Spring Training 2019

@billplunkettocr

Dustin May has been told he will head to SoCal with the #Dodgers and is scheduled to pitch during Tuesday's Freeway Series game in LA. Is he surprised? "For sure," he said. "Absolutely. I didn't think it (his time in big-league camp) would last this long."

@kengurnick

Caleb Ferguson, Alex Verdugo, Yimi Garcia and Dylan Floro are on the team, Roberts said.

Go Julio! Back to my fantasy leagues. 

That sounds like fun. Maybe I'll look into one of those if I get some time.

Amen to that.  No  matter what they think of the president, they should still go to the White House.  Politics is for another day.  As much as i despised Obama and would also despise Killary (though Trump is the lesser of the two evils, I don't much like him either), I'd go and even shake hands.  The country comes before political differences.  

Muncy sees upward trend despite spring stats

Dodgers first baseman stays the course after breakout year in 2018

By Ken Gurnick @kengurnick

March 21, 2019

PHOENIX -- Opening Day is one week away, and Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy is batting .179 with a .545 OPS.

A year ago, as a non-roster invitee, Muncy was hitting .286 in only seven games when he was sent to the Minor Leagues in early March. Not much was expected from Muncy, certainly not the 35 home runs and .973 OPS he posted in a spectacular breakout season that began in the Minor Leagues.

Expectations this year, though, are off the charts. But Muncy doesn’t have a home run this spring after leading the league in home runs per at-bat ratio last season. He missed four games last week with a stiff wrist but downplayed the severity, saying he would have played with it had the season started. He said it’s still not 100 percent, but the improvement has been steady.

“It was a lot better [Thursday],” Muncy said after going 2-for-4 with a double and strikeout in Thursday’s 11-5 loss to the Brewers. “This was the first day I was really able to slow everything down. When you come back from not seeing game pitching, it kind of speeds up. I felt good today and hope I keep trending upward.”

Chances are, Muncy will pull out of this funk, as he did last year after he hit .195 from July 24 to Aug. 5. But what’s the Dodgers’ Plan B at first base against right-handed pitchers -- David Freese plays against lefties -- if Muncy is injured or not productive?

“I think all hitters kind of get their timing at different points of time,” said manager Dave Roberts. “To be honest with you, as long as Max is staying in the strike zone for me, he has a simple swing and I think he’ll be fine. I haven’t really thought about a Plan B.”

Roberts agrees that Muncy is trending upward.

“It’s still a work in progress,” Roberts said. “He stayed in the strike zone much better today. I’d like to think that those at-bats [in a Minor League game] yesterday, regardless of what happened, helped him. He looked more comfortable in the box today. He’ll be in there tomorrow, give him a day off Saturday and he’ll be ready to go for the Freeway Series.”
Muncy is not panicking.

“I don’t want to change anything from last year,” he said. “I feel like that’s one thing that gets guys in trouble. They have a year like I had, they come in and want to change things. You can always get better, that’s true, but if you start changing the work it gets you in trouble.”

The Dodgers know they can always put Cody Bellinger on first base. Bellinger hasn’t played an inning there this spring, having inherited Yasiel Puig’s job in right field. But Bellinger has taken ground balls in the infield all spring and said he’ll always be comfortable playing his natural position.

And to play that scenario out, moving Bellinger to the infield would open right field for top Dodgers prospect Alex Verdugo, who Roberts again indicated is likely to make the club, anyway.

One roster option for the Dodgers closed Thursday when Brad Miller, who has a 30-homer season on his resume, opted out of his Minor League contract.

“You either make the team or you get to see what your options are,” Miller said before exercising his opt-out clause. “It’s pretty easy for my end. If another team has a big league opportunity, I’m a big league player. I want to make this club. It’s a good team with a lot of good players. It’s a good fit, a winning club and I’ve never played in a postseason. I chose to come here over other spots.

“The biggest thing is, they care to win here. They’ve uncovered every stone, from Minor League signings to trades to waivers to big league signings, everything to get good players on their team and reward them if they perform. That was the biggest draw for me.”

Dodgers' Alex Verdugo: Will open in big leagues

Rotowire 1H ago

Verdugo has made the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Verdugo had a mediocre spring, posting a .631 OPS, but the Dodgers feel he's ready to contribute. There's no natural platoon between him and Joc Pederson, as both players hit left-handed, but Verdugo should be at least the team's fourth outfielder with the potential to carve out a larger role.

Dodgers' Julio Urias: Could move into rotation

Rotowire 1H ago

Urias could begin the season in the starting rotation, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers have maintained all spring that Urias was set for a bullpen role -- despite Clayton Kershaw's shoulder issues -- but with Rich Hill now headed for the injured list with an MCL strain there appears to be a change of plans. Both veteran left-handers are slated to begin the season on the IL and have no set return dates, forcing Ross Stripling and Urias into the starting mix, at least for the short term.