Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen underwent heart surgery on Tuesday to correct an irregular heartbeat, a procedure we were all aware would occur during the offseason. Jansen’s heart problems have sidelined him for stretches during the 2011 regular season, Spring Training of 2012, and the 2012 regular season. Ken Gurnick reports that Jansen will now be out for at least three ... Read More »
Shohei Otani, the fire-balling high school Japanese pitching phenom, has opted for a career in the MLB, according to the Associated Press. Otani, a 6-foot-4 right-hander who has thrown a fastball between 99 and 100 mph, has been scouted by several major league teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. The 18-year-old Otani said “I think I ... Read More »
The Dodgers have hired Gerry Hunsicker to be the Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations, according to an official release from the team. LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today hired Gerry Hunsicker as Senior Advisor, Baseball Operations. Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement. “Gerry brings a wealth of senior level experience and knowledge that will assist baseball ... Read More »
The Dodgers sent eight players to the Arizona Fall League this season to play for the Mesa Solar Sox. Only Onelki Garcia has yet to appear in a game. I’m hoping he gets in soon because he only threw in two minor-league games this season. We all know about Yasiel Puig suffering the staph infection, which caused him to miss ... Read More »
So THAT happened at a Clippers game yesterday, presumably because Matt Kemp was there to see Blake Griffin. Unfortunately, by the look in Kris Jenner‘s eyes, you can tell she’s thinking about him as a potential publicity marriage partner for one of her two younger daughters in a few years. As a Dodger fan, your initial reaction to this picture ... Read More »
Matt Kemp should move to a corner outfield spot and be replaced in center field by Carl Crawford, says Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. When we talked to general manager Ned Colletti after the season, he said it’s something the team might revisit later, but is not considering for 2013. Why? Alternatives. Carl Crawford hasn’t played center field since ... Read More »
The Dodgers have announced that all members of the 2012 coaching staff will return in 2013 with the lone exception being hitting coach Dave Hansen, whom the club has parted ways with after he spent just over a season in the position. While it’s true that this squad was fairly terrible offensively for most of the season, I can’t and ... Read More »
The Dodgers outrighted both Blake Hawksworth and Matt Angle to AAA yesterday. Neither move is shocking nor particularly noteworthy, but it’s important nonetheless because it frees up a couple of spots on the 40-man roster that has to be set for the Rule 5 Draft by next month. Angle did little for the team both on the field and off ... Read More »
The Dodgers are “front-runners” for the services of Japanese high school phenom Shohei Otani, according to the Japanese media. Meanwhile, stateside, Alex Speier of WEEI and Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News both confirm the Dodgers interest in the 18-year-old, who stands 6’4″ at 190 pounds. —– Logan White and the Dodgers scouting department has been cultivating a relationship ... Read More »
So the Arizona Fall League started yesterday, and if you don’t already know what’s going on with that, you can check out the Dodgers players who are there in this article I wrote two months ago. One glaring difference between that list and what you’ll actually see or hear about is the absence of Yasiel Puig, as he’ll be missing ... Read More »
A.J. Ellis underwent knee surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee. The information, as far as I can tell, was broken on Twitter by his wife. Surgery went well Friday. Recovering and flying home Tuesday! #pregnantwith3babies #ipadteddybear twitter.com/Cindyluellis/s… — Cindy Ellis (@Cindyluellis) October 8, 2012 The necessity of this surgery could probably explain a few of his late-season ... Read More »
Matt Kemp will undergo arthroscopic surgery tomorrow on his injured left shoulder to fix his frayed labrum. The rehab period could be weeks or months, depending on the extent of the damage. I said it when it was revealed to be a serious injury, but the fact that the Dodgers didn’t shut him down was ludicrous. He – along with ... Read More »
Mike Petriello recently wrote an post, titled, “Finishing Strong Could Impact More Than Just Playoff Hunt“, and a lot of fans felt it hit the nail on the head. That is, the strong finish gives fans optimism for 2013. Now I’m not writing here to criticize his post, but it did get me thinking about the odd shift in mindset ... Read More »
As everybody knew going into the game, it was literally a must-win contest for the Dodgers, as the magic number of the Cardinals was one for the final playoff spot in the National League. —– Buster Posey started the scoring in the top of second inning with a homer off Chris Capuano. A Luis Cruz RBI groundout knotted the game ... Read More »
The Dodgers are currently two games back of the Cardinals for the National League‘s final playoff spot with two games to play. Los Angeles has a 2.5% (-2.3% since yesterday) chance of making the playoffs according to Cool Standings and a 2.5% (-1.8% since yesterday) chance according to Baseball Prospectus. —– For today’s game, the Dodgers send Chris Capuano to ... Read More »
Chad Moriyama Dodgers, Sabermetrics, Scouting