Padres left-handed reliever Jose Castillo will undergo Tommy John surgery, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. This isn’t surprising news, as Castillo exited a sim game Tuesday with forearm tightness.
The 2021 campaign will go down as another injury-ruined season for Castillo, who threw only two-thirds of an inning in 2019 while dealing with a teres major strain and didn’t pitch in 2020 because of a flexor strain and a torn ligament in his hand. Considering the time it takes to recover from TJ procedures, the 25-year-old Castillo won’t take a major league mound again until sometime in 2022, and that’s if he doesn’t suffer any setbacks. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the first time next winter.
While the Padres look like one of the majors’ best teams heading into this season, the loss of Castillo is at least a blow to their bullpen depth. A healthy Castillo could have made the team all the more formidable, as he recorded excellent numbers during his rookie year in 2018. He threw 38 1/3 innings then and put up a 3.29 ERA/2.53 SIERA with an eye-popping 34.7 percent strikeout rate.
Rip
he’s only 25 years old.
How soon to pass
(lol)
What are you, 14?
Goodness, I hope I’ll stick around longer than that.
(Please refrain from age-related comments, that’s an unfair assessment of a human being)
It’s literally in your name, dude.
He’s probably the 14-year-old that wrote that real POS movie The Scout.
Lamet is next
And probably Darvish.
What I find troubling about your post @tetsumeki is that it seems to convey a certain hopefulness about that outcome.
I sure hope I’m inferring something that isn’t there. Because, I find people who root for players to get hurt are the absolute worst flavor of “fan”.
@ducky For someone who doesn’t read my posts, you are always commenting in my posts….never did I root for someone’s injury if I did please show me where. You are almost as bad a modern day media making up storylines.
Just stating facts, lamets tj is off in the horizon as noted by him missing the end of the last season with a “forearm stain” Castillo was shut down in that same manor last season…. Forcing lamet pitch when he needs tj will potentially set him back and end his career but then again Padres are careless when it comes to there pitchers health. They prioritize winning in the short term over all else
Fair enough.
Thanks for the response. I’m not sure why I was getting that out of it. Which is why I posted “I sure hope I’m inferring something that isn’t there.”
Because obviously I was.
You weren’t wrong. Check any article on the Padres. Tatsumaki is always there wishing ill will. As is Lurking.
Ducky you’re right on it.. Maybe I’m biased to read and respond to certain articles and maybe it’s not just the Padres he taunts but I know this guy has to poison any sniff of rivalry with the Dodgers and I’m assuming the lakers (but this is mlbtr). I know the LA Lakers/Dodgers type of fan who does that and they’re not worth arguing sports with. Tatsumaki should go congregate with a troll fan base blog if he wants to berate players on other teams and never give credit or unbiased comments to other teams.
way to generalize a lot of people…
@hudson6 ill will? You mean stating facts you just don’t like? Sorry I’m not a padres apologist that automatically thinks the team is a force after one shortened season. If you think a “forearm strain” isn’t a cause for concern then you haven’t been around the game long enough.
@hosmer and your probably the same guy calling the kettle black despite being a black pot. I have seen many of your troll comments and just give it right back, sorry that offends you.
You know what they say if you can’t stand the fire get out of the kitchen.
Hold up
I never wish ill will. I literally came here to say even in a rivalry, injuries aren’t the way you want to win
Get over yourself. I can be critical of their fans expectations without wishing ill will on anyone
If you can’t stand the frying pan get out of the heat.
Tat – where do you find a reference to the Padres “forcing” Lamet to pitch? For that matter “when he ends tj”.
Imply much? Me thinks Ducky is right!
I’m sure we all know which dodger fans Hosmer is talking about Darkside..
Cey Hey goes on woke rants.
Tats wishing and predicts bad things happening for whatever reason and laughs about it.
And you got the peanut crowd who jump in every now and then that add nothing to the discussion. Just came to join the circle jerk session or something.
Well – @LongTimeComing – at this point ole Ducky’s pretty confused.
Mostly, I just really want to believe that I was wrong.
Years ago, I was watching football with one of my friends. His roommate – who never strapped ’em on & buckled ’em up – was rooting for Brett Favre – amongst others – to “blow out his knee”.
I left at halftime. Spent the entire first half with my fists clenched. Ya know?
It’s one of the few things we all pretty much agree on. So it has to be a big deal. It’s behavior we all understand is pretty much unacceptable.
Believe it or not, pitchers can actually strain their forearms and recover without TJS; it happens more times than we know. Lamet sure looks great so far this Spring; no one should be wishing or prognosticating injuries for him. True baseball fans want to watch the best players compete against their team. The Padres made a lot of great moves this offseason. I’m not sure if they are as good as LA or even Atlanta, but I’d love for them to stay healthy and see what they can do this year. A healthy Padres team, Braves team and Dodgers team come playoff time could lead to one of the best NL playoffs we’ve seen in a long time. Imagine if Soroka was healthy last year? I doubt the Dodgers would have made it past Atlanta if he was. Injuries and team depth behind those injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, but to predict the next season ending injury after a team loses another player to a season ending injury lacks class at best.
Clevenger had to pitch 1 inning in the playoff in 2020 when most of us thought he should be shut down for the year. He will now miss 2021 and most of 2022, why Padres want 1 last start so then he had Tommy John surgery. Padre’s front office and manager want to win more than protecting players career.
Yeah because it isn’t like they used any medical input or player input – it was all the team. I guess you don’t want to use the Lamet situation to support your unjust accusation? People that don’t know what is really involved shouldn’t make such accusations.
I say it the same way, he is not just saying Lamet is next he,is kind of asking for it to happen and happy about it.
Seriously? Wishing injury on an opponent is bush league. I hope the Dodgers finish the year 100% healthy. I hope both the Padres and Dodgers face each other entirely healthy. Sentiments like the one you have expressed are a huge reason Padres fans can’t stand a segment of Dodgers fans.
he’s not wishing it, he’s meerly saying its likely
Ya know what?
He got five upvotes. So, I’m going to trust the MLBTR fellas & admit it looks like I had a wrong number & started something that shouldn’t’ve been.
Click on the link to the Padres team articles and check Ducky. He is in every single one crying “Tommy John! Tommy John!”
Which sounds pretty annoying. As he stated in his response, I really generally avoid his posts. I’ve not been a fan of his overall comportment. But, maybe it’s just his schtick & he really isn’t hoping for that. Ya know?
Man.
But one sure way to piss off a bunch of old jocks is to hope for injuries on the field. That’ll get us going.
@Ducky: I think it’s likely more the casual, even jovial, nature with which he proposes the likelihood of TJ that exudes a hopefulness of said injury, even if it’s unintended.
But, in all fairness, there are plenty of commenters here that have made similar comments about Yankee players on our forums; and when they espouse such views, repeatedly, they seem to think it’s fine. Just calling it like it is…..
In conclusion, if it is praying for an injury, that’s plain low-level-IQ stupid. That’s a human being.
@towinagain the salt comes from bitter fans like you and many other padres apologists who hate to see dodgers win. You can feel free to go to any dodgers post and see padres fans blasting off biased one sided conversations as if they have won the last 6 pennants. I just call it like I see it, you don’t like that as someone easily offended. Don’t like it be like ducky and dont care to post on my feed. Just because people having differing opinions to your own since when did that become a bad thing?
FWIW…there are many Dodgers fans who can’t stand a select group of Dodgers fans either, lol. They do suck and are the reason why I largely stopped going to games. They’re the type of fans that would rather throw peanuts at their fellow Dodgers fans and try to start a fight, rather than actually watch and enjoy the game they paid to attend. Every fan base has them, but certain cities and teams have a special league of them…Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, White Sox, etc. Then, of course, the Astros fans that didn’t even care their team systematically cheated…they’re on their own special island of douchebaggery.
Lol Lamet’s not even close to being next you troll.
you lack facts again Tatsu. Just a hopeful comment from a rival who’s worried, I get it
@brewer88 from the giants phan that’s actually priceless. What facts do I lack? Care to share? You are the same dude that jumped to a divison rival out of spite. Sorry, that’s something you would do lol
Tat – first fact – Padres aren’t forcing him to pitch. Second fact – he needs TJ.
You have nothing to support either. I test my case. You preach what you think or hope and “fact”.
Just like Clevinger didn’t need tj….lol okay. I saw this play out with a Garrett richards a few seasons ago. Not being able to play in playoffs due to same injury and doing injections in pitching arm. Padres trading for 3 starters. But go off man! Just don’t be surprised
@Tats. Now you’re so worried about the Padres that you’re trying to read into the patronage of everyone here? I was born and raised in San Diego and still care about the team there, but have been a Giants fan the past 20 years. Ok, so you have a problem with that and we differ.. I actually want to see players succeed, even if they’re on a rival team. Only fools can live with themselves by wishing career-threatening injuries on other team’s players because they’re concerned they might lose their position as a frontrunner. The Dodgers players are winners who I’m sure view fans like you as lost.
Rethink typing that comment if you don’t want people assuming you are rooting for the injury.
Tatsumama go bury your head in the sand
Sometimes it just isn’t your day (or years in Jose’s case)
@Papi Hey, anyone can have a bad decade or two!
CONNOR BYRNE JUST SAID HE IS A BIG DAVID FLETCHER FAN…. MLBTR IS WITH USSSSSS
Fletcher is easily the most underrated position player in baseball
Well that s*cks. Pardon my French.
I think in French it would be s*cques.
Wouldn’t it be “s*ce”?
Edit: googled it. It is s*ce.
Je ne parle pas français, mais je pense que c’est “suce” 🙂
@Canuckleball-
When you combine your screen name & your post, you sir, are the clear winner of this thread. Such as it is.
Sucks for him, but not a huge loss for the Padres since they built the roster not expecting him to play a big role based on his injury history. I was wondering… has he been accruing service time the last few years of injuries?
Yikes I get the feeling Lamet will eventually need another TMJ surgery after the All Star Break when he breaks down smh
Unfortunately that’s a strong possibility. I think the Pads rotation without him is still solid but not on par with the Dodgers.
Poor dude. I know this much… I am NOT getting on a plane or bus that Jose Castillo is on.
Oh member the padre stan saying, “lot of doctors in these comments”… haha when commenters end up being right though. Another solid pickup by preller gang. Who’s the next recent or future pickup they get that ends with TJ?
Lamet, he was shut down in a 60 game season any fan knows this is ominous especially when they go and acquire 3 starters this past winter. Lamet has already had tj once, the second one is coming
Bite your tongue, man!
The question is whether Lamet can keep his arm from blowing out before Mackenzie Gore blows out his arm.
That’s what you wish for, aren’t you worry about Kershaw and buehler?
Mike, anyone would agree forearm tightness is way more severe than a blister
Both problems result in missed time and you want to talk about severity? Ask Al Leiter and Aaron Sanchez how easy it was to overcome blister problems.
One is the precursor disagnoos to every TJS patient who doesn’t have a violent mid action blow out
A partially blown out elbow tends to be quite swollen, and as such an MRI shows damage but is unable to show the extent. After 2-4 weeks of pain meds, they get a better MRI to determine the significance of the year
A blister can be annoying. Doesn’t come with a 10+ month recovery timeframe however. So uh yeah. Severity is quite significant
The fact you’re arguing this speaks to how argumentative and defensive some Padre fans have become on this site. It’s not rocket science
@tattoomama you are such a troll. You are the epitamy of a true loser. Celebrating peoples injuries
You mean nutznboltz? Not surprised he hasn’t commented on this thread.
Wasn’t he talking about Lamet?
Maybe Bauer will be next
the way he puts everything into his pitches I wouldn’t doubt it.
Read it from the back out the corner of my eye and almost died here in Cincy
So did crazy Mets fans who think the Reds would let him go for Gsellman, Davis, and Nimmo.
Frank Jobe Surgery.
It’s funny, I’ve never really given it any thought but it does seem incredibly unfair that the surgery is named after the first chump to have his blown out elbow fixed, rather than the actual surgeon who pioneered and performed the surgery. We really should be calling it that… maybe Franky Jobe surgery or FJ…
Jobe also performed the Orel Hershiser shoulder surgery, which is an entirely different procedure. A countless number of careers have been saved by that guy. He belongs in the Baseball Hall Fame. Immense impact on the game.
to be fair, John took a risk being the 1st one to receive the surgery.
That doesn’t make him a surgeon. If not John, someone else would have done it. The fairest thing would be to reward the brilliance of the person who did the work. I checked a couple of years ago and couldn’t find one surgical procedure named after a patient.
Among non-players over the last 50 years, Marvin Miller and Frank Jobe have had the greatest positive impact on the sport. Miller is finally in the Hall of Fame. Cooperstown. Jobe should be in as well. A way of helping that along would be to officially name his procedures after him. There are so-called baseball fans that don’t know who he is. That’s not right.
im not saying I think it should be named after him over Jobe, im just saying he played a big part in its proliferation. somebody has to be the guinea pig. I do agree on the Hall for Jobe though, though given he wasn’t a player I dont know the exact nomination process.
Marvin Miller is in. Owners, umpires, managers, and executives are in. Quite a few, too. Of the 333 Hall of Famers, 69 are non-players. The 264 players include Negro Leaguers, as it should. Compared to other Halls of Fame, very few players are in.
The tally:
Executives – 37
Managers – 22
Umpires – 10
Time to add a surgeon. I’m on the fence regarding Morganna 🙂
oh yeah I know its not rare, but like I said, the nomination system isnt the same as the BBWAA system. i dont know how they nominate people to the ballots. one forgets that it took a while for Marvin Miller to get in.
With last year’s short season, it’ll be interesting to see how all these arms, elbows, and shoulders hold up as pitchers resume normal routines and workloads. This could be a Frank Jobe summer in that regard. I’ve worried about that a lot over the winter. Not just in MLB but all across the sport. My town is looking at a second straight year of no Little League.
Just one less quality reliever for San Diego to be forced to cut at the end of spring training.
Wow one of the worst comment sections I’ve ever seen on this site
Fans gleefully hoping for the opposition to suffer injury and require surgery? That’s the U.S. now. Embarrassing isn’t it?
Rooting for people to get hurt and fail. In the Jon Lester comments section yesterday, someone said there are many players whose careers he/she would like to see ruined by a slip of the scalpel. It’s gotta be jealousy, right?
Overzealous fans. Maybe jealousy, but I would bet it’s mostly rivalry. Just no decency or respect.
Being a fan should not cancel out decency. It’s scary to think that some of these people are adults in terms of age.
well, not saying I agree with the concept of wishing injury on another, but it does kinda depend a lot on what the reasons are. if its just a random rival, yeah its sucky. but if the person in question is actually a scummy person, while I dont agree, that kinda transcends fandom.
Scummy person according to who? Fans need to stop pretending they “know” the players as people because they don’t.
“I met him once. He’s a great guy”
“He’s a jerk. I asked him for an autograph and he blew me off.”
Neither of these people has a clue about the player as a person.
Man, I dunno, @dark.
I think Verlander is a pompous, hypocritical, asshat. & I have no love in my heart for the astros.
But I hated seeing him blow out his elbow & need TJS (FJS). I saw nothing karmic to it, nor any “poetic justice”. I saw a dude who was simply an absolute gamer & all those balls-to-the-wall starts & seasons finally caught up to him.
I don’t care who it is. Or what sport. If I had my way, there would be no need for an IL because no one would ever need it.
With pitchers, it keeps getting worse, which is bad for the sport we love. Back in 2018, I had way too much time on my hands. So, I started tracking the number of MLB pitchers on the IL (then DL) on a daily basis for about three months. The average was about 126 per day or about four per team. I think the Angels led with a consistent seven per day. And it’s been that way for years. I’m anticipating the worst in 2021 as teams tread lightly in ramping guys back up. I think it will be a big story this summer: pitcher injuries and low-inning totals by so-called aces. That 162-inning total to qualify for a league ERA title keeps getting harder to reach.
It’ll be interesting to watch. Trying to keep starters healthy while at the same time now blowing out your bullpen by July. Organizational pitching depth might be more critical than usual. Let’s no forget that Minor Leaguers also haven’t been stretched out recently. This is why someone needs to sign a guy like Rick Porcello despite his coming off two straight bad years. Every team has 1460-plus innings to fill.
like i said, i dont agree with the desire for injury, but when i mean “bad people” i mean the Roberto Osuna type of bad person, not guys with attitudes or cheaters.
Hard to like Ozuna.
You bring up an excellent “put-your-money-were-your-mouth-is-Ducky” test case, @darkside830.
That’s a tough one.
In the end, I still don’t want to see him injured. But that’s perhaps more just simply habit than any kind of real conviction.
It’s something to think about though.
I’m a single parent. So I’d rather not admit how I truly feel about Vazquez.
If I posted how I really feel about him, MLBTR mods would have every right to ban me. TJS is far too good for him.
But, your response forced some introspection @dark. That’s never a bad thing.
@cey hey-
Can’t help but agree.
I absolutely think that pitching injuries/health/depth/innings limits will be the biggest factor this season.
Which kinda sucks.
But all those small pitcher signings which were oftentimes the source of ridicule are going to be so important.
It’ll certainly be an interesting season. I think we’re going to see a lot of rough edges, though.
there’s a difference between not being surprised about an injury and wanting it to happen.
Tatsumaki drew parallels with the team, the initial injury diagnosis, and the end result
He also tied in the teams offseason moves into his justification. Never have I seen him say “I hope Lamet needs TJS”. He has stated it as a fact. Whether right or wrong, it sure seems like he has a lot of justification for believing Lamet may need TJS, yet again that doesn’t mean he’s hoping for it.
Sure seems like he’s in the “won’t be surprised” category. Hudson just looking to start crap claiming he’s wishing for injury. Hudson is the bigger problem than Tats
and I agree on the TJS thing, it always seems to be a matter of biding your time. only Tanaka was able to avoid it and coming from a different baseball culture may play into that.
Last year would have been a good time to address TJS. They should have just canceled the season and had every pitcher get the surgery., Why delay the inevitable? TJS one year, vaccination the next.
Feel free to expose all my negative Dodgers posts Lurking. You will find ZERO on any Dodger articles. Don’t believe me? Feel free to prove me wrong.
However, you are on EVERY SINGLE PADRES article telling everyone that every Padres player sucks in comparison to every Dodgers player. You also spout off with Tatsumaki about how Lamet is going to need TJ surgery even though you have no evidence. So who, exactly, is the problem?
What do you think would happen to me if I posted on a Dodgers article that Cody Bellinger’s career is over because his shoulder has been separated too many times to keep playing?
I have no proof. It’s just my opinion. But I would get torn apart by Dodger fans for even daring to say it! But somehow you can say these things about other team’s players and it is okay? How does that work?
This forum has turned into a woke safe haven where you can only have 1 thought process and if you stray you are cast as a villain. Sorry I’m not afraid of mob and will continue to speak my opinions
Tat – the problem really isn’t that you have an opinion. The problem is you call your opinions “facts” without proof. You are surely entitled to your opinion and have the right to express it. I served to help ensure that you do. Quit telling everyone that your opinion is “the fact”.
What is the reason for your post Tatsumaki? Do you think there is anyone following mlb who is unaware of Lamet’s condition? Of course not. So WHY are you saying it? To annoy people. That’s it. You are just trying to act like a b*tch. Why? Is your life unhappy?
You attack me more than you post about baseball
You started this whole attack on me when I haven’t been on for days. I hadn’t posted a comment until you name dropped me. You’re the pot stirrer Hudson. Clearly
It is sad these dodger fans flock to predict TJ surgeries
And cheer for them. But believe them, they’re Not afraid of the Padres. They just can’t stop talking about them and praying for injuries.
Dr Andrew’s’ waiting room about to fill up and another job created for a AAA pitcher. Terrible news.
With his injury history the Yankees should be looking to trade for him.
Wow, so intelligent! tell us more please!
Should have had it like a year ago.
Why do these teams beat around the bush on TJ? It’s been pretty obvious to me for years this guy needed it. Hard thrower, slider pitcher basically get him a number in the waiting room.
They come up with all kinds of creative names for injuries like they think it will magically heal a guy. If I hear the words “Flexor tendon issue” “UCL strain” “Biceps issue” Elbow inflammation” I always assume the guy needs TJ. It always turns out that way. I think at one point they even said that Castillo had finger issue, sure he did guys…..
The Padres are the most overrated and media-hyped group of nothing that I have seen in years. Yu Darvish is one of the worst pressure-game pitchers in recent memory. You can ask the Dodgers about that. Darvish came to the Cubs to be the “Ace” of the staff as they looked to win another World Series. Between choking and being “injured” Darvish never delivered a single “clutch” win in 3 years. Good luck. Blake Snell was trending much more like a #3 starter than the #1 starter that you paid for. He had a good start in the World Series that has everybody forgetting about the 2 years of mediocrity following arm surgery. You guys do realize that the Rays and Indians are the masters at selling off players just before the big decline. You guys didn’t learn your lesson dealing with Cleveland and Clevinger. Your lineup is weak!! After Tatis and Machado you have next to nothing. Eric Hosmer??? Will Myers???? Tommy “Strip Club” Pham???? Some random dude from Korea???? Austin Nola??? Jake “60 games” Cronenworth????? The Dodgers and the rest of baseball are supposed to fear this lineup????? Get Serious!!!!!
I’m a Dodger fan and disagree with you regarding Darvish. In 2017, he started and won the close-out games of both series the Dodgers won, allowing one run on both occasions. Don’t make stuff up and expect it to go unchallenged. As for Darvish’s World Series starts, I think we can agree that something else might have contributed to those rough outings.
Suggestion: If you want to be taken seriously, refrain from using a kiddie word like “choke.” Also, your overuse of punctuation mark doesn’t make your “take” hot. It just makes you look silly.
I witnessed Darvish “choke” for 3 years in Chicago. He “turned it around” against NL Central hitters in a 60-game season. Just like the way the Dodgers FINALLY won a series after like 40 years. It took a 60-game season for that. We all know what the Dodgers fate would have been in a regular 162. We know how the Dodgers roll. Darvish fit in well!!! He was “hurt” when the Dodgers didn’t want him any more.
Barry I wouldn’t listen to anything cey hey says. Keep having your own opinions even if they don’t meld with the rest of the crowd.
@Cey Hey – “Suggestion”. Win something with 162 games!
What?
8 straight NL West division crowns & a couple NL pennants doesn’t qualify as “something”?
Wait.
Let me rephrase that in true very berry style:
What???????????????????????????
8 straight NL West division crowns & a couple NL pennants doesn’t qualify as “something”????????????????????????????????????????????
Some people think anything less than a championship is a failure. Such nonsense. A team with a losing record can consider their season a success, depending on the goal. And losing a game or series doesn’t mean a team choked. Ernie Banks, Tony Gwynn, and Ted Willams never played on a World Series winner. Does that mean they were failures or chokers? Most people never win something similar to a championship in life. Are they failures, too?
Look, I’m happy the Dodgers finally won. I even shed tears when they scored the tying and go-ahead runs in Game 6 against the Rays. Yep, I cried tears of joy over a passed ball and a grounder to the right side. But I was never consumed by them winning. It’s disappointing to lose, but that’s life. It’s what we learn from baseball; to get over today’s disappointment and try again tomorrow.
Baseball is like life in that it’s every day. I consider myself to be a good fan. I just don’t dwell on my team losing a game. Disappointed but over it by noon the next day. It’s not why I follow the Dodgers or baseball. Heck, my first year as a Dodger fan was 1968. They were lousy but they were still my team. Long-time fans of various teams can probably relate. Baseball is the one sport I can’t give up. We’ve been through too much together…and our golden retriever loves those insanely late nights of me and him on the living-room floor watching the Dodgers. Being an east-coast fan of a west-coast team will wreak havoc on one’s sleep habits. It’s my parents’ fault for moving east all those decades ago. Since I’m not into flying, I didn’t make it to Dodger Stadium until three years ago — at age 60!
You know I’m a Yankee fan.
& no fan base has done more to popularize the notion that if it doesn’t end in a parade it was a waste.
But, man, 2017 was one of my all time favorite seasons. All year long, it came down to Aaron Judge or Gary Sanchez needing to win the game for us. & those two young men came through for us night after night after night. It was awesome.
So I hear what you’re saying.
I’d always rather see the Yanks win than lose. But none of my identity is wrapped up in the outcome.
When I played things were much different. Losing would make me vomit. For real. & I’d carry that loss with me. When I saw Trevor Bauer throw the ball out of the park when his manager was coming to pull him, my first thought was, “damn…wish I’d’ve thought of that”.
I know on some Yankee blogs it’s almost a contest over who can be “angrier” over a loss. Guys bragging about how they punched a hole in their wall, or whatever. Uh…lol?
I think it’s part of a broader shift in our cultural paradigm. No longer is the military model of leadership revered: calm under pressure. You see the new paradigm as a theme in movies & tv. You know: Guy Gets Super Angry & Serves Justice, or whatever.
The anti-Boone and Roberts fans make my eyes roll. These are outstanding managers. I hope Yankee fans appreciate their guy this year. The only thing that can sabotage them is the starting pitching. If a healthy #2 and #3 emerge, they’ll be fine.
As for Roberts, he’s going to be a Hall of Famer. He’s way better than Lasorda, who probably should have been ousted after the 86-87 disasters. The guy ran a sloppy ship. Terrible fundamentals. Thankfully for him, Kirk Gibson came in and temporarily fixed the losing culture. Then he and Hershsier got hurt and it was back to losing. Lasorda was responsible for pushing out Sutcliffe, Konerko, and a pitcher named Pedro. Not the best judge of talent. I’ve never been a fire-the-manager guy, but the myth of Tommy Lasorda is greatly exaggerated. Hollywood Tommy. When he did the swami thing on This Week and Baseball., my dad would turn to me and say, “That guy is full of s***.” It’s the first thing I thought of when I heard Tommy died.. A saving grace: a couple of years ago, the Dodgers were in San Diego and there was Tommy on TV, sitting in the stands despite all his health problems. Gotta love him for that…but I love Dave Roberts more.
I don’t know if padre’s fans do the same but, when ever you see so many fans of an opposing team ( like Dodge’s fans ) commenting on other teams news and saying how overrated and injury prone those players are and even wishing them TJ, that just tells me how worried they are.
Mike – I think you are part right that some of them are qualified as worried but there are those that just seem to be negative about anybody or anything. It seems as if posting negative is what makes their day! Reading posts on a fan based site that are just filled with this cr_p is disheartening. I’m old enough to remember fans being fans of the sport and not enemies. It would be nice just to see some positive / glad to have a season again posts. It seems like the political ads never ended!
I want the Dodgers to win and feel they will finish 10-12 games ahead of the Padres. But I in no way have a superiority complex about it. I actually feel uncomfortable about them being this good as my natural inclination is to root for the underdog. And I’ll watch the World Series whether they’re in it or not. While I want them to win again, it won’t be the end of the world, especially since they just won (and it was indeed legitimate). I enjoyed that feeling and it won’t be horrible if some other team’s fans have that chance in 2021.
Personally, I’m more worried about the Braves than the Padres. It’s hard to catch up all at once while Atlanta has been knocking on the door. Soroka and Fried both concern me more than any SP on the Padres. That’s a tough one for me as a Dodger fan because I love watching Soroka pitch and hope he’s healthy, even though it might cost the Dodgers a ring. But Braves fans have been waiting a long time. I just want a full season, While I watch every Dodger game, I tune into other games as well. Nobody gets their money’s worth out of mlb.tv quite like me. Most nights start out with a “J.V. game” ahead of the Dodgers.
Atlanta’s been under the radar throughout the offseason, but I don’t think they’re a leg-up over San Diego. With a healthy rotation last October, the Padres might have been “knocking on the door” then as well. It was unfortunate we couldn’t see a healthy matchup. Obviously, the rotation for SD is now much improved over last year, and the depth is as good as any other team. I think they’re right there, the Braves not behind by much at all though.
Win or lose, these comments have me confident the Padres have a spot in Dodger fans head this year.
The Padres are going to be good.
My guess is, a whole bunch of teams besides the Dodgers are also paying attention to them.
Bet.
I worry more about Atlanta. My choice for a breakout player this year is Ozzie Albies, who I believe can be an MVP contender. You’re in good shape when I guy like that is your third-best position player. I also like Swanson, Ozuna, and d’Arnaud and the pitching is solid.
A problem for the Padres is that this Dodger team is really, really good. On paper, the best team in the history of the franchise with a ton of depth. They won a franchise-record 106 games in 2019 and are better now by virtue of adding Betts, Smith, and…okay, Bauer. I’m bullish on Lux, who I feel can take them to an additional gear this season. The Padres can have an excellent season by winning 94-96 games and still be 10-12 games behind the Dodgers.
Of the two teams, the Dodgers are better equipped to lose a key player because they have more of them. If the Padres were to lose Tatis or Machado for an extended period, it could be quite damaging. The Dodgers have three such players in Betts, Bellinger, and Seager. Of the remaining players, I don’t see the Padres having a third player as good as Smith, Turner, or Muncy, or even Taylor. The Dodgers also have an edge in starting pitching. For the Padres to win the division, more has to go right than it does for the Dodgers. The next step for the Padres is getting into the 90s in wins.
“The problem for this Padres team is that the Dodgers are really, really good.”
That’s not just the Padres problem.
Pretty big problem for all of us, man.
When Jackie Bradley signed today, I was thinking of how CF and C seem to be the toughest positions to fill with star power these days. The Dodgers have Bellinger and Smith at those two spots. Looking at rosters, I don’t see another team that has those two positions covered nearly as well. MLB.com has Bellinger at #2 behind Trout and Smith at #3 behind Realmuto and Grandal. As a big up-the-middle person, I see this as one of the team’s biggest edges. Can a healthy Hicks and rebounded Sanchez put the Yankees in that mix?
Ooof.
That’s tough. Not knocking Hicks but I don’t think he’s really in Bellinger’s class.
Odd thing with Bellinger. Like Gary Sanchez he had a pretty ugly regular season. Yet, I don’t see any Dodgers fans clamoring to trade or release him.
I’m a Sanchez believer.
Gary spent the winter playing ball in the DR. This is a two time All Star, man. Getting in some extra hacks. & Swanson is going to have a huge impact on him. They’ve now been working together over a year.
Gary is going to have a good year.
So I like the Yanks there. (I like our keystone, too.)
I think in the end it’ll be a wash.
But I can certainly understand why a *lot* of fellas would prefer Bellinger & Smith.
If you look at Bellinger’s 2020, he had a miserable first 2 weeks (300 OPS), then rebounded for a 900 OPS month 2 and ~800 in the final month.
He also played gold glove caliber CF, made some huge plays in the playoffs, and finally came up with the big playoff hit. Some eventually will want to trade Bellinger, but no reason to want him gone immediately imo
Maybe travel ball for kids and specializing in pitching as a 12-year-old isn’t such a great idea after all.
I feel bad for this kid. All the talent in the world but his arm can’t the stress. He’ll be lucky to have a 3-5 year playing career at this point. If healthy, this kid was a potential super star; either in the rotation or as a closer. Really unfortunate for him.
Bad luck for sure, he’s the Padres Alex Reyes at this point. Reyes did end up coming back really good so hopefully Castillo can I find a way to stay healthy as well.