Dodgers: New LA Broadcaster Speaks On The Long Line of Success Within Organization
Although the Dodgers were recently left out of the Top 5 pre-season rankings and have been silent all off-season, many agree that they shouldn't be counted out just yet.
Why? Because of their deeply rooted success within the organization.
Stephen Nelson who was just recently named to the Dodgers broadcast team will step in when Joe Davis is out and about. He hopped on KTLA Morning News to share about his new gig and what fans can expect from the Dodgers this year:
"It's going to sound like I'm spewing hot air because I now work for the Dodgers but in the past five years when I worked at MLB Network, people always ask me what's the best organization in baseball? I would give them two answers: The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays. Of course, there's a relationship there with Friedman that's where he came from...but for the Dodgers, it's a top to bottom, first-class organization, and in every single department. People think there's this stereotype of Los Angeles and LA sports that they just buy success and for the Dodgers specifically from a baseball standpoint, that couldn't be further from the truth. Because they draft, they develop, and they scout internationally, and domestically. Everything they do, in signing players who have been discarded by other franchises whether it be Max Muncy or Chris Taylor are two examples of that on this current roster and they turn them into stars. Credit of course to those players and their families for the work they've put in but that's a testament to the organization. If we're talking Dodgers Baseball you're talking about a decade of dominance that we've seen and there's nothing that tells you that train is slowing down."
Statistically, the Dodgers have been one of the most dominant teams in the MLB across the past decade and there are plenty of accolades from their most recent to prove it.
They hold the fourth most amount of wins in a regular season (111) and also had a +334 run differential this season which tied them for the fourth-highest since 1900.
And according to our good friend, Sarah Langs, "Over the past 10 seasons, the Dodgers have 931 wins. That’s 73 more than the closest team (Yankees, 858). They have 278 more wins than the last-place Marlins (653). Plus their +1,723 run differential in that span is 754 runs clear of the 2nd-place Astros (+969)."
I know that's a lot of numbers but if you weren't aware of the type of success that Nelson is talking about, there's a little something to prove it.
But stats only show you one side of the story. As he mentioned, the Dodgers also have a long-standing history of taking good players and turning them great. Take Tyler Anderson for example or any of the players that the Dodgers took a chance on and have reaped the benefits such as Trayce Thomspon or hopefully Noah Syndergaard this upcoming season.
Clearly, Stephen Nelson knows this Dodgers team well and is aware of the deep tradition that runs from the clubhouse, onto the field, and down into the minor league teams as well.
