2023 Season in Review

By George G. Garvin
Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES ---- To say that this past season for the Los Angeles Dodgers was a disappointment is true. But you can also call it a success as well.

But how can a season be good and bad?

With only a handful of games left, the Dodgers were headed to their first postseason since the 2006 season. But that is when it all went down hill. The Dodgers suffered a breakdown in the last 10 games of the year, going 3-7 and falling back to the pack in the Wild Card Race. In all, they finished four games back from the Pirates, who went on to win the World Series.

"Had we played better down the stretch, that could have been us," said Juan Gonzalez, who has been with the Dodgers for nine years. "But that is the way baseball goes. We learned a lot about ourselves next year and we are going to use that to our advantage this year."

Many experts thought the Dodgers had the edge over the Padres, especially after their mini-fire sale right before the trade deadline. But like they always do, the Padres pulled out another National League West Banner, their 13th in a row and their 12th straight season of 100 wins or more.

"We were neck and neck with one of the best organizations in ISBL history," said Gonzalez. "And that is something to be proud of. But how many times do you want to finish in second place and watch. It is time for us to be the team that people are talking about."

Even with a disappointing finish and not making the playoffs, the Dodgers had several positive things happen during the 2023 season. Their 93 wins was the most since they won 100 back in the 2006 season. It is also the first time the team has finished back-to-back seasons over .500 since 2006 and 2007.

"Two years ago we lost 95 games," said GM Tommy Lasorda. "And now we are winning almost 95. That is an amazing turnaround."

Many are crediting an upstart offense for the turnaround. For years, the Dodgers had pitching. There was always an ace or two throwing bullets for the Dodgers. But now they had pitching and offense.

It is hard to pick just one player who had an outstanding year, but the player who made the most impact was outfielder Richard Thomas.

After rupturing his Medial Collateral Ligament late last season, Thomas worked his tail off to be ready for this year. He would return two months early and was dominant from the start. Thomas led the team in batting average, which ranked No. 3 in the league.

"For us to have a chance, we needed Richie to do his thing and lucky for us, he did," Lasorda said. "Without him, we would have been lost."

Also helping out was John Husby, who placed in the top 10 for hits for the sixth straight year, Robert Cosner hit over .300 again and surprise starter Charles Tulowitski, worked his way into the lineup after hitting .372 in the month of May. In all, we had five players that scored 100 runs or more and two more that scored 85. In his first year in the Major Leagues, Alexei Ramirez held his own, hitting 25 home runs and stealing 47 bases.

On the mound, like always, the Dodgers might have had the best 1 through 5 in baseball. Led by staff ace, Gonzalez, the Dodgers saw many others step up. But everyone knows it starts with Gonzalez.

On the year, the 32-year-old left-hander went 18-5 with a 2.84 ERA. All that after missing four weeks with bone chips in his shoulder. It was the best year the left-hander has had as a Dodger.

"Just think if we would have had him during those four weeks," Lasorda said. "That is 5 starts we missed from him. And with him in, you pencil those in as wins."

Taking a cue from Gonzalez, was newly acquired Paul Walker. Practically stolen in a trade from Kansas City, Walker proved to be a solid No. 2 starter in LA. The 31-year-old went 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA.

"He was our MVP," Gonzalez said. "The way he pitched was amazing."

One thing that didn't go unnoticed was Richie Jackson's pitching. For the first time in his career, Jackson did not record 12 or more wins in a season. In fact he didn't even get to double digits in wins. But it was not that he pitched bad (he had a 3.43 ERA), it was more of a case of no run support.

"Our goal this year is to get him 20 wins," Lasorda said. "So that way we can make up for not getting him 12."



Coming up next, a look at the 2024 season.

Week 2 recap

The first month of the season is nearly complete and the more things change at ISBL, the more things stay the same. After a great 5-1 start to the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are a piss poor 7-10 to close out the month of April. The Dodgers have upped their payroll by more than $20 million, most of it on middle relief, but like years past, that has been the biggest problem for them. CUrrently only two relievers have an ERA under 4.00.

Good: After the 2018 season in which John Huseby and Peter Cosner hit .351 and .328 respectivly, I thought it was a fluke. I figured there was no way they could do it again. Little did I know in 2019, they both would do it again with Huseby hitting .366 and Cosner hitting .306. In 2020 they are both back at it again. Cosner is at a team leading .344 and Huseby is at .330. In 1700 career at bats, Huseby is batting .343. It doesn't get much better than that. Compare his numbers with the top three hitters in ISBL history, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby and the active leader Frencis Breedlove and Husbey stacks up well. Numbers are in their first four seasons, in which Husbey has not completed yet.

Name Batting average At Bats Hits
John Huseby .343 1701 584
Ty Cobb .324 1694 549
Rogers Hornsby .306 1491 457
Francis Breedlove .333 1447 482

Another good for the Dodgers has been the play of reserve outfielder Steve Roman. In spring training Roman was told he would be relgated to a backup role. After starting last year and performing well (.271/12/82), Roman said he understood why and has shown maybe he should get another chance. In a pinch hitting role, Roman has 5 hits in 11 at bats with two home runs.

Bad: While Alex Rios finally stepped up and had a good week, hitting .381 in 21 at bats. However, his other two outfielders did horrible. Malcom Williamson hit .154, and teamate Garrett Henry, who started his rookie season hitting the cover off the ball finally cooled down hitting .136.

Ugly: Van Kennedy -After reliving starting pitcher Juan Gonzalez after his worst start of the year (6 IP, 5 runs scored, 1 earned), Kennedy let the game get out of hand. The right-hander allowed five runs in only one inning pitched. He allowed four hits in the inning, three of them doubles. The game was 5-3 when he entered and was a blow out by the time he recorded his third and final out.

Stud of the sim: Robert Pangle. The reserve outfielder had only nine at bats during the entire 8-day sim, but he hit home runs in two of those at bats.

Up Next: The Dodgers will end the month of April with a series versus the Chicago Cubs. Currently the Cubbies are in second place, 3 1/2 games back of the leading Cardinals. After the Cubs, the Dodgers move on to another NL Central opponent, as they start a 3-game series versus the Houston Astros. Houston is currently in last place (How did that happen Jevon?). After a day off on May 6, the Dodgers will take on the defending champion Florida Marlins.

Week 1 Wrapup

The first simulation of the 2020 season is in the books and here is a look at how the Los Angeles Dodgers did.

Good: Going 5-1 in the first sim is easily the best thing that could happen. The Dodgers have the best record in the ISBL (side note, so do five other teams) and will look to build on that over the first month of the season. The Dodgers are also currently ranked No. 4 in the ISBL Power Rankings. What is most impressive of the 5 wins, all of them came on the road as the Dodgers have yet to have an opening day. 157 games until we clinch the NL West. In other good news, nobody on the team decreased and nobody was injured. So all-in-all, it was a very good week to be a Dodger. After placing 30th out of 32 teams with only 119 home runs last year, GM Tommy Lasorda placed great emphasis this off season on getting some more power in the lineup. It might have worked as the Dodgers have hit 12 home runs thus far, good enough for fourth in the ISBL. The season is young though.

Bad: The right side of my infield, Peter Pimentel and Charles Tulowitski have five errors in the first six games. Unacceptable if we want to win the crown. The two have five of the Dodgers eight errors on the young season. Two teams lead the ISBL with nine errors and the Yankees, who are also a surprising 5-1 have yet to make an error. One good thing, two other NL West teams also committed eight errors in their first six games.

Ugly: Abel Zamaro - 1 Inning pitched, 3 hits given up and 3 runs given up for a 11.80 ERA. Way to earn your $3 million dollars. But it gets worse, Chet Lohmann, 2/3rds of an inning, 5 runs scored and five hits allowed for a whopping 67.57 ERA.

Stud of the sim: This week's "Stud of the sim" goes to Juan Gonzalez. Who would have guessed? The 29-year-old Ace threw a complete game 8-hit shutout in his first start of the season. He also struck out eight. To be fair, it was against the Giants. So that might be worth half a shutout. At this pace, Gonzalez will go 27-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 243 innings pitched. That is good, but I bet Josh Beckett could have done better. Oh yeah, Gonzalez also went 1-for-4 at the plate.

Up next: Two more games with the Colorado Rockies (2-4), followed up by our first season series against division rival San Diego (5-1). The week will close out with our second series with the Giants (0-6).

ISBL Offseason

In our first installment of blogging about the ongoings at ISBL, we take a look at this past free agency period and we disect what some GM's were thinking about and we pick the five best signings and the five worst.

Minus Japanese import Toraichirou Shukishi ($ 15,390,000 from the Red Sox), only one player was given a contract more than $10 million dollars, 35-year-old outfielder Jose Navarro was signed to a 3-year deal for $10.5 million a year. The Red Sox are trying to make a statement after losing 99 games last year. The move jumped their payroll from $39,941,257 (24th in the league) to $63,307,671 (good enough for 18th). The Red sox have only one winning season since 2006, something that manager Matt Byrd intends to change.

• Year Wins Losses
• 2019 63 99 .389
• 2018 76 86 .469
• 2017 79 83 .488
• 2016 51 111 .315
• 2015 65 97 .401
• 2014 61 101 .377
• 2013 86 76 .531
• 2012 47 115 .290
• 2011 57 105 .352
• 2010 52 110 .321
• 2009 57 105 .352
• 2008 70 92 .432
• 2007 64 98 .395
• 2006 59 103 .364

The two big signings were similar to last year as import Daisuke "Dice-K" Matsuzaka got the richest contract in ISBL history, signings a 4-year deal worth $32.5 million dollars a year. Last year's other big signing was another Starting Pitcher, Harry Cutler with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He signed a $12.5 million dollar a year deal. Cutler had his best year ever for the D'Backs.

As for this year, the biggest question has to be what does the New York Yankees want with 38-year-old Matt Wheatland? The Yankees signed the veteran to a $4.5 million dollar deal. Do the Yankees actually plan on winning a few more games this year? Or maybe they are just looking to get Wheatland to teach their youngsters a thing or two about pitching. ... And is Los Angeles trying to hoard every single middle reliever there is? The Dodgers signed 7 middle relievers to contracts over 1 million dollars ---- five of them for more than $3 million. Talk about a packrat. Maybe he plans on using a few as trade bait once the season begins or maybe for depth. Either way he is stocked. ... Not sure if anyone else noticed, but Pittsburgh signed 21 free agents over the offseason. However, there biggest contract was only $610,000 to journeyman reliever Joseph Waugh. Almost every single contract was for $300,000 or a tad more. Something strange going on in Pittsburgh. ... The Blue Jays didn't make much of a spalsh in the free agent market, signing two guys, and keeping only one. They signed 37-year-old starting pitcher Sean Burnett to a $4.5 million dollar a year deal. I can't figure out what Burnett's deal is. His stats suck, so I think he was tinkered with to make for a better free agent. No problem there, but a bit worried to see how he will perform. But don't worry, anybody, even Mickey Mouse, could win 20 games for Toronto with that pitching staff and that top ranked offense. ...The Cleveland Indians signed 12 free agents, with their biggest on Right fielder Antoine Conboy. More on Conboy in worst five offseason signings. ... Somebody wake up Seattle and tell them they missed the free agent period. The M's didn't sign one person. Maybe they were okay with their 74-88 season last year? ... Good pickup by the Texas Ranger signing Brian Brauer to a 4-year deal for $4.1 million a year. A bit much for a 36-year-old, but Brauer is a pros pro and has produced for consistenly for the past four years for the Phillies. ... Not sure what it is about finishing 74-88, but the Braves also felt that was a solid finish last year as they also signed zero free agents. ... The defending World Series champion Marlins barely made a splash signing only four guys, but why should they? Most of their team returns, with the expection of pitcher of the century Josh Beckett. ... If I didn't know better, I would say the Cincinnati Reds are trying to lose. After going 65-95 last year, they didn't sign one single free agent. ... In another case of not signing a single free agent, San Francisco didn't either. At 45-117, the Giants could use a few players or two to help them out.

Top 5 signings
1. Dave Knight, Rightfield, 32 yrs, Chicago (N) Cubs
Getting Dave Knight under $10 million dollars is not an easy task. After signing for a then-record $20 million dollar a year extension in 2015 with the Cubs, he was then traded a few months later to the Detriot Tigers. He then made his way to the Texas Rangers. But he has made his way back to the Cubs and his bat will surely help out a offense that struggled in 2019. The cubs ranked 25th in both runs scored (772) and batting average (.252). With Knight in the lineup, the Cubs could have six guys hit for 30 home runs or more.

2. Roger "Rocket" Clemens Jr., Starting Pitcher, 35 yrs, Anaheim Angels
The Angels were putting all they had into signing "Lil' Rocket" and they were victorous. He was signed for a high price, $7 million a year for four years, but that is ISBL. Clemens Jr. will join a great pitching staff as their No. 5 guy and could easily be a No. 1 starter for most teams. However, one look at their ages and you have to wonder how much time they will spend on the DL.

Angels starter pitchers and ages
A. Guzman 28
C. Mazza 33
M. Cambra 33
P. Halvorson 37
R. Clemens Jr. 35

3. Milton Peterson, Rightfield, 31 yrs, Oakland Athletics
For a guy that has never played a full season, this is an interesting pick for No. 3. Peterson was signed for $ 3,180,000 per year for three years. Peterson sports some nice potential and with 162 games under his belt, he just might suprise a few people. Key word, just might. Peterson has average to good speed and average to good defensive skills. He can hit the ball well, but does lack some punch. He is the ideal No. 2 hitter.

4. Tyler Hatchett, Leftfield, 34 yrs, Minnesota Twins
Hatchett is a strange case. In 2017, he hit 31 home runs and drove in 103 runs for the St. Louis Cardinals. He also won the Gold Glove. But he also hit .213 and struck out 142 times. He had almost as many RBIs as he did hits (108 hits to 103 RBIs). That was enough to get him benched as he rode the pine for the Cards as their No. 1 pinch hitter the previous two seasons. The Twins took a chance, signing him to a 2-year contract at $3.5 million a year. I had a hard time putting him in the top 5 singings, but if he can hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 RBIs, I think the Twins will be happy. Regardless that his career batting average is a measly .208.

5. James Flanigan, Designated Hitter, 37 yrs, Baltimore Orioles
Signing the DH, who can also play catcher, 1B and 3B, was a smart move for the Orioles. He has power, and coupled with the O's other big free agent signing, Peter Brain, the two match well with each other. Brain, who signed for $5 million a year is on his fifth team in as many years.

Bottom 5 signings
1. Royce Ring, Reliever, 32 yrs, Los Angeles Dodgers
More than $2 million dollars ($ 2,550,000 to be exact) for a guy who hasn't pitched in the majors in two years ---- and when he did, he had a 9.20 ERA. Wow, that must be a record. Oh, but he is a lefty which somewhat makes up for it. Ring has a career 7.00 ERA in 159 innings pitched, something that wasn't looked at when the contract was offered. He has only two pitches, which he can get over the plate, for the hitters to hit them...far.

2. Allen Leija, Starting Pitcher, 30 yrs, Colorado Rockies
Leija has started all of eight games in his career, but that was good enough for a $2.3 millon dollar a year contract for 3 yeras by the Rockies. In Triple A, where he has spent a lot of time over the past eight years he is great, but in the majors he is 4-5 with a 5.21 ERA in 76 innings pitched. That is a lot of money for a Triple-A All-Star.

3. Christian Paez, Centerfield, 34 yrs, Chicago (N) Cubs
The Cubs signed this one-star outfielder to a $2 million dollar a year contract after he hit just .240 for the Angels last year in 509 at bats. Sure he has speed, but with a .313 on base percentage, what does it matter. He gets out more than two-thirds of the time.

4. Antoine Conboy, Rightfield, 38 yrs, Cleveland Indians
I get it, outfield help is hard to find, but seriously? $3 million dollars for a 1-star outfielder who has no power. He is almost the opposite of Paez, no speed but gets on base plenty. Conboy is a career.282 hitter with a career .365 on base percentage, but he hasn't played full time since 2016. What I don't get is the Indians are set at the outfield postions and DH, so what is Conboy going to be used for, a backup? $3 million is a lot for a backup outfielder with no speed or defense. Well, if it doesn't work out, at least it is only for one year.

5. Ronald Johnson, Reliever, 27 yrs, Charlotte Knights
Sorry Charlotte, but I have to do it. Sure he sports 2.5 stars, but he has only pitched two full seasons and sports a 5.61 career ERA in 98 innings. Not to mention, his pots stink at 4-8-7. But good news, he is only 27 and he was signed for only two years at $3,600,000 per year.

Dodgers Ink Top Pick

By George G. Garvin
Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES ---- Less than one week after the draft started, the Los Angeles Dodgers have announced they have signed their first overall pick.

On Wednesday the Dodgers selected Reginald Norsworthy with the 14th pick. Norsworthy (pictured to the right),
a third baseman in high school signed for $1,184,500.

"We had him high up on our draft board and for him to fall all the way to No. 14 was a blesssing," said GM Tommy Lasorda. "Not only can he hit the ball but he can play great defense."

With an arm rated at a maxed out 10, Norsworthy carries a rating for both the hot corner and first base. But with Peter Pimentel already at third base and Matthew Mott getting ready to turn 35, Norsworthy will be moved across the diamond.

"I don't care where I play," he said. "As long as I get a chance to play."

Norsworthy is already ranked No. 82 among all other prospects in the ISBL and he will be sent t0 Double-A Jacksonville.

Below is the history of the Dodgers draft since sim season 2006.

• 2006 - RF Tony Gwynn Jr. ---- Traded to Minnasota for Dave Kelton after underperforming for the Dodgers in the minors for four years. Has now become one of the most feared hitters in ISBL.
  
  
• 2007 - P Maurice Miller ---- He spent a decade in the minor leagues before getting called up in 2017. He pitched 52 innings, and went 0-9 with a 9.35 ERA. He was released the next spring training.
  
  
• 2008 - 1B Robert Stiller ---- No information available
  
  
• 2009 - Not available
  
  
• 2010 - P Jose Garduno ---- After two years in the minors, Garduno was called up in 2012 and he went 5-15 with a 4.86 ERA. He hasn't been able to pitch well since, and is a combined 10-30 with a 6.40 ERA. He was taken by Boston in the Rule V draft in 2014 and was released two years later.
  
  
• 2011 - OF James Robertson ---- After hitting 71 home runs in Single-A in 2013, he was left off the 40-man roster in a bonehead move where he was quickly snapped up by San Francisco. After spending the season on the bench during his rookie campaign, in which he had only 100 ABs, he has since become a great hitter, thanks to some timley upgrades at the hands of the Astros GM. He has joined the 30-30 club each of the past three seasons.
  
  
• 2012 - P Ricardo Cruz ---- Sensing a trend yet, Cruz was also taken in the Rule V draft. A five-star stud when drafted, Cruz was not able to recover from the time he spent on the of the Tigers and is now a 1-star flunkee. He was demoted by the Tigers midway through the season and the Dodgers gave him a shot in 2017 and 2018 hoping he would improve on his ratings, but no such luck. He is a dreadful 6-25 with a 7.85 ERA in his lifetime. He is still
  pitching for the Pirates in AAA.
  
  
• 2013 - P Lance Broadway ---- A stud since the minute they drafted him, Broadway lasted less than one year as the Dodgers traded him to pick up some much needed offense down the stretch run in 2014. To date, GM Tommy Lasorda calls it the worst trade he has ever made. Broadway is now a legit No. 1 starter for the Mets and has won 16 or more games each of the past four seasons.
  
  
• 2014 - C Taylor Teagarden ---- Another first round pick. Another bust. Teagarden was taken with the 11th pick and has done nothing for the Dodgers, expect fill a spot up in AAA for the past three seasons.
  
  
• 2015 - 1B Jerry Simmons ---- Simmons is an interesting case. At the time of his draft, the Dodgers farm system was in deep trouble and Simmons was all we had. So we wereoffered three quality specs for one quanity spec. Five years later, Simmons is producing for Charlotte. However, he is not excatly living up to his potential. But the three guys the Dodgers got for him are doing okay. Matt Antonelli started two seasons ago and produced, but was relegated to backup duty in 2019 and Steven Roman started last season and did well. Jl Lupo was taken in the Rule V draft (ANOTHER ONE) and is a 5-star prospect. However, he won't ever live up to his pots because he was stunted in the majors.
  
  
• 2016 - 2B John Huseby ---- Finally a winner. The 2016 draft was a great one for the Dodgers as they nabbed Huseby, their starting second baseman, current No. 5 starting pitcher Bryant Duque in the third round and starting center fielder Malcom Williamson in the second. But Huseby is the creame of the crop. The 21-year-old has a career batting average of .344 in 1600 at bats and has had 200 hits or more each of the past two seasons. And to top it off, he had 113 RBIs last year.
  
  
• 2017 - P Chet Lohmann ---- Another trend is starting to show up ---- successful drafts. Lohmann, taken with the fifth pick has pitched very well and is only getting better. He has already wona Gold Glove, but injuries have hurt him over his career. If he can stay healthy, the sky is the limit.
  
  
• 2018 - 3B Peter Pimentel ---- The third straight success story. Pimentel won the Rookie of the Year last year, the second such award for the Dodgers (the last was starting pitcher Cesar Mazza). He hit 30 home runs and had 97 RBIs in a great freshman year. More is expected of the young third baseman during his sophomore year.
  
  
• 2019 - OF Garrett Henry ---- After one year in the minors, Henry is ready to go. Henry hit 31 dingers in AAA last season to go with his .332 batting average. With the trade of DeShawn Erhart, the door is open for Henry to continue the Rookie of the Year theme for the Dodgers.

Season Preview

By George G. Garvin
Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES ---- In 2019, the Los Angeles Dodgers had their best year in four years, breaking a string of three straight seasons of 100 losses or more.

In 2020, they are looking for something that hasn't happened ever since the Internet Baseball Sim League was formed in 2002.

Finish in first place.

"Some years we have great offense and some years we have great pitching," said General Manager Tommy Lasorda. "But this year we feel we have a good mix of both."

With the addition of ace Richie Jackson (pictured right) from St. Louis over the weekend and the announcement that the Dodgers signed 11 free agents, including eight middle relievers the Dodgers bolstered what they felt was their biggest weakness last year.

The Dodgers tripled their payroll, adding more than 41 million dollars in payroll.

"Like the saying goes, you have to spend money to win," Lasorda said. "We have had a low payroll for the past few years so we have been able to save a lot of cash to pay for the players we aquired."

Jackson, who will be the highest paid player on the Dodgers makes $16.5 million and is the higest paid player in the league. But Lasorda said that contract will be paid down with the overabundance of cash the Dodgers have aquired over the years. Jackson said he is excited to be a Dodger.

"This is the second time I've been traded in the past 12 months," Jackson said, refering to the July 1st deal that sent him to the Cardinals. "But I feel this is the place I belong. Cardinals GM Mike Williams said the Dodgers made the biggest push to get me and that shows with how many prospects they gave up to get me. It is a nice
feeling knowing someone wants you."

Jackson will join an already impressive starting rotation that includes Ricky Romero, Chet Lohman and staff ace Juan Gonzalez. All four starters are 30 years old or younger.

"We have a good core of pitchers and with the addition of the middle relievers in free agency, this team is going to be much improved," said Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. "They are going to make my job a lot easier."

With so much focus on pitching, the Dodgers left most of their offense alone. Expect for trading leadoff man Deshawn Erhart, the Dodgers are not worried with incoming rookie Garrett Henry ready to take the reigns. Los Angeles has a good idea of what to expect of their rookies, as 2019 rookie of the year Peter Pimentel will tell you.

"They don't put any pressure on you and just tell you to perform like you always have," said Pimentel, who hit .275 with 30 home runs with 97 RBIs to claim the award. "That allowed me to enjoy the season and have fun."

But they aren't done yet. They know they need a legit No. 5 starter and depth is also a problem. But they are problems that are fixable, unlike last years problems.

All last year we kept telling ourselves we need a No. 1 starter and middle relief help," Lasorda said. "But none was available and we just kept kicking ourselves because there were so many games we should have won but didn't because of our pitching."

The Dodgers were 19-19 in one-run games and 5-5 in extra inning games. "That will be much improved," Lasorda said. "Count on it."

One more thing that must improve is their record versus National League West opponents. The Dodgers went 7-12 versus the rival Padres, which isn't bad versus a 100-win ball club.

However, they went only 12-7 versus the last place Giants, who went 45-117.

"With these additions and the expierence this team gained playing in close games and for the first time in many of their careers, games that count things are going to change," Lasorda said, "They have only gotten better because of it."

As one American League GM said, "It looks like the Dodgers are ready for a playoff push

That push would only be the second time Los Angeles has made the playoffs since 2002, a streak that Lasorda said must end.

"We can't go out and pay all this money and tell our fans that we are better and expect them to show up to the ballgame if we don't put out a quality product," he said. "It is the playoffs or bust for us."

2020 should be an interesting year, unlike 2019.

First Post

Welcome to the ISBL Dodgers GM Blog. I am the General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ISBL (Internet Simulation Baseball League). ISBL has been around a long time and I have been with it since day one. But back when it started, I was the Baltimore O's. After taking a two-season break, I took over the reigns of the Dodgers in sim-season 2005. In 2004, they went 42-120. Two years later they won 100 games. Since then though, things have been tough.

That is about to change.

Enjoy. Respond and let's play ball.