Some of you thought this team was rebuilding and would be pretty mediocre. I tried to tell you otherwise! I don’t think anyone can say that the Dodgers made any bad moves in the offseason. It appears they made the right moves, So right about now would be a good time to just dispense with all of the wild imaginings between your ears. If the shoe fits…
I have not been a Trayce Thompson fan, but Trayce shut me up with three home runs, including a grand slam. The James Outman supporters were seen looking for suicide options after his last at-bat. I mean, fans were irate that Thompson started last night over James Outman. I thought the purpose of playing was to win. That was a win last night! Chris Taylor and Trayce Thompson are going to play, and right about now, there is a platoon in LF with Taylor and Peralta. In CF, Outman and Thompson are platooning… like it or not. Chris Taylor will play SS when FRojas needs a rest.
So far, that plan has been perfectly executed. Cody Who? Jason Heyward is the odd-man-out and the 5th outfielder. It is a role he has evidently accepted, but he will get his chances as well. Some of us thought the outfield alignment was odd, but so far, it looks pretty damn good… and if you watch the dugout, Jason Heyward is Hanser Alberto!
Dodger News & Notes
- Clayton was in his usual form, and JDM is catching up.
- But the star of the show last night was Trayce Thompson, and I love it. They say Trayce has worked hard on his swing this off-season.
- Andre Jackson executed his role perfectly. He is officially a weapon out of the pen. Remember when a certain fan here was ready to throw him on the scrap heap?
- This is a long season – it’s not about seeing your favorite players play. It’s about winning.
- I am beginning to think this team could be exceptional… and I already had them at 95-100 wins.
- Miguel Vargas will not swing at balls and pitchers are loathe to throw him strikes. I am telling you that this guy will be an All-Star at whatever position he ends up. He is a rare young hitter.
- OKC won 6-5 by scoring a run in the bottom of the 10th. Wander Suero went two innings to get the win, and Jahmai Jones singled to drive in the runner (Duggar) who started the inning at 2B. BTW, don’t call them “Ghost Runners.” You can see them! You can’t see “Ghost Runners!”
Getting Old Ain’t for Sissies
So, it has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. The family and I were in San Francisco for a week attending a wedding and catching up with family. Actually, the wedding was in Mill Valley, and that is where we stayed. It was a great trip. We spent a day in Napa, and sent two cases of wine back from Peju Winery, which has grown immensely. Badger turned me on to this winery when he lived in Napa, and we regularly go there. Occasionally, he gets it right. 😉 We also ate at Rutherfords – the last time I was there, it was with Jeff Dominique. My daughter and son hiked Muir Woods while the wife and I ate at Stinson Beach. We spent time at Fisherman’s Wharf and had some great food in Chinatown. Then, on the last night, all of my wife’s nieces (my daughter is also in the picture) met us for sushi. It was an awesome night.
I’d like to point out that I have to have back surgery on April 24th. It is called Lumbar Decompression, and all involved believe it will succeed. Me included! However, it is currently challenging for me to walk… very far. Last Tuesday, we flew back from San Francisco (family wedding and vacation), and I walked through that airport. Then we flew to Denver, where I also walked through that airport (a very long way). At about 11:00 PM, we landed in Indy, and when I got off the plane, I saw my daughter with a wheelchair. It seemed like forever as I looked at her, the wheelchair, and back, but then I just shut up and sat in the wheelchair. If you know me… that was hard! But necessary! Thank you, Baby! She was my first “Baby.”
Cover photo courtesy of MLB/LA Dodgers
Discussion (42)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I’ve thought for years in the analytics age that teams take the lefty righty thing way to far so with that I thought it was a boneheaded move bringing in a cold sitting on bench all game career Mendoza line hitter to pinch hit for a player who hasn’t proven can’t hit lefties and had been seeing pitches all game. Even if Barnes hit a game tying homer wouldn’t have changed my view of it but have a hard time blaming Roberts being none of us really know who aren’t privy how much of that is dictated from upstairs
It’s maddening how a guy as obviously talented as Graterol can give up four hits in a single inning. Especially so when his teammates manage to get only four hits for the entire game.
And they all came from the top of the lineup–one by Mookie, two by Freddie and Will’s HR.
As for the good news, there was Thor giving the Dodgers their fourth excellent start, and also another outfield assist for Mookie–after he looked sharp playing 2B. Also nice to see Outman’s stolen base (more, please!) and Vargas, pinch-hitting, getting another walk… even though that last pitch might have caught the corner for a strike.
The bad: Taylor gets a start and strikes out three times in four ABs. JDM struck out twice, sometimes chasing pitches well out of the zone. Trayce struck out twice but also hit one to the wall–HR distance in some friendlier parks.
I don’t know why Muncy didn’t play. My guess is that Roberts just wanted to give Taylor a start in hopes he’ll break out of year-plus slump. But there’s a big dropoff from Max to Taylor.
I agree that Roberts should have let Outman bat in the 9th. I get why he had Barnes pinch-hit for Belli in the playoffs, but Outman deserves more trust. Roberts himself has praised Outman’s “heartbeat” and steady approach to challenges. One run down, Outman is the bigger HR threat and has more speed.
Maybe Outman would have struck out–but that’s what Barnes did. All considered, I’d rather see Outman go down swinging than Barnes.
B2B stolen bases leading to the Snakes scoring. Is Carroll that fast or is this Life with Thor?
Mookie’s got some chops at second
Another all or nothing offense. It’s the Dodger way. Hopefully this October it’s an all! And somehow it’s all Robert’s fault.
Tough to outscore a team 20-5 in a four game series and only get a split. The Dodgers have been mediocre to poor in one run and extra inning games in the last two years. In 2022 they were 16-15 in one run games, and 24-24 in 2021. By comparison, the Giants and Padres were 31-17 in one run games in 2021 and 2022. And this season starts out 0-2 in one run games. In the last two seasons, the Dodgers are 12-22 in extra inning games. In my opinion, the refusal to use small ball contributes to this poor performance in close games. The Dbacks used the running game and small ball to score their runs today. And the winning hit was a two out bunt hit.
Dodgers wasted two fantastic starts by May and Thor. The starting pitching has been absolutely dominant, but Vesia and Graterol had terrible outings that deservedly tagged them with losses. I still don’t trust Roberts in close games, and his choices in the ninth inning were strange. He managed to bring Barnes, Taylor and Heyward to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. Between them all, they have zero hits this year! Specifically, hitting Barnes for Outman was suspect. I assume Muncy was not available today. But the players were much more of a problem than the coaching, and you aren’t going to win many games when you only score 1 run in a game. It is only 4 games in a long season, and the Dodgers future looks bright. But it seems like they have already given away two games this season.
I will not let this be LA DodgerTalks Cultural Decline into idiocy!
The idiots are not running the asylum.
Ya don’t score, ya don’t win. Nuff said.
Hard to take a split with .500 team especially at home That’s baseball though,I’ll look at the bright side and Syndergaard‘s performance was nice.
Too bad MOOKIE’S great play went for nada
Heywards bat is sloooooooow.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let’s say we play 500 ball with a 500 team,what does that make us?
I know that it’s silly to say. Just like Boss Dodgers, If I said
LOSS DODGERS,, Silly, yes
Bad management by Roberts in a close game. Graterol was off today from the first pitch , yet Doc let him in to face the lefty. Should have had Vesia up and warming when everyone saw Graterol had nothing today.
I said it before the season this season we will find out a lot about Roberts.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was a bad throw by Rojas and Freeman saved him. Shit happens with everyone on defense.
On Betts play at home, what if the hitter ran to second and Smith threw to second and the runner called out at home comes back to touch the plate and on the appeal he is called safe? Should Smith have made sure of the out by tagging the runner at home instead of throwing to second?
If you’re comparing Rojas to Taylor I take Rojas 7 days a week. If you’re comparing Taylor to Outman it’s a coin toss because I’m not sold on Outman yet. He still has the potential to strike out as much as Taylor does. I want as many batters in the lineup up that make contact as possible. It use to be embarrassing to strike out.
I noticed watching the game that the Dodgers play this year with a little bit more chip on there shoulders like people have count them out this year and picked the Padres to win it all. There kind of like the Padres last year like okay we have something to prove the doubters wrong. It could be the players this year have a little more grit then the last year with a team full of long time dodgers. Nice to see that back in there eyes way better then in the playoffs last year. When they just thought they would win.
Pretty efficient outing by Syndergaard. If he can pitch like that all season he’ll be a huge asset.
No it wasn’t they were leading at that point. True the offense sucked but poor defense didn’t help any. Defense matters.
Why would anyone want Taylor at short on a regular basis. Rojas is better defensively and makes more contact than Taylor does. The strikeouts by Taylor are getting real of at this point.
I find it funny that the people who’ve thrown shit at me and who say don’t get excited about a player having one good game are now talking up Thompson. Wow as I said before I read some weird shit here.
My point yesterday was to get Rojas the hell out of starting. So if Thompson can beat Rojas’s career stats and that’s not a high bar at all then platoon him with Peralta and give Taylor SS. The defense firsters here will have a cow about that and throw more shit at me of course.
I’m straight shooting after all the shit that’s been thrown at me.
With that being said I wish you well Mark.
Northmsdodger, you are Nostradamus with yesterday’s prediction about Thompson. Who do you like in the 8th race today at Prairie Meadows?
Roberts said he has a three home run rule. Anyone hits three home runs they get to start the next game. Ride the hot hand. Last year he was criticized for not doing this. It’s almost like he gets criticized no matter what he does! And I’m sure it hurts his feelings!
We got a special intangible going on with this team last bunch of years that I can’t really find a word that describes but it involves a winning attitude very, very few teams have that is super hard to beat
Phil made a good point yesterday in not critiquing players this early and least wait til half way in before going crazy, I tend to agree. All offseason I kept debating with myself if we would have a good team capable of competing for the division and more in October. I know it’s early but have concluded we do and see it as only getting better though the good times and those bound to come streaks of shaking our heads. That’s a real good feeling for me thinking we’ll be there fighting in the end when it really counts and that’s all I can ask for. Love my Dodgers
Fellow Dodger fans, let’s not measure our strengths or weaknesses by 3 games versus the D-Backs. Arizona is not a good team.
I didn’t know crow tasted so good. Would love to eat some more all year long
4:10 PM ET
Diamondbacks (1-2)
Dodgers (2-1)
SP Zach Davies R
0-0 .00 ERA
SP Noah Syndergaard R
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
2B Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
DH J. Martinez R
LF D. Peralta L
RF T. Thompson R
CF James Outman L
3B Chris Taylor R
SS Miguel Rojas R
Clear-day
0% Rain
66° Wind 8 mph Out
Great to see Clayton Kershaw start out the season with a strong performance.
We get to watch one of the best pitchers ever excel in a Dodgers uniform. Who knows how long it lasts, but I like to enjoy every start Clayton makes! He is a great pitcher and a better person.
And also great to see Trayce hit 3 Hrs to start the season. Hitting at the MLB level is so difficult. Trayce may not be the long term answer in OF, but great to have him as one of the options. We forget that he had a 901 OPS last year with the Dodgers, which was second on the team to Freeman. Another example of Roberts and AF showing patience and not overreacting to a rough spring training.
Dave Roberts is giving us a glimpse of how he is going to integrate them playing into the game. AVF will post the lineup soon… maybe!@
Dodgers could receive draft pick if Miguel Vargas or Ryan Pepiot win Rookie of the Year
With rookies Miguel Vargas and James Outman both in the Dodgers opening day lineup and provided a runway for regular roles this season, let’s look back at the “prospect promotion initiative” that was part of the MLB collective bargaining agreement signed in 2022.
The idea behind this was to discourage service time gaming, though how effective it is will take some time to assess. The main team incentive is awarding an extra draft pick if a player wins Rookie of the Year and meets certain criteria.
For a team to qualify for a draft pick, the player must be a rookie-eligible prospect who accrues one full year of service time (at least 172 days of the 186-day season) within that season. So the 41 days Vargas accrued in 2022 and the six days for Outman last year don’t lessen the need to accrue at least 172 days of service time in 2023.
The other requirement for the draft pick is that the Rookie of the Year must have appeared prior to the season on at least two top-100 prospect lists. Matt Eddy at Baseball America further clarified that Major League Baseball only uses the lists at Baseball America, ESPN, and MLB Pipeline.
Vargas qualifies here, ranking 30th at Baseball America, 37th at MLB Pipeline, and 80th at ESPN. Ryan Pepiot also qualifies, as he was ranked 55th by Baseball America and 70th by MLB Pipeline.
Outman’s only top-100 list was by Keith Law at The Athletic, rated No. 89, so if he wins Rookie of the Year, the Dodgers wouldn’t receive a draft pick.
But the Dodgers would gain a draft pick should Vargas or Pepiot win National League Rookie of the Year, assuming they remain up for nearly the entire season. Pepiot accrues service time while on the injured list, but can’t be optioned for more than 14 days once he comes off the IL.
Vargas and Pepiot are two of 14 major league rookies who qualify this year, with Eddy at Baseball America compiling the list. Other National League qualified rookies are D-backs outfielder Corbin Carroll, Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, and Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar.
Last year was the first year of the prospect promotion initiative, Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez won American League Rookie of the Year and was up all year long, netting Seattle a 2023 draft pick directly after the first round, No. 29 overall.
The other part of the initiative helps players. Anyone who finishes in the top two in Rookie of the Year voting will be awarded a full year of service time, regardless of when they were called up. This happened with Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, who was called up in late May and finished second to Rodríguez. Same for Braves outfielder Michael Harris, who was also called up in late May but then won NL Rookie of the Year.
I enjoy stats, and here’s why I have a lot more confidence in Muncy than Taylor…
Muncy finished the 2022 season strong. After a terrible start, he posted a .791 OPS after the all-star break–and it wa higher over the last eight weeks). His post-break OPS was 5th on the team, and higher than both Will Smith and Trea Turner. His resurgence was overshadowed by Justin Turner’s own resurgence, with a post-break OPS of .889. That’s an impressive number since ol’ JT allegedly lost the ability to catch up with fastballs.
Taylor, meanwhile, posted a .591 OPS after the all-star break– a full 200 points below Muncy. He struck out 59 times in 150 ABs.
I guess Trayce has shut up the “Doubting Thompsons” for awhile. LOL
Now if only Heyward could play infield too…
This team is deep in outfielders and thin in infielders. That’s why I’d prefer to see Trayce platooning with Peralta, with Taylor as the primary UT. Both Trayce and Taylor bring high strikeout risk–but Trayce was much more productive in 2022. And he’s off to a pretty good start in 2023.
Roberts says Mookie will start at 2B tomorrow, apparently to allow Trayce in the lineup. That’s interesting and kind of fun. But don’t we want Vargas to continue his on-the-job training? He’s off to a damn good start too. OBP of .750, same as Trayce.
And Outman is off to a good start too. He keeps improving. Don’t we want to see how he’ll do against lefties? Perhaps he’ll prove that there’s no need to trade for Reynolds…
It’s early… but we can see that the sky is not falling, and the Dodger’s options are awesome.
It’s early and there will be a losing streak or two that causes some of you to lose your minds. Be forewarned!
I would recomend to wait for at least 20-25 games to call the 2023 Dodgers the BossDodgers.
Way too premature. Early impression suggests what I was seeing for this season: Excellent pitching but a few question marks in the lineup. Vargas looks like a veteran hitter at the plate. Great eye.
Good for TT to have that big game yesterday but it was just one game.
Lets see where we are at after 20-25 games.
Mark, I have a herniated disk in my back and the pain is growing steadily. I am thinking about surgery too but so far I have stayed away from it. My doctor told me there are no guaratees that the pain will not come back after a short time . As long as I can walk and do a little workout I will delay it. Let us know how your surgery went and best of luck for a successful operation.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now maybe we can accommodate all the Dodger fans wanting to trade for Reynolds. We’ll give the Pirates Thompson for Reynolds and their top two prospects!
Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw reveals why he’s signing contracts year to year
Back in 2014, before he agreed to the seven-year extension, Kershaw was weighing what might work best for him as it pertained to his commitment, ability and future outlook.
“At times during that process, Kershaw recalled, ‘There were talks of doing 10, 15 years,’ the kind of ultra-length deal likely to span the rest of his playing days. The only problem? ‘I just never was comfortable committing to be good for that long,’ Kershaw said.”
– Jack Harris of the LA Times
In essence, the year-to-year plan over the past few seasons that has kept Dodgers fans on high alert has offered a sense of tranquility to Kershaw, who told Harris he very much values his “freedom.”
“I feel fully committed to this year. It might be [the same] next year. But I love the freedom of not being committed … I like the ability to reset after every year.”
Wow Mark. Your daughter should be grateful to have had a beautiful mother!
Having crow for breakfast! Happy for Trace, hopefully he can be an important part of this team! Someone said maybe trade Heyward, who’s taking him? very impressed with Vargas at the plate and. At second. Taylor looks a little better, but leave Rojas. At ss. It’s early but I’m not sure Muncy ever gets back to his old self, but I hope he does. Vargas looks so good at second, Mark could he ever be moved to 3rd if Lux comes back healthy? Kershaw keeps getting on with it! Maybe Christian Walker could play 3rd!(just kidding), every pitcher has a hitter they can’t get out . Just hope padres never get him from Arizona &!! 3out of 4 would be a good start to the season, so let’s go Dodgers! Oh by the way, Steven Nelson is ok , but to me kinda another cookie cutter who sounds as if he’s reading a script. Man I miss vin and others who really made radio and tv broadcasts a joy to listen and watch! Not all these unoriginal guys using other guys cliches. Go blue!
I was checking out “Dodgers East” whereby Boston beat Baltimore 9-8 while Alex Verdugo, Justin Turner, Kike Hernandez, Chris Martin, and Kenley Jansen were all part of the win. Conner Wong did not play. Yes, they are Dodgers East!
On a side note, I watched Keibert Ruiz hit a mighty blast into the top of the upper deck in DC yesterday. His body is more solid, and he looks like a man. I was never sure he would have that kind of power, but he does. He is off to a great start.
Right on the button Amigo! Could not have said it better. For all of those who did not watch the entire game, Heyward made a Mookie style play on a short fly to right with a last second sliding catch. Pretty good backup fielder. They say when JD is right, he hits the ball to right center, that is where his dinger went last night.
Trayce’s homers got longer each time. His Grand Slam went 409 feet, his second, 417, and the last one, 440. Dodger hitters were patient last night and that was a huge part of the game. All those walks ran up pitch counts and then they capitalized on them. Max Muncy showed some frustration after his K last night, but that is to be expected.
I was so glad to see TT light it up last night. I have been surprised over the off-season to see so many Dodger fans writing him off. Really? Exactly what did he do last year to draw that conclusion? SMH. I’m not even convinced he should be platooned…he seems to hit RHP pretty well too.
I have a real good feeling about this team and am very optimistic. There are two yellow flags that need to be looked at closely….Muncy and Rojas. Losing Seager, then Turner is huge and obviously Rojas can’t replace them. Of course Lux might have come closer but we have to move on and not dwell on what could have been. Nevertheless, I’m sure the smart Dodger minds will make any necessary accommodation as we get closer to the trade deadline if the two yellow flags turn red.
If our pitchers stay healthy, this could be a very special year. Enjoy the ride.
TM