.
As a snap-shot through yesterday – obviously it doesn’t seem to make sense now.
BUT, if Conforto turns it around then he will be a great asset, if he doesn’t I really think the Dodgers trade him to a non-contender.
As for Outman, he seems like a very likeable individual, but he really doesn’t belong on the Dodger roster.
A much-needed win last night. I was not very optimistic after Scott allowed his second homer of the night. Homers have killed the Dodgers the last few games. But the guys rallied and got the win. Giants won their game, so LA needed to win. Padres lost again to the Blue Jays, so we pick up a game on them. I appreciate all of Mark’s work and dedication to his site. I know how frustrating it can be trying to find the right topics to focus on. I have only been doing this since 2020. I am a little older than Mark, so I have been a fan a few years more, and the Dodgers have been my team that whole time. I have only been to one spring training game, in 2009 when Manny re-signed with LA. I have only been to one postseason game, in 1981, when Fernando lost game 2 to Ray Burris, who tossed a 3-0 shutout that day. For 9 years, I had to follow the team in the Sporting News and newspapers because I was serving my country, but I was as avid a fan then as I am now. Any baseball knowledge I have picked up is from reading a lot and since the cable age began, watching a ton of baseball. I trust my eyes a lot, but I also know that the team has soooooooooooooo much more information than I do. When I do a story, especially one related to the history of the team, it takes 12-24 hours of research to find enough information about the person or era I am writing about. I like to be correct on the history and the player. I don’t know it all, never have, I just try to have subject matter that appeals to the readers.
I thank Mark for originally giving me the opportunity to write about the team and the sport I love.
MAY DAY TODAY.
CODE RED.
Dear Dodger patch:
When you comment it seems to focus on berating or “correcting” Mark. And then you throw in some “deep” intellectual thoughts and finally close out with some baseball wisdom. Usually by the second sentence I move on. Mark is very gracious with you and mostly kind. But you need to either move along or state your baseball comments and sign off. You simply grate on me. Mark, appreciate your work and your baseball knowledge. Still a great time to be a Dodger fan!!
GW
Wow! 132 experts! That’s a lot! And gee, Mark, you’ve been doing this a long time. I think you’ve established your bona fides! How can anyone possibly disagree with you?!!
This blog post is what is called a fallacious “appeal to authority.” It sidesteps the primary argument and, instead, relies on prestige or credentials instead of making a legitimate counter-argument.
Dodgerrick made this comment yesterday:
“Conforto has not been a good MLB player since 2020. He is a horrible defensive LF. He can’t play anywhere else. In his last season before his injury in 2021 he hit .232/.344/.384/.729. With the Giants he hit .239/.334/.384 and .237/.309/.450/.759. At this point in his career is is a .230 hitter who will hit 15-20 HR and play crappy LF. I don’t see the point.”
What Dodgerrick wrote is demonstrably true. If you have doubts, go look at his Fangraphs page.
I made a similar point once before. Conforto can only play LF on this team, and he doesn’t do that very well, certainly not well enough to offset his consistent offensive mediocrity. The last year he put up more than 2 WAR was in 2019.
Mark continues to argue that he’s something he’s not and never has been, to the point he’s now calling people morons who disagree. Conforto is not a good defensive player and can only play LF. Period. The end.
I think the Dodgers saw potential in his bat based on the second half of last year, and the decision was probably based on the assessment of their voluminous number of experts, and he fulfilled a need for the team – but I would say it was a higher risk signing based on his past performance, and, so far, it hasn’t worked out.
I don’t begrudge the Dodgers for signing him. The Dodgers are the best organization in baseball. That doesn’t mean their moves always work out, or that mistakes aren’t made. And really, to be honest, unless Kim shows he’s a player who’s here to stay and gives the Dodgers enough confidence to depend on him during the playoffs, Conforto, perhaps unfortunately, still fills a need.
But if you’re going to argue, address the premise of the argument.
And why does this Outman/Vargas debate/I-told-you-so continue? Eric hasn’t been around in months.
The more you know about baseball the more you know there IS TO KNOW about baseball.
Dad wasn’t into sports but my uncle took me by the hand to brand new Dodger Stadium in 1962. I was 7. Now I’m 70 and still learning more and more about the game.
PS to Mark: Yesterday you wrote, “ Well, James Outman went on to win the Rookie of the Year,….” and no one called you on it. I’m relating it here to let you know some of us ARE paying attention!
Tuesday scores
Sacramento 11, Oklahoma City 5
Springfield 7, Tulsa 4
Stockton 10, Rancho Cucamonga 7
ACL Rangers 2, ACL Dodgers 1
Michael Kopech had another rough outing as he tries to come back from an arm injury. He couldn’t get through his inning, giving up two runs, three hits, and a walk, while only recording two outs.
Wednesday schedule
Great Lakes (Cam Day) at West Michigan (Joe Miller), 8:00 AM, PST game 1
Great Lakes (Wyatt Crowell) at West Michigan (TBD), game 2, make-up of may 20
Springfield (Max Rajcic) at Tulsa (jacob Meador), 5:00 PM, PST
Sacramento (Carson Seymour) at Oklahoma City (Nick Frasso), 5:05 PM, PST
Rancho Cucamonga (Hyun-Seok Jang) at Stockton (Ryan Magdic), 7:05 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.