What Now?

Can we get Pollock back? Don’t we have 24 hours to return Kimbrel if we kept the receipt?

Well, Kimbrell is off to a spectacular start in Dodger blue…. just not in a good way.

The best news from today, methinks, is the plan for Bobby Miller to start in the Freeway Series. Still spring, but it’s got to be the first time Miller has pitched in a crowded ML park. Based on the early reports, Miller has kicked his game up a notch and could make a significant contribution this year…. at some point.

Second best news: Bickford struck out two! (Who needs Kimbrel??)Weren’t we told Bickford that wouldn’t be ready to start the season?

Mark’s OD roster and lineup looks pretty good to me. But I’d tweak it:

–Alberto hits the ball, but not with power, and he doesn’t walk much. I don’t see him as DH when there are other options. He appears to be a more reliable glove than Lux, so I could see him in a platoon at 2B and perhaps a late defense sub at 3B. If it’s Lux/Taylor in LF, then Alberto’s versatility helps enable JT and Muncy rotate thru the DH spot, which can also feature Smith when Barnes is catching.

–If there’s a plan to platoon Lux in LF, then yes, it’s another runway…. but only against righthanded pitching. There’s nothing wrong with being a versatile platoon guy, but way short of the hype…oh well ….. To me Lux has already had two nice runways: First when he was annointed the starting 2B job, and later when Seager got injured and he moved to his natural position of SS. So far, not so good.

–Pollock had a productive 2021 but Dodger brass must figure his production will be replaced by a few factors: the arrival of Freeman (much more durable than Seager), the potency of the rotating DH, the anticipated improvement from Belli and Lux (we hope!), and finally the presence of Rios and Lamb. Taylor might be a better fielder than Pollock, and while Lux is still learning, he is much faster.

I find myself wondering whether the Giants or Padres might grab Upton, since the Angels are paying the bill.

On the bright side, Kimbrel was pretty bad last year in the Spring and we all know what he did with the Cubs. Not worried about a guy with 2 Spring appearances. I’m a little more worried if anyone is ever going to hit. Are we ready to call up Pages to play left field after today?

I guess they’re planning on having Kershaw start every game this year since he has 4 Spring starts and no one else has had more than 2.

It seems like Vesia has given up runs in every appearance so far.

This has got to be the worst Spring Training ever. I can’t wait for the regular season to start.

Good point re catchers, Bear.

I like having an emergency catcher. (Can Alberto do it? Taylor?)

Some of us will remember when Kyle Farmer was brought up to the Dodgers. As I recall it, he was a SS in college and the Dodgers converted him to catcher. He was billed as a “backup catcher” in that big salary-dump deal with the Reds that also included Kemp, Puig and Alex Wood. Amid the big names he just looked like just a throw-in….

But Farmer has been the Reds starting SS for the last couple of years. A real mainstay on that team.

Still, the Reds would probably like a REAL shortstop, not a converted backup catcher.

So Lux + Jackson + ?? for Castillo and Farmer?

Just for the record, I am above all, a Dodger fan. Have always been and always will be. I do not have any inside info on the team. I do my evaluating through the eye test. I have trusted my eyes my entire time as a fan. I have been wrong about players, and I have occasionally been right. One thing that never changes is that I want all the members of the team to do well. I do not wish any of them anything except success. That being said, to me a player is still a prospect until he proves himself, more than just once by the way, on the field of play. Over my time as a fan, I have seen some very hyped players flame out, or just merely never reach the potential that scouts, manager, coaches, fans, front offices, and the pundits predict. For every Bryce Harper, there are 10 or more Billy Ashley’s. For some it is the bright lights of a big city like New York. I remember Jeff Weaver, who was a decent pitcher, simply falling apart in Yankee pinstripes. Sometimes an injury will cause a player to not live up to the hype. I was one of the few who was all in when LA signed AJ Pollock, and since that first year, he did a fine job for LA. He will be missed by me. Rookies and young players are a whole different animal. I hear all the hype about Bobby Miller, and on Tuesday, I can see for myself what it is all about. I sincerely hope Gavin Lux lives up to the expectations so many of you have put on him. I hope he is that type of player. But even though I am not from Missouri, I am a show me type of fan. Do it, repeat it most days, and I will believe it. Until then, I am very skeptical.