J.P. Hoornstra
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J.P. Hoornstra
@jphoornstra.bsky.social
National Baseball Writer for Newsweek Sports
The Big Lead
Sometimes SportsNetLA
BBWAA
Dad to 凯禮思, 爱佳
Husband to 懐葳
Tips: jp.hoornstra@newsweek.com
Author of “The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All Time”
Pinned
If you happen to be perusing the Orion Shobo Lumine Tachikawa Store in Tokyo today:
As I understand it, all the Angels have to do to “win” this trade is get four years of above replacement-level starting pitching from Grayson Rodriguez.

All the Orioles have to do is acquire three starting pitchers and contend for the World Series over the next 11 months.

Seems fair.
November 19, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Reposted by J.P. Hoornstra
Here is a baseball take:

Fernando Valenzuela belongs in the Hall of Fame and the veterans committee should put him in. Amazing pitcher. Global phenomenon. Cool screwball. Kept going for decades even after his arm practically fell off. And you can't tell the story of the sport without him.
November 19, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Just informed my 5-year-old of the existence of Jimmy Gobble. Now he cannot stop laughing.
November 19, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Michael Toglia and J.J. Bleday, both first-round draft picks in 2019, were among the players who lost their 40-man roster spots today.
November 18, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Paul DePodesta's first trade as a head of baseball operations since he sent Joe Thurston to the Yankees at the 2005 deadline.
And as part of their flurry of moves, the Sox have dealt lefthander Brennan Bernardino to the Rockies for a minor leaguer.
November 18, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Nathaniel Lowe just became an interesting free agent. www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/r...
Red Sox Make Trade With Rays, Cut Former Silver Slugger Winner
A right-handed pitcher who made 22 appearances out of Boston's bullpen over the last two seasons heads to a division rival.
www.newsweek.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Reposted by J.P. Hoornstra
In 1968, the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted 11 future major leaguers—including six All-Stars—who combined for 11,231 career hits and 1,139 home runs. It's the best prospect haul of all time by a long shot.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' Historic 1968 Draft | Eric Vickrey
In 1968—just the fourth year of MLB’s amateur draft—the Dodgers pulled off what is questionably the best draft in baseball history. That year, they selected 11 future major leaguers, including Bobby V...
ericvickrey.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:47 AM
@tomtimm.bsky.social sorry if I'm breaking sad news here, but I just wanted to say that I enjoyed reading your column about your distant cousin/namesake from 20 years ago in researching his obituary:
Former Tigers Closer, Father of Angels Pitcher, Dies
A six-year major league veteran who became an unlikely patriarch of a family of three generations of professional pitchers, died at 85.
www.newsweek.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Yes to this, but also: #NoChristmasMusicInMidNovember
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.

Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
November 14, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reposted by J.P. Hoornstra
Sometimes you run across an old quote that stops you cold. From a Jayson Stark article in January 2000:
November 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
This AL MVP debate reminds me a bit of the 2012 NL Cy Young (Dickey vs. Kershaw). Thirteen years later, I don't feel strongly about the voters' choice that year, even if they got it wrong. I'll have my wife schedule the same post about this award race to my posthumous MetaGoogle page for Nov. 2038.
November 13, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by J.P. Hoornstra
🚨New at the Baseball Savant factory: We made a free agent leaderboard that lets you see who's available this offseason and what their Statcast metrics are.

--> baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/...
November 13, 2025 at 12:26 AM
AI agents are showing us the future by making sure all of their websites have the same interface.
November 10, 2025 at 10:28 PM
@discontinuedfoods.bsky.social looking forward to your obits
November 10, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Reposted by J.P. Hoornstra
There are many reasons I love Los Angeles (and will visit again once the current cr*p down south fades) - this story adds to that.

www.thestar.com/sports/blue-...
‘I hope this becomes a lasting tradition.’ Dodgers fans ease Blue Jays’ World Series loss with $30,000 in donations to SickKids
Many fans donated $51 as a tribute to the Blue Jays relievers who put the number 51 on their caps to pay respects to L.A. pitcher Alex Vesia.
www.thestar.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by J.P. Hoornstra
Alex Vesia and his wife just revealed that their daughter died on Oct. 26, three days after the Dodgers announced he was going to be away from the team during the World Series.
Alex Vesia's Wife Shares Devastating Family News
The wife of the Dodgers pitcher revealed the reason Alex Vesia did not compete in the World Series.
www.si.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Alex Vesia and his wife just revealed that their daughter died on Oct. 26, three days after the Dodgers announced he was going to be away from the team during the World Series.
Alex Vesia's Wife Shares Devastating Family News
The wife of the Dodgers pitcher revealed the reason Alex Vesia did not compete in the World Series.
www.si.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Reposted by J.P. Hoornstra
I've pretty much given up trying to figure out what's going on with the Las Vegas A's stadium. All signs are that it is being built, but I wouldn't be shocked if construction stopped tomorrow.
Funding Questions in Las Vegas Put A's Ballpark in Tricky Spot
The A's continue building a ballpark in Las Vegas, but the surrounding area isn't up to much
buff.ly
November 7, 2025 at 5:20 PM
In a press release announcing the hire, the Rockies say Paul DePodesta was the first person they interviewed for their president of baseball operations vacancy.
November 7, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by J.P. Hoornstra
Giants fans will love Justin Dean, who might have parlayed his role as a defensive replacement on the World Series champion Dodgers into a much larger role in 2026:
Dodgers Lose World Series-Winning Outfielder to Giants
The Los Angeles Dodgers lost a key member of their World Series-winning outfield to the rival San Francisco Giants.
www.newsweek.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Giants fans will love Justin Dean, who might have parlayed his role as a defensive replacement on the World Series champion Dodgers into a much larger role in 2026:
Dodgers Lose World Series-Winning Outfielder to Giants
The Los Angeles Dodgers lost a key member of their World Series-winning outfield to the rival San Francisco Giants.
www.newsweek.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:35 PM
I don't know when it happened, but at some point the Rockies changed their bio on the Bad Site from "We are a Major League Baseball team" (funny, great, self-aware tongue-in-cheek humor) to "Baseball is better a Mile High 🏔". The punch lines write themselves.
November 6, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Also out there already: the Dodgers exercised Alex Vesia's $3.55 million option for 2026.
November 6, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Confirming other reports out there: the Dodgers picked up Max Muncy's $10 million option for 2026.
November 6, 2025 at 7:49 PM
SOX!

Now that I have your attention ...
November 6, 2025 at 7:07 PM