First Cactus League game is Wednesday

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Erik Bedard will start it against the White Sox. He’ll probably go only two innings or so.

Thursday Clayton Kershaw will start, also against the White Sox. Friday is a split-squad day.

In much sadder news, Minnie Minoso passed away today. He was the first black player on either team in Chicago after he was traded to the White Sox in 1951, two years after he came up with the Cleveland Indians. Young people remember him, if they do at all, as the guy who kept getting active long enough to appear in a game or two in the Seventies and Eighties after his 40th birthday as an owner’s gimmick. That’s a shame, as he was a great ballplayer, a nine-time All Star who had nearly 2,000 hits and a career .298 batting average in his 15 years as a regular outfielder in the big leagues.

77 thoughts on “First Cactus League game is Wednesday”

  3. Meanwhile, back on the farm: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/3/9/8176769/los-angeles-dodgers-top-20-prospects-for-2015

    Quotation: “The Dodgers farm system was weak a few years ago due to lack of
    pecuniary investment, but once the scouts had the money to do their jobs
    properly again the talent level improved quickly and dramatically. New
    General Manager Andrew Friedman and his staff inherit a system
    burgeoning with talent.”

    Friedman, of course, is not the GM.

  4. Now on the mound for the Brewers….C Perez, 4.5 ERA after a clean inning. But started at 6.75. So what else is new?

  5. Looking at starting pitching depth. From TBLA….

    Bolsinger on 40-man, 2 option years. Gaudin minor league deal, no opt-out. Battling to be first up should (when) the Dodgers need another starter, along with Joe Wieland (40-man), Erik Bedard (non-roster invitee whose first opt-out isn’t until May 1) and Carlos Frias (40-man), to name a few.

    To name a few? Who else is there other than Beachy mid-year, maybe?

    If you had those 5, mostly healthy, you’d likely be ahead of the dregs signed mid-year last season, not to mention Beachy if he comes back close to where he was.

    http://www.truebluela.com/2015/3/7/8168103/mike-bolsinger-chad-gaudin-dodgers-rotation

      • Grandal just missed another dinger, then got thrown out at second. Kemp apparently didn’t play today.

      • Do you think Mattingly will consider using him at first base against left-handed pitchers?

        • Over his career Agon has reasonable splits, but last year there was .300 OPS difference, which is major. Based on available data for defense (slim for Grandal), playing him at 1st versus Agon would be the equivalent of letting in 27 additional runs. Of course, he wouldn’t have to dig out Hanley’s throws.

          • Guerrero has been mentioned there too. And I really doubt there would be much of a defensive letdown with Grandal playing there. According to the defensive skill chain, First Base is the easiest position and Catcher the first or second most difficult. You want to see additional runs, put Adrian behind the plate…

          • Seems it would be more in case of emergency (only once or twice last year). I am guessing that he might also be the emergency catcher.

        • it could be that, when AGon’s contact expires, Grandal moves to 1B if one of the younger catchers (e.g. Julián León) in the system works out.

          • Yep, though his splits are not that dramatic and he hits lefties better by about .100 OPS than Agon did last year.

  8. I wonder if Ethier couldn’t make his contract more agreeable to potential trading clubs if he would agree to taking the remainder of his three years contracted pay in deferred payments. Here’s how that could work: Dodgers get a prospect (or maybe a bag of balls) and send $28MM along with Ethier to another club which would pay him the remaining $28MM over 9 years. They would get a useful player who MIGHT turn into more than that for about $3MM a year, chicken feed.

  13. Excuse me for posting a review of the deplorable SNLA situation. Times-Warner Cable bought the broadcast rights from the Dodgers for a huge amount, around $3 Billion, I believe. Now they want to force the satellite and cable companies to make their subscribers, ALL their subscribers, Dodger fans or not, pay a monthly fee for the Dodger station, SNLA. This would force an increase in monthly payments for all the subscribers and the companies are rightfully resisting going along with that plan. Now Dodger fans would have no objection to paying another $5 to $7 a month for the pleasure of watching Dodger Games but you can see where the millions of non-fans would object. The problem for Times-Warner is that there are not enough Dodger fans willing to pay that monthly fee to recover the money TWC is paying the Dodgers, $100MM to $300MM a year. It seems they grossly over-estimated the demand for Dodger Baseball when they offered the Dodgers that huge contract. Barring the cable and satellite companies caving in, and I hope they don’t, there are three other possible outcomes.
    One, TWC can try to re-negotiate the contract with the Dodgers. Not likely.
    Two, TWC can go bankrupt, thereby voiding the contract and letting the Dodgers find another broadcaster. that too is unlikely.
    Three, TWC can make the Dodgers a partner. They can get what income they can by allowing the satellite and cable companies to sell SNLA ala carte, that is, only to those subscribers who are willing to pay for it. TWC’s potential loss is greatly diminished, the Dodger’s huge profit is somewhat diminished but their long term gain as a TWC partner should more than make up for it.
    They better do something. Last year taught a lot of fans they can live without Dodger games on TV everyday. Another year like that and they won’t have much of a fanbase…

    • If I lived in LA, I’d be truly frustrated. Fortunately, I can see everything except Gnat games on MLBTV.

      • “can see everything except Gnat games on MLBTV.”

        How could you possibly bear up under the weight of such a terrible, crushing disappointment?

        • Couldn’t care less about the Gnats, but I can’t see their games with the Dodgers.

      • I wasn’t even close… Not used to thinking of money in terms like that.

        • As Senator Dirksen is purported to have said, “a billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money”.

  14. The FO didn’t trade Matty so that Dre could play CF. He needs to get reps in RF, no?

    • I’m not sure those reps will help much. A good CF would have caught that ball yesterday.

      • After all this, ending up with Dre in CF would be considered managerial malpractice. I won’t believe that there is actual completion for starting outfield jobs until I see Puig taking reps in CF.

        • I expect Joc is the guy, with Puig in the corner. Worst case scenario, Joc platoons with Heisey (who hits lefties well).

  16. They lost! Let the doubting begin!

    Pederson had two hits, Rollins had one. In fact, the Dodgers outhit the White Sox 10-9, but they lost 6-4.

    Kershaw makes his first start of the spring tomorrow, while the White Sox send John Danks out to the hill.

  20. I am fluent in Spanish, but not until recently did I realize his surname was actually Miñoso.

  22. Not sure what you mean by a shame. He was activated to get qualified for a pension. Several clubs have done that for players, including the Dodgers. Not sure who the player was with them, I want to say Al Gionfriddo…