Stretch IMG_9761

By Jon Weisman

As the Dodgers Winter Development Program continued (above), Don Mattingly made his first local appearance of 2015, talking shop with the beat writers before joining in on the Winter Development Camp sessions. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com provides a report of the wide-ranging discussion.

Elsewhere …

  • Jayson Stark of ESPN.com has an all-encompassing look at the time-of-game and pace-of-play issues that MLB might or might not try to address under incoming commissioner Rob Manfred.
  • Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs did a quick measurement of team depth by counting “how many position players or starters on each team are projected for a full-season WAR of at least 1.0.” The Dodgers were tied with the Cubs for second in the National League with 18 players, slightly behind the Pirates (though far behind the Red Sox).
  • Teams who imported better pitch-framing catchers in 2014 saw positive results, according to this analysis by Mike Petriello at Fangraphs.