What if?- Andre Ethier

Andre Ethier (2015)

Bottom of the 6^th inning, men on first and second, 1-1 count, 97-mph fastball, Andre Ethier swung and hit a ground ball to the right field. The Dodgers scored the only run in the game 7 of the World Series 2017. That was Ethier’s last AB as a Dodger.

A-Rod is not a fan of Launch Angle

Alex Rodriguez (2015)

Alex Rodriguez is a great hitter without doubt. 10 times silver slugger, 600+ Home runs, 2000+ RBIs, 3000+ Hits. His career OPS was .930. In his YouTube channel, Alex talked about how to hit homers and he said “forgot about the launch angle.” Well, there are several hitting approaches to be effective hitters. So I took a look at A-Rod’s launch angle.

Launch Angle — from minus to MAX

Max Muncy signed a 3-year extension with the Dodgers in February. The 2019 All-Star accumulated with 70 homeruns in 2018 and 2019. The Dodgers signed him to a minor league deal in April, 2017. Before that, he played 96 games with the Oakland Athletics and his BA was only .195. What did the Dodgers do to make Muncy an All-Star?

Launch Angle Revolution - Justin Turner

Justin Turner (2015)

Launch angle has been talking everywhere. More and more MLB players focus on hitting the ball in the air. Some players change their swings and at the same time, change their careers.

Open a box of Topps Fire 2019

I went to a sports card shop last weekend and found a box of Topps Fire 2019 on sale. Thinking that I might get a cool rookie autograph or relic card. It will be even awesome to have Dodgers players. 

Steve Pearce retired from baseball

2018 World Series MVP Steve Pearce announced retirement from baseball. Pearce truly hit the Dodgers hard in the World Series, 3 home runs and 8 RBIs. As a Dodgers fan, it was a series that I really would like to forget.

Some don’t sign

Being selected in the first round in MLB draft should be a good reason to celebrate, most players are willing to sign the deal with the team. However, some players had different opinions. From 2000 to 2015, there were 23 players who didn’t sign with the team that selected them in the first round (including competitive balance and compensation).

Let’s make a deal

Sean Doolittle was traded to Nationals in 2017

“Hi, Billy”
“Hi, Mike”
“I want xxx.”
I guess that’s how the talk begins when Mike Rizzo calls Billy Beane, or maybe text. Washington Nationals won the 2019 World Series Champions. General Manager & President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo definitely deserves credit for building a winning team. There are many ways to build a winning team and get great players. You can sign top free agents, for example, Max Scherzer. You can identify young talents and develop them in the farm system, we all see Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg and Juan Soto. You can acquire good players from other teams, thus by trade, Sean Doolittle was traded to the Nationals from Oakland Athletics, and Daniel Hudson was sent from Toronto Blue Jays.

Dodgers’ Will Smith rookie card

Topps Chrome Update is a retail-only product, with 100 base cards per set. There’s no autograph guaranteed per box. However, it’s still a good way to collect some notable rookie such as Will Smith, Keston Hiura and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The first time I saw this series was last year. It’s not that attractive to me, but I would like to get some cool rookie cards. I got Will Smith and Keston Hiura. For me, that’s good enough.

Changes in the first round

Adrian Gonzalez (2015)

Adrain Gonzalez was the first overall pick in the 2000 MLB Draft, selected by the Florida Marlins. He made his MLB debut in 2004 with the Texas Rangers. In his career, he played for 5 MLB teams (Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets), accumulating with more than 300 HRs, 1000 RBIs and 2000 Hits. His career ops is .843. Meanwhile, he’s a 5-time All-Star and 4-time Gold Glove winner. And he was the first high school first baseman taken first overall since 1967.

My first spring training game

It was several weeks ago, I went to a sports card shop and met a friend who’s a Blue Jays fan. He told me that he would go to watch some spring training games this year. I told him that the first spring training game, which I went, was in Dunedin, Florida.

My first Gavin Lux baseball card

Topps Gypsy Queen isn’t new, but it’s an interesting and worth collecting brand for some collectors/fans who like the throwback designs. I usually buy some packs every year to see if I can get some cool rookie cards. Luckily, I got a Gavin Lux rookie card and a Roberto Clemente short print (1:24 hobby packs, 1 per box).

Father & Son, Guerreros’ slumps in September

Like father, like son! Vladimir Guerrero and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. both hit double-digit home runs in their first full MLB season. When I looked these 2 great batters’ first season. Both were not bad, Guerrero’s BA and OPS are better than his son. Guerrero Jr. accumulated more home runs and RBIs.