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The LA Dodgers Player Roster In 2013: State Of The Union Mar.28
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The Dodgers are putting the other National League teams to shame with payroll – and have assembled an ALL – Star Squad with 8 Starting Pitchers, with perhaps the best athletic Outfield in the Major Leagues. The Dodgers spent most of the 1st half of the 2012 campaign in the NL West before injuries crippled the product on the field. A blockbuster trade late in August saw the club win 8 of the last 10 games after struggling to gel early. Skipper Don Mattingly is in the last year of his contract, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez will try to put their 2012 fiasco behind them. Home grown talent, Kemp and Ethier will be in the best opening lineup since they came up to the Majors. Could all of this equal a World Series Berth?
By Enrique Rivera (Dodgers Correspondent): Follow @eriqwiththeq
The Los Angeles Dodgers franchise had an exciting 2012. From March, when Magic Johnson was announced as part of a group that had bought the Dodgers, to June, when Los Angeles gave Yasiel Puig $42 Million, this has been a wild year for the Dodgers.
After all of the hype surrounding the new Dodgers seemingly died down, they committed $147 Million to Zack Greinke. The N.L. West has been dominated by the Giants in the last couple years, but one has to wonder if the Dodgers recent moves make them the favorite to win the N.L. West in 2013?
Clayton Kershaw 2012 Highlights – Mature Lyrics So Parental Guidance Advised:
LA Dodgers Payroll In 2013: And Contracts Going Forward
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Thursday Mar.28/2013
Adrian Gonzalez flew into LA last year and paid immediate dividends as he clubbed a 3 run HR in the 1st Inning with his new team. Gonzalez is in the 3rd year of a 7 YR/154 Million Dollar Contract. At age 30, he is a career .294 hitter with 214 HRs and 750 RBI in 1176 Games. Perhaps a full season back in California will re – ignite his MVP like numbers with the Padres during the 2009 and 2010 seasons – where he hit 71 HRs, drove in 200 RBI and hit for an OPS well over .900. He also is a 3 Time Gold Glove Award Winner in the National League.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst And Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
I must say I am completely shocked at the Dodgers spending as much money as they are since the ownership change. I listened to Magic say how he ‘was not going to do anything stupid’, I will give him this much. However, the amount of payroll the team has taken on is enormous. The Dodgers are going to be over 200 Million Dollars in Payroll for years to come.
After I put their top ten salaries on the board, I will break down the rest of the roster to analyze some more projections for salary. The Dodgers have about 218 Million Dollars in signed contracts.
If you can believe this next part, they even are paying Manny Ramirez 8.33 Million Dollars still in 2013, Andruw Jones 3.375 Million and Huroki Kuroda 2.0 Million. That is roughly 13 Million Dollars on guys that are no longer in your organization.
Back to the trades that have brought in several players. I do agree for the mentality of it. The Dodgers fans were given a raw deal by the past management and the new guys are showing the rest of the MLB that they intend to be the big dog.
With Cole Hamels re-signing with the Phillies, their coveted starter was no longer available in Free Agency. Gonzalez was there to be had if they would take on the Carl Crawford/Josh Beckett contracts.
The team went out and signed Zack Greinke (15 – 5 with a 3.48 ERA split between the Brewers and Angels) instead.
Here is a nice highlight clip of Carl Crawford below. As a side note: The only inside the park Home Run I have ever witnessed at a game live was hit by Carl Crawford at Us Cellular Field in 2008. He was one of the best lead-off hitters back then.
Carl Crawford Highlights – Mature Lyrics So Parental Guidance is Advised:
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – March 27, 2013
Trading away Justin Upton was dumb for the Diamondbacks. They are probably regretting it now!
On today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast, I say “I told you so” regarding the Justin Upton trade and talk a little about Tim McCarver and why it is time to move on.
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An Interview With Chase Field Expert Paula Vaughnn
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Follow @mlbreportsWednesday Mar.6th, 2013
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
I have been communicating with Paula Vaughnn since December of 2011 on www.ballparkchasers.com. She was kind of enough to purchase my book “The Fastest 30 Ball Games.” When I first set out my Guinness World Schedule Streak last year, I was only supposed to use Chase Field on Opening Day (April.6/2012) as an emergency game. Well, the game turned into needing me to crack back the clock and make it Game #1 out of my 30 MLB Park Quest. One of the disappointments was that I was not going to meet Paula in Phoenix for a game later in the month of April.
There are few women around that rival Paula’s fandom in the game. I recently had a chance to ask Paula about her impending trip to all 30 MLB Parks, life in Phoenix Arizona and most importantly about Chase Field.
‘Chase Field’ 2011 ASG Highlights – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance is advised:
Affleckersley … or why the careers of Dennis Eckersley and Ben Affleck have mirrored each other
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Friday Feb.22/2013
By Paul Francis Sullivan (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @sullybaseball
One was a starting pitcher who became a Hall of Fame reliever. The other is a one time pretty boy actor who has transformed into an acclaimed movie director.
Besides the Red Sox connection, what do Dennis Eckersley and Ben Affleck have in common? If you take a closer look, their careers are quite similar.
Both were born in the East Bay but wound up living in Massachusetts
Yup, Mr. Boston, Ben Affleck, was born in Berkeley California in 1972. He moved to New England when he was a kid and obviously became a big Red Sox fan. He and Jennifer Garner still have a home in Massachusetts.
One of the Red Sox of Affleck’s youth was Dennis Eckersley, who was born in Oakland (and would obviously return to the East Bay for his greatest seasons.) He lived in Wayland, Massachusetts during his playing days and now lives in Ipswich. Read the rest of this entry
My Adventures As A MLB Fancave Top 30 Finalist In Phoenix!
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By Aaron Roberts (Dodgers Correspondent / MLB Fancave Top 30 Finalist 2013): Follow @Bertsball
Here are all of the videos I have done for the MLB Fancave and also my latest blog entries. Bookmark the next link here for this will have all of the dedicated information for my quest to be in New York as an MLBFancave Dweller all of the 2013 Year. Thanks to the MLB Reports for allowing me this platform! Right after the videos and a page break – are the 3 days I spent in Phoenix with 29 other prospective cave dwellers.
The Videos:
Interview with Adam Kennedy:
Dodgers and Angels Fan In Love – MLB Top 30 MLB Fancave Finalist Video:
Taking the Campaign to the streets of LA:
Get to know your LA Dodgers MLB Fancave Representative:
Vote For me (Thomas Roberts AKA – #CapeintheCave):
You can vote for me by either clicking on this link here: – This Link also contains my 2 minute application video.
Or going to the MLB Fan Cave website, clicking on “Vote” at the top and finding “Thomas Roberts.” I have my submission video on there so you can watch that as well. You can also come be my friend on Twitter Follow @bertsball Facebook (Facebook.com/Bertsball) Instagram (@Bertsball) and my Blog (Bertsball.blogspot.com) I post about the Dodgers, Baseball and my campaign frequently on each of them.
Thank You so much and I appreciate everyone’s support! Read the rest of this entry
Arizona DiamondBacks Payroll In 2013: And Contracts Going Forward
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Arizona have won 5 Division Titles in just 15 years of existence – including winning the World Series in 2001. The franchise consistently is rated as one of the top rated front office organizations – and routinely rank as the most fan-friendly team in the MLB. The Franchise is 2nd amongst Expansion Clubs for Winning Percentage (.498) behind the Angels (.499.) The DBacks are only 10 games below .500 for their ALL-Time record (1210-1220). Will they be able to compete with the Dodgers and Giants in future years by increasing Payroll?
By Chris Lacey (Diamond Backs Correspondent) Follow @aecanada12
The Diamondbacks finished the 2012 season with disappointment as they struggled to get over .500 for much of the season. They lost the last game of the season to the Rockies that summed up what happened during the year. When they got good starting pitching, the defense would make a costly mistake, and then the offense would struggle to score any runs. The Diamondbacks enter the 2013 camaign with plenty of new faces on the club.
General Manager Kevin Towers has changed the makeup of this team these past two off-seasons. He has put an emphasis on players who can make consistent contact, rather than hitting the long ball. The Dbacks GM is always looking to improve upon the bullpen. He did this by taking a risk on Heath Bell who had a bad year with the Marlins, but Towers believes a change of scenery will help. Towers not only brought in bullpen help, but also signed some key players’ to long-term contracts that will aid the team to not only contend now, but for the future.
2011 DiamondBacks Post Season Highlights. Lyrics May Contain mature content so Parental Guidance is advised:
Who Is Thomas (Aaron) Roberts?: He Is A Top 52 Finalist For The 2013 MLB FanCave!
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By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
All of us hardcore fans have seen the MLB Fan Cave for the last few years. Heck, if it wasn’t for the MLB accepting applications for the Season 1 – I personally would have never joined Twitter, interacted with winners Mike O’ Hara and Ryan, before eventually meeting the MLB Reports Founder (Jonathan Hacohen) through conversing with those guys over my baseball travel book. Jonathan did a book review for me, then asked me to guest blog for him during the 2012 World Series. 1 year and half later, I bought the website, meanwhile our site has continued a friendship with the Cave Dwellers from the 1st 2 seasons. Last year, we interviewed Eddie Mata – and did a follow up story with Mike O ‘ Hara on life after the Cave.
A few months ago, I came across a genuine fan of the LA Dodgers and baseball in general. Thomas (Aaron) Roberts has since been our Dodgers Correspondent here. I can tell you that the man loves baseball and anything to do with it. I never even knew he applied for the MLB Fan Cave in 2013, then last week he sent me a link that he was a top 52 finalist.
This is no small feat and any of us would love to be in Roberts shoes. I will do anything within my power to help him along, because he is a deserving person to be sent to New York. Just by watching his video entry, it is abundantly clear that he belongs at the Fan Cave. So please click the link and then after viewing, read the interview I conducted with Thomas (Aaron) Roberts afterwards.
Thomas (Aaron) Roberts MLB Fancave Video:
Matt Williams: The Next Great MLB Manager
Sunday October 28th, 2012
Jonathan Hacohen: This past spring, I had the chance to converse on the telephone with one of the greatest players of my generation. Middle-of-the-order power bat, combined with gold glove defense. Matt Williams is everything a manager could want in a baseball player. He showed up every day and played the game hard. Ran out every ground ball. Dove for every ball at third base. Consistently got his jersey dirty. Never complained to the media or spoke poorly about management or a teammate. Matt Williams was the ultimate professional, on and off the field. And now here he was, on the other end of the line conversing with me. It will be a baseball talk that I will never forget. Matt Williams has that strong of a presence.
I actually grew up a Giants fan, with the highlight of my baseball life being the 1989 Giants playoff run. But once Matt Williams and Will Clark left the Bay area, I was so devastated that I decided to never forgive the Giants. But I continued to follow the players that I idolized, through the rest of their playing days and into the next phases of their respective careers. Once Comerica Park opened, I grew to adopt the Tigers as my main team. The proximity to Detroit from my hometown made the Tigers a natural fit for me. But I was always a baseball fan first and foremost. If I respected a player, I followed them regardless of the team(s) they played for. Studying the history of the Tigers, I started to think about some of their former players. Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell came to mind. Both were hard-nosed players who went on to manage in the big leagues. Gibson was a coach under Trammell in Detroit. Now Trammell is the bench coach in Arizona under Kirk Gibson. The team enjoyed an incredible run in 2011 and are still seen as a team on the rise. Ironically enough, Gibson’s third base coach? Matt Williams, of course. Read the rest of this entry
Was Ian Kennedy’s 2011 Cy Young Caliber Season Just A Fluke?
Sunday September 9th, 2012
Jake Dal Porto: Ian Kennedy has had an up and down six-year career in the major leagues so far. He has been really good, average, and really bad, and he can’t seem to stick in one of those categories. Obviously, the Diamondbacks would prefer him to fall in the latter category, but the team that drafted him with the 21st pick in the 2006 draft, the Yankees, saw the former side of him for about three years. New York couldn’t fix him, so they ended up trading him to Arizona in a three-way trade for Curtis Granderson.
Whose the real Ian Kennedy? The 2011 Cy Young contender or the Yankee fallout?
There isn’t a clear answer. I’m making it sound like Kennedy was really bad with the Yankees, but that’s not exactly the case. In 2007, he totaled a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings. That’s not half bad. But in 2008, he posted an 8.17 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched. So with a more sizable role, he regressed greatly. The next year he suffered an elbow injury, and ended up pitching just one lone inning. Read the rest of this entry
Will the Arizona Diamondbacks Win the NL West?
Monday August 6th, 2012
Bernie Olshansky: Diamondbacks fans spoke out about our last piece on the Dodgers and Giants, so here’s one devoted just to the Dbacks. After last year’s run when they dethroned the world champion Giants, Arizona was poised for something similar this season. In the offseason, they acquired Trevor Cahill from the A’s. He provided some extra depth in the already-strong pitching staff that included Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, and Joe Saunders. With Cahill, Justin Upton, Chris Young, Aaron Hill, and offseason signing Jason Kubel, the Diamondbacks were ready to defend their NL West title.
Arizona however, started off a bit slow. Daniel Hudson needed Tommy John Surgery and Stephen Drew wasn’t quite ready to come off the DL. Catcher Miguel Montero went into a slump and Chris Young—after a hot start—was headed to the DL. While all of this was happening, the Dodgers were absolutely on fire. Matt Kemp was already on the fast track to winning MVP, and the team was in first place by a nice margin. The Giants were doing well too. With no competition from the Padres, the D-Backs were in third place. As the season went along, Matt Kemp was sidelined by a hamstring injury and the Dodgers faltered. The Giants kept pace and ended up passing the Dodgers to take first place. Meanwhile, the D-Backs rebounded and stayed in contention. At the All Star Break, the Dodgers led the West by half a game over the Giants and by four games over Arizona. The standings haven’t changed drastically over time, as now the Giants lead by half a game over the Dodgers and by three over the Diamondbacks.
Confessions of a Ball Park Chaser
Monday Apr.2/2012
- My media picture before my 2009 trip.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- My name is Chuck Booth, and I am a baseball addict! I can try therapy all I want to, the addiction is too strong to ignore. It all started when I was an infant. My mom wheeled me in my stroller to watch my dad play windmill fastball tournaments on the weekends. She said that I watched intently and was quiet the whole time. Then I grew to a preschool kid and would play on both of my older brother’s baseball teams in addition to my own team. When I turned 9 years old, my dad was the Umpire In Chief for our town’s local Little League Baseball Association. As the top umpire, he proposed that they should build a concession stand at the main little league parks, then use the profits to pay kids to be umpires themselves. So I became a certified little league umpire by studying the rulebook for days and passing the test. Read the rest of this entry
The 2012 Tigers may Bring first WS Title Home to Detroit Since 1984
Monday, March.26/2012
Kirk Gibson celebrates with teammates during a 1984 World Series Game 1 homer, they won the series 4-1 over the San Diego Padres.
Douglas ‘Chuck’ Booth (Baseball Writer @ChuckBooth3024 on Twitter) – My dad and I were not always Yankees fans. In the past blogs I had written that my favorite teams when I first started watching baseball were the Montreal Expos(because of Gary Carter) and my American League team was the Detroit Tigers (because of Lance Parrish). As a 7-year-old kid playing baseball, our team name was the Tigers. I remember that as I took my position behind home plate, the coach called me Lance Parrish. My dad was the assistant coach that year and would whip baseball’s at me to toughen me up. I asked him too, because I wanted to learn how to block them like #13. Read the rest of this entry
Having Long Term Managers Produces Results
Monday February 20, 2012
Douglas ‘Chuck’ Booth: Let’s face it, we live in a right here, right now world. With this motto, baseball manager have great expectations for instant results. This rule even applies to managers who have a great track record. The template from yesteryear was simple, hire a manager that had been coaching in your organization for years. This way, it would be an easy transition into the Manager role. When the managers were hired, they were given years to shape the team. It wasn’t unheard of for managers to be with a Major League Team for 20-30 years, when you factored in coaching and Manager positions of elevation. Today we take a look at four skippers who personify this philosophy: Tommy Lasorda, Tony La Russa, Cito Gaston and Sparky Anderson. Read the rest of this entry
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