Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Sorry we are a day late, asthma, plus a cold, plus smoke in the air from fireworks equals bad breathing.
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Ask Jaime Jarrín
For the next part of our “Ask….” series. Jaime Jarrín, the Spanish-language voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for 64 seasons before retiring after the 2022 season, will answer selected questions from readers. Jarrín is in the Baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster and was the longtime interpreter for Fernando Valenzuela. Please send your questions to [email protected] before 10 p.m. Friday.
Koufax or Kershaw?
When Clayton Kershaw reached the 3,000 strikeout mark, Bill Plaschkewrote a column saying it clinched Kershaw being the greatest pitcher in Dodgers history, greater than Sandy Koufax.
I could give you pages of stats and biographical information on both men, but I’m guessing most of you already know about them. Books have been written about Koufax, and books will be written about Kershaw.
A few weeks ago, I wrote “Kershaw and Koufax are the two best pitchers in Dodgers history,” and I got inundated with emails from angry Koufax fans, wondering why I would mention them in the same sentence, let alone list Kershaw first (um, alphabetical order). So, I broach the topic very carefully.
The thing to keep in mind is they are both great pitchers. Both first-ballot Hall of Famers. Both have won World Series, Cy Young Awards and MVP awards.
So how do you determine who is the best? It depends on how much you value certain things. Let’s look at some arguments.
1. Koufax had only five great seasons, and they all came when the rules of the time favored the pitcher.
2. In his prime, Koufax pitched 300 innings a season and had multiple complete games (Koufax had 27 complete games in 1965 and 1966. Kershaw has had 25 complete games in his career and never pitched more than 236 innings in a season). Keep in mind that Kershaw never wanted to come out of games, he was really an old-school pitcher stuck in modern times.
3. Koufax is the best postseason pitcher in history with an 0.95 ERA in eight postseason games, all in the World Series. Of all pitchers with multiple Cy Young Awards, Kershaw is easily the worst in the postseason, going 13-13 with a 4.49 ERA. If we just limit it to the World Series, it’s not much better, as he is 3-2 with a 4.46 ERA.
4. Koufax pitched in three World Series that the Dodgers won. Kershaw pitched in only one.
5. Koufax didn’t have to pitch in multiple postseason rounds like Kershaw did. If he had to pitch in three rounds just to get to the World Series, his numbers likely wouldn’t be as good.
6. Kershaw had a much, much longer career where he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Depending on what you call a great season, it’s 10, 11 or 12. Koufax had “just” the five.
7. Kershaw has a career ERA+ of 155, meaning he was 55% better than a league average pitcher in his career. Koufax’s was 131, meaning he was 31% better. Of course, Kershaw didn’t pitch into the eight and ninth all that often, helping save his ERA somewhat.
Those are just a few of the arguments. As to what I think? If I had to pick one, in their prime, to start a winner-take-all game, I’d pick Koufax. If you said “You can have this guy’s regular-season career, starting from Game 1, for your team,” I’d go with Kershaw. So, it depends on what you consider great. They were both great.
Read Plaschke’s column, which has several good arguments, by clicking here.
Have you read it? Then please vote in our survey, “Who was better, Clayton Kershaw or Sandy Koufax?” Heck, you can vote even if you didn’t read Plaschke’s column. You can vote by clicking here.
Swept by the Astros
Of all teams to be swept by, it had to be the Houston (no relation) Astros? They did expose some problems the Dodgers have had all season: Banged-up players and bad pitching.
Max Muncy, who was their best hitter in the last six weeks, is on the IL (more on that below). Tommy Edman has a broken toe. Teoscar Hernández fouled a ball off his left foot Saturday, and is still plagued by the groin injury that put him on the IL earlier this season. He isn’t close to 100%. Kiké Hernández went on the IL Monday with elbow inflammation. Mookie Betts hasn’t seemed to recover from losing 25 pounds just before the season and is hitting a paltry (by Betts’ standards) .252/.324/.397. Last season he hit .289/.372/.491. He is currently on track for the worst offensive season of his career. Add in the fact that Teoscar is just a brutal fielder in right, and you have to wonder if a move back to right is being considered, not that they’d talk openly about it. I mean, it was so bad that Michael Conforto hit fifth Sunday.
Pitching wise, Ben Casparius is suddenly having trouble getting people out. Noah Davis, with a career ERA of 8.95 was on the staff and gave up 10 runs Friday. Most of the guys in the bullpen are having bad seasons compared to their career norms. The bullpen ERA (4.41) is 24th of the 30 teams. In the rotation, they have one reliable guy (Yoshinobu Yamamoto), two erratic guys (Dustin May and Kershaw), one guy who might be solid, but it’s too soon to tell (Emmet Sheehan), one guy who pitches well but hasn’t gone more than two innings (Shohei Ohtani) and a bunch of wishes and prayers for everyone else.
We keep hearing that Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are returning soon (Glasnow perhaps this week), but I’ll believe it when I see it, and given their history, how long before they get hurt again?
Does this mean it is time to panic? Of course not. Despite all of the above, the Dodgers have the second-best record in baseball, a six-game lead over the Giants and seven-game lead over the Padres. They will make the postseason. If you recall, they struggled at times with similar issues last season, and that season ended OK if I remember correctly.
Andrew Friedman has shown that he is not afraid the make moves at the trade deadline. You can count on a move or two before the deadline this season (July 31 at 3 p.m. PT). The roster right now will not be the roster on day one of the postseason. So, let’s see what happens.
Max Muncy injured
You have to feel bad for Max Muncy. He finally had turned things around and was one of the team’s best hitters again. Then, his knee is injured when Michael Taylor of the White Sox slides into it while trying to steal third. It looked terrible, as your knee isn’t designed to bend that direction. It looked like he had torn everything in his knee and would be out for the season.
However, the Dodgers say an MRI exam showed just a bone bruise and he should be back in six weeks. Hopefully, that’s what happens and he doesn’t lose his swing while he’s recovering. However, the Dodgers have been historically vague when talking about injuries. If you remember, Muncy hurt his elbow on the last day of the 2021, in a similar situation, only the runner collided with his elbow at first instead of his knee at third.
After that injury, the MRI was described as the best-case scenario, and Dave Roberts said, “I just don’t want to, we don’t want to, close the door on a potential down-the-road postseason appearance.” Muncy and the club kept insisting he could return for the postseason if the Dodgers advanced to the World Series.
A month or so after the Dodgers were eliminated from the postseason, Muncy said he had torn the UCL in his elbow and knew he wasn’t going to play in the postseason.
So, hopefully his new injury is the best-case scenario, but I’m not holding my breath. With this injury, the Dodgers said they won’t be actively exploring a deal for a third baseman since Muncy will be back, meaning we will know a lot more about the accuracy of what they are saying if they actually don’t trade for a third baseman.
All-Stars
The five Dodgers who will be on the All-Star team this season:
Starters Freddie Freeman Shohei Ohtani Will Smith
Pitchers Clayton Kershaw Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Kershaw was named as the commissioner’s “Legend Pick.”
Christian Walker
Christian Walker continues to be a Dodger killer. He had a big series for the Astros, and is one of only nine opponents with at least 20 homers at Dodger Stadium. The list:
Barry Bonds, 29 George Foster, 23 Henry Aaron, 22 Dale Murphy, 22 Mike Schmidt, 22 Willie Stargell, 21 Paul Goldschmidt, 20 Dave Kingman, 20 Christian Walker, 20
In his career against the Dodgers, Walker is hitting .259/.318/.563 with 10 doubles, 28 homers and 64 RBIs in 340 plate appearances. Some have emailed wondering if they should just intentionally walk Walker in every at bat. No. That would be foolish. Just walk him when the situation calls for it (second and third, one out, for example, depending on who is pitching). There is no one in baseball history you should walk every at bat.
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. It has been so hot the last couple of days, my neighborhood ice cream man has changed the sign on his truck to just say “cream.”
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Once again, so you don’t get tired of hearing from me, I have reached out to someone else to answer some frequently asked questions. We welcome my Times colleague Jack Harris, who is our main Dodgers reporter.
Q. The most-often asked question I get now is “Why is Michael Conforto playing so much while Hyeseong Kim rides the bench?” So, why?
Harris: A couple of reasons:
1) Kim’s best defensive position, second base, has been blocked lately by Tommy Edman, who hadn’t been able to play the outfield in recent weeks because of his nagging ankle injury. Kim has primarily been in center field as a result, where his fundamentals aren’t nearly as polished.
2) The Dodgers guaranteed Conforto $17 million this offseason, and still have hope he can turn things somewhat around offensively. At least until the deadline, they need to keep giving him opportunities to see whether he can be a contributor, and if not, whether that’s an area they need to target reinforcements.
That said, Edman did return to outfield duties this week. And Dave Roberts has indicated the playing time between Kim and Conforto will start to even out (though both sat plenty this past week because the Dodgers faced several left-handed starters).
My guess is, over the next couple months, Kim will become a more regular member of the starting lineup — assuming he continues to hit. But in the meantime, you’ll still see Conforto (who, in fairness, has shown some signs of life lately) get regular starts as well.
Q. Max Muncy turns his season around, in some part because he started wearing glasses. Last season, it was discovered that Kiké Hernández needed glasses. Why isn’t a comprehensive eye exam part of every spring training?
Harris: As Hernández noted when we wrote about this last year, players typically do get eye exams in spring training. However, in both his and Muncy’s cases, they had very subtle imperfections that weren’t flagged until they visited with an eye specialist.
Muncy himself said his vision is 20/12 (which, presumably, is why his eyesight had never come under question before), but that the astigmatism he learned he had in his right eye left him left eye dominant; not ideal for a left-handed hitter. He insists the glasses are only part of why he’s been better recently, noting a breakthrough with his swing as the bigger difference the past couple months.
Still, Muncy and Hernández are not the first big-leaguers to discover they could benefit from glasses (Hernández said he first heard a similar story from Martín Maldonado). I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s something that gets a closer look — pardon the pun — in the future from teams.
Q. Your best guess on when these pitchers will return: Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki.
Harris: Glasnow will need at least two more rehab outings. If those go well, that should line him up to return shortly after the All-Star break.
Snell should probably be ready to start facing hitters this upcoming homestand, if not soon after. He’ll probably need a couple of live sessions, then 3-4 minor-league rehab outings. And since those happen one week at a time, I’d say early August is a safe bet.
Sasaki is a much bigger question. He got a shoulder injection earlier this month, and was feeling much better this last week, according to Roberts. But he still hasn’t thrown a bullpen, let alone come close to facing hitters. There’s time for him to come back if he can keep progressing, but it would probably be closer to September at this rate. Tony Gonsolin, who remains shut down from throwing himself, is probably in a similar boat.
Q. It was interesting that after Emmet Sheehan pitched so well in his lone start for the Dodgers (four innings, one run, three hits, six strikeouts) that they would send him down after that. What was the thinking there?
That was a surprise to me. But the way the Dodgers looked at it, Sheehan wasn’t fully built up yet, and they needed someone to pitch Tuesday and Sunday (so on four days’ rest) this past road trip — with the first at hitter-friendly Coors Field, no less.
Thus, the team decided it’d be better to let Sheehan continue stretching out in a more controlled environment in Oklahoma City, and keep Justin Wrobleski on the big-league roster for those two outings.
Sheehan will be eligible to return during next weekend’s Astros series, and Roberts has indicated there will be an opportunity for him to start games once they get there. But for now, Wrobleski has also continued to impress in his extended opportunity.
For perhaps the first time all year, the team might actually soon have some legitimate starting pitching depth (but don’t blame me if I just jinxed it).
Q. Should we be worried about the down season Mookie Betts is having at the plate?
Panicked? No. But somewhat concerned? Probably.
While Betts has always been a relatively streaky hitter, the numbers he is on pace for this year would be career-lows across the board.
Granted, he was affected by his early season stomach virus, and did bat better than .300 over 32 games from late April through the first week of June. But overall, he simply hasn’t generated as much power or hard contact as he usually does (he has only six home runs in his last 73 games), and his already underwhelming bat speed has continued to decline.
I’d still expect him to bounce back, at least to some extent, in the second half. But until he does, the more you have to wonder whether — at age 32 — he is starting to enter a new, less productive, stage of his career offensively.
The other explanation, of course, is that his (ever-impressive) shortstop play is taking some toll on him at the plate. However, he has continually denied that, and noted how last year he was posting MVP numbers while grinding just to learn the position, so I remain dubious of that theory.
Q. In a best-case scenario, how many innings would Shohei Ohtani be able to pitch in a start by the end of the season?
There’s no reason he can’t get stretched out to make full-length starts of 6-7 innings by the end of the season.
The question is whether that will make most sense for the Dodgers down the stretch run of the year.
Ohtani’s bat remains the single most important piece of the team’s chances to repeat as World Series champions. The more he pitches, the more variables that are introduced to his offensive capabilities.
It’s worth remembering, Ohtani turns 31 next week. Even his seemingly superhuman strengths have their limits. And Roberts has alluded to bouts of minor fatigue he has dealt with since beginning to ramp up as a pitcher.
My guess is, if the rotation remains ravaged by injuries and there are pitching holes to plug come October, Ohtani will be treated like more a normal starter.
But, if the Dodgers have three to four other healthy starters they trust by then, it might make more sense to limit his innings — and perhaps use him as a de facto opener in bullpen games instead.
That’s why, for now, the team is in no rush to increase his innings. They’re letting him build a foundation a few innings at a time, and will see how the rest of the staff shapes up before adding even more to his plate.
Q. The Dodgers seem to have had a rain delay everywhere they go this season. What do you do in the press box during a rain delay?
It’s always a good time to get caught up on other stories I’m working on (that’s how I spent most of Sunday’s hourlong delay).
Otherwise, either eat, watch other games around the league, or talk to fellow reporters in the press box.
The best delay was definitely at Coors Field this past week. It was their “hometown hoedown” theme night, so they were doing country music karaoke on the scoreboard. Wisely, Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” was one of the songs (my personal go-to whenever I stumble into a karaoke bar). There might have been some singing from yours truly in the press box that night.
NL All-Star lineup could be all Dodgers
The two finalists for All-Star starter at each position have been announced, and there’s a Dodger or two at each position, so it’s possible that almost the entire NL starting lineup could be Dodgers. As the top vote-getter in the NL, Shohei Ohtani is guaranteed to start at DH. The other finalists:
National League finalists Catcher: Will Smith, Carson Kelly (Cubs) First base: Freddie Freeman, Pete Alonso (Mets) Second base: Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks), Tommy Edman Shortstop: Francisco Lindor (Mets), Mookie Betts Third base: Manny Machado (Padres), Max Muncy Outfield: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Teoscar Hernández (Dodgers), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves), Kyle Tucker (Cubs), Andy Pages (Dodgers), Juan Soto (Mets)
They are listed in the order they finished in the balloting. Voting began Monday at 9 a.m. PDT and concludes Wednesday at 9 a.m. PDT. Voting can be done online at MLB.com/vote. The first round of voting is thrown out, and only votes received from Monday-Wednesday will count.
Former Dodger Austin Barnes, released by the team earlier this season, has signed a minor-league deal with the San Francisco Giants.
Barnes has been assigned to the Giants’ Arizona Complex League team, probably to work himself back into playing shape before heading to triple A or the Giants. If he makes the Giants, they will owe him the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary of $760,000, and the Dodgers will owe the remainder of the $3.5 million Barnes was due for the 2025 season.
The Giants’ president of baseball operations is Buster Posey, who was the longtime catcher for the team and the backstop for three World Series title teams. Their starting catcher, Patrick Bailey, has struggled mightily this season. The Giants have a mix of veterans and youngsters in the starting rotation, and a guy such as Barnes could prove beneficial for all of them, as he was always considered almost an extra coach for the Dodgers. Or, he could play poorly in Arizona and they never bring him up. Either way, it won’t cost them much.
Catching up with Walker Buehler
Colleague Bill Shaikincaught up with former Dodger Walker Buehler when the Boston Red Sox were in town to face the Angels recently. Buehler has struggled mightily with the Red Sox this season. He is currently 5-6 with a 6.45 ERA.
Among Buehler’s quotes:
“Somehow, this year, I’ve managed to do all the negative things you can. I’ll keep working. It’s just tough to let down our team….”
“I think, in all honesty, it’s a lot easier to stay good than to get good. The guys on the other side of the field from me drive nice cars, get paid a lot of money to be really good at what they do. Outside of a couple swings [during the Angels game], I think largely I beat myself, which is just not something that you can do here.
“I think it’s in there. I think my arm still moves good. I think I can still make the ball move. I think I can still pitch in the major leagues.
“At some point, the belief, it gets hard to keep tricking yourself. At some point, I have got to put some results up there, for myself, but also for this organization.”
One impressive thing about Buehler, is he never hides when he’s doing poorly. He will stand there and answer questions. Hopefully, he rebounds and becomes a productive pitcher again. Though you have to wonder, after seeing him in last year’s World Series, if he would be better off as a high-leverage reliever now.
With the Fourth of July holiday Friday, the next Dodgers Dugout will be early next week. I hope you all have an enjoyable holiday weekend. When we return, we will resume our “Top 10” at each position series.
These names seem familiar
A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Sunday). Click on the player name to be taken to the Baseball Reference page with all their stats.
From 2002, Shawn Green has six hits, including four home runs, against the Brewers. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. If the Dodgers put Kiké Hernández on the injured list, does that count as another injured pitcher?
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There are few Dodgers who have been more loved than Hernández. He plays almost every position and plays them well. He is the Dodgers’ version of Mr. October come the postseason. He plays catch with kids in the stands occasionally before games. He brings a fun-loving spirit to the team, something that was noticeably missing when he was playing elsewhere.
But it’s time for him to stop pitching.
The goofy looking helmet and the lobbed pitches were cute at first. But they have grown increasingly less cute as time has gone on (though he doesn’t wear the helmet every time now). It borders on disrespectful, especially when the Dodgers have a big lead. It’s more like “You can’t hit our real pitchers, so try this guy.” It’s Little League.
Sure, the Dodgers are playing within the rules, but that doesn’t make it more palatable. Yes, they want to save a bullpen arm, but they aren’t even doing that anymore. He came in June 14 against the Giants with an 11-0 lead and gave up five runs in two-thirds of an inning. He had to be relieved by Anthony Banda. He came in Sunday against the Nationals with a 13-3 lead, gave up four runs in one-third of an inning and had to be relieved by Alex Vesia. So, what is pitching him accomplishing exactly?
This really points to a bigger problem in baseball, if I can sound like an old guy for a moment. It’s sort of sad that any team with eight relief pitchers has to turn to a position player in order to preserve arms. Yes, the game is different. Pitchers are asked to throw as hard as they can on every pitch, and just about every pitcher, especially in relief, has a 95-mph-or-better fastball. In the late ‘70s, the Dodgers had a four- or five-man bullpen. In 1977, it was mainly Charlie Hough (can you imagine a knuckleballer being a closer today?), Elias Sosa, Mike Garman and Lance Rautzhan. The 1988 Dodgers had Jay Howell, Alejandro Peña, Tim Crews, Brian Holton and Jesse Orosco.
And this isn’t just limited to the Dodgers. Last season, 40 position players pitched in a game, some in multiple games. They pitched 66 1/3 innings and had a 7.08 ERA. In 2006, no position players pitched. In 2021, it happened 112 times. That’s ridiculous. Might as well bring in the stilts guy from the Savannah Bananas to pitch.
Of course, this is a byproduct of starters not able to go past five innings for the most part. This season, the six Dodger pitchers with the most starts are averaging 5.26 innings per start. In 1988, Orel Hershiser averaged 7.82 innings a start. The five top Dodger starters average almost seven innings a start. In 1981, Fernando Valenzuela averaged 7.69 innings per start. The four top Dodger starters averaged 6.77 innings per start. So, there’s a need for more relief pitchers today.
But you have eight and need to use a position player? Something has gone wrong when that happens. And can we please stop talking about how “we are preserving arms” when there are more pitching injuries now than any time in history?
Will this change one day? Not soon, but it could. It will take a team who is willing to develop starters who can go deep into games, and then win consistently doing that. The stolen base disappeared from the game until Maury Wills won an MVP award and would at times single-handedly win games for the Dodgers. Four-man rotations were around for years until the Dodgers switched to a five-man rotation and found much success.
There is something lost when you can’t cheer a Clayton Kershaw when he walks off the mound with two outs in the eighth inning, clinging to a 2-1 lead, and then watch one reliever come in and close it out. That’s how legends are made and how baseball elevates itself as a sport. That’s what kids talk about on the way home. The noise of that crowd when the pitcher comes out. It’s not the same when Kershaw stays in the dugout after five innings, and the 17th reliever the Dodgers have used this season, just called up that day, comes in to pitch. Followed by the 18th pitcher. The kid doesn’t go home in awe of that. Those little moments have been lost. Let’s hope one day in the future they come back.
In the meantime, don’t let Hernández pitch, since you don’t seem to be preserving anything by doing so.
Welcome back, Max Muncy
At the end of April, may baseball pundits across the land called for the Dodgers to get rid of Max Muncy and trade for Nolan Arenado of the Cardinals. Muncy was through. It was all over. He was toast. (If you are wondering what was said in this newsletter, dig out the April 28 edition, or, if, you have a digital subscription to The Times, you can read it here).
On April 28, Muncy was hitting .180/.295/.236 with five doubles, no homers, 14 walks and 34 strikeouts in 105 plate appearances.
On April 29, Muncy started wearing glasses during games. He homered. On Sunday, he hit two homers, a grand slam and a three-run homer.
Since April 29, he was hitting .268/.410/.514 with four doubles, two triples, 11 homers, 41 RBIs, 35 walks and 30 strikeouts in 183 plate appearances.
“You look at the last 30 days, I think he’s been our best hitter,” Dave Roberts told reporters after Sunday’s game. “We never wavered in our confidence, and we’ve shown that, and he’s proven us all right.”
Muncy has gone from being one of the worst hitters to someone who should get All-Star consideration. It’s a testament to him, it’s a testament to the Dodgers not giving up on a veteran and it’s a testament to optometrists everywhere.
Quiet on the set
While I’m channeling my inner “old man yells at cloud,” let’s talk a little bit about how loud Dodger Stadium is. It has gotten so loud, you can’t talk to people seated next to you between batters.
Recently, Times reporter Bill Shaikin took a decibel reader to Dodger Stadium. It topped out at 95 decibels, which is the sound a jackhammer makes if you are 50 feet away from it. It’s also the level at which sustained exposure may result in hearing loss. To be clear, it wasn’t always at 95; it was 95 during the pregame lineup introductions. And it gets louder than that when a home run or another exciting play happens.
But I get emails every week from readers, both young and old, complaining about how their ears are ringing a day after going to a Dodger game. Or that they can’t hear their seatmate. Shaikin took his decibel reader to Angel Stadium and San Diego’s Petco Park. Dodger Stadium was louder, especially in the hour before the game.
The players Shaikin talked to seem to love it.
“I think it’s great,” Clayton Kershaw said. “Even on the road, I’d rather have that than quiet. St. Louis was just really quiet. It almost felt like golf at times.
“The louder, the more fun, the better. The Dodgers have the best sound system out there. So why not use it?”
Mookie Betts: “It’s just all part of an entertainment show. There is no ‘too loud.’ ”
Will Smith is leading the league in batting average (.328) and on-base percentage (.425) and is seventh in slugging (.544). Freddie Freeman is second, third and 11th in those categories. Shohei Ohtani is 10th, fifth and first…
In the May 19 newsletter, we discussed the tough 29 games the Dodgers were about to play, all against teams at the time in or on the cusp of a postseason spot and how we’d get a real sense of how good the Dodgers are after that. The games were: seven against the Mets; three with Cleveland; three against the Yankees; three against St. Louis; three against Arizona; seven against San Diego; three against San Francisco. The Dodgers went 17-12 in those games. So, they’re pretty good. Six of their next nine games are against the two worst teams in baseball, the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox. Now watch them go 2-4 against them. …
Tyler Glasnow, on the IL since April 28, made his first rehab start Sunday, pitching two scoreless innings for triple-A Oklahoma City. He walked three and struck out one, throwing 48 pitches….
If you want to vote for the All-Star Game starters this season, you can do so online by clicking here….
On Friday, the Dodgers announced they have committed $1 million toward assistance for families of immigrants affected by the recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, as well as plans for further initiatives to be unveiled in the coming days. “What’s happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected,” team president Stan Kasten said in a statement. “We believe that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles.”
These names seem familiar
A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Sunday). Click on the player name to be taken to the Baseball Reference page with all their stats.
From 1992, rookie Eric Karros hits a walk-off home run against the Pirates. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
The story is so good, so rich, that Hollywood couldn’t resist.
The Lakers, a golden brand. The stars on the basketball court. The celebrities on the sidelines. The spotlight on the show flying up and down the floor 24 seconds at a time.
HBO made a series. Books have been authored. Documentaries have been filmed. No hyperbole is too outrageous.
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird helped save basketball. The Lakers were the greatest show in town. The highs and lows, the devastation and the jubilation, made them iconic.
And the ringmasters for the last 45 years have been the Buss family.
That era culminated Wednesday when a majority of Buss’ six children agreed to sell controlling interest of the franchise to Mark Walter for a record price — a $10-billion valuation that’s the highest in pro sports history.
The initial reaction to the news — a sale that shocked the Lakers’ biggest partners inside and outside of the NBA — centered on what it will mean for the organization. Will Walter and his partners pour the same financial resources that they’ve deployed to turn the Dodgers into the best team in baseball? How will their capital boost the weakest areas of the franchise’s infrastructure? What will happen next?
We don’t know for sure. We do, though, know what just wrapped — an era of pro-sports ownership unrivaled in success and melodrama.
The start
Dr. Jerry Buss wasn’t a physician — the title came from a degree in chemistry at USC. And the money? It didn’t come from science. It came from real estate. But Buss was always one to sense an opportunity, and Jack Kent Cooke’s record-breaking divorce settlement meant that he was about to capitalize on one.
In 1979, Buss scrambled to put together a wild business deal — properties and cash moving between Buss, third parties and Cooke before the self-made man ended up with The Forum, the Los Angeles Kings and, in what would be his legacy, the Los Angeles Lakers. The price was $67.5 million.
The timing was impeccable. The team would win a coin flip and with it the right to select Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Buss’ and Johnson’s relationship helped lay the groundwork for the player-empowerment era that dominates the current NBA, Buss realizing faster than his peers that the biggest and best players were what drove the league’s success.
In his first season as owner, the Lakers won an NBA title, kicking off a decade-long battle with the Boston Celtics that helped the NBA move from the margins of pro sports to the mainstream.
In this 1979 photo, Lakers owner Jerry Buss is shown with children (clockwise from top left) Janie, Johnny, Jim and Jeanie.
(Gunther / mptvimages.com)
Yet it was more than Johnson leading fastbreaks, flashing smiles and dishing no-look passes. It was the merging of sports and entertainment that helped define what fans now experience.
In 1979, shortly after purchasing the Lakers, Buss commissioned the first Laker Girls dance team. The Forum Club became one of the city’s hottest nightspots. The games were more than athletic contests. They were events.
For the first 12 seasons Buss owned the team, they never won fewer than 54 games in an 82-game season. Titles came in 1982 against the 76ers, 1985 and 1987 against the hated Celtics and 1988 against Detroit.
The Lakers built one of basketball’s most unstoppable machines — Jerry West in the front office, Pat Riley on the sideline and Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper flying on the break.
As Buss became one of the NBA’s most powerful figures, his children were at his side, learning the business. His daughter, Jeanie, famously helped organize events at the Forum. The family’s true promoter spirit couldn’t be suppressed — soccer, indoor tennis, roller hockey, the Buss family tried it all.
Even after Johnson’s stunning retirement after his HIV diagnosis, the Lakers missed the playoffs just once before they fully reloaded, first with Shaquille O’Neal, then with Kobe Bryant and finally with Phil Jackson.
Nothing, though, would last forever.
The transition
In 2005, The Times’ Hall of Fame basketball writer, Mark Heisler, wrote about Buss’ succession plan coming into focus.
“Jerry Buss wanted a crowd-pleasing basketball team the movie stars could relate to but might have gone too far,” Heisler wrote. “He wound up with the greatest floating soap opera in sports, and basketball was almost beside the point.”
Still, it was Buss’ legacy.
“I just can’t visualize myself walking away, relinquishing control,” Buss said in a 2002 story in The Times. “My relationship with this team is a lifelong marriage.”
The thing about family businesses, it turns out, is that family drama is always at play.
A Sports Illustrated feature in 1998 painted a story of jealousy and unease that seemed prophetic.
Kobe Bryant, left, holds the Larry O’Brian Trophy as Shaquille O’Neal holds the NBA Finals MVP trophy in 2000.
(AFP / Getty Images)
As Buss scaled back his involvement, Jeanie took on a greater role in the business side of the franchise while son Jim became a basketball executive. And the Lakers kept on winning.
Tensions between O’Neal, Bryant and Jackson ended with the dissolution of another dynasty after three consecutive championships. Belief in Bryant led to two more rings once they reunited him with Jackson and added Pau Gasol to the mix.
Through it all, the Lakers remained a family business in its truest sense, Buss’ youngest sons Joey and Jesse learning the ropes in business and scouting in the same way his older children did.
Jeanie‘s romantic relationship with Jackson, at best, complicated things in the organization. Still, she was always the one her father intended to lead the organization, beginning when Buss put her in charge of the team’s indoor tennis franchise when she was just 19.
“I figured, ‘If Dr. Buss [she refers to him by his preferred title] says he thinks I can do it, I must be able to do it,’” Jeanie told The Times in 2002.” If he never doubted me, how could anyone else? It was only later that I thought, ‘What the hell was I doing?’”
In 2005, son Jim began to take on a bigger role in the organization, becoming the team’s vice president of player personnel.
“When I hear somebody say, ‘Are you qualified?’ I’m like, ‘If you had eight years of Jerry West plus Mitch Kupchak and all the talented scouts working on a daily basis tutoring you, I don’t know what other credentials you could have,’” Jim said then.
When Buss died in 2013 from complications of cancer, all six of his children held titles with the Lakers.
“Jerry Buss helped set the league on the course it is on today,” then-NBA commissioner David Stern said. “Remember, he showed us it was about ‘Showtime,’ the notion that an arena can become the focal point for not just basketball, but entertainment. He made it the place to see and be seen.”
While Buss was living, the Lakers missed the playoffs only twice. In the six seasons after his death, the Lakers never won more than 37 games.
Something had to change.
The fallout
Bryant took a fateful step at the end of a game late in the 2013 season, his Achilles tendon rupturing in his left leg. He miraculously made two free throws before heading to the locker room — a moment codifying him as an all-time Los Angeles legend and a moment, it turned out, that signaled the good times were about to end.
The following season, coach Mike D’Antoni’s Lakers won just 27 games, Nick Young leading the Lakers in scoring and Bryant playing only six times. After the year, Jim Buss told The Times that he saw a pathway forward and he told his family the same in a meeting earlier in 2014.
“I was laying myself on the line by saying, ‘If this doesn’t work in three to four years, if we’re not back on the top’ — and the definition of top means contending for the Western Conference, contending for a championship — ‘then I will step down because that means I have failed,’” he said. “I don’t know if you can fire yourself if you own the team … but what I would say is I’d walk away and you guys figure out who’s going to run basketball operations because I obviously couldn’t do the job.
“There’s no question in my mind we will accomplish success. I’m not worried about putting myself on the line.”
In 2015, the Lakers won only 21 games. In 2016, the team lost a franchise-most 65 times against a franchise-worst 17 wins. In 2017, they were headed to another season in which they would be more than 30 games under .500 when Jeanie fired Jim and Kupchak, the team’s general manager.
They were replaced with Bryant’s former agent, Rob Pelinka, and Johnson.
Jeanie Buss applauds the Lakers’ efforts during the team’s 2010 NBA championship ring ceremony at Staples Center.
(Chris Carlson / Associated Press)
Shortly after the decision, Jim, along with his brother Johnny, tried to remove Jeanie from the team’s board of directors, sparking a legal feud that included Jeanie filing a restraining order while she wrested control of the team.
“I must also point out that Jim has already proven to be completely unfit even in an executive vice president of basketball operations role and I recently had to replace him,” Jeanie said in court documents.
The Lakers signed LeBron James in 2018, traded for Anthony Davis and built a title team in 2020, the family’s biggest success in the years following their father’s passing.
With Jeanie firmly in charge, brother Joey helped run one of the league’s most-respected developmental teams in the South Bay Lakers — a program that helped develop players such as Alex Caruso. Jesse Buss and his scouting department found value in late first-round picks like Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma as well as an undrafted star in Austin Reaves.
In 2022, Jeanie produced a documentary for Hulu that dealt with heaps of the family’s drama, and Wednesday’s sale not coming from a majority — and not unanimous — vote again means that not everyone is on the same page.
While the Buss family will retain minority ownership, things will never be the same in the organization. The influx of money, of modernization, of more corporate structure could help the Lakers on the court.
But what they were under the Buss family, they’ll never be again.
“I really tried to create a Laker image, a distinct identity,” Jerry Buss once said. “I think we’ve been successful. I mean, the Lakers are pretty damn Hollywood.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. The Dodgers have a new pitcher who looks exactly like Shohei Ohtani. They could be twins. It’s uncanny.
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The Dodgers have played seven games against the Padres and Giants in the last week, and went 5-2 in those games. Let’s take a quick look at some important things that happened.
We’ll start with Ohtani pitching again. In a surprise, the Dodgers announced Sunday that he would start Monday against the Padres, though he would pitch only one inning. He had been pitching live batting practice and, well, let’s have Dave Roberts explain:
“Just kind of talking to [pitching coach Mark Prior] and [president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman] and the doctors and medical and just kind of saying, ‘OK, we’ve done the three-inning live, it’s a little taxing or more taxing on my body.’ You’re at a point of, I don’t know if it’s diminishing returns. But he’s ready to pitch in a major league game. He let us know that.”
In his start, Ohtani reached 100 mph on his fastball and gave up one run and two soft singles. He wasn’t sharp with his command, which is to be expected. Of course, he was also the DH in that game and went two for four with a double and an RBI.
If you haven’t followed baseball long, it’s hard to impress upon you just how incredible what he is doing and has done is. To hit and pitch at a high level is very, very rare. In 2022 with the Angels, he hit .273/.356/.519 with 30 doubles, 34 homers and 95 RBIs at the plate and went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 166 innings on the mound, striking out 219. He finished second in MVP voting and fourth in Cy Young voting. In 2023, he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA on the mound in 132 innings before he needed Tommy John surgery. At the plate he hit .304/.412/.654 with 26 doubles, 44 homers and 95 RBIs in 135 games. He led the league in homers, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He won the MVP award.
As Max Muncy said, “I always understood how hard it was to pitch and then come in and hit, but seeing him come off the mound and go to the dugout — I don’t know, it kinda hit a little different seeing it from our side. He didn’t even get a drink of water. Just put his helmet on, went right to the batter’s box. That’s really hard to do.”
It is expected that Ohtani will pitch about once a week, going an inning longer each time. Coming off of Tommy John surgery is always difficult, so don’t expect miracles. Then again, with Ohtani, miracles seem possible.
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The Dodgers won two of three from a scrappy Giants team. But the big news took place off the field. The Giants pulled off a trade with the Boston Red Sox, acquiring Rafael Devers, who had grown unhappy in Boston.
Devers was unhappy that the Red Sox were asking him to change positions (from third base to DH to first base). The Red Sox were unhappy that he was unhappy, seeing as how they were paying him $313.5 million over 10 years. So the Red Sox unloaded him for four players.
Devers immediately said he would play any position the Giants wanted. Which really endeared him to Red Sox fans. But he happens to be one of the best hitters in the game, and immediately makes the Giants better and gives them that superstar they were missing (compared to the Padres and Dodgers). It also shows that Giants GM Buster Posey is going to do whatever it takes to make the Giants win.
Devers is a career .279/.349/.510 hitter and has 40-homer potential (his career high is 38). You can peruse his career numbers here. While you never know what will happen when a new player joins a team, it certainly seems safe to predict that it just got harder to win the NL West.
————
The Padres series was interesting because the Padres continue to reinforce their reputation as a bunch of whiny babies.
Monday night, Andy Pages was hit by a pitch from Padres starter Dylan Cease. Pages glared at Cease from the batter’s box, prompting Padres manager Mike Shildt to yell at Pages, saying, “Who the f— do you think you are?” It seemed unlikely that Cease was throwing at Pages, but Pages just stared and Shildt escalated things.
On Tuesday, Dodgers reliever Lou Trivino hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch in the third inning. There was a runner in scoring position, so Trivino is not throwing at Tatis in that situation. A couple of innings later, Padres starter Randy Vásquez threw a fastball inside and low to Ohtani, causing Ohtani to jump out of the way. The next pitch was another fastball inside, and it hit Ohtani in the leg. That was much more suspect. The umpires got together and gave a warning to both sides about throwing at hitters. This bothered Roberts, who came out to ask why the Dodgers were being warned when they didn’t throw at anyone. The umpire threw him out of the game before he could get two words out, despite letting Shildt ask about the situation. Roberts then got about as mad as you’ve ever seen him and argued for a while to the delight of the crowd.
Wednesday’s game was relatively quiet, but Thursday’s game heated up in the ninth after Tatis was hit by a pitch (the third time he had been hit this series). This caused Shildt to complain, which brought Roberts out. Shildt said something to Roberts, who didn’t like whatever was said. The two got in each other’s faces, which caused the benches to empty. Cooler heads prevailed. Ohtani was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the inning. He waved off his teammates from coming out of the dugout, but Padres pitcher Robert Suarez was ejected from the game.
In all, eight batters were hit by pitch in the series. It’s probably safe to say not all of those were accidents. The teams don’t play each other again until August, so there’s plenty of time for emotions to cool.
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It is only one start, so I don’t want to get over of my skis here, but Emmet Sheehan looked sharp Wednesday in his first start since missing all of last season because of Tommy John surgery. He could be the boost the rotation has been looking for. However, the Dodgers sent him to the minors Thursday to make room for reliever Jack Little.
————
Thanks to their strong play the last week, the Dodgers now lead the NL West by 3.5 games over the Giants, and five games over the Padres. Arizona is eight back and Colorado 28.5 back.
Roki Sasaki
Some bad news on the Roki Sasaki front. He still feels discomfort when he throws, and it looks unlikely that he will return this season. If that’s the case, it’s one of the more disappointing rookie seasons in Dodgers history. Hopefully, he recovers and reaches his potential, but at this point, all you can do is hope.
Andy Pages
There was a point a few weeks ago when many people, including me, were wondering how much longer the Dodgers could stick with Andy Pages. He was not hitting well and was struggling defensively as well. The Dodgers are always very patient with players, especially on offense, and kept sending Pages out there.
And in June, here’s what he is doing:
.361/.364/.705, six doubles, five homers, 14 RBIs in 61 at-bats. Overall he’s hitting .290/.330/.509 with 12 doubles and 15 homers. He could very well make the All-Star team.
And one reason for that improvement? Teammate Teoscar Hernández. Pages told Times reporter Kevin Baxter: “He’s played in the major leagues for a long time now. He’s been through a lot of bad times. I went through that at the beginning of the season, for example, and last year too. And he’s given me advice that’s helped me a lot to get through that time.”
Pages’ family is still in Cuba, and Hernández has become a big brother, taking him out for dinner on off days or just getting together to play video games.
Another person the Dodgers were patient with is Max Muncy, who got off to a brutal start before he started wearing glasses. Since wearing glasses, here are his numbers:
.279/.414/.537, four doubles, nine homers, 34 RBIs, 32 walks, 30 strikeouts in 136 at-bats.
Maybe every Dodger should get his eyes checked. Speaking of which….
Michael Conforto
Michael Conforto had a brief surge in May when he started hitting better and it seemed he had turned a corner. But no.
In June, he is six for 40, a .150 batting average. It’s like having a non-Ohtani pitcher hitting in your lineup again.
The question I get asked more than any other is “Why do the Dodgers continue to play Conforto?”
Well, there are several reasons. They are paying him $17 million and don’t want to waste that investment. Conforto has a track record of success and being patient has worked out twice already this season (see Pages, Andy and Muncy, Max). They have the best offense in the NL already and can afford to be patient with him, especially since they are in first place. The pitching is more of a problem than the hitting right now.
It’s probably a combination of all of those things. A Conforto who can hit is a great advantage to the Dodgers come October, and the Dodgers always play the long game, while the fans are more interested in winning every game.
At some point, you have to figure the Dodgers move on and give more playing time to Hyeseong Kim. If it were me, I’d do it now. But I’ve managed the Dodgers to the same number of victories you have, plus, all the decisions I make on my couch work 100% of the time. So, this is a good way for all of us to learn about patience, and see what happens.
But there was good news Wednesday when Roberts said Kim had earned more playing time.
Hey, maybe Conforto should start wearing glasses.
Strange occurrence at Dodger Stadium
Some unmarked white vans and SUVs were at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, sparking speculation about immigration enforcement at the stadium. The Dodgers refused to allow the vehicles into the stadium parking lots.
Five agents, armed with pistols, stood next to the vehicles. They did not wear identifying items or badges. When asked by a Times reporter which agency they were with, they said “DHS” and declined to comment further.
The Dodgers released this statement: “This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled.”
But the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they weren’t at Dodger Stadium, instead saying it was Customs and Border Protection agents.
So, why did they identify themselves as DHS? Why did they leave when police arrived? There are more questions than answers at the moment.
There have been protests about ICE in downtown Los Angeles, and the Dodgers had been criticized by some of their fans for not making any public statements in support of the people targeted by immigration raids.
The team said Wednesday that it had solidified plans to work with immigration groups and would make an announcement Thursday. However, what happened Thursday delayed that announcement.
Team president Stan Kasten released a statement saying, “Because of the events earlier today, we continue to work with groups that were involved with our programs. But we are going to have to delay today’s announcement while we firm up some more details. We’ll get back to you soon with the timing.”
Top 10 second basemen
Who are your top 10 Dodgers first basemen of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know.
Many of you have asked for a list of players to consider for each position. Here are the strongest second baseman candidates, in alphabetical order.
Hub Collins, Álex Cora, Tony Cuccinello, George Cutshaw, Tom Daly, Delino DeShields, Mark Ellis, Jim Gilliam, Mark Grudzielanek, Billy Herman, Orlando Hudson, Jon Hummel, Jim Lefebvre, Howie Kendrick, Jeff Kent, Pete Kilduff, Lee Lacy, Davey Lopes, Gavin Lux, Bill McLellan, Charlie Neal, Willie Randolph, Jody Reed, Jackie Robinson, Juan Samuel, Steve Sax, Ted Sizemore, Eddie Stanky, Chase Utley, John Ward, Eric Young.
A reminder that players are listed at the position in which they played the most games for the Dodgers, which is why Gilliam and Robinson are listed here and not at other positions they played.
Up next
Friday: Washington (*MacKenzie Gore, 3-6, 2.89 ERA) at Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 2-0, 3.25 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Saturday: Washington (Jake Irvin, 5-3, 4.23 ERA) at Dodgers (Dustin May, 4-4, 4.46 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Sunday: Washington (Michael Soroka, 3-5, 5.06 ERA) at Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 9.00 ERA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Shohei Ohtani pitched! We will have more on that in Friday’s newsletter.
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Top 10 first basemen
Here are my picks for the top 10 first basemen in Dodgers history, followed by how all of you voted. Numbers listed are with the Dodgers only. Click on the player’s name to be taken to the baseball-reference.com page with all their stats.
1. Gil Hodges (1943, 1947-61, .273/.369/.487, 120 OPS+, 8-time All Star, 3 Gold Gloves)
Hodges made his debut with the Dodgers in the final game of the 1943 season. And it could have been his final game ever, as he joined the Marines after the season ended and was a gunner for the 16th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion. In April 1945, Hodges and his battalion stormed the beaches of Okinawa and were involved in heavy fighting. He was awarded a Bronze Star for heroic service in a combat zone. In a letter to his family, Hodges wrote about the experience.
“We arrived here [Okinawa] the first of April and things really cut loose. We were always having air attacks and the ships were really knocking down the planes. It’s just like being tied down when you’re on board a ship because you can’t do a thing but just stand there and wait for something to happen. One Japanese plane, a Zero, came circling around where we were anchored and when everyone saw it they really cut loose. I don’t see how it was possible for him to escape with so much firing being done at that time. He was the plane that really gave all of us a scare. He started to pull away from the firing and then he got hit and started circling around, then into a suicide dive. He started coming down and boy he was really moving. He crashed on the bow of another LST not very far from our ship and exploded. I don’t know how many got hurt but I’m sure there were quite a few. Well, that’s just one incident and I don’t want to go into any other at the present time because I could probably sit here and write all day and still not be through.”
Hodges was discharged before the 1946 season and returned to the Dodgers. He spent 1946 in the minors, but came up to the majors in 1947 to stay. He broke in as a catcher, but with the Dodgers wanting to get his bat in the lineup and realizing he would never be better behind the plate than Roy Campanella, they converted him to first base before the 1948 season. As manager Leo Durocher said, “I put a first baseman’s glove on our other rookie catcher, Gil Hodges. Three days later I’m looking at the best first baseman I’d seen since Dolph Camilli.”
Hodges hit at least 20 homers in 11 consecutive seasons and drove in at least 100 runs in seven consecutive seasons.
After never being voted into the Hall of Fame in his 15 years on the regular ballot, Hodges was elected by the Golden Era Committee in 2021. “It’s a great thing that happened for our family,” Gil Hodges Jr. said. “We are all thrilled that Mom got to see it, being 95. We’ve all waited a long time, and we are just grateful and thankful that it’s finally come to fruition.”
2. Steve Garvey (1969-82, .301/.337/.459, 122 OPS+, 1 NL MVP award, 8-time All Star, 4 Gold Gloves)
One of the most beloved Dodgers while he was playing, Garvey was an integral part of the longest-lasting infield in baseball history, the Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey infield.
Garvey was drafted by the Dodgers in 1968 and made it to the big leagues one year later. He had a hard time sticking there, however, because he was a terrible third baseman. He had a weak arm and little range. He played 85 games at third in 1972, making 28 errors, mostly on throws.
It was more of the same in 1973, with Garvey mainly riding the bench as a pinch-hitter. On June 23 of that year, both left fielders, Von Joshua and Manny Mota, were injured. Bill Buckner, the regular first baseman, went to manager Walter Alston and suggested they put him in left and Garvey at first base (Buckner and Garvey were teammates in the minors and Buckner remembered that Garvey had played well in a few games there).
As Buckner later recounted, “I never played first base for the Dodgers again.”
Garvey had an off year, for him, in 1982, hitting .282 with 16 homers, good for a 101 OPS+. He was a free agent after the season, but there’s no way they would let Mr. Dodger leave, right? Wrong.
“Final offers had to be made,” Garvey recounted in his book. “Peter O’Malley said his final offer was $5 million for four years, no incentives. We drew the line at $6 million for four years.” Garvey signed with the San Diego Padres for five years, $6.6 million.
A lot of Dodger fans believe Garvey should be in the Hall of Fame. With 75% needed for induction, Garvey never got higher than 42.6% of votes on the Hall of Fame ballot, back in 1995. Some fans mistakenly believe he is already in the Hall.
Although the Dodgers usually only retire the numbers of people who make the Hall of Fame as Dodgers, they did not hand out Garvey’s No. 6 after he signed with the San Diego Padres before the 1983 season until Jolbert Cabrera was given the number in 2003.
3. Freddie Freeman (2022-current, .316/.399/.524, 143 OPS+, 3-time All Star)
You could put the Nos. 2-4 guys in almost any order and be fine. If Freeman continues to play like he has so far with the Dodgers, then he’ll be No. 1 one day. There’s not much to write about Freeman that I haven’t covered the last few seasons, so let’s just watch his World Series grand slam again.
Camilli was an offensive machine with the Dodgers, leading the league in homers (34) and RBIs (120) in 1941, and leading in walks in 1938 (119) and 1939 (110).
He immediately made the Dodgers better and led them to the NL pennant in 1941, their first since 1920.
While playing for the Dodgers, he developed a real hatred for the Giants. This was during an era that featured a lot of dirty play, such as the sharpening of spikes and stepping on first basemen. The Giants targeted Camilli often because he was the best player on the Dodgers.
When the Dodgers traded him to the Giants in July 1943, he refused to report to his new team, instead going home and spending the rest of the season on his ranch. “I hated the Giants,” Camilli told the New York Times. “This was real serious; this was no put-on stuff. Their fans hated us, and our fans hated them. I said nuts to them, and I quit.”
Many consider Parker to be the best fielding first baseman in history. He’s certainly the best one in Dodgers history.
In 2007 he was voted by fans as the best defensive first baseman since the Gold Glove award was established in 1957 and was named to the all-time Gold Glove team. He is the only member of that team not in the Hall of Fame. He never even appeared on the ballot since he played only nine seasons, leaving him one short of the 10 needed for eligibility.
His numbers on offense are also better than they appear because he played in one of the greatest pitchers’ eras in baseball history. He drove in 111 runs in 1970 despite hitting only 10 homers. He led the league that season with 47 doubles and also hit .319. Parker has been criminally underrated by many because of the era he played in and the fact he retired young, quitting after the 1972 season when he was only 32.
“By the time I retired, we had winning records, but we weren’t winning pennants,” Parker told biographer David Krell. “My friends were gone. Tommy Davis was traded. Maury Wills was released. Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Wally Moon, and Jim Gilliam had retired. The game was changing. It was becoming more individualized. Plus, I got tired of the traveling.”
Daubert was named NL MVP in 1913 when he led the league with a .350 average. He also led the league with a .329 average in 1914 and led the Dodgers to their first World Series appearance in 1916.
Daubert is probably the second-best fielding first baseman in Dodgers history and was considered one of the best fielders of his era.
He was also ahead of his time, wanting players to form a union, which is one of the reasons the Dodgers traded him to Cincinnati after the 1918 season. He led the Reds to the World Series title in 1919 (the infamous Black Sox scandal Series).
He was still with the Reds in 1924 when he left to have an appendectomy. He died one week after the operation.
González was acquired on Aug. 25, 2012, along with Josh Beckett, Nick Punto and Carl Crawford from the Boston Red Sox for James Loney, Iván DeJesús Jr., Allen Webster, Jerry Sands and Rubby De La Rosa. In his first at-bat with the Dodgers that same day, he hit a three-run home run against the Miami Marlins, which was apropos because he was one of the Dodgers’ best clutch hitters for four seasons.
In his final at-bat as a Dodger, González homered, making him the rare player who has homered in his first and last at-bat with a team. He was traded after the 2017 season along with Charlie Culberson, Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy to Atlanta for Matt Kemp.
González was a very popular Dodger who led the majors in RBIs in 2014 with 116. He was the heart of the Dodger offense for several seasons until age, injuries and the infield shift all seemed to catch up to him at the same time.
8. Eric Karros (1991-2002, .268/.325/.454, 109 OPS+, Rookie of the Year)
The Dodgers finished 63-99 in 1992, their worst season since moving to L.A., and the biggest bright spot to the season was Karros, who in 149 games hit 30 doubles, 20 homers and was named NL Rookie of the Year.
Over the next six seasons, Karros seldom drew the headlines on a team that had Mike Piazza and Raul Mondesi, but you knew what you were going to get from him every season: Around 145 games played, a batting average around .270, 25 homers, 25 doubles and 100 RBIs. One of the secrets to having a good team over a long period of time is finding guys who can produce consistently. Karros was that for the Dodgers.
He still holds the L.A. record for most career homers, and you can probably win a few bets with that knowledge.
He was also one of the slowest Dodgers in history. And he had a fielding quirk at first base. When there were two outs and he took a throw from another infielder, he pulled his foot off the bag and started running toward the dugout at almost the same exact second he caught the ball, even before the ump could make a call. I’m convinced he stole a few outs for the Dodgers during his career by doing this. The ump would see him running full speed off the field and on a call that could go either way, say “Well, I guess he was out then.”
9. Jack Fournier (1923-26, .337/.421/.552, 157 OPS+)
One of the best hitters the Dodgers have ever had, Fournier led the NL in homers in 1924 with 27 and drove in 130 runs in 1925.
If you are just going by offensive numbers, then Fournier should be in the top three. However, Fournier was really bad defensively. He was born about 50 years too soon to be a designated hitter.
For what it’s worth, in his “Historical Baseball Abstract,” Bill James has Fournier listed as the 35th-greatest first baseman of all time, just behind Camilli (29th), Hodges (30th) and Garvey (31st). That, of course, counts their time with other teams as well.
Fournier has ties to Los Angeles: He played for the Los Angeles Angels minor league team for three seasons and he also coached UCLA’s baseball team from 1934 to 1936.
10. Tim Jordan (1906-10, .263/.356/.384, 139 OPS+)
Only one Dodger has led the National League in home runs twice, and it’s not Duke Snider or Mike Piazza. It’s Jordan, who led the NL in 1906 and 1908 with 12 home runs, which was a lot in the dead-ball era.
Jordan got the Dodgers’ first base job in an unusual way. Acquired from Baltimore before the 1906 season, he was set to become the backup to regular first baseman Don Gessler. On April 18, a devastating earthquake hit San Francisco, and several major league teams held benefit exhibition games, with proceeds going to relief help. Jordan started the game held in Brooklyn, went three for three with a double, and manager Patsy Donovan decided to make him the starter.
Jordan was one of the best power hitters in the league, and he was fast. Four of his 12 homers in 1906 were inside-the-park homers. It also helped that ballparks back then were much more spacious. The wall in center field at Pittsburgh’s Exposition Park was 515 feet away.
Jordan held out for more money after the 1909 season, but Brooklyn had Jake Daubert (sixth on this list) and were in no hurry to give Jordan more money. He hurt his knee and finally reported, but his knee injury pretty much ended his career in the majors. He was released in May, and played in the minors until 1920. He worked as a security guard, opened his own restaurant, and died in 1949 at the age of 70.
The next five: Dan Brouthers, Del Bissonette, James Loney, Eddie Murray, Greg Brock.
The readers’ top 10
1,352 ballots were sent in. First place received 12 points, second place nine, all the way down to one point for 10th place. Here are your choices:
1. Gil Hodges, 825 first-place votes, 14,475 points
3. Steve Garvey, 147 first-place votes, 11,483 points
4. Eric Karros, 13 first-place votes, 8,471 points
5. Wes Parker, 7,402 points
6. Adrián González, 5,802 points
7. Dolph Camilli, 4,433 points
8. Eddie Murray, 3,123 points
9. Jake Daubert, 1,845 points
10. James Loney, 1,462 points
The next five: Nomar Garciaparra, Jack Fournier, Albert Pujols, Norm Larker, Greg Brock.
Top 10 second basemen
Who are your top 10 Dodgers first basemen of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know.
Many of you have asked for a list of players to consider for each position. Here are the strongest second baseman candidates, in alphabetical order.
Hub Collins, Álex Cora, Tony Cuccinello, George Cutshaw, Tom Daly, Delino DeShields, Mark Ellis, Jim Gilliam, Mark Grudzielanek, Billy Herman, Orlando Hudson, Jon Hummel, Jim Lefebvre, Howie Kendrick, Jeff Kent, Pete Kilduff, Lee Lacy, Davey Lopes, Gavin Lux, Bill McLellan, Charlie Neal, Willie Randolph, Jody Reed, Jackie Robinson, Juan Samuel, Steve Sax, Ted Sizemore, Eddie Stanky, Chase Utley, John Ward, Eric Young.
A reminder that players are listed at the position in which they played the most games for the Dodgers, which is why Gilliam and Robinson are listed here and not at other positions they played.
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Two days, two editions of Dodgers Dugout. It’s like “Groundhog Day.”
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The Padres series
The Dodgers won two of three from the Padres, dropping San Diego to third place in the NL West. Several readers were unhappy with the second game of the series, which the Dodgers lost 11-1, feeling they left Matt Sauer in for way too long and brought in Kiké Hernández in too soon, in effect giving the game away.
And you are absolutely right. The Dodgers did give the game away. By choice.
Don’t get me wrong. The Dodgers didn’t go into the game wanting to lose. But, the Dodgers’ bullpen is exhausted. The hope was that Sauer would pitch well and keep them in the game, or heck, even leave with the Dodgers leading. But once the Padres started scoring, Dave Roberts had two choices: Go to his already tired bullpen in hopes they could stop the surge, knowing coming back against a Dylan Cease who was on top of his game was unlikely, or, let Sauer take a beating in order to save the bullpen for Wednesday’s game. The Dodgers went with the second option, and it worked. Because Wednesday, they were able to use seven rested relievers to preserve a 5-2 victory and a series win over San Diego.
Roberts, to reporters after Tuesday’s loss: “You just got to look at where our ’pen is at, and appreciating what we have the next couple days, it wasn’t smart to chase and redline guys. A guy that was available tonight, [Michael] Kopech, I’m not going to pitch him down six or 7-0 in the sixth inning, to then not have him available tomorrow. As the rules are, we abided. That’s kind of what you do to essentially move forward and win the ensuing games.”
Heck, the Dodgers used this strategy in the World Series last season, letting Brent Honeywell get rocked in Game 4, their only loss, to preserve the bullpen.
Of course, most of us grew up in the days of Tommy Lasorda, who wanted to win every game at all costs. If it meant Orel Hershiser or Fernando Valenzuela pitching 10 innings, or Jay Howell pitching five days in a row, that’s what happened. Those days are over. There will come a time again this season where the Dodgers let a reliever get rocked. That’s just the way they approach things. And considering they win more than 95 games every year and have won two titles, it seems to work pretty well for them.
The rest of the series went well. Teoscar Hernández broke out of his slump. Even Michael Conforto played well, going two for seven with a homer. Ben Casparius pitched so well Wednesday (four innings, one run, three hits, two walks, two strikeouts) that Roberts said he is now part of the starting rotation. And the Padres fell to third place. Of course, there’s still 93 games left in the season, so let’s not get too carried away.
A minor quibble
Major League Baseball has got to do something about position players pitching. In Tuesday’s loss, Kiké Hernández started pitching in the sixth inning and finished the game. I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous. I don’t blame the Dodgers for using the rules to their advantage, but there needs to be some addition to the current rules that state a position player can’t pitch before the ninth inning.
What if you are a fan who saved his money to go to one game this season, and that was the game you picked? You stopped seeing real competition in the sixth inning, as it was a farce after that. If you are a Padres fan, it wasn’t so bad probably, but what if it had been at Dodger Stadium? You would have shelled out around $500 or so to see two-thirds of a real game. It shouldn’t happen. The fans shouldn’t be punished because relievers can’t pitch more than one inning nowadays.
More good news
The Dodgers got some good news on three pitching fronts this week:
Shohei Ohtani took part in another live batting practice session, throwing 44 pitches over three simulated innings, striking out six. Ohtani was so impressive that Roberts said he could return before the All-Star break.
Tyler Glasnow threw a bullpen session, felt OK, and could face live hitters soon.
Blake Snell threw 15 pitches, his first session since suffering a setback in his recovery.
Of course, seeing is believing, and we are a bit away from seeing any of these guys in a real game yet.
And for those asking, the Dodgers do not plan to send Ohtani out on a minor-league rehab assignment. He will continue to do what he’s doing now, facing hitters in simulated game situations, until he’s ready to be activated.
The Giants are up next
The NL West’s new second-place team, the San Francisco Giants, are in town for three games starting tonight, followed by four more games against the Padres. These are the first three of 13 games against the Giants this season, so let’s take a look at them. The Giants have won seven in a row and are only a half-game behind the Dodgers for first place. You can see all the stats on the Giants team page at baseball-reference.com.
Catcher Patrick Bailey (.185/.246/.272, 50 OPS+)
Bailey is a mediocre hitter (although not usually as bad as this season so far), but won the Gold Glove last season. His career high in home runs is eight, so he’s not a power threat. He was put on the IL Wednesday because of a strained neck and will be replaced by Sam Huff or Logan Porter, neither of whom hit well either.
Bonus fact: Bailey has a cannon for an arm, and once was timed throwing the ball to second base in 1.71 seconds, a record since that started being recorded in 2015. He also has the record for fastest throw to first base (1.39 seconds).
First base Dominic Smith (.238/.250/.286, 55PS+)
The Giants designated LaMonte Wade Jr., who had started 41 games at first, for assignment and then traded him to the Angels. Wade was hitting .167. Smith was released by the Yankees on June 2 and signed by the Giants on June 4. His last good season was 2020.
Bonus fact: Smith led Junipero Serra High in Gardena to a CIF title in 2013.
Second base Tyler Fitzgerald (.248/.315/.346, 91 OPS+)
Fitzgerald was the Giants’ shortstop last season, switching to second when they acquired Willy Adames. He hit well last season (.280/.334/.497).
Bonus fact: His father, Mike, played in 13 games with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988.
Third base Matt Chapman (.243/.360/.452, 133 OPS+)
Finally, someone in the Giants infield who can hit. Chapman is one of the best third basemen in the game, finishing 11th in MVP voting and winning the Gold Glove last season. He is in his ninth season overall, second with the Giants, and has won five Gold Gloves. He’s a big reason why the Giants are in second place. However, he was put on the injured list Wednesday because of a sprained right hand. Casey Schmitt will probably get most of the starts in his absence. Schmtt is hitting .224, but hit better than that with moderate power last season.
Bonus facts: Chapman has Tourette’s syndrome. “I’m pretty comfortable with it now, but it was definitely something I was embarrassed about when I was younger,” he told the Orange County Register. “I wanted nobody to know about it because of how kids are. But now that I look back on it, it was a blessing in disguise because it made me who I am today. It gave me that drive and that chip on my shoulder.”
Shortstop Willy Adames (.203/.288/.339, 81 OPS+)
Adames left Milwaukee to sign a seven-year, $182-million deal with the Giants before the season. He finished 10th in MVP voting last season, but has not gotten on track this season at the plate. His defense slipped last season, which is one reason the Brewers let him go. If his bat is slipping as well, that will be an ugly contract for the Giants.
Bonus fact: In 2024, Adames homered in five consecutive games, tying the record for a shortstop shared by Eddie Miller, Alex Rodriguez, Corey Seager, Trea Turner and teammate Tyler Fitzgerald, who also did it last season.
Left field Heliot Ramos (.295/.365/.484, 143 OPS+)
Ramos was an All-Star last season and has been even better this season. He’s one of those guys like AJ Pollock, who provided steady play for three seasons for the Dodgers but drew few headlines.
Bonus fact: He is the first homegrown Giants outfielder to make the All-Star game since Chili Davis in 1986.
Center field Jung Hoo Lee (.275/.332/.446, 123 OPS+)
Lee came to the Giants last season from the Korean League, and his season ended in May because of an injured left shoulder. He has blossomed so far this season. He was a Rookie of the Year and an MVP award winner in the Korean League, so he has tremendous talent.
Bonus fact: Lee played on the South Korean team at the 2020 Olympics and the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Right field Mike Yastrzemski (.239/.332/.376, 104 OPS+)
A fan favorite who puts up steady, if not spectacular, numbers, which describes almost the entire Giants team. He led the Giants in home runs during his rookie season and has been a GoldGlove finalist in right.
Bonus fact: His grandfather, Carl, was apparently a decent ballplayer too.
Designated hitter Wilmer Flores (.256/.323/.412)
Flores is on pace for a career high 26 homers, but only nine doubles.
Bonus fact: Remember the 2015 NLDS, when the Dodgers were playing the Mets and Chase Utley slid hard into Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada, breaking his leg? Flores replaced Tejada at short.
Starting pitching We will focus on the three pitchers scheduled to start against the Dodgers.
Webb is one of the best pitchers in the game, finishing sixth in Cy Young voting last season and second in 2023. Webb and Robbie Ray give the Giants an outstanding 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Roupp is in his second season in the majors and first as a full-time starter. He is averaging five innings a start, so expect to see the Giants’ bullpen a lot on Saturday. Harrison also doesn’t go much past five, so if the Dodgers can get to Roupp early Saturday, it will set them up for success Sunday too.
Bonus facts: Webb wears contact lenses and without them is considered legally blind due to severe astigmatism…. Roupp played in the minors for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, which I bring up only because I love that nickname…. In his high school career, Harrison went 21-1 and held batters to a .137 average.
Closer Camilo Doval (3-1, 1.69 ERA, 10 saves)
Doval lost the closer job to Ryan Walker last season. This season, Walker got off to a shaky start and Doval won the job back. In 2023, he led the league with 39 saves.
Bonus fact: Doval has 23 siblings and half-siblings.
You look at all of the above, and you notice the Giants have no superstars, like the Dodgers and Padres do. They just have a bunch of guys who do all the little things needed to win games. That’s why they’ve won seven in a row and why they are in second place. Everyone talks about whether L.A. or San Diego will win the West. It could be San Francisco. It’s a big mistake to overlook them.
Dodger Stadium Express
There is a curfew in downtown L.A. because of the violence, looting and vandalism that sometimes accompanied the protests against federal immigration enforcement in the downtown area. Dodger Stadium is not in the curfew area; however, Union Station is, and that’s where fans headed to the stadium take the Dodger Stadium Express bus. The bus will still run during the curfew, according to Metro officials. But it’s best to check Metro alerts.metro.net or via X at @metrolaalerts. for and updates before you leave for the game. You can read more here.
Top 10 first basemen
Who are your top 10 Dodgers first basemen of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know.
Many of you have asked for a list of players to consider for each position. Here are the 40 strongest first baseman candidates, in alphabetical order:
Del Bissonette, Jack Bolling, Ken Boyer, Greg Brock, Dan Brouthers, Enos Cabell, Dolph Camilli, Hee-Seop Choi, Jake Daubert, Frank Dillon, Jack Doyle, Jack Fournier, Dave Foutz, Freddie Freeman, David Freese, Nomar Garciaparra, Steve Garvey, Adrián González, Buddy Hassett, Gil Hodges, Hughie Jennings, Tim Jordan, Eric Karros, Ed Konetchy, Norm Larker, Sam Leslie, George LaChance, James Loney, Dan McGann, Eddie Murray, Dick Nen, Dave Orr, Wes Parker, Bill Phillips, Albert Pujols, Olmedo Sáenz, Ed Stevens, Dick Stuart, Franklin Stubbs and Tommy Tucker.
A reminder that players are listed at the position in which they played the most games for the Dodgers, which is why Garciaparra is listed here and not at shortstop.
Scheduling note
No Dodgers Dugout this Monday. Instead, we’ll be back Thursday with the top first baseman and Friday looking at what happened against the Giants and Padres. Will the Dodgers be in first place, second or third by then?
Up next
Friday: San Francisco (Logan Webb, 5-5, 2.58 ERA) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 6-4, 2.20 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Saturday: San Francisco (Landen Roupp, 4-4, 3.29 ERA) at Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 1-0, 4.35 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Sunday: San Francisco (*Kyle Harrison, 1-1, 4.56 ERA) at Dodgers (Dustin May, 3-4, 4.46 ERA), 4:10 p.m., ESPN, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
From 1988, Kirk Gibson scores from second on a wild pitch (this link should work). Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Good news: Shohei Ohtani could be back on the mound before the All-Star break. More on that in Friday’s edition.
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Top 10 catchers
We are going to break the “Top 10” series into its own edition of the newsletter each week to keep the newsletters from being too long. Sort of like turning “War and Peace” into two editions: “War” and “Peace.”
Here are my picks for the top 10 catchers in Dodgers history, followed by how all of you voted. Numbers listed are with the Dodgers only. Click on the player’s name to be taken to the Baseball Reference page with all their stats.
1. Roy Campanella (1948-57, .276/.360/.500, 123 OPS+, 3 MVP awards, 8-time All Star)
One of the greatest catchers of all time, Roy Campanella (he did not have a middle name) was born Nov. 19, 1921, in Philadelphia. He loved baseball as a kid and grew up a Phillies fan. They once offered him an invitation to try out but rescinded it when they found out he was Black.
Campanella played in the Negro Leagues after high school, and in October 1945 he was the catcher for an all-star team that played five games against a team of major leaguers at Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Dodger manager Chuck Dressen led the major leaguers and was impressed by Campanella. He touted him to Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, who arranged a meeting.
Rickey offered Campanella a contract, but he said no because he mistakenly thought Rickey was offering him a contract with the Brooklyn Brown Dodgers, a Negro Leagues team Rickey was rumored to be starting. The next week, Campanella and Jackie Robinson happened to be staying at the same hotel. Robinson told Campanella he had signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was then that Campanella realized what Rickey was offering. He sent Rickey a telegram asking if he could sign with the team.
Campanella played for the Dodgers from 1948 until his career was cut short after the 1957 season. In that time, all he did was win three NL MVP awards, make eight All-Star teams, hit 242 homers, have a .500 slugging percentage and play Gold Glove-worthy defense behind the plate.
The Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles after the 1957 season, and Campanella was all set to be the team’s starting catcher in Los Angeles. But on Jan. 28, 1958, while driving in New York, Campanella’s car hit a patch of ice, ran into a telephone pole and overturned. Campanella broke his neck and was paralyzed. He eventually regained use of his arms but used a wheelchair for the rest of his life before dying of a heart attack on June 26, 1993.
2. Mike Piazza (1992-98, .331/.394/.572, 160 OPS+, 1993 Rookie of the Year, 5-time All Star)
The Dodgers chose Piazza in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft, the 1,390th player picked overall. No one picked that low has had a career like Piazza’s, but it’s a bittersweet one for Dodgers fans.
Piazza made his major league debut near the end of the 1992 season and won Rookie of the Year in 1993 after hitting .318 with 35 home runs and 112 RBIs.
Amazingly enough, Piazza played only five full seasons with the Dodgers, but what seasons they were. After his 1993 season, he hit .319, .346, .336 and .362 and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting in each of those seasons. His best season was his final full season, 1997, when he hit .362 with 40 homers and 124 RBIs.
Piazza’s contract was scheduled to run out after the 1998 season, and he was due a large increase in salary. Negotiations turned ugly, and the Dodgers, then owned by Fox, wanted to make a statement. So, on May 15, 1998, they traded the best-hitting catcher in history to the Florida Marlins, along with Todd Zeile, for Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich and Manuel Barrios.
3. Mike Scioscia (1980-92, .259/.344/.356, 99 OPS+, 2-time All Star)
Scioscia was with the Dodgers for 13 seasons; he never won a Gold Glove, never led the league in any offensive category and made only two All-Star teams. But what he did can’t be understated: He gave you above-average play almost every season for 13 seasons. You never had to worry about the position when Scioscia was there, and he hit one of the most important home runs in Dodgers history when he connected off Dwight Gooden in Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS.
Scioscia is the only person in major league history who played at least 10 seasons with only one team and then managed at least 10 seasons with a different team.
Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully each said that Scioscia was the best plate blocker he had ever seen, high praise considering they also saw Steve Yeager, another excellent plate blocker.
Most Dodger fans remember when Jack Clark leveled Scioscia while trying to score. Scioscia was knocked unconscious but held onto the ball.
You can watch a compilation of Scioscia blocking the plate, including the Clark collision, by clicking here.
4. Will Smith (2019-current, .263/.356/.474, 127 OPS+, 2-time All Star)
The book is still being written about Smith, who may very well move to the top of this list when his career is through. I’ve written a lot about Smith over the years, so let’s go with 10 little-known facts instead.
—His full name is William Dills Smith.
—As a senior in high school (Kentucky Country Day School), he pitched and went 7-1 with an 0.87 ERA. He went undrafted and went to Louisville.
—He played for Rancho Cucamonga in 2017 and was named to the California League All-Star team.
—His first major league homer was a walk-off home run against the Phillies.
—He backed up Austin Barnes before becoming the Dodgers’ starting catcher on July 26, 2019.
—He is one of four catchers to hit 100 home runs with the Dodgers, along with Campanella, Piazza and Steve Yeager.
—Smith is one of three catchers to hit home runs in four consecutive at bats (spread over two days), along with Johnny Bench and Benito Santiago.
—His favorite player growing up was David Ortiz.
—One of only three catchers to steal a base in an All-Star game, joining Iván Rodríguez and Tony Peña.
—Hit only .243 in four minor-league seasons, which shows you can’t always judge everything by just stats.
5. Steve Yeager (1972-85, .228/.299/.358, 84 OPS+)
Yeager was one of the best defensive catchers in history but had the misfortune of being a direct contemporary of the best defensive catcher in history, Johnny Bench. Otherwise, Yeager would have multiple Gold Gloves. His best season offensively was 1977, when he .256 with 21 doubles and 16 homers. Dodger fans remember how he blocked the plate, becoming an almost impenetrable wall whenever a runner tried to score and Yeager had the ball. He also had a powerful throwing arm. Hall of Famer Lou Brock said that Yeager was the toughest catcher to steal against.
In 1976, Yeager was in the on-deck circle with Bill Russell at the plate. Russell’s bat shattered as he hit a ground ball and a jagged piece of the bat stabbed Yeager in the throat, piercing his esophagus and narrowly missing his carotid artery. While he was recovering, Yeager and Dodgers trainer Bill Buhler designed a device that hung from the catcher’s mask, protecting his throat. For years, most catchers wore a mask that had this device, which Yeager and Buhler patented.
Yeager served as technical advisor for the first three “Major League” movies and appeared in them as third-base coach Duke Temple.
6. John Roseboro (1957-67, .249/.326/.371, 95 OPS+, 2 Gold Gloves, 5-time All Star)
Roseboro was the starting catcher on three World Series title teams, and when people mention the great Dodgers pitching staffs of the 1960s, they seldom mention who was catcher for all those great pitchers. It was mainly Roseboro.
Roseboro became a catcher when he tried out for his high school team. No one tried out as a catcher, so he volunteered. He wanted to be a football player at Ohio’s Central State College, not a baseball player. He became ineligible for football because of poor grades and was working out with the baseball team one day when Dodgers scout Hugh Alexander saw him. Alexander was searching for a left-handed hitting catcher and Roseboro fit the bill. He invited Roseboro to try out with the Dodgers.
Five years later, in 1957, Roseboro had moved steadily through the minor-league system as a catcher when he got the call to report to Brooklyn. Only, not as a catcher. They wanted him to play first base because Gil Hodges was injured. So Roseboro’s first games as a Dodger were at first base.
In the offseason, the Dodgers moved to L.A., and Campanella had the car wreck that ended his career. The Dodgers had three catchers: Roseboro, Rube Walker and Joe Pignatano. Walker was past his prime and retired after starting the season five for 44. Manager Walter Alston named Roseboro, 20, the Dodgers’ new starting catcher. Roseboro was the starting catcher through the 1967 season. He was involved in a legendary fight with Juan Marichal, but his career was so much more than that, even though that seems to be what he is remembered for today. Which is a shame. The Dodgers won titles in 1959, 1963 and 1965 with Roseboro in the lineup, and he is a big reason why they won.
Roseboro died of a stroke on Aug. 16, 2002. He was 69. One of the speakers at his funeral: Juan Marichal. You could easily move Roseboro to third on this list. Once you get past the top two, the choices could go a lot of different ways, depending on what you view as most important about each player.
7. Babe Phelps (1935-41, .315/.368/.477, 125 OPS+, 3-time All Star)
Perhaps the second-best-hitting catcher in Dodgers history, Ernest Gordon Phelps was born April 19, 1908, in Odenton, Md. As most kids did back then, he played baseball every chance he got. The Washington Senators signed him in 1929. He was then a first baseman and outfielder, but was mainly a professional hitter. The Senators brought him to the majors briefly in 1931 and he was such a strong hitter and built like Babe Ruth that his teammates nicknamed him Babe. But, while Ruth was a good fielder, Phelps was not, and the Senators traded him to the Chicago Cubs, who decided to convert him to catcher. It was a strange move, because the Cubs had a great catcher in Gabby Hartnett. After two seasons as Hartnett’s backup, his contract was sold to Brooklyn, where he became the backup to Al Lopez. Phelps hit .364 in 47 games, so the Dodgers traded Lopez after the season and named Phelps the starting catcher. He hit .367 in 1936, finishing second to Paul Waner for the batting title. His .367 average is still the highest for a catcher who qualified for the batting title.
Phelps remained a strong hitter throughout his Dodgers career, but he put on weight every season too, getting so out of shape that his teammates nicknamed him Blimp. His offense didn’t suffer, but his defense did, and he became relatively immobile. He was considered one of the nicest guys in the league and was a fan favorite.
Before the 1940 season, the Dodgers made a change that eventually ended Phelps’ career: they started traveling by plane, and Phelps was terrified of flying. He made one flight with the team, and then refused to go on another flight, traveling by train throughout the season while the rest of the team flew.
The Dodgers acquired Mickey Owen before the 1941 season, and held part of their spring training in Cuba. Phelps refused to fly to Cuba, so the team worked out without him. Owen was named the starting catcher. Then, on June 12, 1941, the team was going to travel … by train … to Pittsburgh. Phelps never showed up. Eventually reached by telephone, he said the stress of travel was too much and he was having heart palpitations. He had claimed this before and the Dodgers’ team doctor examined him and said he was fine. Thinking he was faking it or a hypochondriac, manager Leo Durocher demanded that Phelps be traded. Finding no takers, the Dodgers suspended him. A couple of months later, the team was in a pennant race and wanted a left-handed bat on the bench. The Dodgers wanted to bring Phelps back, but because of suspension rules at the time, they couldn’t without Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ permission. Landis met with Phelps and refused to reinstate him. The Dodgers lost in the World Series. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the season.
In 1950, Dodgers fans voted Phelps as the catcher for the all-time Dodgers team, a testament to his popularity. He died in 1992 in Odenton, Md.
8. Russell Martin (2006-10, 2019, .268/.362/.391, 99 OPS+, 1 Gold Glove, 2-time All Star)
Martin was a rare catcher who was fast enough to steal bases, including a career-high 21 with the Dodgers in 2007. He was with the team for five seasons, but was hurt for the latter part of the 2010 season and the team let him go as a free agent. They replaced him with Rod Barajas, while Martin signed with the Yankees and put together several solid seasons after that. He returned to L.A. for his final season in the majors, and hit .220 in 83 games, sharing catching duties with Austin Barnes and then-rookie Will Smith. He played in one of the five postseason games against Washington that season, going two for four with a double and a homer.
He became a fan favorite in 2019 for pitching four scoreless innings during the season, giving up only two hits and striking out two while throwing a low-80s fastball. Whenever the Dodgers’ bullpen had problems that season (see, this season is nothing new), fans would often call for Martin to pitch.
He is one of 12 catchers since 1901 to steal at least 100 bases, and his 67 steals is the most by a catcher in Dodgers history.
9. Mickey Owen (1941-45, .258/.319/.315, 80 OPS+, 4-time All Star)
Much like Roseboro, Owen is remembered for something (that passed ball in the 1941 World Series) that has overshadowed a solid career. He was a four-time All-Star and during that 1941 season had set a then-record for most consecutive errorless chances handled by a catcher (508). He is also the first player to hit a pinch-hit homer in the All-Star game, which he did in 1942.
Arnold Owen (no middle name) was born April 4, 1916, in Nixa, Mo. (By the way, isn’t baseball amazing? Here we are, 109 years after a player was born, talking about his career). Owen signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1935 and quickly became known for his defense. He was quickly promoted to the majors, and played 80 games with the Cardinals in 1937. After four seasons of solid defense but subpar hitting, the Cardinals traded him to Brooklyn before the 1941 season for catcher Gus Mancuso and $60,000.
Owen was called Mickey because of his resemblance to the great catcher Mickey Cochrane. However, when he came to the Dodgers, manager Leo Durocher refused to call him that, referring to him as Arnold.
Owen was considered the best defensive catcher in the NL, and if the Gold Glove had been around, probably would have won at least five. He was drafted into the Navy midway through the 1945 season and while he was in the Navy on April 1, 1946, Jorge Pasquel of the Mexican League announced that he signed Owen to a five-year deal as a player-manager for the Veracruz Blues. Commissioner Happy Chandler announced that any player who jumped would be banned for five years if they tried to return.
Owen did not like playing in Mexico and, in 1947, petitioned to return to the majors. Chandler denied the appeal. He eventually dropped the suspensions before the 1949 season. The Dodgers released Owen and he signed with the Cubs.
Owen retired after the 1954 season and started a baseball camp for kids in Missouri. He ran the camp until 1985, and the camp remained active until 2005. You would often see ads for it in the Sporting News, nestled among the baseball box scores.
Owen died in Mt. Vernon, Mo., of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 89.
10. Joe Ferguson (1970-76, 1978-81, .245/.359/.419, 119 OPS+)
The Dodgers had two good, young catchers in the early 1970s, Ferguson and Yeager. They eventually decided to go with Yeager because of his superior defense, but Ferguson was a much better hitter. He also played in the outfield quite a bit for L.A. and his most famous Dodger moment probably came as an outfielder, when he cut in front of Jim Wynn to catch a fly ball and throw out Sal Bando trying to score in the 1974 World Series.
Ferguson’s other great moment as a Dodger came in 1980. The Dodgers were three games behind the Houston Astros with three to play … all against the Astros. In the first game, the Dodgers and Astros were tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the 10th. Houston’s Ken Forsch went to the mound for his 10th inning of work. On Forsch’s first pitch, Ferguson homered to left to give the Dodgers the walk-off win.
“I go up in that situation and I’m looking to hit at least a double,” Ferguson said, “I’ve got to drive the ball. It wasn’t that Forsch was losing command of his pitches. It was just that he didn’t have that little extra. He knows what I can do, because I’ve done it against him before.”
By the way, the winning pitcher in that game: Fernando Valenzuela.
The readers’ top 10
Almost 1,486 ballots were sent in. First place received 12 points, second place nine, all the way down to one point for 10th place. Here are your choices:
1. Roy Campanella, 1,209 first-place votes, 15,867 points
2. Mike Piazza, 124 first-place votes, 11,733 points
3. John Roseboro, 82 first-place votes, 8,642 points
4. Mike Scioscia, 33 first-place votes, 8,256 points
5. Will Smith, 13 first-place votes, 7,918 points
6. Steve Yeager, 19 first-place votes, 7,006 points
7. Russell Martin, 5,774 points
8. Joe Ferguson, 2,803 points
9. Mickey Owen, 2,444 points
10. Jeff Torborg,1,512 points
The next five: Paul Lo Duca, Yasmani Grandal, A.J. Ellis, Rick Dempsey, Norm Sherry.
Top 10 first basemen
Who are your top 10 Dodgers first basemen of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know.
Many of you have asked for a list of players to consider for each position. Here are the 40 strongest first baseman candidates, in alphabetical order.
Del Bissonette, Jack Bolling, Ken Boyer, Greg Brock, Dan Brouthers, Enos Cabell, Dolph Camilli, Hee-Seop Choi, Jake Daubert, Frank Dillon, Jack Doyle, Jack Fournier, Dave Foutz, David Freese, Freddie Freeman, Nomar Garciaparra, Steve Garvey, Adrián González, Buddy Hassett, Gil Hodges, Hughie Jennings, Tim Jordan, Eric Karros, Ed Konetchy, Norm Larker, Sam Leslie, George LaChance, James Loney, Dan McGann, Eddie Murray, Dick Nen, Dave Orr, Wes Parker, Bill Phillips, Albert Pujols, Olmedo Sáenz, Ed Stevens, Dick Stuart, Franklin Stubbs, Tommy Tucker.
A reminder that players are listed at the position in which they played the most games for the Dodgers, which is why Garciaparra is listed here and not at shortstop.
And finally
Mike Piazza hits a home run over the left-field roof and out of Dodger Stadium. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell.
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The Dodgers head to San Diego for a three-game series with the Padres starting tonight. Whichever team wins the season series will have an advantage when it comes to winning the division, plus it also will give them the tiebreaker advantage should the teams tie.
Neither one of these guys can hit, but are solid defensively. Maldonado won a Gold Glove way back in 2017 with the Angels. However, it’s players such as these two, guys who have trouble hitting, who seem to come up big against the Dodgers, dating all the way back to Brian Doyle and the 1978 World Series.
Bonus facts: Díaz was named minor league catcher of the year by Baseball America in 2015. On April 18, 2014 against Pittsburgh, Maldonado hit a grounder to third. Pirates third baseman Pedro Álvarez fielded the grounder, but the cover had partially come off the baseball and was hanging off its side; Álvarez threw the ball to first but it fell apart in midair. So, Maldonado is one guy who can say he literally knocked the cover off the ball.
First base Luis Arráez (.276/.310/.397, 97 OPS+)
Arráez has won three straight batting titles (2022 with Minnesota, 2023 with Miami, 2024 with the Marlins and Padres). You’ll notice that despite this, he has played for three different teams. The reason is he draws no walks, has little power, and it is believed his glove is made out of cast iron. Winning three straight batting titles is nothing to sneeze at, but that’s all he brings to the table.
Bonus fact: In June 2023, Arráez had three five-hit games, tying the record for most five-hit games in a month held by Ty Cobb, George Sisler and Dave Winfield.
Second base Jake Cronenworth (.242/.373/.403, 119 OPS+)
Cronenworth is having a rebound season at the plate after a couple of off seasons, and he has always been solid with the glove. Guys such as Cronenworth usually don’t get the headlines, but help you win ballgames in ways that don’t always show up in the box score.
Bonus fact: He hit his first career home run in 2020 off of Dustin May.
Third base Manny Machado (.318/.382/.515, 150 OPS+)
While, as Yogi Berra once said, “Nobody likes Manny Machado,” the fact remains that he is a great player. Outstanding hitter, outstanding on defense.
Bonus facts: Machado has a dog named Kobe, named in honor of Kobe Bryant. Baltimore Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer once said of Machado: “He reminds me of how I think Cal Ripken Jr. would have been if he had played third base his entire career.”
All the power in Bogaerts’ bat disappeared two years ago and hasn’t come back. He has a career .447 slugging percentage, but he hasn’t cracked .400 in a season since 2023.
Bonus fact: Bogaerts is one of only six players in major league history to be born in Aruba. The elementary school he went to there is now named after him.
Left field Tyler Wade (.235/.326/.272, 71 OPS+) Brandon Lockridge (.224/.272/.276, 55 OPS+)
Left field has been a black hole offensively for the Padres, much as it has been for the Dodgers. Jason Heyward has the most starts in left, but he’s on the IL. And he wasn’t hitting either. This is a prime example for when we discuss the fact that the Dodgers aren’t the only good team with holes in the lineup,
Bonus facts: Wade played 67 games for the Angels in 2021. Lockridge made his major league debut on my birthday, which is probably a bonus fact only interesting to me.
Center field Jackson Merrill (.299/.352/.461, 123 OPS+)
Last season, Merrill finished second in rookie of the year voting, ninth in MVP voting, was an All-Star and won the Silver Slugger award. Pretty decent first year, I’d say. He’s back for more of the same this season, hitting better than he did last year. He’s also good with the glove.
Bonus fact: Merrill is the first rookie in Padres history to make the All-Star team.
Right field Fernando Tatis Jr. (.259/.332/.461, 120 OPS+)
Still one of the top players in the game, however, his numbers at the plate have declined since his return from an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs in 2022. His OPS+ in the three seasons before: 154, 156, 166. Three seasons after: 110, 130, 120. Won a Gold Glove in 2023.
Bonus fact: In 2021, Tatis became the youngest player to appear on the cover of the “MLB: The Show” video game.
Pivetta signed a four-year, $55-million deal in the offseason and has earned every penny so far, striking out 76 in 68 1/3 innings while giving up 51 hits and 19 walks. He spent the previous five seasons with the Red Sox.
Cease is the nominal ace on the team, but hasn’t pitched like one. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting last season. He has pitched into some bad luck, as his Fielding Independent Pitching ERA is 3.20.
Vásquez has a good ERA, but his FIP is 5.34, meaning he has had some good luck. Traditionally, this means you can expect his ERA to go up, and Cease’s to go down as the season wears on. FIP is heavily used by GM’s and members of a front office’s brain trust to determine how well a pitcher is really performing, so it’s a good stat to know. Click on the link above to be taken to a full explanation of it.
Bonus facts: Cease’s paternal grandmother, Betty Cease, played pro baseball in the 1940s….. Pivetta made his major league debut in 2017 against the Dodgers…. Vásquez was included in the package the Yankees sent to the Padres to acquire Juan Soto before the 2024 season.
Closer Robert Suarez (1-1, 1.84 ERA, 21 saves)
Suarez leads the majors with 21 saves, has blown only two saves and has allowed zero of five inherited runners to score.
Bonus fact: Suarez is a two-time Japan Series champion.
The Dodgers have 14 pitchers on the IL, the Padres have five. Which is one reason for this:
Rotation ERA San Diego, 3.80 Dodgers, 4.29
Bullpen ERA San Diego, 3.08 Dodgers, 3.94
The Dodgers outhit the Padres (5.54 runs per game to 4.10), but the Padres outpitch the Dodgers. Which side will win out in these three games? In the season? We’ll find out. It will be fun to watch.
Top 10 catchers
Who are your top 10 Dodgers catchers of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know.
Many of you have asked for a list of catchers to be considered. Here are the 40 strongest candidates, in alphabetical order.
Rod Barajas, Austin Barnes, Roy Campanella, Gary Carter, Con Daily, Rick Dempsey, Bruce Edwards, A.J. Ellis, Tex Erwin, Duke Farrell, Joe Ferguson, Jack Fimple, Yasmani Grandal, John Grim, Tom Haller, Todd Hundley, Charles Johnson, Chad Kreuter, Ernie Krueger, Paul Lo Duca, Al López, Russell Martin, Lew McCarty, Deacon McGuire, Jack Meyers, Johnny Oates, Mickey Owen, Babe Phelps, Mike Piazza, Joe Pignatano, Tom Prince, John Roseboro, David Ross, Mike Scioscia, Norm Sherry, Duke Sims, Will Smith, Zack Taylor, Jeff Torborg, Álex Treviño, Steve Yeager.
Not ideal
Dalton Rushing was brought up because Austin Barnes could no longer hit and was not as good as he used to be behind the plate.
Rushing went two for four in his first game and two for five in his second, and it looked like they were going to have to find a way to get his bat in the lineup more often.
Since then, he has gone three for 24 with 16 strikeouts. The league always adjusts to new batters. The question now is: Can Rushing adjust back? The Dodgers also have a
Time for Kim to play more
I’m all for giving established players a chance. It worked for Max Muncy. However, I just want to throw this out there: It’s time for Hyeseong Kim to play more, and Michael Conforto to play less. That concludes today’s lecture.
Another pitcher injured
Tony Gonsolin has been put on the IL with tenderness in his pitching elbow. The good news is an MRI scan showed no structural damage. But that just adds a new name to the list of pitchers on the IL:
Luis García Tyler Glasnow Tony Gonsolin Brusdar Graterol Michael Grove Edgardo Henriquez Kyle Hurt Evan Phillips River Ryan Roki Sasaki Emmet Sheehan Blake Snell Gavin Stone Blake Treinen
The good news is Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates have come off the IL and pitched Sunday. That should be of enormous help to the bullpen. But I believe the starting rotations right now is:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Dustin May Clayton Kershaw One of those cardboard cutouts from the 2020 season 89-year-old Sandy Koufax
The Dodgers need to get Glasnow and Snell healthy or the staff will be in tatters by the time the postseason rolls around.
These names seem familiar
A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Sunday). Click on the player name to be taken to the Baseball Reference page with all their stats.
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Congratulations to my granddaughter, Riley, for graduating from the fifth grade this week and moving on to, gulp, middle school (or as they called it when I was a kid, junior high. That was back when we had to walk to school every day. Barefoot. In the snow. Uphill both ways. Fighting off dinosaurs. Kids today have it so easy).
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Competition
We could talk about Max Muncy or Michael Conforto or Tanner Scott again, but let’s give them a break this edition and focus on something else.
The Dodgers are 38-25, on pace for 98 wins. But who have they built their record against? Let’s take a look.
vs. teams with a winning record (.500 or better) Chicago Cubs, 3-4 Cleveland, 2-1 Detroit, 3-0 NY Mets, 3-4 NY Yankees, 2-1 Philadelphia, 1-2 Total, 14-12, .538
vs. teams with a losing record Angels, 0-3 Arizona, 4-3 Athletics, 2-1 Atlanta, 5-1 Colorado, 3-0 Miami, 5-1 Pittsburgh, 2-1 Texas, 2-1 Washington, 1-2 Total, 24-13, .649
They have done well against both. They project out to 87 wins if they played a full schedule against winning teams, and 105 wins against teams with a losing record. About what you would expect from a team that could win the World Series. Last year, they went 51-41 (.554) against teams with a winning record, 47-23 (.671) against teams with a losing record. So, they aren’t doing as well as they did last year.
But here’s some good news for the Dodgers. If you look at their remaining schedule, the Dodgers have the second-easiest schedule the rest of the way among the 30 teams in baseball.
The easiest schedules the rest of the way. List number is the combined current winning percentage of the rest of the teams on their schedule:
1. Houston (no relation), .467 2. Dodgers, .484 3. San Francisco, .485 4. Arizona, .485 5. Cleveland, .488
Of course, two other NL West teams are also in the top five.
The teams with the most difficult schedule:
1. Chicago White Sox, .527 2. Cincinnati, .521 3. Colorado, .515 4. Miami, .514 5. Boston, .512
The Padres are in 14th place at .502.
Having the easiest schedule doesn’t guarantee anything of course, but it’s better than having the toughest schedule.
And here’s the weird things about this season: The Dodgers haven’t played the Padres or Giants yet. And the Padres and Giants have played each other only four times.
The NL West will come down to who can win the most games among the Dodgers-Padres, Dodgers-Giants and Padres-Giants. The Dodgers play the Padres 13 times (first game is Monday at San Diego) and they play the Giants 13 times. If the Dodgers can go 8-5 or better against both, then it gives them an enormous advantage in winning the division. A losing record puts them at a disadvantage.
The Dodgers last play the Padres on Aug. 24. They don’t play them at all in September! I’m sorry, that’s just bad scheduling on the part of MLB. They play the Giants for the final time on Sept. 21. They close the season against Seattle! Again, just bad scheduling. MLB needs to have enough vision to see how the division races are probably going to play out and the final six games of the season should have been against the Padres and Giants. It’s little things like this where MLB hurts itself. They don’t see the little things that are important to fans of any team. It’s like going to a great restaurant with the best food, but they forget to give you silverware and the plates are chipped. It makes the main product less appealing.
By the way, last season after 63 games, the Dodgers were….. 38-25, the same record they have this season. They had a seven-game lead in the West.
Tyler Glasnow update
Bad news for those awaiting the return of Tyler Glasnow. A week after throwing his first bullpen session since going on the injured list in April with shoulder inflammation, he has been feeling “general body discomfort,” Dave Roberts said.
“There was one ‘pen, and then [his] body didn’t respond,” Roberts said. “So we’re trying to figure out when we can ramp him back up.”
If you’re like me, when you hear the phrase “general body discomfort,” you immediately think of former Dodgers outfielder Mike Marshall, who might have missed more games with “general soreness” than any player in history.
Top 10 shortstops
We begin our “Top 10” series with shortstops. Who are the top 10 shortstops in Dodgers history? First, my picks, then who readers picked. Numberslisted are with the Dodgers only. Gold Gloves are also listed, but keep in mind Gold Gloves were first awarded in 1957. Click on the player name to be taken to his full stat page at baseball-reference.com.
1. Pee Wee Reese (1940-42, 1946-58, .269/.366/.377, 68.4 WAR, 99 OPS+, 10-time All Star)
Reese is the clear No. 1 shortstop in Dodgers history and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He also finished ninth the last time we did reader voting for the greatest Dodgers of all time.
Harold Henry Reese was born on July 23, 1918, in Meade County, Ky. When he turned 21, he was 5 feet 6 and 160 pounds, but he was called “Pee Wee” long before that. Not because of his size, because of his other hobby other than baseball: marbles. He won a couple of pee wee marbles competitions in Kentucky, so people started calling him Pee Wee.
After graduating from high school, Reese, who played in only five baseball games in his senior year, didn’t seem headed for Major League fame. He took a job as a cable splicer for a telephone company. He often said that climbing all those poles made him much stronger physically and helped him reach the majors.
Reese led his semipro team to the Louisville city championship in 1937 and signed with the minor league Louisville Colonels. He did so well there that Boston Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey bought the Colonels in 1938 in order to secure the rights to Reese. One problem: the Red Sox were led by Joe Cronin, one of the best shortstops around. Cronin did not want to move from short to make room for Reese, so Yawkey decided midway through the 1939 season to sell Reese’s contract to the Brooklyn Dodgers for $35,000 and two players, Red Evans and Art Parks, neither of whom ever played for the Red Sox, so it was quite a good deal for the Dodgers.
Reese made it to the majors in 1940 and was a great fielder, but only an average hitter for three seasons before he spent three years in the Navy with the construction battalion. He returned to the Dodgers for the 1946 season and was a much better hitter, batting .284 with 87 walks.
In spring training of 1947, a few Dodgers signed a petition that threatened a players’ boycott if Jackie Robinson joined the team. When it came time for Reese to sign, he refused, later saying, “If he’s man enough to take my job, I’m not gonna like it, but, Black or white, he deserves it.”
Reese died on Aug. 14, 1999. He was 81.
At his funeral, Joe Black, one of the first Black pitchers in the majors and a former teammate of Reese, said: “Pee Wee helped make my boyhood dream come true to play in the majors, the World Series. When Pee Wee reached out to Jackie, all of us in the Negro League smiled and said it was the first time that a white guy had accepted us. When I finally got up to Brooklyn, I went to Pee Wee and said, ‘Black people love you. When you touched Jackie, you touched all of us.’ With Pee Wee, it was No. 1 on his uniform and No. 1 in our hearts.”
2. Maury Wills (1959-66, 1969-72, .281/.330/.331, 32.1 WAR, 87 OPS+, 1 MVP award, 2 Gold Gloves, 6-time All Star).
Wills made the stolen base popular again. In 1960, his first full season as the Dodgers’ shortstop, Wills led the league with 50 stolen bases, becoming the first National League player to steal 50 since Max Carey stole 51 in 1923. Wills stole more bases by himself than three NL teams did.
1961 was a bit of a down year as he stole only 35, which was still more than the entire Pittsburgh Pirates team (29).
1962 was his year though. Wills broke Ty Cobb‘s 47-year-old record by stealing 104 bases and was named NL most valuable player. He stole more bases than every other NL team.
In 1965, he stole 94 bases, more than every other team except the St. Louis Cardinals, who stole 100.
So you could say that Wills is the Babe Ruth of base stealing. He definitely should be in the Hall of Fame.
By the way, in the year Wills stole 104 bases, he was caught only 13 times. After the season, Wills said, “Do I think I’ll ever steal 104 bases again? No, I can’t believe I did it now. I don’t see how I can ever come close again. The physical beating I took is more than I want to endure.”
Wills died on Sept. 19, 2022, surrounded by family. He was 89.
A year before he died, Wills answered question from readers of this newsletter. You can read that here. Wills finished 11th in the “all-time greatest Dodgers” voting. You can read that here.
3. Bill Russell (1969-86, .263/.310/.338, 31.3 WAR, 83 OPS+, 3-time All Star)
Russell was an outfielder his first three seasons before moving to short to replace Wills. Russell was the shortstop on four Dodgers World Series teams, winning one (1981). He played more games than anyone in L.A. history and, though Russell was often criticized for his fielding, Tommy John said Russell was the best shortstop he ever played with.
Russell wasn’t flashy and seldom drew headlines. He was considered one of the best clutch hitters on the team, a reputation cemented during the 1978 postseason, when he hit .412 in the NLCS, including the walk-off hit in the pennant-clinching game against the Phillies (you can watch that here) and .423 in the World Series.
4. Corey Seager (2015-21, .297/.367/.504, 20.9 WAR, 131 OPS+, Rookie of the Year, 2-time All Star)
Russell beats out Seager because of his longevity with the Dodgers, but if you want to move Seager up to third, you could. He was selected in the first round of the 2012 draft and made the Dodgers in September 2015. He hit .337 in 27 games and was the starting shortstop in the postseason, winning the job from Jimmy Rollins. In 2016, he was named Rookie of the Year and finished third in MVP voting. He had another solid year in 2017, which was also the last time he made the All-Star team as a Dodger. He missed almost all of the 2018 season after having Tommy John surgery (yes, sometimes non-pitchers need it). He led the NL in doubles in 2019 with 44. 2020 was a great year, as he hit .307/.358/.585 in the COVID-shortened season, then was named MVP of the NLCS and World Series. He left the Dodgers as a free agent after 2021, rejecting the Dodgers’ eight-year, $250-million offer for a 10-year, $325-million offer from Texas.
5. Rafael Furcal (2006-11, .283/.351/.406, 15.7 WAR, 100 OPS+, 1-time All Star)
Furcal was signed as a free agent before the 2006 season and helped the Dodgers improve from 71-91 in 2005 to 88-74 and a postseason berth in 2006, finishing 14th in MVP voting. He was a significant upgrade offensively from César Izturis, who remained as his backup. He had a serious back injury that sidelined him for most of the 2008 season, but returned for the postseason. He may have regretted that after setting a dubious record: most errors in one inning in an NLCS game, in the fifth inning of Game 5. He had an off season in 2009, but hit .300 and made the All-Star team in 2010 before injuries limited him to 37 games in 2011. He left as a free agent after that season.
6. Bill Dahlen (1900-03, 1910-11, .266/.354/.357, 20.6 WAR, 123 OPS+)
The further back you go, the harder it is to judge players. But Dahlen belongs in the top 10 somewhere, and I’m placing him sixth.
William Frederick Dahlen was born in Nelliston, N.Y. on Jan. 5, 1870. He played for the National League’s Chicago Colts from 1891-98, where he became one of the best players of the fledgling league, but was also known for his temper. He was ejected from 10 games in 1898 and was arrested in the offseason for killing a mule that belonged to a farmer. That was enough for the Colts, who traded him to Baltimore, which also owned the team in Brooklyn. He was transferred from Baltimore to Brooklyn, as the ownership group wanted to congregate their best players on one team (one of the reasons you can’t own more than one team now).
What he did for the then-Brooklyn Superbas was make them consistent winners. They had a winning record each season he was with the team, the first time they had a winning record for four seasons in a row. He was a big RBI man, probably would have won four Gold Gloves and stole bases. But, he continued to get thrown out of games and broke curfew constantly. Team owner Charles Ebbets had enough and traded him to the New York Giants. “In the first place, Dahlen, while a great player, never was an observer of discipline. He looked upon rules from the standpoint that they were made only to be broken, and while this has in no way affected his playing ability, still the injury to the team in a disciplinary way has been great.” That was his pattern as a player. The team owners and managers recognized his greatness on the field, but didn’t care for him much off the field. He died in Brooklyn in 1950 and lies in an unmarked grave in Brooklyn’s Cemetery of the Evergreens. He fell one vote shy of making the Hall of Fame in a Veterans Committee vote in 2013, and hasn’t come close since. You can read more about Dahlen here.
7. Hanley Ramirez (2012-14, .299/.368/.506, 9.7 WAR, 144 OPS+)
Ramirez was the best pure hitter the Dodgers have had at short.
The Dodgers acquired Ramirez from Miami on July 25, 2012 for Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough. He tripled in his first at bat. He had double-digit homers each season with the team and in 2013 hit .345/.402/.638 with 20 homers in 86 games. Which points to his big drawback: injuries. He played in the World Baseball Classic before the 2013 season and tore a ligament in his thumb diving for a ball. He started playing for the Dodgers on April 29, and three days later strained a hamstring while running. He came off the IL on June 4, and, probably not coincidentally, the Dodgers went on a 46-10 run and ended up winning the division. He finished eighth in MVP voting despite playing in barely half the games.
Then came the pitch many Dodgers fans won’t forget. The Dodgers were one of the favorites to win the 2013 World Series, and defeated Atlanta in four games in the NLDS. In Game 1 of the NLCS, Ramirez was drilled in the ribs with a fastball thrown by….. future fan favorite Joe Kelly. Two ribs were broken. Ramirez wore a protective vest the rest of the series and went two for 15 as the Dodgers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in six games. Did Kelly throw at Ramirez on purpose? In an interview for this newsletter, Kelly said “Hanley Ramirez probably should have gotten out of the way or turned inside a little more.”
More injuries hampered Ramirez in 2014 and he became more of a defensive liability at short. He left as a free agent, signing with Boston, which moved him to left field.
8. Ivy Olson (1915-24, .261/.295/.325. 4/5 WAR, 74 OPS+)
Why is Olson on the list? Brooklyn made the World Series its first two times with Olson at short, and he was a big reason why.
Ivan Massie Olson was born Oct. 14, 1885, in Kansas City, Mo. He went to the same school as Casey Stengel, who described Olson in Robert Creamer’s book “Stengel,” as a bully in school. His toughness was a big reason he made it to the majors, as he hit only .225 in the minors, but the game was much different then. Players slid into second with their spikes high (and sometimes even sharpened). You needed a middle infielder who could retaliate, and word quickly spread that if you slid in spikes high on Olson, he’d tag you hard, with the ball, right on your nose.
Or, as the New York Times wrote in a game recap (as recounted on SABR.org): Rabbit Maranville tried to knock the ball out of Olson’s glove in a play at third, but Olson resented this, and promptly began to bang Maranville on the shins with the ball. This was the signal for the real fun, Maranville’s punch for the head missing its mark but striking Ivan on the knee. Then Ivan’s return sweep whizzed past the Rabbit’s head. Umpire Cy Rigler, who had followed the play to third, then jumped after Olson, grabbing him about the neck and pulling him away, while half a dozen ball players made a circle around Maranville. Both men wanted to continue, but Rigler evidently figured out that the gate was too small and that the 800 fans had had enough for their money.”
He played for Cleveland, then the Reds, who released him in the 1915 season. He was picked up by the Dodgers and hit .077 in 18 games.
The Robins made the World Series for the first time in 1916, and manager Wilbert Robinson gave much of the credit to Olson, saying he brought much-needed toughness and togetherness to the team. They made the World Series again in 2020. He was the Kirk Gibson of his day. One hundred years from now, someone writing the Dodgers newsletter will look at Gibson’s numbers in 1988 and wonder how he won MVP. Occasionally, there are players who transcend their numbers. For the Brooklyn Robins, Ivy Olson was that player. You can read more about Olson here.
9. César Izturis (2002-06, .260/.296/.336, 3.7 WAR, 65 OPS+, 1 Gold Glove, 1-time All Star)
The best fielding Dodger shortstop, by far, since Maury Wills. Izturis was acquired along with pitcher Paul Quantrill from Toronto for Luke Prokopec and Chad Ricketts before the 2002 season. Izturis’ big problem was he couldn’t hit, drew almost no walks and had little power. But his glove made up for a lot of that. His best season was easily 2004, when he hit .288 with 32 doubles, 62 RBIs and 25 steals, He also won the Gold Glove award that year, the last Dodger shortstop to win a Gold Glove.
He got off to a hot start in 2005, hitting .348 through the end of May and remained hot enough to earn his only All-Star berth. But he injured his elbow and had season-ending Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers acquired Rafael Furcal in the offseason, and when Izturis returned in 2006, he was a backup. He was traded July 31, 2006 to the Chicago Cubs for Greg Maddux. He remained in the majors until 2013, almost entirely because he was such a great fielder.
If you saw Izturis play at Dodger Stadium, he seemed to make at least one play every game that was superhuman. Going deep into the hole and throwing a missile to first. A diving stop behind second. He was always positioned perfectly. He was a wonder to watch.
Izturis is currently the bench coach for the Tijuana Toros in the Mexican League. His son, Cesar Daniel Izturis, was in the Seattle organization for a while and currently plays for Durango in the Mexican League.
10. Don Zimmer (1954-59, 1963, .228/.286/.366, -0.1 WAR, 69 OPS+)
Really, once you get past Nos. 5 or 6 on this list, the rankings become interchangeable. There are a few guys I considered for the final spot, but settled on Zimmer, a member of the 1955 and 1959 World Series champion Dodgers.
Zimmer became much more famous as a manager and as the guy Pedro Martineztossed to the ground during a Yankees-Red Sox on-field melee.
Zimmer was signed for $2,500 out of Cincinnati’s Western Hills High in 1949. He slowly moved up the minors before his career, and life, almost came to an end on July 7, 1953. Playing for triple-A St. Paul at Columbus, he was hit in the head by a fastball thrown by Jim Kirk. His skull was fractured and he laid unconscious in a hospital for 10 days. Three holes were drilled in his skull to reduce the pressure on his brain (those holes were later filled with titanium plugs). He recovered and returned home after spending a month in the hospital. He returned to St. Paul for the start of the 1954 season, as his path to the majors was blocked by Pee Wee Reese. He hit .291 with 17 homers at St. Paul and was called up to the Dodgers when Reese was injured in July. He played OK for a couple of weeks and, when Reese returned, was given the option of riding the bench in Brooklyn or returning to St. Paul. He chose Brooklyn, but rarely played the rest of the season.
Zimmer remained the backup to Reese during the 1955 season after having a great spring training. Manager Walter Alston wanted to find a way to keep Zimmer’s bat in the lineup, so he asked if he had any experience playing second base. Zimmer, who had never played second base before, said “Yes.” So Zimmer became the backup at short and second, playing enough to hit 15 homers with 50 RBIs in 88 games. He appeared in four of the seven World Series games as the Dodgers won the title for the first time.
In 1956, Zimmer was again Reese’s backup, with his season ending when he suffered a broken cheekbone when hit in the face with a pitch by Hal Jeffcoat.
It took until 1958, the year the Dodgers started playing in L.A., for Zimmer to win the starting shortstop job. Reese, who had aged out of the shortstop role, moved to third base. Zimmer had his best season, hitting .262 with 17 homers and 60 RBIs.
But it was just one season of glory, as he lost the job to a newcomer named Maury Wills in 1959. Zimmer hit .169 in the season and appeared in only one World Series game as the Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox.
Zimmer was traded to the Chicago Cubs before the 1960 season for Johnny Goryl, Lee Handley and Ron Perranoski.
He eventually made his way to the Reds, who traded him on Jan. 24, 1963 to the Dodgers in order to make room for a promising rookie to make the team: Pete Rose. He spent a few weeks with the Dodgers before he was traded to the Washington Senators.
Zimmer died on June 4, 2014 in Dunedin, Fla. He was 83.
Honorable mention: Dave Anderson, Mariano Duncan, Leo Durocher, Lonny Frey, Alfredo Griffin, Miguel Rojas, Trea Turner, Glenn Wright.
Note: Players will be listed at the position where they played the most games.
The readers’ results
The results from the top 10 shortstops lists that you sent in. I assigned points based on where a person was ranked. First place got 12 points, second place nine, all the way down to one point for 10th place. There were 572 ballots.
In all, 30 players received votes, not counting votes given to players who didn’t play short, such as Ron Fairly and Ron Cey.
Top 10 catchers
Up next: Catcher. Who are your top 10 Dodgers catcher of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list [email protected] and let me know. and l will compile the results to be revealed soon.
Up next
Friday: Dodgers (TBD) at St. Louis (Sonny Gray, 6-1, 3.65 ERA), 5:15 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Saturday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 6-4, 2.39 ERA) at St. Louis (Erick Fedde, 3-5, 3.82 ERA), 11:15 a.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Sunday: Dodgers (Dustin May, 3-4, 4.09 ERA) at St. Louis (TBD), 11:15 a.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. A sad farewell to Loretta Swit, who played Major Margaret Houlihan on “M*A*S*H*,” one of my favorite shows. All that’s left now are Hawkeye, B.J., Radar and Klinger.
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Once again, in the quest to give you some different voices to hear from during the season, I have reached out to Jake Reiner, who has co-hosted The Incline: Dodgers Podcast with Kevin Klein since 2020. Reiner, an actor, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles, executive produced and starred in the romantic comedy “Things Like This,” which is currently playing in theaters across the country. Reiner was featured in the final season of HBO Max’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” He’s also born into television royalty as the son of Rob Reiner and grandson of the late Carl Reiner.
This interview was conducted via email.
Q. How long ago and why did you become a Dodger fan?
Reiner: I’ve been a Dodgers fan ever since I learned what baseball was as a young child growing up in Los Angeles. The love of baseball is something that has been passed down from my grandfather to my father and then to me. Both my grandfather and father were originally New York Giants fans that converted to Dodgers fans for different reasons. My grandfather switched his allegiance because he fell in love with Jackie Robinson, and my father changed sides when the Giants traded his beloved Willie Mays to the Mets. I was lucky enough to be born into it after they were already bleeding Dodger blue. Thank God!
Q. How do you assess this season’s team?
Reiner: This year’s team is fascinating because there is a lot to improve with this roster and yet they’re still leading the division. It’s no secret the offense has carried them the entire time. I love the way they’re scoring because they aren’t just reliant on the home run. They’re manufacturing runs, hitting with runners in scoring position, and no deficit feels too large to overcome. The biggest mystery to me is why can’t any of their pitchers stay healthy? We’ve seen a few seasons of this recently, especially with the starting rotation. It’s honestly frustrating as a fan of a team that is so well-run in every aspect but we can’t seem to get a straight answer as to why guys such as Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell can’t stay on the mound.
Q. A genie grants your wish and says you are the owner of the Dodgers and can make three immediate changes. What changes do you make?
Reiner: 1. I would start Hyeseong Kim every day. Kim provides a type of offensive dynamic that the Dodgers don’t have anywhere on their roster outside of Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. He’s surgical with the bat, can beat out an infield single, steal bases, and has some pop. But unlike Ohtani, Kim plays the field at an elite level. Who knows how long Mookie Betts will be out with his fractured toe, so he may get some more opportunities at shortstop, but playing Miguel Rojas over Kim at this point should be considered a crime. I don’t care about platooning — Kim is the better player.
2. This brings me to my next point. I think Rojas’ time as a Dodger should come to an end. We saw how decisive the Dodgers were with Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes, and I think Rojas is next on the list. Not knowing everything he provides as a clubhouse leader, what he provides on the field is not cutting it. He kills too many rallies by grounding into double plays while leaving Ohtani on deck most times, he’s too slow, and his defense can be replaced. The Dodgers already employ Kim, Kiké Hernández, and Tommy Edman, who can do everything Rojas can do, but exponentially better. Plus, I’d like to see a guy like Alex Freeland get called up from OKC to see what he can do at the big league level.
3. My last change(s) might be the most obvious, which is the Dodgers need to stock up as much pitching as they possibly can get before the July 31 trade deadline. Two starters and two relievers would be ideal, but I know that might be asking for too much. I don’t trust Glasnow, Snell, and Roki Sasaki will all return and be effective. I also don’t trust Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol, and Kirby Yates to return at full strength either. This might be a pessimistic view, but the Dodgers medical staff hasn’t instilled any confidence in me as it relates to the health of their pitchers.
Q. Tanner Scott is struggling right now. The Dodgers pitching is not as good as usual, and they have 14 pitchers on the IL. Do you remain patient, waiting for these guys to get healthy, or do you make a trade?
Reiner: I think you can be more patient waiting for some of the relievers to come back — especially if the Dodgers are able to maintain their standing in the NL West. But we’ve seen a lot of blown saves and home runs galore surrendered by this bullpen, which is not sustainable. If it were me, I’d actually try and find an innings-eating starting pitcher that can be effective and take the ball every fifth day. That might help the overworked bullpen. With all that said, the Dodgers offense has been able to weather the storm — I just hope they can keep this up until we get closer to the trade deadline.
Q. Last week, a website listed their 10 greatest Dodgers. A lot of fans were unhappy that Ohtani wasn’t among the top 10. Seems way too soon to consider him one of the 10 greatest Dodgers. What do you think?
Reiner: I think the fact that Ohtani won an MVP, had a 50-50 season, and won a title all in his first season with the Dodgers has fans salivating and already declaring him a Dodgers legend. I don’t doubt he’ll continue to put up monster numbers for this franchise, and I’ve even let myself think about him as the greatest player of all time, but let’s give him a few more seasons in blue to truly cement himself in the top 10. While we’re on the topic, I think Freddie Freeman could crack that list too when it’s all said and done.
Q. Do you have a favorite moment from your podcast, and how can fans listen to it?
Reiner: We’ve had a lot of cool guests on the podcast over the years: Shawn Green, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Tim Neverett, Stephen Nelson, Gavin Stone, Dalton Rushing, Bob Nightengale, and Victor Rojas to name a few (all of them basically). However, I’d say one of my favorite moments, which was also a tragedy, was when the Dodgers got swept by the Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLDS. I don’t think my co-hosts or I had ever been this collectively animated on a single episode. The pain and frustration we released was as therapeutic as it was completely unhinged. We can laugh about it now because the Dodgers eventually cleaned up their postseason woes from 2022 and 2023 to win it all in 2024.
Fans can listen to us on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere you get your podcasts! Please also follow us on X @TheInclinePod!
The Yankees series
It’s funny how the order of victories can change how you view a series. The Dodgers get a great comeback victory over the Yankees on Friday, then blow them out Saturday, before losing Sunday, and some act like it’s the worst thing that has ever happened. If it had been reversed, and the Dodgers had lost Friday, then had an amazing comeback victory Saturday and a blowout victory Sunday, those same people would be talking about how amazing the Dodgers are.
The fact of the matter is the Dodgers won two of three from the team many believe is the best team in the American League. This is a good thing.
The Dodgers are beginning a tough stretch of games right now. The next 16 games are: Four against the Mets, three at St. Louis, three at San Diego, three against San Francisco, three more against San Diego. Only one day off in the middle of all of that. At the end of those 16 games, we will know a lot more about just how good this team is. Right now, they are off to a good start. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
All-time leaders
Which batters struck out the most with the Dodgers?
Franchise 1. Matt Kemp, 1,179 2. Duke Snider, 1,123 3. Gil Hodges, 1,108 4. Eric Karros, 1,105 5. Chris Taylor, 1,044 6. Andre Ethier, 938 7. Pee Wee Reese, 890 8. Max Muncy, 882 9. Ron Cey, 838 10. Willie Davis, 815
Los Angeles only 1. Matt Kemp, 1,179 2. Eric Karros, 1,105 3. Chris Taylor, 1,044 4. Andre Ethier, 938 5. Max Muncy, 882 6. Ron Cey, 838 7. Willie Davis, 815 8. Steve Garvey, 751 9. Mike Marshall, 724 10. Steve Yeager, 703 11. Cody Bellinger, 691 12. Bill Russell, 667 13. Raúl Mondesi, 663 14. Justin Turner, 647 15. Davey Lopes, 629
Is there a top 10 Dodgers list you’d like to see Email me at [email protected] and let me know.
Top 10 Dodgers
I asked you what sort of top 10 list you’d like to see, and the response was overwhelming for “Top 10 Dodgers at each position.” So, starting with the next newsletter, we will go position by position, listing the top 10 for each. Up first will be shortstop. And I’d like to hear from you, Who do you think are the top 10 Dodgers shortstops of all time? Rank them in order, and I’ll compile it and present your list after I give you mine.
Who are your top 10 Dodgers shortstops of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list [email protected] and let me know.
Bad news for Phillips
When Evan Phillips was first put on the IL, the Dodgers thought it would just be for the 15 days required. But no. The Dodgers announced Saturday that Phillips would undergo Tommy John surgery, which means he probably won’t pitch again until after the 2026 All-Star break.
A tough blow for the bullpen, which still has key members Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, Kirby Yates and Brusdar Graterol on the IL.
He can see clearly now
Since putting on glasses, Max Muncy is a new man. In the 25 games since then he’s hitting .262/.387/.536 with six homers and 27 RBIs, 17 walks and 17 K’s in 84 at bats. Sometimes, patience pays off.
Though if I were the Dodgers, I’d bring a top optometrist and ophthalmologist to spring training next season.
Boiling point
Sammy Roth writes our “Boiling Point” newsletter, which deals with environmental concerns. His most recent newsletter takes a look at how the familiar orange and blue 76 logo, a longtime Dodgers sponsor, is now also sponsoring the, wait for it …. San Francisco Giants. Roth writes:
“Long before Clayton Kershaw donned No. 22 and Fernando Valenzuela wore No. 34, another number told fans it was time for Dodger baseball: 76.
“Union Oil Co., the 76 gasoline brand’s former owner, helped finance Dodger Stadium’s construction. The brand’s current owner, Phillips 66, remains a major sponsor. Through six World Series titles, orange-and-blue 76 logos have been a constant presence at Chavez Ravine. They tower above the scoreboards and grace the outfield walls.
“So when 76 recently posted on Instagram that it had begun sponsoring L.A.’s rivals in San Francisco — with an orange-and-blue logo on the center field clock at Oracle Park — some Dodgers fans weren’t pleased…..
A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Sunday). Click on the player name to be taken to the baseball-reference page with all their stats.
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
