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aprevo15
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 12:05 pm    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
LongBeachPoly wrote:
Quote:
Justin Verlander, Sandy Alcantara Get Cy Young Plaques With Error

The Baseball Writers' Association of America honored 2022 Cy Young winners Justin Verlander and Sandy Alcantara on Saturday night.

The pair received their respective Cy Young award plaques, both of which featured a misspelling.

Both award plaques that were given out misspelled the word "valuable," instead omitting the second A and recognizing the recipient as the "most valuble pitcher" in baseball.


Guess there's no spell check on placks.


😂


It's hard to find good employees lately. LOL
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 4:28 pm    Post subject:

Ralph Avila, instrumental in the Dodgers getting a leg up in Latin America decades ago, dead at 92.
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LongBeachPoly
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:28 pm    Post subject:

We have more clarity on our plans:

Quote:
During an interview with Jim Bowden on SiriusXM sateellite radio, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Max Muncy will remain at third base and Vargas is expected to play second base:


Quote:
Jim Bowden⚾️🏈
@JimBowdenGM

Andrew Friedman #Dodgers told us that if he had to guess now he sees Muncy at 3B Lux at SS Vargas at 2B Taylor in OF...Rojas utility...but team has a lot of positional flexibility and open to competition


Quote:
With the shift being banned this year, second base becomes a more challenging defensive position. Vargas is an excellent athlete, but spring training will be the time to see if he has the range to be a solid second baseman. There have been concerns about his footwork at third base, but the footwork at second is quite a bit different. We really won't know until we see him in action how the defense is going to be.

Muncy, on the other hand, made the All-Star team as a second baseman a few years ago and had also turned himself into one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball before LA signed Freeman. But with his build and foot speed, it's questionable how well he'd be able to hold down second without the shift. Like Vargas, we wouldn't know until we saw it in action, but that's likely why the thinking has Muncy at third.

https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/news/dodgers-news-andrew-friedman-talks-muncy-role-infield-outlook-js77


So, the 13 positional players on the opening day roster should look like the following (barring a trade for a CF):

Quote:
Outfield
LF: Taylor (R)
CF: Thompson????? (R)
RF: Betts (R)

Infield
1B: Freeman (L)
2B: Vargas (R)
SS: Lux (L)
3B: Muncy (L)
C: Smith (R)

DH
DH: Martinez (R)

Bench
C: Barnes (R)
2B: Busch (L)
SS: Rojas (R)
CF: Outman (L)


Offensively, I think we might be able to match last year's production (or even exceed it):

Quote:
Expecting similar production from last year:
RF: Betts - .873 ops
1B: Freeman - .918 ops
C: Smith - .807 ops
DH: Justin Turner - .788 ops vs. (JD Martinez - .790 ops)
2B: Lux - .745 ops

Expecting an improvement from last year:
3B: Muncy - .713 ops
CF: Bellinger - .654 ops vs. (Thompson/Outman -.700 ops??)
LF: Taylor - .677 ops

Expecting a dropoff from last year:
SS: Trea Turner - .809 ops vs. (Miguel Vargas - .700 ops??)


So basically:

1) If we can get similar production from our main guys: Smith, Freeman, Betts, Lux, JD Martinez

2) and we can get some kind of improvement from: Muncy, Taylor, CF position. (I have alot of hope that Muncy can regain his form of .850+ ops, 30+ HRs).

3) and we can just get a decent rookie year from Vargas at 2B...

4) then we can more than makeup for the loss of Trea Turner in our lineup.

5) and, if we end up acquiring a CF like Reynolds, we might have even improved our offense which was ranked no. 1 last year.

6) I also think our bench improved from last year. At the end of last year, our bench was: Barnes, Thompson, Gallo/Taylor, Alberto. I'm really high on Busch. I think he's going to hit at the mlb level and hit immediately. He hits everywhere. He might not be able to play defense well, but I think he can hit. He reminds me so much of Muncy offensively.

----------------------------------

Now, defensively, that's another story. This might be our worst defensive team in awhile.

SS: Lux
2B: Vargas
CF: Thompson/Outman?????

That's pretty weak up the middle. Plus a ban on shifts.


Last edited by LongBeachPoly on Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:19 pm    Post subject:

Yeah, I'm really high on Michael Busch. I think he's going to hit/produce immediately in the majors:

Quote:
Ralph Mason
@Ralph_MasonJr

Michael Busch could be a 20 HR guy for Dodgers next season with enough plate appearances

Dec 28, 2022


Quote:
MLB Pipeline has continued releasing its updated prospect rankings for the 2023 season, which includes a list of the top-10 at each position. Among their latest unveilings, Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Michael Busch was listed as the No. 2 second baseman in the Minor Leagues.

Busch trails only Termarr Johnson, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

...............

Busch is listed with a 55 grade on the 20-80 scouting scale by MLB Pipeline, which translates into a an above-average starter at the Major League level.

His carrying card is his bat as Busch is ranked with a 50 hit-tool and 60 power, along with a 45 running, 45 arm and 40 fielding.

MLB Pipeline’s scouting report says Busch can hit for both average and power thanks to his approach, balance, uncanny hand-eye coordination, bat speed and strength. They go on to write he has a similar offensive profile as Max Muncy, but Busch is a better pure hitter.

While Busch is not known for his defensive value, he has put in a lot of work to improve on his quickness and arm. They also report that evaluators around MLB are impressed at how he made himself into an adequate defender at second base, however, he is still best suited for first base, and he recently began to learn left. field.


I have no doubt in Busch's abilities to hit in the majors. My only doubt is in his defense. I think he'll become a perennial .800+ ops, 20+ HR player.

That's extremely valuable (or valuble??), as we have control over him for the next 6 years. That type of production is probably worth $20M on the open market.

I guess the only question is, do we put him on the active roster to start the season if we don't have an everyday position for him? My guess is, they'll start him off in the minors, bring him up after a month and get 7 years of control out of him.

My hope of what happens is: Chris Taylor starts off hot in LF, reestablishing his value. Busch continues to rake in the minors to start the season. The Dodgers are able to trade Chris Taylor to another team (like Pollock last year) and somehow get under the CBT. Then we bring up Busch to man LF for the rest of the season. I think he'll be able to give us:

Quote:
.250 avg
.335 obp
.435 slg
.770 ops
18 HR


Last edited by LongBeachPoly on Tue Jan 31, 2023 4:25 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:01 pm    Post subject:

Keith Law ranks 8 Dodger prospects in his top 100:

Quote:
6) Diego Cartaya, C

Age: 21 | 6-3 | 219 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
International signing in 2018
Last year’s ranking: 13

Cartaya played just a month in 2021 before an injury ended his season, so while that month was impressive (he hit .298/.409/.614 in Low A at age 19, in just 31 games), there was a “prove-it” sentiment among some scouts and other clubs. Well, Cartaya went back to Low A, hit .260/.405/.550, then moved up to High A and hit .251/.379/.476 there, finishing the year with 22 homers and 63 walks in 95 games, all while continuing to improve behind the plate. Cartaya hammers fastballs and offspeed, posting high exit velocities and often out-muscling pitchers with his pure strength, while already showing a good feel for the strike zone even before he turned 21 in September. He’s already better on defense than he was a year ago, but he can catch the ball too close to his body, limiting him probably to fringe-average receiving at his peak, and has had some trouble throwing out runners despite plus arm strength. None of that will matter if he continues to hit for power and get on base like he has so far, and there’s every reason in tools and performance to date to say that he will.


Quote:
23) Miguel Vargas, 3B/2B/OF

Age: 23 | 6-3 | 205 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
International signing in 2017
Last year’s ranking: 62

Vargas was arguably the best hitter in the PCL last year, and certainly the best one under the age of 26, hitting .304/.404/.511 with just a 14.6 percent strikeout rate for Oklahoma City while playing four different positions, putting him in line to be the Dodgers’ second baseman this year if Gavin Lux slides over to short. Vargas has always been able to hit, but his body has improved substantially since he first broke out in 2019, when scouts questioned whether he’d get too heavy or slow-footed for third base; now he’s a plus runner underway and there’s no doubt he could stay at third or handle second. We didn’t see his best bolts in the majors but he’s topped 110 mph off the bat in the minors and hits a ton of line drives, with a swing that might make him more of a 40 doubles/20 homers guy than a 30 homer guy, although either way he’s likely to post OBPs in the upper .300s. I think he’ll be the former, a high-OBP hitter who smashes a ton of doubles, maybe getting to 50 or so in his peak years, with solid-average defense at second or third, but maybe has years where he hits “only” 15-18 homers and is quietly excellent instead.


Quote:
28) Bobby Miller, RHP

Age: 24 | 6-5 | 220 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 29 in 2020
Last year’s ranking: 50

For pure stuff, Miller has few peers, if any, among minor-league starter prospects. He can sit 96-100 mph and has touched 102 in shorter outings, working with a four-pitch mix where everything is above-average. His changeup has unusual power to it — it shouldn’t be that surprising, if Miller were to throw in the towel, he’d do it harder than anyone else — but also is very deceptive out of his hand, generating swings and misses about half the time he throws it. His slider is 85-91 with sharp downward break, and he’s got a power breaking ball — again, he has power stuff, in case you didn’t catch that earlier — that’s pretty close to 12-6, and I’d probably put it a half-grade over the slider if I didn’t know that the slider was slightly more effective at getting whiffs and chases this year.

Quote:
The one flaw in Miller’s game is that he’s worse with runners on base, in results but also in stuff, losing about a half a mile an hour on his pitches and missing fewer bats when he’s working from the stretch. With the bases empty, hitters hit .188/.263/.259 off Miller, but with men on base they hit .278/.335/.451, including eight of the 12 homers Miller allowed on the season.


It’s enough that Miller is going to have to make an adjustment at some point to reach his ceiling. It’s No. 1 starter stuff, with close to average command. If he can hold it better when he works from the stretch, he’ll be a top-10 pitcher in baseball.



Quote:
39) Gavin Stone, RHP

Age: 24 | 6-1 | 175 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 159 in 2020
Last year’s ranking: Unranked

Stone was the Dodgers’ fifth-round pick in 2020, a money-saver out of Central Arkansas who had only just become a full-time starter for the Bears that spring.

Quote:
(His bonus of $97,500 was the fourth-lowest in the entire fifth round, and one of the dozen lowest in the whole draft.)


He’s since emerged as the Dodgers’ second-best pitching prospect and isn’t that far behind their top guy, Bobby Miller, who was their first-rounder in the same year. Stone is a very athletic right-hander who works at 94-96 mph with a plus-plus changeup that hitters can’t touch — the whiff rate on the pitch was over 50 percent last year and it’s effective against left- and right-handed hitters, a major reason why he had as close to zero platoon split. His slider is solid-average, mid-80s with short, downward break, good enough to get right-handers to swing and miss but not a pitch he’ll use much against lefties. Stone pitched at three levels last year, from High A to Triple A, and his highest ERA at any of those stops was 1.60; he finished the year with 168 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings (33.8 percent of batters faced) and a hilarious 1.48 ERA. His command and control are the only things keeping him from a major-league rotation right now, as they’re no better than grade 45, but he’s also not that far away, and he repeats his delivery well enough that I expect him to get to average or better soon and end up at least a No. 3 starter.


Quote:
62) Dalton Rushing, C

Age: 22 | 6-1 | 220 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 40 in 2022
Last year’s rank: Ineligible

Rushing was Henry Davis’s backup at Louisville until 2022, when Davis was in pro ball after becoming the No. 1 pick the previous year. Rushing exploded as a hitter once he was able to play full-time, hitting .310/.470/.686 for those Cardinals. The Dodgers took him with their first pick at No. 40, and he hit .424/.539/.778 in 28 games in Low A. He’s a very disciplined hitter who doesn’t chase much, and he has plus power that is showing up in games already. He slid to the second round because he didn’t hit well against good velocity, showing just fair bat speed, and he was only a part-time catcher in the spring who threw out 15 percent of runners. He’s an adequate receiver now, and he has a solid-average arm, so it’s possible any deficiencies on defense are a function of his inexperience, not inability. It looks like he can really hit, with pro scouts impressed by what they’ve seen from him so far. If he stays behind the plate, maybe the poor Dodgers finally caught a break with a prospect.



Quote:
67) Andy Pages, OF

Age: 22 | 6-1 | 212 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
International signing in 2018
Last year’s ranking: 76

Pages moved up to Double A last year and took a modest step backward at the plate, although the power still showed up and he hammered left-handed pitching. Pages has plus-plus power and a cannon of an arm, and has generally shown a solid approach at the plate, both in ball-strike recognition and swing decisions. In Double A, he really struggled when right-handers threw him offspeed stuff out of the zone — they’d get ahead with the fastball and expand the zone with the slider, leading him to chase and either miss or make weaker contact. He can catch up to good velocity, and even at age 21 is making major-league quality contact when he squares one up. He’s a fringe-average runner who can play at least solid defense in right, boosted by the arm strength, and could be a soft regular even with his power and good walk rates. There’s significant upside here if he tightens up that approach, though, and can be more of a .260-.270 hitter with 30 homers and similar walk rates.


Quote:
74) Michael Busch, 2B

Age: 25 | 6-1 | 210 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 31 in 2019
Last year’s ranking: 53

Busch was a hard-hitting first baseman at UNC when the Dodgers drafted him at the end of the first round in 2019, but they converted him soon immediately to second base, betting that he would be athletic enough to handle the shift. He has, enough to stay there all the way up through Triple A and potentially start there in the big leagues this spring, where his bat should play enough to make him a solid regular with some upside if he tightens up the contact. Busch struggled with swing and miss when he first got to Triple-A Oklahoma City in May, but cut the strikeout rate as the season progressed. In his first 56 games there — splitting his Triple A time in half — he punched out in 30.5 percent of his plate appearances, but in his last 55 games, he cut that to 21.4 percent. Even with higher whiff rates, he still makes very hard contact and has 30-homer power, although he may end up more in the 20-25 homer range depending on how well he adjusts to major-league stuff. He hits lefties reasonably well, and has become a good enough defender that the Dodgers didn’t even play him at first in Triple A, which gives him a high floor as a soft regular at second with a chance to be an average to above-average one depending on his bat.



Quote:
89) James Outman, OF

Age: 26 | 6-3 | 215 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 224 in 2018
Last year’s rank: Unranked

Outman has made some real swing changes since the Dodgers took him off an unremarkable couple of years at Sacramento State, and he’s performed better and better even as they’ve moved him up aggressively due to his age. He’s one of the best athletes in their entire system who might have four pluses on the scouting report, definitely a plus run, plus arm, plus power guy who might be a plus defender in center as well. There’s too much swing and miss in the zone here to say he’ll be more than an average hitter, but with his other tools, that makes him a potential star, especially if he can do more against lefties than just hit for power. He’s older than any hitter on this list, but doesn’t have as much baseball experience as the typical 25-year-old. Don’t be surprised if he ends up the Dodgers’ primary center fielder this year.


Looks like no Pepiot. Or, Keith Law doesn't consider him a prospect anymore.

I wonder who reaches the majors first, Cartaya or Rushing? Rushing turns 22 in 3 weeks. Cartaya turns 22 in 8 months.

Barnes has 2 years left at $3.5M per with a club option for $3.5M in 2025. That lines up pretty well with Smith's remaining 3 yrs of team control.

Going to be interesting what we do with Cartaya and Rushing.
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 5:14 am    Post subject:

Quote:
Clayton Beeter is the Yankees’ best-kept secret and could help in 2023

The right-handed strikeout artist has the potential to be a weapon from the bullpen at some point this year.

......................

With this in mind, the Yankees do have a potential relief weapon in minor leaguer Clayton Beeter. Acquired from the Dodgers in the Joey Gallo deal at the deadline, Beeter’s stuff and current situation make him a candidate to contribute from the bullpen at some point in the second half, even though he hasn’t yet reached Triple-A.

First, let’s discuss the pitcher. As our own Marcus Zappia recently wrote on his scouting report on the No. 10 prospect, Beeter’s calling card is his fastball, one that could be considered “double-plus.”

Despite the rising popularity of breaking pitches, the four-seam fastball remains the single most important pitch in baseball. A hurler with a good fastball has a higher floor that his peers, and this appears to be the case with Beeter.

Quote:
Here is what Marcus wrote:

“A look at Beeter’s stuff quickly explains the attraction. Sitting between 93 and 96 mph, and occasionally bumping a tick higher, Beeter has plenty of velocity, but there is more than just speed to his fastball. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote that Beeter’s “fastball has big carry thanks to its back-spinning axis,” and Prospects Live added “Beeter’s highly vertical arm angle helps translate that spin into the appearance of ride, boasting the metrics and feel of a double-plus fastball.”


Having said that, the right-hander also boasts a plus curveball. It is a mid-80s, 12-6 hammer that gets plenty of whiffs. Since Beeter throws both pitches from a high arm slot, hitters have a hard time making contact.

The excellent fastball-curveball combo gives Beeter, a starter throughout his entire minor league career, a chance to be a dominant reliever even with some control and command issues. He will need to improve in that last area to be an asset as a multi-inning relief weapon, but his brief time with the Yankees showed he can, indeed, make adjustments.

With the Dodgers, Beeter had a 14.3-percent walk rate in 51.2 frames at Double-A. When he landed in New York, he got that number down to 10.6 percent in 25.1 innings at the same level. Granted, the sample size is not too big in any case, but it represents progress nonetheless.

With his 2.13 ERA in those 25.1 innings, his elite 39.4 percent strikeout rate, and his 1.99 FIP, one would think that Beeter could be challenged by starting the year in Scranton. If that’s indeed the case, the path to the Bronx likely depends on him keeping the control gains he showed with the Yankees organization in 2022. The Yankees thought highly enough of rookies Ron Marinaccio and JP Sears to make them contributors on the pitching staff last year, and Beeter may well be on the internal short list to do the same this year.

If Beeter continues to look sharp while pumping up the K’s and limiting walks, the Yankees would have little choice but to make him a major leaguer—likely at some point in the second half—knowing he could be really, really helpful for a stretch run. He has the potential to be a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen one day (if not a starter, but that is a discussion for another time), and that day could come in 2023.

https://www.pinstripealley.com/2023/1/7/23543306/yankees-preview-clayton-beeter-pitching-prospect-double-plus-fastball-2023-relief-role
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 7:42 pm    Post subject:

Gonsolin agrees to 2 year deal, avoids arbitration:

Quote:
Fabian Ardaya
@FabianArdaya

Dodgers say they signed Tony Gonsolin to a two-year, $6.65 million deal. Avoids arbitration.



Quote:
Fabian Ardaya
@FabianArdaya

Tony Gonsolin’s contract breakdown, per source:

2023: $3.25 million
2024: $3.4 million

The deal has escalators for 2024’s base salary based off starts in 2023: $500K each for 14, 16, 18, 20, 24 and 28 games starts.

Deal also includes Cy Young bonuses.


So, he'll make $3.25M in 2023. If he makes 28 starts, he'll get $6.4M in 2024.

If he wins the Cy Young this year, he'll get another bonus.

That means he'll count $3.325M against the CBT this year.
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 7:48 pm    Post subject:

Quote:
Dodgers Penalties In 2023 MLB Draft Due To Exceeding Luxury Tax Threshold

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a competitive balance tax payroll of $293,330,382 during the 2022 season, which was more than $60 million above the first threshold. As a result, the club was hit with a luxury tax bill of $32.4 million.

Along with the monetary penalty, the Dodgers’ first pick in the 2023 MLB Draft was moved back 10 spots. They were originally supposed to choose at No. 26 overall but now won’t make their first pick until 36th.

The Dodgers also had their first selection in last year’s draft moved back 10 spots after exceeding the second luxury tax threshold during the 2021 season. They didn’t make their initial pick until No. 40 overall, which was used on University of Louisville catcher Dalton Rushing.

While moving back 10 spots is far from ideal, the Dodgers did gain compensatory draft picks after the fourth round for losing Tyler Anderson and Trea Turner in free agency. Those selections will be Nos. 135 and 136 overall.

Anderson and Turner rejected the $19.65 million qualifying offer for the 2023 season before going on to sign with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively.

Had the Dodgers stayed under the luxury tax threshold last season, their compensatory picks would have come after the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.


Yeah, going over the luxury tax every year is starting to take a toll on us. We could have had 3 first rd selections this year.
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2023 12:02 am    Post subject:

ChickenStu wrote:
Ralph Avila, instrumental in the Dodgers getting a leg up in Latin America decades ago, dead at 92.


RIP!
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:53 am    Post subject:

On most betting sites, we're still co-favorites (tied with Mets) to win the NL this year. Here are the WS odds on Fanduel:

Quote:
AL - Astros +600
AL - Yankees +650

NL - Dodgers +750
NL - Mets +750

NL - Padres +1,000
NL - Braves +1,000
NL - Phillies +1,400
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 12:20 pm    Post subject:

Keith Law says we have the no. 1 ranked farm:

Quote:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers

I know, it’s boring to say the Dodgers have the best farm system, and kind of hard to believe given all the players they’ve graduated or traded away in the past few years, but they are probably the best drafting organization given where they pick, they find talent on the international front, and players who come into their system get better at an alarmingly high rate.

They have outstanding depth in up-the-middle position players and hard-throwing pitchers who still project as starters. They placed eight players on my top 100, most of any team, and I’m fairly sure they would have had the most players if I’d gone another 25 or 50 or 100 names.

Guys like River Ryan and Josue De Paula are fighting to get into the Dodgers’ top 10 when they’d be top 5 in some organizations. Michael Grove might be in their rotation this year, or fill the role vacated by Mitch White (whom the Dodgers traded for, of course, a really good pitching prospect who might not crack their top 15), and he’s not in their top 10.

They are among the best organizations in baseball at helping hitters execute swing changes. They’re also willing to take risks, like moving a first-round pick from first base to second base — not a common position switch — because they believe in their process, and also have the capacity to absorb the hit if it doesn’t work out.

Scouts are already questioning how the Dodgers got Dalton Rushing (No. 62 on my list) with a second-round pick, No. 41 overall, in the 2022 draft. They just don’t understand. It’s Dodgers Devil Magic.


Here's what he says about the Giants, Padres and Angels:

Quote:
18. San Francisco Giants

A very disappointing year across the board for the Giants other than Kyle Harrison continuing to be awesome.

Marco Luciano and Luis Matos got hurt, while Heliot Ramos, Joey Bart (who no longer qualifies for the list), Patrick Bailey, Hunter Bishop and Will Bednar — five straight first-round picks — all just had bad years. I feel better about the first two guys getting healthy and bouncing back than Bart, Bailey or Bishop improving.


Looks like the criticism of Farhan Zaidi's inability to build up the farm system is true.

Quote:
24. San Diego Padres

I suppose the well eventually had to run dry, right? After trades for Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove and Blake Snell and Austin Nola and Josh Hader and finally Juan Soto, they hit their lowest ranking in my memory, at least.

The Soto trade sent away two guys from last year’s top 100 who’ve since graduated, plus two guys on the top 100 now for Washington, and a top 150-ish player in Jarlin Susana. I don’t think we’ll see this system return to the depth it had two to three years ago any time soon, especially since some of that came from an enormous international signing class under the old rules, but their 2022 draft, headlined by a pair of high-ceiling high school arms, is promising.


Quote:
25. Los Angeles Angels

The 2021 all-pitching draft hasn’t quite panned out so far, although it did produce the first big-leaguer from that entire draft in Chase Silseth, who right now is the Angels’ second-best prospect from that draft. Got it? Good.

Anyway, the Angels’ 2017-19 drafts haven’t added much to the system at all so far, and their seven-figure international signings haven’t worked out, except for that one guy they signed from Japan’s NPB. (I don’t count NPB/KBO players as prospects.) Some good news: their 2022 first-rounder, Zach Neto, went right to Double A and raked; they traded Brandon Marsh for Logan O’Hoppe, who also raked and reached the big leagues; and their 2021 international free agent class looks very good in the early going.


https://theathletic.com/4138444/2023/02/02/mlb-farm-system-ranking-prospects/
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 1:32 pm    Post subject:

A couple of notes:

- Brandon Gomez says Miguel Vargas is the 2nd or 3rd fastest guy on the team. I remember reports last year were he's slow footed. Now he sounds athletic:

Quote:
“Vargas is our second- or third-fastest guy on the team..."



- one analyst at ESPN predicts Vargas wins NL ROY

Quote:
Over at ESPN, they put together a column of bold predictions for some of this year's top prospects. The prediction from Eric Karabell about Vargas is pretty great.

Miguel Vargas (3B): Will earn top rookie honors

Vargas would've helped the Dodgers last season had they only let him. While he has typically played third base, he's their starting second baseman this year and his combination of power, patience and speed (let's project .280/.360/.475, with 15 home runs, 15 stolen bases, 75 runs) earns him top NL rookie honors.



- Lux added 15 lbs of muscle and has been working out hard

Quote:
As we wrote last week, Lux has gained nearly 15 pounds of muscle and has been a fixture at offseason workouts.

“He’s been working really hard this offseason,” Gomes said. “We feel really good about Gavin and continuing to take another step, as he has over the course of his career, and take a hold of the shortstop position.”
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MookieBetts50
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:55 pm    Post subject:

Great updates re: Lux and Miggy!

Betts, RF
Freeman, 1B
Smith, C
Muncy, 3B
Martinez, DH
Lux, SS
Taylor, LF
Vargas, 2B
Outman/Thomson, CF
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LarryCoon
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 7:32 am    Post subject:

LongBeachPoly wrote:
Quote:
25. Los Angeles Angels

Anyway, the Angels’ 2017-19 drafts haven’t added much to the system at all so far, and their seven-figure international signings haven’t worked out, except for that one guy they signed from Japan’s NPB. (I don’t count NPB/KBO players as prospects.) Some good news: their 2022 first-rounder, Zach Neto, went right to Double A and raked; they traded Brandon Marsh for Logan O’Hoppe, who also raked and reached the big leagues; and their 2021 international free agent class looks very good in the early going.



What does "raked" mean in this context?
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LongBeachPoly
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 7:46 am    Post subject:

LarryCoon wrote:
LongBeachPoly wrote:
Quote:
25. Los Angeles Angels

Anyway, the Angels’ 2017-19 drafts haven’t added much to the system at all so far, and their seven-figure international signings haven’t worked out, except for that one guy they signed from Japan’s NPB. (I don’t count NPB/KBO players as prospects.) Some good news: their 2022 first-rounder, Zach Neto, went right to Double A and raked; they traded Brandon Marsh for Logan O’Hoppe, who also raked and reached the big leagues; and their 2021 international free agent class looks very good in the early going.



What does "raked" mean in this context?


.320 avg
.382 obp
.492 slg
.874 ops
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DuncanIdaho
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 11:27 am    Post subject:

Quote:
Red Sox manager Alex Cora bragged about 2017 Astros cheating scandal, according to new book, ‘Winning Fixes Everything’

When Cora arrived in Boston to manage the Red Sox in 2018, he would “occasionally talk about the Astros’ sign-stealing from 2017, even brag, sometimes in a late-night setting,” Drellich wrote.

“Especially when they started drinking,” a member of the Red Sox reportedly said.

“We stole that (expletive) World Series,” Cora allegedly said.

While many teams were accused of illegally stealing signs during those years, Cora’s acts were seen as particularly egregious.

“We knew the Astros did [steal signs],” another member of the Red Sox told Drellich, “because Alex Cora told us. He said that when they played the Dodgers, ‘We already knew what everybody was throwing before we even got on base. We didn’t have to get on base.’ And everybody was like, ‘What the hell does that mean?’ ”

https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/02/03/red-sox-manager-alex-cora-bragged-about-2017-astros-cheating-scandal-according-to-new-book-winning-fixes-everything/
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 1:38 pm    Post subject:

LC: raked in baseball terms means positive outlier performance. Crushed it. On a heater. Etc. sometimes it’s relative to the individual - meaning the stats may be less impressive compared to peers but unusually impressive for the batter - but often it’s relative to the league at large, I.e., he’s playing better than just about everyone.

I’ll also add the implication is usually batting average. We wouldn’t usually say a guy is raking if he’s just hitting for a lot of power (slug) or getting on base (via walks or extra base hits) but sporting an unimpressive batting average (anything below .300). But we will say a guy is raking if his batting average is well-north of .300, even if there isn’t a lot of power.

Basically, raking is “see ball, hit ball”
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oasisdude77
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 8:53 pm    Post subject:

DuncanIdaho wrote:
Quote:
Red Sox manager Alex Cora bragged about 2017 Astros cheating scandal, according to new book, ‘Winning Fixes Everything’

When Cora arrived in Boston to manage the Red Sox in 2018, he would “occasionally talk about the Astros’ sign-stealing from 2017, even brag, sometimes in a late-night setting,” Drellich wrote.

“Especially when they started drinking,” a member of the Red Sox reportedly said.

“We stole that (expletive) World Series,” Cora allegedly said.

While many teams were accused of illegally stealing signs during those years, Cora’s acts were seen as particularly egregious.

“We knew the Astros did [steal signs],” another member of the Red Sox told Drellich, “because Alex Cora told us. He said that when they played the Dodgers, ‘We already knew what everybody was throwing before we even got on base. We didn’t have to get on base.’ And everybody was like, ‘What the hell does that mean?’ ”

https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/02/03/red-sox-manager-alex-cora-bragged-about-2017-astros-cheating-scandal-according-to-new-book-winning-fixes-everything/


Ugh...every time I feel I'm semi at peace with this crap, stuff like this comes up and just pisses me off all over again.

It's just so cruel this happened to us (well, also the Yankees) because given our penchant of absolutely choking in the playoffs, that 2017 was just nails in the postseason. Just a shame they stole it from us
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 12:53 am    Post subject:

Cutheon wrote:
LC: raked in baseball terms means positive outlier performance. Crushed it. On a heater. Etc. sometimes it’s relative to the individual - meaning the stats may be less impressive compared to peers but unusually impressive for the batter - but often it’s relative to the league at large, I.e., he’s playing better than just about everyone.

I’ll also add the implication is usually batting average. We wouldn’t usually say a guy is raking if he’s just hitting for a lot of power (slug) or getting on base (via walks or extra base hits) but sporting an unimpressive batting average (anything below .300). But we will say a guy is raking if his batting average is well-north of .300, even if there isn’t a lot of power.

Basically, raking is “see ball, hit ball”


Hitting well, basically. You never refer to a pitcher who is pitching well as "raking." That would be "dealing."
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:19 am    Post subject:

ChickenStu wrote:
Cutheon wrote:
LC: raked in baseball terms means positive outlier performance. Crushed it. On a heater. Etc. sometimes it’s relative to the individual - meaning the stats may be less impressive compared to peers but unusually impressive for the batter - but often it’s relative to the league at large, I.e., he’s playing better than just about everyone.

I’ll also add the implication is usually batting average. We wouldn’t usually say a guy is raking if he’s just hitting for a lot of power (slug) or getting on base (via walks or extra base hits) but sporting an unimpressive batting average (anything below .300). But we will say a guy is raking if his batting average is well-north of .300, even if there isn’t a lot of power.

Basically, raking is “see ball, hit ball”


Hitting well, basically. You never refer to a pitcher who is pitching well as "raking." That would be "dealing."


Pitchers don’t rake, they mow. Same lawn, different tool
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LarryCoon
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:26 pm    Post subject:

LongBeachPoly wrote:
LarryCoon wrote:
What does "raked" mean in this context?


.320 avg
.382 obp
.492 slg
.874 ops


Okay, like "raked-in the stats?" Thanks.
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LarryCoon
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:27 pm    Post subject:

Cutheon wrote:
LC: raked in baseball terms means positive outlier performance. Crushed it. On a heater. Etc. sometimes it’s relative to the individual - meaning the stats may be less impressive compared to peers but unusually impressive for the batter - but often it’s relative to the league at large, I.e., he’s playing better than just about everyone.

I’ll also add the implication is usually batting average. We wouldn’t usually say a guy is raking if he’s just hitting for a lot of power (slug) or getting on base (via walks or extra base hits) but sporting an unimpressive batting average (anything below .300). But we will say a guy is raking if his batting average is well-north of .300, even if there isn’t a lot of power.

Basically, raking is “see ball, hit ball”


Thanks!
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ChickenStu
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 05, 2023 11:01 pm    Post subject:

Cutheon wrote:
ChickenStu wrote:
Cutheon wrote:
LC: raked in baseball terms means positive outlier performance. Crushed it. On a heater. Etc. sometimes it’s relative to the individual - meaning the stats may be less impressive compared to peers but unusually impressive for the batter - but often it’s relative to the league at large, I.e., he’s playing better than just about everyone.

I’ll also add the implication is usually batting average. We wouldn’t usually say a guy is raking if he’s just hitting for a lot of power (slug) or getting on base (via walks or extra base hits) but sporting an unimpressive batting average (anything below .300). But we will say a guy is raking if his batting average is well-north of .300, even if there isn’t a lot of power.

Basically, raking is “see ball, hit ball”


Hitting well, basically. You never refer to a pitcher who is pitching well as "raking." That would be "dealing."


Pitchers don’t rake, they mow. Same lawn, different tool


Mowin' em down! Haha.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 8:32 am    Post subject:

- We have no idea who our starting centerfielder is right now, per Dave Roberts:

Quote:
“I don’t. I think your guys’ guess right now is as good as mine,” answered Roberts when asked if he knew who the Dodgers starting center fielder is.

“I think Chris Taylor is in the mix, I think Trayce is in the mix, I think Heyward’s in the mix, I think James Outman is in the mix, and I think Bradley Zimmer. Great defender and trying to clean up some things with his bat.”


- Friedman says we're not going to try to get under the luxury tax. Sucks.

Quote:
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman denied it being a mandate and said he won’t trade from the Major League roster to possibly get below the luxury tax threshold, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:

“No,” Friedman said flatly of the possibility. “We’re doing all we can to win a championship this year.”


Miguel Rojas news:

- when we traded for him, he only had 1 yr left at $5M. We've added possibly 2 yrs to that deal:

2023 - $5M
2024 - $5M
2025 - $5M (team option or $1M buyout)

- He's turning 34 in 3 weeks. So, we've got him for his age 34, 35, 36 seasons at $5M per.

- He's coming off of hand/wrist injuries:

Quote:
he’s coming off two hand surgeries in the last four months. The first was a debridement to remove cartilage in his right wrist on the final day of the regular season (October 5). That injury was suffered on a slide in the first game after the All-Star break, and completely sapped Rojas’ power, hitting .230/.276/.281 with a 61 wRC+ and no home runs in the final two and a half months.

The second procedure for Rojas came in late January, to remove a piece of bone that was lodged between his thumb and index finger, which affected his swing while recovering from the first surgery.

Rojas was just cleared by doctors to resume hitting this week.


- He's going to play in the WBC, or wants to, so he should be fine for the season. If it's true that the injury sapped his power, then we should be getting a better hitting Rojas next season.

How much better? Here's his stats before and after getting injured:

Quote:
Before:
.237 avg
.287 obp
.349 slg
.636 ops

After:
.230 avg
.276 obp
.281 slg
.557 ops


Basically, Hanser Alberto level production. We weren't happy with Alberto's production, and he was much cheaper. We gave up a top 15 prospect to get Rojas for Alberto level production on offense. And we're planning on sticking him in LF. I can understand if we're going to make him our full time SS, but a utility player like Hanser Alberto? And it also puts us over the luxury tax?
Doesn't make sense at that price.

Here's what we got from Hanser last year:

Quote:
.222 avg
.258 obp
.365 slg
.623 ops


Here's how much he would have cost us:

Quote:
The Los Angeles Dodgers declined their team option on Hanser Alberto, who received a $250,000 buyout rather than a $2 million salary for the 2023 season.


- news about how Rojas is recovering from his injury/surgeries and wanting to play in the WBC:

Quote:
Rojas is coming off a down season at the plate in which he posted a .606 OPS in 140 games with the Marlins. He played through a nagging wrist injury and underwent surgery to repair it earlier this offseason. While he was rehabbing the wrist, tests showed a loose bone between his index finger and thumb. That required another surgery, one he underwent three weeks ago.

“I think a ton,” Rojas said, when asked whether the wrist injury affected his numbers last season. “But I’m not going to put it as an excuse for my numbers or anything that happens. I felt it, and I knew how it felt to hit with a bad wrist.”


Quote:
He would love to represent Venezuela in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. He’ll be put on the preliminary roster, but the ultimate decision will be made based on how he continues to progress from injury and dialogue with the Dodgers.

Whether he participates in the event, Rojas said he expects to be 100 percent ready by the start of Spring Training.


- This is going to irk ChickenStu, but we're planning on moving Rojas around. Maybe moved a GG caliber SS to LF:

Quote:
This spring will look a bit different for Rojas. In Miami, he was the everyday shortstop. With the Dodgers, Rojas will be more of a utilityman. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he envisions Rojas playing second and third base this season, as well as getting some time in left field. Rojas will also serve as the primary backup to Gavin Lux at shortstop
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 10:34 pm    Post subject:

The Dodgers will get under the tax. Friedman can't be this dumb. It's just not possible. Right?!?!
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