Will Smith’s framing numbers decline precipitously to well below average in each of the last two seasons, but now he’s back to average in framing. The Dodgers catcher talked with Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times about the importance of framing, even now in the age of the automatic ball-strike challenge system:
“It’s important because you only get two challenges a game, offensively and defensively,” Smith said. “The whole team only gets those two. So the harder I can make it on the other team to challenge pitches, the better. The more strikes I can get and not have to challenge, the better. I think overall, it almost makes it more important, in a way.”
Max Muncy is having an excellent season not only at the plate but defensively at third base. Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest argued that Muncy this year is the best third baseman in baseball.
A week ago we looked at various Dodgers prospects who rose or fell in updated in-season rankings. Today, we have Keith Law at The Athletic, whose midseason top-50 prospects update includes a whopping six Dodgers in the top 30:
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Josue De Paula: 13th, up from 20th
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James Tibbs III: 24th, from outside the top 111
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Zyhir Hope: 28th, up from 36th
Of Ryan, who struck out eight and walked none in six innings with one unearned run allowed on Thursday, Law wrote, “He should be pitching in someone’s rotation by the start of July, and I don’t mean Oklahoma City’s.”
