It’s good to be rich. Always has been.
As one of baseball’s blue-chip franchises, the Dodgers have never been short on resources. The club plays in 58-year-old Dodger Stadium, one of baseball’s crown jewels that draw with nearly four million fans a year and cashes a fat check annually from one of the richest TV deals in professional sports.
But to be rich and smart, that’s when special things can happen. That combination produces things like three National League pennants in four years, a World Series title and a second Organization of the Year award from Baseball America in that four-year span.
“Organization of the Year is an incredible honor,” Dodgers team president and CEO Stan Kasten said of his franchise winning the honor for 2020. “To do that in a year when we won the World Series, to do that in a year when we are also the ESPN Humanitarian Team of the Year, to do that in a year when we are also hosting the largest Covid testing site in America (in the parking lots outside Dodger Stadium), to do that in a year when we opened up the stadium to a massive voting center— these are things that make me very, very proud of our organization.
“I mean, in a difficult year for everyone, the Dodgers have risen above this in a way that very few organizations ever have a chance to do.”
Kasten is justifiably proud of the way the Dodgers met the challenges of an unprecedented season.
On the field, no team was better. The Dodgers’ 43-17 record in the shortened regular season translates to 116 wins in the standard 162-game season.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2020 de Baseball America.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 2020 de Baseball America.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
ROAD BLOCK?
Scholarship expansion puts mid-majors at a major disadvantage on the road to Omaha
ROYALS REVIVAL
A revamped and rejuvenated farm system has Kansas City ready to rebound
SUMMER STANDOUTS
The top prospects in summer college leagues are poised to impact the 2025 draft
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Last year’s Florida Complex League prospect crop has been beset by lengthy injuries to many of its top players, including Yankees pitchers Henry Lalane and Carlos Lagrange, Mets infielder Marco Vargas and Red Sox catcher Johanfran Garcia.
IN WITH THE NEW
The 2024 draft is in the books. The trade deadline is history.
WALCOTT BLASTS OFF
It took some time for Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott to find his footing at High-A Hickory.
A RECORD NIGHT FOR COLLEGIANS
Four key takeaways from the 2024 draft
K.C.MASTERPIECE
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. wins games for the Royals with his bat, glove, speed and baseball IQ. He might be the most tooled-up player in the game.
HOW THE MAJORS HAVE CHANGED FOR YOUNG PLAYERS
When negotiating the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the MLB Players Association prioritized the earning power of young major league players, especially young stars.