As Spring Training winds down, the Dodger roster is starting to take shape.
The team traded Matt Beaty to the San Diego Padres on Monday, and followed by making some more personnel moves.
On Tuesday evening, the team announced that they had optioned utility man Zach McKinstry and sent down infielder Andy Burns to minor league camp. With those moves, the spring roster now stands at 41. The team also optioned pitcher Andre Jackson and outfielder Jason Martin.
As the Dodgers cut down that roster to 28 for Opening Day, there are some players who may not be ready in time. Relief pitcher Phil Bickford will not be ready for Opening Day, as he still has to even appear in a Cactus League game. He came into camp with arm soreness and had a late start.
Tony Gonsolin started the latest Cactus League game vs the Oakland Athletics. He looks to ramp up for the regular season as a presumed starter in the Dodgers rotation along with Andrew Heaney.
The team also announced last week that they renewed the contract of Andrew Toles. Toles hasn’t appeared with the team since 2018, and his name reappeared in 2020 when he was arrested after police found him sleeping in a building behind West International Airport in Florida.
It appeared at the time that Toles was homeless just two years removed after starting a postseason game. The move allows Toles to continue to have health insurance and be paid while he gets his situation together. Quite a class act by the Dodger organization.
MLB.com also released their top 10 projected starting rotations for the 2022 season. The Dodgers find themselves seventh on the list just after their western division rivals the Giants. Throughout last year the Los Angeles rotation had been a whirlwind due to injuries, Covid and other factors.
Potentially, the back end of the rotation is a bit lacking as it wasn’t the past couple seasons. The Dodgers certainly have showed they can fix pitchers throughout the Friedman era. They’ll hope to do it again with Heaney, who had a 5.83 ERA in 2021 and has struggled this spring allowing ten runs in only 5 ⅓ innings over two appearances .
The Dodgers now only have 7 exhibition games before Opening Day.
What the Dodgers just did for Andrew Toles is heart warming. I always rooted for him, I loved his scrappiness. I was so sad for him when his life seemed to be getting difficult, I hope he can get his life back on track.
Thank you dodgers for being the kind of franchise we can all be proud of.
Oh yeah, and thank you Jose for giving us that little bit of news about Andrew Toles.
If our rotation which includes Heaney and Gonsolin is 7th out of 30, think of how they would have rated is with Bauer and May instead of those two.
Probably almost as good as they rated last year with Bauer and may. On another subject one of us might have been a mite premature in writing off the 28 year old, career minor leaguer Rios. Lets dfo Turner. Naw
I wonder how good Bauer will be after all this. Better than Heaney certainly, but don’t forget he won’t be allowed to use use Pelican or Spider or Tyler… whatever, his spin rate might go from the sudden 2800+ he found back to the 2400 it usta was.
What are the odds Bellinger finds it in a week?
Manaea looks like a workhorse, and would look good in Blue. But, we probably won’t need him. Probably
I sure hope Toles pulls it together. He’s getting the help he needs. We have SO many who don’t.
No doubt bellinger will find it in a week. I’m wondering what week. It was late August last year
Bellinger appears to have widened his stance. He’s making contact now.
Lux appears disconnected.
Amazing, that we’re now saying our former MVP is making contact and that brings some enthusiasm.
Lux tends to be steaky anyway, but as some of us have said previously I think it would help him if he had a single position instead of having to concentrate on playing multiple defensive positions while also focusing on his hitting. Some players can just mentally wear blinders and focus on the task at hand. I don’t think Lux is one of those players, at least at this stage of his career. I am not advocating trading him, but if I were his father, I think that’s what I would be hoping would happen. I think he could thrive for a team like KC or Pittsburgh, but the pressure here might be weighing him down. Not saying he won’t ever make it here; I just think it will take longer.
That’s possible I suppose, but he’s yet to earn a Major League job. Second base is his, unless he can’t play it. It would appear he’s having some issues. Now is not the time look nonchalant out there. I of course have no clue what is happening day to day with him on the practice field but from what I’ve seen he does not look ready to take over second base. A first round pick that dominated in the minors should take over at some time. He’s 24 and has been around the ML club since ‘19. Still time of course, but there are other options to start this season. Lux needs to start performing at a Major League level.
And Bellinger? Gulp.
I read a few days ago, can’t remember where, that Manea’s velocity was down from last year, though he looked pretty good against us.
I just read the Dodgers might carry 16 pitchers to start. If so, OKC is going to be stacked with guys competing for those last few roster spots when rosters are reduced. Should be an interesting next few days, and an equally intriguing month.
16 pitchers, eh? So we won’t have to worry about who will win the competition between Rios and Lamb. They may both be at OKC. I guess that could also be an excuse to send Lux down to start the season if Rios is hitting a lot better.
15-16 was what I read. And yeah, it looks like Lux will likely be going down.
Bellinger’s struggles are not helping Lux make the team as the starting second baseman. That said, it’s not like another bat is producing in such a way that would be much of an improvement offensively at second. The Dodgers are not hitting this Spring with a few exceptions and those are coming from players that might not make the active roster.
RF Betts
1B Freeman
SS Trea
C Smith
CF Bellinger
3B Justin
DH Muncy
LF Taylor
2B Lux
Barnes, Rios, Pollock, Lamb, Hanser Alberto
Not sure what I’m looking at here, Fred. Is this your preferred lineup and bench to start the season?
If so, I’m curious as to why you are hitting Bellinger as high as fifth.
Also not sure why you list 6 guys on the bench when there will likely only be 4, even with expanded rosters to start the year. So, as I said above, not exactly sure what I’m looking at.
That is my preferred lineup and bench. BTW, Hanser Alberto in only one player. Does it matter where in the lineup Bellinger makes an out? I am willing to start the season with 14 pitchers and 14 position players.
Apparently I think so highly of Hanser Alberto that I count him as 2 players.
With regard to where Bellinger bats in the lineup, the farther up he bats, the more likely he is to get an extra at bat. I would hit him in the bottom 3rd of the order until he becomes a viable hitter again. Since one tends to hit one’s best hitters higher in the lineup, the higher Bellinger hits, the more likely he is to kill a rally.
My preferred batting order (using your 9 starters):
T. Turner, SS
Betts, RF
Freeman, 1B
Smith, C
Muncy, DH
J. Turner, 3B
Bellinger, CF
CT3/Pollock, LF
Lux, 2B
I’m batting Trea leadoff because his lifetime stolen base percentage is around 83%, which is a few percentage points better than Ricky Henderson. He’s got the talent, let’s use it to our advantage. If he singles or walks and then steals, that puts him in scoring position with Mookie and Freddie to follow.
14 & 14 sounds good to me, at most 15 pitchers. We may need them.
I’d flip Muncy and Bellinger.
My preference would be barnes, rios, lux and bellinger on the bench to start. Certain.y wouldn’t have bellinger hitting 5th. He should ge 9th and work his way up. And have lux Hut maybe 14th and work his way up. And let’s get this roster Down to 28 and give these struggling players some reps.
This team is on cruise control. I expect them to rev it up this weekend.
Eddy Alvarez looks like a baller. I like him.
I agree. He just looks good out there on the field. Of course, if you can put on a major league uniform after having won an Olympic speed skating medal you’re probably a decent athlete.