For the sake of my sanity, I’ve been chilling during all these Spring Training games. But just in case anybody thought otherwise, I’d like to reiterate that the results are mostly meaningless, so don’t bother getting worked up.
That said, here’s a bunch of highlights and stuff.
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Before getting to the highlights, there’s news that Hyeseong Kim is gonna experiment with all three up-the-middle positions.
Hyeseong Kim will get some work in center field in addition to second base and shortstop this spring, Dave Roberts said. Has more experience in the corners, but the Dodgers see Kim’s speed as a potential positive in center and he gives them another LHH CF option.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) February 22, 2025
Visual evidence that they’re certainly trying.
Hyeseong Kim also moved from short to center mid-game and made a nice break on his first play there.
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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) February 23, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Ultimately, his bat will decide his playing time, but added utility certainly won’t hurt.
As mentioned before, Mookie Betts worked hard in the off-season to become a shortstop, including seeking out Troy Tulowitzki for help. Tulo gave an interesting interview recently in which he sheds some light on Mookie’s process.
Troy Tulowitzki put on a masterclass this morning describing the work he did with Mookie Betts in the offseason. It’s SO fascinating. For parents, current amateurs or even for guys in the league, it’s elite level thinking for anyone who wants to be great.
With @JimDuquetteGM! pic.twitter.com/1MDyQtw7yz
— Dani Wexelman (@DaniWex) February 24, 2025
So far, so good.
Still need to see him going to his right more, as that was a trouble area last year, but even in this admittedly small sample, his actions look so much more natural now.
Also, Shohei Ohtani has a new sliding technique.
@dodgers Sliding with Sho. ? #dodgers #mlb #shoheiohtani ♬ original sound – Los Angeles Dodgers
It’s gonna make him slower to the bag, for sure, but … minimizing his chance of injury is really the only thing that matters.
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Dustin May returned to the mound after that horrifying throat injury, which in itself was an accomplishment. While his fastball was down about two ticks, everything else looked sharp.
Dustin May and his throat are back, baby. (📹: @dodgers.com)
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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) February 23, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Dustin May’s Ridiculous Back-to-Back High Spin Breaking Balls. 😳
3451 RPMs (20″ of horizontal break)3528 RPMs (20″ of horizontal break) pic.twitter.com/XExJWAyzKH
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 23, 2025
Hello to Zyhir Hope‘s easy power, as he has certainly looked the part of a top prospect so far.
Zyhir Hope brings the opposite-field THUNDER ⚡️
MLB’s No. 75 prospect (@Dodgers) crushes his first home run of Spring Training: pic.twitter.com/T1z1FM2uxt
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 22, 2025
Top prospect Zyhir Hope pinch-hits and ropes a 105 mph single to right. (📹: SNLA)
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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) February 24, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Hunter Feduccia is off to a fast start, though unfortunately still has nowhere to play.
3-for-3 with 5 RBI so far for Hunter. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dNjlTn8Q2w
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 22, 2025
Speaking of fast starts who are long shots, David Bote might be playing himself into relevance.
David Bote ties it with a bases-clearing double! #DodgersST pic.twitter.com/upJr0SGbDV
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 26, 2025
The NRI is 8-for-12 with a pair of doubles and a homer, and he can play second, third, and first.
Nick Frasso is back after shoulder surgery ruined his 2024, comfortably sitting 93-94 mph and touching 96 mph multiple times, while the changeup looked nasty. Promising.
Great to see Nick Frasso back on the bump!Frasso missed last year due to a shoulder injury, after building a bunch of momentum in 2023. The last time Frasso came off an extended IL stint, he was still in the Toronto system and hit 101 on the gun in his first game back.
Lots of… pic.twitter.com/Ms0MB4Z2Js
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) February 22, 2025
Nick Frasso made his first appearance since 2023 in his Spring Debut
He tossed just 1 inning, but he showed off why he was a highly touted prospect. His fastball looked solid and his changeup flashed very strong traits pic.twitter.com/ZF9ulTqEAA
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) February 22, 2025
Ronan Kopp‘s move to the pen always seemed like it was coming, and if he can throw consistent strikes he’s gonna be a weapon.
Ronan Kopp has LOUD tools.He’s 6’7, has explosive stuff, and gets a ton of swing-and-miss. Didn’t get ramped up until the end of April last year, and showed the ability to miss bats consistently.
Kopp has hit 100 in a bullpen in 2023 as an example of just how loud his stuff… pic.twitter.com/NYBcV1aqMx
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) February 23, 2025
That has been a struggle though, as he showed in his second outing when he walked a pair and uncorked a wild pitch before getting two outs.
Jared Karros is a throwback arm, rising through the system without loud stuff, relying on command and mixing pitches instead. Should be interesting to see if it holds up against advanced bats.
Jared Karros has built a ton of momentum because he made huge strides between 2023 and 2024!Last year he posted a 2.79 ERA, a WHIP of just 1.08, he had 74Ks in 67.2 IP.
Karros features a 4 pitch mix, 4 seam in the 92-94 range, traditional changeup, bullet slider, and a spiked… pic.twitter.com/TwVe7naRZs
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) February 23, 2025
As far as the strugglers go, potential 26-man roster hopeful Edgardo Henriquez had a nightmare in his first appearance, walking three and giving up a double while recording just one out. He did get a scoreless frame in his second appearance, but walked two. Less than ideal.
Meanwhile, Kim is only 1-for-12 with an infield single to go along with four strikeouts and a pair of walks. He’s also surprisingly made a pair of errors, and his struggles could open up a roster spot.
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It took a grand total of one (1) game for serious injury concerns to pop-up, as Bobby Miller took a liner to the head.
Bobby Miller almost being decapitated. (Via SNLA)
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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) February 20, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Thankfully, he seems to have avoided the worst of it, and later he assured fans that he’s fine.
Dave Roberts said Bobby Miller will be under concussion protocol. “We’ll keep an eye on him tonight. … Very scary moment, but it was good to see him actually walk off the field.”
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) February 21, 2025
Thank you to everyone who has reached out. Really means a lot. Scary moment I’m good! All praise to the man above🙏 can’t wait to get back on the mound💪🏼
— Bobby Miller (@Bobby_Miller28) February 21, 2025
Since then, the concussion symptoms have reportedly abated, which makes him very fortunate. After his tough 2024, he definitely deserved to catch a break.
Meanwhile, Michael Grove isn’t going to be ready.
Michael Grove will not ready for opening day, Dave Roberts said
Grove was about a month behind schedule in his throwing program this offseason after ending last season battling a shoulder injury
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) February 25, 2025
That clears the way for a pen arm … perhaps Ben Casparius?
Imagining a Casparius arsenal with a 97-99 mph fastball, his regular deadly sweeper, a harder curveball like he showed today, and a bullet slider in addition to/instead of his cutter from last year
📈
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) February 25, 2025
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