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Coming into last night, the Dodgers had scored 69 runs, which was the 2nd most runs in the MLB, but was only .500. They had the 5th highest ratio in baseball of runs scored that were done so by home runs, and the 4 teams ahead of them had a combined record of 24-22
But, if you take Tampa Bay out of that equation, the record would be 13-22.
Tampa Bay leads the league by a considerable margin in ERA at 2.18, which is a large reason why they are now 12-0. In fact, the Rays lead the league in runs allowed at just 29 as well, so, their margin for error on offense has been higher than any other team in baseball.Â
Starting Rotation
The Dodgers team ERA is 4.30, which is tied for 12th best in the MLB, and have 2 starters that have ERAs at 1.50 or below with Julio Urias (1.50) and Dustin May (1.47).
The 4th and 5th spots in the rotation have been a problem as Noah Syndergaard has an ERA of 6.30 and Michael Grove’s ERA is 14.73. Surprisingly, the bullpen has leaked as well as guys like Yency Almonte, Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips have shown that they are human after being elite last year.Â
OKC Bullpen
If the Dodgers decided they need help from the OKC bullpen, there are a lot of good candidates. Nick Robertson has been dominant with a 1.23 ERA and 12 Ks in just 7.1 innings. But, there are several other options that have MLB experience to choose from as well.Â
Justin Bruihl, Victor Gonzalez, Wander Suero, Adam Kolarek, and Tayler Scott all have MLB experience and all have thrown well, Mark Washington and Justin Hagenman don’t have Major League experience, but they have pitched very well and are viable options.
Muncy and Taylor
Another major question surrounding the club is what to do with Max Muncy and Chris Taylor. Muncy had 3 home runs against the Giants but is hitting just .214, although his OPS is very good at .924. Chris Taylor is hitting just .091 with an OPS of just .435, despite hitting 2 home runs on the season. If the Dodgers decide to replace one of those two at some point, the candidates at the top of the list would be Michael Busch, who, in my opinion, needs 300 MLB at-bats, Luke Williams and Jahmai Jones. Williams has been playing shortstop, and, with Rojas missing time due to injury, it could be assumed that the club would feel as if they needed someone who could play shortstop when brought up.Â
Williams is hitting .366 with an OPS of 1.194 and has MLB experience, so he has put himself in a position to be a very viable candidate if the club looks to dip down into the farm. Of course, he’s not on the 40-man roster, so for him to be brought up, someone would have to either be DFA’d or put on the IL, so that complicates his path.Â
Rancho
Tuesday night was one of the most impressive shows of arm talent that I can remember in a long time. L.A. had Dustin May pitching who has hit 100 in the past, AAA OKC had Gavin Stone who has hit 98, AA Tulsa started Emmet Sheehan who has hit as high as 99, Great Lakes brought Jake Pilarski in relief who has hit 101, and Rancho finished their game with Madison Jeffrey who was 98-100.Â
That’s truly impressive stuff, and another example of how much arm talent is in this organization.
Jared Karros is 6’7 & was flashing 4 pitches last night. Karros was drafted in the 16th Rd last summer after not pitching towards the end of 2021 & all of 2022 @ UCLA due to injury, which surely affected his draft stock. Impressive debut w/7 Ks in 3.2 innings! #dodgers
18-year-old Payton Martin may just be out of High School, but you couldn’t tell last night when he made his Pro Debut. He was touching mid 90’s with his 4-seam & dropped some pretty “dirty” breaking balls. He went 3 scoreless, struck out 3 & didn’t give up a hit.
Juan Alonso had a couple of Ribeye steaks last night to tie the game for Rancho. #juanalonso is a 19-year-old from Panama that is starting his 3rd year in the system.
Gotta love the way Kyle Nevin stays inside the baseball and is able to shoot the ball the other way. #kylenevin had 2 more hits last night & is off to a smokin’ hot start. He’s hitting .429 OPS 1.049 & is 8 for his last 14 with a double, a triple, and 5 RBIs.
When Rayne Doncon hits a home run, it stays hit! #raynedoncon has some serious natural power in his swing as shown by the no-doubter he hit last night. He’s hitting .261, has hits in his last 3 games & has five hits, including a home run & a double in his last 2.
Here’s a look at sweet-swinging catching prospect, Jesus Galiz. #jesusgaliz is the Dodger’s #25 prospect & played last year at the complex, but has started this year at Rancho. He is just 19 and is one of the 3 catching prospects from Venezuela.
Click the picture and check out Madison Jeffrey from the other night. His velo was 98-100, his slider was insane & he struck out the side. When he throws like he did last night, there are only 2 words of advice that anyone can give a hitter that is facing him. Those 2 words are “GOOD LUCK!”
6’2 24-year-old, Jeisson Cabrera had a good outing last night for Rancho going scoreless in his 1 inning of work. 2 of the 3 outs he recorded were via a strikeout.
Chris Newell is an outfielder that was taken in last year’s draft in the 13th Round. He was a big-time base stealer at UVA in College where he stole 37 of 41 bases. He combined that with 13 home runs last year. so he is a great combo of size, power & speed.
Peter Heubeck got the start for Rancho last night and threw 3 scoreless innings. Heubeck is a dynamic young right-hander that has a big arm, and a very big curveball and has worked to refine a slider to pair with his changeup. Great way to start for the Gilman Alum!
Joel Ibarra came in after Heubeck and threw 3 scoreless. The Dodgers like to use the 2 starters where 2 different guys, throw bulk innings. Ibarra has the big 4-seam, and can shape his breaking ball like a curveball or tighten it up to make it look like a slider.
High A Great Lakes
Reinaldo De Paula had a good outing for Great Lakes yesterday going 2 innings scoreless. DePaula jumped 3 levels last year & finished with the Loons. He had an ERA in 2022 of 3.19, an average against of .196 & a WHIP of 1.12, so he has good stuff. Check it out for yourself below.
Austin Gauthier had his 2nd multi-hit game in a row last night and has hits in 4 of the 5 games the Loons have played. He’s hitting .368 OPS 1.032 & has a home run, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 12 Total Bases, and has scored 5 runs on the year. Keep up the great work Austin!
Yunior Garcia went big fly for the 1st time in 2023. #yuniorgarcia hit .292 last year with an OPS of .843. When he gets hot, he stays hot! Last June he hit.337, Last July he hit.308 & in August he hit .431.
Jack Dreyer went scoreless in his 1 inning yesterday & hasn’t given up a run in his 2 outings. #jackdreyer missed much of 2019 at Iowa due to a shoulder injury, then 2020 got canceled, then had Tommy John surgery in ’21. It’s been a long road, but he’s back & doing well.
Bubba Alleyne was drafted last summer on the heels of a season at Maryland where he was the B1G player of the year. This dude brings big-time energy and a very good switch-hitting offensive game. He’s hitting .273 with an OPS of .878.
Dodger’s #7 prospect, Dalton Rushing, had 2 hits Wednesday for Great Lakes. #daltonrushing hit .404 after being drafted last summer, and draws high praise for the work he puts in game planning from the catcher’s position. Great young player.
In 2 outings and 3.1 innings, Christian Suarez has 7 Ks and no walks, and he hasn’t allowed a run. His stuff is explosive and he looks like he’s turning a corner.
6’4 Braydon Fisher was dropping his hook into the teeth of the Dayton Dragons Tuesday night and it was set to the tune of no runs & 5 Ks in just 1.2 innings. This was Fisher’s 3rd outing on the year, and he has yet to allow a run & has 8 Ks & now walks.
Dodgers #15 Prospect, Yeiner Fernandez, went big fly for the 1st time in 2023 Wednesday night. #yeinerfernandez is a catcher, but is very versatile and can play different infield spots as well.
We know that Jake Pilarski can hit triple-digits with his fastball, but, when he’s dropping breaking balls like he did tonight & he’s in the strike zone with multiple pitches, it’s absolutely not fair to any hitter on the planet. Check it out for yourself!
Justin Wrobleski is a very talented LHP who is starting his first full season as a pro. He was hitting 96 today & was dropping hammers & after he settled in, was dominant. He struck out the side in the 2nd inning then didn’t allow a run the rest of the way.
Mitchell Tyranski has fought Tommy John surgery and has missed 3 years when combined with the lost year due to covid, so he’s taken the long road back, but he’s back and in a big way. Today he gave up 0 runs in his 1 inning and struck out 2 of the 3 hitters he faced.
Here’s a good look at LHP Jack Dreyer, who the Dodgers signed to a free-agent contract after a good career at Iowa. #jackdreyer went 2 innings, gave up 0 runs, struck out 3, and gave up no hits. When he’s healthy, he’s very good!
Check out the slider from my man, Antonio Knowles. I really enjoy watching #antonioknowles pitch because he uses location, movement, and changing speeds to get outs and it absolutely works. He went 2 innings scoreless and struck out 2.
Ben Casparius had a good outing in his first start of his 2023 season going 3 innings and giving up just 1 run. He had 5 Ks and the slider was on point. #bencasparius is another guy that is very versatile with big stuff and can pitch in any role. Today he got the start.
Alex Freeland got his first hit in High A, then scored the first run of the year for the Loons, which was knocked in by the Dodgers #15 prospect, Yeiner Fernandez, who had the first RBI of the season for Great Lakes.
The bigger the moment, the more I want Michael Hobbs in the game. #michaelhobbs is the all-time saves leader at St. Mary’s & loves to have the ball in his hand when it matters the most. He’s also the steal of the 2021 draft IMO. He went 1.2 tonight giving up 0 ERs.
Good start to 2023 for Robbie Peto out of his familiar Piggyback role. #robbiepeto came in behind Ronan Kopp and went 4 Innings, gave up just 1 run on 2 hits, he had 3 Ks and no walks. Peto is a 4-pitch strike thrower, he threw 38 strikes in 55 pitches.
Ronan Kopp got his 2023 season off to a good start striking out 6 in 3.0 Innings, giving up just 2 hits and a run. Kopp has continued to get better and better since he joined the Dodgers system and is set to have a big year in 2023.
AA Tulsa
Josh Stowers had a 3-hit day for AA Tulsa Wednesday evening and is hitting .500 OPS 1.183 so far. Stowers is a former 2nd Round Draft pick of the Mariners from the 2018 Draft & was picked up off of waivers in December by the Dodgers from Texas. He’s still only 26 years old.
Imanol Vargas had a double Wednesday for AA Tulsa. #imanolvargas is one of the most underrated offensive prospects in the system. He led the Midwest League last year in On-base % and hit .268 OPS .871. This year he’s hitting .286 OPS .873.
Landon Knack had another very good performance on Wednesday to continue his great start to 2023. #landonknack has posted an ERA of just 1.13 in his 2 outings, a WHIP of just 0.88, and an Avg. Against of just .200. Keep up the Great Work Landon!
Andy Pages had the type of night on Tuesday where he impacted the game at every level. He had 2 hits, 3 RBIs, and scored twice, then he also made a great catch in Center Field. This dude is on a mission right now!
Jose Ramos had 3 hits Tuesday night for AA Tulsa. Ramos has some of the best tools of any young outfielder in the game. He has a world of power, and an insanely strong arm, he’s a great athlete, and he can hit for average. Not much he can’t do!
Jonny DeLuca had 2 hits on Wednesday night for AA Tulsa and is hitting .308 on the year with an OPS of 1.141. This was his 13th multi-hit game since the beginning of July dating back to last season. #jonnydeluca has been hot since the beginning of last June.
Emmet Sheehan has thrown 9 innings total in his 2 outings and he has 17 strikeouts and just 1 walk. He’s given up just 2 runs during that period as well and has a WHIP on the year of 0.444.
Brandon Lewis hit his 1st home run of 2023 against Midland. #brandonlewis is a corner infielder with a to of power. In fact, he’s hit 54 home runs in the last 2 years.
Kyle Hurt hit 99 on 2 different occasions Saturday and looked great going 2.0 scoreless innings in the piggyback role behind River Ryan. He struck out 3, walked just 1, and threw 30 strikes in 46 pitches. #kylehurt has a big arm and great stuff, so keep your eye on him!
Grass is Green, Water is Wet, John Rooney Picked off another base runner after he came set. Rooney has been moved to the pen which will allow him to be in “max” mode at all times with his slider and good fastball. I’m pumped to see what happens with him in the pen.
River Ryan was hitting 97 today for AA Tulsa. It’s truly amazing the number of power arms this organization has, and #riverryan is at the top of the list. He went 4 innings, gave up no runs, just 1 hit, and struck out 2. He needed just 46 pitches to get through 4.
Diego Cartaya, the Dodger’s #1 prospect, got his first hit in AA this week for the Drillers in their 5-2 win over San Antonio. Check it out in the video.
There were almost 8000 at OneOk and Jordan Leasure fed off of the energy hitting 97 & dropping nasty sliders. I’ve said it many times, but #jordanleasure has closer written all over him. His arm is big, his stuff is great & his mentality is perfect for high leverage.
Jorbit Vivas had a big night for AA Tulsa going 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBIs. #jorbitvivas got the only hit of the night last night for Tulsa and is hitting .364 so far with an OPS of .872. He is on the 40-man, so the Dodgers are very high on him & for good reason.
Tanner Dodson is very intriguing because he has reached 100 mph with his fastball in the past. He got his season off to a good start tonight going scoreless in his 1 inning & striking out 2. He did walk 1 batter, but he threw 16 strikes in 23 pitches so very good outing.
The Dodger’s #10 prospect, Nick Frasso, had a successful start to his 2023 season, going 4 innings, and throwing 65 pitches, which is great for his first time out. He threw 65 pitches, 47 were strikes, gave up 1 run on 4 hits, and had 6 Ks and no walks.
AAA OKC
Michael Busch had a double on Wednesday and now has hits in 7 games in a row, and, dating back to Spring Training, he has hits in 14 of his last 15 games. He’s hitting .333 OPS .834.
Per Alex Freedman, the OKC PxP voice, OKC, on Tuesday night, finished their 3rd walk-off of the year and their 5th comeback victory in the first 7 games of the year. Here’s the latest.
Another great outing for LHP Justin Bruihl on Tuesday. #justinbruihl went scoreless in his 1 inning and hasn’t given up a run in his 4 outings in the regular season. Dating back to Spring Training he hasn’t given up a run in his last 5.
Nick Robertson was dirty again tonight going scoreless for his 4th outing in a row. His ERA on the year is 1.69 and his WHIP is just 0.19. Check it out for yourself below.
Tayler Scott went scoreless again Tuesday night in his 1 inning and has yet to allow a run in his 4 outings.
Mark Washington was dominant Tuesday night and equally as efficient. #markwashington went 2 innings, gave up no runs, just 1 hit, and threw 17 strikes in 21 pitches. His ERA on the year is 2.84 on the year.
Hunter Feduccia has caught the attention of a lot of Dodgers fans with the way he’s played offense going all the way back to Spring Training. The #1 question I get about him is, How Does He Throw? Here’s a clip of him throwing down tonight & you can be your own judge.
Wander Suero has been in absolute lockdown mode this year. His ERA in the regular season is 1.80 and his avg. against is just .133. In Spring Training his ERA was 0.99 and his avg. against was .195, WHIP was just 0.99.
Victor Gonzalez looked great in his last outing striking out 3 in 1.1 innings and not allowing a run. Gonzalez was 96 consistently on his sinker, of which he threw all but 1 pitch in his outing.
Adam Kolarek had a good outing for OKC in his last outing on Sunday, going 1.1 scoreless. He’s off to a very good start posting an ERA of just 2.08 so far & hasn’t allowed a run in his last 3 outings. He has only allowed a single run in his first outing of the season, and it’s been blanks since.
Patrick Mazeika had a 2 hit night for AAA OKC Sunday &, at that time, was hitting .357 so far with an OPS of .757 in 14 at-bats. #patrickmazeika was an 8th Rd. draft pick by the Mets in 2015 & has 147 MLB At-bats, so, like many on the OKC roster, he’s looking to rekindle an MLB career.
Bradley Zimmer had 2 hits last night for OKC, including his 1st HR. #bradleyzimmer is off to a good start hitting .318/OPS.855. He was a 1st Round Draft pick in 2014 & at the age of 30 is looking to jump-start his MLB career. He has hits 5 of the 6 games he’s played in.
Luke Williams has 3 hits & 3 RBIs for AAA OKC. It’s time to put a radar on #lukewilliams because he has MLB talent & is hitting .391 OPS 1.226 and he’s yet to make an error at shortstop. This guy is good so it will be interesting to see what the club does with him.
Watch Drew Avans turn this fairly routine single into a hustling double. #drewavans has 3 hits and 2 RBIs tonight, he’s scored 3 times and he has 5 total bases. Just another night for the Southeastern Louisiana Lion!
In terms of HRs per at-bat last year, Ryan Ward was in the elite slugger category & on Aug. 7th, after earning Texas League Player of the Week, he was also hitting .272. That was right before he got hurt. He went back-to-back with Duggar tonight for his 1st HR of 2023.
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