The Yordan Alvarez Effect Should Linger

June 3, 2023

On June 15, 2016, Yordan Alvarez signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a scrawny, wide-eyed International Free Agent out of Cuba. He received a $2 Million Dollar Signing Bonus back in the days when guys like Hector Olivera (who was an adept hitter… of women) got $62.5 Million Dollar Deals. In his initial scouting report, it described him as “an athletic contact hitter who has shown some power.” What…

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Stealing From Theo…If Not Now, When?

January 4, 2020

It is time for a little Devil’s Advocacy.  I have been an unapologetic fan of Andrew Friedman and what he has accomplished, and just as critical as to what he has NOT accomplished.  I was critical when AF did not beat out the Astros offer for Gerrit Cole before the 2018 season.  The Astros traded a #5 SP in Joe Musgrove, a decent but unceremonious 3B, Colin Moran, a RHRP…

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Are AF And/Or Owners At Odds With Fans

October 24, 2019

I do not think any Dodger fan can possibly disagree about the disappointment over the last three years. I use three, because realistically that has been the span where the Dodgers were in a position to win it all. Certainly Doc has had a problem of “thinking too much” in the playoffs. It was never more evident as it was in Game 5 of the NLDS. But the players have…

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Pitching – Depth vs Stars

March 24, 2019

I drove down to LA this weekend to visit a very close family friend and sharing in his surprise 75th birthday. At the hotel, I turned on the TV only to see SportsNet LA and watched Access Dodgers. I do miss LA for Dodger TV and Dodger Talk Radio. One comment I heard from Pedro Moura was that the Dodgers are not flashy and have a ton of depth but…

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Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard

March 8, 2019

After yesterday’s game, the Dodger’s record sits at 7-5 this Spring… not that it means absolutely anything. So far a few things have caught my eye, other than the fact that Joc Pederson looks totally lost: Cody Bellinger, Austin Barnes, Kike Hernandez and Daniel Castro (who?) look locked and loaded. Ross Stripling and Rich Hill are being stretched out. There are way too many arms for the bullpen… thus the…

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Flawed Hypothetical

March 5, 2019

Last weekend Mark posed the hypothetical…”OK, the deal with the Devil is this: Dodgers win in 2019, but have a losing record and are like KC, TB or MIAMI for the next 10 years… big time suck!” I apologize, but I just could not let it go.  So please ignore if you so desire. I do not accept that as a plausible hypothetical.  There is no way the Dodgers are…

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What Does The Future Hold?

March 2, 2019

Well, I was going to continue with my analysis of the NL West competition, but I thought that I would comment on the this past week and what the future may hold. Most Dodger fans got caught up in all of the Bryce Harper sweepstakes (including me), but as many of us said at the beginning of the Hot Stove League, a long term deal for Bryce Harper is not…

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Jon Littell: 37th Round Selection 2018

February 13, 2019

I always have a fascination with young players who are selection in the last few rounds of the First-Year Player Draft. Often, they are “take a chance” picks for high school players who most likely will not sign. Two such players that may well have been steals had they signed with the Dodgers after being selected in the last three rounds of the 2018 draft opted to go to college….

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The Art of the Pitch

February 1, 2019

As I mentioned yesterday, the Dodgers have been #1 in MLB in ERA and WHIP over the past two years. I see no reason why that trend won’t continue. In fact, I agree with Rick Honeycutt that the pitching can get even better in 2019. First of all, the Dodgers have a glut of starting pitchers, but two of them will likely be gone after this season, namely Rich Hill…

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Revenues, CBT Threshold, and Luxury Tax

January 19, 2019

Yesterday Mark commented, “The fact that the Yankees went over the Luxury Tax Threshold does not mean the Dodgers should do the same. That, and the Yankees have no outside shareholders to revolt.  Hopefully you can understand that.”  Maybe it was or maybe it wasn’t, but I assumed that is directed at me since I brought up NYY exceeding the CBT threshold.  I want to be clear.  I never said…

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