Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Fantasy Cards at MLB Fantasy Report

With the Baseball season just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about the ranking of players for your fantasy leagues. To help you out, MLB has their own fantasy player preview to help you. Check it out here. A big hat tip to the blog Phungo for initially pointing this website out.

The first thing I noticed is that our very own Matt Kemp is ranked as the overall number #1 player in the league. I guess he's no secret anymore. The second thing I noticed is that MLB recreated a vintage Topps card design to highlight each player. Check out the Matt Kemp card below. It borrows Topps 1986 Baseball card design.

Here is the Clayton Kershaw. He is also ranked as the number #1 pitcher in the league (18th overall). Unfortunately, our talent level drops significantly after our 2 big stars. Ted Lilly is ranked as the Dodgers 3rd best player in fantasy Baseball (161st overall).

Videos from Dodger Caravan: Day 1

Here are some video from the first day of the Dodger Caravan yesterday.

Here, Adam Kennedy and Tony Gwynn, Jr. visit the Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

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Clayton Kershaw speaks about his new contract while stopping by the Caravan.

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Collection: Don Newcombe Fleer Greats

Don Newcombe was as great as they come. During his rookie season with the Dodgers he won 17 games while on his way to 1949 Rookie of the Year honors. Then, in 1956, he reached his peak by winning the MVP and CY Young awards with 27 wins. That season he would became the first player to win the Rookie of the Year award, MVP and Cy Young in their career. In fact, he was the lone member of that club until Justin Verlander won the Cy Young and MVP awards last year.

Of Special Note: There is a great recent article by Ken Gurnick at MLB that focuses on Newcombe and Campanella being the first African-American ballplayers in Class A ball. It's a great read.
"My wife and I came out of a movie and saw a headline in the New York Post, I'll never forget it, and it said that Montreal had signed Jackie Robinson," said Newcombe, now 85 and a special advisor to Dodgers chairman Frank McCourt. "I knew this was the beginning of change. I said to my wife, maybe this is a chance for me and Roy."
Featured in this post is a 2004 Fleer Greats autographed card in my collection.